bingham

4 hours ago, DPell said:

I’m sure we’ll get Roxander as Benno and Mercutio at the very least. Lensky casting still has to be posted. As for Curley, he’s bound to do Ballroom Rothbart, and hopefully John Brown again in Water for Chocolate. I’m crossing my fingers for Curley to be cast as Tybalt. For those who have seen Onegin before, how big a role is Gremin?

It’s a short role but has a beautiful PDD with Tatiana in the 3rd act. Curley would be good  in this role.

40 minutes ago, California said:

Bell was featured in galas last year in Japan, Australia, and the Hamptons. He'll be featured at Vail in August. He danced with Boylston last weekend in Connecticut in Cinderella. He did Other Dances in August at the outdoor festival at Lincoln Center. But it was a mystery why he danced so little at the fall ABT season. He was listed for several things and then several of those disappeared. No hint ever of injury, fatigue, exhaustion.  I do wish we had more opportunities to see him. 

He seems very shy in presenting his achievements and personal life in the social media which is very admirable in these times IMO.

A couple of days ago , Cassie posted in Her Instagram account that she is learning Kitri with coaching from renowned POB Etoile, Isabelle Guerin. Is it possible that ABT will do DQ at the Koch in the Fall?

What was the gist of the Pointe Magazine article on Cornejo?

19 minutes ago, abatt said:

Very perplexing.  Martins used to invite guest artists, but they were famous stars from major ballet companies.  I might have seen the LaFr./Bolden Nut, but I have no interest in seeing an unknown Dew who is not even part of the company.  

This caught my eye from the above press release, though:

The 2024 Spring Season will feature Gillian Murphy and Aran Bell from American Ballet Theatre who will perform Jerome Robbins’ Other Dances.  

 

I'm there!

 

I hope NYCB won’t keep Aran for good…

With the Met season announced, Can the promotions be far behind ?🤗😜

3 hours ago, California said:

I have assumed that when there's news of a contract, it will be plastered all over their social media accounts. But with everybody in China, I'm also assuming nothing will be final until they get back. And I would guess China would not welcome a high-profile celebration of a union contract while they were in China. Ditto for the announcement of the Met 2024 season.

And promotions if any..🙏🏻

8 hours ago, Drew said:

Perhaps ABT fans of Marcelo Gomes are all aware of his World Ballet Day class for Dresden Semperoper Ballett--but in case not:

 

That was impressive. How old is Marcelo? Is he still dancing in Dresden? 

36 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

Talking about talent, Jonathan Klein has been MIA all season at ABT.  Has anyone seen him in anything?  Another potential Franz and Colas.  BTW:  La Fille Mal Gardée and Coppélia would work well in the NYST Theater (say no to the K*ch).  Also, having seen the full reconstruction at the Bolshoi as choreographed by Sergei Vikharev, the old Freddie Franklin version looks cut down and twee.  It also pales next to the Balanchine/Danilova across the plaza. 

For example at the Bolshoi in the Dance of the Hours there were 24 corps ballerinas, the Frederick Franklin made for smaller touring companies has 12 hours in a day.  Not enough hours for me.  I think a new fully reconstructed Coppélia is a must.  Sorry to those who love the Franklin version and loved Freddie himself.

He would be perfect for Colas with Skylar. I would fly back to NYC for that. Unless it’s a new staging of Coppelia, I rather see La Fille. Alexei is doing a new Coppelia for La Scala( not a reconstruction) . I wish ABT coproduced it with La Scala .

17 minutes ago, Tapfan said:

Good to see that Takumi showed out last night. I find him to be every bit as talented as the much-discussed Jake. Truth be told, ALL the new ABT apprentices are super talented and look like future Principals. The Studio company is drowning in talent and is more fun to watch than the main company and has been for a few years. 

It is and it looked like the SC members dance more in leading roles than members of the corps or even some soloists. There’s a clip in YT of Jake in Star and Stripes PDD. He’s amazing.

He’s one of the new apprentices and he is impressive. As for the “ medical emergency “, he was conscious and was seen talking to his family and was given bottled water. Just amazed they did not have a WC to take him out. It looked like they did not call EMS at all.

2 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

I would love that, but there’s little room for surprises at this point. It’s only 4 weeks, and we already know they’re doing Woolf Works, Swan Lake, and Carlos Lopez said on his IG awhile ago that R&J will come back (again…). So that leaves either one more full length or a weeks worth of mixed rep. Ugh. So for me the biggest surprise (or relief if I’m being honest) will be to see who will be promoted (whenever that happens) and who will be retiring. Or, maybe we’ll see some huge debuts, other than Misseldine in SL. 

Hoping it will be DQ then..

The Met season is usually announced at the end of the Fall season. Is Susan going to surprise us with her selections?

2 hours ago, lmspear said:

We don't know who has been cast as an understudy.  I think that Jaffe will be watching rehearsals and classes   I think that ABT is just beginning to emerge from the McKenzie era.

In my deeper thoughts, I really think it will be better but it’s just frustrating now when it seems there is no other dancer who could dance Oberon aside from Daniel Camargo.

 I had high hopes when Susan J came in with a wonderful Fall program but apparently has not learned from previous mistakes. 

It seems we are back to the McKenzie directorship. A big disappointment.

But I wished Aran did DQ with Cate Hurlin ….

I think they will make the announcement on the day the dancers come back from their vacation. It would be more exciting to everyone especially the dancers.

3 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

I agree. I noticed that Stearns has not been cast much - not as Oberon this year (Bell gets his debut, yay!, and last year Stearns was replaced by Camargo) nor in any of the tutu ballets. I think that's a good decision.

I think the website's issues are because they are actively updating it right now. Each time I refresh it, something else has changed/been added. Now Bond's ballet is on the schedule with casting. Still not a good excuse, but I think it's more than just heavy traffic.

I find it odd that casting was announced, but still no promotions.

2 hours ago, abatt said:

ABT didn't have trouble filling the Met when they had Vishneva, Corella and their ilk as mainstays in the company.  They were permanent company members.  I won't even begin to list the remarkable guest artists that we got to see at the Met.     The real explanation here, in my opinion, is that the majority of the current roster of principals   does not generate excitement and is  not at the same high level as yesteryear, with a few exceptions.  So the dancers won the fight for homegrown talent to perform instead of imports, but now they have about half the number of performance weeks at the Met.  Is that a victory for them and for us in the audience?  I'm not so sure. 

If ABT was still competing with NYCB due to overlapping seasons, ABT would lose a certain number of balletomanes.   The dancers at NYCB are far more interesting than most of ABT's principal roster now.  In July ABT is the only game in town for ballet, so the extension of the opera season is, in my opinion, a blessing for ABT.

Agree too. But where can one find the likes of Diana, Angel  JM Carreno etc Even the big European companies don’t have “stars”  now that we would ran to see..

21 hours ago, coffeelover said:

I’m really hoping Manon or Onegin will be in their MET season! Realistically, I think it will be SL, R&J, Giselle and a mixed rep program of some sort. 

I read an interview of Reid Anderson a few months ago  mentioning that he staging Onegin for National Ballet of Canada and for ABT in 2024 . Unfortunately, I can’t find that interview. I’m still looking.

Aran posted in his Instagram account pictures of them in a Tokyo ballet gala . Would this possibly mean that they will be dancing together @ ABT in the coming seasons? I hope so.

I hope it would be a Co production with ABT.

I have a feeling Curley, Klein, Gonzalez Will make it now and Roxander Just before the next MET season. If Hoven leaves then Frenette Will make it too., I hope.

57 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said:

I saw Whiteside twice this season. Once with Hurlin in SL and once with Murphy in R&J. I have to say that R&J really suits him. He and Murphy were great together. I love her in everything! There's a moment in the first act, after Juliet has been playing with the doll and her Nurse, where Murphy discovers that she has a bosom. So funny and touching.

Whiteside seems much more free as Romeo. Very full with his emotions, beautiful dancing! He turns and spins (which Romeo does more than Prince Siegfried, IIRC) and his jumps seemed easier and more assured. I also think the drama gives Whiteside more to sink his teeth into. 

In 1976 I saw Nureyev dance R&J at the Met. I can't remember if he was with Royal or a guest with ABT. Is this that same, exact production?

I don’t remember R Nureyev dancing R and J with ABT .He did dance with La Scala when it came To the MET.