ABT Fan

Safe to assume Don Q will be cast since they'll perform that on tour in the winter/spring.

It's also probably a no-brainer that Love and Rage will be on the bill, as it was supposed to make its NY premiere last summer after the world premiere in Costa Mesa that winter.

Lastly, Hee Seo announced on her IG that Swan Lake will come back to the Met next year.

So, that's 3 full lengths at least for a 5-week season. They'll most likely add one more and then do a week of mixed rep.

I'm one of the few who loved Jane Eyre from 2019 so I really hope that comes back, eventually.

3 hours ago, abatt said:

The talent pool  seems to be stretched very thin at ABT.  They are putting someone named Petersen from the corps into the lead role of Myrta on the Sat matinee in place of Fang (who in my opinion was never going to be suitable as Myrta).  I don't recall seeing Petersen in any lead or demi-lead role.   

I agree with you regarding Fang, and being that I think Peterson is an even less suitable option I'm quite baffled at their thinking. McBride would have been an excellent choice. Oh, how I've not missed hating on their casting choices.....

1 hour ago, nanushka said:

There's a lovely article in the Times on Tom Forster's New York debut in Giselle, and his broader career trajectory. I'm not seeing Friday's performance, but I'm really hoping to see his Albrecht (among other new roles) at the Met next summer, if they do it again.

I hope anyone who sees Friday's performance will report on how he does.

Thanks for flagging this. I would LOVE to see his Albrecht. Not this time.

Thanks, abatt, maybe I’ll check out one of those shows.

JuliaJ: the rep programs usually don’t sell extremely well, but imo they should have chosen much better programming after a 2 year hiatus. If they had done a week of Swan Lake instead it probably would have nearly sold out. I am all for mixed rep programs in addition to the classics, but they, like every other business right now, are desperate for cash. Understandably, maybe lack of rehearsal time coupled with getting dancers back into performance shape made that unrealistic. They performed some of these rep pieces on tour this summer so that may have been the easiest choice. If that’s the case, doing SL instead of Giselle might have made more financial sense.

Another casting update: Fang has been replaced by Stephanie Peterson as Myrta at the matinee on 10/23. 

I noticed that Hurlin has been replaced by Shevchenko as Myrta on Thurs 10/21. Shevchenko is still debuting as Giselle Saturday night. Hope everything is ok with Hurlin.

Also, Hee Seo announced on her IG today that they'll be doing Swan Lake in the spring.

3 minutes ago, canbelto said:

I actually have seen farewells where the body language between the AD and the retiree was so frosty that it would have been better not to show up. Veronika Part's was like that. Abi might have requested their absence.

Also Paloma Herrera’s.

Thank you California and aurora! I don’t always look at people’s stories…

Casting has been announced.

Brandt, Teuscher and Hurlin get debuts as Clara. Teuscher is an unlikely choice imo. Full circle for Hurlin, pretty cool in fact. Surprised that Trenary isn't included, but maybe she has other holiday plans. No Copeland.

https://www.abt.org/performances/the-nutcracker/

16 hours ago, California said:

On Instagram Daniil Simkin has been posting a lot of pictures of NYC this week. He's not cast in the fall or Nutcracker season. I am wondering if perhaps he is in town to rehearse something for the spring Met season? A new Ratmansky or perhaps the Ratmansky "Of Love and Rage" that had just one performance in Orange County before the pandemic?  Fingers crossed! I'd love to see him again with ABT!

On his IG? I follow him and see no NYC posts…unless he has a second account I’m not aware of.

14 hours ago, BalanchineFan said:

Where is Roman Mejia? I was hoping he would do at least some of the Western Symphony performances, particularly after he and Teresa Reichlen lit the place on fire during the digital season. I hope he's not injured. 

He’s taking part in Fall for Dance so that must be why.

Oh, these are so spot on and at times, hilarious! Loved his Kitri, Odile, Kachei from Firebird, Nureyev sweep and NYCB female. Those made me laugh out loud.

Agree with the above- I’d love to see Forster as Albrecht but wished he was paired with Shevchenko or even Boylston (he had great chemistry with the later in Jane Eyre). I am happy to see that Trenary gets her Giselle debut. Feel bad that Ahn was left out, but one guy wasn’t going to get it. Surprised with Fang’s Myrta debut. Would rather have seen that spot go to McBride or Qiao.

I got a cheap intro subscription to Starz so I have watched 1 1/2 episodes so far. Not sure if I’ll continue watching. What drivel. How predictable. How depressing. The dancing is great but there’s so little of it. Irina is fantastic and campy but there’s not enough of her. I imagine, if I were to keep watching, the red haired roommate will soon be putting glass in Claire’s pointe shoes. 🙄 

Gosh, I was just thinking about Giselle casting and was looking over the roster.

They won't have just 3 casts - they never do that. I imagine 5 or even 6 Giselles. Seo, Boylston, Murphy (presumably), Brandt, Shevchenko (Met season last yr was supposed to be her debut) are givens. I'm wondering if they'll give Seo 2 shows, like they frequently do (opening night for one), or will we see Trenary given a debut?

The men are a bigger question mark, imo. Six principals have already performed Albrecht (Ahn, Bell, Cornejo, Forster, Stearns, Whiteside), but Royal was supposed to have his debut last season with Shevchenko. So, which one will not be cast?

I think a Brandt/Cornejo pairing is inevitable, since Copeland won't be performing. Or, Trenary/Cornejo is she's given her debut.

Possibly scenarios, based on previous pairings (not necessarily Giselle):

Seo/Stearns - opening night + one more possibly
Boylston/Bell or Boylston/Whiteside
Murphy/Forster
Brandt/Cornejo or Brandt/Ahn
Shevchenko/Royal or Shevchenko/Whiteside
Trenary/Cornejo

But, again, one male principal will be left out.

For Myrta, I'm sure it'll be spread out between Teuscher (2 shows I imagine) plus Hurlin and Williams, with one for Shevchenko (if she gets her Giselle debut).

(Side note: I can't imagine going to an ABT Giselle and not seeing Lane....)

17 minutes ago, canbelto said:

The story of the principal asking for her role the minute she was injured sounds typical of the business. It's a very tough business and every injury unfortunately is an opportunity for another dancer. 

Agree. However, it would have been more professional (and kind) for that principal to have done that texting/asking out of view and earshot.

I’ve been wondering the same, why no announcements yet? 

Oh, that Paquita video brought back memories! I had that VHS tape of this performance and must have watched it a million times growing up. 

1 hour ago, vipa said:

There are dancers who, deliver the goods no matter what, but who will never take you to another place. 

Yes. This is it.

10 hours ago, JuliaJ said:

My interpretation was that she was offered the consolation Juliet after the 2020 Met season had already been cancelled (she was cast in two other ballets that season, after all), and around the time of her mysterious departure, with the expectation that she would dance it in the subsequent Met season as a sort of farewell, perhaps as a "guest artist" after having been taken off the company roster. 

I didn't get that impression, but I'm also a bit confused over parts of her interview. It seems like either some necessary details were either omitted or the vagueness of some sections are the problem (or the editing was poor). If she was referring to her Juliet during the 2020 season as being her final performance, that doesn't make sense since that was scheduled for May 28 and she still had Giselle and Aurora to dance in the following weeks. Unless, she knew her Giselle/Aurora were going to be canceled. I wish she had been specific. I'm a bit surprised that she didn't mention never getting her own SL yet subbing for it once and being relegated to Copeland's black swan understudy and the morale-buster that must have been (or, perhaps she knew that speaking publicly about that would only invite a firestorm of criticism). 

I agree with cobweb that we don't have the whole story. Regardless, it's unbelievably sad that Lane's career (at least with ABT) has ended this way. I think she's 35 or 36 (?) and companies are not getting back to the full swing of things till next year really, so I think the likelihood of her joining another company are slim - and won't that mean leaving her husband behind, something she didn't want to do for SF? Part of me wishes she had taken that principal contract, she could possibly have had a much more fulfilling career and been treated a heck of a lot better, but then selfishly I'd never have seen her Giselle and so many other extraordinary performances of hers. Corella has always been a big fan of hers, and she danced with his company in Spain a few times, so maybe PA Ballet is a possibility. And, it's only an hour train ride to NYC to see her husband.

Her partnership with Cornejo was rare and magical. What a shame that it unraveled. I can't fathom going to ABT and not seeing her on stage (it's not like she retired). Is she going to be in the audience to support her husband? 

It's just awful.

RIP Jacques. A legend indeed. I was lucky enough to meet him years ago when I was volunteering at his NDI. What a gracious man. What a dancer!

Another thought would be Irina and Max. They’re both excellent coaches, sought out by many of the company’s top dancers.

2 hours ago, abatt said:

I would definitely support Angel Corella. He could re-hire Sarah Lane.

 

Absolutely!

I could also see Abrera and Radetsky running as co-leaders. They’re both so beloved amongst the company.

Boylston posted this below a month ago and it’s absolutely gorgeous. She also posted clips of her and Whiteside rehearsing Nutcracker in costume with Ratmansky. Don’t know what it’s for. 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CF-zBqfA05A/?igshid=i6kgrwc0s34g
 

21 hours ago, nanushka said:

Though I am not at all surprised, it's dispiriting to face the reality of another full spring/summer without the usual ABT and NYCB offerings.

Yes. I can barely stand to think about it.

Also, all of these dancers losing two years out of their short careers (I don’t consider their digital seasons to be equal). It’s devastating.

I agree with what someone wrote above - ABT should be showing us some classical pas with current couples or dancers who are quarantining together. New work is great, though I haven’t watched it yet, but it would be exciting and some food for the soul to see some great pas.

Just now, Helene said:

I'm seeing what aurora is seeing.  An older version might still be in your cache, @ABT Fan.

Got it. That’s probably why.

I hope she lets us know what her future plans are. Maybe she’ll go into teaching full time. She’s still posting what look to be recent videos of her dancing/rehearsing in a studio, sometimes wearing a mask, so I hope she continues to dance in some way. But, I’m very sad knowing I’ll probably never get to see her perform again.