ABT Fan

It's official. Lane has replaced Copeland in tomorrow's Nutcracker pas with Bell. https://www.abt.org/event_dates/fall-family-matinee-10-27-2018-200pm/ Copeland and Seo have also been replaced in AfterRite tonight with Boylston and Brandt. And, Lane has replaced Seo in Other Dances on Sunday w/ Stearns. https://www.abt.org/performances/master-calendar/

It is a difficult thing, I agree, and someone (a dancer, a fan...) is always going to be unhappy with whatever outcome. Where there's a "winner" there's going to be a "loser" when there are only so many performances to go around. However, though I think they've done a good job with spreading the casting love around this time (compared with last season especially), Abrera I feel should have been given at least one juicy role. She'd be exquisite as Manon. Maybe she'll get cast well in the Tharp trio or in the new Ratmansky ballet. Added: I see fondoffouettes posted something similar while I was still typing.

Yes. I also just realized that Abrera isn’t getting an Aurora either, though she did it last time around. And, she was lovely.

He's getting debuts in On The Dnieper (Sergei) and the male lead (Rochester) in Jane Eyre. But, I was also hoping for a Siegfried as well.

Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised. Other things to mention: Glad to see an all Tharp program. Shocked Copeland didn't get a second O/O. Hammoudi is cast in virtually nothing. And, what about Shayer?? Clearly, all of their hopes for the the next leading man/principal are all pinned on Bell. I didn't see his Romeo, but in what I've seen I do think he has a lot of potential and absolutely want to see him developed. But, what about the other guys? Very unfortunate that neither Hoven nor Forster got a big debut. They're both in their early to mid 30's, so if it's not happening next year, I doubt it will. Hallberg cast in 3 performances - 2 Des Grieux, 1 SL. Not holding my breath on any of those.

Oh my. So much to absorb. Bolle retiring in Manon. Hooray for On the Dnieper! Lane gets a Manon with Cornejo! Good debuts for Hurlin, Royal, Forster. Bell gets a Siegfried debut with Teuscher. And, a SB debut with Seo. And, a Corsaire debut. Wow. Are we going to see him promoted this coming year? Very disappointed that Lane didn't get an O/O and that Forster didn't get a Siegfried. Gorak getting a SB again. That's a good sign.

Just saw that myself. I would think so, since they were rehearsing in full costume. No casting update on ABT's site yet (not a surprise).

It is locked to non-subscribers. I can only read the first paragraph and a half unfortunately. Typical of WSJ.

I'm pretty sure that's not allowed by Ballet Alert's policy. But, if you do a Google search and click on a link you can usually by-pass being "blocked". Example: I just searched for "julie kent article in washington post" in Google, and the first hit is the article. Click on that and see if you can view it.

Seo must still be injured, because tonight Shevchenko is replacing her in Symphonie Concertante and Brandt is replacing her in AfterRite.

That casting has changed; they swapped the entire cast for the Lang piece w/ the other. Seo was also injured, so it's possible either or both of them warranted the change.

I meant exactly what Helene said. And, yes Kent’s high salary and living rent-free (!) is quite troublesome.

Agree. Also, I distinctly remember her saying in the podcast Conversations on Dance, that she was NOT trying to make TWB another/smaller ABT. Very different vibe in this article. I’m saddened that they’re having such a hard time; not what I thought was going on. Letting Mack go was a huge mistake. Near empty houses? Yikes!

If he's not cast in Harlequinade in January due to injury, then I hope he's better soon and is back on stage for Whipped Cream in April (and the Met season).

Sarah Lane has posted on her Instagram that she’s filing in tonight for Seo, dancing Other Dances with Stearns.

I agree with this in theory, but Murphy, Stearns and Copeland are principals who were in that second cast and Murphy/Stearns are not new to this piece. So, that makes this quite shocking to me. (I'm not saying that a principal should be in it no matter what, just that to pull three principals is pretty unprecedented.) Perhaps, as you say, they still didn't have the necessary rehearsal time to make this work well.

Seo is still scheduled to dance Garden Blue tonight and Other Dances tomorrow. I wonder if that'll be updated soon.

Thanks for that. Any mention of any other ballets? Mussel, you called it.

As you said, I'm sure canceling wouldn't help at all financially, and the bad press it would generate would be detrimental. This looks like the available seating chart for Sunday, 10/26, the last day of the season (with the Lang piece, Other Dances and AfterRite). Though, there are other dates that look quite similar. As someone already stated, the programs with AfterRite are selling the absolute worst, even with Copeland (and Ferri) on the program. I'd hope they get rid of this ballet after this season, purely from a financial perspective (I've never seen it).

Thanks for that article. Clearly the author didn't do all of her homework since she stated that attending college "paid off for her career" and got Laracey her promotion to soloist. Anyway. I still think about seeing Laracey in her Concerto Barocco debut last Spring and how magnificent she was. She danced like a principal. Has anyone at NYCB ever been promoted to principal at 35+? I know that's rare anywhere, but maybe she'll get "lucky" like Abrera did across the plaza.

I've only seen Pereira once, in Symphony in C a few weeks ago, and even though I've read a lot of comments here about her I tried to go in with an open mind. That said, based on that one performance, I agree that she doesn't impress and I also don't understand why she's given principal roles. I think she dances like a young teenager, who has great promise, but who hasn't mastered the control and coordination of her arms and legs and who hasn't acquired the overall strength needed for such roles. There was no fluidity or grace. She looked completely out of her element and casting her with Kowroski, Bouder and Woodward made no sense.

Article in the Times today about Lang's new piece: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/arts/dance/american-ballet-theater-jessica-lang-garden-blue.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Farts&action=click&contentCollection=arts&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=sectionfront

Uh, not that I've ever heard. I think De Luz deserves a better comparison, if any need to be made....

Also, they don't have guest artists who take precious opportunities away from homegrown dancers or principals who also dance with other companies thus only performing with their "home" company a few times a year, much unlike ABT (though the later has done away with their heavy guest artist policy for now it seems). They are all together all year long.

That's full-on no-holds-barred brag (nothin' humble about it). And, I found that part about his "personal life" hilarious too.