ABT Fan
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Posts posted by ABT Fan
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1 hour ago, California said:
I think it's only for an ABTMEMBER (hint, hint)
👍🏻😊
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6 minutes ago, California said:
ABT just announced a Flash Sale 50% off for ABT members. I think they did this before the Met season, too.
Flash Sale Select Performances:
Classics Old and New:
October 19 7:30 PM
October 20 7:30 PM
20th Century Works: Balanchine and Ashton
October 25 7:30 PM
October 26 7:30 PM
21st Century Works: King, Ratmansky, and Bond
October 27 7:30 PM
October 28 7:30 PMIs there a code to use?
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2 minutes ago, California said:
I confess that I like the "old-fashioned gala" feel to this. Guilty pleasures!
Same here! It’s just more gala-like to me as opposed to what they’ve done the past several years.
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It's worth pointing out that the pas from Sleeping Beauty is staged by Jaffe and Kolpakova - so not Ratmansky's version.
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Here's the Gala casting (this is more like the galas of the "olden" days, with big pas from the full lengths):
ABT Studio Company and the ABT JKO School in a pièce d'occasion
Devon Teuscher and Thomas Forster in The Sleeping Beauty
Cassandra Trenary and Calvin Royal III in Romeo and Juliet
Christine Shevchenko and James Whiteside in Swan Lake
Skylar Brandt and Joo Won Ahn in The Leaves Are Fading
Isabella Boylston and Aran Bell in Danzón No. 2
Hee Seo and Cory Stearns in Concerto
Catherine Hurlin and Daniel Camargo in Don Quixote
Gillian Murphy, Joo Won Ahn, and Herman Cornejo in Études -
35 minutes ago, its the mom said:
I know that others have talked about this before (and in light of the dancers mentioned above), but do you think it would benefit the company and the dancers to add one more rank, i.e., second soloist?
Personally, I don’t think that would be of benefit and I don’t see the company adding another rank anyway. In terms of just Coker and Klein, they’ve been in the corps for 6 and 10 years respectively, and have danced many soloist and a few principal roles beautifully. After all of that, a promotion to second soloist would be almost insulting. They should be *soloists*. But, again I don’t see the company creating any additional ranks.
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I just hope that promotions are announced sometime this year. If Jaffe promotes no one all season, as Barbara noted that would be very bad for morale. In that situation, I wouldn't be surprised (nor would I blame) if Coker, Curley, Klein and perhaps a few others take their talent elsewhere.
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Whiteside was promoted to principal in October of that year, and I think Jeffrey Cirio was as well. So they must have a way to make that happen.
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At this point it seems like Jaffe will wait till at least the Fall performances are over. Someone had commented on another thread about this last week I think - basically saying she may want more time with the dancers and to see who really has principal potential and won’t just be a career soloist if they’re moved up to soloist. If that’s the case then I totally agree (even though I’m impatiently waiting…). Of course, no one has a crystal ball and a soloist could fail to reach the potential that we all saw/hoped they had. But for the sake of their future, the soloist clog created by McKenzie needs to be revamped.
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13 minutes ago, nanushka said:
I’d certainly rather she wait then continue this trend of McKenzie’s which is why we have the problem we have now.
*It doesn’t look like my quote of nanushka’s came through above. I was responding to their last sentence, about clogging up the soloist rank.
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So, as of this morning Gorak, Shayer and Holloway are no longer on the roster and 6 apprentices have been added. No promotions. Is it possible Jaffe promoted no one? Wouldn’t all roster changes have happened at once? How odd.
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3 hours ago, California said:
Judging from today's Instagrams for several ABT dancers, they are back in the studio today. Hope they make some announcements of promotions!
I’m betting (hoping) the announcement comes out tomorrow. September 1 is the start of the new season. Whoever was promoted would already know, they’d have had to sign a new contract already which begins tomorrow, so I guess they’re sworn to secrecy till the announcement. Whatever the case, the suspense is killing me.
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19 minutes ago, pirouette said:
True, and it's been exciting to watch them, but those dancers were already on their way to becoming principals if not principals already. Would be cool to see someone relatively new and unfamiliar to audiences thrown into a major role like SL — a la Sara Mearns dancing O/O when she was still in the corps.
ABT has done that, but it's not common. When Bell was still in the corps and barely 19, he was given Romeo opposite Teuscher. That was his first principal role. The NY Times even wrote an article about it: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/arts/dance/aran-bell-romeo-and-juliet-american-ballet-theatre.html
I remember when Hee Seo was also still in the corps she was given Juliet and Gamzatti (I saw the later).
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1 hour ago, pirouette said:
Personally, I think instead of giving Hee Seo 2 Swan Lake shows nearly every Met season, they could use one of those shows as a 'debut' for someone up and coming.
I couldn't agree more (same with Teuscher historically getting two performances of most everything).
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29 minutes ago, FauxPas said:
Andrew Robare is a young dancer who joined the corps from the studio company. He has some similarities in type to a young David Hallberg. He shone in the studio company and was given many leading roles in ballets there. He is another young corps dancer who needs to be given solo opportunities and tracked for promotion.
Do you remember the rehearsal footage of him last year stepping in for Oberon with Trenary? He was either an understudy or just filling in for that rehearsal, but I was struck by him then.
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57 minutes ago, FauxPas said:
I wonder if splitting up Aran Bell and Cate Hurlin with other partners was part of this thinking re: Boylston and Whiteside. I want to see them together more often.
Except for Hurlin and Bell, a lot of the recently promoted principals are over 30 and many over 35.
I think Skyler Brandt is about 30, as is Cassandra Trenary - so they are on the younger end of the spectrum. Joo Won Ahn is also 30.
Devon Teuscher is roughly the same age as Schevchenko - 34. Shevy is 35.
Isabella Boylston is 36, Tom Forster is late thirties, Whiteside is 38, Hee Seo is 37 as is Cory Stearns.
Misty Copeland and Herman Cornejo are in their early 40's.
In five short years many of these people will retire or be retired.
I hope dancers like Schevchenko and Forster are allowed to hang on for a while since they were held back cruelly for over a decade and promoted late.
In the lower ranks, Chloe Misseldine is clearly a prima ballerina in the making. She has been dancing the pas de deux from "Swan Lake" in guest appearances - both Odile and Odette. Clearly she is being groomed for stardom.
Others like Park and Granlund et al. are good dancers - often wonderful but could they cover all the repertoire that Gillian Murphy has?
Jaffe needs to start finding the next generation of dancers - and fast.
BTW: social media is full of technically remarkable young dancers. Elisabeth Beyer new to the corps is one of them. I am seeing some amazing dancing on Instagram.
I haven't seen the Studio Company but have read reports here that they are chock full of new talent.
Sascha Radetsky and Stella Abrera are in charge of these dancers and are working with young dancers at Vail. They are a resource.
But new dancers need roles and I think putting one performance with promising soloists or corps dancers would be a boon. Chloe Misseldine in Swan Lake. Jonathan Klein and Zimmi Coker in "Coppelia" or "Don Quixote". Patrick Frenette as Albrecht in "Giselle". I could go on. Thirty-three years ago we got things like Julie Kent as matinee Giselle or Juliet even when the company had stars like Ferri, Jaffe and Martine Van Hamel on the roster. It needs to happen.
I agree with most of this - it's a bit shocking to realize how many of the principals could retire in 5 years, as you put it.
Shevchenko wasn't held back for over a decade - she joined the company in 2007 and made it to principal in 2017. The same amount it took for Teuscher, Brandt, Trenary and some others to make it to principal. But, Forster was indeed held back far too long.
I think Park has potential to get to principal, given some of her recent casting. Misseldine is a given. McBride, Granlund, Williams, Han, I'd say no (with the others in need of retirement).
I'm all in favor of this: But new dancers need roles and I think putting one performance with promising soloists or corps dancers would be a boon. Chloe Misseldine in Swan Lake. Jonathan Klein and Zimmi Coker in "Coppelia" or "Don Quixote". Patrick Frenette as Albrecht in "Giselle". I could go on.
**I'd add: Curley with Misseldine in SL. Roxander and Coker or Katsnelson in Coppelia. Or, Frenette with Coker in Giselle. Fleytoux in Cinderella. Le Spectre de la Rose with Magbitang. La Fille with Klein, Maloney, Roxander, or Gonzalez and Coker, Fleytoux, Katnelson, Lall. Yes, I could go on as well.Edited to add: I think Jaffe is focusing on finding the next generation of talent, but she has a huge uphill battle and very little time (i.e. "old" or older principals, many soloists who are stagnant/can't dance principal or challenging soloist roles....). The fact that Roxander has been given so many principal roles for the Fall, and laying off casting Stearns much is telling. She has her work cut out for her.
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25 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:
Overall, I think Jaffe has shown good judgment in her casting, and there is much I'm looking forward too.
It's kind of crazy that ABT's website can't handle traffic caused by the announcement of fall casting. They should send their eblasts in staggered batches if their website can't handle the traffic from everyone navigating to their website at once. Not ideal for an announcement, but neither is jamming up your website.
I agree. I noticed that Stearns has not been cast much - not as Oberon this year (Bell gets his debut, yay!, and last year Stearns was replaced by Camargo) nor in any of the tutu ballets. I think that's a good decision.
I think the website's issues are because they are actively updating it right now. Each time I refresh it, something else has changed/been added. Now Bond's ballet is on the schedule with casting. Still not a good excuse, but I think it's more than just heavy traffic.
I find it odd that casting was announced, but still no promotions.
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1 hour ago, vipa said:
Doesn't look like we'll be seeing much of Cassandra Trenary. I always found her to be one of the more interesting dancers in the company.
She’s doing about as much as the rest of the principals. Titania, debut as Natalia, and as mentioned above most likely Petit Mort. However, Hee Seo only has Piano Concerto.
I was hoping Curley would get Olga’s Fiancé.It’s worth noting that besides Misseldine and Park, no other soloists are in lead casting (except Williams in Bond’s pas).
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Casting has been announced:
Some big debuts for Roxander including Puck (can we expect a promotion to soloist soon?). Cornejo is not cast in this role.
No word on promotions yet.
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4 hours ago, Papagena said:
But they don't have the same kind of chemistry that Ferri/Bocca and Vishneva/Gomes had.
Boylston / Whiteside have a very 'close silly friends' energy that doesn't translate well to the romantic ballets - almost like seeing brother and sister together. The only pairing with them that really worked for me was Harlequinade, where their goofy energies and playfulness lit up the stage. Really early in their careers it was different, but now I think management was in the right. I think they are a great pair for comedic ballets, which are rarely done anymore since they don't sell well.
Then again I've avoided them together for this reason (love Whiteside's modern energy with a more muted romantic ballerina, and Camargo brings out the best in Boylston), so my exposure to them together during the last few years has been limited.I was going to say the exact same thing. Whiteside/Boylston are close friends and that chemistry translates to their stage partnership, which does not work in a romantic story. I saw them together in Giselle in 2021 and it was like watching a brother and sister play games in the first act - a little cringy actually. So by “too comfortable “ I think management may have meant this. In a modern ballet, or one without a romantic backstory, they work well together, but there were no such ballets in this past Met season.
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8 hours ago, Josette said:
I wonder if Woolf Works will have Gillian Murphy as the lead. Didn’t she dance Fall River Legend with great success?
The Accused in Fall River is one of Murphy’s best roles.
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1 hour ago, coffeelover said:
, I think it will be SL, R&J, Giselle and a mixed rep program of some sort.
This would be 2022 and 2023’s Met season all over again. Please, ballet gods, no.
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56 minutes ago, nanushka said:
Anything's possible, but we don't really know what Jaffe's preferred approach to promotions is, do we? ABT contracts renewed August 1st, I think? That would seem to have been a logical time. Since it didn't happen then, who knows?
Isn’t it September 1, when the new season starts?
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I keep checking their website for a promotions announcement.....it must be coming any day now. The suspense!
Separately, there were questions on this site about who is running their social media with Conor Holloway having departed. Their roster now says corps dancers Cy Doherty and Erica All:
Promotions and Roster changes
in American Ballet Theatre
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They’re basically doing that already to Jake Roxander. He’s doing the 2nd male lead in Etudes and one of the leads in Piano Concerto on Oct 20 (and, debuts for both). Who knows if he’s also doing Petit Mort on the same night, but even if he’s not, those 2 leads will be more than enough! A big test for him no doubt.