Recap of ABT 2005 MET Season

[Giselle05]

Let's give a hand to a wonderful ABT Spring Season!

I thought it'd be nice to recap. What were some of the high points for you? Favorite programs, casts, ballets, anything at all! What were some of the low points? What did you think, overall, of this season, and if you had the *power*, would you change anything or do anything differently?

And last but not least... Cast your votes/wishes for the next MET season...I'm looking forward to it already.

Take your time.

I'm still brainstorming..

John Rockwell in the New York Times with an Overview of the MET Season:

A Time for Blockbusters and for the Guys to Shine

Edited July 18, 2005 by Giselle05

[carbro]

I am so glad you opened this thread, Giselle. I fell behind in posting, but there was an item that caught my attention during the Corsaire run. Listed among the children was Nicholas Fokine. I wondered if he was dancing the same role that his great-grandfather may have danced at his age. I also wondered if he was one of the uncredited children in Petrouchka. There are times when nepotism is completely appropriate, and this would have been one of them.

One of the images of that lingers in my mind's eye is Zhong-Jing Fang, completely still, yet invisibly in motion, in her front attitude on pointe in Les Sylphides.

Then there's the powerful combination of Part and Gomes -- electrifying every time. I need to see more of each and yet more of both.

I may be back with more.

[atm711]

The highpoint of the season for me was John Rockwell's incisive reporting...considering my initial response to him ; I found myself agreeing with him most of the time.

[nysusan]

ABT's Met season was wonderful this year, but with the Bolshoi’s visit coming right on the heels of their closing performances I really hadn’t had the time to sort out my feelings about what I had seen. Tonight I went through my ABT programs so it seemed like a good time to take stock.

High points

Spectre de la Rose - it seemed a better fit at the Met, or maybe the company just grew into it. McKerrow’s young girl was beautiful, and the opportunity to see Cornejo, Corella, Acosta and Tidwell as the Rose was priceless.

Erica Cornejo -her peasant pas practically stole the show from Kent’s Giselle - let’s hope she stays healthy

Part’s successes in Ballet Imperial, Raymonda & Swan Lake. This was the first time I’d seen her Swan Lake and it may have been THE highlight of the season for me. She & Gomes are wonderful together, and I hope to see more of them!

Zhong Zing Fang , Melissa Thomas, Melanie Hamrick, Grant DeLong & Jared Matthews all getting wonderful opportunities so early in their careers with ABT - and making the most of them.

Sylvia - what a wonderful gift for ABT to have chosen to present Sylvia. It’s a great addition to the repertoire, and a great role for both Murphy & Wiles. And now if we could only figure out a way for Gomes to dance Amnita and Orion at the same performance (and then carry it forward so he could dance Sigfried and Von Rothbart in the same performance...)

Marcelo Gomes.. in everything he did

Carlos Acosta - I’m praying to the ABT gods -please bring him back next season!

Diana Vishneva. I missed her Don Q & Giselle but her Swan Lake was wonderful. Even though I preferred Part’s Ballet Imperial I was very glad that I had the chance to see Vishneva’s and make the comparisons. Same prayer as for Acosta...

Low points - I’m tempted to list Polovtsian Dances among the low points of the season, but I feel the same way about their Polovtsian Dances as I do about their Raymonda - even though I thought ABT’s staging & execution left a lot to be desired, I’d still rather have their version than none at all. Anyway , the real low points of the season were the absence of so many favorite dancers, from Misty Copeland, Irina Dvorovenko and Max Belosekovsky to Ferri & Ananishvili

[richard53dog]

Low points - I’m tempted to list Polovtsian Dances among the low points of the season,  I thought ABT’s staging & execution left a lot to be desired, I’d still rather have their version than none at all.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have to agree on the Polovtsian Dances. Not only was the staging and execution just so-so , not having a chorus makes it a loser. And why did they bother to get a woman soloist for the first part. I thought it was a dog.

True, it's rarely done. But a Prince Igor in NYC is a real possibilty as long a Gergeiv is so closely aligned with the Met opera and the opera, although from an edition point of view is a mess, is filled with tunes, the chorus of the Polovtsian dances is just one of many.

Switching to the positive, I had lots of them, most already mentioned so I won't repeat.

Richard

[Giselle05]

I admit I stuck with my favorites this season, missing out on what were apparently great debuts, so I guess others will fill in.

Highs

- Intense Carmen Pas de Deux- Ferri, Bocca- setting the stage for a wonderful season...and the Onegin Pas de Deux with these two

- Bocca's final Don Quixote- nostalgic, bittersweet, and absolutely hilarious- this was a suicide like I've never seen before- he signaled to the conductor to stop the music, spent about two minutes arranging and re-arranging his cloak on the floor, checked to make sure no one was looking, then took his time lying down, remembered there was a ballet to dance, woke up, signaled to the conductor to keep going, and lay back down. Gotta love a guy who stops for a drink in the middle of a bravura variation (manege- sp?). Ten to fifteen minutes of ovations and pouring flowers- this was the role that started it all- Bocca in Moscow, winning the Gold at 18 in 1985.

- Revival of Petrouchka- I loved it. Colorful set, costumes, music, wonderful acting and brilliant portrayals.

- Maria Riccetto stepping in for many of the injured principals- so dependable, and such a strong and lyrical dancer. She should be so proud!

- Contrasting pairing of Riccetto and Hallberg (Les Sylphides)- who was absolutely amazing as the Poet- statuesque, loving, and mysterious.

- First sighting of Zhong-jing Fang in Les Sylphides.

- Herman and Erica Cornejo, and Xiomara Reyes in all the Pas de Trois and Pas de Deux- enough said.

- Sascha Radetsky/Jesus Pastor emerging as wonderful character dancers with great interpretations, characterizations, mime, etc. (Hilarion, etc.)

- Pairing of Kent and Bocca- almost last minute, but how magical! I guess there is a bright side to everything (withdrawals), although I hate to say that!! (Le Corsaire, Swan Lake, Giselle)

- Kent as Odette/Odile- especially as Odette

- All- Star Cast- Le Corsaire

Bocca, Corella, Cornejo, Carreno, Kent, Reyes

+ Three Odalisques- Bystrova, Part, Riccetto

Definetely a performance to go down in the books. Sheer star power, animal magnetism, the ABT men...hispanic testosterone

- Beautiful Raymonda set- costumes and decorations

- Gomes- especially as Von Rothbart and as the Moor in Petrouchka

- Hallberg- daring, after all the hoopla about Gomes' affecting Rothbart to give an entirely different performance, also magnificent in its own way.

- Part's Myrtha- glamorous, intimidating, regal, queenly

- Warm sendoff at McKerrow's farewell

- Mustn't forget the orchestra pulling through hours away from Opening Night!

- I have to agree that Rockwell's reporting this season was very good. I agreed 99% of the time!

To add on, one of the highs for me this season were the many beautiful and *large* pictures in the New York Times- waking up to them in the morning and recalling the previous night allowed me to bask in it some more

Lows

- Polovtsian Dances- IMO, wasn't fitting to ABT's repertoire, poorly placed programming-wise, unnecessary and unaffecting

- Cornejo cast in demi parts (Swan Lake, Giselle)- he could have led these ballets all on his own, it's time to give him the chance to grow as an artist because he is totally up to it!

- Above all, the absence of so many dancers, especially many beloved principal dancers, including Ananiashvilli and the long awaited by many Giselle performances of Ferri (and Les Sylphides)- best wishes to her! ...The heartbreaking ABT News column on the left hand side of their website

- Not many (if any?) sold-out performances- theater not always well-filled- a pity, for this was a season to remember.

My favorite run this season was of Swan Lake.

I wish ABT would start a new photo gallery at their website- its about time!!

I also think some talks with the Dancers would be nice- like NYCB does it.

[bart]

After reading so many of your reviews and reactions to this season, I have to conclude that the MOST IMPORTANT LOW is that the season wasn't taking place 1000 miles further south.

Bart (of Florida)