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Who do you want to see more of at ABT and why?


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Many people in the past have commented on ABT's tendency to hire talented young dancers (who have often already distinguished themselves in the ballet world by, say, winning the gold medal at Varna or being reviewed positively as the lead in an academy performance). Some of these dancers are given soloist roles almost immediately--Paloma Herrera comes to mind--while others, such as Maria Bystrova and Elizabeth Gaither, are left in the corps and seemingly forgotten about.

Specifically, I started this thread to continue the discussion regarding Bystrova on the ABT Giselle thread, but there are plenty of other examples. I understand that ABT needs a corps and that the entire company cannot be made of soloists, but why is it that some dancers seem to almost bypass the corps whereas others of equal (or in some cases, greater) talent have to struggle for years just to get demi-soloist roles?

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Hans,

The "trouble" with Maria is that she is so good(probably, the best) in dancing the character roles in the divertissement.I'm afraid she will get typecast in these roles(not that there is anything wrong in these roles).

IMO,she was the best among the 3 casts( in Le Corsaire) of the Odalisques. Maybe, this will be her breakthrough role. I hope.

Joe

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The neglect of Bystrova has been particularly painful this year because there have been a lot of injuries in the soloist and corps ranks this season. Erica Cornejo has been out injured all season and I saw Misty Copeland limp offstage during a Saturday matinee "Sylvia" the first week of June. Misty was back onstage in the Wili corps last night, so she is getting back there. They inexplicably ditched the exquisite Ekaterina Shelkanova some seasons ago who covered a lot of classical soloist roles beautifully. Monique Meunier is still a questionable presence on the roster - couldn't they have put her on as Myrtha or in "Les Sylphides" and "Polovstian Dances"? Meunier dances a Shades solo in "La Bayadere" successfully last season - why not more? The failure to try out Bystrova and Meunier in more things when there are gaps in the female roster is worrying. Zhong Jing Fang was well received in the little bit she was given but except for the prelude in "Les Sylphides" that wasn't a lot.

Interesting that the "Les Sylphides" lead casting ended up being mainly soloist and corps girls except for G. Murphy on opening night. This was precipitated by the withdrawal of Kent and Ferri of course. (I noticed that the Kirov used soloists in "Chopiniana" when they toured their Fokine Bill but the Bolshoi seems to use principals in their version.).

So suddenly we see a lot more of Maria Riccetto and corps girls like Kristi Boone, Karin Ellis-Wentz (and not in mime roles), Melanie Hamrick, Melissa Thomas, Yuriko Kakija, Marian Butler and Sarah Lane (a real comer). Misty Copeland has been given a lot of soloist roles and should she stay uninjured and continue to grow, I suspect that she and Danny Tidwell will be made soloists eventually.

I should also mention Vitaly Krauschenka who impressed me with his long line and elegance leading the Spanish dances in "Raymonda" and "Swan Lake."

Michele Wiles is now moving into mostly lead roles as a principal after years of brightening anything she touched no matter how small. Anna Liceica is a very strong, lovely soloist who has plateaued and should be groomed for principal roles. Veronika Part seems to be all over the place this season filling in for the absences of Dvorovenko and Ananiashvili and dancing many soloist roles when not doing leads - a breakout season for her.

So this has been a good season for Part, Boone, Hamrick, Lane, Tidwell, Abrera (at the start), Michele Wiles and Kakija but a disappointing one for Fang, Meunier, Bystrova (who did get the Odalisque but should have done more) and Liceica.

Over the last decade of his directorship, Kevin McKenzie has a better track record of developing and discovering male superstar principals but few ballerinas have emerged. He either inherited most of his ballerinas from earlier administrations or cherry picked them from other companies. Gillian Murphy and now Michele Wiles are really the only two principals who came up through the ranks during his watch. Herrera was already in the ascendant under Jane Herrmann's regime, ditto Julie Kent. Ashley Tuttle is a Kevin success or a Kevin failure depending on the attitudes of those you talk to. Irina Dvorovenko probably was fully trained and developed at Kiev when she came to ABT with her husband but she is a Kevin success story. What role Irina Kolpakova has in developing young ballerinas and their casting, I don't know.

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[ADMIN BEANIE ON]

Just to reiterate that our gossip policy does not allow discussion of illness or injury that has not been acknowledged in print or from official word of a company, nor speculation about the politics of casting, unless it, too, is in print.

[ADMIN BEANIE OFF]

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***Change of Course!***

It might be better to have a thread more along the lines of, "Who do you want to see more of at ABT and why?" which would have less of a tendency to get caught up in politics, &c.

Obviously, I'd like to see Bystrova receive classical solo parts more often--it's great that she's such a good character dancer, but as drb (I think) mentioned on the Giselle thread, imagine her in the peasant pas de deux, or even eventually as Giselle! I'll bet she'd make a lovely Princess Florine too.

I also wonder what is happening with Adrienne Schulte. I recall seeing a film of her in class at CPYB and was blown away by her technique, but haven't heard of her dancing anything more important than "the third girl from the left."

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Obviously, I'd like to see Bystrova receive classical solo parts more often--it's great that she's such a good character dancer, but as drb (I think) mentioned on the Giselle thread, imagine her in the peasant pas de deux, or even eventually as Giselle!  I'll bet she'd make a lovely Princess Florine too. 

Exactly! These two pdd's are true tests of young dancers, to see where they might make their next great leap forward. (Sadly, the Bluebird pas would require a production of Beauty.) At any rate, isn't it better to use such pieces to assess young talent than to just display dancers who are already established?

Of course, there is the Cornejo exception! But why not speed the ascent to his natural role of Albrecht, by testing the likes of Fang and Lane, potentially suitable Giselles for him?

Bystrova: Thank you Hans, I first decided to give her a look because of your posts. I have no way to guess what she's like in terms of the classical necessities. But she certainly has an uncommon presence. And she actually knows her partner is there! We don't need more bland technicians. By any means necessary, let's see what she can do, and get her to doing it!

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After her excellent performance in Theme, I was sure I'd see Sarah Lane in various small, featured roles throughout the season. What a disappointment that I haven't! (Maybe she's danced them when I'm home?) However, this dancer, when she lifts her head, does so from the base of the sternum, opening her whole chest to heaven. It makes it hard to overlook her, even in a large corps. Ditto Fang, who seemed to gain authority over the course of the season. The makings of a Giselle Fang :flowers: were impossible to ignore in the line of Friends last night, but I don't think she'd be a suitable partner for Herman. Is it too much to dream that some day I might see her Giselle opposite Danny Tidwell's Albrecht? Hasn't he had an exciting and gratifying season!

I would like to see more of Erica. Continued good health, please!

This is one of the advantages of the City Center rep season -- lots of ballets, lots of roles for younger dancers. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of true classical ballets this autumn. (Even the Tudor is for soft slippers.) I continue to wish that ABT would scrap one of its full-lengths in favor of one more mixed bill for the Met season.

Not so junior, but who else would I like to see more of? Jose Carreno, who seems destined to partner ballerinas whom I really don't care to spend an evening with. Better casting, please, for Jose.

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This may actually fit better in the "Critics" section of the board but I was struck by something Robert Gottlieb wrote about the ABT men in today's New York Observer:

The A.B.T. male roster is so deep that for a ballet like Le Corsaire, which requires four virtuoso men, the company can readily mount three different casts. What a roll call: Acosta, Beloserkovsky, Bocca, Carreno, Corella, Cornejo, Gomes, Hallberg, Lopez, Pastor, Radetsky, Saveliev, Stiefel - and that's without dipping into the corps, out of which young guys like Craig Salstein, Isaac Stappas and Danny Tidwell, among others, are itching to burst.

One "problem" (most companies should have such problems!) ABT has in terms of its impressive array of male talent is that there isn't always a place for talented young corps dancers like Salstein, Stappas and Tidwell to go with so many established and young dancers at the top. As much as I like Salstein, Stappas and Tidwell (and I like them very much), the sheer number of talented guys may act as a bar to seeing more of them.

(Moderator: If this post falls afoul of the rule against discussing casting politics, feel free to delete it. I'm never sure when I'm violating certain rules like this. :flowers: )

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After her excellent performance in Theme, I was sure I'd see Sarah Lane in various small, featured roles throughout the season.  What a disappointment that I haven't!  (Maybe she's danced them when I'm home?)  However, this dancer, when she lifts her head, does so from the base of the sternum, opening her whole chest to heaven.  It makes it hard to overlook her, even in a large corps.  Ditto Fang, who seemed to gain authority over the course of the season.  The makings of a Giselle Fang :flowers: were impossible to ignore in the line of Friends last night, but I don't think she'd be a suitable partner for Herman.  Is it too much to dream that some day I might see her Giselle opposite Danny Tidwell's Albrecht?  Hasn't he had an exciting and gratifying season!

... 

This is one of the advantages of the City Center rep season -- lots of ballets, lots of roles for younger dancers.  Unfortunately, there is a shortage of true classical ballets this autumn.  (Even the Tudor is for soft slippers.)  I continue to wish that ABT would scrap one of its full-lengths in favor of one more mixed bill for the Met season.

What a great idea, Fang and Tidwell! Post the casting and I'll buy! Also, I guess that is my problem with the Fall season, too: some interesting revivals, no doubt, but few classical tests for the young ones.

Next week we can assess a different approach to young dancers. Zakharova danced her Florine at 17, then Giselle, too. At 18: Principal. Lunkina: First Bolshoi Giselle at 18, the same performance that included 19-year old Alexandrova's first Myrtha! And reaching back in time, Nina Ballerina's first O/O was at age 19. By these standards, if the likes of Fang and Lane turn out to be principal material, they'd already be Principals!

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(Moderator: If this post falls afoul of the rule against discussing casting politics, feel free to delete it. I'm never sure when I'm violating certain rules like this.  :flowers: )

This is from a published article, and it is perfectly fine to post.

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