Sleeping Beauty in Paris

[CTballetfan]

Have I been sleeping and had no idea ABT was bringing Sleeping Beauty to Paris in September--or was this just announced? Does anyone know anything about this tour?

[mussel]

It has been known for more than year that ABT will bring Beauty to Paris as Paris Opera's guest company. It's official when POB announced 2016/17 season several months ago. And many ABT dancers have been Instagraming and Facebooking the tour since the official announcement.

[CTballetfan]

Well, I must be oblivious. Thanks for the info. I don't do Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, but I should have noticed it on the ABT web page.

[laurel]

Casting for the Sleeping Beauty performances in Paris have been posted. Trenary and Whiteside are assigned both opening and closing nights. Two performances each for Murphy, Boylston and Seo, one performance each for Lane and Abrera. The AD seems to be announcing Trenary as the "new face" of ABT, and it seems as if her promotion next spring is assured.

Sept. 2: Trenary/Whiteside

Sept. 3: Mat. Boylston/Gorak Eve. Murphy/Stearns

Sept. 4: Mat. Seo/Gomes

Sept. 6: Abrera/Hammoudi

Sept. 7: Boylston/Gorak

Sept. 8: Seo/Gomes

Sept. 9: Murphy/Stearns

Sept. 10: Mat. Lane/Cornejo Eve. Trenary/Whiteside

[ABT Fan]

Just saw this online myself. I'm pretty shocked:

- Trenary getting opening night. I didn't see her debut, and I'm a big fan of hers, but I'm still very surprised that she got opening night. I thought that would have gone to Boylston or maybe Seo.

- Abrera and Lane only getting one performance, while Trenary gets two. But, at the same time, why am I so surprised re: Abrera/Lane?! McKenzie keeps giving them just enough crumbs for them to hang on.....but, not what they deserve (in my opinion obviously) and certainly not enough for them to further develop in order to progress (but, again, McKenzie isn't interested in seeing either of them develop....)

I doubt Trenary's promotion is assured by this casting. This is the only full-length ballet that she's had the lead in so far. I'm certain more are to follow, no doubt in the Spring (she'd make a wonderful Juliet and Giselle). But, I wouldn't say her promotion is in the bag based on the Paris casting alone.

[abatt]

I doubt most of the Parisians know any of the Aurora leads from ABT. It's not going to matter in terms of ticket sales that McKenzie is casting a soloist in the lead for opening night. Personally I feel that Murphy would have been the best choice for opening night, but Trenary is a close second. Hee Seo is too technically weak for an opening night slot on tour (wobble wobble on the Rose Adagio). I like Boylston, but there is arguably a lack of elegance in her style which may be particularly visible to Parisian eyes

Abrera also does Lilac Fairy, so she will probably do that role a number of times during the tour.

I was very impressed with Trenary's Aurora and look forward to seeing her in many roles going forward.

[sz]

Sarah Lane has been very busy with Roberto Bolle's touring group, and she'll also be dancing gigs with Danny Ulbricht's "Stars" group. She's plenty busy!

[stuben]

Sarah Lane has been very busy with Roberto Bolle's touring group, and she'll also be dancing gigs with Danny Ulbricht's "Stars" group. She's plenty busy!

So glad to hear this and so disappointed about her and Stella, IMO Sarah is Aurora and Stella a close second, both dance with such grace and emotion, unfortunately this is not felt in the higher ups

[choriamb]

I'm as surprised as everyone else...but from a marketing perspective, it's a very intelligent gamble (and presumably made with Ratmansky's blessing).

The worst-case scenario--a bland performance--isn't actually that bad: the production itself is the star of this particular Beauty. When lead performances have been only solid (rather than world-class), the news media's focus has been on the production's decor and history.

But the best-case scenario--a triumph of the sort that she had at the Met--would mean lashings of articles in the French media about a newly-minted (and, incidentally, exceedingly camera-ready) soloist who was unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight on a world stage...and a set of Parisian balletomanes who suddenly felt like her fairy godmother. And a dancer who might be cast in Millepied's Daphnis and Chloe. And then take one of those "exchange artist" jaunts to POB. And suddenly become in some ways ABT's honorary Parisienne. And arrive at the Met season armed with all the glamor that international success conveys (with the added benefit of a set of London balletomanes across the Channel on the alert for future tours as well).

It may seem preemptive to give her a bid for stardom this early in her career...but if ABT wants to have a sustainable roster of homegrown stars by the time Abrera and Murphy retire, it must aggressively market some women under the age of thirty NOW. If NYCB's audience can be slight cool to non-U.S. dancers (Sofiane Sylve, I'm looking at you), ABT's audience can seem equally disintered in homegrown types. Great ballerinas are made by artistic integrity...but stars are made by marketing. (Trenary, I think, may be both.)

[naomikage]

In Japan, there was this All Star Ballet Gsla held by the impresario Japan Arts which invites ABT, Bolshoi and Mariinsky tours. It is a star studded gala with Ferri, Ananiashivilli, Murphy, Gomes, Cornejo, Lopatkina, Zakharova and Heymann (and some more) And in this gala, Trenary was invited as the only ballerina in her twenties and much likely to be her debut in Japan. They said it was by Gomes's recommendation and she danced Sleeping Beauty pdd and Toccare, both with Gomes (and she was lovely)

You can see by this that ABT is trying to make her the next star. Of course I see much potential in her.

[Drew]

In Japan, there was this All Star Ballet Gsla held by the impresario Japan Arts which invites ABT, Bolshoi and Mariinsky tours. It is a star studded gala with Ferri, Ananiashivilli, Murphy, Gomes, Cornejo, Lopatkina, Zakharova and Heymann (and some more) And in this gala, Trenary was invited as the only ballerina in her twenties and much likely to be her debut in Japan. They said it was by Gomes's recommendation and she danced Sleeping Beauty pdd and Toccare, both with Gomes (and she was lovely)

You can see by this that ABT is trying to make her the next star. Of course I see much potential in her.

Thank you for that report. When I saw the gala program, I was curious how she would handle herself and come across in that high-powered atmosphere. I do think opening the Paris tour puts her under a lot of pressure and scrutiny--very much hope it goes as well as her NY debut.

[naomikage]

Trenary did look a little nervous in Sleeping Beauty, that was the last piece of the gala. But she did it very well with much freshness. Although the Ratmansky choreography was quite controversial among Japanese balletomanes, I enjoyed it, especially because Gomes's pattering was fabulous.

She was supposed to dance Don Q with Cornejo but that did not happen, I wish I could see her in that because she would be a good Kitri too.

Slightly off topic but the best part of the gala was Ferri, especially the bedroom scene from Roneo and Juliet showed such delicate and complicated emotion, very expressive yet natural and left the feeling of seeing the whole ballet. What an amazing artist she is! Also Ferri and Cornejo were fabulous in Le Parc and Rhapsody too.

[Ashton Fan]

I think that whoever dances on the first night, this production is going to put the cat among the pigeons as far as Parisian audiences are concerned. They came to the nineteenth century Russian repertory rather late and most are convinced that the Nureyev productions of ballets like Beauty and Lac are the last word in how the Petipa classics should be danced.and look. I suspect that the reconstruction's choreographic text and performance style are going to be the main topics of conversation and controversy. The excerpts from this reconstruction that I have seen emphasise elements of the classical dance vocabulary that were of little interest to Nureyev in his stagings. Nureyev. like everyone else was very much a product of his time and place and during his formative years in Leningrad he was immersed in a dance world which was the product of those who created the Soviet style of male dancing and the Kirov performance tradition of the nineteenth century repertory. It is,in large part, the mid century Russian view of the Petipa ballets that Parisian audiences are used to seeing and perhaps believe to be authentic Petipa.

As for me I am curious about the text and shall be interested to see a version which attempts to restore minor details like Petipa's musicality, his choreography his floor plans and something approaching nineteenth century performance practice. A Rose Adagio danced as an integral part of the ballet rather than an Olympic event will be a pleasant change. Perhaps it will convince Mr O'Hare that he needs to review the RB's current performance practice in this ballet by restoring the company's old musicality and speed and removing the "Rojoisms"which crept in during her time with the company. The most blatant of which was reducing the Rose Adagio to a mere display of technique performed with no concern for anything except how long she could hold her balance and how many of the suitors she could ignore. I can always hope.

[its the mom]

Aston Fan - I wish we had a like button - I would double like your post, especially the part about the Rose Adagio.

[sandik]

As for me I am curious about the text and shall be interested to see a version which attempts to restore minor details like Petipa's musicality, his choreography his floor plans and something approaching nineteenth century performance practice.

Oh, these old things? (I rarely use emoji, but for you I will make the effort -- )