Kaysta

I completely agree with you Mimsyb. I don't want a return of the guest artists. I was happy to see less of them this season--not because I don't enjoy watching them dance--but as someone who loves ABT, I feel it's detrimental to the long term health of the company. Growing pains are necessary sometimes, things go in cycles. But I would like to see Sarah Lane as Juliet on the Met stage before I die. Same with Stella as O/O.

Didn't Seo do two performances because she filled in for Semionova? I don't mind one or two outsiders brought in per season, but one for each performance is too much for me, when I'm still waiting to see Gillian dance Giselle, Stella dance O/O, Sarah Lane dance Juliet, Trenary dance anything. But I understand some folks feel differently.

I think, overall, Ratmansky is the best thing to have happened to ABT in recent years. ABT lost a lot of talent in the last decade. They can try to replenish it by importing rent a Russians, which will keep the fans of Russian ballet buying tickets, or they can choose to grow the company from within and eventually build their own stars. While the second option may be slower and more painful, it's better for the long term health of the company. At this point, the company is well used to Ratmansky's style and it's what is keeping this company fresh and artistically relevant. If someone would rather see Zakharova and her sky high ostentatious extensions in another warhorse, to each their own. Personally, I will take seeing ABTs dancers in the Shostakovich Trilogy, the highlight of the Met season for me.

Agree and agree! Sad I missed this week of SB, but I'm happy to have seen 3 performances in DC. If it's back next year, I hope to see Trenary and Abrera. I'm sad I missed them.

That would be awesome if it was done at PAB. Would make it easy for the NY folks to come down to Philly. Although PAB just performed Swan Lake the year before last, but it may be possible if the reconstruction won't be until 2018.

Agreed. I'm happy for the two who were promoted, I like them both. But I'm disappointed for Calvin Royal and Gabe Stone Shayer.

YES, please! I hope so!

This makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for your report!

Just got back from the Misty/Danill matinee. It was both good and bad. I'll start with the bad, to get it over with. The first act partnering was not good. I actually enjoy Danill's dancing, and his solo work was fantastic as usual. The problem is that he needs a smaller ballerina to lift in this role. In no way am I calling Misty big (because I thought she was beautiful), but these two are just mismatched physically, and it showed. In the "sit on the shoulder" lift where Romeo carries Juliet on his shoulder (the first time they are alone, at the ball), Misty's foot got caught and I was really nervous he was going to drop her. They made it through, but the lifts were not very smooth during the balcony pas, he had trouble getting her up in the air a few times. And the beautiful boat lift where he is on his knees and lifts her (as shown in the video a few pages back) was even worse than the video. The partnering was better in the bedroom scene than the balcony pas, but I don't think these two should be doing this type of work together, they are too mismatched in my opinion. Now for the good, outside of the partnering lift glitches, I liked both of them in these roles (just not together). I really enjoyed Misty's characterization. Yes, she is lacking a bit of flexibility in her arabesque and doesn't have the flexibility in her back like some of the other dancers, but I thought her acting was pretty strong considering she is relatively new in the role. I thought her crypt scene (where Juliet is dead and Romeo is "carrying" her around the crypt), was hauntingly beautiful. I was in the back of the orchestra and I believed her in the role. She still needs to develop further, but I think she could be a very good Juliet with time and in the hands of a competent partner. Don't have much to say about Danill. Again, his solo spots were fantastic. Maybe he could try dancing with Kochetkova, it might be a better physical fit for him. Other bright spots were Craig Salstein as Mercutio (he is my favorite Mercutio by far of the current ABT men) and Roman Zhurbin, who is such a menacing Tybalt. In other news, I took my mom today and it was her first ever ballet. Five minutes into it (and even though I warned her) she asked me if any "words" were coming. I don't think I inherited my love of ballet from her. I'm glad I saw Copeland today. I don't think I'll avoid her anymore, honestly I enjoy her more than Seo.

I wish I could have been there. I really need to find a job in NYC, instead of Philly. I hope Ferri dances Manon or something else with ABT next year, as I've never seen her live. I will say, the video of her Giselle is probably my favorite Giselle performance and I believe she was in her 40's at the time it was filmed. I still found her believable as a young Giselle.

I am so happy to hear the positive reviews on Gillian's Juliet. I saw it last year (she was partnered with Whiteside, I believe) and I thought she was a fantastic Juliet. Glad to see others feel the same.

I agree, too! I loved Lane's Aurora at the Kennedy Center this winter. I saw three casts, and she was by far the best.

Isn't Courtney Lavine a SAB grad? She's got a beautiful line, and I often find my eyes drawn to her when she is on stage. It's a shame that she isn't utilized more. As for the lack of younger male dancers, I think both Shayer and Royal have serious potential to move up the ranks. Calvin looks tall to me, but I'm not sure of his height.

I know this has been discussed before (and maybe this isn't the thread, so I'm sorry in advance) but ABT should really think about whether the Metropolitan Opera House is the right location for them. Not that I have a clue where they should move to (and not that I want them to move). And I also think that if they had a more traditional season like other companies, where the works are interspersed over time, that maybe that would bring more folks in? Besides the hardcore balletomanes, do most folks want to go to the ballet every week (or multiple times per week) for 8 weeks straight? It probably can't be done at the Met, but if their season was more interspersed with the Met Opera, would that bring in more people or do the two audiences overlap and it would end up diminishing ABT's audience?

Watching Swan Lake yesterday, if ABT develops their young dancers correctly, I don't think there is a talent shortage. Yes, there are not a whole lot of "ready to go stars" dancing right now, but if they continue to develop folks like Gorak (please promote him next year and give him more work, he's ready!), Shayer, Royal, Trenary, Brandt, Shevchenko, Waski, and Hurlin I think the future could be bright. I really hope the 3 men listed above get a promotion at the end of this year.

Just got back from the Gomes/Bolyston matinee today. I enjoyed it very much! Marcelo was fantastic. He is such a great actor! and his partnering skills are superb. You could tell Isabella trusted him, they had great chemistry. I thought Boylston's Odile was absolutely stunning. She is a sassy fiery Odile. Technical showy stuff first: she made it through her fouettes, though they traveled quite a bit. She held a pretty strong balance during the PDD. I thought her characterization was excellent. I think Gomes really does bring out the best in everyone he dances with. I thought Boylston's Odette was good, but still needs work. I noticed her arms and hands too much, with the splayed fingers, and it distracted me just a little bit during the white swan pdd. I don't know what the move is called, but it is when Siegfried lifts Odile up like a grand jete but supported? During those lifts, I thought her arms and hands looked splayed and open, which took away from the line a bit. But I still very much enjoyed her Odette, and I thought she improved as the PDD progressed. The pas de trois was SUPERB! Joe Gorak, Sarah Lane and Skylar Brandt were all fantastic. It was one of my favorite groupings for the pas de trois that I've seen from ABT. On to R&J next week! I'm super excited because I'm taking my mom to her first ballet and her first trip to Lincoln Center. It will be nice to show her my "happy place!"

I really wish we could see a full list of who is leaving.

Simkin was something! Seriously, he is amazing at what he does. I thoroughly enjoyed today's performance. I thought all of the leads (Murphy, Heymann, Abrera, Simkin, Shayer, Scott) were all fantastic, and they received a standing ovation from the crowd. I want to specially mention Stella Abrera. I love her dancing. She has the most beautiful port de bras and dances with such a lightness. When she lands, she never makes a sound! She is just beautiful to watch, and I think I'm going to have to get a ticket for her Aurora, despite the fact that it's on a work night.

Vipa, I completely agree with you about Ulbright as Oberon. He was fantastic! Such sharp clean fast footwork and beautiful jumps. He really stood out today.

I won't see ABT until Saturday night, but I love this ballet. I saw it last year in London. Yes, I get it's a bit goofy and saccharine, but like others I also find it very heartwarming. Plus it has dancing hens and a rooster!

For how I can single a dancer out when there is very litte "classical" choreography, it's quite simple. To me (as a non-dancer with only scant knowledge of technique), I look to see if the dancer becomes thier character. If I forget that I'm watching Cassie Trenary or Roman Zhurbin the person, but instead find them believable as a crazy brainwashed maiden or an evil diabolical sorcerer, then they stand out to me. Trenary attacked the role and became her character. It is noticeable on stage. It doesn't even have to be a story ballet, as Sara Mearns consistently dances the same way at NYCB, where I believe her in whatever role she is dancing. I realize this is subjective, and I'm probably not explaining myself very well. The exact opposite is someone like Hee Seo or Christine Shevchenko, who when they dance, I feel like I am watching Hee Seo and Christine Shevchenko dance "real nice". I just don't feel anything watching them. Again, completely subjective I realize.

I understand what you are saying about Firebird, and I think that if I had seen Balanchine's or Fokine's version first, maybe I would feel the same way about Ratmansky's version. But because I haven't seen those and I had no preconceptions about what the ballet "should" look like, I found I greatly enjoyed Ratmansky's quirky magical take on it. I found it extremely entertaining as a whole, including the crazy costumes, but I do understand how those who prefer a more classical take on it would not enjoy it. And maybe Stuben heard folks sleeping on Saturday, but I wouldn't say that most folks found it boring, as it received a rambunctious standing ovation at the end (and it was not a Misty performance).

So I saw six Ratmansky ballets yesterday, and while there were some I absolutely loved, luckily there were none that I disliked! So I'm ranking them in the order of my preference: 1. Symphony #9: First of all the music of this is glorious. One of my favorite works by Shostakovich. The costuming is also beautiful. But the dancing last night was so very strong, from the corps members to the amazing five leads last night. Stella Abrera, Craig Salstein, Marcelo Gomes, Devon Teuscher and Herman Cornejo were all outstanding. By watching it, you would never know that Devon was filling in for the injured Polina. She was stunning. She and Marcelo melded together perfectly during their pas, with beautiful lines and gorgeous chemistry. And Herman Cornejo is so technically breathtaking to watch, he brought the house down everytime he came on stage. I can not put into words how much I loved this ballet, so good! 2. The Firebird: I expected to hate it and I loved it. Wish I could see it again. Trenary as the Maiden was a standout. She really attacks the choreography and I can't take my eyes off her. Zhurbin was a menacing Kaschei (honestly, it's a perfect role for him, he is such a strong actor and dancer!). Boylston was feisty and fiery. My only complaint was that at times, Hammoudi didn't feel like he was dancing as "all out" as the rest of the cast, but he had danced previously in Serenade after Plato's Symposium and was wonderful, so maybe fatigue played a role. I also want to mention the costumes and scenery, which I know some hate, but I thought they were completely magical. The only thing I wish was that the lighting was a little brighter. I was sitting in the back of the orchestra and couldn't see as well as I'd like. 3. Seven Sonatas: Stella Abrera and Calvin Royal, enough said. 4. Chamber Symphony: I thought Whiteside was a convincingly distraught Shostakovich. Lane, Boylston and Seo all did a fantastic job. And String Quartet # 8 in C minor (chamber symphony) is such a hauntingly beautiful piece of music. I've listened to this piece of music so much that it was nice to see it come alive before my eyes. 5. Serenade After Plato's Symposium: This is far down the list, but not because it was bad, but because I loved the four above it. I thought this was an interesting work, and I'd like to see it again. As others have said, hooray for Tyler Maloney. I couldn't tell he wasn't as experienced as his fellow dancers. The entire cast was great. 6. Piano Concerto #1: I was so floored by Symphony #9 and Chamber Symphony, that this was a little bit of a let down for me. Part of it was the casting. I know she is a fantastic dancer, but for some reason I just don't get Shevchenko. I know it's just me, but her dancing doesn't evoke much feeling for me. To be honest, I kept wishing it was Gillian performing. Simkin and Kochetkova were technically beautiful, but again for some reason I just don't get the same butterflies watching them as I do others. But I would definitely be happy to see this ballet again in the future. All in all, an amazing day of ballet. I enjoyed all of the works, and still think Ratmansky is a blessing to have at ABT. Both matinee and evening performances were amazing, but I am especially proud of ABT for putting the Shostakovich trilogy together for the spring season again. It may not sell as well as Swan Lake, but it is a true work of art, and really showcases ABT dancers well. I just hope they put the three together again in future seasons, so I can experience it all over again.

I loved Ratmansky's Firebird! I'm surprised, because I've read so many mixed reviews so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it, but I thought it was fantastic. Maybe it helps that I've never seen any version of this ballet before so I have nothing to compare it to. Roman Zhurbin killed it today, as did Cassie Trenary. The whole cast received a standing ovation. Seven Sonatas was lovely as always and I enjoyed the new ballet as well. Overall a great 1st round of Ratmansky. Now looking forward to round 2 tonight with the Shostakovich Trilogy.

Congrats to Taylor. I didn't realize he wasn't a principal already.