77 replies to this topic

[miliosr]

papeetepatrick, on 25 May 2011 - 04:59 PM, said:

miliosr, on 25 May 2011 - 03:37 AM, said:

4mrdncr, on 24 May 2011 - 09:15 PM, said:

And to "miliosr": Though Corella may be less visible at ABT these past few years, I don't think I would call him a "non-entity"--he still fills most of the theaters he performs in, and meets or exceeds expectations.  Sorry for being slightly OT, will be better next week.

Whether or not he's filling theaters elsewhere is beside the point as far as ABT's current Met season is concerned.  Right now, at ABT, he's a non-entity.

I just took a look at the ABT calendar going through Japan.  There is a Giselle and a Coppelia at the Met, and 2 performances I saw listed in Tokyo.  None in the 5 or so days of Los Angeles.  But I agree with 4mrdncr, 'non-entity' is much too severe a term for a major dancer who is performing less--especially since these are both important roles.  Of course, Corella is therefore not the 'sensation of the season' (unless there's some sudden burst of dancerly eloquence), but his history makes it so that's not fair in my book.  Even if it were only one, that's still the way I'd see it.  Most people perceive 'non-entity' as quite a harsh word; he's simply lightly scheduled.

Isn't it like Allegra Kent's very rare performances in her last years of dancing? Was she considered a non-entity for only doing the very occasional performance? And it's always possible that Corella's performances this season at the Met could be stellar, isn't it?

My intent was not to cause offense.  Instead, I was merely pointing out that Kevin McKenzie may have to make decisions regarding Corella sooner rather than later.  For reasons that remain unclear, McKenzie isn't scheduling Corella for the Met seasons even though Corella himself has said that he is available.  (Two performances across the entire Met season are nothing compared to the workloads of Gomes, Hallberg, Stearns and even Simkin.)  If McKenzie isn't going to use Corella in any great capacity in the future, then it is in his interest (and Corella's) to make a break now rather than string Corella along indefinitely with token performances.  In addition, Corella will be 36 this year.  If you're McKenzie, you have to start thinking about how many more years will Corella be dancing (even if he comes back into favor) and who will be his replacement?  It's cruel . . . but then it's a cruel business.

[papeetepatrick]

miliosr, on 26 May 2011 - 04:14 AM, said:

Instead, I was merely pointing out that Kevin McKenzie may have to make decisions regarding Corella sooner rather than later.  For reasons that remain unclear, McKenzie isn't scheduling Corella for the Met seasons even though Corella himself has said that he is available.  (Two performances across the entire Met season are nothing compared to the workloads of Gomes, Hallberg, Stearns and even Simkin.)  If McKenzie isn't going to use Corella in any great capacity in the future, then it is in his interest (and Corella's) to make a break now rather than string Corella along indefinitely with token performances.  In addition, Corella will be 36 this year.  If you're McKenzie, you have to start thinking about how many more years will Corella be dancing (even if he comes back into favor) and who will be his replacement?  It's cruel . . . but then it's a cruel business.

Maybe.  But even if that's the 'cruel business' and your points are good, that's not all it is.  The very fact that one can even posit 'even if he comes back into favour' means that maybe these 'token performances' are not nothing.  If Corella says he's available and only has a few performances, that doesn't mean he wouldn't rather do those than nothing.  Or he wouldn't.  Or Mackenzie wouldn't, or something would be decided now, not later.  And maybe something is being decided already.  But we know of several dancers who even recently danced way, way beyond their prime, and there were some past what is even a ghost of their former glory.  Corella is not at that point, because you can't fake those roles at ABT, even if they most likely won't be delivering what he was 7 years ago.

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(Two performances across the entire Met season are nothing compared to the workloads of Gomes, Hallberg, Stearns and even Simkin.)

I's obvious that he's not being cast frequently, but those two performances are still something, when you're talking about starring roles at ABT.  And then he does appear a few times in Tokyo.  His star may be waning, and there was some talk of technical difficulties last year as I recall; but it's not finished yet, and if it were in Corella's snd Mackenzie's 'best interest to make a break now', then I think they would know to do so.  I think it's nice to have a star who doesn't have to be one of the big powerhouses anymore, but will still have those who want to see him, even if he's on his way out.  If some obvious 'replacement' appears, that one is not going to be somehow missed if Corella is already being used not so much.  In short, Corella is not 'in the way' of the up-and-comers, and still has fans, even if he's not the 'hot new kid'.

[Batsuchan]

Polina Semionova talks a bit about her “Don Quixote” performance in her recent interview in NY Times:

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But it was when she was finally settled on another plane that the power of her performance at the Met really hit her. “I felt like I gave everything I had, and that is an amazing feeling,” she said. “I gave and I got, and I think that’s the pleasure of artists. It’s not that important how many pirouettes you did, it’s most important to get this feeling. I had this chance. I gave it all I had.”

That was EXACTLY what it seemed like to me when I was watching—I really felt like she was meeting the moment and giving everything she had, and that made it extremely exciting and satisfying.  Definitely one of the most enjoyable and memorable performances I’ve ever seen!