ABT Fan

Very deserving and great to hear! Hope Jared is right behind her.

These are iconic posters that I and probably hundreds of other bunheads had on their walls in "the day".

Iconic indeed!

I just watched all of season 2 in one sitting (quite addicting). They're so well done and the dancers all come off so natural and comfortable in their interviews. Each episode felt really personal (and didn't seem the least bit scripted or pretentious). I really enjoyed the one that highlighted Troy Schumacher and his choreography and the one on ballet masters (they're the unsung heroes of ballet companies). This season must have been filmed while Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild were rehearsing their broadway shows since I didn't see their faces once. Lauren Lovette and Chase Finley are quite adorable together.

Oh boy, this is sad. What's next? A free shuttle service from Lincoln Center to BAM? McKenzie will drive.

It hasn't been this bad the previous years. Is it BAM? The competition with NYCB (that's definitely some of it)? Or ABT fatigue? Or some timely combo? Hope they'll have more success in CA next year.

How utterly adorable! Thanks for posting it.

The darning on Pavlova's shoes used a thick thread stitched in complete straight lines (and longer lines than I would have thought) on the ends of the toes, around the sides about an inch or inch and a half, and underneath the toe. The stitching was meticulously done (that couldn't have been easy). It was so dark and the glass box they were in was positioned so close to the floor it was hard to tell just how far the darning went underneath the toe.

If I remember right, they had the Karinska costumes from Jewels (Diamonds, Emeralds, Rubies) and from La Valse. I know there were others but I can't remember which ones right now.

I went last night.

Most of the audience around me sounded "wowed" by Raymonda, but I found it barely tolerable with one or two exceptions. The plain blue backdrop and the costumes were awful (except the principal's costumes). In general, the corps was mostly out of sync. Devon Teuscher, as many have said, was extraordinary in her solo. She made one or two little baubles, but they were barely visible, and the rest of it was flawless - technically secure, confident and radiant. I find it interesting that the most difficult choreography was given to a soloist part and not the principal. Stearns and Herrera were fine but bland. Stearns had the same stiff look as he does in T&V. Herrera's port de bras have always been inarticulate and unmusical. The pas de quatre was out of sync as others have noted. Royal and Hoven were the better of the two (Royal was pretty great). Before curtain it was announced that Eric Tamm would be replaced by Patrick Ogle; no reason was given and Tamm danced later in the program. Ogle was in no condition to perform. I don't know if he's coming off of an injury or what, but he was visibly out of shape (very overweight) and could barely keep up with the others. He struggled greatly to get any elevation in his jumps and he nearly fell over onto the guy next to him after his final tour to the knee. Two rows ahead of me sat Allegra Kent. I'd love to know what she thought of this piece.

Seven Sonatas was as beautiful as I remember when it premiered. Hoven stepped up his game to partner Part; she was heartbreakingly beautiful. Lane and Arron Scott were to my surprise a wonderful pair. Where has that guy been? I was afraid he wouldn't be up to Lane's standards, but they were adorable together and his dancing was terrific. What high, clean jumps! What clean pirouettes! What presence he has! Lane's port de bras were as beautiful as ever. Shevchenko and Hammoudi were very good together; she is just lovely but Hammoudi just looks like he's phoning it in whenever I see him dance anymore. Watching this ballet I couldn't help but think how Part and Lane would have been perfect as the principal lead in Raymonda.

This was my first time seeing Thirteen Diversions and I loved it. I really liked the backdrop and how it kept changing colors and shapes. Joseph Gorak danced with a new confidence and I didn't see any of his first-few-minutes of nervousness (the result of his promotion?). Calvin Royal replaced Daniel Mantei and he, Gorak, Gomes and Tom Forster were quite a powerful foursome. THAT was a pas de quatre! I wrote in my comments from last weekend that I thought Forster didn't have much presence despite being such a wonderful dancer. Last night he projected so well! He's overdue for a promotion. Abrera and Teuscher were the best of the ladies.

Quite lovely and an interesting concept. I would have preferred a different costume on the male dancer though; maybe something a la Matthew Bourne.

I went to this today and what a (free) treat! As rg mentioned, there's some very dim lighting, which is understandable but a little frustrating. Not easy to see the darning on Pavlova's shoes without a lot of squinting (and getting down on all fours: yes I did). The film with Marc Happel is wonderful and there's a performance snippet right before the exhibit that shows clips of Josephine Baker, Graham, Sara Mearns and many others. Highly recommend seeing this.

I was at last night's performance. The house looked pretty full from where I was sitting.

Sinfonietta: it's a pleasant enough ballet but I'd have no need to see it again. It's pretty forgettable and the music (except for the horn sections) is boring. A lot of the dancing though was terrific. Stand-outs were Part (though she needed a better partner than Hoven; he's fine just not up to her level), Teuscher and Forster (they were a great pair), Royal and Salstein. Part is just gorgeous. Period. I'm so excited that she finally gets an evening SL in the spring so I can finally, finally see her majestic O/O that I've been reading about. Royal has the longest arms I've ever seen and the most joyful manner than anyone. His enormous smile makes me smile. I really hope big things are in his future. Salstein doesn't get enough credit/attention in my opinion. My eye is always drawn to him; he has a strong stage presence no matter what he's dancing, and is very quick and sharp. Forster is another beauty. His line is outstanding, his jumps are huge and his landings plush, has gorgeous feet and is a good partner. But, I think I see why he's still in the corps or lacking more opportunities. Despite his height, he kinda disappears onstage. He doesn't project at all and his face and upper body is always "quiet". Salstein should give him some advice (trust me I know that won't guarantee a promotion; how many other dancers do we all discuss here who have wonderful presence yet are forever stuck as a soloist or corps dancer?).

Lilac Garden: I haven't seen this in years and am so glad it's been brought back. Teuscher is such a lovely dancer but her acting wasn't strong enough. This is not Manon, but I didn't believe her grief and final resignation. Katherine Williams had some nice moments, and her gestures towards Teuscher and anothers were subtle but very affecting.

Fancy Free = Fantastic. The three guys were terrific. Cornejo was in prime form with his customary leaps, pirouettes, panache. He had real spunk. Gomes is such a natural actor with such charm. I was hesitant about Stearns being in this but his natural shyness and sweetness is perfect for this role. Kent and Abrera have clearly performed these roles many, many times, in a good way. Everything they did was just right. But, I kept thinking about the purse grab discussion on another thread here while watching this again. I did wince but I told myself to view this through 1940's eyes, meaning I think this was intended to be an "innocent" scene (I know others disagree and that's fine). And, the fellas (especially Gomes) did a good job of making it playful instead of menacing. Honestly, what made me more uncomfortable was the three of them following Abrera around. Who wouldn't be freaked out if 3 men were following you down the street? I don't know; I have mixed feelings about this entire section. Not everything ages well regardless of intention.

I'm so glad I didn't buy a ticket to see Scarlett's new piece after reading about the horrid manhandling here and in some reviews. I can't believe such rubbish made it to the stage even once; it's a small consolation that the boob/butt jiggling has been removed. How many angry donor calls did they receive that made McKenzie come to his senses?

Looking forward to Raymonda, Seven Sonatas, Thirteen Diversions next weekend.

I assume Simkin will show up on some secondary casting when that is released -- Golden Idol in Bayadere, peasant PdD in Giselle, Bluebird. But that's still not a heavy lift. If Cornejo is injured (let's hope not), can Simkin fill in with some of those short ballerinas?

No Simkin could not replace Cornejo in many roles. Though they're both short, Simkin also has a very slight build and not a lot of upper body strength. His partnering has improved quite a bit since he joined the company, but difficult lifts (especially overhead ones) are still shaky. Cornejo is much more muscular and stronger than Simkin and I've never seen him struggle with lifts. I don't know if Simkin will be able to build up enough strength for a Romeo or Albrecht but I'm still surprised he hasn't been cast in one of these, because he is a principal (and the AD frequently makes questionable casting choices anyway).

In clicking through the principal bios to compare workload, I noticed that Simkin is cast in very few things. Seems very odd, though I suppose this year's rep. doesn't really alight with the types of roles he usually dances.

• Fancy Free - 10/25/2014 mat (New York, New York)
• Fancy Free - 5/13/2015 eve (New York, New York)
• Theme and Variations - 5/16/2015 eve (New York, New York)
• Swan Lake - 6/27/2015 mat (New York, New York)

I forgot to comment on that earlier. I find his limited casting this fall and next spring very odd and concerning. I really thought he would have been given an Albrecht by now (with Boylston). Yes, the lifts would be difficult for him, but he's given other roles with difficult lifts that he struggles through (personally I think Albrecht would be a bad idea, but I frequently don't agree with their casting decisions). He's definitely hard to cast, but unless he's doing a lot of guest performances elsewhere during this time and that's the reason for these limited roles, this can't be a good thing.

Love the taxi cab shoes!

It's really very hard for me to imagine a Gorak/Copeland partnership for R&J. That ballet depends on swoony lifts that should not be modified, so how exactly is this going to work out? It's easier for me to imagine Copeland flinging Gorak around than vice versa.

Thanks for the good laugh (and visual)!

I don't understand this pairing at all (or Copeland being cast as Juliet). Gorak and Copeland are such opposites, and I don't see that working to their favor here.

Also, I thought it surprising that Bolle is doing two farewell performances - with Kent in R&J and Herrera in SB. I really thought Gomes would do Kent's at least.

Oh my goodness. So much to absorb here.

Biggest shocker - Hallberg and Osipova are NOT dancing in Giselle together. Or has the casting administrator gotten things mixed up, because Gomes is dancing with Osipova, but Hallberg is dancing with Vishneva. Huh? That's an odd switcheroo.

Lane gets a SB, thank heavens.

Copeland is doing R&J - and w/ Gorak? Cannot see her as Juliet in a million years.

Copeland is getting her NY SL, but Hammoudi is only doing Purple von Rothbart, not Siegfried.

Abrera gets 2 Cinderella's. Hooray!

Gorak is definitely being pushed w/ quite a few leading and plum secondary roles in: SB, Romeo, Cinderella, Othello.....

Intermezzo barely has any performances throughout the year, and I'm sure their funding is precarious. Sounds like a side gig for Tamm, not a job in lieu of his career at ABT. Yes, I would have preferred if ABT had promoted Tamm instead of Hammoudi.

Speaking of Salstein, I'm not sure how old he is, but he seems to be approaching retirement age.

CS is,probably, about J Matthews age. They were at the Studio Company at about the same year(when i saw them).

I don't think Salstein is nearing retirement age. He can't be more than 32. His ABT bio says he joined the corps in 2002 after being in the Studio company. And, his dancing has shown no signs of slowing down or a reduction in stamina (but, how a dancer feels is another thing; Carla Korbes being a case in point).

I think this gig for Tamm is just a side/temporary gig, and probably a good opportunity to learn the other side of the ballet business while he's still dancing.

Certain ballets will have to be extensively recast due to the series of retirements during the Spring season. Reyes is leaving in the first weeks of the season taking her out of Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella. Julie Kent would also be out of the Cinderella and Swan Lake as well since her retirement is in Romeo and Juliet the week before. Herrera would be out of Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet. So ABT would need two new Cinderellas to replace Kent and Reyes (Xiomara could still dance it well), a new Aurora to replace Reyes (Kent dropped the role years ago though it was a lovely role for her in the 1990s), and two new Juliets to replace Herrera and Reyes. Now Alina Cojocaru dances Cinderella and Juliet and could partner Herman and Joseph Gorak in those ballets. I think Misty Copeland is a possible Cinderella and could be charming in it and Sarah Lane is a no-brainer choice for Cinderella too. Sarah Lane would make a lovely Juliet based on her Miranda in the Tempest. Cojocaru is hanging on by the skin of her teeth as Aurora so probably Stella should add Aurora to her ABT repertoire. However, Kevin probably would want Isabella Boylston to add Aurora to her repertory and she would be preferred though Abrera has danced it before. As I said before Sarah Lane and Joseph Gorak should be paired in Sleeping Beauty - I wouldn't mind an opening night for them. For Swan Lake - well Misty Copeland can unveil her Odette-Odile in NYC, divided opinions notwithstanding I would be there to cheer her on.

I agree - there will have to be a lot of recasting for sure. But, will they recast w/ guest artists or from within (or some uneven combo of both)?

Part would be wonderful as Aurora, but I think Juliet is not a good fit for her. She's very womanly and mature (not in years, but in her presentation).

I'd like to see some of the soloists, and new soloists, get some plum roles.

Yes, Lane and Gorak should do SB and preferably on opening night. Lane would also be wonderful as Juliet and Cinderella. Abrera as Aurora, Cinderella. Teuscher would be great as Gamzatti. I think it's a no-brainer that Copeland will get a SL.

With 3 female principals leaving, and hopefully some soloists getting promoted, I'd like to see more corps dancers moved up. Skylar Brandt is soloist material. I'm on the fence about a few others. And, as a number of us have said, some male corps dancers are in need of moving up: Tamm, Forster, Royal III. But, I don't know if there's "room" for any male promotions any time soon.

Except that NYCB and ABT do, for the most part, different mixed rep and modern works. What ABT does in the fall or on tour, I'd like to see more of at the Met.

They often split the run of a new production. Maybe they think that after the reviews are published regarding the first few performances of a new production, people will show up in larger numbers for the second run of the season.

OK, that makes sense.

Both de Mille and Tudor can seem terribly dated. Maybe Ratmansky will finally be the great choreographer ABT has always needed?

My suspicion with Tudor revivals is that bad coaching and bad staging create that dated effect. In the right hands (as in those of the late Sallie Wilson), Tudor revivals need not be mere exercises in history.

As for Ratmansky at ABT, he will make no change to ABT's DNA. An interviewer once asked the great Cubist painter Georges Braque, "When did the public accept modern art?" Braque replied: "They never accepted it. They endured it." The same holds true for ABT's audience. The dance intelligenstia may love Shostakovich Trilogy but the regular ABT audience will only endure things like that so long as they get stars holding forth in the grand manner in Swan Lake and Giselle and Romeo and Juliet.

That's a great way of explaining why the war horses are perpetually hauled out, one after the other.

I guess I'm in the minority as a regular ABT attendee. I do love to see the big ballets, but I don't get enough of their mixed rep programs or new modern ballets.

If you manually adjust the numbers in the Met's calendar URL, you can also view the June and July calendars, linked below:

http://metopera.org/metopera/season/calendar.aspx?monthyear=5-2015

http://metopera.org/metopera/season/calendar.aspx?monthyear=6-2015

http://metopera.org/metopera/season/calendar.aspx?monthyear=7-2015

Thanks art076. I never would have figured that out.

Does anyone know the logic of splitting up a full-length's run? ABT regularly does this, but having only 2 SB days on May 29/30 to then scratch the set for a week of Bayadere, to then bring back SB for 5 more days seems illogical to me.

Again, I wish they'd do more mixed rep during their Met seasons....

Reyes, Kent and Herrera all dance Juliet, so I'll hold onto some hope that maybe Lane will get cast now that they're leaving (but would she get cast in 2015 while they're still dancing, or would she have to wait until the following year?).

I could never see Simone Messmer returning; her interviews on why she left ABT say it all. And, I doubt Erica Cornejo would return. She's had a much better career at Boston ballet.

I could see KM bringing in Olga Smirnova, Svetlana Lunkina, Viktoria Tereshkina and Maria Kochetkova as "full-time" principals (more performances than they've done as guest artists, but nothing beyond the Met season). But, he'd still need to hire (or heaven forbid, promote) at least one true full-time female principal (I say at least only one because Kent/Reyes rarely toured anymore).

For instance, I'd love to see Stella's Juliet. And wouldn't she make a lovely Aurora in Ratmanksy's new Sleeping Beauty. Also, Sarah Lane will shine in the role, I think.

I agree with all of this completely. Lane will also make a beautiful Juliet.

Nice to see that Pillar of Fire and Rodeo are coming back. And, very interesting that Mark Morris will create a new work for next Fall.

Hallberg's replacement for Raymonda Variations is Hammoudi.

Only for the 10/25 performance. For the 10/28 show, their site still says TBA with Murphy (unless that one just hasn't been been updated yet.)

http://abt.org/calendar.aspx?startdate=10/1/2014

The 10/28 performance info has been filled in. Hammoudi is cast w. Murphy in Raymonda. I think people at ABT read this board.

Oh well...

I was hopeful for a minute that someone else would have been given the chance (though for the Koch season, it would be slim pickings for this role.)