Thalictum

Dale what you wrote is very interesting. And the solution is -- name Part and Meunier principals!!! Each of them has danced principal roles at ABT by now. And no offense meant to their fans, but if Reyes and Dvorovenko are principals, Meunier and Part -- two of the greatest dancers in the world today -- certainly deserve to be. And I believe the sometime "over" weight would disappear when they were being used consistently.

Yes I saw the picture -- she's in the ensemble, uncredited -- of course she looks fantastic, Wiles on the other side looks excellent also, but only Ananiashvili and Carreno's names are given. This is a woman who from age nineteen -- she's now twenty-six says ABT's site -- has been recognized and promoted as a star. By the Kirov. Let's say this brochure is probably something that Part is NOT going to be sending home to the folks in St. Petersburg. But the neglect of Meunier is even more regrettable and egregious. So what if she's a few pounds "overweight" -- is ABT now a department store window?

Perhaps this is irrelevant to the thread, and perhaps it's not going to be considered appropriate, but today I get the brochure for the 2005 ABT Met season. Three color photos of Julie Kent, including the cover. No photos of Veronika Part. Nothing on Monique Meunier. What is the world is going on over at ABT? Do they think we're so stupid we don't notice?

Leigh I couldn't agree with you more, and thanks for being a voice of moderation and sanity. Certainly Cornejo is a talented and appealing performer, but at a very vulnerable point where he can easily get so full of himself that he does not realize he still has a great deal of work to do, and yes, his height can limit him and this is not necessarily a bad thing. I was disquieted by the absolutist tone of Acocella's review and her hectoring of ABT's administration about what roles he should, nay, MUST be cast in forthwith. This is redolent of Croce at her worst.

What can one say? Meunier and Part are magnificent. They dance with total committment, complete expressiveness of the entire body. I noticed Liceica and Fang in Theme as well. Theme is looking better than it has in a long time.

Two-year absence refers to London.

A two-year absence, they were last there in 2003.

Marc are these your highlights or what the press office considers highlights? Because there are many performances at least as interesting that are not highlighted. Instead the biggest names or the dancers most hyped by the administration are foregrounded.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize the casting hadn't been confirmed by ABT.

It's already been chosen: Murphy/Corella.

Both Chenchikova and Smirnova were undoubtedly listed as coaches; perhaps that's where the confusion arose.

Ayupova is now living in Helsinki with her family. Yes it will be interesting to see Veronika Ivanova again. She usually dances at the Mariinsky only in August. There are too many fine dancers in different states of dormancy in the company, since the casting is so relentlessly affixed to the core favorites. When I go to the Kirov nowadays I expect to hear a chorus of "I'm in with the In Crowd" coming from the stage. The exclusivity of so much of the casting is making me look at the company differently, I'm afraid.

Antonicheva is undoubtedly one of the world's great classical ballerinas. Her Kitri this afternoon was notable for perfect line, style, and taste.

Filin and Antonicheva are at their very peak.

Yes indeed you would, it's one of the great classical ballets, and ABT's current streamlined version does not do it justice.

Bregvadze had a very vociferous following. One night he entered in Don Q and a woman in a box screamed, "I've never seen such a beautiful man!" So it is said. . . However, after Nureyev appeared, Bregvadze, by now thirty-five, realized the passing of the torch had come and began to retire himself from roles like Solor.

I believe Bregvadze is from Saratof.

He teaches a senior men's class at the Vaganova Academy. In the last ten years he has had a number of distinguished graduates, including Vasili Scherbakov, Mikhail Lobukhin, Ivan Popov, and Vladimir Shishov. He is married to former Kirov-ballerina Emma Menchyonok, a very talented dancer who never received all the opportunities she deserved. Nor was Bregvadze allowed on the company's major tours to Europe. But prior to Nureyev's advent, it was Bregvadze whose eroticism and charisma was considered heir to Chabukiani.

What do you want to know about Bregvadze?

A TEENY BIT opportunistic? How many people reach Robbins's eminence without being more than a teeny bit opportunistic?

There is a video that I do not have, and have not seen; however it is a near-legendary performance by Sizova of the Paquita variation with Italian fouettes. Has anyone seen it? It's from the late-70s or even early '80s, the very end of her career, and she is said to be as glorious as ever.

Sizova also was coached by Dudinskaya; interestingly, in those days, Kirov coaches were not as exclusively dedicated to one or several dancers. Dudinskaya probably coached all the leading ballerinas of that time in some of their roles. Sizova was a great admirer of Shelest's, however.

Part's remarks didn't get into the final copy; the journalist has them on tape, however.

It's interesting that Mezensteva does not translate for Western audiences. She continues to be one of the most revered Kirov ballerinas among current Kirov dancers: Veronika Part in a recent interview cited her as a favorite, or even her most favorite.

Those are good points, but it certainly would be nice if generalist publications and boards were not so afraid of people who are actually specialists about dance and had a deeper and more informed take on it than Teachout does.