vipa Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 This is the kind of thing that I find fault with. I saw Copeland's first SL in NY with ABT and the fouettes didn't go well. From what I've heard and read since they haven't gotten better, possibly worse. She should have a credible plan B. Link to comment
Natalia Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 38 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. Thanks for the candid report! I, too, prefer Copeland's Odette, having witnessed her debuts in DC (w/ Brooklyn Mack) & NY (James W). And what about the audience's cheers, Cubanmiamiboy? Reminded you of Cuban enthusiasm? Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 4 minutes ago, Natalia said: Thanks for the honest report! I, too, prefer her Odette, having witnessed her debuts in DC (w/ Brooklyn Mack) & NY (James W). And what about the audience's cheers, Cubanmiamiboy? They reminded me at me and my own peers back in Havana when Charin used to do the 32 changing spots three times to address the Queen first, Siegfried second and finally the audience. The audience there-(and here tonight)- went crazy with screams. Link to comment
abatt Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 32 minutes ago, Fleurfairy said: 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. But is should matter to ABT. Link to comment
Fleurfairy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 14 minutes ago, abatt said: But is should matter to ABT. Definitely. It's an insult to the art form. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 1 hour ago, Fleurfairy said: Definitely. It's an insult to the art form. It is. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 (edited) 11 hours ago, vipa said: This is the kind of thing that I find fault with. I saw Copeland's first SL in NY with ABT and the fouettes didn't go well. From what I've heard and read since they haven't gotten better, possibly worse. She should have a credible plan B. A plan B would be to suppress them altogether and do something else-(just as spectacular...which would be hard, given that fouettes are probably the most challenging step for a ballerina). Now...in that case she would then be publicly recognizing that she is the one ABT principal that CAN'T perform 32 fouettes. I haven't done too much of an investigation to make comparissons...but as far as you guys remember...have you ever seen a principal that being given the role decided to substitute the fouettes every-single -time, to the point of never having left a memory of performing them...? Edited June 14, 2017 by cubanmiamiboy Link to comment
Natalia Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 7 hours ago, Fleurfairy said: .......doesn't matter to an uneducated audience. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the guards who check bags as we enter the Met don't ask for patrons to show "Ballet IQ" cards. So 16 single fouettés garner the loudest screams of the season. ABT's coffers grow. We knowledgeable fans can choose to see our favorite ballerinas in the traditional 19th-C classics. (Remember Copeland's recent problems with another signature classical moment, Giselle's hops-on-point diagonal...so it's not just a problem with fouettés.) Link to comment
Kaysta Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 I find it annoying that she's too prideful to do something else in place of the fouettés. From my knowledge, correct me if I'm wrong, she's never completed all 32. Enough is enough. Swallow your pride and do something else to make the performance flow better. Because whether one likes them or not, I think we can all admit that botching them takes away from a very important dramatic moment. ABT isn't going to stop scheduling her, so they should at least have the courage to nix them from being performed sloppily. Link to comment
Fleurfairy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Was Misty able to do them in Don Quixote? If not, what did she do in their place? Link to comment
Natalia Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 42 minutes ago, Fleurfairy said: Was Misty able to do them in Don Quixote? If not, what did she do in their place? No. Tried the 32 and stopped a bit past halfway, switching to piques....the usual. The very best effort that I saw from her was the first of her two SLs with Washington Ballet in April 2015, when she made it to fouetté #24 before switching to the piques...so she made it 3/4 of the way through in DC. The 2nd WB Perf was weaker. Then her ABT NY debut was weakest. I enjoyed her White Swan adagio w/ Brooklyn Mack, in DC. She shines in lyrical-dramatic roles, esp Juliet. It's no coincidence that her 1st full-length live telecast was R&J at LaScala, opposite Bolle. She should stitch to those sorts of roles, as did Ferri. No shame in that. There's room at ABT for principals who specialize in dramatic roles & not the dancey 19th-C classics or neoclassical ballets. Think Ferri, Nora Kaye, Sallie Wilson. Link to comment
its the mom Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 She did more than half in her shows of Don Q this season, did a few piques and then a jete off the stage. I was sitting with a dancer who said that they needed a better exit strategy for her (one that would look deliberate and polished), knowing that she usually cannot complete them. Not sure why they don't coach that. Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 Anyone going to Teuscher's debut this afternoon? Will be eagerly awaiting any reviews. Hoping Hammoudi brings his A game. And, looking forward to hearing how Royal handles his first PR (I expect good things). Speaking of fouettes, pirouettes, etc., ABT just posted a little clip of Teuscher in her Odile solo (from the video they released recently). I doubt we'll be having the above discussion about her fouettes.... https://www.instagram.com/p/BVUpPiIgMN5/?taken-by=abtofficial&hl=en Link to comment
nanushka Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 56 minutes ago, Natalia said: She should stitch to those sorts of roles, as did Ferri. No shame in that. There's room at ABT for principals who specialize in dramatic roles & not the dancey 19th-C classics or neoclassical ballets. Think Ferri, Nora Kaye, Sallie Wilson. That, of course, would deny ABT two guaranteed sold-out performances of most productions. I suspect she'll just continue to take on more roles, whether or not they are suited to her strengths. McKenzie is quoted in the recent NYT article: This season — Ms. Copeland’s second year as a principal — is a killer that includes her debut as Kitri in “Don Quixote” on Tuesday, May 16, and her New York debut as Giselle on May 26. As the company’s artistic director, Kevin McKenzie, put it, it’s symbolic because “she’s taking the mantle of the classics on.” Link to comment
Fleurfairy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Interesting that she was cast as Princess Praline in two separate runs of Whipped Cream, none of which she ended up performing. That Ratmansky choreography is a killer and she's not an allegro dancer. I suppose they still have her on the calendar to sell tickets. Skylar Brandt will most likely be her replacement as has been the case in LA and in NYC. I feel sorry for the people that don't know any better and are spending good money to see her in Whipped Cream. As for Swan Lake, I am excited for Alex Hammoudi - his career seemed to be at a little bit of a standstill of late. Hope he pulls out all the big guns today! Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 (edited) Edited: double post Edited June 14, 2017 by cubanmiamiboy Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 It's possible that Copeland will still do Whipped Cream and that it hasn't been decided yet. She was still dealing w/ an injury during the first run following DQ so it seemed she pulled out so she could heal and be ready for Giselle. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if she canceled. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 I just can't believe that such a respectable company as ABT has agreed to capitalizing by offering such a technically deficient ballerina just because they know she will be good for the sake of marketing. I have never seen such a disastrous spectacle as last night's in such a packed with screaming fans sold out house. Listening to people going crazy with her botched 19 fouettes was laughable. Is this what ABT is aimed at present itself...a laughable item...? Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 4 minutes ago, cubanmiamiboy said: I just can't believe that such a respectable company as ABT has agreed to capitalizing by offering such a technically deficient ballerina just because they know she will be good for the sake of marketing. I have never seen such a disastrous spectacle as last night's in such a packed with screaming fans sold out house. Listening to people going crazy with her botched 19 fouettes was laughable. Is this what ABT is aimed at present itself...a laughable item...? They're not laughing when they get to post "SOLD OUT" for her performances. I wonder, say if Copeland had to pull out of a performance minutes before it was supposed to start and another dancer was announced in her place, after the loud groans and disappointment died down how her fans would react once they see how a ballet is supposed to be performed? Some of her fans have to be regulars, so they've seen her dance before, so they'd be able to do a compare/contrast. (And, no I'm not secretly hoping she has to pull out or is stricken with another injury.) Link to comment
nanushka Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 (edited) I suspect that she may continue to dance Gulnare and Gamzatti rather than Medora and Nikiya, because those roles are large enough to draw her audience even when she's not headlining. But I'd be willing to bet that we'll see her Aurora next time the full SB comes back. Edited June 14, 2017 by nanushka Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 11 minutes ago, ABT Fan said: They're not laughing when they get to post "SOLD OUT" for her performances. I wonder, say if Copeland had to pull out of a performance minutes before it was supposed to start and another dancer was announced in her place, after the loud groans and disappointment died down how her fans would react once they see how a ballet is supposed to be performed? Some of her fans have to be regulars, so they've seen her dance before, so they'd be able to do a compare/contrast. (And, no I'm not secretly hoping she has to pull out or is stricken with another injury.) I am not arguing ABT's marketing strategies, for which Copeland is obviously a much appreciated item. I am talking about grand ABT ballet...and proficient ABT classical ballerinas, in which case Copeland would then be indeed a laughable matter-(or a shameful one...). Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 5 minutes ago, cubanmiamiboy said: I am not arguing ABT's marketing strategies, for which Copeland is obviously a much appreciated item. I am talking about grand ABT ballet...and proficient ABT classical ballerinas, in which case Copeland would then be indeed a laughable matter-(or a shameful one...). I realize you're not. I was just stating the obvious. And, I agree that it's a shameful situation. Link to comment
California Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 34 minutes ago, cubanmiamiboy said: I am not arguing ABT's marketing strategies, for which Copeland is obviously a much appreciated item. I am talking about grand ABT ballet...and proficient ABT classical ballerinas, in which case Copeland would then be indeed a laughable matter-(or a shameful one...). Given the precarious funding at US ballet companies, with declining government support, I can't fault ABT's reliance on her bringing in audiences -- just as I don't fault regional companies for doing Peter Pan, Dracula, Alice in Wonderland, and other ballets that they know will sell and prop up their budget for the year. This is the world we're in! Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 (edited) Well...then they might come with the bright idea of rising the tickets price of her performances as she learns how to throw another fouette in her SL and DQ. Who knows...if she ever completes the 32 at some point of her career ABT might be out of debt, just thanks to her..! Edited June 14, 2017 by cubanmiamiboy Link to comment
Kaysta Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, ABT Fan said: It's possible that Copeland will still do Whipped Cream and that it hasn't been decided yet. She was still dealing w/ an injury during the first run following DQ so it seemed she pulled out so she could heal and be ready for Giselle. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if she canceled. I hope they pull her out of Whipped Cream. I don't mind Copeland in many things, but this is not a role I'd like to see her in. Can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on Devon today! Edited June 14, 2017 by Kaysta Link to comment
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