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ABT Announces Return to City Center


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Totally agree. Kevin is out of energy and ideas. No new star dancers are being cultivated, perhaps because of his reliance on international superstars. If only Ratmansky would take over (wishful thinking) but his schedule is so full that seems unlikely.

I'm not sure how you can say no new star dancers have been cultivated from within ABT in recent years. Gomes, Hallberg and Murphy each came up through the ABT ranks in recent years. Although Herman Cornejo came in as a soloist, I regard him as having been primarily cultivated at ABT. Each of the above listed dancers is a star, in my opinion. There are also several promising soloists. This has occurred under McKenzie's tenure.

Herman joined ABT in 1999 as a member of the corps de ballet. Paloma Herrera and Michele Wiles started as members of the Corps de Ballet .

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.... Herman joined ABT in 1999 as a member of the corps de ballet. Paloma Herrera and Michele Wiles started as members of the Corps de Ballet .

Even Irina Dvorovenko was hired as corps de ballet, despite her earlier status in Kiev.

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Not just Irina...hubby Maxim B. joined ABT as corps. Besides them & those pointed out by Bingham, Hallberg, Kent, Murphy & Stearns began as either Studio Company or Corps. Most current ABT principals began as Corps or Studio Co Members.

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Again, please reread what Amour actually wrote: No new [my emphasis] star dancers are being cultivated.

Yes, there are promising soloists/corps members. But it's a stretch seeing most/all of them as future star dancers (especially on the men's side.) The pipeline just seems tapped out at the moment. Either the artistic director made poor assessments of talent or he's doing a poor job of developing talent -- take your pick.

(A counter-argument would be that stars are born and not made. In which case, McKenzie deserves little or no credit for Gomes, Hallberg, Murphy, Stearns and others.)

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I see zero evidence of Sylvie Guillem developing people from school through principal status. Particularly men. Also, considering that the 3 act story ballets earn 85% of ABT's ticket income, I don't think Ms. Guillem is a good fit because she likes risky modern choreo that doesn't pay the bills (at least when she's not performing in it).

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I see zero evidence of Sylvie Guillem developing people from school through principal status. Particularly men. Also, considering that the 3 act story ballets earn 85% of ABT's ticket income, I don't think Ms. Guillem is a good fit because she likes risky modern choreo that doesn't pay the bills (at least when she's not performing in it).

I don't think Guillem would receive serious consideration (even if she was interested) for just the reasons you cite. BUT, the reason her name came to mind is that ABT could benefit from the great influx of energy she would no doubt bring. (Much like Nureyev revived a moribund Paris Opera Ballet with his great energy in the 1980s.) In my opinion, an extreme lassitude has settled on ABT in regard to performance levels and (especially) programming choices, and too many people, from the board on down, are settling. The City Center choices are especially appalling -- 3 Tharps (including the overprogrammed "In the Upper Room"), 2 Taylors, 1 Cunningham and 1 Martha Clarke. All this while the Antony Tudor repertory moves into the extinction category with the repertories of Erick Hawkins, Alwin Nikolais and Anna Sokolow.

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Just got my brochure for the ABT City Center season in the mail. The principals shown with head shots on the men's side are Cornejo, Gomes and Sterns. Where's Hallberg?

On women's side - Herrera, Kent, Murphy, Part & Reyes. No Irina D. or Max.

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Just got my brochure for the ABT City Center season in the mail. The principals shown with head shots on the men's side are Cornejo, Gomes and Sterns. Where's Hallberg?

On women's side - Herrera, Kent, Murphy, Part & Reyes. No Irina D. or Max.

Hallberg will probably be guesting with AB's Merry Widow down under around that time. The CC season is only a week, so I don't see the need to summon all the principals.

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(A counter-argument would be that stars are born and not made. In which case, McKenzie deserves little or no credit for Gomes, Hallberg, Murphy, Stearns and others.)

While that may be a counter-argument, I think it's a weak one. Most people need time to grow into parts. Stearns was a prime example of being thrust into too many leading roles too soon. I remember several of his performances had a sort of "deer-in-the-headlights" quality to them.

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Can't/won't buy tickets without the casting. If they can cast the spring season in October, they can cast November in July.

Oh, I almost forgot: there's the escape clause that casts are subject to change but they won't let you exchange your tickets.

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Can't/won't buy tickets without the casting. If they can cast the spring season in October, they can cast November in July.

Oh, I almost forgot: there's the escape clause that casts are subject to change but they won't let you exchange your tickets.

This is a ridiculous statement in its tone. You can complain legitimately perhaps about them not exchanging tickets, though if they let people do so on the basis of cast changes it would be a mess for them, but they do not change casts arbitrarily. Cast changes at ABT are almost always due to injury. If you really want to complain about that fine, but it isn't reasonable. They do not engage in arbitrary cast changes (unlike your favorite company) so don't make statements which slyly suggest this is the case.

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Can't/won't buy tickets without the casting. If they can cast the spring season in October, they can cast November in July.

Oh, I almost forgot: there's the escape clause that casts are subject to change but they won't let you exchange your tickets.

This is a ridiculous statement in its tone. You can complain legitimately perhaps about them not exchanging tickets, though if they let people do so on the basis of cast changes it would be a mess for them, but they do not change casts arbitrarily. Cast changes at ABT are almost always due to injury. If you really want to complain about that fine, but it isn't reasonable. They do not engage in arbitrary cast changes (unlike your favorite company) so don't make statements which slyly suggest this is the case.

I am interpreting the quotation to mean that a bait and switch occurred, which would not be something arbitrary, but also would not be due to injury. Who would not be upset by such a thing?

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Can't/won't buy tickets without the casting. If they can cast the spring season in October, they can cast November in July.

Oh, I almost forgot: there's the escape clause that casts are subject to change but they won't let you exchange your tickets.

This is a ridiculous statement in its tone. You can complain legitimately perhaps about them not exchanging tickets, though if they let people do so on the basis of cast changes it would be a mess for them, but they do not change casts arbitrarily. Cast changes at ABT are almost always due to injury. If you really want to complain about that fine, but it isn't reasonable. They do not engage in arbitrary cast changes (unlike your favorite company) so don't make statements which slyly suggest this is the case.

I am interpreting the quotation to mean that a bait and switch occurred, which would not be something arbitrary, but also would not be due to injury. Who would not be upset by such a thing?

Exactly, but abt doesn't do that. This is why I said it was a ridiculous statement. I would be upset by it. I was upset when with no explanation my tickets were switched by the Bolshoi once. But ABT is actually remarkably good about such things. It is really almost always do to injury or something else that cannot be avoided like the Osipova snafu this spring. They are not known for bait and switch and to imply otherwise, as was done (you got that implication) is libelous.

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Can't/won't buy tickets without the casting. If they can cast the spring season in October, they can cast November in July.

Oh, I almost forgot: there's the escape clause that casts are subject to change but they won't let you exchange your tickets.

This is a ridiculous statement in its tone. You can complain legitimately perhaps about them not exchanging tickets, though if they let people do so on the basis of cast changes it would be a mess for them, but they do not change casts arbitrarily. Cast changes at ABT are almost always due to injury. If you really want to complain about that fine, but it isn't reasonable. They do not engage in arbitrary cast changes (unlike your favorite company) so don't make statements which slyly suggest this is the case.

I am interpreting the quotation to mean that a bait and switch occurred, which would not be something arbitrary, but also would not be due to injury. Who would not be upset by such a thing?

Exactly, but abt doesn't do that. This is why I said it was a ridiculous statement. I would be upset by it. I was upset when with no explanation my tickets were switched by the Bolshoi once. But ABT is actually remarkably good about such things. It is really almost always do to injury or something else that cannot be avoided like the Osipova snafu this spring. They are not known for bait and switch and to imply otherwise, as was done (you got that implication) is libelous.

Yes, I do take issue with the no exchanges, no returns policy. I am not insinuating bait and switch, although I can see why you might have read it that way. Since for many balletomanes, amongst whom I count myself, the cast is the most important thing, I do think it would be fair for any company to exchange tickets if the cast changes. If the cast changes because my favorite dancer is injured, then I should be allowed to exchange my ticket for another performance if I'm unhappy with the particular replacement. You may not agree with this, you may think that it would create a "mess" for abt, but it is not "ridiculous" or "libelous."
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I believe that most, if not all companies only change casts for very, very good reasons. Maybe there is an exception out there (I can't address what others have said about the Bolshoi). On the whole casts changes are a real pain for management. They don't want to get grief from ticket holder. Often one change in casting necessitates other changes. Cast changes are fun for no one.

Back to the City Center season - It will take amazing casting to get me to buy a ticket.

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Yes, I do take issue with the no exchanges, no returns policy. I am not insinuating bait and switch, although I can see why you might have read it that way. Since for many balletomanes, amongst whom I count myself, the cast is the most important thing, I do think it would be fair for any company to exchange tickets if the cast changes. If the cast changes because my favorite dancer is injured, then I should be allowed to exchange my ticket for another performance if I'm unhappy with the particular replacement. You may not agree with this, you may think that it would create a "mess" for abt, but it is not "ridiculous" or "libelous."

The "No Exchanges; No refunds" policy is fairly standard practice as far as ticketing is concerned. Sometimes companies will allow subscribers to exchange tickets as an inducement to subscribe. In past seasons, I had no problems exchanging tickets at ABT.

Of course, the METOpera charges an exchange fee of $5 of $10 per ticket (I don't remember which) unless you join their membership/patron program. Their exchange fees were rather painful when I had to exchange a number of tickets because I was required to take a class on the same night as my subscription plan.

I get sick of all the ticketing fees, convenience fees and the like. Stop nickeling and diming people with fees and just include them in your ticket prices, especially when you run your own box office as the MET does.

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Any news or reason given for the absence of Irina and Maxim? My husband has not been in touch with them in the past few months (he and Irina graduated the same time) so this is news to us. Has ABT issued any notices?

I don't think Irina or Max have participated in the Fall Seasons for several years, so I'm not sure how much you should be alarmed (though clearly Max is slowing down if this MET season is any indication). I assume they have alternate arrangements/guest spots as they aren't in the Nutcracker either.

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