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Meunier going to ABT as soloist in 2002-2003


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Apparently Meunier will be joining ABT as a soloist for the 2002-2003. She will DEFINATELY be missed at NYCB, but she'll probably get a more roles over at ABT. Martins better get his act together since he can't afford to lose more principal or soloist women.

Kate

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Hi!

I would not post if it was just a rumour. The information came from the DanceInsider mailing list, which is public and open to anyone. I presume they got the info from an ABT press release. ABT is not good about updating it's webpage, BTW.

Kate

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On something as sensitive as Meunier changing companies, please don't post about it until the company or the dancer in question confirms it, no matter what DanceInsider says. I've heard this one circulating as well, but what if something like this occurs when a dancer is not leaving, or is in fact in the middle of negotiating a move?

I am not going to close the topic, but if there are any further posts on it, they should be from an official source. In this case, that's either NYCB, ABT or Monique Meunier.

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ABT has already issued a press release, at least via email, saying Muenier will be joining that company as a soloist, so it certainly seems official. Unfortunately, it doesn't say that she will be dancing 2nd movement Symphony in C! But I hope that is in the offing.

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Hi!

My apologies too..I just assumed that DanceInsider wouldn't have sent the e-mail (not a post, but one of the update e-mails) mentioning Meunier and the ABT promotions if they hadn't gotten an official press release. Now I know to be more cautious!

Thanks

Kate

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OK. now I can comment. I'm affraid I jumped right in there without thinking. I guess the good thing is Meunier might get a chance to dance in Symphony in C, 2nd mvt. I'll never forget seeing her in that role at the SAB workshop in 1989. I've been to workshops before and since, but she gave such an extraordinary performance. I think she's a special dancer, one that is alive on stage and makes you feel alive when leaving the theater. I think she had two peak times at NYCB -- the first coming during the Balanchine Celebration when she performed the lead in the first movement of Bourree Fantastique and in Who Cares?, and then a few years ago when she used to team up with Igor Zelensky to tear up the stage in the last movements of Western Symphony and Brahms-Schoenberg quartet. I think she captured Suzanne Farrell's abandon in the gypsie finale of the Brahms-Schoenberg better than anybody else. Her debut as the Siren in Prodigal Son with Hubbe was scintillating. The two were scorching. Well, she did so many rolls well -- Hypollita, Swan Lake, the pas de trois in Agon, the girl in green in Dances at a Gathering, the lead in Cortege Hongrois, Slavonic Dances, the Sugar Plum, Stars and Stripes...

So, I think she will be missed at NYCB as I believe she is a true Balanchine-style dancer. However, I'm hoping she'll get more of a chance to perform and get a nice partner too. I don't see her in Tudor or Ashton, but how about Don Q., Theme and Variations, Myrta in Giselle, Swan Lake, Symphony in C. Maybe ABT will give another shot at Prodigal Son, this time with Meunier as the Siren. Good luck to her.

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Will she be dancing with ABT this spring season?

To me she was so different from the other dancers at NYCB, she really had a presence and made you watch her.

I hope personally and professionally she's happy with her decision to move, maybe now we'll get to see more of her. I'd love to see her do Les Sylphides

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Meunier is a Principal Dancer with every inch of her being. I admire her for taking this leap. Her Odette/Odile in Martins' Swan Lake four or five years ago, which I saw several times, was one of the most memorable performances I have ever seen. She has great technical assurance and tremendous dramatic presence. She is not for every role, but who is? One never knew why she fell from favor at City Ballet. Other ABT roles for her may be Giselle or Aurora. They have definitely sold me a few more tickets across the plaza.

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Isn't the timing of this announcement rather unusual? The two companies are performing side by side for the next several weeks, and NYCB still has three weeks of performances after that at Saratoga. Perhaps it was ABT's way of dealing with persistent rumors, but confirming the news just makes it easier to talk and write about. Taken alongside Meunier's demotion, the whole thing has a rather unpleasant scent.

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I think ABT's 2002-2003 season starts in the Fall (at City Center). We're still in the 2001-2002 season.

BTW, I'm glad she's still being cast, nice job by NYCB. Although there has been a lack of casting in the past, the company has managed to put Meunier in at least one ballet a week (which is better than her going weeks without performing as in seasons past). I thought they were taking the easy-does it approach due to her hip and knee injuries.

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