ABT Fan
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Posts posted by ABT Fan
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6 minutes ago, nanushka said:
PDT is Gorak, Brandt and Trenary. What a night!
Perfect casting! T minus 1 minute!!!!!!
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22 minutes ago, bingham said:
Was hoping that his "subway save" would bring him to the attention of the ballet staff and director.
Maybe he can guest in Peck's next showing of The Times are Racing.
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Hamrick has an interview out in marie claire magazine about motherhood and her career:
http://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a27234/melanie-hamrick-mick-jagger-baby/
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2 minutes ago, California said:
I remember reading an interview with Gillian that she started doing fouettes when she was very young. Just one perfect one, then she worked up to two in a row, then three. Over time she worked up to 32. I wonder if there are balancing and placement issues that need to be inculcated at an early age. Stamina is surely part of it, too.
Speaking of Murphy...I saw this on her Instagram the other day.
Of course, ballerinas should practice-practice-practice something they routinely have trouble with, and I think many of them do, as much as possible. But, one of the great things about the Met season is also one of the worst things for the dancers - preparing numerous ballets at the same time, coupled with limited rehearsal time. Fouettes are something you can practice alone without a partner, but as California noted, it's not just the fouettes but doing fouettes after a solo, after a pas, after doing Odette. You can crank out 50 fouettes alone in a studio all by yourself, but put those into a ballet and it's a different thing entirely. That said, yes, of course, there's a technique/stamina issue with several O/O's at the moment which is unacceptable. I know a lot of dancers cross train routinely now, but is working out on an elliptical going to improve your fouettes? And, as some others have noted, ABT should consider not casting every (or nearly) principal in every major role. Not every principal is going to be stupendous in everything. However, I also recognize that money is a factor and to accommodate such casting they'd probably have to hire more principals which I doubt would be an option. I just don't know that by the time you're in your 30's you're going to be able to crack the fouette nut if you haven't already. Perhaps some can. But, at least with the dancers we're talking about, it isn't happening.
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2 minutes ago, vipa said:
Just got my ticket for tonight's SL. It seems almost sold out.
My goodness, you're right! Though tomorrow night's with Seo/Stearns/Gomes is very well sold as well.
I cannot remember who wrote the comment above re: Lane's preparation time for tonight. Despite my excitement regarding this chance she's been given, I have had some of the same fears. I really hope she had at least a few weeks to rehearse (that ABT was proactive as much as possible) and that it wasn't a Friday afternoon aka Le Corsaire situation "get the understudy in here now to prepare for next week!". Even a few weeks is not enough for SL, but I hope Lane hasn't had to cram O/O in 6 days. Yes, she has the benefit of having performed this before with Corella, but that was years ago.
I'm very optimistic though especially given her Giselle debut. I've had a hard time imagining her as an evil seductress, but she blew me away with her mad scene so she clearly has incredible acting ability. I hope her newfound confidence and maturity will carry her through, up and over, the lack of preparation time she's faced.
Separately, Part is still scheduled to dance on Saturday so I guess we'll see if that stands.
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I completely forgot about Mozartiana!
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You know who they should pair up with Part more often is Blaine Hoven. They did Seven Sonatas together a few years ago and before the piece began I said "uh oh, I don't see this going well" as I thought he'd be too short and not a strong enough partner for her (and too inexperienced). I was so wrong! He moved her around like she was 5 feet tall and also to my surprise they had wonderful chemistry. Of course, Seven Sonatas is not Swan Lake and I don't know how he'd handle all of those overhead lifts. But, despite the bobbles he had in Giselle's peasant pas a few weeks ago, he has never danced or looked better. He more than deserved his promotion last year. If a SL with Part isn't workable, they should at least try him as Siegfried (or Romeo...) with someone smaller (he and Trenary could make an interesting R&J). I don't think I see Hoven as principal material, but I think they should see if he can handle a lead role.
Edited to add: plus he's good friends with Gomes so maybe he can give him partnering tips while they're drinking beers. ?
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11 minutes ago, Drew said:
For an alternate ending, Odette telling Siegfried to go jump off a cliff seems rather an appealing idea . . .
You are all making me laugh, between this and the Prince Wetblanket description!
I was really hoping Hammoudi would pull out a star performance today to finally show everyone that he deserved to be cast in these principal roles. I hope they finally pull the plug and stop casting him; give him soloist roles. If you read his bio he's done nearly every lead in the full-length's, which is inexplicable.
Glad Teuscher's debut was promising if not spectacular. Same for Royal. Really enjoy reading everyone's comments.
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5 minutes ago, cubanmiamiboy said:
I am not arguing ABT's marketing strategies, for which Copeland is obviously a much appreciated item. I am talking about grand ABT ballet...and proficient ABT classical ballerinas, in which case Copeland would then be indeed a laughable matter-(or a shameful one...).
I realize you're not. I was just stating the obvious.
And, I agree that it's a shameful situation.
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4 minutes ago, cubanmiamiboy said:
I just can't believe that such a respectable company as ABT has agreed to capitalizing by offering such a technically deficient ballerina just because they know she will be good for the sake of marketing. I have never seen such a disastrous spectacle as last night's in such a packed with screaming fans sold out house.
Listening to people going crazy with her botched 19 fouettes was laughable. Is this what ABT is aimed at present itself...a laughable item...?
They're not laughing when they get to post "SOLD OUT" for her performances.
I wonder, say if Copeland had to pull out of a performance minutes before it was supposed to start and another dancer was announced in her place, after the loud groans and disappointment died down how her fans would react once they see how a ballet is supposed to be performed? Some of her fans have to be regulars, so they've seen her dance before, so they'd be able to do a compare/contrast. (And, no I'm not secretly hoping she has to pull out or is stricken with another injury.)
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It's possible that Copeland will still do Whipped Cream and that it hasn't been decided yet. She was still dealing w/ an injury during the first run following DQ so it seemed she pulled out so she could heal and be ready for Giselle. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if she canceled.
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Anyone going to Teuscher's debut this afternoon? Will be eagerly awaiting any reviews. Hoping Hammoudi brings his A game. And, looking forward to hearing how Royal handles his first PR (I expect good things).
Speaking of fouettes, pirouettes, etc., ABT just posted a little clip of Teuscher in her Odile solo (from the video they released recently). I doubt we'll be having the above discussion about her fouettes....
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVUpPiIgMN5/?taken-by=abtofficial&hl=en
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Macaulay has reviewed last night's SL:
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That's the fastest I've ever bought a ticket!!
I'm very sorry about Maria and hope she recovers quickly.
But, I cannot contain my excitement over Lane!
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5 minutes ago, chicagoballetomane said:
Wow! Sarah is in on Thursday!
OMG! Their site just updated:
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I think at this point I'm a bit on the fence regarding Odile's fouettes. Do I want to see them done? Absolutely, but only done well. Will it kill the performance for me if the dancer doesn't do them, but does something else? No - I'd be disappointed, but I could get over it IF what the dancer does in it's place conveys a as-close-as-possible level of attack and speed and is done really, really well (I don't think any other step could really duplicate the same level of attack as fouettes). AND, if the rest of the performance is done technically and artistically well.
I can forgive a dancer for not doing the fouettes if she's recovering from an injury but is able to perform the rest of the ballet without issue. I wasn't at the performance last night so I can't comment on what Boylston did or did not do, but I saw her debut as O/O years ago and she was able to perform them then. I thought her debut was promising (not spectacular), but I haven't seen her in this role since and it seems from everyone's comments that she hasn't improved much.
What I cannot forgive in a performance of O/O is a dancer who fails (time and again, and while not injured) to perform numerous technical requirements in both roles and with limited artistic conviction. It seems that at least two of the current interpreters at ABT fit this description. So, I don't go to their performances.
If Teuscher were performing at a time when I didn't have to be at work I'd be there in a heart beat. Or, if she's scheduled to replace another dancer, and same for Lane, I'll be getting tickets faster than you can say "fouettes". I've seen enough of both dancers to feel that their technical and artistic superiority will most likely ensure a ravishing O/O.
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2 minutes ago, cubanmiamiboy said:
All I can say is...Teuscher is on her way to greatness!!
How I would love to call out sick and see her debut!! (And, I also really want to see Royal's debut as Purple Rothbart.)
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Oh my goodness!! Cristian, please keep us posted!
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47 minutes ago, DeCoster said:
Should ABT continue to present Le Corsaire in future seasons? I say no. It's time to move on. But I'm glad I went once this season, and I was really pleased that Misty delivered all the goods for her young adoring fans.
I think it's time for it to go, but I think they'll hold onto for awhile longer as I suspect other companies will as well. It's such a shame that a ballet with so many plum dancing roles has such an outdated and deplorable storyline, and I suppose these days companies keep it around hoping the dancing will negate the awfulness. I'm glad I went once as well, but it's getting harder to sit through scenes with scantily clothed women tied up together being bought and sold (and that's not the only part I could barely stomach...). I imagine years down the road when this ballet is no longer performed and very few people are still around who remember seeing it/performing it, and it's dug up in an archive or "online", the consensus will be "are you kidding me????" that it was ever performed for as long as it was, let alone at all, much like we view certain films from say 60+ years ago.
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10 minutes ago, California said:
He did the first act of Don Quixote at the Alonso birthday celebration (was that in 2010?) and I'm pretty sure he hasn't done it since. Corella said recently that Don Q is a young man's role
Well, as much as I'd like to still see Gomes in pretty much everything, I admire his awareness and respect for his instrument by retiring some roles before he does. I imagine McKenzie would love to have him still dance Don Q, Solor, and any other role he no longer does even if the technique isn't up to what he could do before. His characterizations and partnering alone would make them wonderful performances, and he still has a very clean and admirable technique within his range.
Separately, Devon Teuscher is 5'7 and Gomes partnered her in D.C. in SL (and I understand that went really well). Part is 5'8 but that inch must be enough to make a difference for him. I'm guessing that may be the same reason Bolle no longer seems to dance w/ her as well as he's 40+. They were gorgeous together.
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38 minutes ago, Jayne said:
Perhaps a tall, strong American male principal on exchange to ABT would get Veronika Part more performances?
Fabrice Calmels would be gorgeous with Part. But, my sense is that finding her a better partner is not a priority for ABT.
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I know I've been posting a lot of videos lately, but for all of the other Sarah Lane fans who are eager to see her perform SL, I had to post this rehearsal video of her and Angel Corella from a few years ago that I just came across. It's from the Corella Dance Academy where she and Angel will be teaching later this summer in Barcelona. There are some other beautiful photos of Lane on the site from her O/O with Corella. Here's hoping we'll get to see her in this at the Met sometime.
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Boylston has posted a clip of her rehearsing Odette, so it looks promising that she'll be performing on Monday.
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3 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:
My opinion of ABT's current roster of principals would probably shock a lot of ABT regulars. But it's for this very reason that I would be extremely interested in seeing Shevchenko, Teuscher, Trenary et al. in leading roles.
I don't think that'll shock as many people as you think. At least, not on this board. ;)
ABT 2017 Swan Lake
in American Ballet Theatre
Posted
Intermission. GORGEOUS LANE!! I'm so proud! A few bobbles, just very minor. A little tension in hand held pirouettes with Simkin. But, sooo lovely! Her Act I, she held for eternity her first arabesque in front of Simkin. Never seen anyone else do that. Oh my!