bingham

I think the last 3 shows were sold out after the mostly favorable reviews.Too bad ,it was a bit late.

4 hours ago, Helene said:

I realize that La Fosse and Stiefel have large fan bases, but Karin Averty!

 

I'm always tickled when I see Harriet Clark's name, because she did a splendid job covering for Martine van Hamel in "Bourree Fantasque" in the performance where van Hamel mangled her foot in the opening moments of "Jardin aux lilacs" earlier in the program.

Although not as well known as Sylvie Guillem and Isabelle Guerin, Karin Averty had a distinguished career at the POB ,dancing all the major ballerina roles in the POB repertoire. She was also a Varna IBC Gold medallist.

As always, your reviews makes us feel like we are there. Thank you.

No, he has not danced the Prodigal Son. It will be a debut for him.

Complete SB casting for the Paris tour and partial casting for the Fall season is posted at the ABT site.

Any word on Semionova? Or Lendorf?

Lendorf is listed for the Fall season. He has also started dancing with the RDB tour.

I'm sure no AD escapes criticism for two reasons. 1 - there are always more talented dancers than roles to go around. 2 - ballet watchers have their favorites who they want to see in certain roles. NYCB has a rep that allows for more dancers to be featured so overall Martins is probably criticized less than McKenzie. Also there is a different tradition. Martins threw Mearns into the lead in Swan Lake when she was a 19 year old corps member. Seems obvious now but not so much then. Balanchine left a - throw them in - tradition. I believe we tend to remember the successes more than the failures (I won't mention the ones I recall)

It seems no one remembers the big failures( except the dancer or the AD) but everyone remembers the triumphal debuts.

After several months absence, David posted this Instagram message "emerging from the shadows" . I hope this is an indication that he is finally returning to dance.

Last season they posted the Koch fall casting in late July. I'm hoping they do the same thing this year.

Many of the ballets are either new or has not been done by the company lately. They probably will wait until the rehearsals start in Sept(?).

Where can we see Walpurgistnatch ballet?

Hoping Arte would also live stream ABT-Ratmansky Sleeping Beauty for a future DVD

It would be wonderful if ABT can get Alessandra Ferri as a ballet mistress or coach for the ABT ladies, if she is willing.

PNB also has the Doug Fullington connection.

Ratmansky's "new Petipa reconstruction" hint for ABT could be any of the Harvard note ballets that he has not yet tackled...such as Coppelia? I personally would love to see a ballet that neither he nor any of the other reconstruction experts (like Vikharev, Burlaka, Medvedev or Fullington) have yet tackled in full (Enchanted Forest, Harlequinade, Pharaoh's Daughter). Petipa-Ivanov/ Pugni's Little Humpbacked Horse would be the biggie but Ratmansky has already tackled the story with the inferior Schedrin score (with dopey El Cheapo designs). Shame.

Enchanted Forest ? That's one that i have never heard before..Any info?

Jeffrey,IMO, deserved to be promoted based on his performances this past season. None of the other male soloists made much impressions. If, ABT is doing DQ next season,Jerff would make a terrific Basilio. Congrats Jeff/

Maybe, Calvin must be planning to leave ABT( based on his latest Instagram)So the company did not want to waste a promotional space.

I agree with your first sentence but not your second. I do think management at ABT recognized Baca's potential and they were bringing him along at a steady pace. He was getting more and better opportunities. For instance, he partnered Stella Abrera in a Swan Lake extract at the Kaatsbaan 25th gala and he was purple Rothbart just this week (which is a principal role at ABT.) Compared to just about anyone else in the corps, he was doing well.

To me, the real issue is that the path to principal at ABT can be a slow one and Baca wasn't willing to wait. Unfortunately for ABT, Angel Corella was able to offer Baca a principal dancer position right now as a result of his getting rid of half the company at Pennsylvania Ballet. Also, Corella was willing to take on Baca's girlfriend, Nayara Lopes, who is a dancer at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. For Baca and Lopes, this is a win-win professionally and personally because they'll now be on the same company schedule.

I hate to see Baca go. I think he was on track to become the primo ballerina at ABT in time. But I'm not sure what else ABT could have done differently given the nature of its repertory and all the male dancers who are ahead of Baca in the principal and soloist ranks.

There are other tall dancers in the corps just waiting for a chance to show their talent specially Gray Davis, Daniel Mantei and Marshall Whiteley.

I would love to see Part at Tatiana and as Giselle, but I don't think it's going happen. I think we may get Kochetkova as Giselle. She is now Herman's "go to" partner. Since Boylston now dominates the rep, I think she may get a Giselle. Wait, just remembered she already has done Giselle at ABT, so Boylston will definitely get one.

Hoping that Lendorf can actually appear with the company sometime soon.

Did SFB do the entire Paquita? Isn't it a two-act ballet? I've only seen the entire ballet on DVD with the Paris Opera Ballet.

The Ratmansky Paquita is 2 acts. Most of the US productions are the 1-act Grand Pas.

The season mailer for SCFTA states: "To celebrate American Ballet Theatre's 25th visit to the Center, ABT will premiere a program never before performed by the Company or seen at the Center." Any thoughts what it might be?

Ratmansky's Paquita ? I hope...

Hopefully Cirio will keep returning!

For those following his career at ABT, in her review of the "Shostakovich Trilogy," Marina Harss wrote,

"He will surely be promoted to principal soon. His dancing is pristine and full-bodied it sings."

He will but when. ABT tends to be on the slower side on promotions of deserving dancers.

Cornejo danced Seven Sonatas Thursday night, so whatever ailed him Tuesday could not have been that serious. I have to agree with abatt about Ratmansky's Symposium. I found it tedious and without structure. I also agree that the music is not really amenable to dance. Tonight Jeffrey Cirio took Herman's role (the rest of the cast was the same as for the gala) and he really faded into the woodwork. OTOH,Seven Sonatas was beautifully performed. I have always been a fan of Sarah Lane, Herman, Veronika and Joey Gorak. But Hee Seo (whom I usually find incredibly dull) seems to have really improved. She looks far more assured in technique and lyricism. Blaine Hoven's performances have also been excellent. About 6 years ago I pegged him for big things but he was sidelined by injury for several years. This season, with leads in 2 Ratmansky ballets, I hope that maybe he will be promoted to soloist. As for Ratmansky's Firebird, I detest it. I have never seen a ballet that runs so counter to the music (both Fokine's version and Balanchine's are SO much better). Since I had just suffered through it on Monday, I decided to leave at the second intermission, at a high point.

Actually, J Cirio was first cast but was replaced by Herman at the Gala only.

To be fair, this season's rep is a bit less predictable than it is in most Met seasons. A typical year consists of Swan Lake, one (or maybe two) weeks of mixed rep, and usually 5-6 of the "two years on, one year off" standard ballets (i.e. Don Q, Giselle, Corsaire, Sleeping Beauty, R&J etc.). This year, we have really only 3 of the latter. Sylvia is rarer, Fille even more so.

I'm afraid that if La Fille gets the same reception as Sylvia, we will be seeing less Ashtons in the coming seasons.

I just noticed that Gisele Bethea has been appointed as an apprentice at abt, since January 2016.

This is probably one of the most exciting recent news for the company.

Considering the current quality of the principal ballerinas, which to me is probably in an all time low (with few exceptions), having Gisele in the company as an apprentice when she is only 15yo, gives me hopes for better times, sighhh.....

I hope Gisele develops as expected, without rushing her.....abt should be reminded of Herrera's career....

Hopefully together with S. Brandt, C. Trenary and some other very talented and promising ballerinas that are still in the corps, we will have once again the company that we have always loved, delivering remarkable performances that will make us go back to the met night after night

At least I have an incentive now to go to see abt and witness Gisele's development and hopefully, enjoy her progress and transformation into a real artist......

According to her FB account, Giselle was just promoted to be a member of the corp de ballet. congratulations.

If we do, I promise I'll stop griping for the rest of the spring season.

Hoping KM is reading your promise. lol

Does anyone know why Abrera and Forster were dancing the White Swan PDD at the Met today? Numerous ABT dancers posted pics of it on their Instagram accounts, but without context for the occasion.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFUQILWJBer/?taken-by=_xander&hl=en

Murphy is listed as performing excerpts from Sylvia next Monday for the Gala, so I'm wondering if this might be prepared as a substitute, as needed. What a treat, if it is!

maybe, we might get an Abrera Swan Lake debut this season?

Marcelo Gomes will be doing Mother Simone in some performances( Roman Zhurbin is doing it too) according to ABT schedule. He will be something to see. Too bad i'm not in the NYC area at that time. Looking forward for reports. Surprised that D Simkin was not cast as Alain. I think he would have been wonderful in that role.