ABT Fan

1 hour ago, ksk04 said:

Onto Murphy/Hoven tonight. Hoping Blaine impresses--I saw him when he suddenly debuted in the Bright Stream a few years ago (forget who he was replacing) and have hoped for more opportunities for him since then.

I'll be eager to hear how Hoven does tonight. I was thrilled he was cast (albeit as a sub) as I think he's more than ready to take on some lead roles. I was hoping he'd get one coming up at the Met, esp in SL.

A sneak peek of Lane rehearsing Nikiya:

7 minutes ago, Helene said:

Interesting that she says "both" dancers, when the linked article's headline refers to "five dancers."

 

I took that to mean both, as in the dancers AND Peter Martins, not the number of dancers specifically.

...."both the dancers who are accusing Mr. Martins, and Mr. Martins himself...."

This just came out in the Times. Scroll down to the last "To the Editor" submission.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/opinion/sexual-harassment.html

I finished this today, reluctantly. I wish it kept going.

Very engrossing book, though at times I didn't like his writing style (he's not a "writer" so the contents far outweighed his style, for me). 

I really admire his willingness to lay bare his internal world, especially during his injury and long, arduous recovery. He was frank about his depression, anxiety, and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Hallberg is such an emotional person, and at times was so internally tortured, that I wished I could have given him a hug and somehow make it all better. 

He says nothing about the end of his Bolshoi tenure, so I assume he's hoping he can return there some day.

He's very thankful to so many people who helped him along the way, whether during his early years or during his recovery. A very grateful and humble guy.

3 hours ago, atm711 said:

Perception??  If you saw his later performances, there would be little doubt as to what was happening.......

I didn’t, which is why I don’t have an opinion on it.

18 hours ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

Also, diverse. And not just in terms of race and gender. 

It would be interesting to know what the decision making process will be and how Martins' various duties will be parceled out on a day to day basis. 

Agree. I wish the article had given more detail about how these four individuals will lead. 

Separately, even though NYCB does not forbid an AD to have family in their charge (unlike romantic/spousal relationships) I still think that's never a great idea. To me, spouses, boyfriends/girlfriends, dating partners, family, all run the risk of perceived favoritism even if there isn't any, and I think perception is important. Though spouses seem to garner the most wariness, understandably. But, by my saying that I am in no way accusing or assuming that Stafford will favor his sister in any casting decisions (if he will even have any say in casting, because that isn't known yet). Martins got plenty of flack over casting his son, Nilas, in certain roles. I'm not saying those decisions were based on favoritism, I don't know. But, again its perception.

I also find it odd that NYCB has yet to issue a press release announcing Martins' LoA and now the intermediary team. If they have, there's nothing on their website.

I predict Martin's temporary leave of absence is going to turn into a resignation very quickly. There's no coming back from this and the board will want to send the right message to the dancers, the company at large and the public. Having him on leave for weeks on end will prevent the company from focusing on the work and moving forward. Finish their investigation, but based on what we know so far, I'm thinking that won't take very long. Appoint an interim director, then search for the right replacement. 

47 minutes ago, Emma said:

Heather Watts, in her interview with Conversations on Dance, mentioned that she's coaching Peck to be even more daring (since Tiler is just too good, her words). Peck might be reaching an even higher level of artistry if that's even possible.

11 hours ago, yukionna4869 said:

I don’t understand why Copeland is getting two O/Os.  Does ABT really have that much trouble selling Swan Lake tickets?

Copeland is the only principal who sells out the house w/ her "star" power. SL sells with other casts, but she sells it out.

Oh boy. I don't remember any such grief or upheaval when Stiefel took over.

1 hour ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

With all due respect to the Balanchine-era artists we love and admire, it's time for NYCB to embrace the contributions of a new generation when it selects its next AD*. It's no longer sufficient to have once worked closely with Balanchine. He's been dead for 34 years and a lot has happened to ballet, to dance, to the arts, to the media, to our society, and to the world in the interim. Those artists still have valuable, indeed invaluable, roles to play — as teachers, as mentors, as sources of first-hand knowledge, as touchstones, as keepers of the flame — but running a company isn't necessarily the best way to fulfill them. I say this as an aging Boomer who's delighted, excited, and charmed by the energy and creativity of the generation that's come after mine, and well aware of the things they are alert to, both good and ill, that I am not until they tell me. 

And, with all due respect to the younger, up-and-coming talent we love and admire, that AD has to come on board with a full portfolio of well- tested skills, including both artistic judgment and managerial expertise. Being an emerging choreographer isn't enough; running a pick-up company in the off-season isn't enough. Running a dance program at a university isn't enough. (One might argue that the opening decade or so of Martins' tenure shows what happens when someone is selected on promise rather than achievement, but i digress ...) 

* Even if Martins survives the current firestorm, he is 71 and in the twilight of his NYCB tenure. If we aren't discussing his replacement now, we will be soon enough. 

First, it's been challenging to keep up with this fast and furious thread. What a sad situation!

I agree with Kathleen that it's time for a new generation of leadership, although, I'd love to see Farrell, Villella, and others from the Mr. B generation brought in as coaches for Balanchine rep. It's a shame that they've not been utilized. I do think Lourdes Lopez would be a good candidate, though she's from the "older" generation, but it would be a shame if she left Miami after only 5 years and while she's making, what seems to me, like great progress.

That said, if Justin Peck were named AD anytime soon I'd be appalled; and worried. He's way too young and has no experience leading an organization, small or large. And, at least for now he's purely focused on his choreography. I don't think Millepied is a good choice either. Yikes.

It's too bad Woetzel is already committed to Julliard because IMO I think he could do great things. But, I can't imagine he'd want to wrangle himself out of a prestigious and much-publicized appointment. That aside, I can't imagine who else they could consider when the time comes (sooner rather later?).

Separately, the dance world IS a very touchy, feely environment and the ability to teach and coach would be severely impacted if touching were banned or restricted. I never felt uncomfortable whenever any teacher/coach/director, male or female, would poke or prod me in class or rehearsal. Words aren't always enough to fully explain choreography or a correction. And, dancing with others, partnering and otherwise, requires a lot of very close touching. So, dancers become immune to it (not immune to say someone grabbing your crotch or your breast, for example, because that would never be necessary for a correction. If a choreographer puts that in dance, though, well I'm not going to go into that...). That is why you can watch rehearsals and see dancers "not responding" or not seemed fazed by a director or another dancer touching them whether it's during notes, while they're talking, just standing around, etc. 

Regarding Martins, I don't really know what else to say other than that I'm appalled this is happening and I hope the investigation is thorough and unsparing (whatever the results). I think a few others have already said that even if he's cleared, it's hard to see how he'd come out of this smelling like roses. 

Lastly, I feel really bad for the dancers who are in the beginning of their Nutcracker run and have to go out on stage every night during this. They're professionals obviously, but they're human too and this has to be a huge distraction. I hope they can focus as best as they can and still dance their hearts out.

28 minutes ago, dirac said:

The current allegations refer to the sexual abuse of underage boys, as the articles specify, not sexual harassment (although in Levine’s case it is possible they may end up overlapping).  

The Met is apparently going to conduct its own investigation of Levine -- now that this is in the news. But will the Met investigate itself?  Seems to me Gelb has got a lot more 'splainin' to do.

 

 

 

The Met knew about this for a year. I'm wonder if any management heads will roll.

5 hours ago, California said:

If you read McKenzie interviews over the years, he says, essentially, that the ABT board was desperate, that everybody else had turned them down, and McKenzie was a last desperate hope. So the lack of management experience almost didn't matter. It's a very different story now, with people like Steifel, Corella, and Bocca around. 

That's true. The point I was making though, and not very clearly, is regardless that no one else wanted the job, McKenzie was hired without experience. So, the precedent has been set for someone without management experience to be able to come in and successfully run the company, turning them around financially and keeping them afloat during subsequently difficult financial times (despite what many of us may think about his casting decisions....). If down the road, some on the board wanted to hire someone like Gomes (assuming he obtained no management experience in the meantime), they could turn to the naysayers and say "Look, McKenzie did it, and during extremely difficult times, and we believe Gomes can too (or Joe or Jane Smoe)....".

I agree that Julie Kent should be considered as well. From what I see, she's doing wonderful things over at Washington. 

9 hours ago, miliosr said:

Is he a realistic contender to succeed McKenzie? I would think that Ethan Steifel or Marcelo Gomes would be the more likely candidates to succeed McKenzie. And, it sure would be messy to abandon Pennsylvania Ballet to its fate by taking some of his PB dancers with him to ABT and then purging the ranks at ABT to make room for them. Messy.

I don't know about realistic, but the board would be weighing his star power, which is huge and bigger than Steifel's and Gomes', plus his schmoozing/fund-raising ability against all he's done at PA ( the good, bad, and ugly) and at his own company prior to that. IMO that resume has some extraordinary achievements peppered with several low-class/unprofessional bullet points. But, let's say for a moment he does go to ABT, if he's truly honest with himself (and I think he would be) I don't think there'd be much purging to make room for PA dancers; the talent across corps, soloist and principal between the two companies is not comparable. Baca was in the corps before going to PA as a principal (though he seemed on the verge of getting promoted). If he brought over his principals to be principals at ABT, I think he'd lose a lot of balletomanes and donors and be skewered by the critics and he wouldn't last. He's made some (many?) bad judgment calls in how he's handled some things in PA, but I think in terms of recognizing talent he's very smart so I can't imagine he'd bring over scores of dancers; maybe a few but they'd come in at a lower level. And, how many would be willing to do that anyway? 

However, though Gomes has had no management experience as California mentioned, McKenzie didn't either (unless you count his one year as an artistic assoc at Washington, whatever that meant). I'm not saying that's a good formula, I'd rather see someone with experience like Steifel or Bocca.

But, I think McKenzie has another decade or so left anyway.

7 minutes ago, canbelto said:

I think Angel's eye is on the prize which is the successor to Kevin McKenzie. He wants to build up enough of a fanbase in NYC.....

This is exactly what has been on my mind especially with the creation of the NY Friends assoc. It's a two-for-one: getting some much needed cash for now while potentially lining up future donors.

1 hour ago, yukionna4869 said:

I was also planning on going, but got sticker shock. I mean, $100 for the 4th ring?!

I also wanted to go this year, but decided I just can't stomach the prices. It's a bit much!

They look like students, probably from an area school.

Thank heavens they weren't wearing pointe shoes because that floor looked about as slick as an ice-skating rink.

1 hour ago, nanushka said:

Three performances with the Fadeyev Ballet (directed by the Vaganova-trained Yaroslav Fadeyev) in Port Washington on Dec 22-23; tickets available here.

 

Do you know who her partner will be? Their website doesn't list any other casting.

Within 30 minutes of each other??

Who made that decision, a fifth-grader?

1 hour ago, California said:

But signs of trouble have been there for a long time.

Another trouble sign this year: the frequent flash sales, last-minute bargain prices on orchestra seats, etc.

I have seen several of their programs since Corella took over and always enjoy them. This is not NYCB or even ABT, but worth seeing. I hope they can work through these problems.  

Glancing at Nutcracker availability, it looks to be selling better than their Sleeping Beauty and other Fall programs did, but that's to be expected (one would hope anyway).

Let's see if they have any Nut flash sales. That would be ominous.

I'm on chapter 8 and it's a fascinating read.

Very sad to read about the awful and persistent bullying he went through.

Wonderful that his parents have been so extremely supportive of him in every area of his life.

He writes in such a descriptive way that I feel like I'm witnessing everything he went through.

The re-counting of his teacher, Mr. Han, saying to his parents "How's Mommy and Daddy doing?" made me laugh out loud!

Is Philly-area donor-ship really down that much that they're courting NY?

Do they figure NY isn't as disgruntled as Philly over the slash-and-burn tactics (and continuous re-hashing in the news) that Angel has displayed so they'll be more likely to support them?

Or, is there an ulterior motive hidden somewhere?

10 hours ago, LadyBubbles said:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbgjtCYBarl/?taken-by=kremlinballet

Thank you for posting this. I hadn't seen this one. Just gorgeous.

James Whiteside will not be dancing in Nutcracker due to hernia surgery. Hope he recovers well!

He was scheduled for 3 performances with Gillian Murphy. ABT's site hasn't been updated yet but SCFTA's states that Gomes will take his first performance and Blaine Hoven will take the other two. Great opportunity for Hoven!