17 replies to this topic

[balletstar811]

Does anyone know why this very talented dancer is in the CORPS????

[Mel Johnson]

Because he isn't a soloist or a principal.

[balletstar811]

I am quite sure you are being sarcastic, Mr. Johnson, yet if you were not, then what I meant is why isn't he a soloist or principal [because of his talent]?  Come now, surely you must know I am not that... ahem... dumb...

Someone I know sad that because ABT is such a huge company it is easy to be lost and forgotten in the corps...

[Mel Johnson]

Any response here, save one from the dancer himself, or a representative of the company, would be either speculation or gossip, which we all know...ahem...NEVER occurs on Ballet Talk!;)

[balletstar811]

Yes, I suppose you are right.  Perhaps the point I am trying to make out of this is that even very talented people are in the corps, and you have to be extremely exceptional to be a principal.... I hope I can get there someday!

[Alexandra]

Sometimes there are reasons people don't get promoted. I've seen Radetsky in several solo roles (Benvolio, Second Sailor in "Fancy Free" just this past season) and I did not think he was a strong technician, not at ABT soloist level, at any rate.

[Dale]

Radetsky seemed to be getting several solos to dance a few years ago.  In addition to the ones Alexandra mentioned, he was very nice in the pas de trois in Swan Lake and was OK in fourth movement of Symphony in C (I say OK because he was partnering a dancer who was a little bit too tall for him).  He even did the "swinging" Rothbart character (I believe, my memory might be wrong).  However, he got injured at the end of the season he was dancing so much (maybe the year before last at the Met) and that appeared to slow his progress.  In addition, I have to second what Alexandra said - doing solo parts doesn't always mean a dancer has the right stuff (yet) to be a soloist at a major company such as ABT.  

Radetsky also has a higher profile of a dancer in a similar situation due to his staring role in Center State.  That might give his fans an inflated view of where he should be in his ballet career.

[Fraildove]

There is another dancer in the corps at ABT. Maria bystrovia was/is a very talanted dancer that has not been showcased that much at ABT. I wonder Why? She, in my opinion has a strong tech. and a very developed stage presence. Anyone seen her lately?

Rachel

[Alexandra]

She was doing Rosaline here, when the company brought Romeo and Juliet a few weeks ago.  That's the first solo role I've seen Byrstrova do.  I agree -- I saw her as a very young teen at the Kirov Academy and thought she was ballerina material then.  I have no idea why she's not getting to do more -- but dancers can change after the age of 14, too   I think she did a Shade in New York last spring -- she was on the cast list for it, at any rate.

[Fraildove]

I was at KAB for a time when she was there, back in 98. I had a great admiration for her even then. I don't think she could have changed that much in that length of time, even though it could be possible.

Rachel

[balletstar811]

Now that we're on the subject of what dancers are up to, does anyone know what Sarah Lane of the studio company has been in lately?  I think she should move up to the corps soon, unless they enjoy havng her in the studio co., because she seems to be one of the stars.

[Mel Johnson]

What's the rush?  Do people want another Gelsey Kirkland, an overnight sensation?  Now think again, especially if you've read her books.  Is that what we want?

Dancers take time to evolve and develop, and must be allowed to do so at their own rates and paces.  I've seen dancers who've spent twenty years in the corps and suddenly went into soloist and principal roles, not because it was a sort of "gold watch" longevity award, but because it was time!  So while we may root for the Radetskys or the Wileses, or whomever comes our way, it's not always in the dancer's best interests to be forcibly raised to the top.  Ethel Barrymore wrote a famous autobiography, called Too Much, Too Soon.  That concept serves as a caution, especially in dancers' careers!

[balletstar811]

I understand Mr. Johnson.  After all, these dancers we speak of are very young and have time to get to the top.  I shall not ponder or ask on this situation any longer.

[Alexandra]

I agree with Mel, but I also understand the interest in who will be The Next Big Thing.  It's human nature.  We're always looking for a new talent, and then yesterday's "new talent" (now all of 18) gets shoved aside, and by the time the Hot Ones are 24, we're tired of them.  Still dancing Giselle?  Gosh, she's been doing that for eight years!

But we'll all keep on doing it

[Mel Johnson]

Oh, please don't stop noticing, or thinking about upcoming dancers.  I get a great kick out of noticing some kid in the corps and following him/her through a career.   But dancers today are dancing longer, thanks to performance medicine and an increased awareness of how to teach to maximize a performing career.  It's a great world out there in Balletland, but now it's not over as quickly as it used to be for the people, even though the performances may always exist "at the vanishing point"!