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ABT 2017 Swan Lake


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I’m just going to go straight to the point and address all the negative comments.

 

There’s so much more to dancing than just 32 fouettés. 

1. We all know for a fact that she can do the fouettés.  The only reason she didn’t do it is because she is still recovering.  In fact, after the performance she graces the junior council crowd on stage with her presence and addressed the topic.  She said that she was still recovering and almost pulled out from the performance, but she did it anyways and the only thing she still couldn’t do is the fouettés.  So kudos to her for still dancing and kudos to her in Giselle to finish the performance even after she got injured.

2. She absolutely did not dumb down the choreography.  We all know that there is one who dumbs down the choreography and it’s definitely not Bella.  On the other hand, IMO I don’t understand why everyone gushing over you-know-who and she never even done 32 fouettés EVER.

3. Doing 32 turning relevés on one leg is hard enough on a completely healthy ankle.    Just because you can dance the rest of the at beautifully does not mean you can put that sustained pressure for the fouettés.  Plus, she executed her piqué coupé-jeté beautifully with so much bravado.

 

The chemistry between Bella and Alban was really strong.  I wish they will continue to nurture this partnership.  The PDD in act 1 was sooooo good.  The audience was in complete silence and I can hear them all breathing along with the dancing.  Alban is a strong partner and Bella really let herself go in his hand.  He is such a good partner dancer that at one point IMO he just disappeared and all I see is her floating around on stage with total abandonment. Her penchés after those pirouettes were next level.   

 

Alban's dancing is so contained and controlled, it's like a classic pair of Ferragamo, absolutely not vulgar.  I love watching him land from his high jumps.  His big KFC original recipe thighs so beautiful when he plié so deeply to absorb the shock.  I can feel the continuous circular energy.  

 

Overall, I would say that his is one of the most memorable SL in the last couple of years.  Bella is a new wave of dancers with huge youth followings that will become the future of this art.  Alban has the charisma to win the american crowd, he just needs to learn to deal with the crazy fans here.  

 

That's all (*insert Miranda Priestly voice)

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So sorry I won't be able to see Lane's ABT debut. It doesn't look like Kochetkova has anything left in this season. Must be a big disappointment for her. It also seems she never is cast in any of the Ratmansky pieces, new or reconstructed. She's been very quiet on Instagram, which is unusual for her. What a tough profession!

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Kochetkova danced in Ratmansky's The Golden Cockerel with ABT and Shostakovich Trilogy (the last section) with both ABT and SFB.  She has danced several of Ratmansky's ballets at SFB.

 

I can only think of one other time that Kochetkova has missed performances due to injury: a number of years ago, she missed dancing Juliet with SFB in two performances because of a neck injury, but she danced the last performance.  At that performance, she got injured, seemingly by the brush and started bleeding around her eye, in Juliet's first scene with the nurse, and she walked off stage, halting the performance for a half hour while it was decided to what to do next.  (Corps dancer Madison Keesler had rehearsed the role.)  Her Romeo, Joan Boada, rose to the occasion and gave an impassioned performance, supporting Kochetkova emotionally and physically beyond the call of duty. I was seated in the first row and the brush incident occurred right smack in front of me. 

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[Admin Sledgehammer in Hand]

 

Discuss the topic, not each other, or I'll start deleting entire posts instead of editing.

 

[Still Hanging onto the Admin Sledgehammer]

 

Edited to add:  I'm excited for all of you who are getting tickets!

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7 minutes ago, Josette said:

Kochetkova danced in Ratmansky's The Golden Cockerel with ABT and Shostakovich Trilogy (the last section) with both ABT and SFB.  She has danced several of Ratmansky's ballets at SFB.

 

Thanks for the correction. I didn't see her on the 2017 schedule for The Golden Cockerel and forgot about the others.

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1 hour ago, hyacinthhippo said:

 We all know that there is one who dumbs down the choreography and it’s definitely not Bella.  On the other hand, IMO I don’t understand why everyone gushing over you-know-who and she never even done 32 fouettés EVER.

 

That's all (*insert Miranda Priestly voice)

Yep.  That's why I have never attended any SL performance of "you know who", and probably never will in the future. 

 

Thanks for the reference to Devil Wears Prada.  Love that movie.

 

Can't believe Lane is finally getting a SL.  I'll be there too.  I hope she is brilliant.

Edited by abatt
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1 hour ago, hyacinthhippo said:

There’s so much more to dancing than just 32 fouettés. 

 

1 hour ago, hyacinthhippo said:

On the other hand, IMO I don’t understand why everyone gushing over you-know-who and she never even done 32 fouettés EVER.

 

 If there is more to dancing than just 32 fouettes, then it stands that anyone who gushes over Copeland must agree.

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You guys enjoy it. [sigh] I can't believe I can't go to Sarah's performance. Work commitments that evening. And same for Teuscher's matinee. Guess I'll enjoy the Saturday matinee whether it's Part or if not, maybe Teuscher? There's always next year. Oh, and I look forward to what I am sure will be a mountain of reviews. I could not keep up with the frenetic pace of postings today. 

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Wow what a surprise!

I think I have said that Lane might not be the best fit for O/O but who cares. A debut is always exciting and I've been rooting for her to become a principal for years! If Masha's injury is a serious one I wish her a speedy recovery. 

 

Regarding yesterday's performance, Lendorf really shines in the prince roles and he showed it yesterday. This is just me but I think he might be the most well rounded Siegfried ABT has at the moment. Clean solo variation, great partnering skill, compassionate acting, and strong stage presence- he has it all! The only negative of yesterday's performance was that he ended his variation after the music was finished (he was about a half second behind but in a ballet world that feels like forever). Once again, I've been his fan for a while so I might be just seeing the positives. 

 

Bella not doing 32 fouettes didn't bother me since I know that she is still recovering from an injury. She forgot about her wrist several times in the 2nd act but I think she's made some improvements since past years- only when she's excecuting the slow movements. Whenever she has to move her swan arms fast, she often becomes frantic instead of being elegant. 

Their white pas de deux was quite magnificent. Both Lendorf and Bella are such strong partners to each other that they both didn't look labored at all throwout the pas de deux.

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4 hours ago, Drew said:

It would pose the same artistic problems for the audience watching the ballet. Precisely because the fouettes are important ...

 

In any case. Years later...when people will reminisce about this particular performance, the "no fouettes" picture is the only thing we will all probably remember.

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Between the Swan Lake debuts of Devon Teuscher tomorrow, and the divine Sarah Lane on Thursday, this week has turned into a kind of ballet "nirvana" for me.  I haven't even minded today's midtown Manhattan temperature of 95+ degrees.  What heat?  All is bliss . . . 

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2 hours ago, Helene said:

 

 

 If there is more to dancing than just 32 fouettes, then it stands that anyone who gushes over Copeland must agree.

 

Interestingly it could be that Copeland's SL is one of the reasons even casual ballet goers know about the 32 fouettes and expects to see them. Misty Copeland gets more press than any other ballet dancer alive and several reviews, interviews and articles mentioned the fouettes and her problems with them.

 

That said, I wasn't at the Boylston performance but is sounds like she had a good plan. The one time I saw Copeland's S I wished she had a plan to abort if necessary. She travelled a lot, ended early, did a leap. It looked a bit unprofessional to me. 

 

I (I believe abatt stated this as well) stopped going to Julie Kent performances because it seemed there were constant compromises for her diminishing technique and flexibility. Yet that doesn't mean that accommodations should never be made. I saw Cojocaru do Giselle with Hallberg a number of years ago. One of the greatest performances I've ever see. Even Macaulay called called it a highlight. Cojocaru did not do the hops on pointe across the stage in her act l variation. She did a few hops, straightened  her standing leg and balanced. A compromise/change because of a problem with her foot I later learned. I wouldn't have tradedthat performances for a hundred dancers hopping across the stage on pointe!

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Now I can quite see the meaning of "dumbing down" a choreographic sequence, vs. getting creative due to injury. Because that is what Copeland did tonight. She totally dumbed down her fouettes sequence. She did only 19 singles...travelling extensively...and making up the rest of the music with her own fillers. Her is probably the worst Black Swan coda I have ever seen, only second to an even bigger disaster I saw via Skorik many years ago.

A really sad spectacle to witness that was.

 

I also enjoyed her Odette. And Cornejo totally showed her through.

Edited by cubanmiamiboy
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14 minutes ago, cubanmiamiboy said:

Now I can quite see the meaning of "dumbing down" a choreographic sequence, vs. getting creative due to injury. Because that is what Copeland did tonight. She totally dumbed down her fouettes sequence. She did only 19 singles...travelling extensively...and making up the rest of the music with her own fillers. Her is probsbly the worst Black Swan coda I have ever seen, only second to an even bigger disaster I saw via Skorik many years ago.

A really sad spectacle to witness that was.

I also enjoyed her Odette. And Cornejo totally showed her through.

I think Misty does shine in certain roles, Juliet being one. But oh dear, Swan Lake is not for her. I guess if her mere casting sells the tickets, it doesn't matter to an uneducated audience. 

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