BalletFan

The only Monday performance: July 1st (Swan Lake). All the other weeks start on a Tuesday. I'm also surprised that the gala will take place in May. But I suppose this makes sense since many donors will be out of town during the summer.

Do we know for sure that the summer 2024 season will only be four weeks? I'm hoping it will be longer.

I traveled from NYC to see this and really enjoyed it. Oh... the passion and energy of this ballet--just amazing! I especially loved the incredible lifts--many that I've never seen before in ballet. The story is told in a flashback. The first scene is Don Jose sitting in a jail cell, remembering how he got there. I just wish the performance had been longer. The running time is only 1 hour and 15 mins (including one intermission), which I found kind of disappointing. Nonetheless, the ballet is beautifully choreographed and danced. The cast I saw included Oksana Maslova as Carmen, Zecheng Liang as Don Jose and Isaac Hollis as Escamillo. Everyone was great, but Zecheng Liang really stood out to me. What a talented dancer with a nice stage presence. I really like what Angel Corella has done with the company and became a subscriber this year. I live too far away to see this again this time around, but hopefully, Carmen will remain in the company's repertoire.

I used to travel to the Kennedy Center about once a year, but I agree that since Covid, the offerings have been very unimpressive. I've been attending the Philadelphia Ballet more and more. I like what Angel Corella is doing with the company, and for the first time ever, I purchased a subscription to the 2023-24 season.

Yes, Skylar and Herman were magical tonight. I have seen many Swan Lakes over the years, and I really think this was one of the best. And yes, the audience was extremely enthusiastic. There was sooo much energy in the theater. It was a wonderful evening!

I saw four performances of Giselle this week with four different casts: Teuscher/Bell; Brandt/Cornejo; Boylston/Ahn; & Murphy/Forster. Maybe they have lost some of their technical skills, but Gillian Murphy was my favorite Giselle and Herman Cornejo was by far my favorite Albrecht. They drew me in from the very beginning, and Herman's performance, in particular, brought tears to my eyes. Thomas Forster has never been one of my favorites, but he was surprisingly good as Albrecht. I am now looking forward to seeing him dance other roles. And Jarod Curley was excellent as Hilarion. He is an immensely talented young dancer with great technique as well as great stage presence. Andrii Ischuk, another promising young dancer, was also very good as Hilarion. Also, while I thought that Devon Teuscher was a very good Giselle, she was an even better Myrta. I agree with NinaFan that when I go to see a company like ABT, I expect the complete package--both technical and artistic excellence. I saw Cassandra's debut as Giselle in 2021. Normally, she is one of my favorites dancers, but I remember being disappointed in her interpretation and some of her dancing. To be honest, perhaps Giselle is just not the right role for her. Management should not continue to gloss over her mistakes, in my opinion.

I wasn't expecting to, but I very much enjoyed LWFC. I reluctantly attended my first performance because it was the gala and I never miss ABT's spring/summer gala. To my surprise, I enjoyed LWFC much more than I thought I would, and I ended up going back for two more performances. Altogether, I saw two casts: Trenary & Cornejo and Teuscher & Ahn. (Both casts were good, but Trenary & Cornejo really had a special magic.) The three performances I saw were all well attended and very well received. I heard nothing but positive comments from the people around me. Personally, I wasn't crazy about the music, but I heard several people say that they loved the music. Do I wish there had been more actual dancing, particularly in the first act? Yes. Nonetheless, I thought the overall story was very moving. I realize that LWFC isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I applaud ABT for taking a big risk and putting on a production of such high quality. It's obvious that a lot of care and thought went into this ballet. I really hope it does come back next year or maybe the year after, with perhaps a few minor tweaks.

Hi Buddy, Per the brochure, single tickets go on sale April 24, 2023.

Re Roster: I no longer see April Giangeruso's name on ABT's website. She never officially announced any retirement plans, but I remember an Instagram post near the end of the Met summer season showing a solitary bouquet of flowers. It was very vague, but I wondered at the time if she was alluding to leaving the company. April is the founder of a dancewear and activewear company called Chameleon, which she is very involved in. She also got married a few years ago and has a young toddler. So, I'm sure she has other priorities now. But I always liked her dancing and will miss her.

Jose made his debut as Purple Rothbart back in 2019. I think he's very good in the role. https://www.instagram.com/p/BzG-TrAAusf/?hl=en

I've always liked Stephanie and have followed her on Instagram for years. Her announcement really caught me by surprise because she seemed so happy and grateful to be at ABT. Also, it’s very unusual for a dancer to quit at this time of the year. (I could be wrong, but I always thought that contracts come up for renewal at ABT in the late summer.) Like FauxPas, I tend to think that trying to juggle ABT's touring schedule with being a first-time mom was just too difficult. So, she chose her family. Or, maybe Stephanie is leaving to take a new position elsewhere. Or, maybe her husband wanted to leave NYC. Of course, I have no inside knowledge. This is all pure speculation on my part. We shall see. But I think being a mother and a dancer at a company that does a lot of tours, like ABT, must be very hard. I will miss her, too!

I would love to see Irina and Max as co-Artistic Directors.

I was very fortunate to see Hee Seo's debut as Juliet in Detroit back in 2009. (Cory Stearns was Romeo.) I was blown away. She was absolutely magical! It was one of those performances that I will never forget. However, that is the one and only time that I was impressed by her dancing. I don't know what happened. She’s a good dancer, but something is missing. In my opinion, she’s never been able to recreate that magic since then.

I'm very excited about the Spring Season... but absolutely shocked about Cassie! Is she getting any performances at all? The calendar is working for me, but I don't see her name listed anywhere.

Misty was the opening speaker at last night's gala. So she's around. However, she did not perform.

I also saw three casts: Skylar Brandt, Cassandra Trenary and Christine Shevchenko. While all three were fabulous in their own way, in my opinion, Cassandra was the most natural Giselle. Christine is one of my favorite dancers, but I can't say that Giselle is her most natural role. I agree with everyone that Skylar was magical. However--and I almost hate to say this--she was perhaps a little overly dramatic. I'm not really qualified to talk about technique, but as Kathleen said above, Cassandra's interpretation of the role was "theater without theatrics." I, too, found it very moving. Actually, all three interpretations were outstanding. I enjoyed Giselle so much that I wish I could have seen all six casts. And I agree with Julia that Aran Bell has become quite a handsome young man. Yes, he did indeed almost steal the show!

Stephanie Petersen, formerly Williams, has been with ABT for almost 10 years now--since January 2012. She got married last year and changed her last name to Petersen. She has danced many roles with ABT (and other companies)--although as Nanushka says, nothing as big as Myrta. This is something of a big break for Stephanie. I've always enjoyed her dancing and I look forward to seeing her as Myrta this weekend.

A few weeks ago, ABT corps dancer Brittany DeGrofft announced her retirement on Instagram. I'm sad to see her go. I always thought she was a lovely, lyrical dancer. After Covid hit, she often posted about how much she missed dancing and that she couldn't wait to get back on stage with ABT. However, she and her husband, former ABT dancer Patrick Ogle, have relocated to Arizona (where Brittany is originally from). Patrick became a paramedic after leaving ABT, and I see that Brittany has been named the new Artistic Director of the Tucson Regional Ballet and Academy of Ballet. (And Patrick will be a guest instructor.) It's a loss for ABT, but good for her! https://www.tucsonregionalballet.org/artistic-team/ I don't know if any other dancers have left, but there seem to be a few new (and very young looking) faces in the corps.

According to the Fall 2021 issue of ABT's “On Pointe” magazine, the 2022 Spring Season is scheduled for June 13 - July 16 at the Metropolitan Opera House. I'm very much looking forward to this. No word yet on programming. In other spring news: I also see that the ABT will be performing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, March 15-20 (mixed rep program) and the Virginia Arts Festival in Norfolk, March 25-27 (Don Quixote), before heading to the Kennedy Center in DC, March 29 - April 3 (also Don Quixote). The Kennedy Center tour was announced a while ago, but the Segerstrom Center's March performances and the Virginia Arts Festival are apparently new. I don't see anything mentioned yet on either organization's websites.

I follow Kathryn on social media, and yes, I know that she's been teaching at Ballet West for several months now. Still, I was hoping she'd come back to Miami City Ballet. Joining a company again was a huge thing for her--something she had been talking about literally for years. I, along with many others, really admired her perseverance when she announced she was joining MCB for the 2019-2020 season. That’s why I’m surprised. But maybe the reality of being in a company again wasn’t all that she had dreamed it would be. She really only danced at MCB a few times. I know she performed in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue last fall. Then I remember her being injured and don't think she performed in The Nutcracker. Then she was cut from Firebird. Then the rest of the season was canceled. I know that her boyfriend lives in Salt Lake City and that she also has a lot of other things going on in her life (YouTube, etc.). While it's a shame that her time in Miami was so short and that she had so few opportunities to perform on stage, she seems happy now. And that’s what matters.

I no longer see Kathryn Morgan listed on the Miami City Ballet website. However, her Instagram bio still says "Soloist with Miami City Ballet." When Kathryn was interviewed by Megan Fairchild a few months ago, she said she didn't see herself staying in Miami--but didn't give any time frame. I was surprised since being back on stage and part of a company again had seemed so important to her. I know that she has been living and teaching in Salt Lake City since the lockdown began. But I was kind of hoping that she'd go back to Miami at least for another season. Does anyone have any news?

I agree with bluejean that calling the event a "gala" was problematic. They should have come up with some other term that wasn’t so misleading… or maybe they just should have simply stuck with “celebration” or "online fundraiser." Also, I agree with Drew about the intended audience. I believe they were targeting new and younger people with this online event, not hardcore balletomanes, like all of us here.

Well… I'm definitely in the minority here, but I enjoyed tonight's event. I suppose it would have been nice to see some archival footage or excerpts from ballets, but I don't think that ABT has much of that that they can put online (hopefully I'm wrong). But anyway, this so-called gala was billed as a fundraiser, so I wasn't disappointed or expecting otherwise. I thought it was nice to see some behind-the-scenes footage of the Studio Company and the JKO School, as well as some of the people who actually work behind the scenes. Personally, I loved seeing the dancers performing the entrance of the swans from their homes—literally across the U.S. and even Australia (and maybe a few other places around the world... I'm not sure). I found it very moving. I could have done without the celebrities like Katie Couric and Kelly Ripa, but all in all, I thought the evening was fun and different, and I hope the company ends up raising a decent amount of money from this “online celebration.”

I agree, Leah. I LOVED Symphonie Concertant and wish I could see it again (and again!).

Yes, Paulina definitely mentioned Boston Ballet in her original post. It's funny how things sometimes work out. As Lady Bubbles noted, if Paulina hadn't been injured, then she would have danced Myrtha and maybe she (and not Katherine Williams) would have been promoted to soloist. Oh well, that’s life. Paulina is still very young, and perhaps it’s best to join another company at this point in her career and stretch her wings. I wish her, and the other corps members who are leaving, all the best.