ABT Fan

Hopefully, they're just shuffling other Mercedes around since there has always been two TBA's. They haven't recast Hallberg's role in WC yet, but I expect Royal or Forster to get one or both since they're debuting that role in Hong Kong.

If you view this on an iPad it shows all of the casting very clearly without having to open or click on anything. But when I first viewed this on a computer I had to hover my mouse over the date like everyone else to see the cast. It should read clearly no matter what device you use. But, it's still a big improvement from what they had.

Bolle doing Giselle on Monday is new. I can't remember who was scheduled before. And, I've just noticed another change. Lendorf has also been replaced in Giselle on May 16, eve, with Boylston (Whiteside is the sub). So, two of his performances have been canceled. Will there be others?

Also, Ferri is returning but she isn't listed for anything specific. Maybe she's just doing the gala. Lendorf has been removed for R&J with Teuscher (Romeo is now TBA), but he's still listed for everything else.

OMG! Look on the guest artists page and they have Kimin Kim listed - he's doing Bayadere, May 29 and June 1!!! http://www.abt.org/people/kimin-kim/?type=performer

I just received an email reminder from ABT that single tickets go on sale this Sunday at noon. When I click on "See the 2018 Brochure", and then go to the "ballets" section in the web page that pops up, the main photo for each ballet is the swan corps from ACT IV in SL. Once you scroll down from there you get the correct photos associated with each ballet, but it looks very odd to say the least to see the caption "Don Quixote" or any ballet other than Swan Lake superimposed over an image of swans. I guess if they can't upgrade their website, I shouldn't expect their email brochure to be up-to-date either.

These are excellent points. One only has to read the threads here on NYCB, Mariinsky, Bolshoi, POB, Royal Ballet, etc, to see how many people are dissatisfied with their dancers and their rep.

I agree. And, his triple bill is also an opportunity to see several dancers take on a principal or soloist role all in one evening. I hope we don't have to wait too long to see it again.

That's nice to know the bouquet was from a bunch of his fans. How wonderful!

Wow. Thank you for posting those. Gomes' jump is definitely diminished (due to getting older or just not dancing very much any more), but his nobility, graciousness, dramatic intensity and partnering skills remain as glorious as ever. I've always thought he collapsed to the floor really well in Act II. Seriously. That's not easy to do without either looking overwrought or too careful so you don't hurt yourself. And, what a ginormous bouquet, and bigger than Osmolkina's! (Maybe the card says: "I'm sorry. Please come back. Kevin.")

I guess I wouldn't be surprised. However, Hammoudi is barely dancing. He's doing one Siegfried at the Met (and two Espada's). That's it. No Albrecht or Romeo, even though he's done both in the past. A corps dancer is debuting as Solor, not him. Unless he's tapped to cover for Hallberg, assuming Hallberg cannot dance, it would be desperate to say the least to promote someone who's dancing ONE lead. I've been thinking that maybe the company has finally wised up regarding him, and that's why he's doing so little. He only did SL in Singapore as a sub, for, I can't remember who (Gomes? Lendorf?).

I saw SL last Saturday night, 3/17, and regrettably I have many critiques. California, I agree with most of what you wrote earlier. First off, this was my first time at the Academy of Music, and at 160+ years old it is absolutely beautiful. It looked like an old opera house should, I think, in grandeur and ornateness. Not much leg room in the rows, but I was 2nd from the aisle and I didn't have to get up too many times for others, so it was manageable. And, despite the academy being as old as it is, they have installed ample-sized restroom facilities, for the women at least which even newer concert halls cannot accommodate for some reason. The house was packed; it looked pretty much sold out. I'd expect that of SL, but PA Ballet has had a hard time selling tickets, in general, so this was good to see. Also, the age range was extremely diverse - including many young folks (millennials) and some children (who were very well behaved). Luckily, I didn't have the nightmarish audience interruptions like cobweb did. There were two cell phones that did go off, one right before Odette begins her solo in Act II, of all places, but both times they were quickly silenced by the many heads that whipped around with death glares (including my own). Otherwise, everyone was quiet, very respectful and serious. ACT I: I certainly didn't miss ABT's prologue that shows how Odette was captured as a woman and turned into a swan (or, if going by the prop, more like a rubber chicken). The overall idea is appreciated, just not how it's executed. So, I was grateful that PA just gets on with it by starting with the birthday celebrations. The sets were ok; very simple painted backdrops. The stage is smaller than what I'm used to, and at times that really inhibited the choreography. Though it's not a grand stage, they really could have used a few supernumeraries as village elders and as additional guests in ACT III (the only people on stage were the dancers, except in ACT III they had two/three non-dancing footmen). They could have been stationed off by the wings so they wouldn't be in the way of the dancing. A sense of village community was really missing. The costumes were a mixed bag. The Queen mother's gown was no different from the peasants, except that they added maybe three rhinestones to her dress and she was wearing a crown. No way to dress a queen. Peter Weil was a charming Benno, who looked like a very young Angel Corella. He has the same boyish good looks, was extremely charismatic and a good actor. His technique needs some improving, but he's a corps dancer with potential. The peasant pas de trois with Alexandra Heier and So Jung Shin, was forced to dance under themselves at times as the size of the stage really limited them. They each had some nice moments, but they all ran out of steam quite visibly at the end. Clearly they were exhausted. When Sterling Baca made his entrance as Siegfried, I was questioning if he was a prince or just some random guy who wandered into someone else's party. Speaking of Corella, at his ABT farewell performance several years ago, his inner conflict during ACT I was so beautifully and articulately portrayed, clearly struggling with his noble responsibilities and impending marriage (to someone); better than I've ever seen. Baca, and it pains me to say this, was extraordinarily bland during the entire ballet. No character development, no passion, no excitement, no nobility, ok technique, ok partnering. From my perspective, he hasn't progressed at all since leaving ABT and frankly, I'm questioning why/how I thought he had so much potential back then. What did I see then that I clearly didn't see here? ACT II: The set changes, as already noted, were very loud; I didn’t hear any stage hands talking, but I was in the orchestra’s 6th row, so maybe I wasn’t close enough. But, from each act to the next, there were a lot of loud booms. Lilian DiPiazza was O/O. Her grand jete entrance was nice, but then she stumbled a bit coming out of her first arabesque and out the next step, so that killed it a little for me. She has pretty good technique, but I saw several bobbles and a few over/under-rotations during some turns and other steps. Her swan arms were unremarkable. Her characterization was a little better than Baca’s, but for the most part she just maintained a far-away look on her face. There was no passion or story-telling with these two. And, I’m not a fan of the long tutu for O/O, though it’s fine for the corps. Rothbart……what the….? Starting with the most hideous costume that ever wandered out of a B horror film, complete with really tall horns, this character needs to be completely re-done: costume, choreography…. Ian Hussey, a principal, looked heavy and out of shape. Was he recently injured and is just now returning? The saving grace for the entire ballet were the swans. The four little swans were excellent; totally in sync till the very end (at other companies, sometimes I’ve seen them start off well but end all over the place). The swan corps was immaculate. Clearly, they were very well rehearsed and with a few very minor exceptions, they were incredibly in sync and had some beautiful domino effects. These were the hardest working swans I’ve ever seen (not overtly so) and they deserve every accolade I can give them. Corella needs to invest the same amount of time and energy with the principals. ACT III: The Queen mother was finally dressed like a queen and overall the costumes for this act were very good. The princesses and the national dances were danced very nicely. The two Neopolitans, Cato Berry and Taro Kurachi, are both apprentices! Berry had a few stumbles, but was still charming. Kirachi, wow! Beautiful, plush jumps, nice feet, crisp pirouettes. Very impressive for an apprentice. Again, Rothbart…..oh my. The ridiculous horns were replaced here with super white make-up and an equally ridiculously long goatee. Hussey executed his solo very poorly and his revoltades barely left the floor. Baca came out with an inappropriately huge smile on his face which remained throughout this act. He had a very low arabesque, lacks flexibility where it’s needed (in grand jetes, for example) and most of his turns and jumps ended in a sloppy fifth. Odile has an added solo here, that’s not in most SL’s, and DiPiazza had a lot of trouble with it, a lot of stumbles. The typical Odile variation was better and she did, I think, 28/29 fouettes (and singles, which is fine) but she ended with a stumble. Also, during her fouettes, her right hand turned downward from the wrist as soon as she started each fouette, which I found very distracting. ACT IV: The suicides are rushed here, and as noted by others earlier, with no explanation beforehand. The jumps were embarrassing, which wasn’t the dancers fault – they take off from a very low platform, after they cumbersomely climb a few steps (due to design), and at least from the orchestra the jump looked more like a trip. The swan corps again, brought their A game. Finally, there was one corps dancer that I couldn't identify who kept catching my eye. His face was very animated, and he interacted really well with his partners in the ACT I village scenes and in the ACT III Czardas. He also has a wonderful mop of curly hair.

Their website was designed by dancers?? As in dancers who were still dancing, or who had retired?

Since Hallberg has canceled Manon a month out due to injury, it can't be minor. What a shame. I feel terrible for him. I'm guessing it's doubtful he'll show up at the Met. Even if he recovers say late next month, he'll have missed rehearsals which are especially critical for the new Harlequinade. Expect to see a lot of cast changes, and possible debuts. Perhaps Royal will replace him in Harlequinade. I wouldn't be surprised if Hammoudi gets his R&J's (two w/ Boylston) since he's not cast this year. Giselle? I'm afraid to find out.

It looks as if Gomes and his partner, Nick Palmquist, have gotten engaged. Or, perhaps married, since in Palmquist's Instagram below, they're already wearing ring bands. Congrats to both of them!

Precisely.

I think it's going to make sense for Cirio to be on the principal payroll when Simkin decamps to Berlin next year and won't be performing w/ ABT so much, presumably. And, Cornejo is 37 and frequently injured. They will need a short principal to dance w/ Copeland, Lane, Brandt, Trenary. Of course, in the meantime, he's twiddling his thumbs. I believe the reason Teuscher has been cast so much this year (and twice in some roles) is because McKenzie sees her as Murphy's replacement, the female technical stalwart who can do nearly every role. He's getting her up to speed. We all know that Murphy gets injured a lot and is nearing 40. Teuscher is very talented and I do like her a lot, so I'm not saying she doesn't deserve her status or the opportunities. I just don't agree that she should be doing as much when you have other dancers who aren't doing a lot. But, I do believe (going by my gut) that this is the AD's intention.

You could pretty much replace "conductor" or "musical director" with "AD" or even "choreographer" and the article would be spot on. Except that AD's don't make millions.

I saw this on her Instagram the other day and had the same thought. She's doing the trois w/ Cirio and Brandt. Yes, that's superb casting. I know Cirio did either the trois or Giselle's peasant pas soon after he was promoted. But, to have two principals doing this (or really just one) seems a bit absurd.

Yes. I completely agree. It had to be demoralizing.

I agree, it's very disappointing. He has/had a lot of potential. Whatever the reason, a lack of investment in his development with the proper amount of coaching to work out issues wouldn't be surprising.

I don't think Gorak's stagnation is due to Jeffrey Cirio. Look at how infrequently Cirio dances. He's cast as The Boy in Whipped Cream and Basilio, neither of which I could see Gorak doing.

Gorak hasn't been injured. Some of us have written about him on various threads - he's in no man's land, going nowhere. He does a lot of peasant pas and similar soloist roles. No principal roles anymore. I haven't seen him develop and the last few times I've seen him he just dances pretty, with a weird pasted on smile, like he's going through the motions. I don't know if that caused his stagnation and lack of opportunities. I didn't see his Romeo, but others who did wrote that it wasn't very good and that he had some real partnering issues.

Well, this should be interesting. I'm happy to see them doing something different. I know that Cornejo was in one of her pieces last year at Vail and did some tapping.

Agree 100%!