miliosr Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Baca joined the junior company in 2010. So he's maybe in the 23-24 age range w/ not a lot of promotable talent above him in the corps and a lot of very green talent behind him. He's in a sweet position. Link to comment
fondoffouettes Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Here is Misty's video from Julie Kent's instagram: https://instagram.com/p/4j3dvco30s/?taken-by=juliekentofficial Can anyone identify the dancer who is hugging Misty? I'm just curious. Looks like it may be Seo, but it's really hard to tell. Link to comment
mussel Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I hope Royal will continue to get more solo roles and will be ready for promotion next year. He debuted Benvolio this season and he's wonderful. I wonder if Boston Ballet has any ill will toward ABT, it lost 2 principals to ABT in 3 years. Link to comment
abatt Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I'm surprised Hamrick was passed over. Link to comment
canbelto Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Can anyone identify the dancer who is hugging Misty? I'm just curious. Looks like it may be Seo, but it's really hard to tell. It looks like Zhong Jing Fang. Link to comment
DeCoster Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Can anyone identify the dancer who is hugging Misty? I'm just curious. Looks like it may be Seo, but it's really hard to tell. I don't know who it is, but I'm pretty sure it isn't Seo. Seo has a super-tiny frame; the woman pictured appears to have broader shoulders. It's fun to see the dancers reactions. This is my favorite, from Isabella Boylston: https://instagram.com/p/4j1QIKnG-B/ Homegrown talent! Link to comment
its the mom Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 If you mean Baca then it might very well be if based on their bios on the website, at least he joined a year later than Brandt and a month later then Trenary. Hard to calculate age unless the dancers bios gives their age when they joined, as with Waski, it is clear she would be the younger amoung these ladies since her bio states her joining at 16 in 2011, easy math for that. Yes, sorry. I meant Baca. Link to comment
ksk04 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 STELLAAAA! Wow--never thought I would see the day. How tall is Lendorf? I know I saw him the the Royal Danish Ballet on their visit a few years ago and got the impression he was not tall (which is not good with Part, Semionova, Murphy, etc. on the roster still) I am not surprised by the Kotchekova addition but would have rather seen the short girl principal spot wait for Trenary or Lane or or or. I have never been sold on her on a classicist which is obviously what they need a short girl for. Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Lendorf is not tall. He could not partner Part or Semionova; they may be taller than he is. Taking bows with Xiomara Reyes for perspective: Link to comment
Golden Idol Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 In light of the promotions to principal, let's speculate a little. What roles do you think the new ballerinas will be given to dance? Can Stella do Kitri? Kochetkova, I don't care much about one way or another. Copeland--can you even imagine her as Nikiya? She'd bite the snake back! Link to comment
choriamb Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I thought it might be Copeland's year; hoped against hope that it would be Abrera's year; and expected Trenary, Brandt, and Forster to rise in a few seasons. But I NEVER foresaw Paris and Scott getting the recognition they deserve for their wonderful stagecraft: that is so utterly brilliant!!! And we get Lendorf as the icing on the cake! Congratulations to all!(I'll agree with a few other posters: Gorak and Baca are still on the rise. I think the lack of action this year was more a matter of letting them get more principal and soloist roles under their belts before exposing them to all the expections that a promotion would entail. I suspect Royal and Shayer are still on the make too: they're just early in the game of acquiring soloist roles/stage time in the classical rep.) Kevin McKenzie, you have renewed my faith in you. Link to comment
abatt Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Copeland as Lise in Fille Mal Gardee. I suspect they may also teach her Aurora. Stella as O/O. OMG, I'm getting goose bumps at just the thought of it. Link to comment
Golden Idol Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Yes, abatt--that's definitely a goose bump prospect! Hope we will see it. Link to comment
vagansmom Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Absolutely thrilled for Abrera and Scott, who are finally getting promotions they have long deserved! Also, I'm thrilled about Cirio coming over from Boston as a soloist. I haven't seen him dance in a couple years, but was highly impressed by him earlier. Link to comment
MRR Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I'm pretty sure it's Jennifer Whalen hugging Copeland. I would love to see Abrera as Nikiya. Link to comment
DeCoster Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 In light of the promotions to principal, let's speculate a little. What roles do you think the new ballerinas will be given to dance? Can Stella do Kitri? Kochetkova, I don't care much about one way or another. Copeland--can you even imagine her as Nikiya? She'd bite the snake back! I would prefer to see Copeland dance Kitri and Abrerra dance Nikiya. As an asside, Nikiya does have some bite in ABT's production. (She tries to stab Gazamatti.) Link to comment
bingham Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 I thought it might be Copeland's year; hoped against hope that it would be Abrera's year; and expected Trenary, Brandt, and Forster to rise in a few seasons. But I NEVER foresaw Paris and Scott getting the recognition they deserve for their wonderful stagecraft: that is so utterly brilliant!!! And we get Lendorf as the icing on the cake! Congratulations to all! (I'll agree with a few other posters: Gorak and Baca are still on the rise. I think the lack of action this year was more a matter of letting them get more principal and soloist roles under their belts before exposing them to all the expections that a promotion would entail. I suspect Royal and Shayer are still on the make too: they're just early in the game of acquiring soloist roles/stage time in the classical rep.) Kevin McKenzie, you have renewed my faith in you. I must add April Giangeruso to the list of future soloist. She was terrific as one of the fairies in SB. Link to comment
alexL Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Alban Lendorf is an ABT principal?! it's totally unexpected but I'm dancing with joy!! He's amazing in any prince role. My only concern is... Lendorf is about Simkin's height and I feel like they have way too many short male principals now... That's why I thought ABT would import a tall principal this time. Hopefully Alban can partner up with either Lane or Brandt! Also, I'm happy to see Stella finally getting her promotion!! I'll be waiting for her O/O too! I think ABT will take a break from La Bayadere next year since they had performed it two years in a row. They will probably bring DonQ or Le Corsaire back. Link to comment
FauxPas Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 One thing about the promotion of Stella and Misty is that they will become the new junior principal workhorses of the company. Hopefully Hee Seo will no longer be doing three Nikiyas, three Juliets and two O/O's in "Swan Lake" in one week due to cancellations which will be good for the company, good for audiences and good for Hee Seo. ABT has spent time and resources coaching Misty as Juliet and Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake" this year and the lead roles will keep coming. Stella currently has fewer standard classic prima ballerina roles in her current repertoire with just the addition of Cinderella and Giselle this season. Stella has hard work ahead of her to master Nikiya, Odette/Odile and Juliet and I would imagine she could be gorgeous in Manon, Lady of the Camellias (which I don't see them reviving) and "Onegin". Stella would be a lovely Titania in "The Dream". She has done Aurora in New Zealand though she is the best of the Lilac Fairies at ABT. Stella has done leads mainly in one-act ballets in the mixed bills including the addition of "Les Sylphides" this year. Abrera has become a reliable Gamzatti which bodes well for a future Kitri (though she was gorgeous as Mercedes/Dryad Queen). Misty I think has the right sassy temperament and charm for Kitri, she has done Swanilda in "Coppelia" and would be delightful as Lise in "La Fille Mal Gardee". However, Misty doesn't strike me as a Romantic ballerina and I have trouble imagining her as Giselle - but I haven't seen her yet as Odette and will reserve making a pronouncement until I have. Aurora would require very precise classical technique but would be a good role for Misty to grow on. Kochetkova is a practical short term solution - Cornejo needed a petite partner and clearly Sarah Lane is not being groomed for principal roles. (That is Kevin's choice and he had many opportunities this season to give her a Juliet or an Odette/Odile and passed on them.) Cojocaru might have been amenable to a similar arrangement with ABT (a part-time principal with multiple other affiliations) but her accumulated injuries and cancellations perhaps have soured McKenzie about making her a permanent principal. I would have chosen Cojocaru as a part-time principal and partner for Cornejo over Kochetkova. I can't complain about Alban Lendorf - he bowled me over when I saw him with the Royal Danish Ballet on tour three years ago. Cassandra Trenary and Skylar Brandt were used extensively by Ratmansky in his "Sleeping Beauty" and the opportunities he gave them definitely were a factor in their advancement. Ratmansky chose Skylar Brandt to dance the role created by Natalia Osipova in the excerpt from Ratmansky's "Piano Concerto No. 1" that was performed at the 75th Gala Evening and her jetés were impressive. Brandt delivered vibrant, sparkling performances all season and Trenary charmed as Florine and in every other assignment. She improved visibly throughout the "Sleeping Beauty" run too. Melanie Hamrick is a beautiful woman and a beautiful dancer but her technique isn't as fully reliable as that of say, Christine Schevchenko or Devon Teuscher. Also she has been injured this season and removed from all of her soloist roles including the character role of one of the harlots in "R & J". I think she just came back as one of the Big Swans in "Swan Lake" this week. Not her year. Luciana Paris is a versatile hard working dancer who was functioning as a soloist this season even before her promotion. This is well-deserved and I believe she is well-liked within the company - I remember that Paloma Herrera hugged and spent a lot of time with Luciana during the curtain calls/presentation at her farewell. Arron Scott is also a longtime, hard working corps dancer who has functioned as a soloist for many years - another well deserved promotion. Tom Forster stepped forward in the last two years with the departure of so many male soloists and promising corps dancers like Roddy Doble and Eric Tamm. Blaine Hoven is another corps dancer who has been functioning as a soloist but he was passed over for promotion. My initial reactions to him were very positive but cooled in recent years but he danced really well all season and looked in fighting shape. Maybe next time. I think Jeffrey Cirio will inherit/share the soloist roles that Joseph Gorak has been the premier exponent of at ABT in recent seasons. That will free Gorak up to prepare to move up to Siegfried, Albrecht and other premier danseur roles. I know nothing about Cirio though I probably saw him dance when the Boston Ballet toured to NYC. There are other corps dancers who are underused and need to be given more opportunities - notably Daniel Mantei, Gemma Bond and Gabe Stone Shayer. The promotions of so many soloists and corps dancers hopefully will create new opportunities for them if McKenzie doesn't see them as background decoration like wallpaper or potted palms. I would like to see Gemma Bond given some of the soloist roles that went to Stephanie Williams this season and she has the right gracious, elegant, authoritative presence for the Lilac Fairy. If it was not too late for Stella Abrera then maybe there is hope for Zhong-Jing Fang? Every solo role she was given in "Beauty" and "Giselle" was a treasurable thing of beauty. I also second all the votes for Calvin Royal III and Sterling Baca has only just emerged from the corps late last season but is definitely in the mix. Isidora Loyola was adorable and scene-stealing as the White Cat in SB and as the main harlot in "R&J" - she would shine in things like "Gaieté Parisienne". Two of the newest members of the corps could be developed for bigger things - Scout Forsythe and Jonathan Klein. Klein who danced the role of the Bridegroom in the scene from Robbins "Les Noces" that was performed at the 75th Gala has caught my eye right from the start of his ABT career for the elegance, concentration and precision of his work in the corps. (He is also very handsome) Forsythe has a lot of potential and needs to be groomed for bigger things like Myrtha. (She is also very pretty). I like this round of promotions because so many hard working company veterans got recognition - including 15 year veteran Misty Copeland!. And finally: STELLA!!! STELLA!!! STELLA!!! Link to comment
Golden Idol Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I would prefer to see Copeland dance Kitri and Abrerra dance Nikiya. As an asside, Nikiya does have some bite in ABT's production. (She tries to stab Gazamatti.) If that was intentional, "asside" was a very nice pun in connection with Nikiya and the snake. Yes, Stella as Nikiya is a mighty fine idea... Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Lendorf is about Simkin's height and I feel like they have way too many short male principals now... Yes, it occurred to me that Lendorf's presence won't do anything to increase Simkin's workload, and it may also impede Gorak's progress, because it’s difficult to imagine how the company could accommodate four conspicuously short leading men. Link to comment
aurora Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Yes, it occurred to me that Lendorf's presence won't do anything to increase Simkin's workload, and it may also impede Gorak's progress, because it’s difficult to imagine how the company could accommodate four conspicuously short leading men. I don't think anything could impede Gorak except injury. He is too good. Link to comment
its the mom Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Cirio has done numerous principal roles at Boston which are not listed in his bio in the press release. He has done bravura as well as princely roles, and has danced with Kotchetkova in Vail, as well as Brandt in a gala. He will definitely be missed in Boston. Link to comment
stuben Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Cassandra Trenary and Skylar Brandt were used extensively by Ratmansky in his "Sleeping Beauty" and the opportunities he gave them definitely were a factor in their advancement. Ratmansky chose Skylar Brandt to dance the role created by Natalia Osipova in the excerpt from Ratmansky's "Piano Concerto No. 1" that was performed at the 75th Gala Evening and her jetés were impressive. Brandt delivered vibrant, sparkling performances all season and Trenary charmed as Florine and in every other assignment. She improved visibly throughout the "Sleeping Beauty" run too. Ratmansky did indeed give those young ladies a boost in their advancements, which is why my previous post about the depth of Trenary's work is lacking to be advanced so quickly even with talent, however, there may be other factors unknown to us on BA. Totally agree with developing the corps but I would think Giangeruso and Waski would certainly be reviewed for the Myrtha role before Forsythe. As I have seen both in SB as fairies and both have been noticed by MacCaulay. Link to comment
Helene Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Abrera Copeland Brandt Forster Scott Trenary Congratulations to them all! (So many promotions, I had to raise the maximum number of emoticons in one message ) Link to comment
Recommended Posts