50 replies to this topic

[Barbara]

Haglund's, I'm glad you mentioned Salstein - he's another dancer ripe for promotion IMO. And as I've mentioned before, I'm also a big Hoven and Abrera fan. I'm still crossing my fingers that McKenzie has some "up from the ranks" promotions up his sleeve. Anyone know if there is a typical time that promotions are announced? After Met season but before City Center maybe?

[Haglund's]

Barbara, on May 3 2008, 06:11 PM, said:

Haglund's, I'm glad you mentioned Salstein - he's another dancer ripe for promotion IMO. And as I've mentioned before, I'm also a big Hoven and Abrera fan. I'm still crossing my fingers that McKenzie has some "up from the ranks" promotions up his sleeve. Anyone know if there is a typical time that promotions are announced? After Met season but before City Center maybe?

No one get too excited, but I sifted through the press releases for the last several ABT principal promotions and observed a pattern:

Murphy and Gomes - May 24, 2002
Reyes - April 1, 2003
Cornejo - June 17, 2003
Wiles - June 28, 2005
Hallberg - May 5, 2006

My fingers are crossed, too, Barbara.  

[aurora]

Haglund, on May 3 2008, 06:54 PM, said:

No one get too excited, but I sifted through the press releases for the last several ABT principal promotions and observed a pattern:

Murphy and Gomes - May 24, 2002
Reyes - April 1, 2003
Cornejo - June 17, 2003
Wiles - June 28, 2005
Hallberg - May 5, 2006

My fingers are crossed, too, Barbara.  

true, but last year all the promotions were immediately after the spring season...

[Mel Johnson]

That's partially a function of union requirements for contract renewal time in the US.  I believe that "boilerplate" is that dancers must be informed by March 25 if their contracts for the upcoming performing year are not to be renewed.  Then contracts can be written to commence June 1 for all the rest.  Dancers coming from outside the US may have other forces working on their initial contracts.

[Memo]

I agree Mel.  I think it is currently too early to know about promotions.  But is a Director bound by X amount of corps contracts X amount of Soloists, and X amount of Principals?  I would assume so.  And after having a kid on the audition trail that is the impression I get.    Unless there is private sponsorship for a particular dancer involved.  If dancers are not leaving is the director bound to a specific amount of dancers or does he have some flexibility?

[Mel Johnson]

That depends on the negotiation of a company's specific General Contract.  Usually, it's as I've described in the "plain vanilla" state, but both sides may add stuff as long as the other side agrees that it's a good idea.  Often there's a "THE COMPANY may employ no fewer than X dancers, nor more than X+Y." clause.  Specific rank structure is left to negotiation.  A director may want to leave himself a "bail-out" option.  Or the union could insist on it.  It depends on what's at issue in a given company over a given time.