atm711

I HAD THE SAME REACTION!! For too many years the Met had Dolora Sajek (sp??) as Asucena and I welcomed the change.

I guess I am probably the one one on this website to have seen her as the original "Miss Turnstiles" in "On The Town". I had missed her performances with Ballet Theatre by a couple of years but was fortunate to finally catch up with her. How I wished I could hav e seen her as Rosalind in Tudor's R&J. Loved that closeup of her in 'Midsummer Nights Dream'!! "

Good grief! I am seeing Swan Lake tomorrow night and I can do without the propaganda speeches. I hope the talk was only for opening night!! Unfortunately I have been questioning why I bought the tickets in the first place,,,,,I blame it all on TDF.

SO WHAT!! if she wasn't a member of the Company-----she was a STUDENT which makes the accusations far worse....

YES! This week I saw on youtube the Mariinsky in "La Valse". Never saw those intricate arm movements performed better. All the dancing was superior to what I saw at NYCB this season. As to the seats at the City Center---I have spent many years at that theater watching the Denham Ballet Russe, Ballet Society and NYCB. I always sat in the 2nd balcony (the rows go from A to H. with an upper part of the balcony which at times was not in use). My favorite seat was H1

I saw both performances and the most 'professional' looking students were the girls corps in La Source and Western Symphony....they could step into any NYCB performance!

Heartedly agree with your assessment of the school Abatt! There is nothing wrong with 'company ballerinas' if they have the talent of an Alicia Alonso or Nora Kaye,......which was the norm in the early days of Ballet Theater!! They more than held their own with the likes of Alicia Markova and Tamara Toumanova.....

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......

There has been no mention of the Alexandra Fedorova version (former Mariinsky dancer married to a Fokine) which was based on the Ivanov version. It was the first Nutcracker that most Americans saw on the Ballet Russe tours. It was in two acts and had the best Grand Pas de Deux you could hope to see---(NO apologies to Balanchine and Ratmansky!)

May he rest in peace--along with Carbro. I miss them both.

I cannot join all the hurrahs for Mearnes in the Tchai PDD---she did manage to 'bring down the house' at the very end with her leaps into the fish dives, and being carried off---she did not nail what went before! but, I guess not bad for a non-Balanchine dancer...... The best part of my weekend viewing was the divine Maria Koworski in the Agon PDD...she continues to amaze me....her technique was so strong...the years melted away......

Just this week I saw (on youtube) a peformance of Gillot as Myrtha (with Pujol and LeRiche). Her grand jetes were astonishing!

It's more than just the fouettes that are problematic...(I can forgive that!) Years ago an ABT ballerina (Nana Gollner) did 32 Changements in place of the fouetees, the easiest of all ballet steps!) and there were few complaints about the rest of the performance........or for that matter about the Changements....they were excitingly performed with high ballon and she pulled it off....

ABT was always a company of guest artists---as early as the 1940-s.... that policy allowed me to see Toumanova, Riabouchinska, Lichine, and Markova..of course, their backup ballerinas were Alicia Alonso and Nora Kaye...nowhere do I see that talent with today's backups.....and I might add---Jean Babilee!!

How is Ms Hoey's name pronounced?...it should be hoo-ee!