stuben

17 hours ago, abatt said:

Trenarys technique is weaker than any of the other GIselles at abt this week. Even the much maligned hee seo was far better. 

I know there are lots of Trenary fans and trust me, I wanted so much to love her performance but I would have to agree with Abatt here. And, IMHO I find it timely that this article came out on the day she is to depute, it is almost getting the audience ready to accept the changes. I understand most feel her acting can supersede her technique, however, if we are going to watch acting then I would go to the movies and perhaps they should do a Giselle movie. This is a classic and I would hope a principal can deliver all, the techniques and act as Lane, Gomes, etc. She is after all a principal and should be ready for all without the excuses. Nobody mentioned Whiteside and I have to give him the benefit of his injury but I found his energy low as well, in Act 1 I actually thought he was engaging as a brother more than a love interest to Giselle, his acting picked up in Act 2 but I was disappointed not to see the entré chats as others did in his position, the drama of that was lost with the ending.

On another note, I ended up purchasing a last-minute ticket to watch the evening show since it was dedicated to Lupe Serrano, there were many past dancers there as was her family. The historical film footages were wonderful and a beautiful tribute to see of her dancing yet I found it interesting that out of all the young company dancers she taught, they chose Lall as the only corps member to interview, I guess it was to show diversity  (exactly the issue and what Shayer mentioned in his article).

I found the evening show 10X better than the matinee, Murphy and Forster was a treat! And they truly did Lupe's tribute justice, his partnering is wonderful and he did do the entré chats (even though they were a bit weak) they were beautiful and gave an impact for the end as many of us expect. I am just happy I decided to catch this show since it made up for the earlier one.

7 hours ago, abatt said:

Misseldine was the eldest sister, not the mother.  The mother was  Claire Davison.  Claire missed her big moment of cursing Pedro. She is supposed to touch the top of his head. at the end of Act II.  She was too tall on that contraption that she was being wheeled around on, and the best she could do was wave her arms around the vicinity of Pedro's (Carmago's) head.  

 

I definitely agree with the post above that Of Love and Rage had considerably more classical ballet than LWFC.  LWFC is balle Light.  Is it a sacrilege to say I preferred Carmago.  Cornejo was good, but Carmago was better.  I was less impressed with Park.  The role requires better acting, and she lacks experience compared to Trenary.  I thought Brandt was all wrong for the feisty middle sister in the second cast.  Her dinner table orgy scene was disjointed and awkward.  In Hurlin's hands it flowed more seamlessly and looked sexy.   Also, whose bright idea was is to pair Aran Bell with Brandt in the campfire scene.  He looked like a giant and she looked like a midget.

Yes, Wheeldon relies heavily on special effects and other bells and whistles instead of creating choreography.  Maybe this is what audiences prefer.  I'm not sure.  

Agree and I’m glad you made the correction, and if I might add IMO I thought Misseldine was miscasted as well, no doubt she’s a good dancer but she also lacks the maturity for a role like Rosaura. 

12 minutes ago, Papagena said:

Pretty sure that was not much of a consideration  ... a white choreographer, composer, and (from what I can tell) not a single lead with Mexican heritage (although Cornejo + Carmago are Latin American). 

I was thinking the same about the lack of a female Mexican/Hispanic lead, and Wheeldon's admittance that he didn't draw his choreography based on steps from the Mexican folk tradition, the story is a Mexican story, no?!

Along with this bit from Wheeldon's response in the Times article seems a bit patronizing IMHO, especially when it comes to the NYC audience, I hope with ballet companies from around the globe and with companies within NY, that audiences know what "ballet' is :

“People are sometimes afraid because they don’t know exactly what ballet is,” he said. “But maybe we can bring in new audiences because they think they’re going to get a theatrical and dynamic experience. Maybe they’ll be able to experience ballet through the art of storytelling, which is more accessible.”

This short video probably should be on a new thread, I came across this from our beloved David's interview with Sylvie Guillem and thought it relates to exactly my thoughts about some of the newly minted principals and soloists, and what is going on at ABT: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtSmawisLxg/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I just love what she said about the fouettés and the need for feelings vs techniques, something that is sorely lacking IMHO. Watching a dancer do amazing jetés and fouettés is always wonderful however I have to agree with Sylvie that it doesn't draw you into the character, that is what made "the greats" great.

38 minutes ago, balletlover08 said:

Interesting Myrtha casting as Chloe has 3 including opening night, Ziggy has 2, and Teuscher 1 but none for Hurlin or Katherine Williams even though they both did Myrtha on tour. And then Fangqi is just debuting Myrtha at the met? I’m confused haha but happy that she’s getting the opportunity. 

A curious observation here: all three have China connections, wonder if there are plans to tour in China and to have these dancers ready for their audience?! Especially since there are other newly minted soloists not given the chance for this vs Fangqi?

2 hours ago, FauxPas said:

Zhong-Jing Fang:  We were all raving about Fang two decades ago.  She was given a shot in "Symphonic Variations" and was exquisite.  Then she was stalled in the corps going nowhere for over a decade.  Then time, injuries and promotions left open slots unfilled at the soloist level and Fang was one of the few with the goods to step in.  And she was as lovely as we all knew she would be who had been following her for years.  However, it was late.  She also took time off to have a baby.  As the Queen of the Dryads in "Don Quixote" she struggled with the Italian fouettés.  They waited too long - too busy keeping Stella Abrera back and pushing Hee Seo forward.  I wish Fang would get one Giselle before she is retired but that may be a ship that sailed as well.  Give her a year or two and then let her decide when to leave.

Betsy McBride:  Betsy was a principal dancer at Texas Ballet Theater until 2015, when she joined ABT in the corps.   She has a bright personality, some stage presence and solid technique.  Not sure if she is principal material but she is a very positive presence in the company.  Keep shining that light.

Katherine Williams:  A lovely dancer with not a lot of personality but a beautiful technique.  Rather reliable and capable.  Probably not principal material but I am always pleased to see her name in the program.

2 hours ago, FauxPas said:

Chloe Misseldine:  I see the star quality.  I am glad they moved FAST on her since, face it, new talent and blood is DESPERATELY needed.  I think Chloe came along at the right time.  She is the type and she has the support from ABT and her mother to make good on her promise quickly.

Once again, thank you for your time with such a detailed analysis 😊 It is indeed unfortunate with some of the career stalls some of the dancers dealt with, and agree about your thoughts on that. Misseldine has beautiful lines and technique, however, a friend of mine saw her in LWFC in CA and felt otherwise about her casting in the role of Rosaura, (based on her thoughts) she felt Misseldine was stiff in her acting and that she wasn't engaging with her fellow dancers, and instead kept smiling out at the audience!? - this is perhaps the competition world mindset at her young age coming out of the competition scene!? Again, this is all based on what I was told and not my own judgment, so I guess I will see when LWFC opens in NY.

2 hours ago, FauxPas said:

Blaine Hoven:  Blaine is 37 years-old now.  He joined the studio company in 2003 and then went into the corps in 2004.  He was promoted to soloist in 2016.  He has been really up and down the last several years.  He has had a few seasons (pre-pandemic) where he looked out of shape and uninterested.  He has also gotten back into shape and form in recent years.  Last season at the Met, he was a bit uneven with some sloppy landings but otherwise looked okay.  There is a shortage of experienced male soloist (and principal) dancers.  Blaine's experience and knowledge of the repertoire needs to count for something.  I would see how his body holds up for a season or two and then it will be time for retirement.

Gabe Stone-Shayer:  Gabe also has been up and down and last season looked down - uninterested, sloppy, weird dyed hair and just not all there.  He also seems to be exploring other avenues than classical ballet.  I suspect he feels/felt that he was stuck in a plateau by McKenzie who wasn't interested in developing or promoting him.  Took a long time to make it to soloist.  Of course that attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy:  they won't promote you or give you opportunities if you aren't delivering or seem like you are just doing the minimum to get by.  Gabe is at a crossroads and hopefully Susan Jaffe will find creative solutions and opportunities to get him more into the game and fully utilizing his great talent.

Joseph Gorak:  A sad case.  Joe, it breaks my heart but you may need to go.  You are a lovely solo dancer but you couldn't even lift the smallest ballerina in the company, Sarah Lane, in "Theme and Variations".  No upper body strength and your partnering has room for improvement.  He has been tried out in leads for years and just hasn't risen to the occasion - mainly due to partnering issues.  Gorak is 33 years-old and has been with the company since 2009, soloist since 2014.  If it was going to happen, it would have happened by now.  He was used much less than usual in the 2022 Met season.

Blaine is good but not a real favorite of mine, he has his good and bad days/shows. Sad about Gorak indeed, I loved his work from long ago and had high hopes once he got promoted but once again the lack the coaching left him hanging 😏 As for Gabe, I really thought he left the company! His social media seems to have him traveling and involved with his fashion etc. I don't recall seeing him last season much or at all in any significant role, he isn't cast in any of the Met Season so I wonder about his involvement still.

2 hours ago, FauxPas said:

Paulina Waski - seems to be shuttling between Boston Ballet and ABT.  She has been given solos.  Last season she seemed a bit tired and fragile.  Definitely a beauty ready to take flight.  Needs careful coaching and support.

Léa Fleytoux - another beauty I could see soaring in bigger roles.  She also sparkles onstage like Zimmi Coker.  More please.

Based on her bio on ABT's page, it looks like Waski is full-time and not shuttling between companies, and I assume the "tired and fragile" last season is due to what sounds like an insane schedule of her return to NY plus getting back right in the heart of Met season!? Based on this article it sounded quite grueling: https://pointemagazine.com/the-marathon-season-paulina-waski-on-completing-nearly-30-weeks-of-dancing-with-boston-ballet-and-abt/

Looking at her social media she is also training with Irina and Max like Skylar and a few others, here again, it is unfortunate that dancers have to find their own ways to get the proper coaching outside of the company to stay in the game!

Fleytoux and Coker both have promise and assume there is a need for smaller dancers to match the male partners.

19 hours ago, FauxPas said:

Catherine Hurlin:  One success story from the JKO School.  Definitely a comer.  They are giving her roles like "Swan Lake" and "Giselle" and I think she has what it takes.

19 hours ago, FauxPas said:

Aran Bell:  Like Hurlin a rising star and he has made the most of his opportunities.  I would like to see him get cast more with Hurlin but there are many situations now at ABT where a dancer you like is always cast with a dancer you don't like.

 

Thanks for taking the time to give us your in-depth analysis FauxPas 😊 As much as I agree with the Hurlin and Bell analysis, IMHO, I have to say that they have still much to learn to get to the Herrara, Part, Gomes, Bolle levels. I agree they are comers and wonderful with their "techniques" and partnering, however, I don't feel they are anywhere near the emotional, or dramatic presence as those during the Golden Age of ABT. The problem, as I see it, lies with the lack of coaching right now, with Irina at 90 (as of this week per all the birthday wishes on social media) even with McKerrow and Gardner. Certainly coaching in technique is good to have but perhaps the need for more coaching in the dramatic capabilities. The all-around dancer is what makes the likes of Simkin so well-loved. It may be that in a rush to get these JKO kids moved in and up before they are fully trained, as an all-around dancer, without the proper coaching isn't helping the company in the end as a whole.

8 hours ago, MoMo said:

Devon was excellent. Ahn is a good dancer but not a good actor. This part requires Pedro to be passionate. He did not convey that, imo. 

And yet he is a principal, sadly this is when I miss those golden years 😒 why don't they give them the proper coaching before they promote so many who just don't have the all-around makings of a principal? In recent years the promotions of soloists and principals are technically good but IMHO I find them with a lack of acting/emotions. As far as I am concerned this isn't the "world-class" ballet company it used to be, especially with so many companies nationally and internationally doing such wonderful work. I would love to see Australian Ballet here with David whom I miss on this stage.

34 minutes ago, vagansmom said:

Chloe's mom has probably had a major influence on her career and that's a very lucky and wonderful thing for Chloe who, to me, seems like a very talented, deserving dancer. She has been lucky to have a mom who can guide and perhaps teach or at least help her polish her technique through the years. Are you implying it's an unfair advantage? To my mind, as long as a dancer is deserving in her own right, it doesn't matter how she reached that point. If you often read the bios of dancers as do I, you will find that many started out in their (usually) mothers' studios. 

I am not implying any "unfair" advantage, you might be reading too much into my comment, however, you are correct that it might be an advantage nonetheless that others who are less fortunate might have, it is very lucky for her. And, I do believe all the dancers in the company are "deserving in their own right" since they must have been hired for good reasons 🙂.

9 hours ago, balletlover08 said:

I wondered if perhaps Chloe just had too much on her plate the last few months.  Perhaps she was either miscast in LWFC or didn’t have enough rehearsal time. She had her Myrtha debut in NC that she spent months preparing (justifiably so that’s an important soloist role). The next week she flew to Toronto for the Erik Bruhn competition that she also spent months preparing for (they did grand pas and a work by Lauren lovette). Everyone else was already in OC preparing for LWFC while she was at the competition. She flew directly to OC to perform there. Then she did 2 YAGP galas back to back and is now heading to Chicago on tour again. I did get to see quite a bit of the black swan pas de deux and that actually looked good to me! Could definitely use more work but good for one so young. She’s definitely one that will likely get a Swan Lake sometime in the near future.

Source: I follow her on instagram so I see the stories she posts about rehearsals and I didn’t see her post much on LWFC at least compared to the others. 

Actually, that is what I meant by "competition" since a friend's daughter did the YAGP, and she took months to train in the one piece she performed in. I had assumed that is how Erik Bruhn competition worked too. That to me is the key issue about young dancers coming out of competition and being moved up so quickly without the proper introduction into reality. I would think the reality of a professional company dancer would most likely have several pieces to learn at one time, and that, I am sure, takes time to get into the groove by experience.

Therefore, I wonder if other more seasoned dancers were given the opportunity to audition for these types of roles vs just placing someone without more rep time as many of the seasoned dancers. I, too, follow many of the dancers on their social media and I see that Chloe's mother was a soloist, and is now a ballet mistress for the Studio Co. This is only speculation but I can't help but wonder how much influence she has in her child's career, it would not surprise me as things like this happen to any business. Again, I don't disagree with others that she has potential but doesn't that require more time to allow her to grow before moving her up so quickly? I have often wondered about so many within the company who have potential (I am sure they would not have been hired if otherwise) yet are never given the same opportunities or coaching that a few do. Perhaps the company has a lack of coaches these days as well.

17 hours ago, Josette said:

I saw all casts in Orange County two weeks ago and found that Teuscher gave the most detailed, thought-out, and nuanced performance of the three Titas, and her willowy, graceful dancing was a plus. Consequently, I thought she was amazing and watched her throughout and did not watch Ahn all that much.   From the standpoint of the two leads, the Park/Carmago pairing was the most satisfying of the three, mainly because of Carmago's fully-engaged, emotional acting and superb dancing, and Park was lovely and her character developed in each act with great genuineness. Their final pas de deux was superb.  Trenary's dancing was technically impressive but she does not have a pliable or expressive back, which, for me, greatly hampered her characterization; I was not affected emotionally by her performance and found myself evaluating  why I was not affected (and figured it out).  She mostly used her face for her characterization and not much else happened except for her executing the choreography more than capably from her neck down - which is not what I've seen from the other five dancers who have danced Tita.  I was disappointed. 

 I love the character of Dr. John Brown and was particularly taken with Calvin Royal III's compassion and warmth in the role; both he and Tom Forster danced their too-short solo in the opening of Act II beautifully and with great breadth of movement.  (I saw Matthew Ball dance it in London three times and all he had to do was come on stage and I was distressed to tears about what Dr. John was going to suffer.)   I preferred Skylar Brandt (warm personality and depth) to K. Hurlin (superficial and cute, but entertaining, given the role) as Gertrudis. As the oldest sister, Rosaura, both Hee Seo and Betsy McBride were excellent; in particular, McBride's characterization with her gorgeous smile was unlike anything I would have expected in this role and changed the dynamics of the ballet. I felt that Chloe Misseldine was miscast, given the talent in the company: she was stiff in her acting and in her dancing (another unexpressive back like a block of wood with appendages attached - at least at this point in her career) and she made the mistake of smiling out at the audience instead of at all times communicating with the other persons on stage.  

Christine Shevchenko and Zhong-Jing Fang were both excellent as Mama Elena. I preferred Shevchenko's brilliant and nuanced performance the three times I saw her, and she is  the more beautiful dancer of the two, but Zhong-Jing Fang's Elena is definitely worth seeing. 

There seemed to be a few production changes from when I saw the ballet last June in London, but I haven't had time to compare it to The Royal Ballet's version which is streaming through the ROH.   

Thank you for these insightful thoughts and I look forward to reading your comparison thoughts about the ROH version with this. IMHO I have wondered about the fast track of some promotions like Misseldine's, her bio shows little to no rep of significance compared to the likes of seasoned soloists or principals. I often wondered about "competition" dancers since I am not a believer that ballet should be a competition much like my feelings about reality shows. It feels like they produce mechanical robots with tricks vs the true art form, especially when you watch the YAGP with every one of these dancers doing the same rep showing off their fouettés and jumps, that is great to show their technical skills but what happens when they get into the real deal? She, like many from these types of competitions, is good technically with the fouettés and jumps, etc, but that all needs time to mature into the all-round dancer they become, and yet they get moved up and into roles so quickly that they don't seem to be ready.

25 minutes ago, ksk04 said:

The children aren't Tita and Pedro--they only appear in the last act as the children of Pedro and Rosaura (the girl) and Dr. Brown (the boy); they then get exchanged for adultish versions for their wedding together. The kids were tallish but I am bad at ages so I couldn't tell you! The mature warning is for the rose petal sauce scene with Gertrudis and the final pas de deux neither of which has the child dancers in it.

Thanks for clarifying

19 hours ago, ksk04 said:

I saw the opening last night. I'll have more formed thoughts after seeing it again tonight, but I am pretty neutral about the entire venture. There's a lot of moving around and too little memorable dancing, for me. The scenes that stuck out as captivating to me (the ones that I can replay moments of in my head) are the famous Gertrudis goes wild scene and the later scene with the revolutionaries; Mama Elena's diary reenactment; the opening scene with Tita and the maid Nacha; and the final pas de deux. The scene projections worked the best I have seen with Tita/Pedro being engulfed in flames for the final image which was very compelling and showed the way that projections could achieve an effect otherwise difficult in the theater. I understand that part of the text itself is that Tita and Pedro have only fleeting encounters with each other but everything was so briefly sketched and then rushed in and out of, in the first act in particular, it was hard to  connect with anything on the stage. The first act is so long (54 minutes compared to a listed 32 and 20 for the next two acts) and with so much happening, there is little room for introspection or character-building emotional arcs beyond broad sketches. Maybe I will have a different reaction after knowing more what to expect.

It also seems like a lot of retread from Wheeldon's (and Joby Talbot's) recent full lengths for the Royal like Alice (Mama Elena, in act 2, seems a caricature of the already-caricature Queen of Hearts, for example) or The Winter's Tale if you have seen those from streaming or on tour before; for my preference, though, The Winter's Tale offers more emotional introspection to arrive through dance.

 

It would be nice if SCFTA could start any program on time and not overrun intermissions...I can accept some leeway for opening night of a new-to-the-company production but it's so continual; it causes no one to believe the bell to head in which compounds the situation.

Can I ask what the two children (a girl & a boy) in the show represent? I saw a social media post of what seemed like they were dancing the roles of Tita and Pedro. Yet in the same post, the copy had a "Parental Advisory" saying this ballet might not be suitable for young children, and discretion is advised for children under 13! Are those two on stage over 13? It seemed odd to have this warning while they had them on stage.

Also, totally agree with this long first act being that long, especially for the Met! I can't imagine the bathroom rush after that act I do wonder how ticket sales are doing at SCFTA since Met is significantly larger to fill, and if families with younger children can't attend I think that would be a concern.

I am pleased that Canada has finally decided to Livestream this after all these years, the only issue I had was the initial "countdown", why have a countdown if there is a pause for over 15 minutes? Why not just do a countdown to 7:30 or have any countdown at all? I thought the reason was an intro of discussion at 7:15. I thought the streaming was good otherwise. As for the presentations ....

11 hours ago, aurora said:

Honestly it was pretty ridiculous. Misseldine was by far the best female dancer. Ikarashi's award was well deserved.

8 hours ago, Wonders said:

Agreed, Aurora. We didn't think it was even close. We were shocked when Misseldine didn't win. We also thought Lauren Lovette's piece was by far the best for choreography.

I feel that all our comments will sound very subjective as audiences since I personally beg to differ, again this is IMHO, with regard to Misseldine and Lovette. True that Misseldine has technical prowess, however, I felt that Brown delivered more theatrics and connection with the music in her Pas. It was unfortunate to see Brosnan slip twice but I guess the stage jitters can get the best of us. Both Brosnan and Misseldine have promise, Brosnan needs to build strength as seen last night against the other competing men. Misseldine is technically good but I feel her overall dancing still remains at this point as a competition dancer vs the more seasoned dancers from within her own company and especially seen against dancers from Europe like the Royal.

Comparing the two Grand Pas Classique - It may be me hearing things but it seemed that the tempo was a bit sped up in Misseldine's vs Brown's, so it felt rushed. IMHO either way, Brown was more fluid in her pas as well as her solo, the music seemed to flow with her every gesture and her connection to the piece.

As for Lovette's choreography, I wonder if she had chosen a better piece of music instead of the continuous drumbeat, perhaps that would have been better suited for her choreography. I am only responding to this as an audience and what I felt when watching all the pieces and dancers. I actually preferred Colangelo's piece for Canada but again this is personal.

39 minutes ago, miliosr said:

We'll see if Christopher Wheeldon's 'name' is enough to get people into seats at the Met. My sense about MJ is that Michael Jackson's music is the draw for audiences.

Alas, Ashton isn't the draw in New York that he used to be. Of his longer story ballets in ABT's repertory, Fille and The Dream do OK-ish on their occasional airings. But Cinderella (with all its mime) has become a harder sell and Sylvia wasn't able to establish itself securely in the repertory.

Honestly, I think the better part of ABT's Met audience would be perfectly happy to see Giselle, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, Don Q, La Bayadere and Manon year after year after year.

Oh, I would love it if they revisit Manon again or even something joyous as Massine's Gaîté Parisienne. IMHO the problem is the current crop of principals and soloists are good technically but many just don't project the emotions for these ballets that require more miming.

Matilda, you read my mind on this! Puzzling indeed as I was thinking of the other seasoned soloists like K. Williams not being in any of these casts or even L. Paris or even B. Gruland. Do dancers get a chance to "audition" for roles or do AD/Choreographers just look at Youtube to make decisions? It is even more puzzling when looking at the bios that two of the newly minted soloists have little to no rep experience. They are as you say "promising" but this is a premier so I would assume more seasoned dancers would get an opportunity, even from the corps. Interesting that the cast is mostly White and Asian, other than the male casting, isn't this a story about a Mexican family?

I am equally puzzled with Misseldine but do wonder if she came as a package with her ex-ABT soloist mother, Yan Chen, who is now part of the artistic team in ABT's junior company. I am sure it doesn't hurt to have a parent's help in coaching. This is all speculating and agree that they are all technically talented but this ballet requires a depth of acting, so this will be interesting to see how they rise to the occasion. I do think that the company is taking a big risk, especially for a premier. CA is a good testing ground before they bring it to NYC.

Doesn’t choreographers decide on first cast, and the rest of casting would be an AD input? I thought that’s what Ratmansky did? Perhaps I’m wrong but I believe I read that somewhere. 

Now that the country has come out of Covid lockdowns, and with all that is going on in the country and world, it would be nice to be able to escape to a "fantasyland" in the theatre, with some joyous ballets and happiness. I am asking myself (and please don't get me wrong as I love the listed ballets individually) why these choices all in one season? Such sad ballets are all about love, yet they are about love lost and women suffering from these losses. It would be fine to have one or two of these ballets mixed with perhaps one or two cheerful full lengths! I know there is the "Mixed Rep" but that in itself is nothing compared to what NYCB just presented, and I am glad I caught the NYCB Sleeping Beauty and Fancy Free.

How about bringing back Rodeo or Gaîté Parisienne, just something more cheerful to escape to vs escaping into tears and death? Again, this is just IMHO.

14 hours ago, vipa said:

In looking at ABT's Met season offerings I sincerely hope that Like Water for Chocolate has a lot of dancing for a lot of people, particularly the men in the corps. The other ballets: Giselle, Swan Lake, and R&J are pretty skimpy when it comes to dancing for the men, outside of principal and soloist roles, and there are no rep shows.

Found this from NYTimes: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/03/arts/dance/review-ballet-like-water-for-chocolate.html?smid=url-share

".... Choreographically though, it is only intermittently interesting; often it feels trapped in Story Ballet Land, a world in which activities are demonstratively telegraphed in the service of exposition..." From this bit within review I would assume there is more "theatre" than "ballet".

12 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

I agree. Well, you never know, especially if there are injuries or illnesses. I’d love to see Misseldine get a Myrtha next year. I’m sure she will eventually, and be magnificent, but with the present casting of Teuscher, Hurlin, Williams and probably one for Shevchenko (since she now does Giselle as well) there isn’t really room. 

Speaking of injuries, did anyone see Bonfiglio or McCune during the Fall Season? I didn't notice any posting that included them and nothing on their social media, especially Bonfiglio since she wasn't in anything I saw during Met Season either but she is still listed on the website. As for Myrtha, I recall Waski did this when she joined Boston Ballet, and if my memory serves me correct she was cast for Met Season before she left, so hopefully she will get her opportunity again as well. IMHO she did quite well during this Met Season alongside Williams, considering per Pointe article of her "marathon season" that she did a full Boston season with a one day break to be at the Met?  As much as I love the SL etc. I do wish new management will bring more new works as I see from Australia etc. Seems Hallberg has some interesting pieces in 2023, also missing him on the stage here :(.

8 hours ago, ClaraFan said:

Sorry to hear that Scout is out for Fall due to her ankle. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjn9oWgJUyq/

Wow another dancer out? Paulina Waski announced her injury last week as well

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjTQDd7g_5m/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

but she did announce a heavy spring season of 30 weeks from Boston to NYC, so that might have been a reason, plus no news of Camargo and nothing for Shayer, Wonder who else as there is no news on Young either since her injury from June!

I am not sure where this article from Pointe Magazine should go but since there was discussions up thread about Waski's stamina during Don Q? I thought this latest interview Pointe did with her might help us all understand a bit better:

https://pointemagazine.com/the-marathon-season-paulina-waski-on-completing-nearly-30-weeks-of-dancing-with-boston-ballet-and-abt/

It actually is quite touching too as she mentioned her mother's health, plus her short time to actually rehearse what she had to jump in to do, while so many within the company had months to do. Hopefully she will get the opportunities she mentioned this fall as it looks like she has done quite a bit of contemporary work while in Boston Ballet.

6 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

Given that ABT has a five week season now I think I can guess what the Met 2023 Summer season will be.

Swan Lake, Like Water for Chocolate, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet and possibly either a mixed bill or a second season of Of Love and Rage.

Maybe Swan Lake will go into a second week like this year and we will get one long weekend of Of Love and Rage.

I am thinking everything is speculation at this point since a new AD will be in town?! Unless the 2023 rep has been discussed and agreed upon by both ADs. According to Ms. Jaffe's interview it looks like she will be looking for methods and reps to draw in new audience around the country. Seems to be an interest to perform at universities etc. Perhaps this is a sign for interest in new choreographers as well as bringing back the some of the Golden Age reps?

On 7/15/2022 at 1:10 PM, balletlover08 said:

Here's an article that PointeMagazine did on Chloe Misseldine on her latest promotion to soloist. They have quotes from Nancy Raffe, Yan Chen (her mother and former soloist of ABT) and Kevin Mckenzie. 

https://pointemagazine.com/chloe-misseldine-ballet/ 

There is a funny full circle moment. Yan was former principal of now defunct National Ballet in Washington. When Kevin came to ABT from national ballet as artistic director he brought one dancer with him, Yan as a corps member who he promptly promoted to soloist following her 1st met season. Now at the end of his tenure at ABT, he promotes Chloe (Yan's daughter) to soloist after her first corps member. Which means Yan was one of his first promotions and Chloe one of his last, I guess that puts into perspective what 30 years is. 

Unlike the newspapers, articles as such would have been put together (with interviews etc.) a few months in advance, so should we assume this decision was made prior to Met Season? I am sure financially and otherwise this had to be considered since the loss of revenue due to the pandemic.

21 hours ago, balletlover08 said:

Waski was at Boston previously and did their whole season before coming to ABT and doing all of the Met season. So she probably was just exhausted. She will hopefully be in better form after some rest. On one of her instagram captions she said she did 25 shows of Swan Lake in 2 months which seems like a lot. 

12 hours ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

That explains a lot, thanks for this context! I recalled posters here admiring Paulina and was surprised at feeling underwhelmed when I saw her in solos this season. But oof, doing a full Boston Ballet season and then a full ABT season in the corps would exhaust anyone. I look forward to seeing her when she's recharged.

Just saw this latest post and seem it was more than 25 shows?! Non-stop from December, assuming including Nutcracker season? Anyone know how many shows Boston Ballet has done? Agree this sounds exhausting just thinking about it!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgFm0jcgblO/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

13 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Misseldine has far more than just technique, from what I've seen of her. In the Swan Lake pas de trois (and even in her brief scene as Lady Montague), she stood out as a remarkable, very special onstage presence with a unique and eye-catching movement quality. I doubt her promotion had anything to do with who her mother is. Her abilities speak 

11 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

I wouldn't necessarily describe Coker as overlooked. She only had two Met seasons under her belt before the pandemic hit. I think there's reason to hope she may be promoted within the next year or two.

Waski did not appear to be in good form on the occasions I saw her this season. I remember being impressed by her before her hiatus from the company, so maybe I just saw her on off nights or she's still working to get back to 100 percent after rejoining the company. 

Time will tell for all with new management and possibly new reps to come or revisits of the golden years.