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Hi!

No formal announcement, but ABT has updated the company roster on the website.

Carlos Molina and Stella Abrera have been promoted to soloist. New company members include David Halberg, Carlos Lopez, Sasha Dmochowski (he or she??)and Angela Snow.

At least one corps member has departed...

I had forgotten that Molina was still in the corps, and was assuming that Sean Stewart and possibly Sascha Radetsky might be next on the list for promotion. Does anyone know why only one guy was promoted, though two male soloist have left? Any thoughts on these promotions?

Kate

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Sneds, I remember that Stella Abrera danced Myrta in a performance I saw last April in D.C. I went back through my journal to about the time of that entry and unfortunately I didn't make any specific notes on her. I do remember that her dancing was lovely butI also remember feeling that she wasn't commanding enough as Myrta - (but no one ever was for us after van Hamel.) I rather expected Radetsky to be promoted also. His performance as the Blue Bird about that same time was a fine one. ABT's depth of male dancers is tough to rise up in I suppose.

On a side note, I received a newsletter from ABT today and it mentioned that they are doing 'Giselle' on the west coast in the fall and on the front page about 'Giselle' it reads "Marius Petipa's tragic masterpiece returns!" What happened to Coralli and Perrot? I certainly never thought of 'Giselle' as a Petipa ballet! In a Stagebill from this year though it does give some credit to Petipa. Interesting that I never noticed that. That could be a whole new topic!

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Re Giselle, I think most of Act I is Coralli (there are drawings from the 1840s that match what we see today) It was an open secret at the time that Perrot did Grisi's (Giselle's) solos. The only thing that I know of that's Petipa's in Act I is Giselle's final solo (the hops on pointe.)

Petipa's big addition was the Grand Pas of the Wilis in Act II.

This is the rough overview. I'm sure there are refinements that can be made (I bought "Ballet in the Time of Giselle," but haven't read it yet! Doug???

Back to ABT promotions, I had liked Abrerra very much at the fewe things I saw her do in D.C. this spring. I thought she might be one of the many dancers that are soloists with their home companies but that ABT makes start in the corps.

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I'd just like to post a thank you to both Alexandra & Mel for the clarifications on 'Giselle'. That's what I love about this web-site - I'm always learning and stretching the old brain! I'd better start reading my program notes a little closer from now on.

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Guest Ballerina4eva

I was just checking out the updated roster and wasn't Misty Copeland a new addition to the corps also? Her name is still also listed under the studio company, so I thought it must have been recent.

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Re: GISELLE -- Alexandra, I don't know much more than you about Petipa's additions. It's hard to pin them down in detail because so little is known about the choreography of the original GISELLE. Marian Smith's book about ballet, opera and GISELLE throws the doors open re the action and mime of the Parisian GISELLE of the 1840s. We hope to look closely at the Stepanov notations of the Petersburg production (altho the notes were made around the turn of the century) in light of Marian's new findings and see what can be deduced about choreographic changes/additions.

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Five years is not an exceptioally long time to stay in the corps, especially if one has started right out of high school with no previous experience. There are many dancers who stay in the corps all their professional lives, and some do last ten years or more. As long as they are still dancing well and are valuable members of the company, they will be kept. More often they leave of their own accord after a while, sometimes to move on to a better position with another company, and sometimes to move on to another phase in their lives or careers. Many go back to school and learn other areas of the art such as administration or costuming, lighting, stage managing, etc. Others go into totally different fields. And of course some female dancers decide it's time to have a family!

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Misty Copeland was dancing with the main company during their NY season this spring - she was listed as doing something in the corps, but as I didn't know who all the other girls were, and I haven't seen a photo of her since the big brouhaha over her now several years ago, I didn't recognize her.

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In May (or sometime around then), Misty Copeland got her contract for the corps with the main company. She'd been doing stuff with the main company even though she technically was with the studio company.

She stepped on a sewing needle and it broke in her foot and it hit a nerve and she had to get surgery to get it removed.

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I had thought Sascha would have been promoted, too. I suspect that he will soon be promoted. Carlos is a wonderful dancer from South America. Did you see him this past Met Season dancing the lead in Onegin. He was incredible. I had the opportunity to meet him backstage, and I must say he is very nice as well. There were several dancers who left the company at the end of this Met season. The ones I know about are: corp members Micheal Cusamano, Johanna Snyder, and Tamara Barden. Also, soloists, John Gardner and Katerina Shelkanova.

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Angela Snow is a product of The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre, Haydee Gutierrez - Artistic Director.

Angela has a perfect Giselle hair line, huge brown eyes and gorgeous legs and feet.

She reminds me of The Joffrey Ballet's Lisa Bradley.

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Guest Titania2B

Does anyone know where Michael Cusamano(corps de ballet) went to after leaving ABT? He was a talented dancer and very young. I am interested in knowing what he is going to be up to.

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In answer to Lara's question, yes there have been some dancers at ABT who have been promoted after 10 years or so. I believe former ABT dancer Gabrielle Brown was promoted to soloist after 10 years of being in the corp. But I don't think Sascha will have to wait that long.

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Titania 2B- I also have some info. on Michael Cusamano, but I agree with Kate it is probably best not to discuss it on this board. Email me privately and I can tell you what I know. Also- sneds please email me privately I would like to know what info. you have on the subject.

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Kate-

I double checked my profile, my email address is listed. I tried emailing you through your website, but I was unable to pull it up. Is there another way of emailing you? There is two more additions to the changing roster at ABT. Corp. member Vladislav Kalinin has retired.

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Hi!

Unfortunately, even though you are able to see your e-mail address, when I pull up your profile, it doesn't list your e-mail address. I suspect that the moderators have set up the profile prefs so that e-mail addresses don't show up to other people.

I apologize if you are having problems with my website..occasionally mindspring/earthlink has problems. The url in my signature should be correct, but here it is again... http://www.mindspring.com/~ksneds/SAB.html

One other site that you should be able to contact me through (though it's outdated) is http://members.aol.com/jstducky07/jenntodd.html

There should be a place to contact me (not Jenn, but Kate)

Kate

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You're right about the email addies not showing to others, sneds. We used to have it the other way, but some people complained that they were getting spammed, so we elected not to show the emails - first, for the protection of the kids, and second, to let the adults pick out a level of privacy with which they are comfortable. Since you're an adult, if you want to post your email address in the clear, it's OK with us. If not, that's OK too! :)

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