Veronica Part

[cargill]

I just got a release from ABT saying Veronica Part was joining ABT as a soloist. So ABT now has two tall gorgeous women joining them.

[Alexandra]

Here's the release:

VERONIKA PART TO JOIN AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

AS A SOLOIST

Veronika Part, a soloist with the Kirov Ballet, will join American

Ballet Theatre as a Soloist effective August 1, 2002, it was announced

today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. Part will make her debut

with ABT during the Company?s tour of Japan, September 12-22.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Part began her early training in

rhythmic gymnastics before entering the Vaganova Ballet Academy in

1988. She joined the Kirov Ballet in 1996 and was promoted to soloist

in 1998. Part?s repertoire with the Kirov Ballet includes Nikiya in La

Bayadère, Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote, Myrta, Moyna and Zulma in

Giselle, Raymonda and Henrietta in Raymonda, Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping

Beauty and Odette-Odile in Swan Lake. She has also danced roles in

George Balanchine?s Apollo (Terpischore), Jewels (Emeralds and

Diamonds), Symphony in C (second movement) and Serenade, and in John

Neumeier?s The Sounds of Empty Pages.

Part was the winner of the BALTIKA Prize in 1999.

[Manhattnik]

I guess we know who their big swans are going to be for the forseeable future....

[Dale]

Oh, I hope that's not true, Manhattnik. Just as bad, if they end up two of the four lead corps women in Theme and Variations.

Manhattnik, you made a point about Pavlenko being stronger technique-wise than Part. And that might have been one of the reasons she's jumping ship. I'm not an insider and, living in the NY area, don't get to see the Kirov often, but it appears as if Pavlenko (although also a second soloist, like Part) has passed Part in the pecking order. Part had been second cast Diamonds when Jewels was first set on the Kirov, and now doesn't do it as often (at all?) as Gumerova or Pavlenko. Gumerova did more Swan Lakes and La Bayaderes than Part as well. But who knows? Maybe she just wanted to move to New York

Although I'm happy about the addition of two of my favorite ballerinas to a company close to me, they are a bit similar to each other. Poor Meunier, here she moves to a different company, where hopefully she'll get used more, and now in comes another tall, lush dancer with many of the same qualities. (Personally, I think both of them excell in Balanchine ballets, so they are sort of in the wrong company, but, maybe is stocking up on Farrellesque women to mount a nice Balanchine birthday aniversary in 2004) Well, things should certainly be interesting at City Center this fall. Or Dvorevenko is going to be out a very long time (she looked very injured while attending the Kirov last week).