canbelto

A missed opportunity can mean years of delays. I remember when Stella Abrera was dancing nearly every night. She was doing soloist roles and corps roles and you couldn't miss her. She was for sure being tracked to principal. There was an announcement of Giselle. And she got injured. After that she spent years as a utility soloist before finally making principal at age 37 or so. 

In the interviews Megan conducted I was so surprised by the dancers who said they learned a role in a matter of hours bc of a last minute injury. I think Ashley Bouder said she learned Firebird after one run-through.

The story of the principal asking for her role the minute she was injured sounds typical of the business. It's a very tough business and every injury unfortunately is an opportunity for another dancer. 

9 minutes ago, Balletwannabe said:

If you're vaccinated though and most of the audience is (which is highly likely with a ballet audience that tends to be older) The risk is extremely low.  There's just no sense in worrying about this, because first off you can't do anything about it, and second it's bad for your immune system to be stressed out.  That's scientifically based, stress is terrible for our bodies. And that's what I see so many people doing to themselves- stressing over who may or may not be vaccinated when they have no control over that.  And then you get a lot of people worried about it and everyone feeds off of each other, and that's what we have, a collective stressed out, traumatized (from the isolation and having to now go back to crowds) group of citizens.

I am vaccinated but as I teach little kids I also have a responsibility not to get them sick. I would be less stressed out if more people were vaccinated and there is less viral load in the community. 

15 minutes ago, Balletwannabe said:

I believe the policies are fluid based on CDC/state guidelines.  I for one am glad they're following the science.  Outdoor exposure is extremely rare (I believe the latest has it at a 0.1% chance), not to mention if one is vaccinated, what other people are doing should be less of a concern.  

Indoors is a different matter though.

46 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Out of curiosity, what was the work and role she was rehearsing? I'm not aware of the circumstances of her injury, and I don't think the article specifies.

I remember her getting a huge knee injury during the Here/Now festival in 2017. That was a season many, many dancers went down with injuries and lots of non-standard rep ballets were being performed. I saw her with a knee brace shortly after an in-performance injury. I remember her being subbed out of Russian Seasons for one.

Springsteen on Broadway also has this policy:

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9589966/springsteen-broadway-astrazeneca-vaccine-reversal-canada/

Also visible with Irina Dvorovenko:

Roman Mejia definitely will be promoted. Or should be.

The Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall have both announced this policy:

https://operawire.com/metropolitan-opera-announces-mandatory-audience-vaccination/

https://operawire.com/carnegie-hall-to-require-proof-of-vaccination/

I think moving forward this will become the policy.

They're visible with Sarah Lamb ...

One thing I notice from a lot of interviews is that Merrill Ashley was a very strong force in the company and many dancers felt like they benefited from her. It's a shame that she is no longer involved in coaching. Gina is not the first dancer to say what a positive force Merrill was for her.

2 hours ago, KarenAG said:

Canbelto, really? There were so so many seats empty today. Have you tried very recently? Because they have changed the rules daily. 

I had been trying to buy a pod with a friend but it didn't work out  

I am so bummed I was not able to get a pod. 

Abi Stafford talked about having anxiety disorder here:

https://www.dancemagazine.com/abi-stafford-anxiety-2647826840.html

Quote

When the shutdown started, I was preparing to return to New York City Ballet after a hiatus. I had taken a leave of absence since December 2019, the middle of Nutcracker season, to focus on my mental health.

As NYCB underwent leadership transitions during the last few years and the culture among the dancers shifted, I had developed new feelings of anxiety. Some dancers felt more emboldened to ask for roles they wanted, envisioning exciting career possibilities. Others quietly wished casting choices would remain the same and sensed a more uncertain path. With my brother as artistic director, workplace dynamics collided with my personal life. Casting disappointments jabbed me painfully, and it became hard to find a corner in the theater where my soul felt safe.

anyway, the Metropolitan also announced major changes in the fall: Ipheginie is canceled, as is the Netrebko concert.

33 minutes ago, abatt said:

So when will Abi Stafford leave?

Isn't she taking a leave anyway to finish law school?

This is not good news for me. I have a medical condition that makes me not have a strong bladder.

Just looking at the SFBAllet roster with an eye test and while there are plenty of Asian dancers the lack of black and Latino dancers is striking. 

The Mariinsky has announced that longtime coach Olga Moiseyeva (and former ballerina) has passed away:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQgAy_rDX9V/

I kind of think it's Corella rebranding the company. I could be wrong.

Congratulations Olesya Novikova for being named Principal!

Well I really enjoyed the streaming of Vienna Waltzes. I guess i miss seeing this ballet so much in the theater.

I think this goes to show that at the end of the day dancers are actors. We never know what a relationship is like just looking from the outside. Lane and Cornejo always seemed to be in-sync in their many beautiful performances together. You would never have guessed that offstage their relationship was so bad. 

She was definitely a nervous dancer. You could sort of tell some nights her body language was just off and she'd give a rather tense, frozen performances with a bobble here and there to give the impression she wasn't sure. She could also be incandescent. 

Like her Aurora -- I saw her fall off pointe in the very first balance and struggle through an entire Sleeping Beauty, and also saw an Aurora so harmonic and musical that it was like she was born to dance the role. 

She always seemed to dance better with Cornejo -- she was short enough for him to partner, and their relationship onstage was so beautiful that I'm sad to read that behind the scenes their relationship was not good. I guess that's why it's called acting.

I know at NYCB you are not really allowed to outright refuse to dance with a partner. It's why there's been times not-at-all-friendly exes Megan Fairchild and Andrew Veyette have had to dance together, and some partnerships thrived long after the romantic relationship was over (Tiler Peck, Joaquin de Luz).