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Giselle: July 11-16, 2005


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A fine beginning to a week of Giselles, the corps seemed very ready for a change after 11 Lakes! Bravi! Yet Swans were everywhere, seven performances worth: with Kent plus an incredible Wilis trio: Queen Gillian with Michele and Veronika. Talk about intimidating Wili-power, but Julie over came them all to save Julio Bocca and the Wilis too. This is a partnership of very long standing, one I have seen just sporadically, but I'm sure there are many of you out there who can place this performance within the greater context of their work. I sense that Julie is now stronger than she was before the baby, an observation consistent with her impressive Swan Lake reviews. She and Julio work together as one, like people in one of those marriages that REALLY works... How interesting it will be to compare the next cast, Vishneva and Corella on their first date!

A taste of Siegfried seems to have enriched the soul of Gennadi Saveliev, who turned in an Hilarion with real authority. Reyes and Cornejo rocked the house with a peasant pdd to remember.

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Does ABT usually cast principal dancers (Michele Wiles) in soloist roles (Moyna/Zulma)? Or perhaps (I don't know what the posted casting is) Wiles, Part, and Murphy will all rotate between M/Z and Myrtha? That would be interesting--a very powerful Wili trio indeed!

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Does ABT usually cast principal dancers (Michele Wiles) in soloist roles (Moyna/Zulma)?  Or perhaps (I don't know what the posted casting is) Wiles, Part, and Murphy will all rotate between M/Z and Myrtha?  That would be interesting--a very powerful Wili trio indeed!

Casting pricipal dancers in soloist roles: last week Michele was cast in the partnering role with Hallberg in Swan Lake's Act1/3 PDT. To my mind it is was a special treat as they seemed to give us a sneak peek into the happy part of Act 1 Giselle with their interplay! And of course it gave David a chance to dance with Michele, whom he partnered to the Eric Bruhn prize. Also, Xiomara and Herman are principals. But the junior Wilis pair is a wonderful source of teaching/exposure roles for younger dancers, and that may be more valuable both to the company's future and to dancer morale.

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Your mention of Moyna and Zulma being exposure roles for younger dancers gave me a wonderful vision--Melanie Hamrick and Karen Uphoff as Moyna and Zulma, led by Michele Wiles or Veronika Part as Myrtha! :devil: (I assume it's asking too much to let Bystrova have a crack at Myrtha or even the peasant pas de deux.)

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  (I assume it's asking too much to let Bystrova have a crack at Myrtha or even the peasant pas de deux.)

No it is not too much to ask, and she could be partnered with Hallberg in the PPD so it might become a de facto audition for Giselle! Would be potentially glorius. But who could you ask who'd actually consider giving her the chance?

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drb how I would love to see Bystrova be allowed so much as the possibility of one day dancing Giselle with ABT! I suppose it could still happen, but at the glacial pace her career has moved (stuck in the corps for years and only just now receiving soloist roles alongside newbies like Hamrick--of whom I'm also a big fan)...well, it's as you said, who would consider giving her the chance? Also, why wasn't she given the chance sooner?

Moderators, if you feel the Bystrova discussion is too :devil: I'm happy to start another thread.

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I went to last night's performance and it was glorious! The Met was packed and I could sense that the audience was anticipating something very special. The two leads were first-rate! I saw Julie Kent and Julio Bocca two weeks ago in Le Corsaire, so I already knew that they have a beautiful, dynamic partnership with a lot of chemistry between them. Kent's Giselle was lovely - very girlish and innocent in Act I and very loving, protective, and forgiving in Act II. Her dancing was beautiful. There is a part in Act I where she skips across the stage while she in on pointe with the other foot - that got a lot of applause. She received a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the ballet. She took her time during the mad scene - there was one point where she just stood, holding her head and looking in horror at the audience - that gave me chills.

Julio Bocca partnered Kent perfectly. He presented her very well and his own solo numbers were extraordinary. He also conveyed a lot of emotion and prevented Albrecht from becoming the heel of the story. (Funny - Hilarion is actually the guy you dislike in this ballet - not Albrecht). At the curtin calls, he was such a gentleman - he kept pointing all of the attention to Kent. What a great partnership!

Gillian Murphy - I have mixed emotions. First of all - her dancing was superb! I have no complaint about her dancing whatsoever. My complaint was that she just wasn't intimidating enough as the Queen of the Willis. I kept thinking about Isabel Seabra on the Giselle VHS from La Scala with Alessandra Ferri and Massimo Murru- she was a scary Myrtha! The only time that Gillian was even remotely sacry was when she sent Hilarion to his death.

The two lead Willis were danced by Michele Wiles and Veronika Part. The whole Willi corp was gorgeous. There is that one part where the Willis cross the stage with one leg up in the air. That got a lot of applause.

The showstopper of Act I was the peasant pas de deux with Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo. I have had the pleasure of seeing these two dance together before and they did not disappoint last night.

This will probably be the last time that I see the ABT until next season and last night I felt really spoiled! - Kent - Bocca - Murphy - Saveliev - Reyes - Cornejo - Part - Wiles - ALL ON THE SAME NIGHT?!?!?!?!? :blink:

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Before I begin about the July 11, Giselle:

This is a partnership of very long standing, one I have seen just sporadically, but I'm sure there are many of you out there who can place this performance within the greater context of their work.

drb, Kent and Bocca, to my knowledge, have not danced together too often before. His most frequent partners have always been Alessandra Ferri and Nina Ananiashvilli. Kent and Bocca danced a Romeo and Juliet a few years ago (Kent replacing Ferri) and a Manon...perhaps some other things as well, but the point is, only this season (and please correct me if I'm wrong!) have they really begun to dance together often- due mostly to the withdrawal of both of Bocca's principal partners. (Nina was to dance all the Corsaires and Swan Lakes and Alessandra the Giselles) That is one reason their recent performances have been just incredible- they have developed such an astonishing rapport so quickly- it seems as though this has been a partnership developing over many years.

Though I looked forward to seeing Ferri and Bocca together in Giselle this entire year ( :( ) I have to say I have never seen a more beautiful Giselle. Albrecht was no fool in risking everything he had (his identity, respect, marriage, standing, etc.) to learn more about this charming girl. She was timid, afraid yet eager, charming, beautiful, forgiving, earnest, innocent, and very alluring at the same time. I felt like I was watching a conversation- with Kent and Bocca on stage, there was something to see every single nano-second. Every gesture, and every expression looked so natural, like a natural reply. Albrecht's sometimes cheesy gestures looked totally convinving and heartwarming. My favorite moment was when Giselle first feels a little ill, and she goes to sit on the bench- Bocca ran over to her, stroking her face and her hair, taking her "fever", warming her hands, frowning and shaking his head, and if you were sitting close enough, you could just see him mouthing whatever it was he was miming. :innocent: Bocca mirrored everything Kent did- and this was a perfect way to show just how awe-stricken he was of his Giselle. Their arms, hands, legs, and feet were always perfectly together, shaped exactly the same way, like they were echoing eachother, or even feeding off eachother. It was a pleasure to watch.

Kent's mad scene was very out of the ordinary, IMO, but one of the most tragic I've ever seen. She didn't run around, horrified and shaking like so many ballerinas do it. She was invested, even possessed- recalling every single gesture she and Albrecht had made earlier, mimicking and almost mocking it. She stayed in one spot, extremely still, and you could just see the horror and the memories running through her mind- something about that was more powerful than any overemoting/dramaticizing. Then she convulsed in what looked like actual tears and ran to her mother.

*Note: Susan Jones as Giselle's mother made no secret of the fact that she was removing pins from Giselle's hair- much more refreshing than the scrambled petting one usually sees. Julie emerged with lovely hair completely down, her mother stroking it. :D

I felt Act Two belonged completely to Bocca. Though Part and Wiles were lovely as Moyna and Zulma- and especially Part. (ABT needs more women of Part's stature, with large, lush, regal movements) Murphy was a strong Myrta but like Ceeszi said, not nearly intimidating enough. I reviewed the movie "Dancers" this past weekend in preparation (Ferri, Kent.. :cool: ) and no one can beat Leslie Browne's Myrta for me. Murphy's was too different, and..cool. However, she now tops my "Loveliest Bourree" list. Bocca never overdid anything, I felt everything was always just right- he seemed to hang in the air with desperation, and then come down, failing, then trying again. He seemed to be holding onto the air, as if it was the only thing that could save him.

Farrell Fan Posted Today, 05:56 PM

  Okay, Monday night's performance was lovely. My question is: in ACT 2, if you didn't know the Wilis were trying to dance Albrecht to death and Giselle was trying to save him, would you have been able to tell from that performance?

Farrell Fan, Monday night was one of the first times I actually saw that happening! Bocca really looked as if he might just collapse of sheer exhaustion and desperate love at any second. Kent was a cooler Willi, but looked determined at all costs to save her, if unrequited, lover. More than that, she was such an ethereal Willi- she seemed to float across the stage, always just out of Albrecht's reach- never too close that it seemed silly he wouldn't catch her, and never too far she seemed out of reach. Kent and Bocca were indeed dancing as one. Perhaps it was Murphy's lack of projection..

(Funny - Hilarion is actually the guy you dislike in this ballet - not Albrecht).
Ceeszi, I almost was as heartbroken for Albrecht as I was for Giselle. :rolleyes:

Another side note: Happy Birthday Julie! Last night, perhaps during a beautiful performance of Giselle, she turned 36. :D (July 11, 1969)

I will report once more after the 15th- and don't forget- Ferri's 20th anniversary celebration following the performance :)

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Giselle. Vishneva/Part/Corella.

Another level of greatness. Over a hundred Giselles, beginning with most of the Makarova/Baryshnikovs in NYC.... Tonight's performance simply did the impossible, reaching the glory of those two at their best.

Vishneva/Part: has ABT ever had a pair who both attained such Vaganova perfection? Part, exemplary in the most direct line of all, the Heroic ballerina. Vishneva, so much in the great variation marked for us in America by Makarova.

And Mr. Corella. How would this "first date" partnership go? Would they have enough rehearsal time to avoid a bobble? Well, yes. But more, so much more. A perfect fit and rapport. The great virtuoso has found his partner. Instantly, perfect chemistry. That is a tricky word here at BalletTalk. But I offer as proof what happened as Corella completed his second diagonal of brissees; always, especially as he performs them, meriting a Roar. Silence. The entire audience spellbound by what these two were creating.

For Russian ballerinas, the Holy Ballet.

Amen.

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"Happy Birthday Julie! Last night, perhaps during a beautiful performance of Giselle, she turned 36. (July 11, 1969)"

Thanks for the reminder, Giselle05. And tomorrow is Diana Vishneva's Birthday. July 13, 1976.

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Amen to drb. I lost count of the curtain calls for Vishneva and Corella, but I haven't heard such stomping and screaming at the Met in years. She was the picture of Giselle; floating wraithlike arms, beautifully curved feet, delicate beats, a waist that bends generously both ways. But most of all she was the character. Her mad scene in act one was like Ophelia undone. In act two she was the steadfast lover, strong enough to outlast the merciless wilis. And as you say, her partnership with Corella was love at first sight. Their curtain calls were touching -- she really stays in character, and he was gallant and humble, retrieving bouquets no matter where they landed and presenting them to her. Vishneva rules!

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I saw Vishneva do "Giselle" with Andrian Fadeev and the Kirov during their tour circa 1999 - she was so much better last night. (She also was much more lively and comic as Kitri with ABT - is it maturing artistry or good dramatic coaching here or both?) About 5 or 6 years ago with the Kirov, Diana danced well but was just a generic ingenue with no specific take on the part. She hadn't found those little touches that make Giselle a specific person in a very special ballet. Last night she was exciting. She had a combination of virginal shyness and coltish wildness that I liked a lot and she was surprising in her attack in places - did things you didn't expect. Sudden unexpected drops or wild dashes away from Albrecht - she was much more reckless and abandoned than Kent on Monday. I was also thrilled that she paired up very well with Angel - he needs a strong female partner on his level who is also a good physical match. Vishneva matches up better with him physically than Gillian Murphy or Paloma Herrera and she is a stronger star performer than Xiomara Reyes (who I like a lot in the right roles). Angel was wonderful and is such a giving artist. This is maybe his best "grown-up" role. He had interesting touches of spoiled hauteur and arrogance in his first entrance and was heartbreakingly desolate at the end, walking to the footlights searching the "heavens' for his lost happiness.

Veronika Part had more soft line and Romantic style as Myrtha than Murphy did on Monday. She also had an impressive jeté - very high and soaring. Neither dancer was particularly formidable or scary Myrtha, but whatever. Actually, Irina Dvorovenko was a fine Myrtha some years ago - icy cold, you could feel her turning the air around her to ice.

I also enjoyed Gennadi Saveliev (a good versatile company man) and Anna Liceica (who should get a crack at "Giselle" herself) in the Peasant PDD. Melissa Thomas and Carmen Corella were also fine as Moyna and Zulma.

As lovely and satisfying as Monday night was, Tuesday had the exciting spark of two young superstars taking risks and finding inspiration in each other.

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Go figure. I thought the opposite; that her act I Giselle had become very mannered and that I didn't particularly believe her until Act II. I disagreed with a few of Corella's choices, particularly that I did not see enough change from Act I to Act II. If you play Albrecht as a cad, he has got to be changed by Giselle's death. And Corella dismissed his Wilfrid in Act II as if he were the same imperious Count as he was in Act I. I didn't see the point of change until Vishneva exited for the last time.

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Well, I just learned that I share a birthday with Julie...but I treated myself instead to the July 12 Giselle...Vishnieva and Part--a combination made in heaven. From the moment she came out of her front door I adored this Giselle with her hair pulled softly back at the nape of her neck and flowing down her back. (am I mistaken. or did Spessivtseva also wear her hair this way in Act 1?). With her technical perfection it would be so easy to ignore the expressiveness of her performance; the delicacy of her hops on point in Act 1 and the whirling dervish she became in Act 2 at Myrtha's command. She was really in a nether world in Act 2; never, for me, did she even momentarily appear to be a part of Albrecht's world.---and Veronika Part's Myrtha... :innocent: ---it doesn't get much better. Her big jumps were quite exciting--with her skirt flying wide and high, she was a menacing demon. As to Corella, I did not see the 'chemistry' that others saw---he has a long way to go in expressing Albrecht. He did do some fast moving brises in Act 2, but it was nothing in comparison with what Baryshnikov did in this Act. (I particularly missed B. early in the second act--when Albrecht encounters Giselle for the first time--B. looked confused, unsure of what he had seen and seemingly without any preparation rose into the air and executed a high jete en tournant eliciting gasps from the audience---Corella ran a long way before jumping, and it went unnoticed by the audience.)

---and the very imperious actions of Bathilde during the mad scene; acting like a spoiled brat swishing her red skirt as if to ward off Giselle; and then exiting the stage while Giselle was literally on the floor and swooshing her skirt walked off the stage----momentarily taking your concentration off of Giselle...I don't recall seeing this before.

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Again, I came away with many of the same impressions as Leigh. What chemistry I saw was sporadic, tepid. I thought Vishneva's Act I -- mad scene included -- was affected and formulaic. Corella's Albrecht was much improved since I last saw it two (three?) years ago, dancing more expressively, but his characterization was one-dimensional.

There was nothing in Vishneva's Act II that could not be improved with a bit of work. My big complaint was her phrasing. After stringing out a long, languid milkweed-on-the-breeze phrase, she tended to snap into a new position on the next count one. Most jarring. Still, she has beautiful arms and a wonderful plastique. Keeping her extensions below 11:30 would have been a welcome touch. Also, using her feet -- really pressing them against the floor -- would have lightened her overall impression.

I did not find Part scary -- I don't think the role requires it -- but imperious, domineering. This Myrta had her revenge to exact, but she had not forgotten how it felt to love someone. She was magnificent. Big, airy jumps; smooth and skimmy bourees, proud and luscious upper body. I doubt ABT will cast this tall ballerina as Giselle, but it's a performance I'd love to see. I think the more vulnerable role would suit her even better.

Special mention to Anna Liceica's bouyant and lyrical Peasant pdd and -- for his dancing only -- Sascha Radetsky's Hilarion. The chaine turns at the start of Act II looked like he was being tossed by the winds. I wish he'd shown more concern for Giselle in Act I -- mostly he seemed just to resent Albrecht, his only expression of caring for Giselle being his gestures to her cottage -- not much to her.

Welcome back Misty! :flowers:

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Well, who'd a thunk? If Vishneva couldn't break my heart, how could I have expected that Herrera would?

It wasn't that I didn't like Vishneva; I did. I find her a very interesting, sometimes fascinating, dancer. Loved her Don Q & Rubies with the Kirov & enjoyed her Don Q, Swan & attempt at Bellet Imperial with ABT.

Her Giselle was totally engrossing, but in a cerebral way. I didn't find her mannered or affected, as did carbro & Leigh. I found it calculated, though. Some gorgeous effects but they appeared to me as "effects" not as integral & inevitable results of her characterization of Giselle.

I enjoyed watching a wonderful ballerina mind at work but missed the breath of soul which, for me, makes a great Giselle transcendent. My eyes were glued to her but I was unmoved by her.

She's a wonderful ballerina, though, no question about that. Strong technique, great strength on pointe, lovely & always interesting arms, musical (if sometimes musically wayward, but that's OK). I did miss the Romantic line in the spine & from the ear to the longest finger, though.

And she certainly brought out the best in Angel, though, although I think we can forget about more than generic characterization from him. He partnered her & deferred to her beautifully &, if this is indeed a new partnership, she could do a lot worse. I just wish his Albrecht & Siegfried & Jean de Brienne, etc. weren't all the same fellow.

I did think Part was rather scary but in a positive way - such a force of vengeance, the air around her fairly glittered with implacable hostility, which made her "weak" moment, when confronted by Giselle's equally implacable love, more electric than I think I've ever seen it.

The Herrera/Gomes Giselle, on the other hand, moved me a lot. It came as no surprise that he was extraordinary; it surprised me a lot that she was, as well. She has a wonderful stage smile (different from her curtain call grin) which suits her sweet Giselle really well. Her "mad" scene was distrait rather than very theatrical - a gentle soul who does not comprehend events. She's always been cherished & believes that is the way of things.

Her II was beautifully danced, especially the variation beginning the pas & she was quite effective in the "fading away" at the end.

The chemistry (yup, we'll have to come up with a new word) with Gomes was there, on her part as much as on his, which isn't always the case with her. A really lovely performance.

Gomes: what can one say? A great dancer who is also a great partner & a great actor, to boot. A real change from Act I to II. Carelessly in love in I & distraught & guilt-ridden to the point of insanity in II. At but never over the top.

And we got the entrechats huits. I know Gomes does fine brisees vole but they somehow never look wonderful on a big man. A good choice plus, musically & dramatically, they do make more sense (I may re-think this if Cornejo ever gets to do Albrecht).

Wiles did well as Myrta, very well. She improves constantly &, although her Myrta may not be altogether there yet, it probably will be by the next round. It was a great improvement over her last ones.

and Jesus Pastor! Wow! A very powerful Hilarion, which gives hope that he will eventually conquer Rothbart in his own way. Every movement thought out carefully, every action & reaction. Palpable pain at the Act I curtain, folding into himself. The first Hilarion in my experience who made us feel the actual weight of the cross & the actual effort of putting it in the ground. He also threw in a split jete in his dance of death, not gratuitous at all, quite fitting.

And now comes Amanda, whom I've loved since she was 15. I doubt I'll post about it & probably will be such a blub queen I'll miss half of it through tears. Three gut wrenching retirements in a few weeks. Too many too soon too sad ..

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Zerbinetta, we may be using a different word for the same feeling - "calculated" is a good one, though. 

Not to belabor this, Leigh, but to me it isn't a matter of semantics. Don't the words affected & mannered imply a certain amount of dishonesty? I did not feel Vishneva's performance was in any way dishonest, only calculated in the sense of lacking spontaneity. Perhaps I should have used the word "constructed"?

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I went to this evening's(July 15) Giselle.

Others have already commented on Monday's performance with the same leads as tonight but showier casting in the smaller parts.

Erica Cornejo and Sascha Radetsky did the peasant pas de deux and I thought it was well done.

Like the other performance I saw Tuesday, Part did Myrta very powerfully.

Julie Kent did what I would consider a very effective traditional Giselle, she was sweet without being coy, their were echos of the first act Giselle in the second.

Dancing wise I would say that Julie danced pretty carefully without too many risks. This isn't really criticism; a good performer should know how to give the most that they have without courting points of failure.

Ok, I'm a Bocca fan, I love watching the guy. Dancing was still pretty strong but he really digs out the character. The Albrecht was stricken with guilt.

All in all I thought it was a lovely performance.

This was to have been Ferri's second Giselle for the NYC season and it had been announced that a recognition ceremony of her 20 years with ABT would held after the performance.

Well Ferri was there and took bows with the cast. McKenzie gave a speech but up in the family circle I couldn't really hear what he was saying.

The very last curtain call was Ferri with her two kids, a nice touch

Richard

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McKenzie mentioned what a privilege it had been to have had Ferri in the company for 20 years & that she had told him of all the companies she has danced with she felt most at home with ABT as the company & the audience all seemed like family.

I thought it was extremely generous of Kent & Bocca to turn over the limelight to her, especially Kent. They only took one front of curtain call & then the curtain went up again for the Ferri tribute. Ferri did not acknowledge Kent during this tribute, which would have been a gracious gesture.

Kent actually seems stronger to me this season than for a couple of seasons pre-maternity. There were no problems & if she seemed "careful" it could be that she needs to save a little something for tomorrow night.

I also love Bocca & love how he's pared down his Albrecht characterization as he's aged. He used to be the passionate 21 year old & now he's a more mature & assured Albrecht. There was a particularly lovely moment when Giselle is starting the business with the daisy. He gazed down at her & gently brushed the side of her face.

Act I had 2 special highlights: the amazing dancing of the recently returned Erica Cornejo, who danced full out & gorgeously. & the imperious Bathilde of Bystrova - this was not a Bathilde to fool around with - an Empress in training. It would be fun to have them resuscitate the old trick of having Myrta & Bathilde danced by the same ballerina. It doesn't make much sense textually but it can be dramatically powerful. & Bystrova would be a wonderful Myrta.

Act II's highlights were, of course, Part's Myrta and the amazing Fang as Zulma. A secure & gorgeous performance.

Cornejo & Fang alone would have been worth the price of admission.

And again Jesus Pastor inhabited Hilarion. He seems to have the gift of spontaneity as it was a rather different performance from Wednesday & equally rivetting. It really helps dramatically to have a strong Hilarion & one who isn't a thug. The gamekeeper, after all, held a notable position in that society & Giselle would have been marrying up had she chosen Hilarion.

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Thank you, Richard and Zerbinetta. How good to read that Julie's doing so well!

Cornejo & Fang alone would have been worth the price of admission.

:wallbash:

Worth the price of a whole Parterre box!

:wallbash:

Why doesn't ABT announce these roles in advance??? Not at the start of the season, but a half-week before????? The dancers know, the people who print the Playbills know, so why can't we? I would have been there had I known.

:wallbash:

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