Caballetfan

I posted this exact observation on a different thread 😀

Agree about the lackluster male principals and uneven parter dynamic! See also the Schevchenko/Royal pairing… Trenary did a similar thing with Swan Lake (I.e., rehearsing O/O in the studio in anticipation of landing her first O/O, and posting on socials for us all to speculate, ha) a while back before SL was announced - can’t remember which run/season that was. And then after she didn’t get cast she stopped rehearsing it. Wonder if this is a similar situation for DQ…

Thank you!

This is (I suspect) tangential to the contract negotiation topic, but does anyone know what’s going on with Zimmi Coker? I follow a lot of the ABT dancers on IG and noticed hers was pretty silent during the Nutcracker Segerstrom run this past December. I also kept up a bit with casting at the time and was surprised not to see her pop up in her usual roles (Party Scene dolls, Chinese, Sisters, Flowers, etc). Most of the dancers have been posting about the KC Swan Lake run, classes, rehearsals, etc. since the top of the year. Nothing on socials from her except for a few IG Stories about the labor negotiations and potential strike prior to the agreement being reached a couple days ago. She’s one of my faves!

I saw the Brandt/Cornejo matinee performance earlier today. I saw them in 2021 (Brandt’s “Adult Clara” debut?) and ideally wanted to see a different principal pairing, but this afternoon was the only time my family could make it to the show. Still, I enjoyed their performance - it felt very much like a repeat of 2021. Brandt was pretty good, she excels at showcasing both energy and control in her dancing…but Cornejo was less stellar (even compared to the 2021performance). His feet looked floppy and he seemed to run out of steam in his Act 2 solo. I noticed some partnering wobbles during the Snow pas and Skylar fell out of one of her turns in the Grand pas and as a result had to sort of improvise the choreography for a few seconds. I doubt it was too noticeable to the average theatergoer and it happened super fast so I’m not sure who to attribute the stumble to. The corps looked strong today, dancing-wise, but wish they would work a bit on keeping in line with one another (when the choreography calls for it, of course), particularly during Flowers and Snow. I’ve noticed this exact same thing for the past few years I’ve been watching the show live. Also, the theater was packed!! No concern over ticket sales here. It was actually quite fun and festive going to a daytime performance. In recent years I’ve gone at night.

I hope some of the Corps members don't have to wait another year to see their promotions to Soloists. Coker, Hurley, Li, Frenette, Gonzalez seem to be in line for a promo. I know everyone loves Roxander and he had some good soloist parts this season, but I think he could use at least another year in the Corps before being promoted. Will be interesting to see if Paris, Hoven, Copeland, Murphy and Cornejo make the leap into retirement after Met Summer Season.

Wow, it's basically the Hee Seo, Devon Teuscher, and Christine Shevchenko show...with Chloe Misseldine homing in on the other Principals' territory. Jaffe clearly has her favorites. Very surprised that Brandt and Hurlin are cast so sparingly. Trenary is always a bit of a wild card. I get the sense she's never the management's "go-to" for the classics, but she usually always lands the lead(s) in contemporary ballets. Good to see she's kept two LWFCs and a R&J. Agree with above poster that Murphy is taking spots away from other dancers (i.e., Trenary and Brandt finally getting their debuts in SL and R&J, respectively).

Anyone watch ABT’s offerings for World Ballet Day 2023? I was pleased to see them participate this year, and particularly enjoyed watching their full company class, led by Susan Jaffe. I love watching dancers in class v. performance because it’s such a different dynamic, and interesting how some dancers are better at performing on stage than in class, and in some cases vice versa… A few thoughts: - Susan Jaffe seems like a lovely, approachable, down to earth person (at least in this vid). I enjoyed her overall warmth and engagement with the dancers throughout. Some of her combos at both barre and center seemed kinda simple (aside from the turn combination which had the female dancers end in a dramatic attetude pose - that was fun). - Chloe Misseldine is great at barre work, but lacks a bit of control in center exercises. Her striking “look” (tall, ballerina proportions, etc.) really make her stand out, and I found my eye gravitating toward her whenever she was onscreen. - Jake Roxander looks younger and shorter in class than on stage. - Dancers who stood out to me in terms of solid technique and overall presence were SunMi Park, Elisabeth Beyer, Sierra Armstrong, and (to my surprise, as I’ve been semi-critical of her technique in the past) Cassandra Trenary, who I thought displayed a lot of control throughout in addition to an artistic flair that separated her from the others. Wish she had opted to wear pointe shoes in center. - Glad to see the Cindies, as per usual, giving “BFF.” Cute that they stood next to each other at barre and laughed/joked around playfully between combinations. -Surprised by how understated and unmemorable some of the principals were in this outing: Skyler Brandt and the aforementioned Isabella Boylston - both ordinarily extraordinary “show women” - kind of faded into the background throughout; I saw glimpses of Devon Teuscher here and there - looking solid, but also a bit dry. No Gil Murphy, Hee Seo, Cate Hurlin. And aside from James, where were all the male principals?? - Might be an unpopular opinion, but Carlos Gonzalez just doesn’t do it for me. He’s technically OK (aside from stiff shoulders), but he lacks a certain charisma and gravitas. I always want “more” when watching him. Also was it just me, or did it seem like he was vying for Jaffe’s attention during center - always going in the first group and positioning himself up front. - The positioning of the cameras was frustrating at times. At barre, you could barely see any of the dancers along the back wall or far left. Far left/right dancers during center exercises were also outta luck in terms of making it into frame. I much prefer the roving cameras Royal Ballet uses for their World Ballet Day company class vids. They go up and down the aisles and you feel like you’re “in it.” -Oh Lord, some of the fouettés on display here we’re rough…I know it’s class, but the lack of rotation and overall stiffness from some of the (I’m guessing?) younger/newer company members was a bit shocking. Conversely…Beyer really delivered on her fouetttes. Was pleased to hear Jaffe verbally compliment her during center and really excited about what the future holds for her!

Just glanced at the summer Met casting on the website and curious as to why ABT still hasn’t yet cast Trenary as O/O in a Swan Lake or Brandt as Juliet in R&J. Saw Trenary rehearsing SL with Cornejo on her IG stories a few weeks back…(potentially in anticipation of getting cast?) and for sure thought she’d land a show this time around!

I attended the Sunday evening 12/11 ABT Nutcracker performance with Christine Shevchenko and Thomas Forster at Segerstrom. It was my first time seeing both dancers perform in person. Shevchenko is just as beautiful and technically proficient as she appears in print, video, and on social media. She’s truly a star, and ABT is lucky to have her. Sadly, Forster was less impressive. His weak partnering skills were noticeable. There were a handful of times during both the Snow Act 1 pas and Grand Pas Act 2 where he failed to properly support or catch her during a leap, jump, or turn, causing her to appear slightly off-balance, unstable, or behind the music. Shevchenko was a trooper and did her best to “save” those moments. She clearly has a tremendous amount of control, which she definitely needed to “get through” the less than ideal partnering from Forster. I hope ABT pairs her with a stronger male dancer in future, as I’d be more than happy to watch her in pretty much anything from now on (but not with Forster). I was really struck by Corps member Zimmi Coker’s turn as 1) Party Scene Maid 2) Snowflake and 3) Mirliton (I guess they’re called “Nutcracker’s Sisters” in the Ratmansky version?). She has such an amazing stage presence, artistry and technique - a winning combo, and she really stood out. ABT, please promote her asap! I also enjoyed Breanne Granlund’s sprightly Harlequine and Chinese, and ABT Studio Co up-and-comer Elisabeth Beyer’s work in Flowers - she was easy to spot and has star power! The rest of the production was fine, Act 2 faring slightly better than Act 1, if only because there are less children dancing, and the choreography is tighter. Act 1 Party Scene could use some new choreography and staging. Nowadays, I tend to prefer versions that feature a professional dancer in the role of Clara, like the Royal Ballet’s, which allows for meatier choreography and a more elevated Act 1 viewing experience.