California
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Posts posted by California
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On 7/21/2023 at 2:16 PM, ba11et0mane said:
The audience loved him and he seemed super in character, right before Mercutio’s death when Mercutio tries to convince romeo to take a sword against tybalt and romeo refuses, you could see Roxander mouthing “just take it / just take one” to Bell. small detail that i loved, he has left such a good impression on me this season and i hope he gets promoted soon!
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.
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9 hours ago, choriamb said:
Forster was dramatically subdued and a bit blurred technically during Act I. And, then, was more energetic and technically sharp than I've ever seen him during the final two acts the ballet. (I wonder if he's simply sorting out how to pace his energy.)
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!
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On Instagram stories, Ratmansky is shown conducting company class on Friday morning. Making casting decisions for his ballets for fall?
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On 7/19/2023 at 1:48 PM, matilda said:
I thought "Other Dances" was supposed to come back this fall after hints from ABT dancers on Instagram. I guess they are just doing it for the summer BAAND festival.
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.
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44 minutes ago, abatt said:
Bell was excellent. Fabulous technique. And I felt his partnering of Hee Seo, who is a waif, was more daring and looked more spontaneous than his partnering Teuscher. Teuscher is so much taller and bigger than Hee, and therefore more difficult to partner.
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.
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Brilliant programming for fall! I want to see it all!
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8 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:
Also, she and/or Royal had the idea to extend the supported pirouettes with extra, fast revolutions. I saw this done to stunning effect when Brandt and Cornejo performed their first Corsaire together. However, here it looked like Royal was turning an egg beater.
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.
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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.
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14 hours ago, ba11et0mane said:
I’m sorry but i would love a brandt/bell swan lake one day. i don’t care about the ridiculous height difference (brandt at 5’2 and bell is 6’3 for anyone who didn’t know). I’ve watched the videos skylar posted on her youtube where they danced swan lake together at boca ballet theatre and it looked amazing(height difference wasn’t all that bothersome) they are both some of ABT’s strongest dancers at the moment. Just a thought i felt the need to share
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:
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15 minutes ago, onxmyxtoes said:
Erica Lall's ballon in today's matinee was unlike anyone I have seen recently. She gave me Osipova vibes - not quite Osipova but wow here sixes were so high up in the air with such ease!!
I sensed a lot of hesitation in Hee's dancing and especially noticed that choreography was modified to avoid prolonged back bends. Her Act II solo was beautiful, with just a small fumble during the turn sequence. Act III solo was competent but she looked like she was struggling and had no characterization at all. It wasn't her best performance.
Aran Bell was the most technically sound Sigfried I saw all week. He is the only one that did the same choreography as seen in the early 2000s filming with Angel Corella. Both Daniel Carmago and James Whiteside modified (made easier) the choreography. Aran is one to watch!
Joo Won gave a proficient Von Rothbart with beautiful turns and balances.
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.
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1 hour ago, ABT Fan said:
Where do you see this? ABT’s IG story from an hour ago says it’s Han.
Hoven is in the print program. No print insert. But an announcement before the curtain
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3 hours ago, California said:
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.
At intermission, Greg, director of development, confirmed: fall schedule announced Wednesday, July 19.
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20 minutes ago, bingham said:
Who taught the company class?
With apologies...he's on faculty at JKO school. International name.
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12 minutes ago, DPell said:
Per ABT’s story, Aran is performing this afternoon.
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.
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1 minute ago, AG said:
Is this perhaps what you had in mind?
The Throw! Wow! And they also did that during the performance? What a treat!
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16 minutes ago, MoMo said:
For me, the role of Purple VR is supposed to be performed with a sinister glee. He has an agenda. To coerce Siegfried I into betraying Odette. In the times I have seen Ahn, in other roles, he seems to be passionless. His dancing is very good, but no spark. He was the same for me in LWFC. When I saw Gomes in the role, he literally hit a grand slam! Wow!
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.)
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2 hours ago, abatt said:
I saw Wendy Whelan on the subway last week and said hello. She was very nice and down to earth. She asked me what I would like to see programmed in the future, as the company is already planning the 2024-25 season. I mentioned that Davidbundertanze had not been performed in a long time. She replied that "You need the right tall guy for that one." So that was my brush with ballet royalty on the subway system.
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.
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5 minutes ago, Rose1186 said:
(AND, I know everyone prefers to see entrechat sixes from Albrecht, but when men choose to do brises, no one here says they shouldn’t be able to do the role anymore..?)
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.
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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.)
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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!
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10 hours ago, abatt said:
. . . Cornejo clearly has declined since Fall of 2021. He did the brises and killed time to wait out the remainder of the music where is is being danced to death. He also cut back elsewhere in Act Ii. So for example, in a sequence where some men do three jetes, he would do two. i would rather remember him as he used to be in his prime.
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?
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13 minutes ago, Drew said:
Camargo was Osipova’s Albrecht when she guested last year at Teatro Colón.
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!
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47 minutes ago, abatt said:
Aran Bell was breathtaking. He is the perfect romantic lead. His dancing was flawless. The guy has it all - dramatic presence, fabulous technique and good partnering skills. He had no trouble with the overhead lifts of Devon, who is quite tall. He did at least 32 - may have been 33 - entrechat sixes.
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.
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1 hour ago, nanushka said:
I haven't watched it in quite awhile so don't have fresh recollections, but there is a video on YouTube of Boston Ballet performing Bourée Fantasque. The video is titled, simply, "Bourée Fantasque." There is also a detailed write-up in Reynolds' Repertory in Review (pp. 100-102).
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
ABT Romeo & Juliet: Met 2023
in American Ballet Theatre
Posted
I went to the opening weekend of Nutcracker at Segerstrom in 2015. (Was that the first year on the west coast?) At the afternoon dress rehearsal, Gorak apparently freaked out over the Cavalier role and there was a long wait for Whiteside to come out in practice clothes and finish the rehearsal. Gorak did some minor roles that weekend, but no cavalier then (or ever, as far as I know). Even the most seasoned men had trouble with that final PdD, especially the torch lift. That was a long time ago and it seems he never really recovered or figured out what he needed to do to conquer those problems, as Bell did.