bingham

10 hours ago, AB'sMom said:

I wish Segerstrom would send out emails when there are casting updates, but I guess they don’t want to flood inboxes with too many emails. I only heard about it from the ABT Gillespie School kids and then went to the website to see if they were right. 

Are all the children in the Nutcracker students from the ABT Gillespie school?

On 8/20/2018 at 1:06 PM, Fleurfairy said:

Casting is taking forever to post. I won't buy any tickets until I know who is in the cast. I wonder if there's any huge benefit to ABT when it comes to ticket sales before casting goes up? I guess for audience members who aren't familiar with the company dancers and just want a night at the ballet. But there are way too many dancers I want to avoid.

I think the company is still on their summer break and has not started the rehearsal period. ABT is probably waiting for the rehearsals to start before deciding the casting. Just a thought

Paris Opera Etoiles, Matthew Ganio and Matthias Heyman  should be considered as possible guest for the Met season.Matthias was a guest before and M Ganio partnered Isabella Boylston when she guested in DQ. Soloist Paul Marque and Francois Alu are also very good dancers. Just a thought.

2 hours ago, onxmyxtoes said:

Other than the ones you mentioned and Kelley Potter, any other roster changes?

Oh, I remember the dancer known as Bruce (can't remember his "real" name) also mentioned he was leaving.

Zhiyao Zhang

4 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

It's a bit early for this thread, but ABT has posted some 2019 tour dates on their website and they're doing Harlequinade in CA and DC and Whipped Cream in Iowa and Chicago. So, it's safe to assume that they'll be doing both at the Met next year (to be expected for Harlequinade, but a bit surprising for WC since it didn't seem to sell well this year).

Hopefully, Giselle will return and I'd expect Bayadere as well. They need to throw in a new ballet and/or a revival or two. Will Ratmansky do yet another new ballet? How about Ashton's Cinderella? And, some Tudor, please? I keep hoping for Leaves are Fading, On the Dnieper and Paquita (especially) to make a comeback. 

https://www.abt.org/performances/abt-on-tour/

 

I hope they do the full-length Raymonda but not the McKenzie-Holmes production a few years ago.

2 hours ago, aurora said:

Cynthia Harvey.

 

I love her dream variation--they don't do the penchees in the current production

Yes ,  That was a wonderful variation. It was Barysnikov's staging of DQ . Maybe, that's the reason it was changed. It looks like a more difficult variation.

1 hour ago, its the mom said:

It's interesting.  ENB is not at the level of Royal, but while I would have said once that ABT was the calibre of Royal, I no longer feel that way.  With the men at Royal, and the few strong men at the smaller company, ENB, I would say that London has some very strong dancers.  The group of men:  Hernandez, Caley, Robison, and now Cirio, along with a number of strong soloists, gives ENB a pretty good group of guys.  At ABT, once Cornejo and Hallberg are gone (and with Marcelo and Simkin at a limited engagement), what's left?   

 

It is definitely a big loss to ABT. Too bad they did not appreciate the talent and versatility of J Cirio. Hoping he will come back to guest .

1 hour ago, angelica said:

I don't have time to search right now, but I know I've seen a photo of her dancing Juliet, possibly with LakeCities Ballet. 

 

 

I know, she danced Giselle with Lake Cities Ballet twice.

9 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

He’s just 19! Which I think i knew, but gosh he’s so young.

I didn’t think that article was too fluffy, it discussed his schooling and his debut, not his favorite yogurt.

If anyone sees his debut, please report!

Denys Ganio, Aran’s  teacher in Europe, is the father of POB etoile Mathieu Ganio.

39 minutes ago, vipa said:

Rehearsal periods are extremely expensive. From social media it's apparent that some principals go outside of the company to be coached. I presume they pay out of pocket. The lay off problem is connected to the lack of performance opportunity issue. If they had longer tours they'd have more performances and more rehearsal time. It seems the economics do not support it.

I know that NYCB have several seasons during the year but do they have frequent layoffs like ABT?

4 hours ago, its the mom said:

The problem, especially this Met season, is that the company was presenting two new ballets which took up a tremendous amount of rehearsal time.  Both choreographers were working up until near performance time on their ballets.  This eats into the rehearsal times for other ballets.  Additionally, ABT, in my opinion, has far too many lay-off periods.  The company is laid off for the whole month of November after the Koch season.  They come back for a very short rehearsal period for Nutcracker, and then have another several week lay-off.  After every tour (or almost every tour), there is another lay-off week.  Those weeks could be valuable in beginning to rehearse some of the warhorse ballets.  The schedule as it is puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the dancers.  Right now, they are rehearsing Romeo & Juliet during the day and then performing Harlequinade in the evenings.  It is nearly impossible to perfect something like the Shades scene under those conditions. 

It seems that the lack of enough rehearsals , coaching and understudies for the principal roles are the main problems that are always affecting the Met season. Surely, the ABT board of directors are aware of these problems. It is not fair to the dancers and the paying audience to be treated this way.

37 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

There are currently at ABT three female soloists:  Luciana Paris, Cassandra Trenary and Skyler Brandt.  Luciana Paris is in Buenos Aires with a newborn baby on maternity leave.  Cassandra Trenary is recovering from a muscle injury and has cut back her schedule to allow maximum time for healing.  She danced a very small, not very exposed role in the Wayne McGregor "AfteRite" last week and is preparing to return for her first Gamzatti tomorrow afternoon.  But small things like the Wili solos or the Shades solos she is skipping to allow time to heal.  Brandt has been one busy, busy girl since she also dances lead ballerina roles and just had one added to her plate:  Columbine in "Harlequinade".  

So ABT has had to dig into the corps de ballet.  Veteran neglected Ballet Talk favorite Zhong-Jing Fang is getting several solos - she could do more.  Melanie Hamrick is experienced and has danced solos before.  She is not a kid and has had injuries.  Stephanie Williams is not one of my favorite dancers at ABT but is reliable in solos.  Catherine Hurlin is a major discovery this season who is moving ahead quickly - she is young and talented.  Katherine Williams is a veteran corps dancer who also is breaking into solo parts including major assignments like Myrtha in "Giselle".  April Giangeruso is another veteran corps girl who has been pressed into service sometimes in demanding solo parts like the Second Shade.  She can be variable - strong one day and then awkward the next day.  Probably all of them would benefit from a stronger coaching staff than what ABT currently provides.

Who else is out there in the corps?  Lauren Post and Anabel Katsnelson have emerged from the corps as a Wili and a Shade respectively.  Two of the stronger corps girls - both veterans - are Gemma Bond (reportedly on maternity leave) and Paulina Waski (back from injury and taking it easy).  Both are sidelined at a time when both could present themselves as candidates for promotion.  Kaho Ogawa has strong technique and could dance the Second or Third Shade solo.  No idea why she isn't used more.  Two corps girls whose names I have heard praised as potentially stunning up and comers but have done little or nothing in solo roles - Gisele Bethea and Scout Forsythe.  Bethea has just disappeared into the corps and I don't even know what she looks like.  Ditto Forsythe.  But people who have seen them think they are major talents.

Yes,  Gisele and. Scout are definitely in that category. Both of them have not been seen in any of the performances so far this season. Hoping they are not injured.

25 minutes ago, atm711 said:

I saw that performance and there was an announcement made at the start that the 3 shades were being replaced and 3 names were hastily and garbled noted and I have no idea  who was dancing.....I agree, whoever danced the first shade was the highlight for me---the program listed Anabel Katsnelson---but who knows?  The 3 principals were OK......

The second Shade( C Trenary) was replaced by Stephanie Williams. Anabel did the first Shade beautifully.

Have not seen ABT’s La Bayadere for a while. The L Samaritani scenic designs are as beautiful as ever. It was a very good performance by all but especially for the debuts of Devon, Christine and  Joo Won. Act II was very well done esp by the principal couple. Also notable was the debut of Anabel Katsnelson as the first shade. As usual, Arron Scott was a spectacular Bronze Idol. 

19 minutes ago, yukionna4869 said:

I believe it was Skylar Brandt yesterday. 

From afar , it did look like her. Thanks.

13 hours ago, angelica said:

From watching many performances of Giselle over the years, I believe that Katherine Williams sets the Gold Standard for bourrees.

Yes, it did. A successful debut. Btw, who did the peasant pdd? From the back of the orchestra, she did not looked like Trenary.

27 minutes ago, its the mom said:

I doubt they would put a last minute Giselle like Trenary or Brandt.  Either Gillian with Cory, although that gives her three performances in a week (two Giselles and a Myrtha.)  Normally, with a younger dancer, that is not an issue, but it could be for her.  My guess would be Sarah and Daniil.

We would be happy to see the Sarah-Daniil team but would still be a bit disappointed.

34 minutes ago, its the mom said:

April Giangeruso should be given a chance at Myrta.

YES!

8 hours ago, vipa said:

I agree. I am thinking, however, that the ABT coaching staff is probably not very expensive. No offense to anyone, but in an interview Susan Jones did mention struggling by on unemployment during layoffs, . I doubt that Raffa and Jones demand the salary that someone like Guerin would. There could be financial restraints.

Surely, one of ABT's prominent patrons can sponsor her coaching position/salary.

4 hours ago, canbelto said:

The coaching staff has gotten really depleted as well. Irina Kolpakova seems to be an 84 year old energizer bunny, but Victor Barbee left along with Julie Kent, and Alexei Ratmansky closely supervises his own ballets and does intensive coaching with them but for the regular bread-and-butter repertoire who is there to coach the dancers? One wonders.

Irina can't last forever and the ABT ladies need help. Isabelle Guerin, a former Etoile of the POB lives in NYC and ,if she is willing, would be a great addition to the coaching team at ABT.  She did staged Other Dances for ABT and from the dancers comments in Instagram, was a marvelous coach/teacher. Just a thought.

2 hours ago, vipa said:

I have no opinion on Guerin becoming an ABT coach, but agree that the company seems short on coaching. I look at NYCB and see so many dancers with history with the company on the coaching staff. Is it a monetary problem with ABT?

It is always a monetary problem with ABT but, surely, one of the members of the board can sponsor an additional coach.

Isabelle Guerin, one of the great Etoiles of the POB during the Nureyev Directorship, is presently staging Other Dances for ABT. I hope Kevin Mc or someone else would be able to persuade her to join the coaching  staff of ABT. I understand that she lives in NYC with her family. With all the talented dancers coming up, ABT needs an additional coach. Irina K won't be able to coach everyone. Just a thought...

Saw last year's gala . I thought Paulina did a beautiful 2nd act Pdd with Marshall Whitely.she deserves more prominent roles and even a promotion.

Anybody has seen the ballet gala at the Purchase College,SUNY featuring members of ABT Corp de ballet last night?  This gives the young dancers  a chance to dance major PDD roles. 

And there are a lot of newer corps waiting for a break including S Forsyte, R Richardson, Giselle Bethea and K Ogawa....