its the mom

Additionally, this comment is interesting, "Mr. Simkin said he hoped to dance in works by Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin and other choreographers whose work is less frequently performed in the United States." I know there are many patrons of ABT who complain about the company doing contemporary work, but dancers do seek it.

abatt, where does it say that he will continue for Met season? Am I misreading it? I wonder if this will become more common.

About the photo - I did not find it offensive at all, and I agree that it conveys more contemporary work usually done in the fall. About Cirio - It was announced by English National that he would be a guest artist for the fall season: "Joining as Guest Artists next season are Jeffrey Cirio, Principal at American Ballet Theatre, who performs with the Company for the Autumn/Winter season ..."

I just wish the couple from Royal had the opportunity to dance with other dancers. I like the way the dancers from different companies have opportunities to perform with different people. Most of the dancers who perform together in Vail have very little opportunity to rehearse together until they arrive in Vail. And, of course, some of the contemporary pieces are being choreographed throughout the week. I think it makes for a very interesting show.

Just saw this online about confronting biases in dance criticism. http://www.dancemagazine.com/op-ed-we-need-to-confront-racial-and-cultural-biases-in-dance-criticism-2468342343.html?xrs=RebelMouse_fb&ts=1501769321

Just saw this over at balletco forum. Lots of changes at English National Ballet. https://www.ballet.org.uk/blog-detail/promotions-new-dancers-joining-company-2017-18-season/

Speaking of Bolle's galas, Cornejo (who was injured all last week) is performing Tchai Pas for the galas.

I was responding to this quote. I should have been more clear. He may have looked around and felt that he would languish in the corps, just as so many others. I am all for dancers re-creating themselves. They are very good at it and we can name numerous examples. However, I do think that many would have different trajectories in other companies.

Boston does a good amount of neoclassical and contemporary works. If you read their bios, and I don't think the list is complete for either of them, you can see a good bit of Balanchine works: Cirio: "His repertory includes roles in George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Harlequinade, Ballo della Regina, Symphony in Three Movements, Melancholic in The Four Temperaments, the Third Movement in Symphony in C, Franz in Coppélia, Tarantella and Diamonds and Rubies pas de deux in Jewels." I also remember him doing A Midsummer Night's Dream, both Puck and Oberon. Whiteside: "Whiteside's repertoire with Boston Ballet included Principal roles in George Balanchine's Theme and Variations, Coppélia, Ballo della Regina, Rubies, The Four Temperaments(Sanguinic), Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Who Cares?, Serenade, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Symphony in 3 and La Valse;"

I guess my point is that ABT is not the be all and end all. There are plenty of other companies where he would not have languished in the corps. It is a shame that someone with that kind of talent won't be dancing professionally. But I guess this is, in reality, another thread ... sit in the corps at ABT or move on to another company?

I agree. I saw him as a student when he studied with Peter Stark (in Florida), and thought he held great promise. Sometimes it is just a matter of picking the right company.

Hoven and Cirio were promoted this time last year, not in the fall.

We are not used to this at ABT, but it happens in other companies quite often, especially in smaller companies. Dancers do more than one ballet in a rep evening all of the time.

"But I think that the hardest part about ABT for me is not the time situation but the fact that we only work thirty-six weeks per year. I get outside work but we’re not always available when other people want us to come. College is expensive. That’s still difficult, after all these years. I’m still collecting unemployment when I’m off." This is not unusual for dancers and staff around the country. ABT may have less weeks of work than some companies, but they have more than others. That is why dancers try to obtain other dancing gigs or teaching jobs during the summer.

To sit on the Board, one must donate is my understanding. So, whether the money goes toward "sponsoring a dancer" or to buying new costumes for a certain ballet, etc., I don't understand what the difference is. "Most major cultural institutions stipulate a minimum expected annual donation for their trustees; membership on the board of the New York City Ballet, for instance, typically costs $50,000 a year, according to people familiar with the policy. But institutions will often waive the rules for celebrities, who are recruited less for their deep pockets than for their ability to attract other people to the organization." http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/fashion/arts-groups-seek-celebrities-as-trustees.html

I found this small extraction from Boston Ballet's older contract: http://bostonballet.net/?q=node/26 And this actual copy of an older contract: http://irle.berkeley.edu/digital-collection/bargaining/pdf/0225.pdf And an older one from PNB: http://irle.berkeley.edu/digital-collection/bargaining/pdf/0351.pdf Having trouble finding anything more recent.

This article is an older one, but explains some of this concept. Again, I believe dancers would be protected here in the US from anything unsavory. I know in Boston, the dancers who are sponsored have the opportunity to sit with their sponsor(s) at the annual gala/ball. It really goes no further than that. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/15/arts/how-much-is-that-dancer-in-the-program.html It used to be that the AGMA contracts were published on the internet, but I am not sure they do that any longer. The first year corps member salary in an AGMA company varies from city to city and salaries are established in negotiations.

Many AGMA contracts require that dancers who have been with the company over a certain number of years be told early enough in the season to be able to audition or prepare for their retirement. I know this is the case in Boston. I cannot imagine that ABT is all that different. I am sure Part knew well in advance that this was coming. We can speculate all we want about how it went down, but AGMA does protect them.

There are always two sides to every story.

Playing devil's advocate here. We never know exactly what has taken place behind the scenes, how long she has known that her contract would not be renewed, and what the offer was in terms of non-contract renewal. One other observation is that some dancers prefer not to have a send-off. Possibly my favorite ballerina ever, Larissa Ponomarenko, who was a Principal with Boston, decided it was time to retire. They offered a send-off (a la Yury Yanowsky two years ago), but she preferred to go quietly.

Thomas Forster and Blaine Hoven were fabulous in the Cocoa and Sugar roles on Saturday afternoon. Those two are future principals in my opinion. I hope they start using them more.

Classes are actually later on two show days because they do not do as many rehearsals.

I think the last time ABT performed Other Dances, it was Hallberg/Murphy and Gomes/Part. Not sure if that is correct.

He was not tentative in his last show of Onegin in any way, at least in my opinion.

I am only going to say this. Agreed.