cobweb

I found the piece with David Hallberg and Joseph Gordon to be intense and moving. I don't think I've ever seen a Bejart piece before, and I liked it more than I thought I would. Of course, it depends on the right casting, and the pairing of young Gordon with the older, worldly Hallberg was inspired. I would have loved to see this again, but concluded I couldn't spend on another ticket when I only wanted to see one piece on the program. I found the Gemma Bond piece pointless and forgettable. I enjoyed Elite Syncopations, which I'd never seen before either, and especially enjoyed the Royal Ballet dancers and our very own Cassandra Trenary, showing a sophisticated and confident stage presence. I'm sorry I missed last week's programs (I was out of town) and look forward to the final program, on Saturday. On a side note, being at the Joyce in August reminded me of last year's Sarasota Ballet visit. Very fond memories!

I too was hoping for a fresher voice, like Harss or Apollinaire Scherr.

I don’t begrudge them the costs. I know they need the money. What I find annoying and deceptive is the way it’s structured, with mandatory per-ticket fees. Do they think customers won’t notice these add-ons?

All those add-on fees are really annoying, and I would find it hard to believe that market research tells them otherwise. Why don't they just fold the fees into the cost of the ticket? Is there some reason anyone knows that they can't, or don't, do this? (Not just ABT doing this, I know.)

Thanks for the report FPF! The heat sounds like a real problem, and it's only going to get worse this week, especially on Saturday. Probably that's not good for ticket sales, or for the dancers. I wonder if someone subbed for Lovette. She's in the "Creek" video (which you posted up-thread), and her hair isn't blonde, and presumably that was very recent. I'm glad to hear Pereira amped up her stage presence, and not surprised to hear about the wonderful Reichlen and radiant Lauren King. If you attend more performances, please report back.

Kathleen, that is impressive! What do you do about casting changes?

Saratoga casting is updated. Aaron Sanz and Claire Kretzschmar are out, replaced by Preston Chamblee and Sara Adams. I'd love to hear reports from anyone attending.

Thanks nanushka! If you go the cell phone photo route, I'd be interested to know if you use Evernote or some other app to organize the pics. Off topic, but thanks also for your daily bulletins from the recent ABT season. I appreciate your reports.

Thanks all for these suggestions. I am leaning toward tearing out the casting pages, and I feel more bold about it knowing that some of you do it also. Nanushka, a nit-picky question - do you staple the casting pages together, or use a paperclip or something else? I love the idea of a spreadsheet, but realistically I can't envision keeping this up. I wish NYCB would archive all the performance casting information (including who actually danced, including last-minute changes) on the website. I believe the Metropolitan Opera does this, although I haven't checked recently.

As the years go by and I attend many performances, the programs are really piling up. It's also harder to keep them organized and find things if I'm wondering about a past performance that I saw. Knowing many of you must be in the same boat, I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for how to store and organize old programs. I've considered just tearing out the crucial casting pages, which would greatly reduce the bulk, but I can't quite bring myself to do that. Also considering just scanning the casting pages, but that would be a hassle. Does anyone have ideas or a system they can recommend for keeping the programs accessible and/or not take up too much space?

That is too bad about Kaho Ogawa. I saw her a few years back, as an Odalisque. I was highly impressed with her steely technique, long legs, and elegance. I've been eager to see her in featured roles since then, but it never happened. I figured there must be an issue with injuries.

That's interesting about the different talent pools, and the little girls in NYCB's Mozartiana do seem quite young (definitely younger than in that photo with Veronika). But even if girls are on pointe in their training, they could still appear in soft slippers on stage.

One thing I noticed and was wondering about - the girls (children) of the Garland Waltz were wearing pointe shoes. I believe that in Le Corsaire also, I noticed the children wearing pointe shoes. It seems to me that at NYCB, girls of roughly the same age are in slippers, including the Garland Waltz and in other ballets. For example, the four girls of NYCB's Mozartiana appear to be more or less the same age as in ABT's Sleeping Beauty Garland Waltz, but they are in slippers. I prefer it that way - it heightens the contrast with the adult dancers and, to me, adds to the poignancy and sweetness of having children on the stage. Is anyone able to comment on this, is there any rhyme or reason to the difference and why would a company do it one way or another?

I attended last night with Mr. cobweb, our second time seeing this production. Herman Cornejo was absolutely stunning, overwhelming almost. The minute he comes on the stage he commands attention and brings a whole new level to the proceedings. What had seemed somewhat light and frivolous becomes serious and searching. He is a great artist. And that's even before he does any dancing! The beauty of his variations in the wedding scene is hard to fully describe, honestly I was overwhelmed. Blistering speed and intensity and elevation, along with scrupulously formed shapes, you could clearly read every position in the air and on the ground. Note to self/note to all - on to Apollo! Sarah Lane danced beautifully, I found her especially fleet in the wedding scene, and I loved the repeated low arabesque motif. Beautifully shaped. I agree with MarzipanShepherdess about her strained facial expression, and her characterization could show more of a development arc. Still, I'd gladly choose to see her again (especially as compared to some of the other current Auroras). I was disappointed not to see Christine Shevchenko as Lilac, but happy to see Stella Abrera, dancing with radiance and commanding authority. This is my first time seeing Catherine Hurlin this season, and as others have noted she looks outstanding. She is gifted with a body beautiful and expressive for ballet, and a wide open face. Very exciting to watch. This was a lovely, musical Luciana Paris, looking very secure and strong. My thoughts about the production are mixed. In many ways it is beautiful and I appreciate the restraint and modesty. But it is overstuffed (a couple of the wedding divertissements really should be axed IMHO), seems unnatural for many of the dancers, and is not in step with the expectations of modern audiences. I question the thinking behind pouring scarce resources into a historical reconstruction. Will this really appeal to audiences year after year? I also felt that the demeanor of some of the dancers undercut the grandeur of the music and the production, particularly in the Prologue. The Fairies especially, in their variations, seem to be coached to dance with a bright smile, which made them seem generic and shallow, more like modern youngsters than regal fairies. Mr. cobweb, a (retired) musician who played with plenty of ballet orchestras back in the day, felt the conducting was grossly out of step with the dancers, and he lamented the bygone days of John Lanchbery. That's a wrap to the season. The Joyce's Ballet in August beckons like an oasis for the ballet-thirsty, a stopover on the way to the fall NYCB season.

Whether it’s worth it depends on the ticket price and how that fits into your ballet budget, but I can say that Danchig-Waring is a very compelling performer and an excellent Apollo. He was out with a significant injury since he last danced it (in NY at least) but he looked back in great form during the spring season. Please report back if you go!

Casting is up for the SPAC engagement. Nothing new in the way of debuts, except for Veyette as Dr. Coppelius. Also no sign of Tiler Peck. But, I am happy to see Adrian Danchig-Waring will be back to dancing Apollo.

While I hesitate to see ABT do Balanchine, I would be tempted to see a Lane-Cornejo cast. Shevchenko would also be an obvious choice. Others have mentioned Murphy (has she done it before?), Teuscher, Hurlin, and Boylston (no). They can't all do it; someone's going to be left out. But what about the male role? Remember what happened last time... was it that Cory Stearns got injured? Can't remember the cause, but I don't think they want to be turning to Andy Veyette again for this one.

Amen to that.

Can we imagine this? Lane and Trenary, yes. Boylston? NO.

I was there last night. I too was largely unmoved during Act II, despite it being technically beautiful. I did get the pathos and sorrow in Shevchenko's mime sequence, as well as the moment she comes back under the spell of von Rothbart, transforming despite struggling against it. I liked Act III much better. However, I didn't care for James Whiteside. Is this really an improvement for him? I found him petulant and shallow, an unconvincing actor whose mannerisms seemed decidedly 21st century. The pas de trois was excellent, especially a springy and radiant Skylar Brandt. She doesn't seem like a natural fit for O/O, yet I'd love to see it. Calvin Royal was just terrific as purple Rothbart. I also enjoyed the committed Patrick Frenette in the Spanish dance. He has a great presence. As someone said up-thread, Zimmi Coker is a standout in the corps. With her glowing head of red hair she is impossible to miss, and she seems like a real charmer.

Kathleen, thank you for this analysis and research. I have no knowledge of arts administration, and the information you provide, on this occasion as you have often done, is illuminating.

While it's clear that Murphy and Abrera have to retire sooner rather than later, it could possibly still be a couple of years. See: Maria Kowroski. ETA: Also, vipa, what makes you think Brandt and Trenary would necessarily be promoted at the same time? If there is funding for one but not two, don't you think one would get the promotion rather than wait for funding for two?

I never would have gone to Le Corsaire, and possibly would have missed the entire Met season, except that I wanted to see Daniil Simkin. That didn't pan out, but I saw enough wonderful dancing to make me consider finding room in my budget for a few performances of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. First off, Christine Shevchenko was exquisite. She is everything I could ask for in a classical ballerina - lyrical and sensuous, with speed and precision, thrilling fouettes, and carries herself like an old-fashioned star. Swan Lake, here I come! I found Brooklyn Mack an exciting dancer, lacking in refinement to be sure, but with elevation and energy to light up the stage. I would be glad to see him again (... unlike several others on the current principal roster). He and Shevchenko have totally different styles and didn't have a ton of chemistry, but I could overlook that. Cassandra Trenary was also excellent, although she could project more. As someone who sees ABT much much less than I used to, I have not followed the development of Aran Bell, but I was highly impressed with both his dancing and his vivid and uninhibited stage personality. I thought Joo Won Ahn (hope I'm spelling that right) danced very large as Ali, not with the control and finesse of Simkin, but impressive enough. Finally, Brittany deGrofft was a lovely and musical odalisque.

BUMMER. I bought tickets specifically to see Simkin tonight. This is my first ABT performance of the season, and I only decided to go after reading the reviews, and seeing the videos, posted here over the past few days. BOOOOO.

I know this has already been commented on/complained about, but I too was troubled by Megan LeCrone's lack of any kind of smile during her performance of Hippolyta last night. In the second act particularly, where the three newly engaged/married couples are dancing, the women with white veils in their hair, it seems only natural to look radiant. Pollack and Laracey, of course, have lovely smiles, but LeCrone next to them just looked dour and unhappy. I don't understand why this is a problem for her.