ABT Fan
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Purple Rothbart casting is now up. Royal gets the Wednesday matinee for Teuscher's NY debut. And, Gomes, the most evil and delicious of PR's gets two performances.
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I just noticed that Teuscher has replaced Murphy as Princess Tea Flower in tomorrow's matinee performance, as per ABT's site. That's huge. Murphy must still be injured (or this is a precautionary move so she'll be fully healed for her Giselle debut on Saturday), and this will be Teucher's debut in the role as she did not perform this on tour. The soloists are really stepping up and it's only the 2nd week in. I'm sure Teuscher will be wonderful. Hope Murphy is A-ok by Saturday.
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Who played Champagne last night? I loved the way she rode in on the shoulders of one of the other liquors during bows, but I can't tell if it's Shevchenko or Hurlin?
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8 hours ago, laurel said:
What a great, great time I had this evening at the Whipped Cream gala performance. If you're as intensely curious about this ballet as I was, I would recommend that you try to see it at some point just to make up your own mind about it, if not this season, then next year or sometime after that, because this ballet will be performed by ABT for a long time to come. It's like no other ballet I've ever seen. It's wonderful, weird, creepy, and absolutely hilarious. No one seems to mention that this ballet is filled with crazy, bizarre humor. It is most definitely NOT the Nutcracker! The Strauss score is gorgeous, and if haven't yet heard it, it's readily accessible on Youtube. The choreography moves quickly and smoothly, but is dense and complex, and I wanted a rewind button so I could replay it and catch the things I'd missed. The entire company was absolutely ON tonight, as if they were powered by an electric vibe. No one tripped, fell, appeared to be daydreaming, or suffered any mishaps. The corps looked well rehearsed and filled with energy. David Hallberg just looked great. You would never know that both he and Stella Abrera had suffered such severe physical injuries, that not only their careers were threatened but their ability to walk and move normally as well. And Daniil Simkin and Sarah Lane were phenomenal together. I've never seen them in such tandem before, moving and working as one, and at the speed of light! They were ablaze. I still get nervous just thinking about him dropping her again, but after this I think perhaps those worries may be over, and is a good sign for their upcoming Giselle this weekend. I plan to see another two performances this week, so that finally, I can judge for myself how some of the company's dancers compare to one another in the same roles. PS - I can't add it here, but David Hallberg posted some backstage footage on Instagram of he and Stella taking the first of their curtain calls, and it may give you a sense of the upbeat vibe that suffused the company tonight.
Here it is:
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4 hours ago, LadyBubbles said:
Intense for sure, but he's not doing Giselle later that week or the week after. So he will have a nice long break before he performs Ali in Le Corsaire in June.
Interesting though, because this pretty much confirms that they did not have an understudy for the lead Boy in Whipped Cream. Seriously? They better have someone ready for next season, you never know. I'd say line up the short guys who look young and test them out to see who is a good candidate for the role and then teach them the role. I mean, they did have Skylar learn Princess Praline (and eventually replaced Misty) so it's not like they're too busy to train backups.
I don't think this confirms that they don't have an understudy. As you said, Cirio isn't doing Albrecht following WC so he has a good break. And, he's only taking one extra performance albeit back-to-back. Intense but not unmanageable. If they have Cirio fill in for all of Cornejo's WC performances later in the run, then that would be another matter. The critics will no doubt review multiple casts this week since it's a major new production so I highly doubt ABT would want an understudy who didn't dance it on tour for the world premiere and who is also either a soloist or corps dancer (there are no other principal men who could play a boy). And, they're counting on good reviews to help sell the rest of the WC run. I'm not saying the understudy would do a poor job, but given the high stakes and the fact it's only one additional performance, it makes sense to go with Cirio.
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Gorgeous photo on Shevchenko's Instagram during bows:
And, another one on Lendorf's:
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2 hours ago, cubanmiamiboy said:
They do..???
Yes they sure do.
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10 minutes ago, nanushka said:
And face the wrath of Copeland's disappointed fans? No way. They need them to keep buying up the tickets.
Agree. Especially since they charge more for Copeland's performances.
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3 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:
Maybe the Turkish hackers are to blame!
HAHA! Good one.
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Also, I just noticed that on their new front page where they list upcoming performances, the performance start times are all screwy. Today's is (was) at 3:30pm and same for tomorrow. Saturday's matinee is at 10am. (It's like they uploaded a test page.) I don't think a regular ballet/theatre goer would believe that's right, but hope no one thinks the time was actually changed or at least calls the box office to confirm. Or else they'll spend a long time at Bar Boulud waiting for the curtain to rise!
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The website says Shevchenko, Lendorf, Seo, Whiteside. Sorry to hear Murphy isn't well. Hope she recovers quickly. But, I'm glad Shevchenko gets another performance. I imagine they passed over Copeland/Cirio because they have two shows already scheduled.
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And, the headshots are too large - you can see their pores! (Except for Lendorf's which is much smaller than the rest, and that looks strange.)
They should have worked out the kinks before uploading this. It's looks unprofessional.
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Wow. That wasn't up this morning. Looks very "NYCB". If you go to a different section on this site (the "1998" section - haha) and then click on "Home" again, it takes you to the old front page. At least they're making progress!
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11 minutes ago, California said:
I've been very interested in the praise for Shevchenko and wish I were in NYC to see this. Others have noted Ratmansky's talent for identifying potential and he seems to have picked out another winner four years ago. She was a replacement for Gillian Murphy in second cast in 2013 in Piano Concerto #1 in his Trilogy (presumably a decision made by Ratmansky).
Scroll down and you can see Acocella's praise for her: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/ratmansky-and-shostakovich-together-again
I saw Shevchenko in Piano Concerto #1 and she was outstanding. She danced like a seasoned soloist (still in the corps at the time), very confident and commanding with stellar technique. I'm so happy to hear the reports of her Kitri debut (along w/ Teuscher and the others). I didn't doubt she'd be great, but it's wonderful to hear just how amazing she was. ABT has a handful of female soloists who are rising stars.
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1 hour ago, nanushka said:
For the dancers' sakes I sure hope they're hiring stand-ins!
I imagine they'd use students from their JKO school and maybe some apprentices as opposed to full-fledged company members.
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Italian fouettés are definitely more difficult than regular fouettés. Regular ones are a continuous turn which is why I found them easier. Italian ones force you to stop and change direction, which is harder to coordinate without them looking laborious.
Edited: I see some of us disagree here, which is fine of course. But, based on my own experience I'd much rather do regular fouettés. However, I agree with those that say that a principal at ABT must be able to do both (and really well), otherwise have them do something else if they're going to continue to be cast in that part.
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NYC-ARTS has put out this 9 minute spotlight on Whipped Cream featuring some nice dance clips I hadn't seen before and interviews with Ratmansky, Sarah Lane and Daniil Simkin. Simkin's comment about how Ratmansky has given opportunities to overlooked dancers since he started working with the company was striking. Can't help but think he was referring to Lane (and others of course), his partner and the only other dancer interviewed. Though I was taken aback at his earlier comments regarding female choreographers, I agree that Ratmansky has absolutely invested in several corps and soloist dancers who seemed fairly neglected otherwise, and whose bigger and bigger roles in non-Ratmansky pieces I think can be attributed to the growth and visibility they've achieved performing in his dances. (Think Lane and Royal to name just two, both of whom I'm hoping for promotions after the Met season.)
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David Hallberg has started posting to his Instagram account again under a slightly different handle. He picked it up about a week ago with a message to his fans and readers and is laying out his very difficult rehabilitation that started 2 1/2 years ago. I look forward to seeing his regular posts now and learning about his road to recovery. I'm so glad he's returned, and according to him, better than before.
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$125-500 for center orchestra?! I realize (and am impressed by) the list of dancers who will be performing but this is Idaho not NYC. I thought at these prices maybe it's a fundraiser of some sort but it doesn't seem to be. Am I missing something?
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Wow! Never saw this coming. Woetzel has done amazing things at Vail. I can't imagine he'd be able to stay on as director. Congrats to him!
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I didn't realize the Cranko trust was so difficult. What a shame.
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1 hour ago, Natalia said:
I'm still waiting for some sort of magical "Misty Effect" to usher-in the sort of regular live telecasts of complete ABT ballets that we used to see 30 years ago on PBS. I'm not talking about regurgitations of documentaries on Misty. I mean big, full, glamorous live ballets - 2.5 to 3 hour span, including live backstage intermissions. Anything on the schedule from PBS' "Live from Lincoln Center" featuring our superstar ballerina? Or am I waiting for Godot?
What ABT should be filming before anything else (and showing on PBS) is the farewell performance of Vishneva with Gomes in Onegin on June 23. Shame on them if they don't (they can't control PBS but they can film it themselves). That partnership is a master class in acting, partnering skills and complete trust. It needs to be preserved.
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1 hour ago, Drew said:
I know ABT wants to cast her as much as possible. Or, rather, I infer as much. But debuts as Kitri and Giselle seem more than enough to keep a ballerina busy.
I agree with all of these points. I get it, she's a major draw and sells tickets. And, I'm sure she wants to dance as much as possible as any dancer would. But, her schedule this Met season is grueling. She's cast in 7 out of the season's 8 full length ballets in either the lead or secondary lead and performing in each at least twice: 2 as Kitri, 2 Giselle's, 2 Golden Cockerel's, 2 Le Corsaire's, 2 SL's, 3 Whipped Cream's (the second run only). Most of the other female principals get only performance. She's also cast a plenty during the Tchaikovsky Spectacular the last week of the season. I wonder if she pulled out of the first run of Whipped Cream in May on her own to lighten her load a little?
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Wow. That updated casting list is mind-boggling. Nice to see Craig Hall returning to save the day. He must have kept dancing in his retirement.
ABT 2017 Giselle
in American Ballet Theatre
Posted
I was also at the matinee yesterday and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I agree with what so many others have already said. I was so excited to see Lane's debut and had high hopes but she far exceeded my expectations. I wasn't prepared for the emotional wallop and I have never felt so uncomfortable watching the mad scene before. Lane was so natural with everything she did, nothing looked contrived or even thought out. She made me believe I was watching an innocent in-love girl lose her mind. Her extensions were higher than ever, her turns were fast and effortless, her jumps light and airy, and her ports de bras and upper body are as beautiful as ever. To echo someone else above, hers are the best in the company. She is the most natural Giselle I have ever seen.
Lane and Simkin are a great pairing and when they were blowing kisses at each other early in Act I they really looked like kids in love. Simkin's dancing was breathtaking. Good heavens....those leaps of his! His partnering has greatly improved but you could see the shakiness in a few of the overhead lifts and he couldn't get her high enough in a few others. But, no big errors and they have amazing chemistry.
Shevchenko was a formidable Myrta, commanding with the confidence of a principal. She too was even better than I had anticipated.
As as others have noted, I too have been hoping for a Lane R&J and after yesterday I can only imagine how heartbreaking she and Simkin would be together.
I'm going to hold my breath and cross my fingers that Lane will now get the promotion she deserves. If it can happen for Abrera perhaps ABT will see the light a second time.