nysusan

I think the Joffrey holds a special place in the hearts of most NY ballet fans who were around when they were a NY based company.  Perhaps that why it took so long for anyone to post about this engagement - despite the fact that I saw several BT'ers at the opening night performance.

For my part, I was reluctant to post because my affection for this company prompted thinking along the lines of  "If you can't say anything nice..."

I saw the first cast with Christine Rocas, and Rory Hoenstein ( as well as Yoshihisa Arai as Mercutio, Fabrice Calmels as Capulet, April Daly as Lady Capulet and Temur Suluashvili as Tybalt). In the performance I saw Juliet was definitely on pointe. I think many of the other female roles were also danced on point but  I'm not sure because the choreography was so un-classical and banal that the pointwork was hardly noticeable, and certainly not memorable.

All of the dancers were good but unfortunately none of them were able to overcome the material with the possible exceptions of Arai, Calmels and Daly. When the highlights are Mercutio and Lord & Lady Capulet you know your R&J is in trouble.

Not only did I not like the choreography, this production left me completely unmoved, which is really hard to accomplish - while I don't like the Morris or Martins versions at least they were engaging and I certainly shed a tear or two. But not with this one.

Went to the box office this afternoon to exchange my subscription tickets and buy a few extras. Imagine my surprise when the guy told me that ABT is not allowing subscribers to buy tickets during exchange week. This is exactly what they did last year until they started getting angry emails from subscribers.

Last year I believe we emailed  jtimm@abt.org, I'm going to email him tomorrow

Josette & ksk, thank you both for posting your impressions. Sounds like its worth seeing at least once and since my subscription ticket is for the Simkin/Abrera/Gomes/Lane cast I guess I will keep it, 

11 minutes ago, Drew said:

Is Taming of the Shrew (which is announced for the next week, also at the former NY State theater, on the Bolshoi website) part of Lincoln Center festival or a separate event. I am contemplating whether it is worth it to me to make a last minute donation to Lincoln Center -- I know I should give for the sake of giving, but most of my ballet budget goes to travel expenses and buying tickets. Any idea? I called Lincoln Center members office today, but no-one was there. 

I believe that its part of the LC Festival but beware - they usually sell subscriptions before single tickets so you have to buy several of the LC Festival offerings

16 hours ago, mussel said:

Jewels pricing:

 

Orchestra and 1st ring: $110-$500

2nd ring: $100-$200

3rd ring: $75-$150

4th ring: $55-$75

And the performances will be filmed.

Geez!  Lincoln Center Festival tickets are always considerably higher than regular NYCB or ABT tickets, but this takes it to a whole new level. But I will still go, because I love Jewels, because I saw it that first season and want to honor that memory and because I am really looking forward to seeing the Bolshoi's Diamonds live. However at these prices they had better be bringing Smirnova and Zahkarova. or I will be very disappointed.

And even though I know that Obraztsova usually dances Emeralds I'd love to see her in the Rubies PDD.

Just now, Natalia said:

 

So Ratmansky only choreographed part of WHIPPED CREAM for Winnipeg?  Maybe it should have been titled "Whipped Lite" or "Ready Whip"? 

lol Natalia!

I would so appreciate it if you'd share your thoughts about this new production as soon as possible after you've seen it. 

I'm waiting to hear what Ballet Alert peeps think before deciding whether to dump my expensive ABT subscription ticket & pick up a cheapo cheapo nose bleed seat during exchange week (this starts on 3/18, right after the SoCal run). I was so disappointed with last year's Golden Cockeral, I really felt like I threw my money away on it and I don't want to do that again.  

A preview in the OC Register http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ballet-746176-whipped-cream.html talks about its similarities to the Nutcracker, and that's just fueling my apprehension:

These (Ryden) design details helped Ratmanksy shape his choreography and they are also what will hopefully set the new ballet apart from the well-known “Nutcracker” story line which even Ratmansky admits bears a striking resemblance to “Whipped Cream.”

On 12/12/2016 at 8:01 PM, canbelto said:

I'd go woth the Laracey/Catazaro/Peck performance. Tiler Peck's Dewdrop is amazing.

I agree 100% - it forced me to buy a ticket to another performance. Peck's Dewdrop is one of the best ever. I've never seen Laracey's SP but she's such a warm and gracious dancer with that glorious epaulment that I'm sure it will be wonderful

On 12/1/2016 at 2:38 AM, sandik said:

This does seem a less interesting project than the festival usually presents -- I wonder what the state of affairs is.

The press release (or was it the NY Times story?) mentioned that the multi company Jewels was being done as a commemoration of the ballet's 50th anniversary - it debuted at the State Theater in 1967. As such, I think its a great idea.

I will definitely go to a few. I'd love to see Smirnova & Zakharovas in Diamonds, and I'm sure POB will be lovely in Emeralds but based on their DVD I'm not so keen on seeing them in the other 2/3.

Edited to add: Just saw this in Dance magazine - POB will dance Emeralds for all performances, NYCB & Bolshoi will alternate Rubies & Diamonds. NYCB orchestra will play for all performances:

http://dancemagazine.com/news/coming-soon-epic-jewels-ever/

It doesn't specifically say whether it will be only the leads or the full corps from each company but it sounds like each company will bring their own corps & soloists. It would be really weird to see POB & Bolshoi leads with NYCB corps - the stylistic differences would be very jarring.

9 hours ago, abatt said:

I suspect that ABT may be saving those Onegin TBAs to see if Hallberg can make a return.  His partner during the last round of Onegins was also Hee Seo.  Hope things go well for him. 

Hallberg is one of the greats and I fervently hope to see him back with ABT this spring. , I guess I'll have to put up with Hee Seo if thats who he's paired up with, but I certainly wont be happy about it 

The stars were in alignment last night and we were given a double dose of Veronika due to the replacement of the Seo/Hammoudi/Han cast of Monotones 2 with the Part/Forster/Stearns cast.  They brought out the otherworldly poetry of Ashton’s vision beautifully.

Monotones 1 was enjoyable, but it was marred occasionally by Boylston’s hunched shoulders. I think Boylston has a lot of potential but how a dancer can ascend to a principal position at a major company without having this type of problem corrected is beyond me.

I appreciate how each of the men in Plato’s Symposium is given such distinctive choreography and how each of the dancers makes so much of their assignments – they were all smashing - but I just don’t see it as the greatest new ballet of the 21^st century (per Macaulay). I find it to be an enjoyable piece and a great showcase for the company’s up and coming male dancers but not a ballet I want to see over and over again.

Its been a very long time since I saw anyone but NYCB do Prodigal Son. As you would expect, ABT takes a very theatrical approach to it, acting it a lot more than NYCB does. Not that it wasn’t also danced well, Simkin’s  technique was in full force but this was no mere technical display. He did a good job projecting the prodigal’s combination of arrogance and naiveté, as well as his harrowing fall and repentance. Veronika may have been the most overtly sexual Siren I’ve ever seen. She had one tiny bit of trouble with her cape at the part when she was on the floor and folding it over herself but aside from that it was a truly commanding performance.  And my goodness, the way those legs parted and sliced through the air was amazing.

I think Cornejo danced Prodigal back in '09 with Michelle Wiles. Simkin had his debut that year too, with Dvorenko. I believe the other Siren that year was Kristi Boone (memorable).

Out of the current ABT roster, I'd most like to see Veronika Part in this role. No way I can see Copeland or Boylston there.

Agreed, Copeland & Boylston are too small. Part would make a great Siren, also Abrera and Murphy

I think otherwise of Sarah's partnering with Cornejo as I recall seeing her last year in Le Spectre de la Rose with him, and thought they were wonderful together, although it wasn't a "full-length", nonetheless I felt they were the best of the couples for that

Agreed that they were lovely together in Spectre, but there are no overhead lifts in Spectre. That is also why they are ok together in Ratmansky's Beauty. It's a different story with things like T&V and basically anything that requires him to lift his partner or hold her overhead.

Personally (a lot of people won't agree). Instead of hiring Kochetkova, Sarah Lane should have been promoted or been given more principal roles this year while looking at a promotion soon. Lane's been doing Theme & Variations, with distinction, for years (better than Boylston). IMO her first Sleeping Beauty should have gotten her promoted. She'd be perfect in Romeo and Juliet. Again, I know I am in a minority, but Lane drives me to buy a ticket in a way that Kochetkova just doesn't.

I agree about Sarah but I think the decision to bring Kochetkova in was at least partially driven by Cornejo. Just conjecture here, but she is the only ballerina I have ever seen him partner comfortably. Both Reyes and Lane were actually a bit too big for him. Reyes was very good at compensating for his partnering deficiencies but I have seen some very bad partnering from him when he's been paired with Lane. Kochetkova is shorter than either of then and considerably smaller (lighter) than either of them.

Despite my dislike of her dancing, Cornejo has never looked better than when partnered with Kochetkova, and he lifts her with ease.

Curious about the lack of interest (and what seems to be almost apathy from those on this board) in Kochetkova. She seems to be a main draw in SF, so why not at ABT? Is it her technique? Her lack of height? Her "hipsterness"?

II have no problem with her technique, her lack of height or her hipsterness. In fact I have enjoyed her with SFB when she was dancing modern works and I liked her in Ratmansky's Piano Concerto. But I generally avoid her with ABT because she has absolutely no feel for the 19th century classics., and thats mostly what she dances here.

Yes, I know that she is Russian and trained at the Bolshoi school but don't forget that the Bolshoi didn't offer her a contract and she only lasted one season with the Royal. Her movements are so sharp, she has no Russian back, her epaulment is stiff, her arabesque pedestrian. Her phrasing is dull, I've seen no rubato from her, no cantelina line, no amplitude in her dancing. I saw her in Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake her first season with ABT and that totally soured me on her. Next season she was cast in Bayadere and I thought that would be a better fit for her. I was wrong.

I might give her another shot if she does DQ in the next couple of seasons, but I'm done with her in the classic ballerina roles.

Heymann was good, but in my opinion not stellar. Mr. Abatt remarked to me that he is better than the majority of ABT's own male principal roster right now, and ABT should sign him up. Since Bolle and Gomes don't do Corsaire, the only tall principal men available are Stearns and Whiteside.

But he isn't tall! He was noticeably shorter than Gillian (when she was on pointe) and that may explain some of the partnering problems. I thought his dancing was great, but he didn't make much of an impact and in a ballet like this, you have to sell it. He certainly did not impress as a pirate leader who could ward off an insurrection by the sheer force of his personality (paraphrasing the program notes).

Fingers and toes crossed that we don't have another season of Hee Seo Ballet Theater.

If we do it will be my last season as a subscriber. Enough is enough.

I thought Lauren Lovette was utterly miscast as the Merry Widow. She is both too short and too young looking. they should have at least switched up the casting and put Janzen and Lowery in the Gold and Silver Waltz, since they both look more adult than Finlay and Lovette.

I agree 100% about Lovette, she is so small she just got swallowed up in all that costuming. She definitely has the personality for the role but she looked like a kid in her mother's dress and that hat - well, the hat wore her.

I absolutely love Sylvia. I love the music, I love that wonderful open Ashton style, the pastoral, the goats, everything. But I have to say that last night the first act was just dreary. The music was played so slowly and the dancers seemed really lethargic. I'm sure it didn't help that there were so many empty seats and that the audience was so low energy but it was more than that. It seamed like the orchestra and the dancers were just tired, or just not ready for the season to start. Thinks picked up a great deal after intermission, but this kind of start does not bode well for the season.

And I agree with Canbelto that it was shocking to see so many empty seats in all levels on opening night. I know its a Monday, I know Sylvia is not a popular ballet but c'mon - it was opening night and it was half empty.

Speaking about guest stars, I wish ABT had Friedemann Vogel on its list. If there's any international male dancer the american ballet-goers deserve to see live, its him. Superb line, technique, power and presence.

I agree 1000%. He's one of my favorite current male dancers who I hardly ever get to see...just the occasional gala appearance

MCB made a great impression with their 1st program here last night.

What a privilege & a pleasure it was to watch Simone Messmer as the Waltz Girl in Serenade. She was incisive, musical and full of mystery. I don't know most of the MCB dancers but I think it was Nathalia Arja as the Russian Girl (and also the girl with the red star at the end of Symphonic Dances). If so this soloist needs to be promoted to pricincipal ASAP! She is a small, speedy technical powerhouse also capable of great delicacy and full of charisma . My only quibble with Serenade was the casting of the Dark Angel ( I think it was Emily Bromberg). She was fine, but she faded into the background compared to the other two. Not particularly tall (about the same height as Messmer) and certainly not possessed of the imposing presence and glorious arabesque of Dark Angels we get to see in NY like Kowroski, Mearns and Reichlin.

I loved Symphonic Dances. There is so much going on in this ballet that I'd like to see it multiple times, unfortunately I only get to see it once more. It uses many dancers in different groupings and changes of costumes, and they all looked wonderful. Among the principals I recognized G. Delgado and Albertson, and I think Arja was the girl with the red star at the end but I'm not sure, and I couldn't identify any of the men.

ABT did Anastasia a number of years ago. It was one of the worst ballets I had ever seen.

I saw the RB do Anastasia in the late 60s/early 70s when it was new - with Lynn Seymour, no less! All I remember was that it was awful

But y'all know how this works. If you want your cinema to carry Symphonic Variations, you've got to go see Anastasia and The Nutcracker, otherwise cinema owners may give up on the season long before June 2017.

I really don't know how they expect us in Manhattan to support this program when its only showing at 1 theater (Symphony Space) and they are choosing to schedule them at 1 PM on Wednesdays. NY has a large ballet community but a lot of us work!

I took off 1 day of work this year to see the Rhapsody/Two Pigeons program. I would have seen more if they were shown evenings or weekends.

I may take off once next season to see Wolfworks, but thats really all the time I can take off of work for ballet.

So Misty's R&J is almost sold out, already. Only back row side box seats and family circle left. Crazy.http://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/arts/2016/04/01/sleeping-beauty-abt-detroit-opera-house/82490208/

I think I might have Misty to thank for the lack of guest artists. She is bringing in the cash for ABT.

Not surprising, I think its obvious at this point that she is a super star, known and admired WELL beyond ballet circles. Look at this review of ABT's opening night in Detroit. They talk about the opulence of the production, about the center's ballet program and about Misty. The principal dancers are barely mentioned, the review is all about MIsty's 8 minutes in the Bluebird pas de deux.

http://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/arts/2016/04/01/sleeping-beauty-abt-detroit-opera-house/82490208/

I'm looking at the Met ABT subscriber page. http://www.metopera.org/Season/Tickets/ABT-Subscription/

What does this mean?

• Exclusive subscriber benefits, including Priority Seating, Advance Access to Individual Tickets and FREE Ticket Exchange Privileges.

You all got "priority seating" (because you have tickets, even though you didn't get to pick your seat). But what do they mean by "advance access to individual tickets" and "FREE ticket exchange privileges." It sounds like they let you exchange subscriber tickets one-for-one, but denied you additional individual tickets. False advertising? Perhaps the Met box office isn't communicating with the ABT staff in charge of this?

Has anyone contacted ABT to ask why one of the major subscriber perks seems to have been rescinded without warning?

"Advance Access to Individual Tickets" has not been rescinded, that refers to the ability to order single tickets when you order your subscription and have the order filled before single tickets go on sale to the general public ( but after subscription and Trio sales have closed).

Thats still a nice perk but you can't choose your exact seats as you can at the box office and, as I was told on the phone last week when I called in panic because I hadn't received the single tickets I'd ordered and subscriber exchange week was about to begin, single tickets are not exchangeable, only subscription tickets can be exchanged. They're really clamping down this year and it makes no sense for them to alienate their subscriber base.