ABT Fan

I just noticed on ABT's site that Copeland will debut as the Cowgirl in Rodeo opposite Salstein at the Kennedy Center in March and at the Met in May. That slot had been TBA until recently.

They are and have given numerous opportunities to Hamoudi, and Gorak is definitely gaining momentum. I just don't like Hamoudi very much, so I tend to avoid his performances.

I think Hammoudi and Copeland will be the next two people promoted to principal, with Gorak also in the mix a little further down the road.

Hammoudi is definitely not principal material to me. Injuries aside, I have not seen any improvement from him and he lacks strength and stamina. Gorak already out-shines him, though he needs more time (to work on partnering) before he's promoted.

As always ABT not developing dancers is tied to its rep being so loaded with full length story ballets. You don't develop as an artist or even a technician doing the corps of big ballets night after night. Soloists doing peasant pas & Swan Lake pas de trois, year after year don't develop either. Even principal dancers like Boylston - how good is your Swan Lake going to get, if you do 1 or 2 a year? They import guest artists who have been giving opportunities for growth in other companies.

At NYCB they have the advantage of rep in which lots of soloist and principal roles are danced in an evening's performance, and there are a lot of challenging corps parts. Peter Martins can take a chance throwing a corps member into a bigger role here and there, because that dancer doesn't have to carry the entire evening.

Absolutely. Very good points.

But, KM not giving dancers new roles in those full-length ballets is the second big piece of that problem. Someone up thread suggested giving Forster Solor at the Met. I would LOVE to see that and think he's more than earned that chance. He's been in the corps for seven years. Someone else also mentioned Royal III. I think he has loads of potential and has done some principal/soloist roles in some contemporary work and has performed beautifully. Scott has been in the corps for more than ten years. Yeah, how much can you grow if you're a peasant in the background night after night.

At least he's mentioned as appearing in some footage, but not to be interviewed is indeed a big omission (unless Baryshnikov declined to participate):

"Combined with hundreds of carefully curated stills from archives across the country and rare footage of ballet icons Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Twyla Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov, American Masters: American Ballet Theatre at 75provides a comprehensive inside look at American Ballet Theatre and the world of professional ballet."

Another thing - when you look at the performance calendar the weeks of work for dancers is embarrassing. They used to have long tours.

Long tours are a thing of the past now. The new (new-er) economic reality makes it very, very expensive and difficult to have long tours.

Regarding KM, I'm having a hard time being optimistic about an AD change anytime soon. He's only 60/61 though he's been directing the co. for 23 years. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I can't see him letting go of such a "prestigious" job anytime soon while he's still relatively young. It's not like he's a choreographer and would want to leave to focus on that. What else would he do?

My picks for 2015 . . .

And, I liked how J.Lo's display of her "assets" was like two middle fingers up at gravity!

I think a plastic surgeon might very well have something to do with JLO's gravity defying assets. Not judging. It's part of the Hollywood scene.

Whatever the reason, JLo looked (and to me always does) amazing!

Rosamund Pike's dress: I am amazed we didn't see at least one wardrobe malfunction.

David Hallberg doesn't make that list? I'm also a fan of Part though I realize not everyone is. But surely Hallberg is without dispute.

No, of course Hallberg makes the list. I just forgot him (he's been injured so much lately I've hardly seen him dance) But his was also a promotion that was made about 15 years ago, I believe.

Hallberg was promoted to principal 8 years ago in 2006.

I'd also add Gillian Murphy to the list of good (with no hesitation) promotions. She was promoted to principal in 2002, the same year Gomes was promoted. And, Part. But, in my opintion that's it.

I personally feel that the company is in big trouble and I don't have the same level of respect for them as I did 5-8+ years ago (perhaps I should change my screen name). I think the retirements of Kent, Herrera and Reyes this year will have a huge impact. Whatever a person's individual feelings are about any one of them, they are beloved by many, they carry the full-length ballets, and they have been at the company for most (Reyes) if not their entire careers, rising through the ranks (Kent, Herrera), which is becoming rarer these days as many of us have discussed. If McKenzie plans on solving these vacancies with bringing in principals-for-hire, that will again send a very bad message to the company and to the many balletomanes who care and who are tired of seeing guest artists (or part-time principals) fill the many important principal roles. I would expect a mass exodus if that happens (haven't enough left already in the past year?).

Really - Luis is no longer at ABT? I didn't know that. That is interesting in terms of Sarah's career. Also, I too would be very surprised if Kochetkova joined ABT. A others have said her rep at SFB is more interesting and she has a big guesting career.

As far as guesting goes, why should Kochetkova have to limit those if she joins ABT? Hallberg is not only a principal at the Bolshoi but he also guests all over the world (Australian Ballet, La Scala to name two). Bolle only dances at the Met (usually) because he too performs with other companies. Gomes, Simkim, Whiteside and Boylston also do a lot of guesting (just read their Twitter feeds). Kochetkova could become a principal (or maybe I should say "principal") and just dance during the Met season. I'm not advocating that arrangement, but look at how many others do it and are members of the company. If that happens, of course the company will still be short handed during their tours.

I wouldn't be surprised if Copeland is promoted. She's debuted (and will debut this year) more new plum roles than any other female soloist (O/O, Juliet, La Bayadere, Les Sylphides, Coppelia, Nutcracker). Lane hasn't been given any new principal or sr soloist roles since The Tempest. She's done SB before; just Ratmansky's version will be new. She's been critically lauded for her Aurora in the past. Everything else she's been doing (and will be doing at the Met) are roles she's been performing for years (T&V, Les Sylphides, Nutcracker). To me, no new big roles means no chance of promotion. It speaks volumes about how the administration feels about her.

I think the poaching of Kotchekova is a likely scenario. McKenzie likes her with Cornejo. They'll still need another female principal to make up for this year's retirements, so I suspect they'll see how some of the many guest artists work out at the Met.

Slightly off topic: Going back to Lane....I've always wondered if her speaking out against Natalie Portman's claim (and Aronofky's and Millepied's defense) that Portman did most of her own dancing in Black Swan instead of Lane as her body double, and the subsequent public controversy surrounding that, has affected her career trajectory at ABT? That movie was made in 2009/2010 and in my opinion Lane was still a rising soloist at that point as she was promoted in 2007. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered. But, rightly or wrongly, Lane publicly went head-to-head with a major choreographer (directly and indirectly via his then-fiancee Portman) who has done commissions for ABT. In ABT's view, maybe not all publicity is good publicity. (Apologies if this type of question is not allowed.)

I thought Tiler was glorious and I loved Tom Hanks face after her performance. Such a genuine, awe-induced reaction. A good tribute. I thought Lily Tomlin's was weird to say the least.

Maybe Copeland's self promotion will translate into more African American girls studying ballet and more will enter the pipe line. That's my hope.

I hope this as well. She certainly seems to have a lot of young girls as fans and as some others have stated, the interest, training and opportunities have to be there very early so there are more African American dancers to choose from for employment and later promotion opportunities.

Gorgeous photos! Thanks for the link.

I wonder if this will affect enrollment at the JKO school? Performance opportunities (especially with the school's feeder company - or supposed feeder company) is a big draw for older pre-professional students.

At 9pm EST tonight (in 15 minutes) on the NYC Life channel (WNYE) is a program called "Wendy Whelan: Moments of Grace". It's about her life and career including behind the scenes footage.

I'm hoping ABT can do right by Calvin Royal. He seems so talented and ready for more roles. Ditto Tom Forrester.

Ditto regarding Royal. Forster's been in the corps for seven years this month so I don't have much hope.

Oh, I'm very sad to see this! He had such promise that ABT failed to develop. I never understood why he wasn't promoted.

Here's the link to Nicola Curry's instragram where she mentions Tamm leaving. There's a nice photo of him during the bows. http://ink361.com/app/users/ig-27976545/currycoops/photos/ig-875680183302498335_27976545

I hope he'll continue to dance somewhere where he'll be nurtured and appreciated.

I just watched it too and it was wonderful! Serenade never fails to give me goosebumps at the beginning and the end. The little ones were adorable and lots of promise in the older students. So glad I caught this.

Has Misty danced Tchai pdd before?

According to her ABT bio page, she has danced it with them, although it doesn't say where or when:

http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp?Dancer_ID=56

She also sent out a photo on Tweet in December, 2012. Who is her partner? https://twitter.com/mistyonpointe/status/282270342779645952

Jared Matthews is her partner in that photo.

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.