nanushka

*sigh* Where to begin?

Exactly. And the article is about the company's upcoming seasons, not about Copeland specifically.

David Hallberg has been posting fairly often (for him, at least) on FB, and he's apparently in NYC, but I realized today that I haven't seen anything to suggest that he has been in rehearsal and/or in ABT studios.

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Wow. I'm surprised he posted that. But I completely agree as well.

That's so great to hear. I'm surprised too. This company is so impressive, really, in so many ways. Considering what's happened in the past 6 months, they have really come through remarkably well, it seems so far. It makes me feel optimistic for the future of NYCB.

Yes, that makes sense too. I don't know the steps there but it looked like that sort of transition.

Ah that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification! Your guess sounds quite likely right.

Yes, I don't think Bouder was saying Pereira will actually perform the role of Coppélia, but I'm also not sure she was saying she'll debut as Swanilda. It was a vague (and, as said above, jokey) enough post that I didn't think it could necessarily be taken as an announcement of a debut. If that's what she meant, clearer info will surely come soon. I didn't recognize the steps, but I also don't have thorough knowledge of the ballet.

Exactly.

Yeah, I'm not sure we have enough info yet to assert that Pereira will be debuting as Swanilda. It's possible, but Bouder doesn't say that. The story is just Pereira doing some steps, messing around in a rehearsal room, with a caption that says, "Ladies and Gentlemen...the newest Coppelia."

All that granted, I just don't yet get the argument for having it in the middle of the program as opposed to before the start time (e.g. 1:00 or 1:15 for a 2:00 matinee curtain). (I understand the union issues with having it during intermission.)

Yes, same here. It was a moment that only half registered at the time, though.

All so well put. This matches almost exactly how I experienced the performance.

That doesn't seem to be it, since not all performances of the same program have the "See the Music" feature added on.

Maybe those of us who prefer to get straight to the dancing and get out 15 minutes earlier could just take up a collection? One thing I really disliked about the Agon one: it ruined some of the lovely surprises of the music, which emerge organically as the piece is performed in full. (I knew the music already, but it really has a diminished effect when you've just heard some of the highlights 10 minutes earlier. I'd rather be hearing them fresh in full performance — as Stravinsky and Balanchine intended the piece to unfold.)

I was hoping it might be a Peter Martins initiative that would be quietly dispensed with now that he's gone, but as abatt notes they're still on the calendar for next year at least. I was mildly annoyed to see that one of my planned dates (for a program I can't see another time) is marked. The one I saw wasn't terrible and wasn't long — but yes, I would prefer to avoid them in the future.

There will be a brief lecture before one of the pieces. Once this past winter they did this before an Agon; the orchestra rose up and the conductor and another person spoke about the music for about 10-15 minutes, with interspersed excerpts. (They said about 4 times, "Don't worry, we'll get to the dancing soon." If they know that's what everyone's really waiting for, I don't know why they even bother. In my opinion, these lectures should be given optionally, during intermission or before the performance, only for those who are truly interested.)

Lovette danced Calliope on Sunday, quite well.

Who all on the roster now (besides Megan F) has danced Swanilda? Any guesses as to who might be added? Eager to see the casting on that.

I know Peter Martins did a lot of good for NYCB (or at least prevented a lot of potential bad), but the fact that he seems to have prioritized his ego over the optimal maintenance of Balanchine tradition is, in my mind, possibly unforgivable.

Wait. When did it become possible for non-subscribers to exchange tickets at all, even with a fee? That's their current policy?

If anyone can explain the idiosyncrasies of ABT's marketing efforts in a way that eliminates confusion, I will be very eager to hear!

I highly doubt Bolle will dance much more this season than currently scheduled (which is basically the same amount he's danced annually for quite awhile). I think if he were more willing to solve ABT's male casting headaches by filling in he'd have done so more frequently before now. (Though he has on rare occasions, here and there, I believe.) The images shown on ABT's promotional materials are not infrequently unreflective of who actually appears onstage. Bolle's is a good face to put forward if one wants to draw attention and doesn't have scruples about strict truth in advertising.

None of those was at ABT, where dancers do not typically get full-length title roles on the Met stage just over a year after moving from apprentice to corps. Not to say it's never happened (I don't know either way), but in the context of this particular company it's certainly quite unusual.