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ABT Opening Night Gala


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Everyone knows how much I love Veronika Part but her Rose Adagio last night was a complete disaster, and it was inexcusable.

I am sad to say that I agree completely. I am all for giving performers some leeway, but this has to be the worst performance of the Rose Adagio that I've seen, and I don't think that her performance could be attributed to bad partnering. This was an Adagio with no credible balances. You cannot remove the balances from the Rose Adagio. Well, you can, but a Rose Adagio without balances in not the Rose Adagio. IMHO, that's what the Rose Adagio is about.

I was a bit disappointed in this year's gala. The whole affair looked under-rehearsed. Perhaps they are too busy preparing other ballets. If that is the case, and there is not enough time to prepare for the gala, perhaps the gala should have been the premiere of the new Sleeping Beauty production.

The highlights of the evening were Maxim & Irina's pas de deux, Gomes & Ferri, Cornejo (especially) and Reyes, and Corella and Ananiashvili.

"Veronika Part Will Have Her Day !--It Is Promised ! "

It is so prophesied? :flowers:

This I did not know.

:thanks:

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I found most of these comments about Part most distressing......as Swan Lake is not about 32 fouettes, Sleeping Beauty is not all Rose Adagio.....all comments of her future status in the Company should be on hold until the end of the season. I can only imagine how crushing these comments must be to an artist as sensitive as Part.... :flowers:

As someone who has seen Veronica, both with her home company, at home and on tour, and with ABT, I have to come to her defense.

50% of the Rose Adagio balances are the responsibility of the four partners, as one previous knowlegeable poster stated.

If Nica didn't hit her center, that's one thing, but the larger alarming problem is that it seems ABT doesn't have any princes

who know how to get in sync with, present, or anticipate the ballerina's center, or her needs on a moment's notice. And

based on the reviews that the company received this past February in Paris and London, that is just one of the

problems with this company, a huge problem that MacKenzie hasn't addressed.

You can't present Petipa without bona fide experienced princes. They have to come from one coherent school of ballet

and they have to be trained, brought up in a tradition and heritage of partnering where these kinds of incidents rarely, if

ever, happen. For example, for the Rose Adagio the POB uses older, experienced danseur nobles, the Maryinsky also; and the Royal used to.

Has anyone stopped to think about the odds against which Part has come to be where she is today? Or considered that perhaps internal politics inside ABT are not entirely fair to ALL talented dancers? Has anyone considered that the support that Ira D. and Vishneva receive, not only from the likes of Kolpakova in the first case, and countless benefactors in the second, are not present in the same degree for Veronica Part? Who is Veronika's coach? Who are her partners? It is a well known fact that even the best ballerina can be pushed offbalance by inadequate partners. Were the four suitors well matched to her height and line? Are they in the same proportion to her size as the suitors who will be cast against other Auroras? If not, then we cannot judge Veronica for the inequities. That responsibility falls to Kevin MacKenzie for casting and for company contracts.

Has anyone considered the atmosphere under which Part left the Maryinsky for an opportunity to dance -- to dance, not to stand onstage and walk around as Lady Capulet. Has anyone counted how often she is in fact cast? I can say for sure

that although Gabriella Komleva was her coach, Makhar Vaziev seldom cast her in Petersburg. When she came to

ABT, she already had Nikiya, Odette/Odile and Raymonda under her belt. So, if she attained those roles at the Maryinsky, unabridged and complete, productions that are un-matched in authenticity, a feat which is not an easy thing to do, there's no question that she can execute the steps for Aurora. It is one thing to see a ballerina's performance, one in which she is "off" that night for any number of reasons, and conclude that the dancer is bad.

The knife cuts both ways. It is only by additional time in the studio with coaches who care, and then during the performance that any dancer can become great, approaching perfection closer each time. Even the most talented ballerina, if not provided with adequate partners, coaching or dancing time onstage, will come to grief during a performance.

In closing, my first live Aurora was Lesley Collier. When she came to the last promenade in the Rose Adagio, she almost fell over; the fourth suitor, staying alert, pulled her back up from her bobble before she lost balance and hit the stage. History judges her as one of the great Auroras.

I ask those who have judged Ms. Part harshly to please reconsider your views, after the premiere. I for one hope that she will pull through.

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This has been a very interesting discussion. Thanks so very much, cygnet, for your well-thought-out and explained defense, which brings us back to the realities of what it is to be a dancer in the real world and under a very bright spotlight. Issues of partnering and working under pressure, which several posters have raised, seem quite important.

We all like to see triumphs on the stage -- especially at expensive galas. But these are live performances, in "real time," with lots of variables at play. And serious art demands risks that sometimes fail. Firing the dancer, as has been suggested in at least one post, may not be the best way to go to help an artist fulfill her very real potential.

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Have you seen the NYTimes video of the Gala?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/arts/dance/16ball.html

Did anyone else see that white ostrich like feather thing that the woman in the third row of the orchestra was wearing? Oh, my word, I thought that it was some type of a transgender Halloween costume. Oh, my, my, my.
You get to see that on the video, too, and why the wearer thought it was just right for the occasion.

I tend to agree. I'm not fashionista, as my friends -- yes! my friends -- will attest. But a sense of humor and fantasy go a long way at events like ballet galas.

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I noted that 2 of the reviewers Linked by dirac today connected Part's problems with the balances with partnering issues. Robert Johnson in the Newark Star Ledger went even further, suggesting that partnering concerns at the company are more widespread than those 4 princes. Here's the Link to these reviews for anyone who missed them. They are in two different locations in the thread (the first and the seventh posts).

ABT Gala Reviews

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50% of the Rose Adagio balances are the responsibility of the four partners, as one previous knowlegeable poster stated.

If Nica didn't hit her center, that's one thing, but the larger alarming problem is that it seems ABT doesn't have any princes

who know how to get in sync with, present, or anticipate the ballerina's center, or her needs on a moment's notice.

I don't think anyone questions the importance of a good partner; however, it is difficult to believe that not one of Aurora's four suitors knows how to partner and that each one is to blame for her poor performance that night. Further, if her partners are/were that bad, how could no one, least of all Part, step in during rehearsal and ask for assistance? Certainly, politics could come into play, as you suggest below, but when one's performance is on the line, one needs to do whatever is necessary to find the support one needs, whether it be in the form of a different tempo, more coaching, more rehearsal, etc.

Has anyone stopped to think about the odds against which Part has come to be where she is today? Or considered that perhaps internal politics inside ABT are not entirely fair to ALL talented dancers? Has anyone considered that the support that Ira D. and Vishneva receive, not only from the likes of Kolpakova in the first case, and countless benefactors in the second, are not present in the same degree for Veronica Part? Who is Veronika's coach? Who are her partners? It is a well known fact that even the best ballerina can be pushed offbalance by inadequate partners. Were the four suitors well matched to her height and line? Are they in the same proportion to her size as the suitors who will be cast against other Auroras? If not, then we cannot judge Veronica for the inequities. That responsibility falls to Kevin MacKenzie for casting and for company contracts.

This is all fascinating and yet, ultimately of no importance to the audience. Politics are a part of life, whether in the boardroom or backstage. Since when is an audience expected to take this sort of information into consideration? The audience generally doesn't care how a performer's day went, let alone what sort of life he or she has led. My guess is that this performance of the Rose Adagio had more to do with performance anxiety. It may well have been affected by partnering problems, but I did not get that impression from the audience.

I can't speak for the other posters, but I don't think anyone questions Part's overall talent as a dancer. Nonetheless, this was a gala performance, in which everyone has a limited amount of time to make an impression and unfortunately, VP's performance was far from her best dancing.

Has anyone considered the atmosphere under which Part left the Maryinsky for an opportunity to dance -- to dance, not to stand onstage and walk around as Lady Capulet. Has anyone counted how often she is in fact cast? I can say for sure that although Gabriella Komleva was her coach, Makhar Vaziev seldom cast her in Petersburg. When she came to

ABT, she already had Nikiya, Odette/Odile and Raymonda under her belt. So, if she attained those roles at the Maryinsky, unabridged and complete, productions that are un-matched in authenticity, a feat which is not an easy thing to do, there's no question that she can execute the steps for Aurora. It is one thing to see a ballerina's performance, one in which she is "off" that night for any number of reasons, and conclude that the dancer is bad.

The knife cuts both ways. It is only by additional time in the studio with coaches who care, and then during the performance that any dancer can become great, approaching perfection closer each time. Even the most talented ballerina, if not provided with adequate partners, coaching or dancing time onstage, will come to grief during a performance.

Again, as heartless as this may seem, none of this information has any relevance to the audience. If she has not been provided with adequate partners, coaching or dancing time onstage, then the performances should be given to someone who has had the experience, coaching and dancing time onstage to fulfill the role's requirements.

In closing, my first live Aurora was Lesley Collier. When she came to the last promenade in the Rose Adagio, she almost fell over; the fourth suitor, staying alert, pulled her back up from her bobble before she lost balance and hit the stage. History judges her as one of the great Auroras.

I ask those who have judged Ms. Part harshly to please reconsider your views, after the premiere. I for one hope that she will pull through.

Okay, so Lesley Collier had a problem when she came to the last promenade? Veronika Part had difficulty with every balance. I don't think that's a relevant comparison. Does this performance mean that Part will not become one of the great Auroras? No, but it does mean, that she did not give a strong presentation at the gala opening night. It's no different than any other performer performing a short piece, aria or excerpt and crashing and burning. It might affect what an audience member thinks of that performer, especially if this is the only time that the person has encountered the performer, but you can't make excuses for the perfomers. The reasons for a bad performance ultimately do not matter to the majority of the audience members. And, while I am in disagreement, judging by the audience's reaction to VP's Adagio, the majority (or at least, the vocal majority) thought it was fantastic.

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I do not understand this line from Alastair Macaulay's May 16, 2007 NYTimes review of the gala:

And though none of the Act I dances are juicy enough to make a satisfactory ending to a gala, Paloma Herrera (despite her Ruby Keeler face), Gillian Murphy, David Hallberg and Ethan Stiefel each brought stylishness and skill to them. (emphasis added)

First of all, I don't think Paloma Herrara looks anything like Ruby Keeler, but even if she did, how is that a valid criticism of her dancing?

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Has anyone stopped to think about the odds against which Part has come to be where she is today? Or considered that perhaps internal politics inside ABT are not entirely fair to ALL talented dancers? Has anyone considered that the support that Ira D. and Vishneva receive, not only from the likes of Kolpakova in the first case, and countless benefactors in the second, are not present in the same degree for Veronica Part? Who is Veronika's coach? Who are her partners? It is a well known fact that even the best ballerina can be pushed offbalance by inadequate partners. Were the four suitors well matched to her height and line? Are they in the same proportion to her size as the suitors who will be cast against other Auroras? If not, then we cannot judge Veronica for the inequities. That responsibility falls to Kevin MacKenzie for casting and for company contracts.

First of all, none of us know the amount of coaching Veronika/benefactors receives. Since she has an opening night and is being given several roles by the ABT, I assume she is getting a lot of attention. Her partner is usually Marcelo Gomes, one of the most excellent danseurs with a reputation as a great partner.

And secondly, this will sound heartless, but ultimately, it doesn't matter. Veronika is a professional who has been on the stages for over 10 years now, I assume. She had the best training in St. Petersburg, with a revered teacher (Inna Zubkovskaya). At this point, it's time for her to prove to us, the audience, that she has what it takes to become a prima ballerina and to give consistent performances. Ballet is a punishing job, I think everyone acknowledges that, and dancers endure injury, pain, inadequate rehearsal, hostile management all the time. The best way to sidestep all of that is to blow the audience away onstage.

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First of all, none of us know the amount of coaching Veronika/benefactors receives. Her partner is usually Marcelo Gomes, one of the most excellent danseurs with a reputation as a great partner.
Marcelo, unfortunately, was not one of the suitors in this Rose Adagio.

What I found distressing about her fall off pointe was not so much the fall in itself -- which can happen to the even strongest balancers on a bad day -- but her trouble getting back up. It took a couple of tries. I can attribute this to nerves, but it was bad enough to distract me for more than its too-long duration.

. . . [D]ancers endure injury, pain, inadequate rehearsal, hostile management all the time. The best way to sidestep all of that is to blow the audience away onstage.
And the best way to blow us away is when a nurturing management ensures adequate rehearsal. Now what?
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I do not understand this line from Alastair Macaulay's May 16, 2007 NYTimes review of the gala:
And though none of the Act I dances are juicy enough to make a satisfactory ending to a gala, Paloma Herrera (despite her Ruby Keeler face), Gillian Murphy, David Hallberg and Ethan Stiefel each brought stylishness and skill to them. (emphasis added)

First of all, I don't think Paloma Herrara looks anything like Ruby Keeler, but even if she did, how is that a valid criticism of her dancing?

Perhaps he was referring to her facial expression, instead of physical resemblance?

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At this point, it's time for her to prove to us, the audience, that she has what it takes to become a prima ballerina and to give consistent performances. Ballet is a punishing job, I think everyone acknowledges that, and dancers endure injury, pain, inadequate rehearsal, hostile management all the time. The best way to sidestep all of that is to blow the audience away onstage.

She has already proved herself to many people, including myself. Her good moments are not difficult to come by. I think this whole discussion over this one performance is overblown, and it wasn't even the entire ballet. I'm not making excuses for her, she still has a lot of work to do, but I feel like some of these attacks are becoming too personal. If she consistently gives disastrous performances like the one at the gala, then there's a problem, but I don't think she does. She may never gain everyone's approval, but that's okay because there are few dancers who do. I would take her good and bad performances over another dancer's technically secure yet ultimately boring performances anyday.

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Re: "Ruby Keeler face." Keeler in her dance routines never looks truly happy or free. There's always a tension there. A tightly held-together smiling or frowning face (whichever fits the plot). Maybe she never got over the pressure of having been informed "you've got to come back a star."

I'm not saying this is true of Herrerra. But perhaps this is what Macaulay was alluding to.

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First of all, none of us know the amount of coaching Veronika/benefactors receives. Her partner is usually Marcelo Gomes, one of the most excellent danseurs with a reputation as a great partner.
Marcelo, unfortunately, was not one of the suitors in this Rose Adagio.

What I found distressing about her fall off pointe was not so much the fall in itself -- which can happen to the even strongest balancers on a bad day -- but her trouble getting back up. It took a couple of tries. I can attribute this to nerves, but it was bad enough to distract me for more than its too-long duration.

. . . [D]ancers endure injury, pain, inadequate rehearsal, hostile management all the time. The best way to sidestep all of that is to blow the audience away onstage.
And the best way to blow us away is when a nurturing management ensures adequate rehearsal. Now what?

Exactly.

Now what?

Perhaps Veronica should consider approaching Mackenzie with the request to reprise Lilac instead, or postpone her debut altogether. It wouldn't hurt her to devote more study time to Aurora - more research and studio time doesn't hurt anyone. My guess is that MacKenzie wouldn't (shouldn't?) fault or penalize her for requesting a withdrawal, or a 'stay' on those grounds. A good run is better than a bad stand: Re-group and come back when you're strong enough. That's why

this shot was so crucial for her.

Next steps? If her withdrawal is called for by the ABT Executive Board, it will be based on box office response. That will depend on how many exchanges and cancellations come through the system for June 1 and beyond. Unfortunately, any action against her may include anything and everything from benching her, to dismissing her immediately, or not renewing her contract at the end of the season.

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Has anyone stopped to think about the odds against which Part has come to be where she is today? Or considered that perhaps internal politics inside ABT are not entirely fair to ALL talented dancers? Has anyone considered that the support that Ira D. and Vishneva receive, not only from the likes of Kolpakova in the first case, and countless benefactors in the second, are not present in the same degree for Veronica Part? Who is Veronika's coach? Who are her partners? It is a well known fact that even the best ballerina can be pushed offbalance by inadequate partners. Were the four suitors well matched to her height and line? Are they in the same proportion to her size as the suitors who will be cast against other Auroras? If not, then we cannot judge Veronica for the inequities. That responsibility falls to Kevin MacKenzie for casting and for company contracts.

I don't think that audiences should have to take all this into consideration. When I pay for a ticket I should be able to go to the ballet without thinking about who got the most coaching or who has a stomach ache.

If Part (as I hope she does) presents a wonderful Aurora I will give her credit for being wonderful. I won't say - well she got the best partners, coaching, benefits etc. so it isn't really her doing.

ABT is a tough place. Self relience is demanded and expected of all.

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Everyone knows how much I love Veronika Part but her Rose Adagio last night was a complete disaster, and it was inexcusable. This was nothing like a simple fall off pointe. When Bouder fell off pointe early in her Rose Adagio she smiled and then proceeded to nail all the rest of her balances, completely in character and bursting with joy. When Ms.Part fell out of her second balance it was only the beginning of the problem. After that every time she had to balance she gripped each prince's hand as if her life depended on it. In her second series of balances I swear she didn't hold a single one unsupported, it felt as if she let go of one hand and grabbed the next with no balance in between.

I agree with nysusan above and also with Haglund's view of Part's performance. And I don't think the problems can really be blamed on the male cavaliers, although they may have played a part. I saw Irina Dvorovenko perform the same Rose Adagio with 4 corps men at Works and Process at the Guggenheim, and she had none of these problems.

The fact is that any ballet principal should be able to AT LEAST execute a ballet's steps competently (if not with great artistry) and Ms. Part was simply unable to do this. Indeed, she did not simply fall off pointe, but was hanging on to the suitors (to try to balance) for dear life.

A significant portion of the ABT MET audience pays almost $100 a ticket per performance and for that, they deserve to see a performance that is at least competent, if not of stellar artistry. The performance by Ms. Part was so painful to watch, such a train wreck, it was like seeing a student/apprentice dancer trying desperately to salvage a performance in a role much beyond their capabilities. Of course, any dancer can have a bad night. But for ADs to allow dancers to dance principal roles (and premiere them), ADs HAVE to be sure that dancer is technically strong enough and consistent enough to get through the role adequately. Otherwise they risk alienating a large portion of the audience (who would spend $100 again after that?). Perhaps even worse, the company's reputation suffers (for having ill-prepared dancers) and it exposes the dancer to a kind of negative spotlight that can only hurt their career.

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Is there a possibility that Park's weight loss over the last few years has caused her to lose some muscle. Enough to cause her inability to have a strong center. [abs,back muscles, etc.] She is drastically thinner than she was when she first came to ABT. Could she also have stamina problems, that would affect her dancing something like the Rose Adagio, that calls for alot of sustained point work?

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But for ADs to allow dancers to dance principal roles (and premiere them), ADs HAVE to be sure that dancer is technically strong enough and consistent enough to get through the role adequately. Otherwise they risk alienating a large portion of the audience (who would spend $100 again after that?). Perhaps even worse, the company's reputation suffers (for having ill-prepared dancers) and it exposes the dancer to a kind of negative spotlight that can only hurt their career.

This is the source of the problem. I alluded to this point and the inevitable consequences in my previous posts. The dancers do not make the artistic, managerial or casting decisions.

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OK, I was at the Gala too. And I agreed with most of Hagland's comments. Galas also serve two purposes: To present the forthcoming season in excerpt, and to impress the audience/donors into supporting (monetarily or not) the presenting company. If you fail in either effort, than the bottom line becomes that much more critical in calculating success or futures. And when pdd's, Gpdd's, etc. are taken out of context (and further distractions) then it is even more important that they are done to perfection. In a 2-3hr production there are always other chances to surpass expectations and make the audience forget an anomoly; not so when there is only ONE chance to do it right. So...

Bayadere Shades:

No, it was NOT perfect yet, but had improved somewhat from the atrocious performance I saw in London. But if jetlag was not an excuse now, that still leaves not enough or not conscientious enough coaching. And I am really getting upset that ABT can tout itself as "America's national company" and still can't perform this correctly or cleanly. (I also saw the performance the next night, and there were a few wobbles, but not full bobbles.)

Sleeping Beauty:

VP:

I also thought that Part's problems were attributable to nerves and young/inexperienced partners. Her princes were more Corps than Soloist--VERY surprising to me--and certainly NOT principals. But nerves are a fact of life for most performers (and athletes) and can disrupt a performance or provide that rush of adrenaline needed to propel it. Nerves are also something that must be acknowledged and dealt with EARLY; so it was shocking that it was still a problem this late in VP's career.

Wiles: Tempo was slow, she danced smoothly, and it was all a little flat.

Vishneva: Again, surprisingly slow tempo, and yes, it looked kind of tentative somehow.

ID & MB: Redeemed a heretofore tepid, disappointing SB sequence with a fine solid rendition, whose new costumes indeed shone with a lovely sparkle--as did ID & MB's smiles: the first of the night.

R&J:

Herman Cornejo flew through Romeo's variation, and performed all else...That is the steps were there, performed cleanly or neatly, but somehow the emphasis wasn't; I missed the joyous abandon of others in the role. Maybe with the context and continuity of a full-length performance, and continuing experience, that freedom of expression will be present too. But it's not there yet. Xiomara, of course, is a perfect Juliet both physically, emotionally, and technically; but again, with other partners her expressive freedom is more apparant.

Othello:

I've only seen the SFB video of this, but that was enough to make me glad it was the Act III pdd shown at the Gala; the whole plot is manifest in that one dance, and the music is more accomodating than earlier acts'. Ferri, of course, was amazing in her flexiblity and dramatic abandonment in the role, while Gomes was more solid. I know how they do the strangulation, but it is still interesting to watch and watch the audience reaction afterwards.

Black Swan:

The audience finally woke up for this one. I hadn't seen Nina live in over ten years, what a treat it was to see her again. And I was SO happy to finally see someone remember that Odile is supposed to be an imitation of Odette and so capable of "swan arms" too. The audiance gasped at the liquidity of those arms; I just smiled, and remembered the exact same ability demonstrated many times by Cynthia Gregory. Angel Corella was in fine form: He partnered effectively, ( tho' I too caught a few compensatory adjustments between them), soared when he should, and didn't force the turns. They both got a grand ovation afterwards.

Manon:

Totally agree about Julie Kent. She dances beautifully, but always with emotional restraint. And that is what is missing, and detracts from her in this role: full emotional investment, so it's not just steps but story. Afterwards I wanted to break out the tea cups, not indulge in some hot spirits. We all know Macmillan knew how to portray lust as well as love, and the former was never quite visible here. They also ended the pdd stage left (and almost under the desk), and I always remember it ending more stage rt. or center?

Bayadere excerpts:

Yes, Paloma is beautiful as Nikiya and uses her back and pdb's very effectively. The contrast between her pliancy and Hallberg's so strong carriage was very interesting and enjoyable to watch. (Except for a slight wobble in scarf dance the following night, she again danced Nikiya very well.)

Hooray, Ethan is back. The elevation is slightly attenuated from previous times, though not the ballon, and otherwise, even in such a quick excerpt, it was good to see him recovered. Gillian had no problems with her excerpts that I saw. (And was so impressed by her Gamzatti the following night--if more in the first act than the third.)

RE: Fashions...Yes, I saw 'the dress' and glad the NYTimes video explained what one lady next me called "A lot of nerve". I just struggled between wondering if one of Odette's siblings was missing, or Bjork's.

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Is there a possibility that Park's weight loss over the last few years has caused her to lose some muscle. Enough to cause her inability to have a strong center. [abs,back muscles, etc.] She is drastically thinner than she was when she first came to ABT. Could she also have stamina problems, that would affect her dancing something like the Rose Adagio, that calls for alot of sustained point work?

I would not think so, as you said the weight loss occurred over the last few years. I would think muscle loss would occur through fasting or extreme dieting. Weight loss over several years should not cause muscle loss.

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Is there a possibility that Park's weight loss over the last few years has caused her to lose some muscle. Enough to cause her inability to have a strong center. [abs,back muscles, etc.] She is drastically thinner than she was when she first came to ABT. Could she also have stamina problems, that would affect her dancing something like the Rose Adagio, that calls for alot of sustained point work?
When I read the reviews that mentioned this, I had to wonder the same. I remember when Alexei Yagudin, against Tatiana Tarasova's advice, lost what was, for him, a great deal of weight, and struggled mightily, losing every major competition to Plushenko where they both competed leading up to the SLC Olympics. Luckily, he righted his course, just in time.

It sounds like Part had an awful night. Hopefully it was a fluke of jelly leg or a leg cramp or a short-lived pull or twinge. The Rose Adagio is not the best place to have one, but I'm hoping it was a one-time thing.

(Says Helene, having heard Enrico DiGuiseppe do a perfectly reasonable rendition of "Parmi veder le lagrime" and be booed, because it was going to be Pavarotti's debut as Duke of Mantua, he and Reri Grist cancelled because of the flu, and the audience was not happy.)

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Whatever her problem in the RA, it was not in evidence in Wednesday afternoon's Bayadere. She is thinner than last year, and probably as thin as she should ever be, but she still has her womanly curves. In a company with unusually beautiful ballerinas, Veronika is in a universe of her own.

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I did not see VP's performance in the gala, but i would just like to point out, that the majority(if not all) corps males know how to partner, especially when it comes to a promenade or a balance. That is basic partnering 101. So, I wouldn't base her faults on that...sometimes people have off nights! It happens, c'est la vie!

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