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Cab fare from 30th Street station to the Academy of Music is about $10, depending on traffic. https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Philadelphia It's possible to do that on the subway, but I wouldn't recommend it. I was at a conference recently at the Doubletree (across the street from the Academy of Music). These were the subway instructions they gave us: From 30th Street Train Station via subway: take the Market-Frankford subway line east to 15th St. Free Transfer to Broad St line south. Exit Walnut/Locust. Hotel is one block south on Broad Street. Fare: $2.50 (cash only-exact fare) https://www.septa.org/maps/

Yes, it’s a short Lyft ride. I also wanted to mention that there are some very inexpensive bus options (megabus, Peter Pan/greyhound) for travel between NY and Philly. It tends to take a little longer than the train and is prone to getting caught up in traffic. But if you leave yourself ample time to account for that, you can save a bundle over Amtrak.

Agreed. At least NYCB is bringing back Coppelia next year.

Thank you!

Geez, I forgot about that. The time for a Copeland retirement has come and gone. I wish they’d bench Giselle for a few more years. It’s one of my favorites, but they’ve performed it a lot the past several years. We need other ballets. I don’t think we should crucify Jaffe yet. I think some are having selective memories- she programmed an excellent Fall season last year that many here commended her on. We’ve also talked at length about the costs of putting on ballets and limited licensing fees, so she probably had no choice but to bring back LWFC this year, which many are unhappy about. I also think she’s trying to walk a fine line between programming the classics that we all want vs modern day sensitivity issues. ABT doing Corsaire and Bayadere in NYC has far bigger implications (good and bad) than Philly Ballet (a regional company) in PA. We don’t know, she may be trying to figure those out. I’m willing to give her another year. I’m also disappointed in Crime and Punishment, but we don’t know what else will be programmed. Give me Don Q or bring back Paquita, Raymonda. Program another great Fall season - I’d be up for Etudes again, add some Tudor, one of the Ratmansky pieces, etc. But if next year it’s C&P plus SL, Giselle, R&J - I’ll be done! It’s a very quick cab ride!

I totally agree with everyone about the disappointing programming at ABT. I used to look forward to multiple performances of ballets such as Bayadere, Corsaire, Don Q, Manon, etc. but now we seem to get almost the same rotation of ballets each year, plus a couple of new ballets which seem to have little dancing and way too much story. I still have a subscription but only because they've made it so easy to exchange online. That being said there is so little to exchange into these days. How many KM Swan Lakes can one see year after year? And I’m not too enamored with the mostly repetitive Koch performances either. I’ve only seen Philadelphia Ballet once at the Joyce shortly after Angel became AD so it is time to start going to Philly. Been to KC quite a few times, so Philly seems like a bargain in travel time. I plan to see at least see Corsaire and La Sylphide/Etudes. nysusan - The subscription sounds like a great deal! What are the best options to get from Amtrak to the Academy of Music? Thank you.

So Minnesota gets Gisselle and DC gets something border line contemporary. I live an hour from Philadelphia. Philadelphia ballet does the classics and their dancers are very good. That's where I'll go. Sorry ABT but Ms. Jaffe is playing fast and loose with the programming. I'm not sure who she thinks her audience is,

An exciting start to the season. Bourrée Fantasque was new to me. It's a fun one. The first section has some fun comic bits that KJ Takashi was excellent with, though Emily Kikta seemed a bit too serious. Felt like a role better suited to a Megan Fairchild-type who can be playful. Emilie Gerrity and Gilbert Bolden subbed for Isabella and Chun in the second movement. Alexa Maxwell came out eating up the stage in the third movement with so much speed and attack but Victor Abreu was not matching her tempo from go and his partnering was, honestly, frighteningly out of sync. He managed to save her from hitting the floor when he lost his grip on her in the final pose of their pas de deux but it was alarming. When they came out again she understandably and very reasonably toned her dancing with him WAY down, which was a shame. Erica Pereira and Anthony Huxley were pretty pitch-perfect in Steadfast. I don't need to see this one as often as it's being programmed, but I do like imagining it as a little Nutcracker side plot. Errante was exciting. It's not a resurrected masterpiece and the choreography is such that it really demands a super-charismatic ballerina to make it work, but Mira (and of course the great Suzanne herself) are indeed super-charismatic ballerinas. I liked how it built. The beginning is a bit pose-y and campy, but it takes off. I particularly liked the beginning of the pas de deux where the ballerina is facing away from the male lead and slowly proceeds backwards towards him as he proceeds forwards on a diagonal towards her, without her looking at him until their bodies meet. Because it's such a ballerina-vehicle it would be neat to see it with different leads. Sara Mearns could be great in this. Symphony in C was wonderful. I cherish every time I get to see Sara and Tyler do the second movement together, especially, but everyone was great.

Interview with Vladimir Jurowski in The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/classical-music/vladimir-jurowski-composer-interview-royal-festival-hall/

The Washington Ballet will also perform at the Wolf Trap on September 5.

Way back when, there was speculation that R&J was on the schedule again to provide an appropriate vehicle for a Copeland retirement. Let's hope it doesn't come back in 2025 for that reason!

IT would have been wonderful if A Ratmansky had staged his Paquita Suite for ABT instead of NYCB. I guess , the timing of his ABT departure prevented this. The upcoming ABT ladies would be wonderful in this.

The only aspect of R&J that I’m looking forward to this year is seeing Roxander as Mercutio again (don’t miss it if you haven’t seen it) - hoping he’s cast with leads I’m not avoiding- and fingers crossed a Curley debut as Tybalt.

I bought two tickets at the box office for the upcoming ABT season - "Woolf Works" June 28 "Honoring Alessandra Ferri" because it will be her de facto farewell and the July 6 evening "Swan Lake" because I haven't seen Brandt as Odette/Odile and Cornejo's days in classical lead roles are limited. Otherwise, I will see what shows end up discounted. "Onegin" is never that popular and the current crop of dancers can't match Vishneva, Gomes, Osipova, Kent, Bolle et al. I think Camargo is potentially wonderful as Onegin. Camargo might get me to see "Like Water for Chocolate" a second time. I also have some interest in Catherine Hurlin and a lot of interest in Chloe Misseldine (and Aran Bell) in "Swan Lake". But I can wait for the rest. "Romeo and Juliet" I really need a break from.

So am I. Has ABT become a Classics Illustrator presenter? Read this scenario and tell me how it could be turned into a watchable production: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/crime/summary/ ABT is off my list of companies. When in NYC, it's 100% of my money to NYCB.

The post here said that Crime & Punishment will be at the Koch, so hoping they will also do Giselle there, leaving the full (!) 5 week Met season with room for some more classical ballet. We know they will schedule Woolf Works and Swan Lake - what else? The 2025 summer programing will determine whether or not I give up my sub.

Didn't Jaffe say she was fond of Manon? Haven't done that in a while (2019?).

So if we want to start predicting the 2025 Summer ABT season we have "Giselle", "Crime and Punishment" and the inevitable "Swan Lake" with maybe another classical ballet? I hope NOT "Romeo and Juliet". "Don Quixote"? That would have some variety. I think if ABT wants to revive "Woolf Works" it could probably be staged perfectly well at the New York State (K*ch) Theater for the Fall season. Not loving the shortened Met season and the lack of classical rep. They need to do some classics like "Don Quixote" or a new "Coppelia" at the State Theater.

Thanks for the heads-up on ABT's Minnesota visit. Looks like it's just two performances April 18-19, followed by a fundraiser. Not enough to warrant a trip for an out-of-towner. I wish ABT would announce their tour schedule on their web page, They must know it by now. https://www.northrop.umn.edu/upcoming-events?page=2

Maybe worth starting a new thread, but our Northop in Minnesota just announced it’s next season and ABT will be performing Giselle. (April 25)

I think the adrenaline was pumping last night because there was wonderful energy but sometimes a lack of control. as @matilda mentioned, Lauren Collett fell on her face (to no lasting ill effect) about 8 seconds into Bouree (I found Bouree really adorable and LOVED the "battle of the grand jetes" in the last movement). Then Victor Abreu almost dropped Alexa Maxwell when she jumped into his arms. In Symphony in C Janelle Manzi lost her arabesque in the 2nd movement, and Charlie Klesa did a Risky Business-style slide on his knees in the 3rd movement. I'm chalking it up to the excitement of the new season, the myriad casting changes already posted, and the thrill of having Suzanne Farrell in the house. It's too bad about Isabella LaFreniere's injury/illness -- I think she would be much more compelling than Emilie Gerrity in 1st movement Symphony in C and I was looking forward to watching her in Brahms and Dances. Not sure what's going on with Woodward? She was in the background in sneakers watching the Dances rehearsal on Instagram yesterday, but is out of Brahms and the new ballet that's going next week. The program was very fun, even though I was moaning and groaning about Steadfast before I watched it, I cackled meanly at the doll's immolation. Errante feels like a fragment of a larger ballet—an absolutely stunning and wild solo that Mira knocked out of the park and then a sort of odd ballet that gets tacked on at the end. I had seen snippets of this on YouTube but never the whole thing, and it's always been the solo. I thought both Megan and Sara looked excellent in Symphony in C. Sara, in particular, looked "back" in a way she hadn't this fall/winter. Tyler Angle also looks more in form than he has recently.

I totally agree, and also agree with the comments above about Philadelphia Ballet. I don't have a subscription (yet), but I definitely plan on seeing a couple of programs next year. It is an easy trip from NY, Philly is a very fun place to be for the arts lover, and when I saw the company last month they looked great.

Philly is a 90 minute train ride from NY, with easy access to the Academy of Music and 2 hotels across the street. I saw their Modern Masters program last month and was very impressed. I've already ordered a Saturday matinee sub. They are doing 4 programs - Corsaire, Swan Lake, La Sylphide/Etudes and a modern program. They let you exchange a program up front so I swapped the modern program for a Saturday night Corsaire. They also give you 1 free ticket so I used it for the Sat night La Sylphide program.

I’m so disappointed with her programming. She should consider what her audience like.

I expect I'll be going to more Philadelphia Ballet performances in the coming years! I suspect that those who have seen the company in recent years will agree that they are first-rate in rep and performance. They were scheduled to do Bayadere in March 2020 (I'm not sure if any of that was cancelled due to COVID) and they're doing Corsaire this October. I plan to see their Etudes (programmed with La Sylphide) next May. They have a Raymonda Suites (as does Boston Ballet). I'll be curious to see what ABT brings to Segerstrom next spring. I hope it isn't Crime and Punishment!