Phrenchphry11

Not to start a dogpile on SFB marketing choices, but I know the exact photograph you're referencing, and I had a similar head-scratching response to that. SFB truly has had an embarrassment of riches at least since the 10-12 years I've been following them closely. I don't mean to speculate too much, but I wouldn't be surprised if other dancers feel disheartened when one gets significantly better billing than the rest. More logistically speaking about Angelo Greco's leaving - it seems a shame to me that they're losing a smaller, powerful dancer. There are quite a few shorter principal/soloist women, and while there still are some smaller principal men on the roster, I thought Greco looked great partnering not only Misa, but Frances Chung, Sasha de Sola, and others. End of an era for sure.

I posted in the other thread, but I'm both shocked and pleased that Dores and Max are back! Off the top of my head, there's quite a few pieces next season that they'll look great in. And I believe Max originated the title role in Frankenstein, so it'll be nice to have some of the original dancers in it.

Yes! Agree! A bit surprised but I can think of a few pieces in the next season that each of them will look great in. Also very sad to see Angelo Greco is out. Yeah Rojo's Raymonda got pretty mixed reviews in the UK so I'm not sure how excited I am for it, but I do know Phil Chan has been working on a modernized Bayadere. Bayadere's one ballet that doesn't age well to me (I saw Mariinsky do it a few years and still cringe inside at the shameless use of blackface), but with a few tweaks I think could ultimately be really compelling.

Very happy to see Manon entering the rep. I also really loved Frankenstein, and I'm glad Scarlett isn't fully blacklisted from major ballet companies now. That said - I'm a bit disappointed that so much of the programming leans not-child-friendly and a bit heavy thematically. The fact that there are no lighter tutu ballets and no Balanchine feels like a big miss to me. SFB has deep Balanchine roots that I was hoping for a rerun of Midsummer or maybe Coppelia or something.

That's a great point. I wonder which ballets make SFB the most money? I wouldn't be shocked if Swan Lake sells out more easily than other shows, but I also assume the cost of shipping all the sets/costumes will be quite high. SFB is certainly very good at full length classics, but I think Swan Lake pretty far from what they do best and make them interesting as a company. I feel like of the works they've done this season, Broken Wings and MADCAP represent the company and its skills much better. Maybe even Midsummer, given the American choreographer and several dancers in the company with Balanchine training.

I was there last night too Agree with you - Broken Wings is a real gem, I hope it has a place in SFB's regular rep. Everything about it was spectacular - the music, the costumes, the fantastic and creative set. And time and again, Isabella DeVivo knocks it out of the park. I was very unexpectedly moved by several scenes (her miscarriage, the final scene + Frida dancing with the Doe), and I think Isabella brought a rich characterization to the role. Really really hope this piece enters the rep of more American companies, as Frida did spend a considerable amount of her life in the US. I was a little more mixed on Carmen. I thought the approach and reworking of the plot was interesting. The set and music was great! Some of the movement vocab started feeling a little bland by the end, and I didn't really love the final scene. It was unclear what Carmen's fate was at the end, and I don't think the ambiguity helped with the plot at all. However, the dancing was great, Jen Stahl in particular was riveting. I think I'd like Carmen a lot if perhaps the final scene was reworked a bit.

I have to say, I am such a fan of Dani Rowe. I saw MADCAP for the second time and was utterly riveted through the entire thing. Thought this was a nice interview with her, with some MADCAP footage, so I'm linking here: https://www.opb.org/article/2024/04/02/oregon-ballet-theatre-theater-dance-arts-dani-rowe-culture-art-artistic-director-portland/

I'm surprised by the negative Saturday review, but I suppose that's why we have multiple casts! I just saw Frances and Joe tonight, both were stunning. Frances is definitely a more understated Odette/Odile, I wouldn't say she brings over-the-top pathos to the role. However, as always, she's really tasteful in her technical and artistic choices (it's something I appreciate more and more, especially in this era of social media ballerinas). She knows when to go for big turns, balances, etc and when to hold back. I never feel like her dancing "distracts" from the actual ballet. And I'm continually amazed that she never seems to have an off night, ever. A thoroughly great evening, well worth the cost of admission and then some!

Also I believe married to the fantastic Beckanne Sisk, also with Houston Ballet. (Never seen her live but there's lots of footage of her online) Hopefully this isn't too speculative, but since Rojo is bringing in lots of guest artists for Swan Lake later this season, I wonder if this means some anticipated future guest artist opportunities with Chase O'Connell (and maybe even Beckanne Sisk?)

Just saw tonight's show with Esteban Hernandez and Katherine Barkman as the pas de deux. WOW. Tons of flair, drama, and a spectacular balance by Barkman at the end of the pas. What a great partnership, and I'm excited to see more to come! Overall a great evening, the company looked good all around.

Jasmine Jimison looked great at World Ballet Day. Though on the ABT side, Jaffe I don't think has promoted anyone either. I wonder if Rojo and Jaffe both a bit cautious in their first big "solo" season before making big moves. I do agree that Jimison and DeVivo both deserve to be promoted.

Major major yikes. He 100% lost me once he started comparing American attitude to race to Russia's. I get the feeling of tokenization, I'm a minority in my career field as well, and it sucks to feel singled out at times. But, his arguments feel totally unserious when he starts comparing ABT to Russian dance. I was just reading Olga Smirnova's most recent interview post-leaving the Bolshoi, and was struck with her poise through this whole thing. She denounced Russia, called out their war crimes, and has moved on to bigger and better things. Shayer's refusing to admit any of the problematic parts of Russia purely so he can frame his own argument, all while bringing Royal and other dancers down with him.

Big agree about DeVivo! I saw her as Cinderalla, and she was ethereal and radiant in it. In general she looks great in everything - has the solid technical base for the classics, but is also versatile and musical and does well in the neoclassical and contemporary stuff.

Are they doing any additional promotions this year? At the very least, I would have expected Jimison to get promoted.

Yeah I have been thinking: there's obviously been speculation around whether Rojo's artistic and management decisions are contributing to the significant roster changes. Nevertheless, we also have to consider that many of the dancers (especially Mathilde) had significant changes in their personal lives over the past several years (births of children, changes in marriage status, overall re-evaluating of life goals/priorities), and I don't doubt many dancers are looking to make big moves in this "post-covid" world.