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Le Corsaire, Romeo and Juliet or Sleeping Beauty


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I am new to ballet. I saw the opening night gala two weeks ago, and then Don Quixote with Reyes / Cornejo. Based on recommendations on here, I'll be seeing Swan Lake with Part and Stearns on 6/18.

If I were to go to one other this year, which of the three above would it be? And any particular stars worth seeing?

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To partly answer my own question, it looks like the only one I can fit in my schedule is Le Corsaire on 6/7/ or 6/8. Is it worth seeing? And would you choose Osipova and Vasiliev or Herrera and Gomes? Everyone raves about Osipova and Vasiliev but everyone on here seems to love Marcelo Gomes.

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I know this sounds weird but for 6/7 or 6/8 I would go across the plaza to see the NYCB. Tiler Peck or Ashley Bouder in Theme and Variations is something worth seeing for sure. Or Who Cares? Is another favorite ballet of mine. Tickets are cheaper at the NYCB. I find Corsaire to be a rather weak ballet, no matter who is dancing.

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I'm going to see Osipova and Vasiliev on the 8th. based on the DC reviews I read here on B.A. I keep hearing everywhere, not just on these boards, that Osipova and Vasiliev is a partnership made in heaven. Add to that my overall dislike of Herrera - she leaves me cold artistically - and factor in Simkin for the O&V performance and it's a no-brainer for me.

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I know this sounds weird but for 6/7 or 6/8 I would go across the plaza to see the NYCB. Tiler Peck or Ashley Bouder in Theme and Variations is something worth seeing for sure. Or Who Cares? Is another favorite ballet of mine. Tickets are cheaper at the NYCB. I find Corsaire to be a rather weak ballet, no matter who is dancing.

If Veronika Part were dancing, I would say go to Corsaire, but not with the other casts. Osipova and Vasiliev bring audiences to a frenzy of applause, but they are more like an acrobatic act than a classical ballet partnership. When you hear all the screaming and applause for their feats, remember (1) that the circus draws many more viewers than the ballet (no, I don't have any statistics to back that up) and (2) that the reason Vasiliev can jump so high is that he has unballetic extremely muscular legs. Baryshnikov was another fabulous jumper with muscular legs, but he never abandoned the pure classical training that he received. Vasiliev is sloppy and he coasts on his jumps and turns.

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Lots of votes for the NYCB. But where are the cheaper tickets? It looks more expensive than ABT, at least for the good seats.

I could possibly do Romeo and Juliet on 6/10, but listening to the music just now, I'm not so sure.

What about Sylvia with Murphy and Gomes?

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So much depends on what you are looking for. Sleeping Beauty offers a lot of dancing from a lot of people. R & J - it's totally the couple and nothing else matters. Corsaire offers a story that doesn't make sense, but the principals get to show their stuff, and the corps does a lot of filler and boring stuff.

Personally I avoid R & J but made an exception last year for Cojocaru. I'll never pay to see Corsaire.

For me I'd go for Cojocaru in Sleeping Beauty, she is magic in that role.

But really go see NYCB.

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Cojocaru has been on the injured list for quite some time. Most recently, she was supposed to perform in Symphony in C at the Royal on May 28 and 29, but she withdrew due to continued injury. Although her scheduled performances w. ABT are a few weeks away, I would not count on her performing this season at ABT under the circumstances.

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Corsaire with Murphy gets my vote. Pretty silly story though.

R&J definately go with Vishneva/Gomes.

Sylvia with Murphy/Gomes. Another silly story, but a fun ballet nonetheless.

Avoid Sleeping Beauty. Really ugly sets and costumes.

Go see NYCB

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Sight lines at the NYCB are much better than at the Met, so a similarly priced ticket at the NYCB compared to the Met is usually closer to the stage, with a much better sightline. Last time I checked $57 and $29 tickets were available for all performances on 6/7 and 6/8 and I only know this because I ordered last-minute tickets for $29 in the second ring yesterday.

On 6/7, you get to see Tiler Peck in one of her signature roles, Allegro Brillante, and you get to see Who Cares? Robert Fairchild and Sterling Hyltin are both fantastic in this ballet.

On 6/8 afternoon, Ashley Bouder in Theme and Variations!!! Again, that's become to dance lovers a sort of touchstone role for her, you can't go wrong there. Evening again it's Theme and Variations that's worth the price of the ticket alone, and Tiler Peck and de Luz are also excellent in this ballet. It's a mixed bill, you might like some of the ballets more than others, but I don't think I've ever met anyone who didn't like Theme and Variations or Who Cares?

This sounds like a paid advertisement for the NYCB, but it's not. But Le Corsaire is a VERY weak ballet. More of a pastiche than anything else -- 5 different composers, barebones plot.

R&J is definitely worth seeing but it's LONG and heavy on mime. I don't know if you like that. Of all the casts I'd pick Vishneva/Gomes or Osipova/Hallberg.

Sylvia is worth seeing. All the casts look okay to me except I'd avoid Paloma Herrera.

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Also, don't forget that NYCB usually has reduced price tickets available at the Rubenstein Box Office (Atrium) on day of performance. I've always gotten pretty good selections there. ABT doesn't use this service. And I agree about sight lines. Just better at the State Theater.

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I think I'm in the minority, but I love Le Corsaire depending on who is dancing it. I have a ticket for June 8th matinee, but I'm a bit concerned about who is dancing what. Osipova is Medora and Boylston is her best friend Gulnare - so that's fine. But according to the abt peformance calendar it looks like Vasiliev is dancing Conrad. Last year I saw him dance Ali and he was sensational. I wonder if Vasiliev can restrain himself enough for Conrad. I'm used to seeing dancers like Gomes, Hallberg and Ethan Stiefel dance Conrad. And then the last two names are Cornejo and Simkin. At first I thought I'd be seeing Cornejo as Ali and I said "Yeah!" (to myself of course because my husband does not care about ballet). Now I'm not sure if Simkin will be Ali and Cornejo the slave trader or vice versa. I wish they'd list the parts with the names when it comes to three act ballets. I think I'm going to this ballet in part to see who will be dancing what part and hoping it won't be a train wreck. If you're new to ballet I don't think I can recommend this performance. I forget who, but someone mentioned going to NYCB and I just looked at their casting list for the June 8th matinee. Tiler Peck and Joaquin De Luz will be dancing Theme and Variations in Tsch. Suite #3. I don't think ballet gets much better than that. Now I wish I could see that performance. Anyway, I hate being long winded about it, but I would look into the NYCB matinee - at least the last ballet. And it is true that the seats are much cheaper. Also much better. But that's another matter.

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i'm sorry. I looked at the NYCB casting for the Saturday evening performance. As someone already has mentioned, the matinee will be danced by Bouder and Garcia, who are also sensational. It would be very hard to pick who is better in Theme and Variations Peck and De Luz or Bouder and Garcia. I think it's a draw.

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Anyone ever seen Trockadero's Corsaire? Now THAT is worth going to!

Also want to add that I agree that Corsaire is generally a boring ballet and that the story is silly, but I'd say that it's no sillier than an awful lot of the story ballets. However, for those of us who have raised ballet students who've gone on to dance professionally, Le Corsaire is a tear-jerker. We've sat as audience members through countless 1/2 performances (at least at my daughter's preprofessional ballet school; they never did the whole thing) of this ballet. We've watched our young'uns proceed throughout the years with their hopes pinned to the image of themselves performing the pas de deux. And when they do, we cry for all the years of blood, sweat, tears and hope that went into their progression on the road to becoming a professional dancer. So I never find it boring; it floods me with nostalgia.

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