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Roster Changes at ABT


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I saw they have 4 new members from the school joining the corps as apprentices: Catherine Hurlin, Pasha Knopp, Alexandra Pullen, and Hanna Marshall. I wish ABT had graduation performances like the Bolshoi, Mariinsky, and POB do. Maybe when they get more money they will.

None of their names were on the ABT roster printed in the fall season schedule at the Kokh (late Oct/early Nov) but I now see them as Apprentices on the company web, here:

http://www.abt.org/dancers/default.asp?section=apprentice

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What a loss - an excellent character actor and dancer. I'll miss him as Bottom and so many other things. Best of luck to him in his next pursuit!

In his Facebook, julio mentions ,he is studying at The William Esper Studio, an acting school.Good Luck to him.

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The above news is terrible! What a loss to the company.

I thought the company seemed stagnant, but I was surprised by my findings. I did a quick look through the website (so please correct me if I missed someone), but I believe these are the only main company promotions in the last three years:

Cory Sterns, Isabella Boylston 2011

Hee Seo, Daniil Simkin, Alex Hammoudi 2012

James Whiteside 2013
I wouldn't be surprised if company moral is down...
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Yes, and that big round of soloist promotions in 2007 (Boone, Lane, Kajiya, Copeland, Matthews, Salstein) has not led to further promotions for any of these six dancers. Almost all of ABT's current principal dancers moved from soloist to principal within the span of two to four years. Part is the exception, spending seven years as a soloist before promotion. If McKenzie has plans for promoting any of the six aforementioned soloists, I have to imagine it will happen soon, as they will have reached that seven year mark by this summer. (I realize all careers do not follow a standard trajectory, though.)

Promoting these six dancers all in the same year and keeping them in the soloist rank for so long has left very few opportunities for up-and-coming corps members. I'd be curious to know how many of the ABT corps members feel like de facto soloists but without the titles and salaries. While NYCB has certainly been a bit top-heavy in recent years, I think they do a much better job of acknowledging the true roles played by their dancers.

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I don't understand why someone like Sascha, with his technique and artistry, has been a soloist for years at ABT and James Whiteside, whose technique and artistry isn't that great, was hired as a soloist from a regional company (?) then promoted to principal after barely a year. I wonder if Stella will follow suit. :(

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Yes, and that big round of soloist promotions in 2007 (Boone, Lane, Kajiya, Copeland, Matthews, Salstein) has not led to further promotions for any of these six dancers. Almost all of ABT's current principal dancers moved from soloist to principal within the span of two to four years. Part is the exception, spending seven years as a soloist before promotion. If McKenzie has plans for promoting any of the six aforementioned soloists, I have to imagine it will happen soon, as they will have reached that seven year mark by this summer. (I realize all careers do not follow a standard trajectory, though.)

Promoting these six dancers all in the same year and keeping them in the soloist rank for so long has left very few opportunities for up-and-coming corps members. I'd be curious to know how many of the ABT corps members feel like de facto soloists but without the titles and salaries. While NYCB has certainly been a bit top-heavy in recent years, I think they do a much better job of acknowledging the true roles played by their dancers.

I agree, but NYCB is a different animal, their rep allows for more people to be given roles and to shine. I believe McKenzie maybe will promote Boylston and it seems to me he wants to promote Copeland. Ms. Copeland is far from my favorite dancer, but she's got a book and a lot of publicity so I think KM would like to promote her. IMO the Met season is make or brake for her int terms of promotion.

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I don't think McKenzie has Copeland in mind for a promotion. Boylston, yes, I agree. She will make it to principal either in 2014 or 2015. Maybe Sascha's departure will make it possible for a promotion of some of the very deserving men in the corps up to soloist.

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I cannot believe that McKenzie would promote Boylston to principal over Abrera, who is one of the most exquisite classical dancers of our generation. If that happens, I will be devastated and disillusioned. But Boylston's casting as Giselle in Minneapolis does point in that direction. Abrera was cast as Giselle a few years ago but then she was injured. She has been fully recovered for some time, and I would not want to see her passed over without giving her the role she deserves.

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Boylston is doing the lead in almost every important role in the rep. Swan lake, Don Q, Giselle, Gamzatti, T&V. Her star is on the rise at ABT. She has many flaws at this point, but she can improve with experience and work. Boylston reminds me of Gillian Murphy when Gillian was a soloist. ce.

I think the assignment of certain roles to Hee Seo is much more controversial and problematic, because she does not have strong technique. I try to be very selective in choosing when to see Seo. I'll go so her in a dance drama like R&J or Onegin, but I avoid her in Petipa and other similarly challenging classical assignments..

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Abatt, I totally agree with you about Seo. She is beautiful in the lyrical dramatic roles but cannot execute the difficult Petipa choreography. Boylston, on the other hand, can do anything technically, but is sorely lacking in refinement.

What I don't understand is why Abrera, who can do both Petipa with sureness and refinement, and dance-drama with eloquence, seems to be invisible to McKenzie.

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That is a very interesting observation, choriamb, and I love your imaginary conversation between Boylston and McKenzie. It makes perfect sense in a company that is sorely lacking in developing its dancers and is not spending enough time coaching the partnerships. By this logic, Boylston and Whiteside are the perfect couple, because both of them lack refinement and therefore neither is showing up the other. To me they are the lowest common denominator in the leading roles. This is in contrast to Part and Whiteside, e.g., in Don Q, where Part dances with fluidity in contrast to Whiteside's stiffness, especially in the upper body. (Not to mention the fact that Part is not an easy dancer to partner, but she is a principal all the same because her dancing is at the principal level.)

It makes no sense to me, however, to promote inferior female dancers in order to make the male roster look better. IMHO the artistic director does an injustice to the company when he fails to (1) develop his finest female dancers; (2) develop his finest male dancers; and (3) coach, coach, coach the partnerships so that the finest dancers, both male and female, are on an equal plane with one another.

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i'm so sad the Sascha is making a permanent career move to leave ABT (I've had my fingers crossed that after his stint with Dutch National Ballet a promotion would come along)...he and Stella were always supposed to the next principals and it's heartbreaking that it just might never happen. I always have to remind myself that Sascha is 37 and Stella's in her mid-30s, right? They've been at ABT forever, but it's not like they are "old." I saw both of them in Ethan's farewell 2 seasons ago, and they were as technically sound and artistic as ever...i had to remind myself that being in their 30's meant they were in the prime of their careers and it was showing.

Both are them are so loved by fans and they have solid technique and artistry. I'd always imagined that both of them would be around FOREVER...i.e. lifers at ABT until their bodies actually physically made them stop. At least ABT is showing their appreciation to Sascha and having him leave the company with a principal role...not the one I dreamed/hoped for him but it's better than nothing. I know Sascha will be focused on Flesh and Bone but I had assumed that he's just lessen his commitments with the company and not leave all together. I'd love to be there, but i'll have to miss it unfortunately. He's had some outstanding performances and stepped in at times when the company really needed him, at least they've made an effort to give him a send-off he more than deserves.

(I've always wanted Sascha and Stella to do at least ONE Giselle together...whether it be a joint farewell or for just of one of them...and regardless of if either of them were ever promoted, I've always felt that would be the best way for the company to say goodbye to Sascha and Stella.)

It'll be interesting to see what Stella chooses to do after this season. For her, a promotion has been LONG over due, I just do NOT understand why Kevin hasn't re-visited giving her principal roles/promoting her. When she was first given the Giselle with Hallberg, I had hoped that meant a promotion was on the horizon. And as we all know, that injury was a devastating blow, but she's come back just as strong (if not stronger) and there just doesn't seem to be anymore opportunities sad.png

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