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2014 Met Season


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I'm on the same page - I sincerely wish Stearns a good recovery (he was out most of the season before last as well, right?) - however, I do have tix for Parts Wed matinee SL and I'd love it to be with Gomes. I saw them together in Nutcracker in December and they are glorious together! PS - I wouldn't mind Bolle either!

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ABT has posted the opening night gala performance w. casting. Stearns is not on the list of performers. I think it's reasonable to conclude he will not make it to his Don Q assignments during week one. Who is his replacement and when will they tell us? I wonder if he we will be out the entire season.

The only other ABT dancer cast as Basilio who is tall enough to partner Semionova is Whiteside. Will they have Gomes step into Basilio, as he did in Washington DC.?

I wish Stearns all the best, but I've been waiting YEARS for them to partner Part w. either Gomes or Bolle in SL. If that happens, I will get myself to the box office as fast as possible to buy a tix for Part's Wed matinee SL.

I just checked the ABT calendar and noticed that Whiteside is scheduled with Part for the Bayadere. I remember that having been a TBA, not sure when they updated it.

No offense to Corey but I agree 100% with abatt - while I wouldn't consider taking time off work to see him and Part in Swan lake I will ABSOLUTELY take 2 days off - 1 to rush out an get the tickets and another to go to the matinee - if they schedule Gomes or Bolle with her for that SL. I would probably even go if they cast Whiteside. I'm not crazy about him but I think they could be good together.

As much as Corey has improved he just comes across as too immature to be her Siegfried, and I've been waiting and waiting for "the powers that be" to give this greatest of Odettes a suitable partner once again.

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I hope the folks at ABT are reading this and will act accordingly.

With Stearns out, there is now a shortage of tall men for the season. Since Hallberg is unavailable, this leaves only Gomes and Whitside for all the tall girl assignments. For whatever reason, they don't cast Bolle much. Maybe they are planning to throw the not-yet-ready Hammoudi into the fire and see what happens.

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Someone spotted Mathias Heymann just north of Union Square, a block or 2 from ABT HQ when he's in town for YAGP. I wonder if he had a meeting at ABT. Or he just happened to be in the hood? Last minute guests are not uncommon at ABT. Or it could be nothing, that area is very popular with visitors anyway.

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Someone spotted Mathias Heymann just north of Union Square, a block or 2 from ABT HQ when he's in town for YAGP. I wonder if he had a meeting at ABT. Or he just happened to be in the hood? Last minute guests are not uncommon at ABT. Or it could be nothing, that area is very popular with visitors anyway.

Or Heymann could have just been taking class w/ ABT.

Since Hammoudi is the only soloist listed to dance in the opening gala, it's reasonable to assume that he's replacing Stearns in whatever role he would have had. I wouldn't be surprise if Gomes gets some of his parts (to save the day, again, so to speak). I don't remember how much shorter Gorak is than Stearns, but he could be a very interesting and deserved replacement for some parts (not for a heavy hitter type of role, but possibly for Gaite Parisienne or Cinderella). Gorak and Stearns do share the Poet role in Les Sylphides. Should be interesting whatever the casting gods decide.

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More injury (guest star) news:

DENIS MATVIENKO TO WITHDRAW FROM PERFORMANCES AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE DUE TO INJURY

Guest Artists Alban Lendorf and

Exchange Artist Kevin Jackson to Perform

Due to injury, Denis Matvienko, a guest artist with American Ballet Theatre, will withdraw from scheduled performances with the Company this Spring, it was announced today by Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director.

A principal dancer with the Mariinsky Ballet, Matvienko made his debut with American Ballet Theatre in 2012 dancing Solor in La Bayadère. His repertoire with ABT also includes Conrad in Le Corsaire and Basilio in Don Quixote.

Guest artist Alban Lendorf, a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet, will replace Matvienko as Basilio in Don Quixote on Wednesday evening, May 14. Kevin Jackson, a principal dancer with Australian Ballet, will make his debut with ABT as an exchange artist, replacing Matvienko as Des Grieux in Manon at the matinee on Wednesday, June 4 and Friday evening, June 6. ABT Soloist Jared Matthews replaces Matvienko as Albrecht in Giselle on Thursday evening, June 19.

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Jared is finally getting his due at ABT. Good for him! Never heard of Kevin Jackson. Loved Lendorf last season. Too bad about Matvienko. Now Kevin has to figure out who will replace Stearns.

So who is replacing Matvienko for his one Bayadere? Vasliev please.

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I hope the folks at ABT are reading this and will act accordingly.

With Stearns out, there is now a shortage of tall men for the season. Since Hallberg is unavailable, this leaves only Gomes and Whitside for all the tall girl assignments. For whatever reason, they don't cast Bolle much. Maybe they are planning to throw the not-yet-ready Hammoudi into the fire and see what happens.

ABT has lots of talented tall men in the corps( T Forster, G Davis, D Mantei ) who have not been given any big breaks.It's time they are given chances to shine or this will always be a problem in the future.

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aww I wish we got gomes to reprise his basillo, which the DC audience was so lucky to see last night! wahhh

Indeed! You can get a brief glimpse of them in Don Q in this clip about their guest appearance a few years ago with Festival Ballet in southern California. He mentions in an interview that he doesn't do this role very much at ABT:

At the Alonso birthday celebration in 2010, he did the first act, but I can't remember who his partner was for that. (They had different principals for each act.)

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Opening Night casting:

Opening Night Gala Program

Don Quixote (Act I Entrance): Paloma Herrera

Cinderella (Act II Pas de Deux): Hee Seo, Marcelo Gomes

Manon (Act II Solo & Adagio): Polina Semionova

La Bayadère (Pas d'Action): Gillian Murphy, Ivan Vasiliev

The Dream (Scherzo): James Whiteside, Daniil Simkin

Manon (Act I Bedroom Pas de Deux): Julie Kent, Roberto Bolle

Coppélia (Act II Excerpt): Xiomara Reyes

Nuages: Diana Vishneva, Marcelo Gomes

Gaîté Parisienne (Peruvian, Pas de Deux & Can-Can): Herman Cornejo, Veronika Part, Alexandre Hammoudi

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Full casting, from ABT:

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR FIRST TWO WEEKS OF

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE’S 2014 SPRING SEASON

AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE

Hee Seo and Marcelo Gomes to Lead Revival Premiere of

Léonide Massine’s Gaîté Parisienne, Tuesday Evening, May 20

Alban Lendorf and Andrew Veyette to Appear as Guests Artists

Casting for the first two weeks of American Ballet Theatre’s 2014 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

The season will begin on Monday, May 12 at 6:30 P.M. with the Company’s Opening Night Gala, featuring excerpts from Leonide Massine’s Gaîté Parisienne, led by Herman Cornejo, Veronika Part and Jared Matthews, and the Company Premiere in Jiří Kylian’s Nuages, danced by Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes. The evening will also include Paloma Herrera in an excerpt from Don Quixote, Hee Seo and Marcelo Gomes in the pas de deux from Cinderella, Polina Semionova in an excerpt from Manon, Gillian Murphy and Ivan Vasiliev in the pas d’action from La Bayadère, James Whiteside and Daniil Simkin in an excerpt from The Dream, Julie Kent and Roberto Bolle in the bedroom pas de deux from Manon, Xiomara Reyes in an excerpt from Coppélia and a performance by students of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. American Ballet Theatre’s Spring Gala is sponsored by Lanvin.

The first of eight performances of Don Quixote will take place on Tuesday, May 13, with Polina Semionova and Marcelo Gomes in the leading roles. Guest artist Alban Lendorf, a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet, will dance the role of Basilio for the first time with ABT on Wednesday evening, May 14, opposite Gillian Murphy as Kitri. Guest Artist Maria Kotchetkova will dance the role of Kitri for the first time with ABT on Thursday, May 15, opposite Herman Cornejo as Basilio. Staged by Kevin McKenzie and Susan Jones, with

choreography after Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky, Don Quixote is set to music by Ludwig Minkus and features scenery and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Natasha Katz. The McKenzie/Jones staging of the current production was first performed by ABT on June 12, 1995. This production is generously supported through an endowed gift from Anka K. Palitz, in memory of Clarence Y. Palitz, Jr.

On Tuesday, May 20, the Revival Premiere of Léonide Massine’s Gaîté Parisienne will be led by Hee Seo as the Glove Seller and Marcelo Gomes as the Baron. Veronika Part and Jared Matthews will debut in these roles at the matinee on Wednesday, May 21. Staged for ABT by Lorca Massine, Gaîté Parisienne is set to music by Jacques Offenbach and features costumes by Christian Lacroix, scenery by Zack Brown and lighting by Steven Shelley. The ballet was given its Company Premiere on January 19, 1988 in Tampa, Florida with Cheryl Yeager as the Glove Seller, Victor Barbee as the Baron and Johan Renvall as the Peruvian. Gaîté Parisienne received its World Premiere by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in 1938 at the Theatre de Monte Carlo in Monaco with Nina Tarakanova as the Glove Seller, Frederic Franklin as the Baron and Léonide Massine as the Peruvian. The ballet was last performed by the Company in 1999. Gaîté Parisienne is generously supported through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.

Gaîté Parisienne will share the program with George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations and Duo Concertant. Polina Semionova and James Whiteside will lead the season’s first performance of Theme and Variations on Tuesday, May 20. Guest artist Andrew Veyette, a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, will make his ABT debut in the ballet’s leading role opposite Gillian Murphy at the evening performance on Wednesday, May 21. Theme and Variations, set to music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovksy, received its World Premiere on November 26, 1947, danced by Alicia Alonso and Igor Youskevitch. This production, featuring sets and costumes by Zach Brown, with lighting by David K.H. Elliott, received its World Premiere at the David H. Koch Theater on October 30, 2013, led by Gillian Murphy and James Whiteside. ABT gratefully acknowledges Mr. and Mrs. John C. Sites, Jr. for their generous support of Theme and Variations through an endowed gift and a Leading Sponsor gift for costumes. Cindy and Chip Murphy are Leading Sponsors of Theme and Variations. Additional support has been provided by the Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation and Richard S. Ungerleider, M.D.

Misty Copeland and Eric Tamm, in a role debut, will lead the first performance of Duo Concertant on Tuesday, May 20. James Whiteside will debut in the ballet at the matinee on Wednesday, May 21, dancing opposite Paloma Herrera. Set to music by Igor Stravinsky, Duo Concertant received its World Premiere by New York City Ballet at the New York State Theatre on June 22, 1972, danced by Kay Mazzo and Peter Martins. The ballet was first performed by American Ballet Theatre at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on January 18, 2011, with Paloma Herrera and Cory Stearns in the leading roles.

The season’s first performances of La Bayadère begin on Friday, May 23 with Diana Vishneva as Nikiya, Marcelo Gomes as Solor and Gillian Murphy as Gamzatti. Choreographed by Natalia Makarova after Marius Petipa, La Bayadère is set to a score by Ludwig Minkus, specially arranged by John Lanchbery. The ballet features scenery by PierLuigi Samaritani, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge and lighting by Toshiro Ogawa. Natalia Makarova first staged The Kingdom of the Shades scene for American Ballet Theatre in 1974 and it received its premiere at the State Theater in New York City on July 3 of that year, danced by Cynthia Gregory as Nikiya and Ivan Nagy as Solor. Makarova subsequently produced and choreographed the complete version of La Bayadère (in three acts) for American Ballet Theatre, which received its World Premiere on May 21, 1980 with Natalia Makarova as Nikiya, Anthony Dowell as Solor, and Cynthia Harvey as Gamzatti. Le Bayadère is generously sponsored through an endowed gift from Drs. Philip and Marjorie Gerdine. La Bayadère is presented in loving memory of Mrs. Caroline Newhouse. A generous grant from the Rockefeller Foundation has made this production possible. Major funding for this production has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

American Airlines is the Official Airline of American Ballet Theatre. 
Northern Trust is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. 
ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

Tickets for American Ballet Theatre’s 2014 Metropolitan Opera House season, beginning at $20, are available online, at the Met box office or by phone at 212-362-6000.

Performance-only tickets for the Opening Night Gala begin at $25. The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64th and 65th streets in New York City. For more information, visit ABT’s website at www.abt.org.

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

Metropolitan Opera House - Spring, 2014

FIRST WEEK

Mon. Eve., May 12, 6:30 P.M. GALA

DON QUIXOTE, Act I Entrance – Herrera

JKO SCHOOL

CINDERELLA, Act II Pas de Deux – Seo, Gomes

MANON, Act II Solo and Adagio – Semionova

LA BAYADÈRE, Paa d’Action – Murphy, Vasiliev

THE DREAM, Scherzo – Whiteside, Simkin

MANON, Act I Bedroom Pas de Deux – Kent, Bolle

COPPÉLIA, Act II excerpt – Reyes

NUAGES – Vishneva, Gomes

GAÎTÉ PARISIENNE, Peruvian, Pas de Deux, Can-can –

Cornejo, Part, Matthews

Tues. Eve., May 13, 7:30 P.M. DON QUIXOTE – Semionova, Gomes

Wed. Mat., May 14, 2 P.M. DON QUIXOTE – Part, Whiteside

Wed. Eve., May 14, 7:30 P.M. DON QUIXOTE – Murphy, Lendorf*

Thurs. Eve., May 15, 7:30 P.M. DON QUIXOTE – Kochetkova*, Cornejo

Fri. Eve., May 16, 7:30 P.M. DON QUIXOTE – Herrera, Vasiliev

Sat. Mat., May 17, 2 P.M. DON QUIXOTE – Boylston, Simkin

Sat. Eve., May 17, 8 P.M. DON QUIXOTE – Semionova, Gomes

SECOND WEEK

Mon. Eve., May 19 7:30 P.M. DON QUIXOTE – Reyes,Vasiliev

Tues. Eve., May 20, 7:30 P.M. THEME AND VARIATIONS – Semionova, Whiteside

DUO CONCERTANT – Copeland, Tamm+

GAÎTÉ PARISIENNE – Seo+, Gomes+

Wed. Mat., May 21, 2 P.M. THEME AND VARIATIONS – Lane, Cornejo

DUO CONCERTANT – Herrera, Whiteside+

GAÎTÉ PARISIENNE – Part+, Matthews+

Wed. Eve., May 21, 7:30 P.M. THEME AND VARIATIONS – Murphy, Veyette*

DUO CONCERTANT – Copeland, Tamm

GAÎTÉ PARISIENNE – Seo, Gomes

Thurs. Eve., May 22, 7:30 P.M. THEME AND VARIATIONS – Boylston, Simkin

DUO CONCERTANT – Herrera, Whiteside

GAÎTÉ PARISIENNE – Part, Matthews

Fri. Eve., May 23, 7:30 P.M. LA BAYADÈRE – Vishneva, Gomes, Murphy

Sat. Mat., May 24, 2 P.M. LA BAYADÈRE – Part, Whiteside+, Abrera

Sat. Eve., May 24, 8 P.M. LA BAYADÈRE – Cojocaru, Cornejo, Copeland

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It's shocking that ABT can't simply teach Theme and Variations, a one act ballet that's less than 25 minutes, to one of their own male dancers to fill in for Stearns. Instead they have to hire Veyette from NYCB. This isn't the first time this has happened. ABT borrowed Damian Woetzel to dance w.Julie Kent a number of years ago in a Balanchine one act (maybe T&V, but I'm not certain). It's like Deja Vu all over again.

Happy that Gomes picked up some Don Basilios, but I can't imagine him trying to lift Semionova in overhead one handed lifts. In fact, I don't even want him to try, because he is too valuable to lose for the season due to back injuries.

Waiting with bated breath to hear who is replacing Cory in the other ballets he's scheduled for.

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Gomes partnered Semionova in the Ratmansky Symphony No. 9, which included a spectacular one-armed lift, although she was in a deep backbend over his head. Bolle needed both hands for that one. Still, that's a heavy-duty schedule for him in the first week of the season and I, too, hope he isn't injured.

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Happy that Gomes picked up some Don Basilios, but I can't imagine him trying to life Semionova in overhead one handed lifts. In fact, I don't even want him to try, because he is too valuable to lose for the season due to back injuries.

Marcelo can do anything tiphat.gif but you are right. What is ABT going to do if he is injured ? This is what happens when you don't prepare the dancers you have.

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Even though T&V is short, it seems to be one that really tests the technique of ABT's male dancers. With David Hallberg MIA for the first few weeks and Eric Tamm and Jared Matthews involved in other mixed program pieces, they may not have had an obvious partner for Murphy. It seems like ABT is willing to test dancers in T&V on the road or at City Center/Koch Theatre but that they'd prefer someone more experienced to dance the role at Met. It seems like a role in which the male dancer is very exposed, so I can understand that reasoning. I'd be interested to see Veyette after ABT's underwhelming T&V performances last fall.

I imagine Gomes would be able to lift Semionova as well as Stearns, if not better. When I've seen tall casts in DQ (Hallberg/Wiles, Whiteside/Part), they tend to do the lifts in a less bravura manner. Same goes for Kitri's running leaps into Basilio's arms.

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I'd be curious to know what sort of cover system ABT has in place for these roles. We hear snippets about soloists learning roles they never get to dance. Is there always a cover in place in the event KM cannot swiftly fill a role with a principal or guest artist? We hear so much about the cover system at the Met Opera that it makes me wonder how it works in the ballet world.

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It's shocking that ABT can't simply teach Theme and Variations, a one act ballet that's less than 25 minutes, to one of their own male dancers to fill in for Stearns. Instead they have to hire Veyette from NYCB. This isn't the first time this has happened. ABT borrowed Damian Woetzel to dance w.Julie Kent a number of years ago in a Balanchine one act (maybe T&V, but I'm not certain). It's like Deja Vu all over again.

I agree abatt that it's ridiculous that ABT can't use one if their own dancers. I saw Veyette do T&V recently with NYCB and it was terrific. I also heard him say in an interview that T&V was the equivalent of a final exam in ballet. Even so ABT must have someone who could pass the exam. There is time to prepare

I wonder what the negotiations were like. Since NYCB ballet is performing at the same time it seems odd that one of their dancers be a guest across the plaza,

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It's great publicity for NYCB. It makes McKenzie look ridiculous that nobody at ABT can fill in, so they have to go hire a dancer from their competitor across the plaza. This isn't some last minute emergency. This is weeks away. I liked Veyette very much in T&V, by the way.

The only Bayadere TBA is the one with Murphy. Any chance they could persuade the MIA Hallberg to take that slot? He will be in Washington the week before appearing at the Kennedy Center with the Bolshoi. I'd also be happy to see Bolle, but he hasn't done Bayadere at the Met in some time. He may have retired that role.

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I agree abatt that it's ridiculous that ABT can't use one if their own dancers. I saw Veyette do T&V recently with NYCB and it was terrific. I also heard him say in an interview that T&V was the equivalent of a final exam in ballet. Even so ABT must have someone who could pass the exam. There is time to prepare

I wonder what the negotiations were like. Since NYCB ballet is performing at the same time it seems odd that one of their dancers be a guest across the plaza,

Baryshnikov has said this was the most difficult choreography he ever performed. When it was over, he felt like his "legs would fall off."

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