California

In this clip the fishdive music starts at 2:30 -- with different steps. Hallberg and Zhakarova in 2011 at the Bolshoi:

Ratmansky just posted on his public Facebook: SLEEPING BEAUTY: no 'fish dives' in the Wedding pas de deux this time around. we found the original Petipa steps in Pavel Gerdt drawings stored at the Bolshoi Museum. you can see Fonteyn & Helpman taking the pose drawn by Gerdt, who created the role of the Prince in 1890. apart from the Wedding pas Gerdt also sketched all the partnering in the Vision scene and we are incorporating all of it! feels so good to finally get it right. what a treasure

Has an actual schedule been posted anywhere, or just the press release, which is also now on the web site? https://www.abt.org/abt-2019-fall-season-announced/

People who are unable to attend can donate their ticket(s) for resale and get a charitable tax deduction. For the Met, you either call the Customer Care number on the web page or your print-at-home ticket or do it in person at the box office. Must be at least two hours before curtain. NYCB has the same option, but you can also do that on their web page if you have a member account or at the box office or by calling. I've done this several times when travel plans got complicated. And after sitting through the dress rehearsal of Coq d'Or, I confess that I headed straight for the box office to donate my opening night ticket - I'm not sitting through that again!

If you're not already following Cornejo on Instagram, time to sign up! On his "stories" today he posted his entire Act III variation! Alas, no way to copy that one here. I'm hoping for more. It looks like it was shot from the Grand Tier box nearest stage left, which I think is reserved for company members. I hope somebody got some footage of Lane!

Hallberg will be travelling the globe this fall: https://davidhallberg.com/Dates-News

Colorado Ballet has done the Bruch Violin Concerto in 2007, 2015, and 2017. We love it here. Maybe ABT thinks it's not sufficiently sophisticated for the NYC audiences?

Out of curiosity, I looked at ticket availability Wednesday night an hour before curtain. Maybe a dozen seats in the orchestra + some second rows in parterre side boxes. That was about it and I imagine they were gone by curtain.

Teuscher and Bell also got two performances. Stronger, but Bell is still in the corps. Why Lane was shut out remains a mystery -- bad blood still from the Black Swan movie episode? Any evidence that Seo has a following that sells tickets?

Several months ago we had a discussion of the Miami City Ballet's plans to stage Ratmansky's reconstruction of the original in the 2020-21 season. Lopes posted some things on her social media, although it's not yet on their web site. Currently, Miami does Balanchine's one-act Swan Lake. I assume they would want a North American exclusive on the reconstruction. Presumably McKenzie gets royalties for using his version at ABT, so until he retires, this seems like the version ABT will stay with.

Cornejo as partner might also have something to do with going with Lane. Perhaps the other O/Os are too tall or too exhausted or getting ready for tomorrow, etc. Lane did the role in 2017 with Simkin, so she does know it and it would make sense for her to be available as understudy.

Last week, some company members were taping from the wings and posting on Instagram. Let's hope they do that tonight for Lane!

The master calendar hasn't changed yet, but I see this on Lane's Instagram "stories" - two hours notice! Lane with Cornejo! I'm so jealous of those of you in NYC who get to see it. Copeland is still listed with Hallberg for Saturday.

This list does not include anything from 2020. ABT will be doing Giselle at the Kennedy Center February 11-16. No casting announcement yet, but the KenCen has an ad running relentlessly on Facebook for the ballet series that features Hallberg in Giselle. Perhaps they figure most people won't know who that is. http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/BUBSE He's also doing Giselle with Nunez in LA July 24-26, 2020 with La Scala. https://www.musiccenter.org/tickets/events-by-the-music-center/Glorya-Kaufman-Dance/Subscriptions/subscribe/teatro-alla-scala/?performanceId=5243 So, we might wonder if he'll be doing Giselle with ABT in 2020?

Here's the complete list. Guess he won't be doing ABT's fall season at Lincoln Center, not that we expected him to. https://davidhallberg.com/Dates-News

Ardani posted some nice video of the farewell bows of Bolle's farewell, with a little backstage footage:

I went to both the Copeland-Stearns matinee and the Hallberg-Boylston in the evening on Wednesday. Apparently all four Manons are debut performances and it strikes me that all have gotten good coaching on dramatic details and nuance. Somebody on this board said that Ferri is in town and wondered if she's coaching. Nobody has posted anything like that on Instagram, so who knows. If Copeland or Boylston blurred or omitted choreography, I didn't notice. Both brought a sense of abandon, although they didn't knock my socks off as Lane did Tuesday night. And nobody had the chemistry with their partners that Lane did with Cornejo. Hallberg was magnificant. I was up close and the emotion in his acting was riveting. He's such a polished professional and he "spoke" so eloquently throughout. He's prepared for this role before and had to pull out with injuries, so we might be seeing the result of some of that coaching at Royal Ballet. His technique in all those long adagio solos seemed much more secure than others in the role, and with his beautiful lines, he's just gorgeous. Stearns is a blank to me. I just don't see anything in his face. When he was expressing joyfulness, his smile looked more like a teenager's grin. Adagios didn't seem as secure as Cornejo or Hallberg. No complaints about the partnering. We know this was a debut for Cornejo and Hallberg, but I don't know about Stearns. And I don't know that coaching on the emotional expressiveness would help. The house for both seemed about 75%. Copeland had warned her young fans that this might not be appropriate, so that probably cut attendance.

Ratmansky just posted on Facebook his last performance with Royal Danish Ballet as Lescaut. Take a look at the hideous costumes for the women! Lane posted on her Instagram story some shots of the names in her costumes. Sibley and Collier wore those! Good for ABT to bring in the Royal's costumes! It must be exciting for the dancers to see those legendary names.

Like Laurel, I was blown away by Lane's portrayal -- so much nuanced detail and convincing emotion, along with her impressive technique. Even more impressive for me: the intense chemistry between Lane and Cornejo. They have danced together before in many roles and seem to have a comfort level in pushing the envelope in their acting and dancing. By the final PdD, Cornejo seemed totally spent, emotionally and physically, and it showed in his bows. Abrera and Whiteside impressed me Monday as Lescaut and his mistress. Hoven was fine on Tuesday, but Trenary was a blank for me. She seemed cynical and bitter in Act I, while Abrera seemed to have decided that this is the life she is stuck with, so find some fun and sassiness in it. This is one of my favorite ballets. I saw three performances in 2014, including the Vishneva-Gomes pairing that others have mentioned. Then I found a way to see three performances with Royal last year, although I never managed to see Osipova. There are several DVDs out there, too, including the original cast (Dowell and Sibley). My favorite is the Acosta-Rojo recording, which is free on Amazon Prime, for those of you who subscribe. A writer I otherwise adore finds Manon too "schmaltzy." Well, I guess I love schmaltz -- the lush score, the drama, the intense partnering. I'm so glad to see Cornejo back on stage and can't wait to see Lane-Cornejo again on Friday. I think we're all in for another treat. And I'm wondering if Hallberg and Boylston do as well in their debuts in this wonderful ballet tonight.

Cornejo just posted on his public Instagram: "It's happening" and a picture of his first act costume. Now we just have to hope he has an uneventful afternoon!

I saw White Crow yesterday and loved it! It's not a "ballet film" with extensive performing, just brief glimpses of the classroom, rehearsal, and performance. But for ballet lovers who know Nureyev's story, it's fascinating to see it spelled out in narrative detail. The childhood in Siberia, the desperate poverty, the reminder that his father went off to fight in WWII and made it home, the supreme confidence in his own dancing, the excitement of experiencing Paris for the first time, the terror at the realization that the KGB was sending him back to Moscow to prison or worse. . . Lots of cutting back and forth in time which worked for me. I hope it makes it to Netflix or HBO eventually so I can study details.

Lovely performance by Hee Seo. She's not one of my favorites, but this is a good role for her. Expected elegance and great partnering by Bolle. Whiteside has been having a good season. He's a natural Lescaut and got extra applause at the end. (He was also a stand-out in Deuce Coupe.) Abrera seemed to love the mistress role and was great fun. The orchestra seemed mostly full, but the sides of the tiers were empty. No cast changes as of this morning. Fingers crossed for Cornejo and Hallberg!

I decided to visit NYC to see Manon and those spectacular casts. Then I decided to arrive a couple days early to see Simkin and Cornejo in Corsaire. Oh well...Looking forward to Manon and hope they have both recovered. Saturday evening Corsaire: I don't disagree with any of the assessments already noted above. Of special note: Aran Bell as Lankendem: just first-rate. His deep plies were so confident, partnering seemed very secure, acting convincing, technique impressive. He has a presence that says principal-in-waiting and I imagine it won't take very long. Brooklyn Mack as Conrad: I was sitting with a group from Washington, DC who traveled north to see him and are dismayed that he's no longer with Washington Ballet. I thought his height, speed, presence, etc. were all impressive. Like others, I hope he adds some polish to details of form. He did one weak revoltade 540 that perhaps should wait until he can really nail it. Once we've seen Simkin's, it's hard to look good in comparison. Gabe Shayer as Birbanto: Very strong, solid technique, impressive acting. Christine Shevchenko as Medora: Oh my! Along with her sparkling and very impressive technique, she has a regal, commanding elegance and presence that is truly captivating. She's not just a great technician, but a truly great artist.

Looking back, one wonders if this mistake was a hint that something was wrong...wish he'd tell us on Instagram.

I asked them last year if they welcomed real adult beginners who just wanted some disciplined absolute beginner exercise -- nope, they said. I'm curious how NYCB's first such adult workshop went -- It was three days June 6-8. Anybody here attend? NYCB has been doing one-time adult classes and I've gone to a few when in town. True beginners are welcome and nobody feels left out. I think there's a market for these. https://www.nycballet.com/Educate/Public-Programs/Ballet-Essentials.aspx https://www.nycballet.com/Educate/Public-Programs/Ballet-Essentials-Workshop-Weekend.aspx