bingham

Danny Tidwell is listed as one of the dancers. According to his bio, he has been there since 2010. There was no mention if he danced any leading roles. I do wish that he would return here, to ABT if possible.

With the Tamm news, we are now at the point where ABT is a company with a hollowed out core (pun intended). How many more male soloists and corps members can they lose before the already ramshackle productions deteriorate further? I was making a mental list in my head today of all the talented male dancers who have moved on in the last half-dozen years -- Isaac Stappas (corps), Carlos Lopez (soloist), Roddy Doble (corps), Julio Bragado-Young (corps), Joseph Philips (corps), Jared Matthews (soloist) and now Eric Tamm (corps). You can't run on a company just on stars and guest stars, and you need some kind of pipeline from corps to principal so young dancers feel that they may get somewhere if they work hard.

It sure is alarming on what is happening to ABT and it's resident dancers. Surely, there is someone in the BOD who would do something soon. I hate to see ABT implode on it's 75th year.

I thought for sure ABT would bring in Ratmansky's Flames of Paris, but that has not happened.

Flames of Paris seems to me as peculiar a choice for ABT (even in the Ratmansky version) as Bright Stream. Those ballets have a reason for being in Russian companies; much less so in an American one. The full-length Ratmansky that I thought might be imported by ABT was Lost Illusions.

I don't think ABT would do Flames of Paris well. It would probably repeat the fate of The Bright Stream, which was declared a hit in its first season and played to half-empty houses the second time around. Lost Illusions would seem to be a better fit, but it is, I think, hampered by its amorphous music and dramaturgically: the hero and heroine don't intersect in the last act.

I think, Ratmansky's Paquita ,which is being premiered in Munich next month, would be a better fit for ABT than Flames of Paris. American dancers can't do well all those character dances.

Yuriko was promoted to principal dancer at The Houston Ballet after last night's opening performance of The Nutcracker. AD Stanton Welch announced it after the performance. Congratulation Yuriko. You deserved it.

We just took Julio for granted when he was in ABT ( expecting nothing less from him).Now , we see how great he was in DQ.

I'm just curious. Are all or most of the NYCB principal dancers got all their training in SAB?

Thanks Rose1186. It is my favorite Raymonda Variation, Wish i could have seen Devon danced it.

Which variation in the full-lenght Raymonda does Devon Teusher dances to great acclaim? Is it available in you tube ( as danced by any other dancer) ? Thanks.

I think Gorak could be pretty wonderful as Romeo as far as the solo dancing goes, but the fact that various lifts of Xiomara Reyes were modified for him last season in Cinderella makes me wonder. If he can't do difficult lifts with the wispy thin and tiny Reyes, how is he going to manage the unwispy Copeland? He better start eating his Wheaties now.

ONe thing that struck me as odd is that most of the guest artist spots are for women. Their problem is when the ABT men start getting injured. There is a TBA slot for the Solors who will dance with Semionova. I wonder if they will teach Solor to Hammoudi.

I think Thomas Foster would make a wonderful Solor.He has the height,strength and some acting ability.

Intermezzo barely has any performances throughout the year, and I'm sure their funding is precarious. Sounds like a side gig for Tamm, not a job in lieu of his career at ABT. Yes, I would have preferred if ABT had promoted Tamm instead of Hammoudi.

Speaking of Salstein, I'm not sure how old he is, but he seems to be approaching retirement age.

CS is,probably, about J Matthews age. They were at the Studio Company at about the same year(when i saw them).

Maybe, KM will get Kochetkova but i am hoping for E Obratzova instead. She is a beautiful dancer and is short enough for Herman. Her NYC debut is long overdue.

If the company is going to develop new relationships with outside artists, then I think that is a great idea! Obraztsova has danced in NYC (Most recently I think in Little Humpbacked Horse and Symphony in C with Mariinsky), but it would be fabulous to see her dance with ABT and with Cornejo. I would, though, like to see Lane get more opportunities as well...

I sure would like Sarah to do Aurora/ Juliet and Giselle this coming season. Hoping she will get ,at least, one of these roles.

If we are back to the star stopgap situation then there is Svetlana Lunkina out there in Canada. Some kind of guest artist situation could be worked out with her. She has worked with Ratmansky - though I can't say whether he had a good working relationship with her or not - Ratmansky worked with Tsiskaridze when he ran the Bolshoi as well... I remember him announcing her promotion to prima ballerina at the Bolshoi from the Met stage before a performance of "The Bright Stream". Maybe lure back Erica Cornejo? Simone Messmer?

Simone M ? She was not very complementary of ABT in her interviews so she would not want to return.

We've talked quite a bit here about ABT's male principal problem. It seems like there will be an issue regarding the female principal problem. As Amour indicated, is the plan going forward to poach some ballerinas, or promote the in house ones.

Kent was hardly dancing, so her departure will not leave a huge gap. However, Paloma and Xiomara were both appearing frequently in the Spring season. In addition, Xiomora was Herman's most regular partner. Who is short enough to be his regular partner going forward? As Amour indicated, are they planning on offering Kochetkova a more regular gig so Herman has a partner?

I actually have a lot of respect for Paloma and Xiomara leaving while they are still dancing well. It's better than hanging on till the bitter end when the entire audience is well aware of your obvious decline. It shows self respect and resepct for the audience.

Maybe, KM will get Kochetkova but i am hoping for E Obratzova instead. She is a beautiful dancer and is short enough for Herman. Her NYC debut is long overdue.

We went on the Sept 26 performance mainly for Paquita and it was the most enjoyable Grand Pas Paquita i have seen. Purist will probably dislike the changes that S Welch added. At the start of the program,he created a group dance for the male corp using the music for the children number in the original. For the Pas de Trois, he used male soloists in the coda that just brought the house down. there were more solo variations in this version than in the the the Makarova,or POB versions. All of the soloist were brilliant including Yuriko Kajiya. Katherine Precourt (as Paquita) a soloist, had a slow start in the beginning but was brilliant in the coda .

The main surprise of the program was E Liang's Murmurration to the music of E Bosso.I can't describe it but it was beautiful and the dancers were perfect. It was a "modern " ballet that i would not mind seeing again. I'm surprise that Mr Liang does not have more ballets in the east coast companies.

Any reports on her debut?

Does anyone know when the casting will be announced?

Rehearsal for the fall season,probably, has not started yet.

I think this is terrific repertory on the whole--very happy about the Raymonda divertissements (something Semionova would have likely been quite good in...perhaps she will dance in spring). Right now, it does not look as if I will be able to make it this year, but if other obligations don't interfere this is repertory that would definitely bring me to NY -- as would Hallberg.

Maybe, they are preparing for the full lenght Raymonda in the future season.

Could Giselle be the one remaining full length? It sells well if the cast is strong. An end of season Giselle week, with Osipova as a guest artist following the conclusion of the Royal's US Tour, would be a thrill.. I hope they present Othello the same week as the RB's visit. I have no problem missing all of the Othellos. Actually, I take that back. I would go to a Gomes Vishneva Othello.

Gisele also appears in another "crystal ball"along with Mussel's list. Maybe, Othello will be Julie's farewell?

Have to say that foremost on my wish list (before any particular ballets or artists) is a new Artistic Director. Kevin has been ABT's AD for more than 20 years. Time for a fresh vision!

I would definitely second that if it weren't for a huge chance that he might be replaced by Ratmansky.

If Ratmansky promises not to choreograph any more Tempest-like ballets.

An ex-ABT ballerina, while staging a ballet for the company, once followed a dancer into the bathroom to deliver notes through the stall door. She was was known to bark—literally, like a dog—during private rehearsals.

Ooh, anyone want to take a guess at who this can be? The list is pretty narrow ...

Wouldn't we all love to know. The only names I can think of off the top of my head are Makarova, Kirkland, Sallie Wilson, and Susan Jones (if the re-staging of the Twyla piece counts). The first two on that list don't exactly seem like the warm and fuzzy types.

I'm betting on Gelsey.

I've been reading with some amusement the scathing comments about "The Tempest." I saw it twice last fall across the plaza in its premiere week, with both casts, and decided then and there that I was done with that ballet. What a waste of so many talented dancers, as others have noted. Was this co-produced with another company, so at least the (apparently) extravagant cost could be shared? Perhaps they could recycle that boat for another ballet. At least we know that Ratmansky (as with Balanchine and other notables) is not perfect. They all make mistakes. It's just too bad so much money apparently went down the drain.

It seems that except for his trilogy last season, none of Alexei's short`ABT`` ballets has been succcessful enough to last for more than a season.His ballets made in other companies seems to have a longer run.

That's my day-dreaming list with a dash of reality. Be real, even if ABT got a big fat check from Koch, do you think ABT would have enough time to rehearse all those new productions?

Mod, should I start another thread (not a wish list) for the line ups that shows up in my crystal ball?

Please do. but still would love to see Paquita and Raymonda in the 76th and 77th season.

The Saracen (=Arab) Knight Abherakhman depicted like evil or maniac with exaggerated makeup, and the crusader knight Jean de Brienne wins over him.

Would the ballet work (and be acceptable )if the Saracen knight is portrayed as a romantic, misunderstood figure?

I don't think Vikharev's reconstructed Raymonda makes sense in ABT, the costumes are dated and won't look good on modern day dancers, and there is always the "politically correctness" issue in this ballet.

What is the PC issue in Raymonda? Just curious.

Mussel's wish list is a dream, and if the past is any indication, it will be pretty accurate At least one can hope!

David Koch will run out of money if ABT does all these productions.