California

Since a lot of people are impressed with Roxander, let me just note that his brother Ashton Roxander was just promoted to principal dancer at Philadelphia Ballet. Or perhaps I should just say "relative." Both are from Medford, Oregon. https://philadelphiaballet.org/dancers/ashton-roxander/ https://www.abt.org/people/jake-roxander/?type=performer

I had the same reaction to Forster at the Saturday matinee. Very weak in Act I -- low arabesques and jumps, e.g. But I think you're right that he seems to have been figuring out stamina to get through the entire ballet, as he was much better in II and III. Pardon this very trivial observation/question: I remember that they used to end with the dead bodies: he on the floor and she draped over. Curtain down. When the curtain went up they were in the same position. Curtain down. When curtain next went up, the pair were standing alone on stage. Now that second view of the bodies seems to have been eliminated. Perhaps it was too hard on the dancers. Perhaps it added too much time to the bows, which they seem determined to keep short now. But I do remember the second view as striking and miss it!

On Instagram stories, Ratmansky is shown conducting company class on Friday morning. Making casting decisions for his ballets for fall?

Here's the schedule for "Other Dances" at the BAAND festival: https://www.lincolncenter.org/series/summer-for-the-city/baand-together-dance-festival-866 Other Dances Choreography by JEROME ROBBINS Staged by ISABELLE GUÉRIN Music by FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Costumes by SANTO LOQUASTO Original lighting by NANANNE PORCHER GILLIAN MURPHY ARAN BELL (July 25, 27 & 29) ISABELLA BOYLSTON JOO WON AHN (July 26 & July 28) Piano Soloist: EMILY WONG Music for Other Dances includes four mazurkas: Op. 17, #4; Op. 41, #3; Op. 63, #2; Op. 33, #2; and one waltz, Op. 64, #3 by Frédéric Chopin. Other Dances was created in the spring of 1976 especially for Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov for a gala benefit for the Library and Museum of Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, New York City. The ballet was commissioned by Eugenia Doll and is dedicated to her memory with gratitude for the devoted tender loving care she extended to so many people and companies in the field of dance. Other Dances is performed by permission of the Robbins Rights Trust.

A side note on Bell's partnering from a Pointe interview: https://pointemagazine.com/catherine-hurlin-aran-bell-abt/ At just shy of 16, he was taken into ABT Studio Company, at the time directed by Kate Lydon. It was only then that Bell, who was still on the smaller side and slight, began to grow to his current height of 6′ 3″. And, more importantly, where he really learned to partner. Going through a huge growth spurt made things more difficult, but also focused his efforts. “I had a moment of realization when they asked me to do a very simple lift with the lightest girl in the room and it just didn’t happen,” he explains. “I had that panic—’I need to do something about this, fast.’ ” He started to work out assiduously at the gym, bulked up and figured it out. As a result, at 21 he is already considered one of the most dependable partners in the company. My thought on Royal's shaky partnering Wednesday afternoon: he needs to head to the gym! I wonder how many of the male dancers now see that as essential training.

Brilliant programming for fall! I want to see it all!

Brandt did the "eggbeater" pirouettes with Bell in the black swan at Boca Ballet. See 3:30. I wonder if other pairs will start doing those.

I haven't seen any comments on the Saturday evening performance with Shevchenko and Royal. She was spectacular in every way -- dramatic interpretation, dazzling technique (no surprise). Alas, Royal still has too many rough edges and I hope he continues to improve -- especially the wobbly landings and sloppy positions. The audience was extremely enthusiastic -- too enthusiastic, actually. It seemed like she had a cheering section that burst out in screams and applause at the drop of a hat, including the beginning of her impeccable fouettes (plenty of doubles) and throughout her variations. A nice touch: some yellow sunflowers (the flower of Ukraine) in the bouquet presented to her at the end.

I agree. This performance of Swan Lake with Brandt and Bell was live-streamed for a small donation back in May 2021. Brandt posted her white swan and black swan:

Hee seemed tired in Act III. Low jumps, flat footed at one place in pique turn menage. Single fouettes - about 24. Yes - incredible ballon by Lall. Love to see her have more opportunities to show that off! Bell is the complete package. Acting throughout was nuanced and believable. Solid technique.

Hoven is in the print program. No print insert. But an announcement before the curtain

At intermission, Greg, director of development, confirmed: fall schedule announced Wednesday, July 19.

With apologies...he's on faculty at JKO school. International name.

I Am at the matinee. People at Friends desk said he is performing. I just saw him at company class on stage for Friends until 1 pm. The fact that he did not leave early made me wonder! Friends said fall schedule announced next week, although I don't know their source.

The Throw! Wow! And they also did that during the performance? What a treat!

The Gold Standard for Purple VR: Marcelo Gomes. (This video is strangely distorted, but you'll get the idea!) (I couldn't find a clip of Nina's retirement with Gomes and Corella, except for the bows.)

Interesting! I actually wish they would bring back Union Jack! No other company does it and that opening section with all the regiments is really something. Last performed in 2019. I remember an interview long ago that said no other company had requested it, probably because they have 70 dancers on stage at one point! Few companies are big enough to handle that, even with supplements from their schools.

Maybe I'm part of a small minority, but I much prefer the brises, which we saw with Baryshnikov. They work best with shorter men. Dramatically, Albrecht is looking at Myrtha as he progresses, under her command. For the entrechats, he has to turn away from her and look forward to the audience.

A now-retired principal at Colorado Ballet substituted the releve thing for the hops. Those who know the ballet were disappointed, but I guessed that most in the audience didn't know the difference. The fouette issue has been discussed ad nauseum here and elsewhere and we know there were great dancers who just couldn't do them. So they worked out an impressive substitution and that seemed okay to most. I haven't seen Trenary's hops, but from what I read here, I almost wish she would just work out a good substitution and let it go at that. It's also painful to watch those who barely move on the hops and cut them short when you know what's possible - which sounds like what Murphy did. (Shevchenko, as I remember from earlier performances, covered lots of territory in great form, as does Osipova.) It's worst when somebody starts the famous move, falls apart and then seems to scramble with something else to fill out the music. Better to just plan ahead with the substitution. (As Julia Child reportedly once said: however it comes out of the kitchen, that's what you intended.)

Apologies for an extremely trivial matter that I noticed: The NY Times spells ABT American Ballet Theater instead of the company's own American Ballet Theatre -- in the header, editor's note, and text. I found the same thing in several other articles in recent weeks on ABT. I assume the Times finds the spelling "theatre" pretentious and incorrect in the US, but it's a proper name!

Sad to hear about Cornejo's apparent decline. Some people do hang on just a little too long. I'll be very interested in the fall schedule to see if there are suitable retirement performances for both Murphy and Cornejo. She could do The Dream. I seriously doubt that he could do Etudes. Perhaps Other Dances?

Thanks for the tip! Some clips from the Camargo-Osipova Giselle. (Do check out her hops on point at 2:13 -- a full circle. Is that what Teuscher did? PS. Remember when we actually got to see Osipova at the Met with ABT? Another era, for sure!

Wish I could have seen Bell today. He's become my favorite to watch, especially after his Don Q last season. Interesting that he is the only male principal with two SLs this summer. If hints of Etudes this fall are true, he's one of the few men at ABT with the technique to handle the lead.

I found a really poor quality recording of Bouree Fantasque, but no credits. From some Googling, it seems that the School of American Ballet does excerpts every few years. E.g., https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/arts/dance/11workshop.html https://www.facebook.com/SABNYC/posts/in-the-spirit-of-our-upcoming-virtual-workshop-celebration-were-sharing-another-/10157414177973870/

Thanks for these reports on the Segerstrom engagement. Wish I could have attended myself! Ratmansky has several photos on his Facebook page today and says that the run was sold out. From the glimpses of the audience I saw on Instagram, it does look like the entire theater was opened up. What's impressive about the Fugue: as I understand it, there's no record of the original choreography, so Ratmansky made that in the style of the ballet. It's impressive! I especially like the end, where Albrecht "flies" Giselle across the entire front of the stage. Long ago, I saw a clip of David Hallberg watching that and gasping!