293 replies to this topic

[abatt]

That is lucky.  If you go please let us  know how you enjoy the O/V Don Q.

[California]

A few more tidbits about casting just appeared on the NYTimes Arts Blog:

Quote

. . .  a Royal Ballet principal dancer, Stephen McRae, and a principal from the Danish company, Alban Lendorf, will dance in the 2013 spring season at American Ballet Theater. Mr. McRae will dance the role of Lankendem in “Le Corsaire” at the June 5 matinee and June 8 evening performances. Mr. Lendorf will dance the role of Prince Désiré in “The Sleeping Beauty” at the July 6 matinee.

http://artsbeat.blog...ancer-exchange/

Still no hints about those TBA Swan Lakes June 20 and 22. We do know that Osipova has posted her schedule through July 2013 and she doesn't list Swan Lake at ABT:
http://www.ardani.co...urs-osipova.php

[abatt]

More casting info.  We're getting some excellent visiitors from Europe as part of an exchange.  See Link below.  http://artsbeat.blog...hange/?ref=arts.  Kevin should let the Royal know that they can borrow Cory whenever they want.

[ksk04]

Why does Kevin keep borrowing short male dancers?! He doesn't seem to like ABTs short girls or short guys (sans Danil). Mind boggling.

AT least ABTs dancers are getting something out of this, this time. Odd to borrow McRae for Lankendem, though I guess he probably wouldn't want the direct comparison to Vasiliev as Ali.

[angelica]

abatt, on 02 January 2013 - 01:32 PM, said:

More casting info.  We're getting some excellent visiitors from Europe as part of an exchange.  See Link below.  http://artsbeat.blog...hange/?ref=arts.  Kevin should let the Royal know that they can borrow Cory whenever they want.

Didn't Cory spend some time at the Royal Ballet School, or am I mis-remembering?

[Helene]

According to his ABT bio,

Quote

At fifteen, he participated in the Youth America Grand Prix and was offered a full scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in London. During his training there, he performed in Madrid, Moscow, Milan and Germany. His principal roles included principal roles in Mark Annear's Mendelssohn Concerto, Kenneth Macmillan's Concerto, Kirk Peterson's Eyes That Gently Touch, Robert Hill's Piano Concerto #2, and Barry Moreland's Fearful Symmetries...Upon graduating from the Royal Ballet School with honors, he received, for the second year, the Dame Ruth Railton Award for excellence in dance.

[abatt]

Bolle's website lists the dates already on the ABT calendar.  In addition, he will be doing Ratmansky Symphony No 9  June 1 and 3rd.  He will also appear on May 21 and May 21, but he doesn't indicate which ballet.

[rg]

Stearns spoke fondly of his years in the Royal Ballet School when interviewed, in particular of the encouragement and rapport he had there with ex-ABT principal Cynthia Harvey.

[Helene]

Marina Harss wrote about the swap for her blog, and I think her assessments are on target:

http://marinaharss.w...-rdb-and-royal/

I think it's great that Stearns is being welcomed by the Royal Ballet:  the School invested two years in him, and now it will bear fruit in the Company.

[Dale]

The official release:

Steven McRae of The Royal Ballet and Alban Lendorf of the Royal Danish Ballet
to Perform with American Ballet Theatre during 2013 Spring Season at
Metropolitan Opera House as Part of Artist Exchange Program

Principal Dancer Cory Stearns to Appear with The Royal Ballet and Soloist
Isabella Boylston to Perform with the Royal Danish Ballet as Exchange Artists

American Ballet Theatre has announced an exchange program that will bring
Steven McRae, a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and Alban Lendorf, a
principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet, to perform as exchange artists during
ABT’s 2013 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House. The exchange program
was announced today by Kevin McKenzie, ABT Artistic Director. McRae will dance
the role of Lankendem in Le Corsaire at the June 5 matinee and June 8 evening
performances. Lendorf will dance the role of Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty at
the Saturday, July 6 matinee.

As part of the exchange program with The Royal Ballet and the Royal Danish
Ballet, American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Cory Stearns will appear with
The Royal Ballet in December 2013, and ABT Soloist Isabella Boylston will dance the
roles of Dew Drop and Sugarplum Fairy in the Royal Danish Ballet’s production of
The Nutcracker, also in December 2013.

Steven McRae was born in Sydney, Australia. He trained with Hilary Kaplan
and at The Royal Ballet School. He received the RAD Solo Seal Award and the
Adeline Genée Gold Medal, 2002, and the Prix de Lausanne, 2003. He joined
The Royal Ballet in 2004 and was promoted to principal in 2009. His repertory with
The Royal Ballet includes Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Lensky in Onegin, Romeo
in Romeo and Juliet, James in La Sylphide, Des Grieux in Manon, Prince Florimund in
The Sleeping Beauty, Colas in La Fille mal gardée, the Prince in The Nutcracker and
Cinderella, Blue Boy in Les Patineurs and The Chosen One in The Rite of Spring. He
created roles for choreographers including Kim Brandstrup, Christopher Bruce,
Johan Kobborg, Wayne McGregor, Alistair Marriott, Liam Scarlett, Jonathan Watkins
and Christopher Wheeldon. In 2007 he was nominated for an Olivier Award and
won Emerging Male Artist (Classical) at the Critics’ Circle Dance Awards. He is
currently studying for a degree in Business Management and Leadership.
Alban Lendorf was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and received his training
at the Royal Danish Ballet School. In 2006, he joined the Royal Danish Ballet as an
apprentice and became a member of its corps de ballet in 2008. He was promoted
to soloist in 2010 and to principal dancer in 2011. His repertoire with the Royal
Danish Ballet includes Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Prince Désiré in Christopher
Wheeldon’s The Sleeping Beauty, Gennaro in Napoli, James in La Sylphide, Armand
in Lady of the Camellias, the title role in Apollo and principal roles in Etudes, Other
Dances, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Le Corsaire pas de deux. In 2009, Lendorf won
the Golden Ballet award and a D.A.N.C.E. Grant.

Subscriptions for American Ballet Theatre’s 2013 Spring season at the
Metropolitan Opera House are on sale now by phone at 212-362-6000, or online at
ABT's website www.abt.org.

[Amy Reusch]

Seems like an exellent way to give ABT dancers a chance to be guest artists themselves.  So often it seems they have to to step back at ABT so that guest artists can headline, it is nice to see them getting a somewhat similar chance overseas.  Nice development!

[bingham]

Amy Reusch, on 03 January 2013 - 08:01 AM, said:

Seems like an exellent way to give ABT dancers a chance to be guest artists themselves.  So often it seems they have to to step back at ABT so that guest artists can headline, it is nice to see them getting a somewhat similar chance overseas.  Nice development!

       It would even be better if they send promising Corps de ballet dancers to the Kirov, Bolshoi or POB.

[Amy Reusch]

I don't know if it is appropriate to send corps.  We wouldn't want all the companies to start looking alike.  A soloist exchange would be interesting though.

[puppytreats]

Which is preferable - to order multiple subscriptions for the Met season and then exchange individual tickets, or to wait for individual tickets to go on sale?  The subscriptions do not offer all of the performances that I wish to see.

Does anyone have casting information for the ABT Works and Process show?

For the KC season, does one suffer any problems by waiting for tickets to go on sale after the sale period for members only?

[abatt]

By buying only one regular subscription, you will be able to take advantage of the priority exchange/purchase week for ABT subscribers, which is for one week before tixs go on sale to the general public. (I'm not sure if the priority exchange also applies to the "Create Your Own" subscription option.  Maybe someone else here knows.)