Veronika Part leaving ABT

[Kaysta]

This craziness is making me reconsider even attending the performance.  

[abatt]

I think there is a lot of talk about disruption and booing, but it may amount to nothing in reality.  Thank goodness the person arranging this is using booing, and not the nefarious and criminal conduct employed by Pavel Dmitrichenko at the Bolshoi.

[fondoffouettes]

9 minutes ago, Kaysta said:

This craziness is making me reconsider even attending the performance.  

My gut feeling is that it's going to end up being a big nothing. The amount of support for the in-person "protest" is tiny in comparison with the response to the online petition. 

Edited July 7, 2017 by fondoffouettes

[nanushka]

To those who do attend: the rest of us will be relying on you for updates –– hopefully just on the performance and anything positive that follows, but also on whatever else may transpire!

[fondoffouettes]

Luckily some people are now offering reasonable alternatives on that Facebook page. I heartily agree with the person who suggests handing out flowers instead. My two cents: Throw a red rose in support and appreciation of Veronika...how nice would that be? She often received a special red rose bouquet onstage in addition to her regular one from ABT. I always assumed it was from a sponsor or someone personally connected to Part.

 

Trader Joe's offers high-quality long-stemmed roses for $4.99 a bunch (10 stems). Just sayin'...

 

Just be sure to de-thorn them if thrown individually!

Edited July 7, 2017 by fondoffouettes

[aurora]

18 minutes ago, Kaysta said:

This craziness is making me reconsider even attending the performance.  

 

Don't do that. Go and be vocal in your enthusiastic support for Veronika. That's my plan. Be positive and enthusiastic. She deserves it, no?

[Kaysta]

8 minutes ago, aurora said:

 

Don't do that. Go and be vocal in your enthusiastic support for Veronika. That's my plan. Be positive and enthusiastic. She deserves it, no?

She definitely does.  I just don't want to deal with crazy protesters, as I'm allergic to big, rowdy crowds.    I'm fine with them booing McKenzie if he goes on stage.  I'm fine with showering Veronika with flowers and applause.   

 

But what bothers me is when folks put down other dancers because they are angry about Veronika.  If you read some of the postings on that petition, some have a tendency to belittle ABT's other dancers because they are upset with the Part situation.  I have no problem with people stating they think Veronika is the best female principal at ABT, I just don't like when some have to put down others to try and raise Veronika up.

Edited July 7, 2017 by Kaysta

[aurora]

3 minutes ago, Kaysta said:

She definitely does.  I just don't want to deal with crazy protesters, as I'm allergic to big, rowdy crowds.    I'm fine with them booing McKenzie if he goes on stage.  I'm fine with showering Veronika with flowers and applause.   

 

But what bothers me is when folks put down other dancers because they are angry about Veronika.  If you read some of the postings on that petition, some have a tendency to belittle ABT's other dancers because they are upset with the Part situation.  I have no problem with people stating they think Veronika is the best female principal at ABT, I just don't like when some have to put down others to try and raise Veronika up.

 

I'm with you. But remember it isn't a large number of people and rudeness like that in PERSON by a few individuals is harder to pull off.

 

But I completely agree, and said it before. No reason to put down any dancers (new principals is who I mentioned before, but others either) because of what has happened. they aren't to blame.

 

That is why I think it is important that people who are planning to be positive don't get scared off by a few bad apples.

[Natalia]

1 hour ago, canbelto said:

I just saw that they plan on booing "before the lights go down." That's awful. Mozartiana should be Veronika's moment and Veronika's alone. Any disruption will only take away from her rendition of one of the most beautiful ballets ever made. 

 

In effect, they would appear to be booing the conductor and orchestra, who usually have their moment as the lights dim prior to the final act of a performance. Stupid. I hope that security will be in full force, with a paddy wagon standing by.

[Victura]

5 hours ago, abatt said:

Unfortunately, the dancers are not necessarily first and foremost artists, at least at ABT.  They are equally, or perhaps primarily, fundraising and or ticket sales  commodities.  The better you are at increasing  ticket sales, attracting publicity to the company, or and attracting money to the company, the more secure your position, regardless of artistry or lack thereof.

 

 

I think this last point is an important one. While Part does have her fans, I don't get the sense that her performances attract ticket sales the way someone like Vishneva (or even American ballerinas like Murphy or Boylston) would to the general public. When ABT offered discounted subscription tickets for young people or certain membership levels some years ago (not sure if that's still around), they generally offered performances that were deemed not to be very popular. At least one year her Swan Lake was on there, though later on I think no performances of Swan Lake were offered.

 

Part also has the least social media presence among the principal dancers, and that can be a way to cultivate a bigger audience or bring in new fans to the theater. She doesn't attract much publicity at this stage of her career. And of course, not giving her too many performances is itself a vicious cycle, since there are less opportunities for new ballet goers to discover her.

 

I would also assume that her salary isn't low given that she's a fairly senior principal. As disappointed as I am at this turn of events and the treatment she's gotten, if you only look at it from a financial perspective, it does make a certain amount of sense.

 

All that said, I really hope her farewell goes well with extra love and support shown to her and hopefully no disruptions. I was very grateful to have seen her Mozartiana at dress rehearsal last week, which was incredibly lovely, and have wonderful memories of her dazzling Odette/Odile and Nikiya performances. I hope that those who attend will report back to us about tomorrow's performance.

[fondoffouettes]

Veronika Part responded via Facebook 25 minutes ago to the suggestion of yelling out things in the auditorium, saying, "[Name of protest organizer] you can do whatever you want!"

 

She must feel she has nothing to lose at this point. And I'm sure today's promotions have not helped.

 

 

Edited July 7, 2017 by fondoffouettes

[nanushka]

8 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

Veronika Part responded via Facebook 25 minutes ago to the suggestion of yelling out things in the auditorium, saying, "[Name of protest organizer] you can do whatever you want!"

 

That's very disappointing. 

[Balletwannabe]

Where is this Facebook post people keep referencing?  Are you allowed to post the persons name on here?

[canbelto]

8 minutes ago, Balletwannabe said:

Where is this Facebook post people keep referencing?  Are you allowed to post the persons name on here?

 

Her name can be found in the petition. And her Facebook is public-facing. 

[Balletwannabe]

Ok thanks.

[sealings]

1 hour ago, fondoffouettes said:

Veronika Part responded via Facebook 25 minutes ago to the suggestion of yelling out things in the auditorium, saying, "[Name of protest organizer] you can do whatever you want!"

 

She must feel she has nothing to lose at this point. And I'm sure today's promotions have not helped.

 

 

 

I am astonished at how poorly ABT is handling this situation, both publicly and privately. It breaks my heart to see such a talented, respected dancer completely excluded from the narrative of her own departure from the company. 

 

This unhinged facebook fan is getting a little carried away, but on the other hand ABT deserves all the negative press coming its way from this mess. I hope some donors hit them where it really hurts. 

[Drew]

I just can't wish donors to pull out of ABT ... the company struggles financially as it is (one reason they don't have more principals I should imagine or, possibly, more coaching and rehearsal for dancers they are developing.)

 

And considering the thread discussion overall it's a little contradictory to complain about donors being too closely involved in the company and yet then wish them to put financial pressure on the company because of a personnel decision.

 

No artistic director will make decisions that please all fans all the time. I myself am very dubious about this decision, even if I realize I don't know the "whole" story--but making ABT poorer is not going to make it a better company.

 

I would very much like to be able to attend Part's final ABT performance to cheer as warmly and loudly as I could.

 

 

Edited July 8, 2017 by Drew

[canbelto]

One of Veronika's relatives has now chimed in on the Facebook page. I think it might be her dad? 

[fondoffouettes]

39 minutes ago, canbelto said:

One of Veronika's relatives has now chimed in on the Facebook page. I think it might be her dad? 

The translate feature in Facebook is a bit rough for this one; anyone who can read Russian is welcome to provide a more precise translation.

 

This brought to mind some poignant comments she made in this video (posted in the Divided Opinions thread) about her invitation to join ABT and her relationship with her family. Those topics begin at 13:30.

 

 

Edited July 8, 2017 by fondoffouettes

[vipa]

 

1 hour ago, Drew said:

I would very much like to be able to attend Part's final ABT performance to cheer as warmly and loudly as I could.

 

 

That is what I hope happens, loving, warm, cheers for Part. The negativity won't do any good. She is not going to get her job back and it doesn't look good for anyone. Think of the other dancers who have to go on stage that night. I'm sure they have heard about all of this and they don't need the drama and tension of not knowing what to expect from a group of protestors.

 

I agree with Sealings that ABT has handled the matter very poorly publicly (I am not privy to how it went down privately). Come on PR department do some damage control. Of course they could feel that the whole brouhaha is known to such a small circle of fans that it's not worth the effort.

 

Again, I do feel bad for the other dancers in the company. This can't be easy.

Edited July 8, 2017 by vipa

[fondoffouettes]

In other news, Gillian Murphy liked Part's most recent Instagram post. I can't think of any other time Murphy has liked any of Part's posts, and she doesn't even follow Part.

 

 

I know canbelto has posted some chummy moments between Part and other dancers (and they certainly do exist!), but it's a rarity for any female principal dancer, with the exception of former principal Irina Dvorovenko, to acknowledge anything Part has posted. I don't want to read too much into this; I'm just very surprised to see Gillian liking this post.

 

 

[Golden Idol]

I hope Veronika receives a fulsome and very loving tribute from her colleagues, and that if K. McK. has even a portion of a brain in his head he will not walk out on stage.

 

I know it's not easy running a large-scale performing arts organization, but I must say it takes a lot to be the most disliked man in American ballet.

[canbelto]

8 minutes ago, Natalia said:

 

The FB of Viktoriya, the petition organizer? I don't see anything against Nina Alovert there. Must be someone else.

 

It's this thread:

 

Edited July 8, 2017 by canbelto

[canbelto]

Here is a screencap of the anti-Nina Alovert rant

Edited July 8, 2017 by canbelto

[Natalia]

Thanks! I saw the "Makenzie Out!" level but didn't dig down. Oh dear...because Alovert is a long-time supporter of Vishneva? Sounds like certain sectors of the Russian community don't think it's possible to love more than one a Russian ballerina at the same time.