ABT Fan

2 hours ago, aurora said:

Indeed!

I mean he is around seemingly, and frequently attends ABT. We know he had serious injuries, but despite his long absence he is still listed on the roster. There just hasn't been any information about what is going on for a long time...

I wonder if Calvin will get a shot at it--he is learning it at the moment (for Vail).

Possibly. Though, I have a feeling Stearns (ugh), Lendorf, Whiteside and Bell (I think he'd be great) and obviously Cornejo will be cast (it's getting 5 performances).

Cornejo did this at Vail himself a few years ago. Since this is programmed the night of his 20 yr celebration, can we imagine Lane and Trenary as two of the muses? I have a feeling Boylston will be the third, as she did Apollo w/ Cornejo at Vail.

I'm surprised that The Seasons is only getting 3 performances since it was such a hit this season. And, wish Deuce Coupe wasn't getting so many.

4 minutes ago, NinaFan said:

Whether they speak up or not, it's selfish to put your fellow dancers in jeopardy.   The flu is contagious and the last thing Cornejo needs is to get sick after coming back from injury. 

I will be mad as h*ll if Cornejo (or Lane) has to withdraw next week from their SB because they have the flu.

6 minutes ago, Leah said:

Judging from the blowback she got in her Instagram comments alone from pulling out of Whipped Cream, I really don't blame her for insisting on going on. I hope that if Cornejo and others felt uncomfortable with her onstage they would have been comfortable speaking up.

Well, she pulled out of WC due to “scheduling conflicts” which I believe is what caused the major backlash (just read the comments in her post). When she had to withdraw last fall from her Nutcracker pas due to a death in her family (and Lane covered her then too), many people understood. A “scheduling conflict” is avoidable, especially when announced two days before she’s due to perform.

Lendorf? That’s a puzzle.

2 minutes ago, BalletFan said:

Any news on the Wednesday matinee performance? Did anyone see Aran Bell and Jose Sebastian in their debuts? I would love to hear something.

Yes! I'm eager to hear how they did as well, esp Bell.

1 hour ago, abatt said:

Lane could have danced with SL Simkin, as she did in her debut SL two years ago.  All kinds of casting choices were possible, but instead McKenzie decided that Hee Seo and Misty both had to have two SL shows.  In summary, the two weakest technicians in the company are each given two performances of one of the most difficult roles in the classical rep.  That's what I call brilliant planning.

I'm not convinced that these developments are due to an injury.  It is equally likely that general deterioration due to age is the cause of Misty's limitations.

I would love to know if Misty herself decided to withdraw from Act III, or if McKenzie determined that she was unfit to dance Act III.

True, Lane could be paired w/ Simkin as well. Personally, I'd prefer her w/ Cornejo.

Teuscher is the new AD favorite, ever since she was promoted. With the exception of Juliet, she's been given two of everything and has been cast in virtually everything. I like her in some things, but I find her a very incomplete and frustrating artist. Perhaps she'll grow into a more expressive dancer, but for now I find her boring and cannot understand McKenzie's obvious preference for her.

Here is a photo showing the bows from last night on ABT's Instagram. I'm glad Lane was brought out for bows (of course she should have, but I was afraid we'd hear otherwise...).

Lastly, I can put this on another/new thread, but I don't know if anyone else has noticed their upcoming tours for next year. These ballets are guaranteed to show up at the Met next season. So, we can expect to see Lane as Giselle and Nikiya again (but, will McKenzie give her only one show of each like last time?). And, yes, give her a SL, darnnit! I think the AD's issue is he doesn't like petite ballerinas as O/O (with the big exception being Copeland, of course.) Lane has more than proved her mettle - she's not just a Princess Praline kind of dancer. McKenzie needs to get over it.

https://www.abt.org/performances/abt-on-tour/

February: DC - Giselle
March: CA - Ratmansky world premier (we already knew about this one...)
March: Chicago - Bayadere
March: N.C. - Giselle
April: Detroit - SL

10 minutes ago, abatt said:

Agree one hundred percent.  Lane is not Misty's back-up dancer.  Lane has earned the right to be cast in her own SL.

Also agree. So now we’ll all be waiting to see what happens Saturday night. It sounds like Copeland is dealing with a possible injury. If that is the case, and although I don’t want this to happen again after this week, I’d understand them doing the same thing again since this is last minute and her fans would be crushed if she withdrew now. I can’t picture Lane doing Odile with Hallberg though. Boylston would be the obvious choice to me since they’ve danced together several times in other ballets.

Separately, I’m utterly thrilled to hear that Lane knocked it out of the park! McKenzie, wake up and cast her already! Next year let Lane/Cornejo have a show and Copeland/Hallberg one show. 

5 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

Just over:  Sarah Lane was a scintillating glittering Odile who completed the fouettés and brought down the house.  Herman caught fire.  

Fuller report to come soon.  

Thank you! I think it’s safe to say that quite a few of us are waiting with bated breath! Appreciate all of your reports on tonight. 

15 minutes ago, Fleurfairy said:

I believe the company dancers are the ones that manage the ABT Instagram account so they are obviously given a lot more leeway. Which is why I enjoy ABT’s Instagram so much more than NYCB’s (which is just basically used as an ad campaign). ABT’s gives us a lot of behind the scenes perspective. 

Connor Holloway, who is a corps dancer, manages ABT’s Instagram account. 

https://instagram.com/conholl?igshid=qb6i9bsx9te7

I wonder if we’ll find out what led to this decision tonight, though I think it will be unlikely.

Just now, laurel said:

I wonder if it was Copeland who suggested the substitution.  Maybe she was anticipating exhaustion, or had some trouble during rehearsal.  Last week Lane proved to management how fantastic she can be as a manipulative seductress.  Maybe this will prove to be a good thing all around.  If it leads to Lane getting her own scheduled Swan Lake performance next season, it most definitely will be worth it.

Hopefully. But, she was given what 2 hours notice?!?! I know that happens for when a replacement is needed for an entire ballet, but it’s not as if she’s cast for this ballet and is fully rehearsed already. 

10 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Is there any sort of injury she could have that would make Odette feasible but Odile not so?

I really can’t imagine what that would be. Odile has more forceful or “dynamic” choreography (fouettés!) but neither role is easy.

I believe this is a first, though, with separating the roles, albeit at the last minute. (It was originally performed that way, but no longer.)

Just now, canbelto said:

@FauxPas who is at the performance just texted me:

Misty for the white acts, Sarah for black swan.

That is so strange. I wonder why? Misty can’t be injured then? 

1 minute ago, Inge said:

She hashtagged #BlackSwan so there's a small possibility that she's only dancing Odile? While sort of a nuts idea, it would make sense if Copeland isn't feeling her best but still wants to be there for her fans. 

I'll probably be proven wrong on this. 

I think she only hashtaged blackswan to go with the picture. I seriously doubt she’s only doing the third act.

I hope Lane can tune it out, but you know there will be very loud groans and what not when they make the announcement. I understand that they’re expecting to see their idol, especially for the young kids. But, as for the adults I’ve always found their vocal and negative reactions to these things (for whoever is replaced, not just speaking about Copeland) to be so rude to the dancer who is replacing them.

OMG! Please someone report on this. Yeah, Copeland’s fans will not be happy. 

3 minutes ago, cobweb said:

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. 

You're right - he did have some 21st century mannerisms. Still, I found his performance much improved. I guess that's saying something from what I saw of him years ago in this role.

11 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

Wow -- Calvin Royal's Purple Rothbart is light years ahead of where he was when he debuted the role; so much more impactful, commanding and fun. It's a shame about the arabesque balance (I thought he actually lifted his leg three separate times), because otherwise it was a pretty superb performance. I'm curious as to what makes that balance so difficult; I wonder if it's the type of thing that doesn't look difficult to audience members, but is actually very challenging. It seems to cause problems for so many Rothbarts. I suppose when men usually do an arabesque on demi-point, it's often a fleeting step that immediately transitions into something else. And I guess you don't usually start with both of your feet together.

Yeah, it's too bad that Royal had such a hard time with it. I was sitting far on the right side, so he was partially cut off from my view (note to self, never sit so far on the side again for SL!). Just speaking from a dancer's experience, the arabesque balance is more difficult than it looks. It is supposed to be done slowly obviously, so to start from two feet, then have to shift your weight while raising your arabesque all while not letting your upper body and/or lower body lean back or sideways towards the standing leg, which your body is going to want to do to compensate, or coming off of your demi pointe. And, of course, maintaining your arm positions, etc. To do this slowly (and do it well) takes a lot of control and it's not a common step for male dancers, so they don't get much practice doing this in other ballets (not in ABT anyway). To say you need a very strong core (back, obliques, etc) to do this well is an understatement.

11 hours ago, Leah said:

Calvin Royal was so wonderfully smarmy as Rothbart. I feel like he hasn't been cast a lot this season, though- perhaps I've just been unlucky with my tickets. I think he could make a good Siegfried one day.

Yes, unfortunately, you've just been unlucky with your tickets because he has been cast a lot: Pierrot in Harlequinade (which I didn't like), the lead in Songs of Bukovina (he was fabulous), The Seasons, Prince Coffee, leads in all of the Tharp Trio pieces, Lescaut, and some other supporting roles. I'd also like to see him as Siegfried, though I think some of the choreography (esp in Act III) might give him trouble.

>>>>Is anyone attending this afternoon's matinee? I really want to hear about Bell's debut.

7 hours ago, nanushka said:

Very true, in dramatic terms. I was particularly thinking of how very crisp Brandt seems as a dancer — definitely a strength of hers, though perhaps not as fitting for O/O. Lane always seemed more lyrical to me, though I agree she’s developed in unforeseen ways. And so might Brandt.

Personally, I’m dying for Brandt to get a Kitri. It’s an obvious choice, but I think she’ll blow the roof off the theater. Hmm...and how about with Mack?

Shevchenko was the ultimate O/O tonight. What a queen! I expected greatness from her and boy did she deliver. Such expressiveness and nuanced acting. Beautiful swan arms, great extensions, secure and fast pirouettes. My one quibble was that I didn’t care for her fouetté variations: at first singles alternating with a la seconds, then eventually all singles. The a la seconds looked odd and she struggled a bit maintaining speed and form. Otherwise, she’s a rare one in that both her Odette and Odile were equally fleshed out and developed. Hard to believe that this is only her second time performing the role. She should have been given two performances.

Whiteside was the big surprise of the evening. He has really grown in this role and perhaps he’s been taking acting classes because he was boring no more. Really defined character and he showed wonderful sensitivity. He had a few technical bobbles but overall his dancing was excellent. He and Shevchenko were a great match (a couple of partnering issues but nothing major). He spun her in the supported pirouettes with tremendous speed and control.

Royal replaced Hammoudi as Purple Rothbart, and he too has greatly improved since I saw him at his debut (2 years ago?). He slithered across the stage like a snake and had some real OMG moments. I still need a little something more from him though. But, well done!

As already mentioned, we had the A team of Brandt, Trenary and Gorak for the pas de trois. Gorgeousness from all three. K Williams replaced Fang as one of the big swans and she was expansive, lush, and technically beautiful. 

The swan corps was in excellent shape, and the 4 little swans did very well with McBride being the most efficient. Coker stood out again in the corps. And, in Act I Klein kept catching my eye amongst the peasant men. I’d love to see him as Benno. 

A very impressive evening!

2 minutes ago, nanushka said:

As it turns out, we’re getting Forster’s lakeside Rothbart tonight — but I know that’s not what you had in mind!

Excited to see a Trenary/Brandt/Gorak pas de trois!

And it will be nice to see Ribagorda in Neapolitan (with Pogossian).

You read my mind! And, we do have the A team for the pas de trois. I saw on Fang’s Instagram that she’s injured so she won’t be doing Big Swans. McBride wrote on her Instagram today that she’s debuting the pas de trois tomorrow night with Ribagorda (good to see them both getting opportunities). 

Ok, bring on the swans! 🦢 

An article in the Times on Bolle and his retirement.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/arts/roberto-bolle-american-ballet-theater.html

32 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Last night's Swan Lake opening was a real mixed bag.

We had prime casting for the cygnettes, with Brandt, Trenary, Paris and Graniero. Graniero was the weakest link, looking particularly effortful in the series of pas de chats to stage right that so many ABT cygnette quartets seem to struggle with keeping in tempo. Otherwise, though, the number was fast and crisp.

I'm very excited for tonight's performance from Christine Shevchenko, and I'm also very curious to see how Hammoudi does. He's disappointed me often in the past, both in this role and others, but he gave such a strong performance in On the Dnieper that I wonder if he may be working harder and reaching his potential more now than in prior years.

Thanks for your thorough report, nanushka. 

I always look forward to seeing Graniero return to the Met from Washington every year, but I swear every time I see SL she's cast in the cygnettes, and every time she's the one who gets behind the music during the pas de chats. I wonder if she'll be cast again tonight. 

I'm also very much looking forward to seeing Shevchenko tonight. And, I'm curious to see if Whiteside has grown in this role since I last saw him in it several years ago with Part. He seems to be having a very good season, too. I'm less enthusiastic about seeing Hammoudi (I wish it were Forster), but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

I don’t know that I can add much more to what others have said about Lane/Cornejo. When the final curtain came down, I was in shock and emotionally drained. They gave career-defining performances last night. They both had to wait a long time for such an opportunity and for Cornejo it came almost too late. His technique isn’t what it once was and he’s frequently dealing with injury, but he is a beautiful artist and a sensitive partner who gives 100% to every performance. 

In Act I, scene II, when Manon slides onto the bed and seduces Monsieur GM,  my only thought was “whoa!”. That was not Lane. That was Manon. When Manon enters the party on Monsieur’s arm in Act II, scene I, the glance she gave Des Grieux was exactly right: haughty, guilty, ashamed, in denial, all at once. While she was being passed around amongst all of the men, you could hear a pin drop. That scene was done to perfection. 

The chemistry between Lane/Cornejo is unmatched in the company and in its own right is so rare and special. They are steamy, romantic, believable. Can we please see another Giselle with these two? Lane and Simkin are wonderful; it’s a young love but not quite as passionate. I really wish we were seeing a SL next week with them.

Hoven as Lescaut was incredible. He really is in fine form. His dancing was excellent and he was a strong and perfect Lescaut to Lane’s Manon. Trenary was very, very good and had some charming moments, but she wasn’t seductive or sassy enough for the Mistress. I have to mention the ballet master Keith Roberts as Monsieur GM. He was wonderfully disgusting and every interaction he had with Manon made me think “ick!”. He has always been a great actor. Zhurbin was an evil and menacing Jailer.

I hope we’ll get to see another Lane/Cornejo Manon again and before too long. Imagine the performance they’ll turn in once it’s really in their bones.

Whiteside danced in Thom Browne’s Paris runway show today. He flew in yesterday and I’m guessing will return to NYC by tomorrow. He was the only dancer in the show and danced en pointe. You can see some stills on his Instagram here. If you go to Browne’s Instagram and watch the live video in the stories, you can see him dance and watch the fashion show if you’re into that. Whiteside dances at the very beginning and end of the video.

1 hour ago, fondoffouettes said:

I really hope Hallberg retires from ABT. Yes, he's only dancing three times, but those are spots that could have gone to actual company members. For me, he has ceased to be a compelling dancer since his comeback, and yet his danseur noble affectations have only grown stronger. I'm not surprised to hear that Des Grieux was a good fit for him, though. 

Unless injury forces him sooner, I think he'll hold out for a few more years. He's 37 and in two years it will be his 20th anniversary. I imagine he'd like to make it to that celebration.

It is a shame that a principal dances for so few performances, but he's a star and a box office draw, so I'm sure management would very much like to keep him for as long as possible. If he wasn't dancing this season, or had already retired, I kinda doubt that all three of his performances would have gone to another company dancer - and, who? If the AD wanted Forster as Siegfried, he'd be dancing it this year instead of a corps dancer. I think it's likely that they may have brought in another guest artist, at least for Manon.

I do agree that his danseur noble affectations are, in my own words, too pronounced now. I didn't see his Des Grieux, but his Romeo last year was way too mannered and self-consciously performed. He knows he looks like a prince and looks good in a cape (he really does, but....*insert eye-roll*).

Anyway....super excited for the Lane/Cornejo cast tonight!