4 replies to this topic

[cubanmiamiboy]

This is a question that I've been molding ever since I started reading biographies of dancers who made their career in America, and particularly Alonso's own accounts.  I have a BT booklet from 1956 that shows only four Principal dancers: Alonso, Moylan, Youskevitch and Kriza.  For what I've seen it looks as if when Balanchine started his company, almost everybody decided to switch at some point-(even Moylan, right...?). So my question, out of curiosity, goes as...

Which other Principal dancers never joined City Ballet from that era, and even from the 60's...? Would the list be reduced then just to Alonso, Youskevitch and Kriza...? What about Lupe Serrano...? According to the ABT website, she was a Principal as back as 1953, but she doesn't appear in the booklet I have...

Anyway, I'm sure some of the most experienced posters here will shred some light in the subject...

Thanks in advance...!!

Edited to add: I guess I'm not taking into consideration those BRdMC dancers that guested for periods at BT...

[Helene]

There was movement partly because some of the choreographers choreographed in both places.  Robbins moved from ABT to NYCB; when Nora Kaye, ABT's most prominent dramatic ballerina moved to NYCB, Robbins choreographed the lead in "The Cage" for her.  Tudor was most famously associated with ABT, but he did choreograph for NYCB, and he used Kaye as well.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Thanks for the input, Helene.  I could only think of kaye, Moylan, Eglevsky, Tallchief and Hayden as the most famous examples of the switching wave-(BTW...were they all principals at the moment..?)-, but I'm more curious as those who DID NOT decide to leave BT-(probably so they would not compromise their stardom position and also due to repertoire issues)-, so that's why I could only think of Alonso, Youskevitch and Kriza, so I was wondering if there were other famous principals who didn't make the experimental trip...(Serrano maybe...?)

[duffster]

Andre Eglevsky, I think left ABT for NYCB.

[cubanmiamiboy]

duffster, on 08 March 2011 - 07:39 PM, said:

Andre Eglevsky, I think left ABT for NYCB.

duffster...we were writing at the same time, with a difference of just two minutes...

cubanmiamiboy, on 08 March 2011 - 07:37 PM, said:

Thanks for the input, Helene.  I could only think of kaye, Moylan, Eglevsky, Tallchief and Hayden as the most famous examples of the switching wave