24 replies to this topic

[Mel Johnson]

I take a sort of Deweyesque pragmatist view of the question; if you haven't seen the dancer in the role before, then he/she is making a personal debut just for you, so in a larger sense, there are many debuts on any given performance of any ballet.

[Lolly]

My goodness Sylvia, how can you say Ivan Putrov is sub-standard?!! I'm off to the Giselle topic to explain myself!

Give me the debut any day, you never know what might happen on stage and it might be something quite wonderful... and often is.

[Nanatchka]

Or so what'll it be, a blind date or a long term relationship? Even when, as Arlene Croce said of late career Patty McBride, the ballerina is powered "by desire," that's the performance I want to see. As for the gentlemen, I'd rather, to continue on in the same vein, date Sean Connery than Brad Pitt. I admit it's possible that a mother of teenagers might be especially immune to the charms of youth, but we all have our prejudices.

[Farrell Fan]

This soon-to-be-70-year-old found Nanatchka's argument so compelling that I'm sorry now I voted for the young whippersnapper making her debut. Wish I could change my vote.

[dirac]

I voted for the newbie, being in agreement with casloan and Farrell Fan that it's more of a rarity to see a stunning debut than to see an established dancer (unless there's an extenuating circumstance, such as, the established dancer is retiring at the end of the season).  


As for the Sean Connery analogy -- well, I've loved him for years, but couldn't control a certain queasiness watching him flirt with Catherine Zeta-Jones in "Entrapment."  I'm afraid even the best of us eventually pass our expiration dates.  

[atm711]

I can never see enough of Ananiashvilli in "Swan Lake" and I go for her every time.  However, I'm also happy that I saw the debut of Gillian Murphy last year in "Swan Lake".

[BW]

Now hold on dirac! There'll be no casting of aspersions at 007, I mean, Sean Connery!

As for casting my vote, I just can't for - as liebling said - it all depends!

[smile]

Wow. I didn't think that the poll would be 50/50 (that's what it was when i typed this). I voted that I would like to see a talented young dancer do their first big role because they have never done it before. There is a certain spark there. Plus, there's only one time to see a debut principle, you can see established princiles over and over again.
gwschloss

[LaFilleMalGardee]

I picked the talented experienced dancer who's done a role for many years. We're talking about the same role each year???:confused:

[bobbi]

A talented young dancer will tempt me to see a program or ballet I wouldn't ordinarily go to see.  As a matter of fact, I splurged on a Second Ring ticket this past Saturday matinee just to see Carla Korbes make her debut in Robbins' Interplay.  I had remembered her in Midsummer last year, and then she was out for an injury.  Although I had spotted her as a member of the corps in Fourth Movement Bizet this season, I wanted to see if my memory of her talent was valid.  I wasn't disappointed, and am glad I went out of my way to see her.  

On the other hand, as one previous post pointed out, a dancer at the end of her career -- like Kyra Nichols -- will also tempt me.  I already have tickets for two Midsummers, but if Kyra is in another, I will buy another ticket for that performance.