ABT Fan

Carlos Lopez, one of the ballet masters, wrote that on an IG post awhile back. Ugh. I only hope it's used as a vehicle for a retirement, or two.

I agree that Nuez was excellent in Single Eye. I was happy to see him featured. The last time the company did Dnipro, which was before the pandemic, I saw Hurlin as Olga. She was a newly appointed soloist then and this was one of her first principal roles. I thought it was a natural fit for her and was impressed with her dramatic scale at such a young age. I was sorry to miss her this time around. I’ve also seen Forster as Sergiy and really loved him in this role, but no one can compare to Gomes.

Just left tonights performance, and last program of the season. I liked Single Eye, my first time seeing it, though the frequent windmill/flailing arm motions with flexed wrists got old quickly. Thought the men’s tunics were very flattering, especially on Royal, and the backdrops were effective. This is the type of work that Royal excels in - wonderful use of his long arms and legs and expressive body. Breanne Granlund made her first appearance of the season I think. I don’t think she was cast in anything else was she? Boylston and Forster are a very good match. Gemma Bond’s pas de deux was a brief, unnecessary triffle. Seo and Ahn did what they could; poor use of her. The singer was excellent. Loved seeing Dnipro again. Teuscher is beautiful as Natalia; quiet yet touching, nuanced and impactful acting. I wish Forster or Curley were cast tonight as Sergiy. Whiteside’s mastery of petit allegro was on full display. Shevchenko was fine as Olga. I’ve found for quite awhile now that her dancing just doesn’t do it for me - something is always missing and I can’t always articulate what that is, except that tonight I wasn’t moved. I thought years ago that she would become one of my favorites, but that hasn’t happened. Roxander was absolutely the highlight of this short season - his performance in Etudes will be hard to beat- If only I could have seen his Puck. 😩

Yep, according to his IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyop47PgfIE/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Any additional thoughts on Roxander’s final Puck last night, or on the evening as a whole? It pains me that I had miss him in this role so thanks to everyone for their thoughts.

Ah, thanks for the correction. Glad he’s an apprentice now. I’m sure we’ll see big things from him.

I was just going to say the same. He’s in the studio company. There are lots of clips of him on his own IG plus on the Studio Company/ABT YouTube channel. Huge talent!

Aran Bell danced tonight, right? How was he?

Oh my! Hope that person is ok.

If anyone wants to read the recent letter from the dancers/stage managers sent to management, see the link in the article here. Sounds quite dire. https://www.musicalartists.org/agma-releases-letters-sent-to-abt-management-in-2017-and-2023/

A clip of Roxander rehearsing Puck is below, flying high. You can also see Robare in the background, clearly marking Oberon. I assume he’s the understudy and we’ve seen him actually rehearse with Trenary. I’m a broken record, but why couldn’t they have given him just one show, instead of Camargo for all 4? The corps dancers with potential need opportunities! https://www.instagram.com/reel/CywEQFtgKCl/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I would love that, but there’s little room for surprises at this point. It’s only 4 weeks, and we already know they’re doing Woolf Works, Swan Lake, and Carlos Lopez said on his IG awhile ago that R&J will come back (again…). So that leaves either one more full length or a weeks worth of mixed rep. Ugh. So for me the biggest surprise (or relief if I’m being honest) will be to see who will be promoted (whenever that happens) and who will be retiring. Or, maybe we’ll see some huge debuts, other than Misseldine in SL.

Agree completely. Unfortunately, I think she’ll need to bring in some outside hires (principals or soloists with potential to move up) as there aren’t enough young men nearly ready to step up.

I had more of an issue with the floor. Pointe shoes sounded like horseshoes clobbering the floor! But you can’t blame the women because the men jumping hit with loud thuds, even light-footed and tiny Magbitang. What did they do to the floor? It was never that loud before.

Maloney posted this on his IG as well: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx-9GwtgHzY/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Yes - I fully admit that my less-than-stellar perception of Magbitang is probably diminished by Roxander. He was still very good. And, agree about Carmargo's beautiful lines.

This afternoon was quite flat with an audience that seemed mostly asleep. I didn’t find Ballet Imperial musty looking with the gorgeously elaborate costumes and decor. I found the royal blue curtains bold and fresh. But I understand why this scenery would not appeal to some. Choreographically, it was not my cup of tea. Between the super slow tempo and continuous formal gesturing and posturing, I was expecting Czar Nicholas II to make an entrance. The corps danced well overall but struggled staying in line. Lea Fleytoux stood out for all the right reasons. Shevchenko was regal, but she seemed nervous and tentative. Her dancing was mostly secure but not special. No sparkle. Royal is naturally elegant and his partnering was very solid, but he lacks the clean technique necessary for a white tights ballet. The highlight was absolutely Misseldine as the second ballerina. Crisp, sharp footwork, beautiful use of her head and upper body, sissones that sliced the air with beautifully pointed feet. Energy and stamina to spare. Her two lieutenants Li and Park were perfectly matched as were her two suitors, Han and Frenette (subbing for Sebastian). Frenette especially danced very clean. The Dream was not a dream today. Murphy’s Titania was depressing. No energy, stiff back and upper body, low arabesques, and she fell off pointe repeatedly. I kept thinking of Trenary in this last year, lush and spritely, whom I should have seen today before they switched the casting. Respectfully, it is past time for Murphy to retire. Carmargo’s Oberon was very good. It is too bad we didn’t get to see Bell’s debut. Magbitang’s Puck was very solid with high elevation on his jumps, but at certain points he almost seemed to be marking. And, I saw no progression from his interpretation last year. Hoven's Bottom was also poorly executed, falling off pointe in several sections with a very underwhelming interpretation. I suppose today was bound to be some sort of let down after seeing the extraordinary Roxander the other night, but I still expected better.

Thank you, and thanks to MRR and Rick for your thoughts on Roxander's Puck. No surprises, just wish I could see it! 😩 What is next for him - great question - and agree he needs more roles that require partnering. They're doing Giselle in China in a few weeks where I'm sure he'll reprise the peasant pas a few times. He's only done Harlequin in Nutcracker and he could easily do the Chinese dance which has some partnering. Swan Lake is coming up in February and I hope he'll get a Benno debut. He will need experience in roles such as these, though less glamorous than Etudes and Puck. From there we'll have to see what Jaffe programs for the next Met season. I wonder if she'll dust off more classics or bring back some ballets that we haven't seen in years. Besides the obvious (Basilio, Albrecht - in the future...) I can easily see him in Cinderella, La Fille, even T&V. He's killing everything that's being thrown at him now so I wouldn't be surprised if we see another big debut then.

The suspense is killing me! 😂 How was Roxander’s Puck tonight?

Same! Although I think his debut in Etudes nearly did just that. I really wish I could be there.

Roxander trained at ABTs school for one summer intensive and before joining their Studio Company was part of PA Ballet II. https://www.abt.org/people/jake-roxander/?type=performer I am also beyond thrilled that he’s with ABT. There is no doubt that whenever promotions are announced he’ll be made a soloist. His virtuoso technique is incredible, but his intelligence, charisma and stage presence is astonishing in someone so young and inexperienced (one year in the corps!).

It was Jake Roxander's night tonight! After seeing him over the summer in Giselle peasant pas and as Mercutio, reading everyone's reports from Thursday night and watching the rehearsal clips on IG of him in Etudes, I wondered if he was going to live up to my extremely high expectations. Well, he surpassed them. He exploded onto the stage for his climatic solo in Etudes and blew everyone away. Han did a fine job as the other principal, though he lacked finesse and presence. Hurlin was gorgeous and commanding, although she had a little trouble with her fouettés. But, Roxander was the clear star. He also did extremely well in Piano Concerto, keeping up with Brandt quite well, and I think those two will have an electric partnership. I can easily see them in Don Q and Giselle. I loved Petit Mort so much it ended way too quickly for me, but this was also the first time I've seen it live. Trenary and Cornejo got all of the sultriness and nuances just right, while I thought Seo/Ahn and Misseldine/Stearns struggled and looked a bit too balletic. The corps in Etudes must also be commended - I was impressed and I thought overall they were strong and executed the difficult choreography well. A nice bonus: I was seated directly behind Roxander's parents, younger brother and extended family (they all look alike!) and it was so wonderful to see (and hear!) their excitement!

So marvelous to hear about last night and how amazing Roxander was (not surprising but still….!). I can’t wait to see him and this program tomorrow!

Did anyone go last night on opening night?

Bolden has an IG story showing them celebrating and has already updated his profile to soloist. Congrats to them both! https://instagram.com/dancerdude56?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==