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Thank y'all so much for the reviews...especially all of the cast notes! (I'd already bought my Met ticket for Ferri/Cornejo, but was waiting to see if the ballet was strong enough to withstand a second viewing. Now, I think I'll go ahead and pick up that extra ticket for Murphy & Co. )

Agreed. I'll never fault Jaffe for trialling one new ballet each year (and seeing out the license of the previous year's new ballet even if it isn't a hit). They can't only do warhorses...and I've been genuinely excited about Woolf Works and the other most recent new ballets just because they've offered so many opportunities to see potential soloist/principal candidates. (Although I won't lie: the ONLY way that I'm risking Crime and Punishment is if Curley gets his first top-billed full-length lead in it.) I personally think that there will be a Petipa extravaganza in 2026 (or 2027) to celebrate their 6 youngest soloists becoming principals. ABT now has a larger number of soloists under the age of 27 who have successfully danced a lead role in a full-length than they've had in the 2 decades that I've watched them: they'll totally want to make a splash showing them off in the classics when they're all ready for prime-time. But I don't think that we'll see much more Petipa than we've already seen until then. Jaffe still has to slowly ease those 6 soloists into harder, top-billed roles over the next two years...and ease about 12 principals/soloists over the age of 37 off the stage. (FWIW, I also think that Trenary's delayed Swan Lake debut is probably partly due to this aging-in/aging-out process. If Brandt or Boylston were injured, Trenary's now really the only woman who is short enough, experienced enough, and young/healthy enough to risk helming a last-minute Swan Lake with Cornejo or Carmargo. It seems unlikely that they would risk presenting her in a major role debut within 2 days of a sub. I sometimes wonder whether she and Bell are held in reserve at times simply because they're the right age/height/technique/gumption to dance with anyone in the event of injury.)

These guest opportunities would go over much better if they are equal exchanges: say if an NBoC principal is dancing with NYCB in Jewels.

Just a few thoughts on tonight’s and last night’s performances: 1) Errante: Mira was doubly more enchanting tonight than last night (and she was marvelous last night!) — but the first night was more a practice run — and now she is settling in and getting more comfortable with using her bag of tricks/ her arts of allurement/her inner life/her bountiful technique and dance qualities/call it what you will…. In an earlier post I compared Mira to a young Garbo ( well, Garbo with a dash of Merle Oberon) — as there is not only Mira’s preternatural beauty, talent, and imagination — but as Kenneth Tynan wrote, “What when drunk, one sees in other women, one sees in Garbo sober.” I think it’s symbolic that for the 5 performances of Errante she is the only dancer cast — in a role that belongs to Farrell — it’s the passing of the torch — it’s the passing of the repertory — anointment. 2) Bizet: thought it would be difficult to top last night’s Bizet — but tonight’s performance by the second cast was just as wonderful — which was a nice surprise as I was expecting the opposite. Then I began thinking — NYCB could do 4 casts of the Bizet and they would all be wonderful — that is the current depth of this company. 3) Dancers shout out: Alexa (attack), Bolden (joy), Gerrity (warmth) Takahashi (principal?!), Unity and Knight (finally).

I'm glad to have seen Bourrée Fantasque for the first time this evening. I thought it was a hoot, and I'd happily watch it again! Nadon was great in the first movement, and I think Zuniga did well for a debut, with room to grow; he lacked stage presence. Gerrity and Bolden were lovely in the second movement and pulled off all the tricky partnering very well. Abreu seems to have worked out the kinks; no mishaps between him and von Enck. The costumes for the women in the second movement are some of my all-time favorite Karinksa costumes I've ever seen -- wow. One detail I love is the little black bows where the straps connect with the back of the bodices. Fairchild and Ulbricht were very good in Steadfast Tin Soldier, but I'd happily never see this ballet again. Luckily, it's short. It looked awkward when Fairchild climbed into the fireplace at the end. Is it ever executed in a way that makes it look like the ballerina has actually been blown into the fireplace? I haven't seen this ballet in maybe 15 years, so I'm just not sure. Nadon was magnetic in Errante and commanded the stage in her solo. Her flexible back and slinky arms were gorgeous. One thing I really appreciate about Nadon is that you never really see her working to achieve an effect, and she doesn't overdo things (no vamping). Yet, she's endlessly fascinating to watch. It was so good to see Sanz back and looking so well; I really enjoyed him. Overall, it's not a great ballet, and the corps feels sort of superfluous, but it was a great vehicle for Nadon. The boho tops for the corps girls are so awkward! They are not flowy enough to look like real boho tops, so they just end up looking like ill-fitting baggy bodices. Tonight's Symphony in C felt off to me, almost dull (and I can't believe I'm calling a Symphony in C performance dull). The energy and incisiveness just wasn't there for me. Gerrity was just fine in the first movement, though I enjoyed her much more in Bourrée Fantasque. Chan was pretty good, though somehow I expected more from him. I was pretty disappointed with Phelan. She seemed rather tense for much of the adagio; there was no majesty, no depth, no individualized interpretation. I feel like management is putting her in these roles because of her look -- beautiful lines, very pretty face -- but she just doesn't bring any inner life to them. Knight was fine, though he made some of the partnering look effortful. I'm glad he's stopped bleaching his hair, but all the volume he has toward the back of his head just makes his proportions look weird; it makes him look shorter than he is. Takahashi seemed to lose steam toward the end of the third movement (I kept wishing Mejia were there to tear up the stage). It was great to see Macgill again. She danced very well, though during all the turns where she holds one arm above her head, I wished she'd shaped her arm and hand better; it just looked sloppy and not fully shaped. There was one time when she pulled off a really impressive multiple pirouette and did hold her arm above her head in a nice position, and it looked fantastic! So, oddly enough, I enjoyed tonight's Bourrée Fantasque more than Symphony in C. Who would have thunk it?

The last few times I went to ABT's La Bayadere they were very undersold. For all the love I have for this ballet, it's hardly a big seller audiences are begging for. Giselle and R&J (and obviously SL) do decently for ABT but most of our favorite full lengths (mine included) just don't sell very well unless it's an Osipova or Copeland-level famous dancer now. The only tickets I'm buying in advance this year are for Woolf Works because most of the principal dancers don't excite me. I think any issues with programming (so far Jaffe has been at least just as interesting than mckenzie) are compounded by ABT not feeling like a particularly exciting company anymore and lacking ... hm ... a crackle or energy? Not sure why they don't dip into their mid 20th century rep more. Tons of expensive warhorse ballets weren't even their primary original identity.

It's a pretty cramped dance schedule. Not only is the bulk of the ballet scheduled from late January to late March (the Washington Ballet's sole production at the KC is in February), but they've slotted in a bunch of modern dance in the same time period (Alvin Ailey is scheduled for early February, Paul Taylor for late February, and Twyla Tharp will overlap with the NYCB). Is there really an audience for 8 dance companies in 2 months?

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.