334 replies to this topic

[Natalia]

Nanushka--That's why I said it was out of left field. I don't think Part being cast as Manon is particularly likely to happen, but I don't find it to be out of the question. Zenaida Yanowsky of the Royal is about Part's height, and she's danced Manon.

Manon should be a petite or 'normal height' dancer to do justice to MacMillan's choreography, lifts being only one part of it. The large/big boned ladies like Bussell, Semionova, Cuthbertson, Makhalina are 'heavy loads,' no matter how strong the Des Grieux who is lifting her. Even if they can be lifted and hoisted into positions, the audience cannot help but notice the strain. Just thinking about the perils of lifts takes away from the magic. We should not even be thinking about the effort. [This was one of the few 'negatives' of the recent Boylston/Simkin Swan Lake...the lifts turned out well but one was aware of the effort.]

[fondoffouettes]

Nanushka--That's why I said it was out of left field. I don't think Part being cast as Manon is particularly likely to happen, but I don't find it to be out of the question. Zenaida Yanowsky of the Royal is about Part's height, and she's danced Manon.

Manon should be a petite or 'normal height' dancer to do justice to MacMillan's choreography, lifts being only one part of it. The large/big boned ladies like Bussell, Semionova, Cuthbertson, Makhalina are 'heavy loads,' no matter how strong the Des Grieux who is lifting her. Even if they can be lifted and hoisted into positions, the audience cannot help but notice the strain. Just thinking about the perils of lifts takes away from the magic. We should not even be thinking about the effort. [This was one of the few 'negatives' of the recent Boylston/Simkin Swan Lake...the lifts turned out well but one was aware of the effort.]

I agree with Natalia and Nanushka. I am a huge Part fan, but Manon essentially gets thrown around like a rag doll (if you'll pardon the expression) in the final Louisiana pas de deux, so much so that it verges on being overwrought, though I still revel in it most of the time. It's too bad because I could imagine her vamping it up as Manon à la Netrebko, though with a touch more subtlety.

I also agree with Nanushka's assessment that there may not be enough strong partners in the ranks. I have some scary memories of tense partnering from corps/soloist dancers for that crazy barrel roll drop in Raymonda (not sure what you would call it).

[FauxPas]

Casting predictions/suggestions:
Swan Lake: Semionova/Hallberg; Part/Bolle; Boylston/Simkin; Osipova/Hallberg or Gomes; Herrera/Stearns; Murphy/Mungatirov; Vishneva(?)/Gomes; Dvorovenko/Matvienko. Other possibilities - Messmer/Forster; Abrera/Radetsky; Cojocaru/Hallberg
Sleeping Beauty: Osipova/Hallberg; Part/Gomes; Herrera/Stearns; Dvorovenko/Muntagirov; Cojocaru/Hallberg; Reyes/Cornejo; Murphy/Matvienko. Possibilities: Lane/Simkin; Boylston/Gorak; Abrera/Radetsky; Kajiya/Matthews
Don Q: Osipova/Vasiliev; Murphy/Gomes(?)or Matvienko; Dvorovenko/Muntagirov; Herrera/Bolle or Stearns; Semionova/Hallberg; Cornejo/Reyes. Other possibilities: Boylston/Simkin; Lane/Phillips; Copeland/Salstein; Novikova/Sarafanov or Obraztsova/Sarafanov
Le Corsaire: same as this year. Add Bolle as Conrad, Matvienko as Ali, Semionova as Medora, Muntagirov as Conrad, Zhong-Jing Fang and Christine Schevchenko as Gulnare
Onegin: same casting as this year. Add Cojocaru/Kobborg. Give Cory Lensky and put in someone like Forster or Hammoudi as Onegin.
Manon: Vishneva/Gomes; Kent/Bolle; Reyes/Cornejo; Cojocaru/Hallberg; Dvorovenko/Bolle or Gorak?
New Ratmansky full length
A Month in the Country: This will be the same trio as "Lady of the Camellias" - Vishneva, Kent and Dvorovenko. Part could do this part too I suspect.
Symphony in C: 2nd movement will be Part, Vishneva, Kent and Semionova. Add Hee Seo to the mix as well.

[fondoffouettes]

I really wish they were not doing Onegin again, though I realize it's standard ABT policy to bring back new productions and revivals for a second Met season. Every year it seems like there is one silk skirt/petticoat ballet, be it Lady of the Camellias, Onegin, or that ghastly Merry Widow, and to my mind at least they seem like frothy filler. I think the general consensus was that Onegin was only really effective with one cast (Vishneva/Gomes), which doesn’t seem to justify a revival. The one upside is that the ballet allowed for some non-principals to shine, Joseph Gorak being the prime example. His dancing was absolutely glorious.

[puppytreats]

Part played the role of Manon in Lady of the Camillias.

The role of Manon in Lady of the Camellias is not at all the role of Manon in MacMillan's Manon.

Don't get me wrong -- the role of MacMillan's Juliet has long been a fantasy part for me to see Veronika in. I just don't see Manon happening for her in this company.

Yes, I was in quite a silly mood last night.

[puppytreats]

I don't think Alina got great reviews for her Manon pdd at the gala. Many thought she was miscast.

I imagine Kent will perform in "Manon", as she did in "Onegin" or "Lady", and I love her, but she is tall for the part of the rag doll. Ferri tore out my heart in that role, particularly in that section of the dance.

Faux Pas: Bolle as Conrad? Or in DQ? And not in SB? From where does that prediction come?

[abatt]

Most people have fantasy baseball. We have fantasy ballet casting.

[FauxPas]

I don't think Alina got great reviews for her Manon pdd at the gala. Many thought she was miscast. I imagine Kent will perform in "Manon", as she did in "Onegin" or "Lady", and I love her, but she is tall for the part of the rag doll. Ferri tore out my heart in that role, particularly in that section of the dance. Faux Pas: Bolle as Conrad? Or in DQ? And not in SB? From where does that prediction come?

The first line of my post is "Casting predictions/suggestions". It comes from my head. Bolle definitely could dance Conrad. Basilio in "Don Quixote" is in his repertory - he has danced it with Sylvie Guillem. I would add him to "Sleeping Beauty" definitely - possibly with Dvorovenko or Murphy.

Kent has danced Manon many times with ABT - she is about the same height as Vishneva and there were no technical problems whatsoever. Kent looks very tall onstage because of her long willowy proportions. But she actually falls into the "normal size" rather than "tall" ballerina category. I believe that Alina has danced Manon with the Royal Ballet many times. I saw her dance the pas de deux with Angel at the opening night gala. She was lovely but comes across as too girl next door and ingenuous. But I don't think that is the last word on her Manon and people who have seen her in the role in London perhaps can comment with more authority. Anyway, I think she should be given a shot at the role with some more acting coaching. I wish Angel could dance it with her at ABT but anyway... Hee Seo is another potential Manon and though she probably would seem too virginal in the role.

[Natalia]

Casting predictions/suggestions:

Swan Lake: Semionova/Hallberg; Part/Bolle; Boylston/Simkin; Osipova/Hallberg or Gomes; Herrera/Stearns; Murphy/Mungatirov; Vishneva(?)/Gomes; Dvorovenko/Matvienko. Other possibilities - Messmer/Forster; Abrera/Radetsky; Cojocaru/Hallberg
......

You forgot the lyrical Hee Seo in Swan Lake. Born to dance Odette. Odile? She can, with practice.

[puppytreats]

I don't think Alina got great reviews for her Manon pdd at the gala. Many thought she was miscast. I imagine Kent will perform in "Manon", as she did in "Onegin" or "Lady", and I love her, but she is tall for the part of the rag doll. Ferri tore out my heart in that role, particularly in that section of the dance. Faux Pas: Bolle as Conrad? Or in DQ? And not in SB? From where does that prediction come?

The first line of my post is "Casting predictions/suggestions". It comes from my head. Bolle definitely could dance Conrad. Basilio in "Don Quixote" is in his repertory - he has danced it with Sylvie Guillem. I would add him to "Sleeping Beauty" definitely - possibly with Dvorovenko or Murphy.

Kent has danced Manon many times with ABT - she is about the same height as Vishneva and there were no technical problems whatsoever. Kent looks very tall onstage because of her long willowy proportions. But she actually falls into the "normal size" rather than "tall" ballerina category. I believe that Alina has danced Manon with the Royal Ballet many times. I saw her dance the pas de deux with Angel at the opening night gala. She was lovely but comes across as too girl next door and ingenuous. But I don't think that is the last word on her Manon and people who have seen her in the role in London perhaps can comment with more authority. Anyway, I think she should be given a shot at the role with some more acting coaching. I wish Angel could dance it with her at ABT but anyway... Hee Seo is another potential Manon and though she probably would seem to virginal in the role.

I know Don Q is in his rep, but it was so long ago, and he has focused on so many other things since then, that I imagine he would be cast in those other types of roles. SB is in his rep, too. In light of how few performances he is given in a Spring season, I can't imagine adding back Don Q, in lieu of Des Greiux, Prince Siegfried, Prince Desire, Onegin, (Armand, Albrecht, Apollo)... especially when ABT has all those flying, spinning top DQ types to whom to give roles (Cornejo, Simkin, Vasiliev...)

Does anyone know how tall are Julie, Veronica, and Zenaida?

[FauxPas]

The problem now, Puppytreats is that with Carreno, Stiefel, Corella and Beloserkovsky (in effect) gone, there is a need for a medium to tall danseur to partner Irina, Gillian, Paloma and Julie. David, Cory and Marcelo can only dance so many nights and the tall girls - Semionova, Part et al. need them. Osipova has developed a partnership with Hallberg and Vishneva prefers Marcelo. Those "flying, spinning top DQ types" such as Simkin, Cornejo and Vasiliev are too short to partner those ladies. I suspect Cory will get another shot as Basilio in "Don Quixote" next year though both he and Bolle are really better suited to Espada. We really don't know if Muntagirov, Matvienko or even Vasiliev are coming back next year (though I think we can count on Vasiliev). Kobborg would be the easiest to pair with Cojocaru in "Manon", "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty", "Onegin" etc. but I think he is really past those roles at this point except for "Onegin".

[canbelto]

Veronica and Zenaida are about 5'8" although Veronica is not as statuesque offstage as she appears onstage. Offstage she seems more like a runway model -- tall and thin. Julie Kent is in the 5'5"-5'6" range, Vishneva maybe slightly shorter.

[LiLing]

I saw A Month in the Country the season it premiered with Lynn Seymour as an unforgettable Natalia. I would love to see Part in that role!

[nanushka]

Veronica and Zenaida are about 5'8" although Veronica is not as statuesque offstage as she appears onstage. Offstage she seems more like a runway model -- tall and thin.

I believe a somewhat larger-than-average proportion of Veronika's height is in her legs, making her appear particularly tall onstage, and particularly in tutus. She also has long feet and perhaps slightly longer-than-average arms -- making her, in my opinion, the perfectly sized and proportioned ballerina. I so wish there were more like her. I could watch her Odette (with a good Siegfried) 7 nights a week. It's so hard having to wait a whole year for just one more performance!

Okay, forgive me for gushing.

[puppytreats]

Zenaida looks about 6 feet tall to me.