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I have not seen any mention of Sarah Lane's Juliet that was to be her ABT debut on May 28....

On ‎2‎/‎22‎/‎2020 at 3:21 PM, bellawood said:

At the matinee intermission. Tiler is wonderful. There is (no surprise) a new vulnerability to her dancing that has made Odette wonderful to watch, and she seems to be allowing herself more mobility in the back and neck. Her arabesques are lower than before (they were never that high anyway). The speed and precision are as strong as before.

I know I am a little rah-rah when it comes to Joe Gordon but boy are we lucky to get to watch him. He dances with such ease and he (seems to be) an excellent partner — former dancers, correct me if I’m wrong! His first act solo was beautiful.

 

 

 

I was at this matinee too.  Tiler was amazing as Black Swan, and, yes, even in White Swan, Tiler loosened up a lot since I last saw her in Allegro Brilliante to allow her neck's
and back's flexibility.  Heard that she was less fearful and comfortable at Saturday's matinee than in her first performance of this season's SL. Tiler's musicality is
unquestionably exceptional, though I missed the extreme lines I hoped for from a White Swan.  Otherwise, I loved her.

Joe Gordon was the beyond what I had sort of expected.   Joe was everything I would have wanted to see in this SL's Prince role:  Lines(!), elegance, soulful, dramatic without losing
the aloof, confused nature of the Prince character, beautiful, strong technique, a fine partner.  I was very impressed!  Needless to say, I am a strong member of the rah-rah
club!  Bravo!
 

nysusan:

“I did not see problems with Lane's performance last night, except for poor partnering from

Gorak. She seemed relaxed and danced well. There were a few areas where she could have done better - I thought her phrasing was a little brittle at the beginning of the pdd and she did not radiate the joy that you see from Peck or Bouder.

……ABT has always taken the music at a funereal pace and the orchestra just stops and waits for the dancers to position themselves for each new movement - which sucks all the life out of T&V.”

No pressure!

After Kevin’s clumsy speech announcing Alicia Alonso passed, and that Alica had originated

the T&V ballerina role that Sarah with Joe Gorak were about to perform honoring her.

laurel:

“Her major issue came at the end of the slow woodwinds sequence, when she joins hands with all the corps women as they support her through the arabesque penchee, all the while twisting in and around themselves…….  Near the end, however, she has to perform a series of pique turns moving downstage right, in preparation for her exit.  The turns were far too slow, and she completed them after the music had ended.” 

Actually those turns are not pique turns.  The ballerina starts out moving across the stage (stage left to right) with pas de chat jumps into a spin into a double pirouette from fifth position plie, repeating several times before she continues moving with spinning in fifth position turns on pointe alternating feet in a tight fifth position concluding with step up double pirouette landing in a big fourth position.  Got that?! Whew!  A hairy sequence for any ballerina I’ve seen. 

But, conductor Charles Barker decided to erratically change to a very fast tempi just as Sarah was in the middle of her last pirouette.  Ugh!  Sarah could not have predicted that or the many other erratic moments of Barker’s conducting last night….whether too slow or too fast.  I find him awfully unpredictable in all the wrong places.  On that note, I do not believe he caters to any dancers, but he certainly lacks sensitivity. 

Conductor David LaMarche is far better working with dancers and creates a much finer atmosphere for ballets and their dancers. 

Joe Gorak I hope will find more confidence in this ballet.  He does have the princely look and beautiful lines, style, I love to see.  He lacks strength, but btw, Daniil and Herman, in the past, have had a hard time with that last shoulder lift, actually failing it completely.  Gorak held Sarah on his chest as long as he could……Her legs were in a fish, fifth position at a sideways angle. Kind of pretty, but not the choreography. 

Finally, yes, I too am very disappointed that Sarah is not dancing Apollo with Herman. I had hoped it would be Herman, Sarah, Skylar and Cassandra. Ah, when will Kevin listen to us??!! HaHa!

19 hours ago, miliosr said:

One of the responders in the comments made this excellent reply:

"And, as for what Balanchine advocated in a dancer’s body, that’s always been overplayed. His principals and soloists, especially, were more physically diverse (though not racially so at the time) than people liked to think. Violette Verdy, Anthony Blum, Gloria Govrin, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Judith Fugate—all these brilliant dancers, and many more, didn’t fit the supposed mold. I watched the company when Balanchine was alive and selected his dancers, and he was never as myopic as people liked to think."

Adrian Danchig-Waring and his perceived body shaming from The NYTimes.

Bravo to the responder re strong, healthy, awe-inspiring dancers who are not stick thin
such as Adrian.

I do not have an Instagram account, but if any of you here at Ballet Alert do, please
send Adrian your grateful appreciation for his wonderful, beautiful dancing and body. 

On 5/24/2019 at 10:12 PM, vipa said:

Interesting to mention T&V, contrasting a more compact style with a handsome princely style. Peter Martins isn't mentioned much as a dancer, but his T&V was an amazing combination of both. He was a tall elegant dancer who did T&V to perfection including the double tour pirouette section (doing double pirouettes as Veyette ad DeLuz sometimes did). I have noticed that some dancers walk around for the start of that music and start the sequence later. That always bothers me!

Peter was excellent in Theme.  My recollections go back more to loving Gelsey and Misha.  

On 5/24/2019 at 10:34 PM, cobweb said:

After seeing how great Harrison Ball looks this season, so sharp, musical, and beautiful, I would like to see him in T&V. Not sure his partnering is there yet though. 

I’d love to see Harrison Ball in Theme!

10 hours ago, abatt said:

Joseph Gordon was outstanding tonight in his debut  in T&V.  The killer variation did not present any problem for him.  He sailed through without any difficulty. The partnering was excellent.  It was thrilling.  He is NYCB's MVP of the season.  I can't wait to see his Oberon next week.  He and Huxley are conquering the most important roles in the rep at NYCB.

Unity Phelan may have had the absolute worst performance of her career tonight.  The fast pace of the third movement of Tschai Suite 3 caused her to fall once and stumble at least twice.  Happy to report that Roman Mejia was brilliant in his debut in that same section.   

I was there too. 

Joseph Gordon handled the very difficult T&V beautifully.  IMO, it’s not really the best role for him.  Gordon shines far more in big movement ballets showing off his gorgeous lines, expansive elegance and technique.  The double tour, pirouette, repeat and repeat part of the men’s solo looks far better on men like DeLuz or Huxley – both very compact and move tightly. 

Gordon is definitely my MVP of the season!  I too can't wait to see his and Huxley’s Oberons next week. 

They both are excelling in the most difficult male roles in the rep at NYCB right now.  I think soon, and excellently, T&V would be a great fit for Roman Mejia
though I will still prefer Gordon’s handsome, princely style.

Adjective changed

10 hours ago, AB'sMom said:

I just bought more tickets, this time for Shevchenko/Forster. Hopefully that casting doesn’t change—I’m determined to see a cast I haven’t seen before. 

I think you will love Shevchenko.  Her Swan Lake last spring season was extraordinary.

4 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

Casting re-shuffling continues.

Hoven has replaced Cornejo in all three of his performances. He's still dancing w/ Lane, so Hoven is doing five (!) Nuts.

I just checked the calendar and it seems Hoven replaces Cornejo for all Nutcracker perfs.

Sad news, but there are films of Alexandra's dancing I have no doubt in the Lincoln Center Dance Library. 

Emma:  "And for some corps dancer shout outs: Ashely Hod looked particularly lovely in Concerto Barocco."


Ashley Hod is one of my very favorites.   I'm hoping to see her more often and in soloist and principal roles.
If you ever see Ashley Hod cast for Dewdrop, don't miss her.  She not only has gorgeous lines, but her jumps
are big and spring with such lightness and sparkle.  She has danced this role in Nutcracker at least a couple of
times now, also Sugar Plum.  In Barocco, I'd have loved to see her paired with Laracey in the leads..... 

I can dream....

18 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

Terrific! I can really see Lane and Cornejo in Other Dances.

Finally! This is a perfect cast for Other Dances, imo.  Yes, it's a Wednesday, yes, it's in the dead of Winter and an expensive trip from NYC..... but I may need to take a couple of days off from the job and go! 

A wonderful, generous evening.  I was there too and was very thankful to Yuriko, Jared, and Alvin Ailey for bringing this fund raising event to us in NYC.    In spite of the hurricane's destruction to Houston Ballet's home, Yuriko and Jared looked in great shape and ready to face the future's challenges.  Yuriko was especially touching in the Coppelia Prayer Solo, bringing tears to I think everyone's eyes.

In addition to the above mentioned dancers by ABT fan, I ran to see Mayara Pineiro and Arian Molina Soca dance the DonQ Act 3 Pas de Deux.  They had just performed their full-length Sleeping Beauty in Philly, not an easy ballet especially stamina wise -- made it to NYC to deliver a DonQ full of Cuban fireworks.  His leaps were stunning, with the look of a sleek but powerful panther in the air.  She did every third fouette as a triple for the first 16....with such ease.... and finished with a smile and sparkling eyes to the audience. 

I was happy and sad to see Daniil with his killer technique and charm in what might be his last gala here before leaving ABT for Germany.  Wishing him all the best.  What an exquisitely talented dancer. 

Bravi to all the dancers who gave such heartfelt performances. 

Anybody else notice that Other Dances is cast now for all of its ABT Fall perfs except for the one on Oct. 27?

 

I loved canbelto's review!  Thank you.  So much detail and deep thought, experienced thought, went into this.  

I'll be seeing the Saturday matinee, and perhaps the evening too. Can't wait to see this great ballet with all the different tributes to its brilliance.   

Thank you canbelto for such a wonderful tribute to Veronika and her ABT farewell.  

Back to casting, casting, casting!  Directing, directing, directing!  Without naming individuals....some ballerinas are stunning Giselles and Juliets, etc., and some are stunning Swans, White and Black, etc. 

I think it's a huge mistake to push any dancer into a role that doesn't suit their strengths, styles.  One or two major performances should not be "the test."  

On the other hand, where are the many choices of qualified dancers understudying major roles? Many are dancing these major roles in smaller companies.  And where are the ballets that might better show off dancers that are currently available?  ABT needs much better direction.....  

Sarah was not dancing small last night!  Neither was anybody!

For me it was, in sum:  Wow! 

I thought it was Sarah at her best.  Sarah was more relaxed with Herman and their chemistry was real!  He is so sensual, sexy, intense and yet sweet.  A perfect partner to pump up her natural lyrical, romantic, soulful, sweet beauty.

Act 1:  Sarah’s solo started with a divine arabesque balance only going to plie penchee at the very last second.  No interruption to the music…. and stunningly big.  Turns were slow and perfectly controlled (esp the back attitude ones….wow.)  Hops were feminine and lovely.  Then wild, fast circle of pique turns. 

Acting:  Incredible throughout….. and  the mad scene was fantastic…. Loved the huge grande jetes (losing her mind totally) ending in exhaustion to the floor.

Peasant pas:  Cassandra was better than on Saturday (too one note for me….) with Gabe (so strong, a bit flashy for this role).

Act 2:  Sarah will hate me for loving Orsmby (conductor)……I usually prefer David LaMarche.  Orsmby’s tempos were too slow for all the adagio sections last night…. But I loved it because it forced Sarah to push beyond her comfort in places such as huge develope a la secondes (I didn’t know she could do that!).

First table lift didn’t stay up long enough with Herman partnering…. But the second one was perfect.  Rest of the partnering was wonderful….. full of real emotion and gorgeous lines.  Herman did really well, as he’s still a little injured from his DonQ.... 

Sarah was a little more distant with Daniil, but I liked her with both guys.  Future roles? Can't wait!

Also loved Christine as Myrta!  She improved so much since Saturday’s perf!  She doesn’t jump, fly enough, often enough, yet… especially in most of her Myrta solos…. until the very last section…. But what stunning beauty and presence, lines, throughout.  Then, at her last big jumping solo, she really flew!  I predict she will dance a Swan Lake very soon….. if not this season…. and I will be there!

Only real critique from me:  corps and the two Willis demis needed some cleanup work. 

Sarah Lane will dance Giselle again on Wednesday night - with Herman Cornejo! She replaces Maria Kochetkova.

Everyone, don't forget about the Rush Tickets ($30 with no fees) that are available for each performance.

BRAVA to Sarah for a most moving, beautiful Giselle.  A performance I have not seen the likes of in years.  

Responding to the person who posted earlier here that Sarah must have had coaching for a long time and outside of ABT......That could not be further from the truth, speaking as a good friend to Sarah.  Giselle is one of Sarah's most loved roles and she has learned so much from watching others perform it, not from working on the role outside of ABT.  Life perhaps full of great love and loss has been her guide as well.

Bravo to Daniil too for his brilliant dancing and improvement both in partnering and acting.  I was very impressed with how much he has grown.

I fell deeply in love, and in tears, heart aching, during this wonderful performance.  So grateful to have experienced these amazing artists.

Christine was very good last night.  To me, she’s more of a natural Russian princess type, but she certainly proved she can handle a Principal role that she isn’t naturally suited for. 

I was most surprised by her fouettes at the end of the wedding pas, Act III, which were stunning, strong, so confidently and elegantly done after such a long, hard night of endless jumps and turns.  Every third fouette was a double with the fan above her head for the first 16 or 20….Then ended with a triple!!! Easy, breezy, beautiful.

Christine was a real pro dancing Kitri in two back to back performances.  Much respect goes to her for that.... Friends of mine who saw both of her performances said Christine was more "engaged" (acting it up tons, even hammy) in her second performance.  I had not expected that from such an elegant dancer, but loved seeing her surprise me.

At times, Christine seemed tired, and held back a little, but nevertheless she fought through to the end.  The Kitri character and technique for me ought to be spicy, earthy, sensual at times, fireworks at other times.  Christine was overall not that but she danced a very lovely, spirited debut in a very demanding role.

p.s.  Sarah Lane was perfection, absolutely gorgeous as Amour.  There are so many layers to her acting, and she makes the most of every moment creating sweet beauty instead of being cute.  Sarah's jumps and turns were also done with stunning accuracy.

 

16 hours ago, abatt said:

I must give credit where it is due. Hee Seo successfully completed all of her Italian fouettes tonight. 

I thought Hee Seo was excellent last night as Mercedes and QofD with gorgeous stag leaps and beautiful Italian fouettees.  In fact, overall, I thought this DonQ performance was one of her best to date.  Has she ever danced Kitri?  That role might bring her to yet another level of best dancing....in time. 

Last night, she was having a blast with the tall, strong, much improved, hot tamale James Whiteside. 

47 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

......... glad Shevchenko gets another performance. I imagine they passed over Copeland/Cirio because they have two shows already scheduled.

On the other hand, Shevchenko is the only Kitri dancing back to back performances: yesterday's matinee and now tonight's. 

Copeland danced on Tuesday night (5/16) and she doesn't dance again until Saturday (5/20). 
Seems Copeland's Saturday (5/20) could have been switched with Shevchenko.  

I'll be watching tonight and sending lots of good energy to Shevchenko!  Super merde!

Schevchenko is going on again tonight as Kitri.  You may confirm this with the box office.

Gillian is out. 

Congratulations to Daysei Torriente!  So well deserved!  Daysei is an excellent Principal dancer.....very exciting technically and beautiful....and she is not as tall as Murawski. 

Arian and Sterling took turns partnering Daysei and also Mayara in the big pas de deuxs (Black Swan and Tchai Pas) closing the season last weekend.  I'd like to see Mayara cast with her own excellent, regular partner....someone who isn't also partnering Daysei.  Etienne is lately cast in the more character-ish roles.... not Principal, Prince types.

I'll be very interested to see how this all plays out next season with full-length Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Jewels, Paquita, and Theme and Variations.  Seems like a lot of difficult work for Arian and Sterling as the primary Principal men.