Victura

I saw both Giselles yesterday and was quite entranced and moved by Trenary’s performance, in a way that I was much less so by Murphy’s despite also liking it quite a bit. Trenary’s only noticeable technical deficiency were the hops on pointe, in which she switched to doing relevés on one foot in time with the music. I personally found that suited the variation just fine, and everything else was performed very well. Having now read the NYTimes profile, I almost wonder if it was a mental lapse after having made the mistake once before. Her portrayal was honest in a way that truly embodied Giselle’s character, and there was a delicacy and subtleness to it, including during the mad scene. 
 

I really enjoyed both performances and appreciated seeing the different casts. Misseldine and Teuscher were both excellent Myrtas. Sunmi Park had a great joy and freedom to her dancing, while Fleytoux was very precise and perhaps a bit careful but performed well, and both worked well with their partners. Whiteside has very clean technique and seemed more boyish/impetuous in the first act. While I initially thought he and Trenary were somewhat of an unusual pairing, I think it worked. From an emotional standpoint, Forster moved me more with his grief. 
 

It was nice to see Stella Abrera and Ethan Stiefel in the audience, and I believe Paloma Herrera was there as well. 

I saw the Saturday evening performance with Gogidze and was it Oleksii Kniakzov instead of Denys Nedak? I too wish there had been more info about casting changes because I would've tried to make Shevchenko's performance today with a little more notice.

I enjoyed it overall, perhaps in part because there seem to be so few opportunities to see classical ballet in Southern California. I agree that the dancers were somewhat uneven, and Gogidze in the first act in particular seemed to have a sharper and more brittle quality of movement than I'm used to seeing for Giselle, and some of it felt a bit jarring but did hit the music beats very directly. Kudos to her for doing three Giselles in a row. The two who did the peasant pas had a very bright and energetic quality, and I liked the dancer for Myrta as well. (Not going to hazard a guess as to the dancers' names since the cast list seems mostly incorrect.)

It was a pleasant surprise to have Ratmansky co-introduce the production. As for the changes in the production itself, Bathilde and Giselle reconciling at the end was a nice touch, as was Giselle becoming a part of nature and remaining in Albrecht's memory. One thing I found quite odd was the addition of music for the Wilis in the second act - the music sounded almost baroque in style and didn't fit with the rest of the score. Does anyone know where this piece came from and why it was added?

I was not expecting anything additional at the end, but the short ballet featuring the soldier and the singing of the Ukrainian national anthem was quite moving. I'm glad these artists were able to come together and continue dancing in these times.

I saw Like Water for Chocolate with the Trenary/Cornejo cast in California in March and quite enjoyed it. If I had the time, I would’ve gone back to see another cast’s interpretation.

It was a little on the long side and the first two acts are more story driven and had more mime and character dancing - I probably would’ve preferred more dancing in these two acts. The third act contains the incredibly passionate and intense pas de deux. The rawness and sensuality really drew you in as an audience member. There’s a somewhat surprising stage effect at the end that I liked but not sure if everyone would. 

I don’t think there’s anything in the first two acts that would necessarily be inappropriate for kids but the final act could be. Audience wise, I was actually very surprised that it was quite full on the night I went. Perhaps it helped that it was advertised as the American premiere as well as Kevin McKenzie’s farewell season. 

I’ll be curious to hear the reception from the Met. 

Has Stearns performed recently? I remember he was listed until relatively last minute during the last Met season but eventually replaced, but haven’t kept track of whether he’s been on stage more recently.

On 2/27/2023 at 9:43 AM, lacdescygnes said:

However, I must also point out that on their Instagram accounts, both Skylar Brandt and Cassie Trenary post a lot of footage from rehearsals with Cornejo. Which leads me to wonder 2 things - did ABT management ask Cornejo to step up his rehearsal time with partners in the wake of Lane's complaints, or conversely did Lane ask more more rehearsal time than "average", or at least these other 2 principals. I don't think we'll ever know either way, of course

It may just be that Cornejo seems to be healthier these days. He seemed quite often injured before, which probably limited his rehearsal time. 

From the Segerstrom website at https://www.scfta.org/events/2022/the-nutcracker

Friday, December 9 at 7 p.m. – Devon Teuscher, Joo Won Ahn

Saturday, December 10 at 2 p.m. – Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside

Saturday, December 10 at 7 p.m. – Catherine Hurlin, Aran Bell

Sunday, December 11 at 12:30 p.m. – Cassandra Trenary*, Calvin Royal III*

Sunday, December 11 at 5:30 p.m. – Christine Shevchenko, Thomas Forster

Wednesday, December 14 at 7 p.m. – Hee Seo, Cory Stearns

Thursday, December 15 at 7 p.m. – Skyler Brandt, Herman Cornejo

Friday, December 16 at 7 p.m. –  Cassandra Trenary, Calvin Royal lll

Saturday, December 17 at 2 p.m. – Devon Teuscher, Joo Won Ahn

Saturday, December 17 at 7 p.m. – Skylar Brandt, Herman Cornejo

Sunday, December 18 at 12:30 p.m. – Catherine Hurlin, Aran Bell

Sunday, December 18 at 5:30 p.m. – Hee Seo, Cory Stearns

*Indicates the first time in the role.

This is very exciting! Does anyone know how far in advance Houston Ballet generally posts casting for performances? I’d love to catch one of Lane’s shows. 

I enjoyed seeing her in the Twyla Now program last November, also at City Center.

The timing only coincides with Whipped Cream in the ABT fall season, so I’m hoping she’ll be cast in some of the pieces being performed the following week. 

Having read the podcast transcript more thoroughly now, I thought Jaffe had some good ideas for the future of ABT. If anything, some of the things that she suggested (i.e. costumes being more culturally accurate in La Bayadère) are not big changes at all and something that would be adjusted by each particular production anyway.

I thought she had a balanced point of view in wanting to preserve the classics and not throwing out full productions, but working with scholars to determine the appropriate way to present them to audiences. It's a realistic and practical way of moving forward. As much as I love the tradition of classical ballet, nothing stays the same forever, and frankly not alienating audiences but making ballet more accessible and inclusive is a way of making sure it's preserved for the long term. I don't see this as any different than other aspects of ballet changing over time (i.e. the ideal body type in dancers, or more virtuosity/tricks now than in the past) and artistic directors creating new productions of classics and choreographing after Petipa.

Susan Jaffe was recently on the podcast the Dance Edit. It looks like you need a subscription to listen to the podcast, but there’s a transcript of the conversation here: 

Susan Jaffe on Ballet’s Path Forward https://thedanceedit.com/transcript-the-dance-edit-extra-episode-23

I was a long-time NY resident who moved to LA and am very glad to hear this news!

On a related note, I see that ABT is doing a mixed repertory program in March at Segerstrom consisting of Bernstein in a Bubble, Alonzo King, and Zig Zag. https://www.scfta.org/events/2022/abt-forward
 

Does anyone know if ABT typically announces casting for these programs? Any opinions on these pieces? 

For what it’s worth, the “Dancer” shows up as the category of the page, which appears if the profile is a business account, similar to the way a business might be able to designate themselves as a restaurant or cafe. It’s not part of one’s written bio. The category appears on the app but it may not necessarily appear if you’re looking at Instagram from a browser.

For what it’s worth, I received the same email that was pasted above by California, but I haven’t been a member or a subscriber for quite some time. I was last a member in 2017, haven’t had a proper subscription since 2014 (?), though have purchased single tickets every Met season since then. The donation link doesn’t specify an amount or that one needs to join as a member to get access to Manon, so I would assume a nominal donation should be enough to see the recording.

My guess is that their email list isn’t particularly well organized and may have been compiled from various sources over the years, so there may be cracks where some ticket buyers/subscribers are slipping through.

https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2019-2020/studio-5/herman-cornejo-celebrating-20-years/

I have a ticket to this event but am no longer able to attend. Since it’s sold out, I thought I’d post it here in case anyone is looking for a ticket. I used a code when I purchased so the ticket was only $15 and can be transferred electronically. Please message me if interested. Thanks!

I saw the Teuscher/Bell matinee on Wednesday and was hoping someone else would report on it, as I can really only comment on the second half. I arrived a little late due to train issues and spent the first half in the small theater watching on a screen, which doesn't have great picture quality. (There were quite a few of us in there, and although I realize it was our fault for being late, I wish the screen had better resolution or we could've been let in between acts or during a pause.)

At any rate, from the first half, the pas de trois was Royal, Giangeruso, and Fang, and Royal in particular did very well. The white swan pas de deux was very nicely done technically, though I can't really speak to anyone's dramatic abilities there. Teuscher doesn't have the most pliant back but still made some beautiful shapes. She made a very strong Odile though, perhaps not quite an evil seductress but certainly sparkled in a way that one could very easily see why Siegfried becomes enthralled with her. In the variation, she came down from pointe about half a turn too early both times in the pirouettes that go into attitude, but they were easily 5-6 turns total each time. Her fouettes were very strong. I thought that Wilkins, the conductor, noticeably sped up that portion, but she did lots of triples in the A section and switched to singles in the B section, all extremely secure with only a little downstage traveling.

Bell had a very successful debut. I personally have never seen him take on a principal role (or even a soloist role), but he was a confident Siegfried and partnered Teuscher well. Technically, he was very clean. I've perhaps seen better characterizations (comparing him against the likes of Gomes and Bolle) but overall, he did quite well and brought a youthful energy and self assurance to the role. His ending leap was pretty spectacular that people around me gasped.

For those wondering, Jose Sebastian did do the arabesque balance - it was a little tentative on the way up, but he did hold it for awhile. Some good moments of acting that reminded me a little of Gomes. He definitely has potential to grow into the role more, but a very positive debut.

A great performance on the whole, and the audience was very appreciative and gave an enthusiastic standing ovation at the end.

On 8/28/2018 at 6:06 PM, CharlieH said:

Marcelo will be guesting with Washington Ballet at the end of September, as will be Stella Abrera, Katherine Barkman (Ballet Manila) and Connor Walsh (Houston Ballet).

https://www.washingtonballet.org/performance/2018-2019-season/twb-welcomes

Thank you for posting this! Is there anywhere that says which pieces they will be dancing in? It doesn’t seem to specify casting on that page. 

Sarah Lane posted an Instagram story of her and Jeffrey Cirio rehearsing Harlequinade together. Enjoy watching both of them (and he especially hasn’t been given many opportunities at ABT), so was very happy to see this. 

Thank you for that detailed analysis, ABT Fan. I agree with a lot of your points. Personally, I really enjoy both Lane and Cirio and am somewhat disappointed not to see them more often. Curious why you say you don't see the two of them having chemistry together? I don't think they've partnered together but it could be interesting to see. 

Also would not mind at all if you wish to do a tally of the men as well.

According to this article, Simkin will be in Berlin starting September 2018 but will retain his post with ABT.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/08/arts/dance/daniil-simkin-joins-staatsballett-berlin.html

Did anyone see Part's performance in Don Quixote? She wasn't listed on the official schedule for Don Q (not sure if Queen of Dryads is normally listed) and the only reports on this site just said it was a nice surprise to see her in the role.

I also felt like the farewell was quite hastily done, and I wonder if there's an explanation for it - perhaps either she didn't want a big affair, or since the performance hadn't been advertised as a farewell (even after the program order changed) that management decided not to make it a big affair? All the other celebrations (anniversaries and farewells) were specifically listed in the program as such. Either way, I do wish she had had a better send off more befitting of her long tenure at the company.

3 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

Sorry, but I don't buy his "abuse" angle. You don't stick around for 15 years if that entire time was abusive. And if you look at his other IG photos, he has a few #livingthedream hashtags next to ABT rehearsal photos. Sorry to hear he was let go but he's clearly just lashing out.

My first thought reading his comment was that he was talking about his body, because ballet as a discipline is certainly a form of abuse for the body. I can't speak for him, but I would certainly want to give my body a break to recover after 15 years of dancing.

To Part's credit, she did initially discourage the fan from doing anything and even deleted some of her comments, but the fan went ahead and organized a petition (among other things) anyway. Perhaps now that the news is out there, it almost doesn't matter to her what others decide to do since it's out of her hands.

One part of her father's comment that was translated was that usually dancers are warned almost a year before their last performance, which indicates that this was not the case for Veronika.

5 hours ago, abatt said:

Unfortunately, the dancers are not necessarily first and foremost artists, at least at ABT.  They are equally, or perhaps primarily, fundraising and or ticket sales  commodities.  The better you are at increasing  ticket sales, attracting publicity to the company, or and attracting money to the company, the more secure your position, regardless of artistry or lack thereof.

I think this last point is an important one. While Part does have her fans, I don't get the sense that her performances attract ticket sales the way someone like Vishneva (or even American ballerinas like Murphy or Boylston) would to the general public. When ABT offered discounted subscription tickets for young people or certain membership levels some years ago (not sure if that's still around), they generally offered performances that were deemed not to be very popular. At least one year her Swan Lake was on there, though later on I think no performances of Swan Lake were offered.

Part also has the least social media presence among the principal dancers, and that can be a way to cultivate a bigger audience or bring in new fans to the theater. She doesn't attract much publicity at this stage of her career. And of course, not giving her too many performances is itself a vicious cycle, since there are less opportunities for new ballet goers to discover her.

I would also assume that her salary isn't low given that she's a fairly senior principal. As disappointed as I am at this turn of events and the treatment she's gotten, if you only look at it from a financial perspective, it does make a certain amount of sense.

All that said, I really hope her farewell goes well with extra love and support shown to her and hopefully no disruptions. I was very grateful to have seen her Mozartiana at dress rehearsal last week, which was incredibly lovely, and have wonderful memories of her dazzling Odette/Odile and Nikiya performances. I hope that those who attend will report back to us about tomorrow's performance.

I'm usually not one for super dramatic ballets without a great deal of dancing, but have to say that Onegin pleasantly surprised me. I have seen it before and didn't have great recollections of it, but really enjoyed Ferri/Bolle and Lane/Simkin on Tuesday night, and there was a lot more dancing in it than I remembered. Bolle in particular was spot on in his characterization IMO and very strong in the partnering and lifts with Ferri.

Regarding the lineup of programs: what I don't understand is why they brought back Golden Cockerel for a second year. Did they have a two-year rental agreement on the sets/costumes or something? It was nice to see once for the spectacle, but it didn't seem like it sold very well even last year and didn't contain much dancing at all. Would've really loved to see La Fille Mal Gardée again instead, as it's not done too often here and just such a charming ballet amidst all the dramas and tragedies.

I was at the Seo/Gomes performance tonight. Agree with others that Seo's Odette was just beautiful and lyrical and the white swan pas de deux gorgeous. Her Odile started off relatively strong. She was more expressive than I've seen in the past and there were two supported pirouettes that lasted forever (10-12 turns, perhaps helped out by Marcelo) that even garnered a good bit of applause. She also held an unsupported arabesque for quite awhile. There were a couple of messy turns in one variation but nothing major.

However, fouettés were not good - there was a small bobble (like she slipped off pointe) near the beginning which probably threw her off, but she managed to keep going for around 20 singles (there might have been one double at the beginning?) - another audience member counted 24. She came out of them a bit awkwardly and exited normally but there was a bit of extra music left. (From the reports of Copeland, it sounded like Copeland's exit looked more awkward.) For what it's worth I've seen Seo do much better in the past, so I think this was just an off night. Usually the end of Odile's fouettés overlap a bit with the beginning of Siegfried's, but in this case she ran off and then Marcelo started his. He didn't have a very long set but they were very clean with some doubles and perhaps even a triple (maybe someone else can confirm) in there, and definitely louder applause for him.

I always like Gomes and tonight was no exception. Expressive (just crazy in love after Odile), clean dancing (some very strong turns and neat landings to leaps), effortless partnering, and just as elegantly princely as can be. Seeing him dance made tonight totally worth it for me.

Stearns was an okay Purple Rothbart - his dancing was fine but characterization a little bland. I've seen better from him but Gomes is definitely the gold standard for this role. One last thing, the leaps at the end - hers seemed like she just fell off the cliff rather limply, while his leap was absolutely magnificent.