RUKen

California wrote (quote function still not working for me): Was anyone at the open rehearsal Monday afternoon? Bolle sent out a re-tweet that Bolle and Seo were substituting at the last minute in the Act II rehearsal for Hallberg and Semionova. That all happened, of course, before the Murphy injury Monday night. So, that opens up different possibilities -- e.g., that Hallberg just didn't feel ready for SL with Polina (or vice versa). I was at the dress rehearsal. The change was announced just before the curtain rose, with no explanation given.

The quote function isn't working for me now, so I'll paraphrase: Cobweb recalled a past ABT Giselle in which Bathilde asked Albrecht (performed by David Hallberg) why he was dressed so oddly and Albrecht "hesitated then suddenly made his excuse--a gesture of shooting with a bow--saying I've been hunting." This was in contrast to Hallberg's performance of that scene this past week, in which he could not come up with a reason for his attire. I find Hallberg's earlier gestures to be confusing--Bathilde has arrived in the village as part of a hunting party with the other nobles, who are all dressed in their finery despite chasing after wild boars. Why would Albrecht expect Bathilde to accept that hunting is a reason to dress like a peasant? By the way, I was at the Saturday night performance, hoping to see Herman Cornejo perform with Alina Cojocaru, but under the circumstances was pleased that Hallberg was ready to step in. I believe that Cornejo's absence was due to a medical issue that may be resolved by his scheduled Swan Lake performance.

Since nobody more articulate than I has responded to Cobweb, I will report that I attended the Copeland/Cornejo performance on Friday and thought that it was a triumph for Misty. There was one glitch in the Act 3 pas de deux (I'm not sure what was intended, but it was clear to me that a particular element was aborted); other than that, Misty danced and performed the role very well, and she had a large group of supporters in the audience. Herman Cornejo was his usual brilliant self. The corps was okay, but my spouse noted that they did not convey the Eastern European character of the mazurka particularly well, and one dancer seemed to be doing a different dance at the start before she got back in synch with the others. Overall, it was a very enjoyable performance. Edited to add: I just found out that Yuriko Kajiya, who danced the Prayer solo as a late replacement on Friday (and also Saturday afternoon), had only begun learning the role two days earlier. Under those circumstances, she was fabulous. RUKen

According to abatt in a different thread on ABT salaries, the dancers' salaries are based on a combination of seniority and level in the company (principal/soloist/corps), and they are operating under union contract. As a result, the two highest salaried principals (of either gender) are Paloma Herrera and Julie Kent. I believe that Marcelo Gomes is the highest-paid male dancer.

Regarding the Trio subscriptions, I'm typically in the balcony, so I'm not sure if my comments below are applicable for the lower rings or the orchestra section: If you want to go to at least three of the performances with popular principals in the lead roles, then you are likely to get much better seats in the Trio subscription than if you wait until individual seats become available. Occasionally, though, tickets for good seats get returned (or exchanged), so if you are able to check availability every day you might score front-row seats in the section of your choice. Also, if your preference is to attend Wednesday matinees, when soloists are commonly cast in the lead roles, or if you are not particular about casting and flexible about dates, then you will probably find some good seats available later this spring.

True, but the VFKATST has an unusually wide, relatively shallow stage. This will impact the choreography of the story ballets as well as the sets. (Otherwise, we would probably be seeing at least one full-length ballet this fall.)

The stage at the venue formerly known as the State Theater is also smaller than that at the Met, meaning that the sets for many of ABT's productions might not be usable.

Xiomara Reyes is scheduled to perform the lead on December 20th.

You forgot Prince Charming. It seems that the Lilac Fairy brought a parade of princes to the dormant princess. (I have nothing to add to rg's response, which was posted as I was replying.)

The Moor's Pavane is on the schedule for this coming fall (just posted), so it seems even more likely that it will be on a triple bill with The Dream and The Tempest in The Spring.

It should also be considered that people with serious burn injuries are much more susceptible to infections than healthy people.

I'm not a subscriber, so I will only respond to your last comment--if you are concerned about tall people sitting in front of you, then you should seriously consider getting tickets in one of the balconies. The sight lines are much better from there, and you are not that far from the stage. You can always bring opera glasses (small binoculars) to see faces. My wife, who is 5'2", hates orchestra seats, and always goes for the balcony.

A few years ago (2006), New York City received a record snowfall that began on Saturday, February 11th, and continued into the morning of February 12th--26.9 inches was measured in Central Park.. That Sunday, I went in with my wife and in-laws to see an NYCB matinee. The show went on, though they had to swap out one of the scheduled dances that required a cast of children who were unable to get to Lincoln Center. We set in the Fourth Ring, as always, with perhaps a couple dozen others. Even the orchestra section was nearly empty. They will only cancel if the dancers (or perhaps the orchestra) can't make it.

I see that ABT is planning to 'break the bank' with luxurious costumes! woo-hoo.... Given that this will be a premiere, it is possible that the costumes that shall be worn in the performances were not yet ready for the photo shoot.

Natalia Osipova replaces Misty Copeland in the Saturday matinee of The Firebird (and is still also scheduled for that evening's performance). Abatt reported this a couple of minutes ago in the Copeland Injury thread (based on the update of the ABT performance calendar), but I thought it would be best to include this information on this thread as well.

She is listed as a principal with the company this year, rather than as a guest performer. Not all of the principals dance with ABT in their fall season, so it's hard to say whether Osipova will this year, but it seems likely at this point that she will be back for the regular spring season in 2013. Of course, the patrons of the Bolshoi must have had similar thoughts about her for 2012...

Erica Cornejo was a soloist with ABT before she joined Boston Ballet in 2006.

Is the one-week exchange period the last week of March?

Just to be clear, if we subscribe to 3 performances, and are not satisfied with the particular seats that we have been assigned in our chosen section for a performance, can we exchange them during the one-week exchange period for other seats in the same section, on the same date, without penalty? Can we exchange them in May or June for better seats in the same section, if they open up, without paying more? I'm sorry if this is redundant, but with the multiple ticket-purchase plans it's difficult to understand exactly what can and cannot be done. Any clarification that can be provided will be greatly appreciated.

Paul Parish's post may have set a new record for the longest interval between posts in a thread! I'll just add that ABT is also performing Onegin this spring. One of the casts includes both Diana Vishneva and Natalia Osipova.

My wife and I watched this videocassette a couple of weeks ago. The first act seemed dark (literally), which sometimes made it a little difficult to see fine details. In the second act, there is enough contrast between the costumes and the background that the lighting is not really an issue. The sets are not the same as those used in the current ABT production of Giselle. It was great to see these two dancers in the lead roles. I prefer Baryshnikov's Albrecht to Nureyev's (which we also have on a DVD recording). Makarova is very dramatic in the title role, though Alina Cojocaru is still my favorite Giselle. Martine van Hamel is an excellent Myrta. Because of the picture quality, I wouldn't recommend this as anyone's first Giselle recording, but for fans of any of these dancers, this is certainly worth having. I wish I could describe a little more, but we were both sick with a virus as we watched, and we had to break it into two evenings. We'll have to watch it again sometime when we're both healthy.

Frankly, I'd rather see Hallberg, but you won't hear me complaining about the substitute: the website now lists Marcelo Gomes. Yes, and it lists Carreno as Gomes' replacement in the matinee!

I was not aware there was another score for "Cinderella"! Hmm...interesting. It was choreographed not too long ago by Renato Zanella for the Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper (and is available on DVD). ABT would no doubt want it re-choreographed if they were to produce it, and it is hard to imagine Alexei Ratmansky choreographing to Strauss rather than Prokoviev, so this is very unlikely to happen. That won't stop me from hoping for it...

Why not use the score composed (mostly) by Johann Strauss--"Aschenbroedel"? (Aschenbroedel is the German name for Cinderella.)

ABT performed La Sylphide last year--I saw Natalia Osipova and Herman Cornejo in the lead roles. It is possible, though, that 4mrdncr was referring to "The Lesson" when asking if they had ever done it.