California

It's hard to think of a better showcase for Miyake, Roxander, and Bell than Don Q. I'd happily travel to see all three.

The Geffen lobby is normally a wonderful retreat (and with electrical plugs, public restrooms, and water fountains). But this afternoon, for the second time this week, it was closed for a private event!

I saw Whiteside-Seo again at the Saturday matinee. I think they were by far the best of the three pairs of principals this week -- especially the drama and emotion, along with solid technique. I was so impressed with the dramatic nuance from Whiteside throughout. Nothing felt pasted on or done only for effect. It was fun to see the debut of Misseldine and she seemed much more confident and relaxed on the second performance. Shevchenko and Stearns were reliable and workmanlike, but just didn't push the emotional envelope for me. For Lensky-Olga, the winners for me were Roxander-Coker and Bell-Hurlin. The others were good, but not really captivating with the same excitement. I do love this ballet and hope it will return in the not-too-distant future!

For the Saturday matinee today, they opened the second set of doors marked for "subscribers" and people crammed inside, but there were still people stranded outside in the brutal heat. I wish they would open the lobby one hour ahead, as the State theater does, at least to get people out of the heat, which is really dangerous.

Interesting to me: these changes were announced over a week ago and there is nothing on social media from any of the dancers about why. It's almost as if orders went out to keep quiet so as not to offend...X?

I saw Misseldine/Forster again on Thursday. She seemed to enjoy the performance more this second time. Bell-Hurlin were again Lensky-Olga and were just fine. On Friday night, Shevchenko-Stearns repeated opening night, but Skylar Brandt and Joo Won Ahn were new as Olga-Lensky. She was spirited and playful. Ahn seems to be prepared with appropriate facial expressions at the right times -- smile, scowl, sad, angry -- but it doesn't really communicate effectively and I don't know what the solution is. Irina Dvorovenko seems to have been at every performance, raving about all of them on Instagram. Cory Stearns was her partner when she did Tatiana: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8dnXJsoMEw/

No disagreement on Seo and Whiteside - they were superb. The big surprise was learning that this was Whiteside's debut in the role, this late in his career! I've come to appreciate his partnering in recent years - something of the utmost importance in this ballet.

Are there any other Cranko ballets that ABT would want? He has a version of R&J (performed in Australia), but ABT has the MacMillan. Taming of the Shrew? That would be a tough sell nowadays. But one hopes they'll be able to bring Onegin back every few years!

You are in luck! Friedemann Vogel is Onegin in the Stuttgart DVD (with Alicia Amatriain). And they showed this streaming on-line during the COVID lock-down. I've watched it many, many times and his performance is the gold standard, for sure. https://www.amazon.com/Onegin-Stuttgart-Ballet-Tuggle-Region/dp/B07QPTF5ZK/ref=sr_1_1?

The matinee audience was clap-happy. They applauded at the first entrance of Bell and then Forster, then applauded throughout most of the two diagonal "jetes marathon" in Act I. I thought they were applauding Tatiana for rejecting Onegin in such a symbolically important way. I don't recall applause at any of those points in other performances.

Good grief -- the Met holds about 3800. Even with all those super-cheap seats, only 2500 sold!

They seemed to have a real chemistry to me. I don't see options for them later in the season. Perhaps the pas de trois in Swan Lake? Roxander is doing Mercutio in R&J.

Several of us were there on opening night. Just a few quick things for now: Jake Roxander and Zimmi Coker, as Lensky and Olga, were the real stars of the evening. So much energy and joy in their dancing! It's sad that this was their only performance this week. Cory Stearns and Christine Shevchenko were technically very secure in the treacherous partnering. Their expressiveness was fine, although not as riveting as others in those roles. The corps was a joy to watch in each act. I love the two racing diagonals in the first act and the women were in sync (everybody in the air at the same time). The party and ballroom scenes in II and III are wonderful to watch and I love the choreography. A lot of empty seats, although I couldn't see the entire theater. Apparently they were selling seats Tuesday afternoon for $30 to help fill the place. This ballet is certainly worth seeing with any cast and I encourage people to give it a try.

Balanchine famously said his company would not return after the 1981-82 season, unless they replaced the floors: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/11/26/kitchen-tested-dance-floor-for-jfk-center/b5cae230-4a63-48b8-a44d-d871b3653a4f/ This seems to be behind a paywall, so here's the key info: Early this year [1981], Balanchine had said his company would not return to Kennedy Center for the 1981-82 season and not thereafter until the floor situation had been remedied. The new floor design thus paves the way for the return of the NYC Ballet to Washington, and indeed the company is "penciled in" for the fall of '82. ...The original floor for the Opera House was supposed to be capable of being "tuned" to different resiliencies, but not long after the hall opened in 1971 it was discovered that there was no "give" in the adjusting screws, and complaints from dancers about the hardness of the floor -- and the consequent danger of injury -- have been chronic ever since. In recent years the Kennedy Center has reiterated its determination to improve the situation; now, with the cooperation of NYC Ballet and ABT, deliverance would appear to be at hand -- and foot.

Does anyone know how much control the MacMillan trust has on casting for Manon? From interview comments by Jaffe, it seemed this was a good possibility for 2025. For that matter, do they control casting for their R&J?

I personally think NYCB is currently the best company, but that's not the issue. My point was simply that the designation was much more formalized by Congress than simply one member reading something into the Congressional Record.

Baryshnikov reportedly had problems with tendonitis and his Achilles tendon while at NYCB: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/02/28/baryshnikov-injured/27c973d3-6f50-4af4-8219-e81fb4403c62/ I don't think I could find a source, but I remember somebody saying that everybody new to Balanchine ballets has problems with tendonitis. And he was dancing a LOT in that era, as this story notes.

No - NYCB. Baryshnikov was a member of NYCB from fall 1978 through spring of 1980, when he left to take over as artistic director of ABT. When he did T&V with Kirkland on Live from Lincoln Center in late spring 1978, it was already known that he was leaving ABT for NYCB.

The only Baryshnikov cancellation I experienced was in October 1979 at the Kennedy Center. He was slated to do "Dances at a Gathering" and we learned of the cancellation by announcement right before curtain time. Fortunately, I had seen him the Saturday before in Coppelia with McBride. I can imagine the disappointment of people who were expecting to see him for the first time. I think he was nearing the end of his performing days at NYCB due to injuries.

Those of us old enough to remember the Kirkland era in the 70s know that nothing is certain until the curtain goes up. Regular balletomanes learn who is at greater risk of cancellation -- Osipova, Hallberg, Cornejo come to mind -- and come prepared to be disappointed. Now we know a lot more about the practices of the Cranko estate. At least now, you get advance notice on the internet (normally). Before that, you dreaded that announcement before the curtain went up, as that's when you usually found out first about cancellations. The perils of loving ballet!

Actually, both the House and the Senate passed Resolutions giving ABT that designation as National Ballet Company. Carolyn Maloney sponsored the resolution in the House. https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/house-resolution/751/all-actions Charles Schumer sponsored the resolution in the Senate: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-109sres452ats

Some ancient clips on YouTube of Gregory and Godunov. In one, she sounds really pleased to have him as a partner. They were rehearsing for Swan Lake in 1982, when he was fired. I don't know if they performed it first before he was fired. Anybody remember?

The reasons why Godunov was fired were never clear. Endless rationalizations at the time - nothing to perform, too expensive to keep, bad feelings... https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/06/09/godunovs-fury/d0c89c40-026b-4001-8875-d83dafd25f0c/ https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/06/11/Godunov-hurt-that-Misha-didnt-break-news-of-ABT-firing/3458392616000/

Corella got rid of 40% of the dancers when he arrived in Philadelphia. It was brutal, but paid off. He brought in several trained in Cuba. Not sure where ABT would recruit. https://www.phillymag.com/news/2017/10/14/pennsylvania-ballet-angel-corella-drama/

It was a long time ago, but there was a year when ABT did a few weeks at the Met and then moved to the State Theater for a few more weeks. We discussed this a LONG time ago. I do remember those summer festivals -- Bolshoi, Paris, wow! But I assume some heavy subsidies from somewhere.