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Hallberg Joining The Bolshoi; Will Continue to Appear w. ABT


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Kevin McKenzie can't be happy. Hallberg dancing with ABT less, Murphy having strong ties to New Zealand Ballet, Correno retired. Could be an interesting time for ABT

I actually think that this is a great opportunity for Kevin McKenzie to reach out to his soloists and senior corps de ballet dancers and give them an opportunity to move up within the company. ABT does not change dancer's rankings to often and this may give some of the senior soloists a cahnce to bump up and explore Principal roles. I like to see this as more of an opportunity than a loss, although ABT is definitely losing some amazing dancers.

I agree with you but I'm not hopeful. The same "opportunity" existed during the Spring-Summer season when so many principals went down with injuries or just plain flaked out (Steifel). And yet, McKenzie didn't avail himself of it.

Sigh. Marcelo will have to be like Atlas and carry the weight of the "company" on his shoulders.

I feel bad for Marcelo b/c of the pressure this situation puts him in from a yearly perspective as he's the only male principal on the roster solely committed to ABT now with the full repertoire, it'll be interesting to see how the situation is handled. I'm thinking that it there will be any promotions for 2011-2012 they will happen after fall and the Nutcracker...many of us hoped that some announcement would come at the end of the MET season especially with what happened this year...but no news at all. Personally, I hope Kevin is mindful of the time needed to prep dancers for the transition, but I'm not the most optimistic. I'm waiting to see what ABT's reaction is...has there been an official announcement/statement from them yet?

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The Bolshoi Ballet picks up an American accent

By RIA Novosti commentator Olga Sobolevskaya

For decades, ballet stars from Russia and the former Soviet Union have been joining Western companies as fully-fledged members. But the idea of a Western dancer becoming part of a Russian troupe is unheard of - until now.

Moscow's Bolshoi Theater has broken new ground by inviting David Hallberg, of the American Ballet Theater (ABT), to be a guest dancer for the upcoming performing season. The Bolshoi's new season kicks off at the end of October, with the reopening of its historical building, following a lengthy renovation.

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American steps into Bolshoi Ballet corps

By Sergei L. Loiko, Los Angeles Times

October 12, 2011

Reporting from Moscow — When the Kings of the Dance tour — a showcase of some of the top male dancers in the world — premiered at the Stanislavsky Musical Theater last week, the representative of the legendary Bolshoi Ballet was South Dakota-born David Hallberg. An American in the Bolshoi? It was unimaginable just months ago.

But the Bolshoi did imagine it, and on Sept. 21 what some dubbed a defection in reverse was announced, recalling the days when heralded dancers, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov among them, fled the Soviet Union for Western companies.

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Hallberg fans can catch his Bolshoi Sleeping Beauty with Zakharova at a live transmission on Sunday, November 20, at the Big Cinemas theater on East 59th Street. I was at the Esmeralda this past Sunday (reviewed in today's Times) and can report that it was very well done from the filming point of view. It's like having a prime orchestra seat for $25 (but with a more comfortable seat). I hope these transmissions "take off" because the Symphony Space discontinued the opera ones because of lack of interest.

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http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/its-official-american-is-now-a-bolshoi-dancer/?ref=arts

Here's another mini interview w. Hallberg regarding his feelings about his recent Giselle performance, and his prep for the upcoming Sleeping Beauty. All this publicity is great for Hallberg, but also for ABT. People who have no interest in ballet seem to have heard of David Hallberg due to all of the publicity. My brother,, who has never been and will never go to any ballet, even heard about Hallberg and asked me some questions. Hopefully Hallberg is solidifying his fan base here in the US.

Also, with reference to Bobbi's post, some additional theaters will be broadcasting the upcoming Sleeping Beauty. Go to Fathom Event and follow the links relating to the Bolshoi Sleeping Beauty.

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