bingham

I'll daydream with you.

When was Hammoudi promoted? I Oppss... he was promoted in 2012.

It sure is discouraging to the members of the corps de ballet. Except for I Boylston 2011 promotion, there has not been promotions since 2007-8 (?). Is this due to monetary problems at ABT?

For this viewer at least, not just a loss of $$$, but of artistry and excitement. I certainly hope Cojocaru and Osipova continue to make guest appearances. When Alina joined the ENB, she stated that she will continue to dance with ABT and Hamburg Ballet. Maybe, we will finally see Evgenia Obrastzova . She looked wonderful dancing Tatiana with David Hallberg at the Bolshoi.

In the recently updated Dancer Roster, N Osipova's picture is missing. Does this means that she will not be dancing with ABT next season? Ivan Vasiliev is still listed as a principal dancer.Many corp de ballet dancers are also missing. Among them R Pavan,M Ilyin and R Doble.

Hilarious..

Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty?

Did anyone see A Lendorf in the matinee. Please report.

The cats get a bit of dancing as they enter the stage, as do Cinderella and her prince and Little Red Riding Hood an the wolf. Oddly enough I had the same feeling that in previous years the cats have danced more in the ABT production. Does anyone recall? Perhaps it's just wishful thinking on my part. Also, I thought a decision was made in previous years to bring back the king and queen for the wedding act, but this didn't happen at Tuesday's performance (or perhaps they were planted so far to stage right that I couldn't see them). The cats (and other characters) did not dance in the earlier performances. You were probably thinking of the previous SB by Macmillan. The king and queen were present last Tuesday. This is something I have noticed, as well, and it can be distracting in certain passages, like the chainee turns you mention. Her legs have the odd and (to my eyes) unattractive effect of looking like they bow out beneath the knee, which obviously isn't the physical reality for a dancer. This can be seen very clearly in the wallpaper images of her twitter feed (https://twitter.com/mistyonpointe). Unfortunately, I feel as if it is a physical quirk that becomes most jarring in classical tutu roles, though when Copeland dances as brilliantly as she did as Florine earlier this week, it's easy to forget about any less than "ideal" aspects of her line.

Thank you Plisskin for posting this. Boylston looks fabulous! Vasiliev? Bent knees, feet not pointed, legs turned in. I don't understand. So what if he can jump as high as a skyscraper and turn like a tasmanian devil. He looks awful doing it. I would love to be a fly on the wall during his rehearsals. I wonder if KM and the rehearsal directors correct him for these persistent and unprofessional mistakes? Ratmansky, when he was director at the Bolshoi, plucked Vasiliev and Osipova out of some crowd (was it a school or a regional company?) and hired them at the Bolshoi. I wonder if/how he gives corrections when he choreographs, as he used both of them in the Trilogy. And I wonder if he pushed Vasiliev along as a way to get Osipova into the Bolshoi. I haven't noticed anything along these lines in his interviews to date. N Osipova was a Bolshoi Academy graduate and was in the Corps de ballet when Ivan was hired as soloist ( from the Belarus national Ballet) He was a winner at the Moscow IBC before he joined the company.

I saw her as one of the goats in Sylvia last week and was struck at the similarities with the cat in SB -- especially the pawing hands. But ,at least, there was more dancing in Sylvia...

A Burlaka-staged Paquita would be a wonderful addition to the 2014 Met season or 2014Koch season.

I would like to see Raymonda again but not in the Holmes-Mckenzie staging.It would be great if Ratmansky would do it in collaboration with Burlaka( Just like what they did in Bolshoi's Le Corsaire).

The part is smallish. This version tries to give it a bit more heft but I'd always choose my sb based on the female lead. Plus Part is dancing with Gomes, so not too shabby on the prince either I'd also go with Part/Gomes. Although the Kochetkova'Cornejo could also be interesting. IMO, however, this production has some real flaws. Costumes and scenery tend to the grotesque at times. Dancers always seem to be cramped on the stage. Story telling is diffused. Carabosse is not scary. The storybook characters have been reduced to the bare minimum. On and on. If this is your first viewing of this ballet, know there are superior versions out there. Why ABT is clinging to this one is beyond me. It cost a fortune to produce it.

ITA with Drew's review of last Thursday's Sylvia.I thought Xiomara and Herman's did especially well considering the short rehearsal period they had. Does ABT have an an understudy for the major roles in their full lenght ballets? If not, they should have a soloist or corps member ready to take over in case of injuries. When POB announces the cast of their full lenghts, they also list the understudy or replacement. Sylvia is such a beautiful production that i hope ABT would do it more often. Everybody danced very well in the 2nd act with special mention of Craig and Misty(as goats),Stella A, Simone M and G, Davis (as Terpsichore and Apollo). A Scott was in his usual spectacular self as a slave in the cave scene. With Ashton's Cinderella coming next season, Sylvia will probably be send back to England. I hope she comes back soon.

I saw 3 Don Q with Yoko Ichino as replacement. She was good but i wanted to see Gelsey

Cory Stearns is going to the RB in December( as exchange with S Mcrae) I hope he gets coaching( from Jonathan Cope or A Dowell) for his coming Manon debut. Isabella B. is going to RDB ( in exchange with A Lendorf) in December too

How was Jared M's Sylvia debut last night? Anyone saw it ?

With the absence of Bolle and Hallberg , i wonder who will dance the tutor in A Month in the Country?

Marcelo Gomes Xiomara Reyes

Veronika and Marcelo....Together again.

This will be Xiomara's debut in this role.

I also was thrilled when she was cast as LF and terribly disappointed on her being replaced. I still remember her Zulma (or was it Moyna?) a few seasons ago. Good luck to her.

Back to DC from my day-trip to NY for this. In a word: GORGEOUS! Exquisitely lyrical...and no embarrassments technically! Yes, her 31 fouettes as Odile traveled halfway to the wings, in a south-westerly direction...but she DID THEM and they looked pretty. (No club-footed whipping legs.) Her Odile solo was spectacular, including the double-pirouettes into single-pir-a-la-2nde...smooth as buttah. Balances to-die-for! The Odette solo had a couple of hiccups while executing the pirouettes within the diagonal of piques, but she 'covered' them well. Much more importantly was Hee Seo 'total execution' of the dual role, totally into the pathos of the Swan Queen's sad situation...and so in love with her Siegfried. Hee Seo's physique is perfection for this role; truly, the loveliest natural willowy beauty to essay the role since Sylvie Guillem. (Sorry, I don't care for the non-feminine 'Body by Gold's Gym' mighty-mite Odettes hoisted upon us of late, even if they do all 'the tricks.') Gomes - what else can be said about his Siegfried? Fantastic...especially his high-arched jump off the rock. Palpable chemistry with his Odette! Radetsky as Purple Rothbart held his own, while not quite in the league of Marcelo the Magnificent. The A1 Pas de Trois (Teauscher-Shevchenko-Hoven) was charming, if underwhelming (low jumps, etc.). Mikhail Ilyn and Arron Scott nailed Neapolitan. Surprised to read that, among all of this year's graduates of the JKO Academy, only Carolyn Lippert has made the ABT roster (as the lone apprentice)! I had been expecting Hurlin and Marshall, too. Maybe other apprentices will be added to the roster as the Met season progresses? All of the previously listed apprentices(except Lippert who was just added to the list quite recently) were promoted to the corps de ballet). The new apprentices will probably be added in the next season in September.

Gisele Bethea,also of USA won the silver medal.