bingham

In the NYT article on Corps de ballet, it was mentioned that there will just be three new corp members( plus 1 apprentice). Anyone knows who the new corp members are?

Have any subscribers to ABT's MET season received this card? I'm not an ABT "member", but I have several ABT subscriptions. I have not received this card. I probably will not make a purchase until casting becomes available.

I'm surprised. I'm not a subscriber or a member, just a regular single-ticket purchaser by mail.They should really give priority to regular subscribers.

Bingham, I received my advanced notice card today too. Now the trick will be to figure out when David Hallberg will be dancing since I will only be able to attend one time and want to book my ticket early for best seats

Barbara -- I called the ABT office last week to ask the same question, even though I plan to attend more than one Nutcracker if practicable. The ABT office said, at the time, that the casting is not likely to be made available by August 25. I asked whether Met 2010 subscribers will get exchange privileges for Nutcracker performances, and the answer was in the negative.

All -- What do people plan to do, in terms of balancing buying tickets on August 25 versus waiting to see who gets cast?

Since David H. is dancing in Argentina Dec19 and 21, he probably will not be cast until the last week of the run(if at all)

When I called ABT on Friday, they indicated that a card or something like that would be sent by regular US mail to ABT members and possibly subscribers regarding Nutcracker ticket purchase opportunities. Has any BT member received such materials?

I just received a card(i'm in NJ)with the picture Catherine Hurlin and Philip Perez in the front.( are they JKO students?). In the back there is a picture Of M Gomes w/Catherine and a solo picture of G Murphy (.as SPF ?)Ticket sales start Aug 25.

Thanks for the detailed review. Was this David and Gillian's debut in OD? I don't remember ever seeing them in these roles.

Anne Milewski was dancing some solo roles like Amour in "Don Quixote". Karin Ellis-Wentz is also a veteran who danced Helena in "The Dream" very effectively this past season.

Anne's Amour was ,IMO, the most effective since C Spizzo and Cheryl Yeager.

The ABT website has just been updated. About 4 or 5 names are missing(J Reyes. A Milewski. K Ellis,C Jensen). H Seo is now listed as a soloist. Did i miss some other names?

Is the full review coming? Can't wait.

Wow...7 out of 16 finalists are from Korea...China is doing really good too.

Cuba is out...

According to S Belyaevsky Facebook site, the winners has been announced . The Koreans swept all the major prizes in both Seniors and Juniors categories. Sae eun Park ,formerly of ABT2 , won the top senior prize.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stanislav-Belyaevsky-PHOTOGRAPHY/205250232127

Bingham, the performances are coming up this weekend (Fri 7/30, Sat, 7/31, Sun matinee 8/1). So far, Cristian and I will be there. Any other BT'rs?

Cristian and Bart, Oooops, sorry. Got too excited that i missed the dates.

...and I'm SOOOOO going to the Sunday matinee.

Still, I'll try to get off work earlier on Saturday-(and maybe also on Friday)- to see if I can attend those performances too. I mean...this is my first live Giselle IN TEN YEARS!!. And I suspect that Kent and Gomez will make for a beautiful couple.

Oh, I can't wait...Giseeeelle...yaaaay!!!

Cristian, so how did it go? Waiting for your report.Thanks.

Tobin Eason( when he was at Studio Co) choreographed a piece to Mozart, that was well received. Maybe, he will be asked to do something.

Thanks Marga for the info . Too bad the Canadian and US Juniors did not make the cut. No Russians in the list? That seem like the first time.

This year's competition has started on July 19,2010. Any reports on the performance of the US dancers? Natalia?

Exceptional casting for a school production. I knew about Kent and Gomes, but not about Smith. Wow!.

Now that ABT has withdrawn from the Miami market, it's a rare chance to see these dancers close up. Boca Ballet's Giselle production, which I saw a few years ago with Hubbe, is simple, of course, but quite attractive. It's well-danced by the students.

Will Julie and Marcelo dance at all the three performances?

According to Diana Vishneva's website, she will dance La Bayadere with M Gomes at the Bolshoi on Oct 3,2010.

Terrible pictures. Surely, there are professional dance photographers in La-la land.

Thank you to all the posters for their reports from all of us who could not be there . Umm ,Is there a Manon in Natalia and David's future?

I'm just devastated to miss any of today's programs but will be looking forward to the reports from BT.

I attended Thursday evening performance.

Gomes returned as a lyrical Romeo. I don’t know why, and just thought he might have three different version of Romeo, displaying it each night, according to his different Juliet - If so, I am really curious to see what his Romeo will look like with Vishneva. I imagine it will be somewhat wilder than last night’s romantic one. What a beauty of a performing art.

Herrera was affable, and they were a good, romantic couple. But, I wanted to see more. I wished to see her growing into a woman, and to see a flame in their love. She didn’t transform much, and their love had a scent of friendship, while I hope they add a little more passion to their romance.

In the first Act, Gomes’s Romeo was appropriately cheerful with his friends and harlots, shy and even foolish with Rosaline, and ardent with Juliet. I don’t know what he changed and how, but he didn’t seem offensively flamboyant in various Romeo trio dance scenes. He looked just easygoing and merry, and his long arms regained the grace and beauty I love.

At the second row of the first floor, I could clearly see such carefree Romeo did hardly finish the mime to Rosaline, “you are beautiful tonight”. When he barely made it after several attempts, he was rejected immediately. His Romeo reminded me of Armand who first met Margeurite.

When Romeo danced with Juliet at the ball, I suspected for a minute a special lighting was used for the couple, a brighter and softer one. But, at the same time, I missed Seo’s long legs, and her dancing possessing musicality and sensuality.

Romeo transformed slowly throughout the second Act. He didn’t actively play with the harlots at the first market scene of the second act. He rejected the aggressive harlot more sternly, and gave her only a cheek kiss. When he found Tybalt and Mercutio fighting again, after the wedding, he looked anxious, unlike the first act. Such steadily gained but imperfect maturity intensified the tragedy of his killing of Tybalt.

Last night, Romeo trio maintained more equality than Monday, mainly because of more similar height among them. With that small change, they became more convincing friends. When the friendship was built solidly, I could notice Mercutio’s curse on Tybalt and his maybe best friend, Romeo, which was a shock. Wasn’t it he himself that caused his early death? Friends often mean everything to a boy, and really something to everyone. His betrayal at his death revealed the weakness of human, with a sharp contrast with Juliet’s love, Juliet’s decision to risk her life. Also, I thought if Mercutio could act powerfully enough, his curse really can bring an instant madness to the performance, and he can dominate the story. If not, it becomes Romeo's turn.

In the third act, I missed Kent more than I missed Seo in the first act. When Juliet had to dance with Paris, Kent repeatedly and desperately reached her arm toward the window, where Romeo escaped, effectively showing how much she missed him, and that she was rejecting Paris because she loved Romeo, not just because she didn’t love Paris. Other Juliets acted/danced more modestly, so I couldn’t feel their love. When Juliet pretended to consent to marry, Kent folded her body drastically and remained such for a while, so I could see that she knew what that meant, i.e., she finally accepted the risk of her life. Other Juliets just nodded sadly. Her physically so vulnerable appearance was a sharp contrast with her courageous decision, thus demonstrated the depth and power of love. Only when Kent danced, the green shawl she wore at the wedding gained vitality during the third act at her realm of tragedy.

Gomes was not a horse His lifts were not effortless as perfectly as Monday. On the one hand, I came to know what kind of esthetic beauty an effortless lift may have, on the other hand, how the slight vulnerability which he rarely displays can make the love (and his acting) look more real.

I liked the way Kent notifies her wake-up from the death-like sleep. Gomes took the vial, holding the right arm of his Juliet, so that her arm remained hanging from the bed to the floor when he fell. Then, Juliet’s arm moves slowly. Other Juliets notified it by big breathing and turning over. Kent and Herrera’s way of wake-up seemed more poetic and Kent did it more beautifully (It looked like that Herrera was not laid at the right place because her arm was hanging obliquely, while Kent, straight to the floor). Actually, there was nothing breaking the silent tragedy and beauty in the third act of Monday’s performance, now I realize.

Hammoudi was the most satisfactory Paris so far. I saw him on Wednesday matinee and Thursday evening. He was tall, handsome, really seemed to have everything, but a heart, so I can easily tell what Juliet wants, a real love. Further, he attacked Romeo first at the tomb, so Romeo’s killing him was somewhat justifiable, though I still want it omitted. Three deaths in one scene were too much.

After seeing four Juliets, I currently like Kent most, and I am curious how it will change after Saturday. Also, with the help of opera glass, I hope to appreciate Hallberg well enough on Saturday (Tuesday evening, I recklessly didn't borrow the glass, and couldn't see him well from the G row). It's quite sad the met season is ending.

I hope , we don't have to wait for another year for the next promotion(Stella's?)It seems this is the pattern for the last few promotions although( in July's playbill) April Giangeruso has been promoted from apprentice to Corps de Ballet

According to the Korea Times, Hee Seo has been promoted to Soloist Level.Thanks to Tonya Plank of Swan Lake Samba Girl for the link.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2010/07/178_68843.html

Vishneva has made it pretty clear on numerous occasions she adores Marcelo, I doubt she would ask to dance with anyone else for this. I don't believe she has partnered with Herman before. She might be just at the limit of height to dance with him, but she is a bit wild onstage I don't think Herman would be able to dance with her in something as partnering intensive as R&J.

I hope Marcelo makes it to Sleeping Beauty in LA next week...with Veronika out last week, I am starting to think my little dream cast might not arrive all in one piece.

edit: Now might be a great time for Kevin to start letting some additional covers for Romeo line up. For years, I would assume it's a part that was pretty much impossible to get unless you were a principal but with half of the male principals taking Romeo out of their rep, you need more than one guy (Stearns) as a fill in. Regardless of this in Vishneva's case, though, I'm sure Marcelo would always have been the person to step in to dance with her.

In today's Times, A Macauley wrote that A Dowell coached the ABT dancers in "The Dream" for the first time. I might be wrong but didn't Anthony staged the previous production?

I do agree that this season's production seems sharper and clearer in the acting and dancing of the entire cast. While Anthony is here , Kevin can work on him ,in obtaining the rights for A Month in the Country.I think, this ballet was given to him by Ashton.

So far,a new Nutcracker and ABT premieres of Bright Stream and Duo Concertante has been announced. What is in your wish list? I'll start w/ A Month in the Country and revivals of La Fille Mal Gardee and Onegin.

Onegin coming back seems like a decent possibility as Kevin McKenzie probably wants to give Julie Kent some good vehicles at this point in her career. However, with Lady of the Camillas back next year it may go into the rotation the year after.

Julie danced Tatiana in the Onegin premiere but i would like to see what Diana would do with this role( w/ M Gomes as Onegin)