ABT Fan

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!

Yeah, strangely no mention of that.

I couldn't even finish this article. Time to move on, dude.

Thank you for this. There's also another new company in the works called United Ballet Theatre based in Orlando, FL which is being led by Joseph Gatti (to be up and running by summer 2018). A completely different enterprise from the ones mentioned above, but I'm including it here because not only is the name a bit similar but so is their motto of focusing on the dancers' health: "Dedicated to preserving the artist". From http://www.unitedballettheatre.org/: "For so many professional ballet dancers, it looks like this: Take morning class. Rehearse hard. Perform hard. Get injured. Visit the doctor. Do physical therapy. Possible surgery. Back to rehab. Rehearse and perform hard again. Get injured again. Back to the doctor. More rehab. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. That's the vicious cycle of professional ballet companies, which takes place far too often, is talked about all too little, and has been around forever. But it doesn't have to be that way and United Ballet Theatre is going to prove it." In the video on their front page, Gatti says that his company will cross-train their dancers and include PT in their weekly schedules, providing a balanced schedule that no other ballet company does. Well, maybe other companies do not literally schedule gym time for their dancers or hire the personal trainers for them, if that's what he's saying he'll do, but most large and medium-sized companies provide onsite gyms or gym access and dancers who cross-train to strengthen and prevent injury is not a novel thing anymore. A lot of companies have medical advisory staff and wellness programs. And, it's pretty standard for most companies to have onsite PT. So, I don't see this as groundbreaking.

Deflope, thank you for the links. I especially want to see the Grigorovich version.

That is news to me. So, in these versions (or just the Grigorovich) does Juliet still kill herself and if so why? Or does she wake up after Romeo has taken the poison but before he dies?

That must have made Freddie Franklin roll over in his grave.

Thanks for posting this article. It's very interesting. I'm not in favor of Ratmansky changing the scene where Juliet wakes up before Romeo dies. I can't imagine how that would play out, but I guess I'd have to see it. That is such a critical point in the drama though.

Gemma Bond, a dancer and choreographer with ABT, has won the dance award. Congratulations to her! Robbie Fairchild and David Hallberg will present the awards on January 9 at the Walter Reade Theater. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/22/arts/dance/clive-barnes-awards-gemma-bond-winner-nominees-announced.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fdance&action=click&contentCollection=dance&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=sectionfront

You may be right regarding Lane and O/O, but I'd take your next statement further by saying that many ballerinas (regardless of height) have struggled to make this role their own. I think it's extremely rare for any ballerina to be able to perform all of the full-length leads technically and artistically convincing. Besides the obvious technique required it's also a matter of personality. I still wish Lane was getting an O/O at the Met this year, as she may improve with more coaching and another shot, but if this role just isn't her forte I'd be ok with that. As you mention, she excels at so many others.

Lane's fouettes in this recent video are different from what we saw at the Met. In this video she does a little stumble at the end and did some forward traveling but she finished them and did a fine job. And, she did not display the disappointment that she did at the Met. She could definitely use more coaching and preparation but I'm satisfied with this video. Asking Boca to take down this video might not garner goodwill with them either (who knows, maybe she already asked). She didn't post it on her Instagram.

On their website, it says that "New York Friends of PA Ballet was created to recognize these dance lovers who receive casting news before the general public, in order to make their travel plans...." That explanation might fly if this was Houston Ballet or Miami City Ballet or.....or...., but not when you're less than 90 minutes away on Amtrak with plenty of trains running daily. That's a slap in the face to Philly ballet go-ers.

Can you please attach the Instagram link? I cannot find this.

This! And, as others have already said, both of these guys have only themselves to blame if they were put off by canbelto's re-posting of their public feeds.

Wow! Congratulations to the both of them.

What does he say about Wiles?

Well, looking at the seat availability I guess this isn't a surprise. It's unfortunate though.

That was adorable. I wonder how long she had to sit in the audience before she took to the stage?

I just noticed that Simkin is also doing Romeo at the Saturday matinee with Copeland. Was that always there or did it just pop up? "it's the mom" - perhaps this is how you got to 7 earlier, and I just missed his Romeo casting. That gives him: Albrecht - 1 DQ - 2 Romeo - 1 Mercutio - 1 Whipped Cream - 2 Total: still 7 There's still a TBA for SL w/ Copeland, and that will probably go to him, and, he'll also most likely get Harlequinade (and maybe Pierrot too, I'd forgotten about this role). He also usually does the Bronze Idol in Bayadere, which even though that isn't the lead it's still a plum part. So, once the final casting is out it looks like Simkin will wind up with the same or a higher number of performances than Hallberg, Lendorf and Stearns. Much better than I originally thought. Maybe Cirio will fair a bit better too. Right now he has: Mercutio - 3 DQ - 1 WC - 2 Total: still 6 We're already assuming he'll also get Harlequinade (and maybe Pierrot). Cirio did the Bronze Idol in Boston, so hopefully he'll get a few performances of that. I still wish we were seeing him in SL. He deserves more leads in the full-lengths.

That's great to hear, thanks!

Thanks for this report! How was Sebastian as Espada? He's pretty much remained a back-row corps dancer, so I'm curious how he did in this.

Casting is out. Teuscher gets her debut, while Copeland gets opening (with Cornejo) and closing nights (with Gomes). http://www.abt.org/calendar.aspx?startdate=2/1/2018

Really late to the party here. I saw the Friday show on the 20th, and it was a fairly disappointing evening. Songs of Bukovina - I really don't think I'll want to see this again. This piece finally made me question, "What is it with Ratmansky frequently using music that is so un-danceable?" I don't need Tchaikovsky to be satisfied, but the scores he chooses just don't work for me. Apparently, he hears something I don't. I wasn't sure of the point of the piece either (one minute the cast is somber, then they're all big smiles dancing to an upbeat tempo, then they're melancholic, they they're big smiles again dancing quirky/funny choreography, and all in the same movement.....what?). Despite all of that, Boylston was gorgeous. She is much more musical and has luxurious phrasing. She projects such confidence and authority. Shayer, in a last minute substitution for an injured Lendorf, did exceptionally well under the circumstances. Strong, secure technique and good partnering. However, I didn't like the two of them together, which may just be a result of the limited rehearsal time. Boylston needs an equally confident/strong partner and Shayer is not there yet, but he was still very good. Even so, this man needs to be promoted and I hope that finally happens in the spring/summer. Lastly, the four corps men - Whiteley, Ahn, Lyle and Frenette - were exceptional. Whiteley is a tall, strong guy with gorgeous port de bras and upper body carriage and possesses strong technique, but his footwork was sometimes sloppy. ABT, please invest in this guy. And, Lyle, someone I rarely see out of the typical back-of-the-scenery corps work, really stood out and also has untapped potential. Always love seeing Frenette who always catches my eye (still think about his Wilfred). Her Notes - there was some really lovely choreography, but it was mostly forgettable. The dancing, however, was worth it. And, it was so nice to see three out of the four recently promoted dancers on stage together (Lane, Royal and Shevchenko). Lane was gorgeous - what a ballerina she has become. As someone else noted, when Lane, Brandt and Trenary were dancing together, they were such a well-matched trio. I would also love to see a piece created for the three of them (or even just one section in a ballet). Royal was regal, but he always is. Those arms and legs of his that he stretches out fully and his confidence has skyrocketed (I'm sure his well-deserved promotion helped); just amazing. Whiteside is a bit of a puzzle for me. In this piece, and in any non-classical piece I'm finding, he's extraordinary. He commands the stage and dances with a fullness and an awareness that I never see in his princely roles. He was mesmerizing. I had to force myself to stop watching him so I could focus on the others. He's always had the technique and is a very good partner (and his partnering and relation to his partner continues to improve), but when I saw him as Siegfried, he disappeared and had no presence. Frankly, he looked bored. It's as if I'm watching two different dancers. Thirteen Diversions - why does this piece get so much hype? Again, some nice, even beautiful parts, but overall it was blah. Seo and Stearns had some truly lovely moments (I could imagine their R&J, which I've never seen), but Seo fell off of pointe a few times during their pas. Zhang, who partnered Brandt, is another corps man who needs to be pushed and put in the spotlight more. There's a lot of talent waiting to burst out in bigger roles. Bell kept catching my eye. And, it was really nice to see Luis Ribagorda back on stage after 2 years. And, overall, really fine dancing from Gorak, Lane, Murphy, Hoven and Brandt. Despite the ballets themselves being disappointing, it's always terrific to see so many soloists and principals in one evening and often in the same piece. So, I am grateful for that.

The "Ballet Corrections" costumes are so clever!

Terrific! I can really see Lane and Cornejo in Other Dances. And, glad Shayer/Klein get their debuts in WC so early.