christine174

... But could anyone explain for me what Macaulay means by a "full toned dancer" as in Vishneva being more "full toned" than Cojocaru?

And as I think about it further I'd just add what a pleasure it was to see the great performer Angel Corella on wed nite. I would be so sorry to think his time at ABT is up. Hope he and ABT can work out a few more years!

After 6 or so Giselle's, it all starts to blend together but I can add a few impressions. I had no plans to see Dvorovenko & Beloserkovsky, but I was enticed to buy a ticket by the opportunity to see Kobborg, who I'd never seen before. As mentioned, the chemistry with Dvorovenko wasn't sizzling, but nonetheless I found it a quite satisfying performance. Kobborg was very virile and charismatic and impressive technique-wise. He conveyed an authentic caddish princely high-born hauteur (if that's not both redundant and an oxymoron) better than anyone other than IMHO Angel Corella on Wednesday nite (although take out the caddish part for Corella, who is always a charmer and a sweetheart). Dvorovenko is someone I often think I don't like but then she surprises me by delivering an affecting performance, and this was one of those times. She is a real asset to ABT.

Just wanted to add my thanks to all who took the time to share such detailed and nuanced reviews. I learn so much from the forum! And I agree with Bart's comments about the Macaulay review. It's hard to believe we're only halfway through the Giselle run! At least two more perfs lined up for me, and possibly three.

Program insert tonight: "Gillian Murphy is injured and unable to perform." Not good!!!

Gomes does seem to give rise to that question with every ballerina he dances with! ... Let's not explain, shall we? He's just a great actor partner dancer!

Reviews please!

No reviews of Semionova and Hallberg?

Thanks, Marga! I would love to see a discussion/comparison, too. I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as many on BT, and I've been very focused on ABT for some years now, but my recent exposure to NYCB has really been eye-opening. Most amazing are the talent and beauty at the female principal level as compared to ABT, consistency of the corps, and the overall quality and intelligence of the rep. Moderators, does this belong on another thread?.

I'm with abatt! Simkin is a pure pleasure to watch. He has a star quality and charisma. He just attracts the light on the stage. Added to that is the bravura, the flexibility, the elevation. He is so expansive and generous. Is it the port de bras, so open? Is he just really pulled up? Everything he does seems so open and transparent and giving. He's an acrobat with a beautiful beautiful classical form. Amazing. So expansive!!! I'm speechless. Kajiya is a daner I admire, she did fine, and an amazing series of fouettes with variations and rotating spots. Perhaps someone else can describe it better than I. I like her, and I want to like her... but maybe it was just a tad beyond her capacity. The corps de ballet was, to my eye, embarrassingly uneven and underrehearsed. Renata Pavam and Simone Messmer are both delightful dancers, and favorites of mine, but they were totally out of sync. I thought Stella Abrera looked tired, and Gemma Bond too. Interesting to be back in the ABT season. I've been a little tired of the rep for some time now. And I've realized that the remedy is just a hop skip and jump away, across the plaza!!! I hope this isn't off topic. But there are several ABT principals I deliberately avoid, and now I'm encountering elsewhere a whole female principal cadre that is so beautiful and fresh... TR, MK, SM, SH, AB, TP, and the young ASS, who I feel I could never tire of...

So, any reports from the gala? Looking forward to any and all comments!

Have any of you gotten your single tickets yet? I received my subscription tickets but not the extras. I'm not completely sure I remember what extra tickets I ordered, making it hard to know what to exchange for tomorrow! Also, I'm a little confused by my subscription tickets, which have "no refunds or exchanges" printed right on the ticket, while the accompanying letter describes how to exchange during subscriber exchange week. Any insights?

Thanks for posting the link! I thought she looked lovely in the White Swan pdd, esp the arms. Made me hopeful of seeing her in the full-length version... but then, she does seem to be struggling with the fouettes in the Corsaire pdd...

I stumbled across two wonderful videos of Hee Seo and Cory Stearns doing the White Swan and Le Corsaire pas de deux at something called the Gala of International Dance Stars. Posted in September. It looks like they're getting few hits, but well worth a look for ABT fans. I'm not technically accomplished enough to post a link, but you can easily find it via search (with Stearns' name misspelled "Corey").

I assumed it was Hinkis, Lavine and Giangeruso, all promoted up from apprentice...

Add me to the list of those who will miss Anne Milewski! Always a sparkling and lovely performer. I wish her the best!

I too found Hallberg and Osipova magical! I want to put in a special word for Blaine Hoven as Benvolio, which I also saw him do Tuesday night. He was really stellar both nights -- bravura technique, impressive control, clean lines, not a wasted movement, and totally confident. A real pleasure to watch!

Terrific news! She has been carrying the weight of a soloist (and a busy soloist, at that) for like two years now, so it's about time she got the title to go along with it. I look forward to seeing much more of this exciting dancer!

I also was there last night and enjoyed the program immensely. I think it was Carreno, not Gomes, doing the Manon pdd with Vishneva. I've enjoyed Carreno a lot this season as a partner -- generous, reliable, noble. I've seen The Dream four times now and really love it. I've seen Gomes as Oberon twice. The clarity and vividness of his mime is astonishing. It was clearly readable from the Family Circle, I especially loved the look of sternness and astonishment he gave Puck; his gestures clearly said: "WTF??!!!" I also thought the star-crossed lovers cast of Kristi Boone, Karin Ellis-Wentz, Roman Zhurbin, and Gennadi Saveliev was especially good. Roman Zhurbin especially gave a wonderfully ardent and comedic turn. As the season comes close to the end, I find I'm especially enjoying Simone Messmer. I didn't really understand why she got promoted, especially ahead of the amazing Hee Seo. But without really focusing on her, I've found myself increasingly noticing her. Last night she was one of the soloists in Allegro Brillante and Peaseblossom in The Dream. Also saw her in Birthday Offering on Wednesday night, where her variation was espeically explosive. It's hard to describe what it is I'm finding so interesting about her, but I think of words like softness, flowing movement, authority, and unexpected passion. Pretty good!! Finally, I've been really happy to see rep that's new to me. I've reached the saturation point with Swan Lake, Bayadere, and Don Q. If they bring the Ashton program back next year, I'd be there every night!

No posts on the past few days of performances! I would love to hear more reviews and impressions!

Love BT's new look and the iPhone app! I was at the All-Classic Program last night. First off was Allegro Brillante. Gillian Murphy and Ethan Stiefel looked great. Incredible as it seems, she just keeps getting better, and I definitely noted more expressiveness and fluidity in the upper back and arms, as others noted recently. Stiefel is such a wonderful dancer, with great form, height, humor, and panache. It's so unfortunate he missed so much time with injuries, but it's great to see him! The second part of the first half of the program consisted of three similar pas de deux -- Romeo & Juliet, Thais, and Manon. This was an unfortunate pairing (or tripling?), IMHO. The pieces are all similar in tone, style, and set. They are all brief, not distinct enough, got lost in the vastness of the Met, and just generally I felt it was too thin as a program. Individual performances were stellar, in particular Hee Seo in Thais. (This was especially admirable coming after she fell flat on her face during Allegro Brillante. I didn't see what happened there, but heard the audience gasp and saw her picking herself up off the floor and get right back to work). The thinness of the first half of the program was more than redeemed by The Dream, however. I saw this for the first time during the terrific All-Ashton program a few weeks back. I really love this ballet! It has everything a ballet should have -- exciting choreography, sharp characterization, sophisticated narrative, and great music (especially love the choral sections). Also good costumes, good humor, and compelling otherworldly atmosphere. Marcelo Gomes as Oberon was his usual extraordinary self, impressing as much for acting as he did for dancing. I could barely recognize him as the Marcelo Gomes I know. I can totally see him in an acting career when he's finished dancing (not for a long time to come, I hope!). Craig Salstein as Puck was a delight. Overall, a great performance. I'll be at the All-Ashton program again tonight, and I can't wait to see Murphy, Hallberg, and especially Herman Cornejo as Puck!

Thank you ambonnay for posting the cast change! I have had my fill of SL over the years, and after seeing it with Part and Stearns Monday night had no desire to see any other casts. Been there, done that. But when I heard about Part and Hallberg, that was irresistible, and I picked up the phone for the box office immediately. What a great performance! Part looked fantastic, and I never thought I'd like her black swan more than her white swan, but truly, she just looked great. So glad I didn't miss this!

Totally agree with abatt. This performance was seriously marred by partnering glitches that were all too visible, and no wonder Veronika was rattled. She started out delivering another breathtaking and moving performance, but the difficulties with Cory Stearns really got in the way. I also was disappointed by the substitution of Matthews for Simkin. Matthews did better than I expected, but of course nothing can really replace Daniil Simkin. Sarah Lane and, especially, Yuriko Kajiya, were lovely. On the Sleeping Beauty thread someone suggested promoting some of the talented soloists to principal while they're still young, and I heartily agree. Lane and Kajiya were so lovely it made me want to see more of them, and it was frustrating to see Riccetto as a cygnette, Hee Seo as a big swan, and Misty Copeland do the Hungarian Princess yet again. What a waste of talent!

I have had a fantastic day at the Met. Really enjoyed the All American program this afternoon. I see there's no thread for that one yet. Just getting out of All Ashton, and as I wait for the bus to take me home, amidst fellow patrons and several of the musicians, I am flowing over with enthusiasm. I have very little familiarity with Ashton, and I loved it. Perhaps I'll post more tomorrow when I've had time to get my thoughts in order, but for now I have to single out Daniil Simkin's Puck, an incredible performer in a role that could not be more suited to him. Someone please tell Simkin it's okay to enjoy the curtain call, though. When you have an audience leaping to its feet for you, please don't rush off the stage. I was left a little dissatisfied at how much I was able to express my appreciation.

I was there Friday night for Gomes and Vishneva. My expectations were low, to say the least, since I usually dislike ballets that involve more acting than dancing, and the "official" reviews I'd read (from the Links page) were less than enticing. I agree with everyone who said the first act is a snooze; I literally dozed off, and thought about leaving at intermission. I'm very glad I didn't! It got much, much more involving. The plot is convoluted (it definitely helped that I know the opera well), but I thought the tie-in with Manon Lescaut was interesting and inventive. I got very absorbed in it. My sense is the success of this ballet depends heavily on the dancers. I didn't see the other casts, I'd guess this one was best. Vishneva was passionate, of course. But I can't say enough in praise of Marcelo Gomes. His acting was so nuanced that I could see him having an acting career after his dancing days are over. When he first appeared to pay homage to Marguerite he looked earnest and unformed. I never would have thought Marcelo Gomes could look dorky, but that he did is a testament to his acting skills. In the last act he was so passionate I thought the stage might erupt in flames. The whole scene where he's off on the side reading her diary, he conveyed so much shifting emotion, coming from deep inside, that he was gripping even when not moving. That's an actor!