Golden Idol

Abatt: from your keyboard to KM's ears. Oh yes, would love to see Raymonda again...

Hate to burst anyone's bubble, but when they celebrated KM's anniversary in 2012, he had just signed a new ten-year (yes, ten-year) renewal of his contract. Barring some financial catastrophe blamed on him, he's not going anywhere soon. And as far as considering Barbee as a new AD, that would mean we'd still be seeing Julie Kent dancing as a principal when she's...well, to put it diplomatically, as old as I am.

Would it be possible for someone to upload it to YouTube?

FYI to New York area ABT fans: The Wednesday and Thursday perfs of the mixed bill called Classic Spectacular are on TDF for cheap.

Vasiliev as Puck? What an intriguing idea--I'd never have thought of it. Apropos the Coppelia casting: I disagree. I wish Cornejo weren't dancing with Misty, but so be it--I'm going just to see him.

I've just clicked over to the separate thread about tattoos and (oh dear god, I don't want to think about it) piercings, and I must say that the same divide in opinions existed in 2007 as it apparently does now. Sascha's tattoo seems to be the biggest offender, if offended you are. I didn't see ABT do Clear in 2007 or last fall, but two years ago when he did the slinky Arabian variation in Nutcracker (called "Coffee" in the Balanchine version) he had something covering up the eagle--whether it was a bad makeup job or a clumsily applied patch, I couldn't tell. The cover-up attempt was just as bad as the tattoo itself, and I did find it a distraction, because Ratmansky's new "story" for that variation was otherwise clever and very entertaining, and Sascha danced it well.

Come on, it's not like they want to wear some kind of headdress or other accoutrement for religious purposes. But don't you see my larger point? Their art is their body. Keep it clean, fellas!

Last week, I saw a brief video interview with Andrew Veyette, who said he was "excited" about his new tattoo. I groaned in dismay. Last night I saw it for myself, in Acheron (which--unexpectedly--I really enjoyed, by the way). Why do supremely athletic and attractive dancers feel the need to scribble all over their bodies? Their bodies are their art, for goodness' sake, so why would they deface them? Over at ABT I've bemoaned the ugly eagle on Sascha Radetsky's bicep, and Patrick Ogle has stuff all over him. Doesn't matter when they're costumed, but when bare-chested it's at least a distraction, at most distasteful. Bear in mind that the danseurs shave their armpits and trim the chest hair so they don't look messy onstage. I fail to understand why the artistic directors don't forbid dancers from tattooing themselves, on pain of dismissal from the company. Sound severe? I don't think so. Tell them to wait until they retire from the stage to "express" themselves in this deplorable way.

I'm delighted to read that A Month in the Country is worth revisiting. I hadn't been planning to see it again until I learned that Cote would be dancing (this being the best rationale there is for guest artists!), but will do so on Sunday. However... many empty seats? It's a disgrace that ABT doesn't make these available on TDF; neither do they offer the $29 tickets on the far sides of the orch, second, and third rings that NYCB does. For shame. Vergogna!

Couldn't say about Whiteside, but apropos Hallberg: As a copyeditor, I notice mistakes in programs all the time. This could have been one, but on the other hand, it may reflect what's in Hallberg's contract. I recall something similar last fall, when Gillian was listed as a principal, but did not appear during the City Center season.

May I hop on to Abatt's report with a few reactions of my own. I guess I'm a little more forgiving of the "tempest" decor on the mezzanine. Yes, it was silly, but I was mildly amused by it, and after all I'm not one of the richies that ate dinner apres la danse amidst all that wacky decor. I didn't have any problems with wending my way around obstructions, but perhaps I was just lucky. I'm less forgiving of the ballet The Tempest, which I found admirable but not really likable. Yes, Simkin was the showiest element of it, and he filled Ariel's choreography to the max, but the music is so dull, and from start to finish the adaptation of the narrative was emotionally dry and uninvolving. And oh yes, poor Cornejo seemed wasted. I don't look forward to seeing it again next summer on the Shakespearean program. One other thing: didn't the production team learn from Firebird not to use again that glassy black flooring that squeaks against the dancers' slippers? Clearly (and audibly) they did not. I do disagree with Abatt about Marcelo's piece. I don't have a clue what the name "Aftereffects" could signify, but I did enjoy it--I liked the nonstop energy and the athleticism of it, and its only lapse in common sense occurred when the men lie on their backs and wiggle their arms in the air: what's that about? I (thankfully) didn't see Sascha's eagle tattoo on his biceps--was it successfully covered over with makeup or has he been able to have it removed? I have little to add to Abatt's comments on Theme and Variations, though Gillian looked marvellous and Whiteside's partnering was very gallant, and I spotted that loose thread, too! And one of Gillian's spangles popped off her costume at one point! Now, this one I do look forward to seeing again at the final matinee perf, when Whiteside will partner Paloma, and when I'll happily get to see Guillaume Cote again, in A Month in the Country.

To the person who wondered if New York dancers attended: yes, on Friday evening, I'm pretty sure I saw Julio Brigado-Young from ABT. And, yes, I loved the performance.

Thank you, Pherank, for the comments on SF's upcoming season. Though it is probably unrealistic to think about it, I'm sorely tempted to visit in time for programs 2 & 3, as I'd love to see how SF does the Shades (Bayadere being my favorite ballet, as you might guess from my handle here). We shall see...

Is there talk of ABT doing Suite en blanc? That would be lovely...and a fine way to show off the corp and some soloists. Hmmm...perhaps I should revisit Namouna this winter, though I hadn't intended to.

Enjoyed Trio, From Foreign Lands (the national dances in Swan Lake, but without the swans), and Symphonic Dances, but couldn't disagree more about Suite en Blanc--saw both perfs this weekend, and loved it even more the second time. If these are classroom exercises, then I'm quite at home in the classroom, complete with what I kept thinking of as Le Grand Gesture (of which, yes, there are plenty in this piece). From your description, I would have thought you were referring to the pretty but inane Bal de Couture over at NYCB. And so nice to see Simone Messmer again as the girl in the pas de cinq! So I hope we can agree to disagree on this one. I haven't been to San Francisco in about twelve years; now I want to return next year to see more of this terrific company!

Many thanks to Mussel for the forecast. The Golden Idol approves!

Now, I know nothing about his skill and talent as a dancer, so I cast no aspersions whatsoever, but I think this "initiative" has something to do with very new corps member Gabe Shayer being highly visible in the second cast of Tempest this fall, and why we are seeing more of Calvin Royal.

Apropos the whereabouts of departing/departed ABT dancers, Roddy Doble's Facebook page indicates he's living in Boston now, but no mention of affiliation. Carlos Lopez was teaching in Mexico this past summer. I hate to sound like a cyber-stalker, but the Facebook pages of ABT dancers are informative and often charming, because from their comments and especially the photos they post of themselves and their colleagues, you get a sense of just what a bunch of kids they are, kids who may certainly be accomplished artists but who do, well, all sorts of kids things!

James Whiteside's Twitter account says to watch for an "exciting" announcement from ABT later this week. Promotion, perhaps? By the way, whatever you may think of him as a danseur, his JbDUBS videos are very funny. And the boy can move!

Nice to note the upsurge in interest in a revival of Manon. I want to see it return, too. As someone who's been going to ABT regularly for about six years, I'm wondering if one of you veterans can fill in some blanks. Which full-lengths are still in the repertory but which haven't been revived lately--say, in a decade or more? (Thank goodness for this year's Sylvia.) I can think of Raymonda, Fille Mal Gardee, but what others? It does get a bit tiresome to see the same things in rotation season after season, though I acknowledge that Swan Lake is inevitable (like the Met's Boheme, it's a cash cow) and I too want to see it every summer. (Would that Bayadere were an annual, rather than a biennial; I never get tired of it, not ever.)

I really do think Irina was more candid in her interview than she would have been if she were still with the company. Now that they're out, she and Maxim can say whatever they want to and it won't hurt them. Hammoudi does come off as more upbeat about ABT, and it's a rather sunny, honest-sounding interview, but I'm sure he needs to be diplomatic. He simply can't be as outspoken about ABT as he is about the Paris Opera Ballet, for example. I would be delighted if he's given more opportunities to perform, and I liked his Espada, though his ballroom von Rothbart has a way to go--he doesn't look quite "grown-up" and he doesn't project enough enigma or menace. (Part of this may be his small jawline, which gives his face a sweetly boyish look.) I gather he's injured and his withdrawal in some upcoming perfs is very unfortunate, but I hope he recovers soon enough to dance again before the end of the Met season. One other thing: How nice that Time Out devotes so much space to interviews with dancers. I approve!

Is this news? Is this even interesting? Maybe they issued a release because otherwise no one would recognize her on stage.

Apropos absence of videos: Yes, it is really shocking in this day and age that ABT is not pursuing more video releases or HDs. I can't say whether it's because they've backed themselves so badly into a corner financially and can't afford it, or it's a lack of imagination. I suspect the latter, because the ads they've been running (I see them on NY1) this month are not very inspiring, though at least they utilize recent clips. (Last summer, the video clips looked years old to me.) The voice-over sounds tired, and the rapid clips (always showing mere seconds of one bravura moment or another) are cut together in such a way they make surprisingly little impact. Say what I will about Peter Gelb (and I won't indulge that here), I do wish ABT had someone who possessed as fierce and ruthless a marketing vision for the company. God knows they need it. And while I'm on the subject, for those of us in New York, I'm amazed that ABT offers so few of its performances on TDF. There are enough evenings at the Met with a multitude of empty seats that I cannot imagine the downside to posting more offerings on TDF. True, some of the Onegin perfs were offered (and this rather surprised me), and I believe one of this week's Don Qs, too, Last summer, practically nothing. What could they possibly have to lose? The Family Circle may be a lost cause, but on nights when the Balcony is 2/3 full, those $45/$55 tickets could be offered for $29 and they'd sell. NYCB does this frequently and I try to take advantage when possible. Again, I suspect this is a failure of imagination.

California wrote: At first, it looked like her R&J on the previous Saturday night, June 15, might be her retirement performance, as she had nothing else on the schedule that season. Would they do a retirement at a Saturday matinee of Swan Lake? Seems odd, but perhaps that's still a possibility. I don't think Julie's going anywhere. As Mrs. Barbee she is firmly in place until such time as she decides not to be.

I loathe his politics but Mr. Koch can continue to write all the checks he likes, the more and the larger the better. He won't fool anyone into thinking that he possesses any real appreciation of culture; he's trying to buy respectability. ABT can hold its nose and deposit the checks, and likewise Kevin, regardless of his inadequacies as an artistic director, can laugh off being called "Peter." And I'll continue to refer to it as the State Theater, which if its stage facilities allow ABT to revive a wider range of pieces, I say good for ABT. (Even though City Center is, especially after its recent renovation, a vastly more beautiful venue.)