NinaFan

48 minutes ago, canbelto said:

However giving her a Wed matinee Giselle is incomprehensible -- she was one of the finest Giselles I ever saw, period. And Juliet is a role that's practically screaming her name. 

Sarah’s Giselle was one of the finest Giselles I've ever seen as well,  which makes it all the more absurd to give her a Wednesday matinee.  I remember when Nina Ananiashvili was given a Wednesday matinee for her one and only Juliet.  What was Kevin thinking?  Needless to say, I took the day off from work to see my cherished Nina, Nina, Ballerina.

21 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Definitely. I would not have wondered why the company might have a use for him if 2015 had been 2018. Simkin's decampment opens things up considerably for a dancer like Cirio.

That totally makes sense.  He is going to be in the right place at the right time.  

38 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

They've had up to eight swan queens in a single run of Swan Lake at the Met; this year, just six. There's no reason Lane couldn't have been given a second shot. It would mean bringing Teuscher down to just one performance (since obviously they won't do that to Misty, who rakes in the dough for ABT). 

IMHO, the role should be removed from Boylston's rep. I've given up on her progressing artistically. 

I totally agree that Sarah should get one of Teuscher's Swan Lakes.  It's only fair!  As far as Bolyston, I guess I am in the minority here, as I enjoy her dancing.  She is a very strong dancer with an incredible jump.   Swan Lake may not be her best role, but her Odile continues to very exciting (I am not counting when she danced it injured last year). 

1 minute ago, nanushka said:

Re: Cirio, I remember thinking, "What does the company need him for?" (As it turns out, not much. He doesn't get cast much in leading roles, as noted above.)

If they'd brought in a tall male principal or senior soloist, sure, that would have made sense to me. There's been a need for that for quite some time.

But then for ABT to start making sense now would itself come as a surprise.

I thought the same when he was brought in.   Why did they even bother.......

Just now, fondoffouettes said:

Yes, he was gorgeous in that first Cinderella with Reyes. They modified the pdd so that he didn't walk down the stairs with Reyes overhead, but it didn't detract from the performance. If I remember correctly, he danced it the following year with Stella, and it was just as beautiful, if not moreso. I believe he did the lift, including walking down the stairs, that year. 

He's been great in Sleeping Beauty, if iffy in some of the parthering, so it will be interesting to see if he's cast the next time they bring back the Ratmansky version. I never saw him as Romeo (since I avoid Copeland). 

I thought he had a shot at getting cast in Harlequinade...

Yes, I saw him with Abrera the following year too!  I believe he did the lift including walking down the stairs as well.

2 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Yes, good point. With those two being brought in as shorter male principals or soon-to-be-principals in 2015, just as Gorak was really looking like he might be on the way up (even his partnering had gotten a bit better at that time), the latter was shuffled aside, likely for good. He probably should have seen the writing on the wall and gone elsewhere.

I loved Gorak in his first Cinderella (was that with Reyes?), and I had had high hopes for him.  But then everything just fizzled out and he never seemed to grow out of being a light weight.

35 minutes ago, abatt said:

I hadn't thought about it before, but I guess Lendorf did take the roles that Gorak theoretically might have danced. Gorak has had a lot of difficulty with complex partnering assignments, and I think that's a substantial reason why he never made any progress in getting more roles.  Lendorf in my opinion is a joy to watch in almost everything.  He does not have the perfect ballet body like Hallberg.  However, he is very talented in both technique and dramatic presence.  My only reservation is that he does not seem to be suited to comedic roles like Don Q. 

I agree with everything you said about Gorak and Lendorf.    I find Lendorf a delight to watch, but like you, I thought he was a little bit off on the comedic panache in Don Q last year.   I think Don Q was the first week of performances, which may have had something to do with it.  When I saw him about a week or so later in Corsaire (which is total fun and is as silly as Don Q), I thought he was a perfect fit.  He totally redeemed himself.  Fingers crossed that we get to see him in everything he is cast in this year.

14 minutes ago, its the mom said:

At the same time Cirio was hired, Lendorf was hired as a principal, which took away any chances of the "crumbs" Gorak may have gotten in casting.  Lendorf is the one that has been cast in potential roles for Gorak.  As for Lane and Cirio in Swan Lake pas de trois, it is sad for both of them not to get a shot at O/O and Siegfried.  Both have already done it on the professional stage.

Sarah did dance O/O with ABT.  I saw her last year when she was a last minute sub for Maria Kochetkova last Spring at the MET.  She was breathtaking.  What I don’t understand, is why she is not being cast again this year either on tour or at the MET.

20 hours ago, nysusan said:

I got an email about a week ago encouraging me to become a member and that was one of the perks.

Thanks nysusan.  It looks like the minimum level is $750 for "Advanced Access" which is a way higher membership level than I've ever had at ABT.  I'll just have to wait!

Thanks angelica and nanushka.  I just called the MET, and they said no. I was told pre-sale tickets without seat assignments were available before March 25.  But I'll be at the Koch (for Paul Taylor) twice during the exchange week, so I may walk over and try it anyway (assuming there aren't stupid lines).  

I’ve never tried it before, but I think I’ve heard some of you say that subscribers are able to buy single tickets during exchange week. 

So far this year I have only bought a “create your own” series for ABT, but I still have a subscription card for exchanging tickets.   Does anyone know if I can just buy additional tickets at the box office during the exchange week?  As of now, I don’t want to trade in any of my subscription tickets so I can’t combine it with an exchange transaction.

Like many of you, I don’t want to get stuck with too many cast changes.  I’m not planning to buy all of my tickets at once but I wanted to get a jump on a few more tickets which may sell heavily or go up in price. 

Thanks!

On 3/6/2018 at 11:59 AM, ABT Fan said:

Also, I thought Craig Salstein was supposed to return for the Met season, after his leave for Carousel. Anyone heard?

Maybe he'll take one, or both, or the TBA's for Mercutio. His Hilarion last year was outstanding.

Craig Salstein seems to have been removed from ABT's website, making it appear that this is not just a leave of absence.  Perhaps they would not give him the leave?   As we all know, NYCB has been very generous giving leave of absences to their dancers for Broadway (and KC) runs.

On 3/6/2018 at 1:01 PM, ABT Fan said:

Pollack and Ramasar are also in the cast: http://carouselbroadway.com/#bios

I am very excited to see Craig, Brittany and Amar in Carousel!  I have tickets for the show in early April.

2 hours ago, nanushka said:

For a short Balanchine work to fill out 1/3 of an otherwise too-short program, my preference would always be Tchaikovsky PDD. I could see that over and over.

Speaking of such works, how long has it been since the company last performed Valse Fantaisie? The repertory page for that work shows a fairly recent image, but I wasn't following the company closely enough until a few years ago to know when it was last done.

I could watch Tchaikovsky PDD over and over as well.  And Tarantella too!

That recent image of Veyette in Valse Fantaisie was probably from 2011.  Not sure if it has been done since then.

1 hour ago, ABT Fan said:

II agree that they need to try out Forster (and Hoven). I'm on the fence about Forster handling a full-length, but he should be given a shot. He's been a soloist for three years now.

Though, anything can happen during the Met season, as we clearly saw last year with the multitude of injuries amongst the women. Last minute opportunities may open up for the male soloists out of pure necessity.

I agree that Forster and Hoven should be given a chance to develop.   And as you point out, last year's injuries gave us a chance to see some pretty amazing debuts among the women.

1 hour ago, Olga said:

Yes, it is disappointing Sara Lane didnt get a Swan Lake. It was a very good debut, marred only by her reaction to the fouettes, and hindered by the lack of prep time. If by some chance she gets to do another one this Spring, I would go. Not casting her is an issue for several reasons, one of which is their lack of understanding of how to build not only dancers,  but fan loyalty. Unfortunately, I have my doubts about Forster. 

 

I'm also confused as to why they didn't give Lane a Swan Lake.  I agree, her debut was very good, except for the fouettes, which as you point out was probably due to lack of prep time.  And if I recall correctly she was under the weather with a cold.  I especially loved her Odette.   If ABT decides to give her another Swan Lake I would go as well.  

Ditto on doubts about Forster for the principal roles.  He is nice and tall, but I just can't visualize him dancing the "prince" roles. 

If Lendorf is still injured (which I hope he's not), I certainly hope that ABT brings in a guest or two, rather than subbing with dancers who are not up to the task.    In fact, they should bring in at least one to replace Gomes anyway.  Prices are just too high to be spending on mediocre performances.

35 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

I’ve always thought the ballet seemed a bit too precious, until I saw Fairchild and Hyltin in it. That was the first time I’ve really enjoyed the ballet. 

I agree that they could dial down how often they program this ballet. I might be in the minority here, but I think it’s one of Balanchine’s weakest liotard ballets that’s still performed regularly. 

I agree that the ballet is performed way too often.  Yes, it's cute, but it needs to have longer breaks between seasons.

I loved Fairchild and Hyltin as well.  It was not the first time I enjoyed the ballet, however it was probably my favorite partnership.  Watching Robbie for the last time at NYCB made it all the more special. 

18 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

If Lendorf has to pull out of his performances due to his injury, then I can't even imagine all the cast shuffling that will take place...

I agree, I can't imagine all the cast shuffling either.  I really hope Lendorf doesn't miss the MET Season.  I am so looking forward to seeing him in a number of ballets, and most especially with Shevchenko.   

MadameP and FireDancer - Wow, I am so jealous!  I'd love to see both of those casts in Ivan!  I'm a huge Grigorovich fan, and love the lead dancers you are both seeing this week.   I saw Ivan the Terrible years ago with Alexei Fadeyechev as Ivan, and would love to see it again with your exact casts!

On 2/21/2018 at 10:59 AM, Kathleen O'Connell said:

I enjoyed it too, and so did my husband, who was always thrilled when it was on the program. I'd like to see it on the schedule again, along with Forsythe's Behind the China Dogs, a product of that same American Music Festival.

Ditto on Behind the China Dogs.  Actually the first time I saw it, I didn't care for it, but I began to appreciate it by the second time I saw it.

I saw Mejia in the Four Seasons a couple of weeks ago, and he stole the show there as well.  Like others on here, I can't wait to see more of him!

3 hours ago, abatt said:

I think you are talking about The Unanswered Question by Elliot Feld?

 

Yes, I believe that's the one!  I just found a review of The Unanswered Question, and it refers to Maria slithering down a trap door after partnering Damian Woetzel.  Now that I think about it, she did slither in both directions, plus Woetzel was her partner at the performance.  So that has to be the ballet.  How many ballets could have a ballerina slithering in and out of a hole, but then again as Canbelto points out, Musagete had something similar..... 

Speaking of boring or inferior choreography….I recall a really dreadful ballet at NYCB which I believe was choreographed by a guest choreographer.  It was so terrible that I couldn’t wait for it to end.  Then halfway through the ballet Maria Kowroski made a sort of slithering entrance through a hole in the floor which made the ballet just slightly more tolerable.  Does this ring a bell with anyone, and do you have any idea which ballet this was?

And of course a ballet can be better or worse depending on the cast.  To compare in a way to figure skating…. it's also about the moment.   Still, how sad that the dancers didn’t get a respectable amount of applause.   But I have to admit,  I’m more tepid with applause after an uninspiring program.

7 hours ago, canbelto said:

As I said I admire Peter Martins for a lot of things. Certainly his eye for talent has been great. But his limitations as a choreographer IMO don't take away from the good work he's done for NYCB since he's joined the company in 1967. And I have a hunch he would agree: in the past few years there has been a drastic scaling back of Martins ballets, except for the full-lengths.

I feel the same way.

Emma - That must be rough missing an entire year of ballet!   Peck/Catazaro were the other lead cast and they danced beautifully.  I think Catazaro is really coming into his own.  He was also marvelous in The Four Seasons last week.