FauxPas

Roland John Wiley in his book "Tchaikovsky's Ballets: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and the Nutcracker" goes into the original "Swan Lake" (by which you mean the 1895 Petipa/Ivanov Mariinsky version rather than the 1877 Bolshoi). Some ideas: supposedly in Act II when Odette entered she had a retinue of baby swans performed by young students. The Act II pas de deux would be a pas de trois with Benno helping out. Also, in the grand pas there were hunters that followed Siegfried and Benno to the lakeside and partnered the swan corps. I think that maybe the elimination of all of this leaving us with just Siegfried and Odette and the swan maiden corps is a good idea. Here is Doug Fullington reconstructing the original Black Swan PDD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xpOVN3cfGc#t=26m10s Also Act IV of the Royal Ballet version staged by Anthony Dowell uses the Sergeyev notations to reconstruct Ivanov's original choreography.

However, one big problem is that the Bolshoi sets don't fit the NY State/Koch Theater stage. The huge Metropolitan Opera House stage is about the same size as the Bolshoi stage. This became evident back in the late 90's when the Bolshoi toured "Giselle" and they played the New York State Theater. I was sitting up in the 4th ring and was bothered by the fact that I could see lighting units behind the painted flat greenery upstage. Don't they realize we can see behind those flats? Then I realized that at the Bolshoi the scenery would have been much further upstage since their stage is way deeper than the State Theater's. So at the further perspective the lighting units would not have been visible in the higher sections of the theater. I saw the Fadeyechev production of "Don Quixote" at the Met on the last Bolshoi tour and it really is a three-ring circus. Masses of extras and dancers on every inch of the stage. It could look very cramped on the Koch stage...

Okay FINAL VERSION: Male Principals: Roberto Bolle: He is 39 years old and is not going to be dancing that much longer. He shares his time with several other companies but they cast him less now - so he has more time for ABT. The "Swan Lake" I saw showed a fine artist and excellent partner but no longer a high powered technician. He is still in good shape and is needed. But it ain't going to last much longer. Herman Cornejo: Again he had injuries this season - brief and some of them were health issues, not dance-related injuries. But still he was not a reliable presence. The one big problem is that ABT is trying to find a new female partner for him to replace the 40+ Xiomara Reyes (who is in great form now). So they reached out again to Maria Kochetkova who did an excellent Kitri with him. For Giselle, Bayadere and Swan Lake they went with Alina Cojocaru, another guest artist and also fragile. They managed the one Bayadere together but the Giselle was aborted by his cancellation due to illness and the Swan Lake by her cancellation due to injury. So Herman still needs a petite star partner and hasn't found one yet. I suspect if "Giselle" returns Herman will be dancing Albrecht with Kochetkova. Herman's work was again excellent this season in "Don Quixote" - one of the world's greatest male dancers. Marcelo Gomes: Still a pillar supporting all of ABT's treasures - from the ballerinas he elevates physically and artistically to his command of the entire male repertory. He also filled in for Hallberg and Cory this year. His dancing is still extremely fine though I can see that he is content to be clean and strong, seldom attempting high-flying bravura tricks. In his mid-thirties and is starting to choreograph. I could see him running a company in five or six years...hmmm.... David Hallberg: Slightly younger than Gomes. Still dancing mostly with the Bolshoi though he will make the Fall Koch season this year. Again scheduled few performances for the Spring/Summer Met season and canceled several due to injury. It seems that he has those accumulated fractures, easily torn muscles and problem joints that dancers get after years of physical stress and coming back too quickly after injuries. He needs to take some time off and heal up. Seems to be more of a guest artist than a full-time principal. I was glad that he stayed long enough to learn a new role in Ashton's "Cinderella". He seems to be better partnered with Gillian Murphy than with Polina Semionova. Unlike Gomes who makes any ballerina look better while delivering a stellar performance himself, Hallberg really seems to work off of the woman. If it is a bad match or the ballerina has a cold temperament (Mme. Svetlana Zakharova I am looking at you) he will recede or fail to strike sparks. The mismatched ballerina will impede his interpretation. When dancing with a warmer or more passionate performer like Osipova or Cojocaru, Hallberg will blossom. Clearly with his injuries a bigger ballerina like Semionova (or Part) is not a good match. Daniil Simkin: I saw the Siegfried in "Swan Lake" this year and was surprised how much I liked it. He was encouraged not to do his acrobatic tricks and a gorgeous classical danseur emerged. It made me think that his Albrecht in "Giselle" is an obvious next step. Simkin showed wonderful Romantic temperament and style as Siegfried. Simkin handled the Act II lifts in "Swan Lake" well but had some glitches in the "Black Swan" Act III pdd. "Giselle" has even harder partnering due to the need to make the ballerina look weightless in Act II. He would need a tiny ballerina - maybe Cojocaru or perhaps Sarah Lane as Giselle? Cory Stearns: The blankness is still there. I actually rather liked him in "Manon" with Semionova - his youth and callowness were a better natural fit for Des Grieux. You wonder why Gomes' strong, passionate lover doesn't push Manon aside or slap her silly. With Stearns you saw a more impressionable youth who wasn't as strong. He is a good dancer if not an exciting one. More acting lessons since this season it seems that he has taken a step backward. Now prone to repeated injury. Ivan Vasiliev: I wonder how much longer he will be with ABT. The joint appearances with Osipova will eventually peter out - it was that Vasipova (or is it Osiliev?) "Carmen" tour that took him out of most of the ABT season. He danced two Basilios in "Don Q" at the beginning of the season and appeared as Solor in the Opening Night Gala. The Solor (betrothal pas only) was dashing if a little rough around the edges (some heavy landings). The Basilio actually had more charm and classical finish than the one he danced a few years ago with Osipova. He had a less competitive but inspired leading ballerina (Paloma Herrera in the one I saw) and he worked well with her. I don't see him developing a deep artistic collaboration with ABT. If he can't spend more time with them developing and expanding his range, then maybe he needs to be let go eventually. A star stopgap and glorified guest artist, not a jewel of the company. James Whiteside: Showed his worth this year covering a wide repertory really well. I did not see his opening night Prince in "Cinderella" but that was a major coup taking over from Stearns for such a coveted premiere. He may outstrip Cory as the young rising in-house male star of the company. Not everyone loves him as dancer or actor but he is delivering the goods. With Cory and Marcelo one of the workhorses of the male contingent. However, though I do not blame him for this, I do think that his lightning fast rise to principal after one year as a soloist was the wedge that drove Jared Matthews to Houston and Sascha into early retirement. It is humiliating to see the new male soloist promoted over you in just a year or less when you have been grinding away as a soloist for years. Female Principals: Isabella Boylston (after 8/1): Typical of American training, Boylston is strong below the waist and rather sloppy above. Definitely she needs to work on her epaulement and port de bras. However, she took on two signature classical roles this season: Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake" and her first "Giselle". I didn't see the Giselle but I did see her in "Swan Lake". Odette/Odile has very specific movements of the head, neck, arms, hands and back and somebody (Susan Jaffe in the past but probably more recently the Kirov's Irina Kolpakova) has been very carefully coaching her. Boylston lost the scraggly arms and hands and looked more much a ballerina. Her Odile was strongly danced but lacked the polished style of the Odette. Reviews indicate that Boylston was remarkable in "Giselle" but she had coached the role with Tatiana Terekhova in St. Petersburg as an exchange artist with the Mariinsky. Clearly the coaching took. So what Boylston needs is a very exacting Kirov school coach to work on her upper body problems. We may be unhappy about other soloists being ignored or passed over but in my view Boylston is delivering strong dancing over a wide repertoire. Also Boylston is showing development as a dancer and artist. I think the promotion was a good move and she will be a useful and strong company dancer. Paloma Herrera: As is often the case in recent years, I didn't go out of my way to see Paloma in the great classics and only bothered to watch her in new roles in ballets I am interested in. I did go to see her in "Don Quixote" mainly to catch Vasiliev in his only role this season. I wondered if she would show her age and he would dance her off the stage. However, like Osipova did when she danced Kitri partnered by late career Jose Manuel Carreno in "Don Q", being paired with a hot young virtuoso acted as a stimulant and inspiration for the older dancer. Paloma pulled out a sparkling performance and seemed to be enjoying dancing with Vasiliev and saved the best for last matching him turn for turn and spin for spin in the wedding pas de deux. Trained at SAB, Paloma is a natural Balanchine dancer. I found more notes of mystery and ambiguity in her interpretation of the last section of "Duo Concertant" than Misty Copeland summoned up. Paloma definitely did well in "Duo Concertant" and it made me wonder if she joined the wrong company. She isn't an interesting dance actress and mainly does well in modern neoclassical ballets and purely classical, not dramatic 19th century parts like Raymonda and Aurora. Paloma is a better Kitri than Odette/Odile or Giselle. She is retiring at the end of the 2015 season, so she isn't a factor in the artistic future of the company. Julie Kent: I saw her in "Cinderella" but avoided her Giselle and Manon. She was not scheduled for "Swan Lake" this year which is a good thing. Obviously she has a very special relationship with the management. She is starting to teach and coach which is a very good move. They need another female coach badly. The Cinderella I saw showed that she still has lovely lines and personal grace. Her arabesque is rather low these days and she has a tendency to sketch in the steps rather than dance full out. Julie joined ABT as an apprentice in 1985 and then joined as a full company member in 1986. I think she is waiting until 2016 to retire upon the occasion of her 30th anniversary with the company. The acquisition of the various "long skirt, passion play" dance melodramas - Manon, Dame aux Camellias, Onegin and even Ashton's "A Month in the Country" are due to the need to find repertory for her. She can still do lovely, lyrical things and can give pleasure. But her technical ability is diminished. It is time to start dropping roles and dancing just the few things she still can. And start planning that 2016 farewell - it will be time. Gillian Murphy: Gillian was usually seldom injured but sustained two injuries this season - a pulled muscle and a sprained foot. She bounced back within a week or two in each case. Frankly, I thank god for Gillian these days - ABT needs one full time, home grown star and she is it. I think they are developing Boylston as a potential replacement. I loved her Cinderella this year - Gillian's acting ability is always improving. But this was not her best season due to all the injuries and problems. In the past Gillian was almost never injured but now this is two seasons in a row. Veronika Part: Long suffering Veronika was relegated to matinees this year. I frankly wondered why she wasn't drafted to replace Cojocaru in the Saturday "Swan Lake" since she danced the role with Bolle a few years ago. Veronika didn't let the matinee casting (she got evenings of secondary roles like the Glove Seller, Myrtha and the Fairy Godmother) faze her. She danced excellently in the matinees I saw of "Bayadere" and "Don Quixote". The Kitri was a pleasant surprise - a cheerful exuberant temperament and strong jumps and turns. The main pleasure was the solid collaboration with James Whiteside - I hope they dance "Swan Lake" together eventually. Veronika is hard to partner and never has found the right man at ABT. Bolle and Gomes should be her partners but perhaps choose not to work with her. The situation with matinees only has to stop. After the anguish and years she spent stalled and ignored as a soloist to purposely marginalize her like this after achieving principal status is sadistic. Veronika has earned her place at the top many times over. ABT currently has an aging underwhelming ballerina roster with not much depth. If there is a personality problem - well great artists aren't always easy to deal with. Hee Seo, Isabella Boylston and Misty Copeland will never match Veronika in "Swan Lake". Kevin McKenzie shame on you. Xiomara Reyes: Xiomara is over forty but you wouldn't know it. I wasn't expecting much from her this year but was delightfully surprised each time. Now in the "Don Quixote" she danced with Lendorf, she ran out of gas a bit in the final wedding pas de deux (iffy balances and the last rotations in a solid set of fouettes got away from her). The rest was charming and well danced. Manon works well for her in the first act's semi-innocent country coquette and the last act's battered waif. The second act glamorous queen of the demi-monde doesn't work for her - not commanding or sexy enough. The gown, wrap and jewels seemed to wear her and swallow her up. The Cinderella was lovely and touching with delicate enchantment. The Giselle I expected to really be a severe comedown after Vishneva's - but it had a sweetness and magic of its own. The Coppelia was charming and strongly danced. Xiomara is an excellent example of a "stage face" - she is tiny but she reads big onstage. Her technique is still very admirable - retirement seems to be still a few years into the future. Polina Semionova: She is a superb technician with a fabulous body. I agree with the recent criticisms of her as being a company ballerina who can dance everything but isn't terribly distinctive in anything. She lacks a personal approach and doesn't always emotionally engage the viewer. As Macauley said about her first "Swan Lake" she has all the steps but doesn't tell you anything new or interesting about the character. However, her Nikiya in "La Bayadere" with Shklyarov this year was truly magnificent and I have seen ballerinas from Guillem, Asymuratova to Vishneva in the role. Semionova gave them a run for the money - was Makarova working some magic in the rehearsal room? If that is the case get Makarova into the room for her next "Swan Lake" - Semionova has the perfect body for "Swan Lake" - we need to get some slavic soul into her "Swan Queen" and Natasha is our gal for that. Hee Seo: When will Kevin get the message that Hee Seo isn't quite ready for the center spotlight? The problem isn't so much of technique but really one of stamina. She hasn't got enough to carry a demanding classical role to a successful completion. She will start the steps correctly and then her muscles will fail to support her to the finish. She is a little stronger this year - her Dryad Queen actually nailed the first three Italian fouettes but then stumbled out of the last ones. In the Odile's Black Swan PDD she began the coda strongly with a solid, fast, high and tight series of fouettes. But they started to travel and then the working leg tired. She fell out of the set three or four rotations short of the finish. The technique is there but the stamina isn't. Now this has been a problem for many ballerinas at the beginning of their careers - Margot Fonteyn and Natalia Makarova mentioned soft muscles and problems with difficult sections of choreography in their early Giselles and Swan Lakes. Is Kevin doing Seo a favor by throwing her into every role in the repertory and making her dance two Swan Lakes in a row? Is this going to build her up or diminish her and make her susceptible to injury? Will she get stronger or just struggle on with her problems while better equipped ballerinas like Sarah Lane languish? Seo also has lovely interpretive ideas - the Odette had lovely moments but she was working only moment to moment with no sustained arc because of her technical frailty. I didn't see the Cinderella this year and skipped her Giselle. Giselle is possibly her best role because there are only short bursts of difficult dancing and she can manage the lyrical moments beautifully. Giselle and Juliet are her best roles right now. Stella Abrera danced a much better Dryad Queen and would be a better Odette/Odile and Aurora and probably an equally good Giselle and Juliet. Hee Seo's biggest problem is that she projects a small-scale soft-edged loveliness - she is "nice" and "nice" ain't gonna get you through one "Swan Lake" let alone two in a row. Diana Vishneva: Great artist - about 38 years old. No new roles this season and ABT doesn't seem to be acquiring or developing new roles for her like they have for Kent, another veteran ballerina. Moving away from difficult classical roles and concentrating more on dance dramas like "Onegin" or "Manon" where her collaboration with Gomes is comparable to Fonteyn/Nureyev, Fracci/Bruhn or Ferri/Bocca. The "Bayadere" is her one classical role and she struggled a bit with the unsupported pirouettes in the "Shades" act. The rest of it was gorgeous. Her Giselle was historic this year. She is working harder to achieve her level of perfection but she gives all she has. How can you not love a dancer who gives so much? Give her something in return, ABT. Soloists: Male: Joseph Gorak (after 8/1): This was Joe Gorak's breakthrough season. Alastair Macauley was constantly singling him out in reviews and showering him with praise. Taking over the "Cinderella" was the deciding factor. His appearance as Franz in "Coppelia" showed that he can carry a leading role in a full-length ballet. The promotion to soloist was inevitable - the momentum had started from the opening night. Still needs to work on his partnering. Hope he gets the Prince Desiré/Florimund in "Sleeping Beauty" next year. One of the few happy success stories going on at ABT right now. Alexandre Hammoudi: He has the looks, he has the presence, he has the height, he has the body - he ain't got the technique. Hammoudi was out most of last season with an injury and he also was out for more than half of this year's Spring/Summer season. He has spent more time out injured since he was promoted to soloist than he has danced. Clearly, ABT has plans to promote him further - they gave him one Albrecht this year and he was scheduled to dance Siegfried before being injured a year ago. Romeo was also in the cards. His Purple Rothbart this year was shaky and lacked technical control. I was told the Albrecht in "Giselle" was adequate, no more and not even comparable to Cory Stearn's performance. He keeps getting cast in leads over Tom Forster and Eric Tamm which really makes you think Kevin McKenzie may be going blind or losing his senses. Craig Salstein: I like Craig a lot and he is an impressive technical virtuoso but he is often given little credit for his dancing. Excels at comic demi-caractere roles but can deliver a clean, polished Peasant Pas de Deux in "Giselle" for example. Roman Zhurbin (after 8/1): Roman's dramatic interpretations have been such an integral part of so many great evenings at ABT that his promotion is beyond deserved. He has contributed so much, I am glad he is getting recognition. Female: Stella Abera: I am surprised she didn't retire along with Sascha - perhaps they need one steady paycheck in case "Flesh and Bone" on Starz gets canceled. Stella I guess has accepted her lot and is just putting in her time until she is ready to leave or Kevin doesn't renew her contract. Misty Copeland: I like Misty but her assignment of Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake" on the Australian tour is another head scratcher. She has the wrong body type, the wrong personality, isn't a great lyrical dancer for Odette and lacks the bravura classical technique for Odile. She is fairly petite and I guess could be the in-house dancer being prepared to partner Herman Cornejo in "Swan Lake". Not the best choice. NYSusan mentioned that she admired Misty for promoting the hell out of herself, getting her name out there and forcing Kevin's hand in casting her and promoting her. Sarah Lane: Sarah and Luis Ribagorda could be the next married couple defection (a la Jared and Yuriko) from ABT's ranks. She is 29 and I sense a quiet desperation behind the smile. She is frozen as a sweet little solo dancer - nothing she has been given has let her develop beyond the ingenue. A Giselle or Juliet could show an emotionally mature, womanly side to her persona. Her T&V and Miranda in the "Tempest" shows how much she has to offer. What did she do to deserve this kind of neglect? She could become another sad case like Stella Abrera watching the seasons go by and being passed over for inferior dancers in her dream roles like Juliet and Giselle. Ratmansky is a great champion of the young and unjustly overlooked and probably will give her an Aurora. How about a Lane/Gorak opening night cast? Christine Schevchenko (after 8/1): Some people were saying "Why promote Christine and not Skylar Brandt or Melanie Hamrick?" Christine has been totally consistent with the high quality of her dancing whereas the other two are more variable. Also Christine was Gillian Murphy's cover in Ratmansky's "Piano Concerto #1" final section of the Shostakovich Trilogy. She took over in the lead role when Gillian was injured and did very well keeping up with the major principal dancers. As a reward, when the ballet was revived for the Fall season as a standalone piece, Schevchenko kept her role in the alternate cast (Gillian was recovered, Vishneva was not dancing that engagement). Ratmansky might have had a lot to do with her retaining her role. Anyway, another deserved promotion. Devon Teuscher (after 8/1): A replacement for Simone Messmer and perhaps Maria Riccetto. Not as developed as a classical stylist but technically strong. Much needed right now since the female principal and soloist ranks are depleted and full of dead wood. Gone Baby Gone: Jared Matthews, Sascha Radetsky, Yuriko Kajiya, Kristi Boone, Nicola Curry, Kelley Boyd. Guest Artists: Amy Watson: the one Myrtha didn't impress me. Her opening manege looked stiff and jerky. Though she had the height and look she wasn't really commanding or cold enough. I say no return invitation. Olga Smirnova: beautiful woman, beautiful dancer - needs time to develop into a great artist. It is all there though. I wouldn't mind if she came back in "Swan Lake" but would prefer to see Kondaurova guest as Nikiya and Odette/Odile. Viktoria Tereshkina: killer technique, amazing strength, would love to see her in "Swan Lake" and "Don Quixote" but maybe with the Mariinsky on tour in their productions. Vladimir Shklyarov: definitely invite to return but with some decent rehearsal. Alina Cojocaru: She is so lovely but no Swan Lake. How about the Ashton Cinderella and another Juliet? Denis Matvienko (did not appear): A fine male danseur - injuries prevented his appearances paving the way for Lendorf's Basilio, Kevin Jackson's debut as Des Grieux and especially Jared Matthews' first (and last) ABT Albrecht. Invite again. Kevin Jackson: He was good but not better than Eric Tamm or Joseph Gorak would have been as Des Grieux in "Manon". However he is experienced and a good partner - given the preponderance of overhead lifting and twirling in those MacMillan ballets his experience and knowledge of the role made him a practical replacement. Now start teaching the role to some soloists. Denys Nedak: Very good dancer, excellent masculine stage presence and good technique. His debut was marred by one bad spill due to unfamiliarity with the stage. The rest was very good. Rehire. Vadim Muntagirov: Also not much of an actor and lacks personality. Quite good dancer and accomplished partner. Now a principal with the Royal Ballet. Maybe he will not be as available in the future for guesting. Maybe yes or maybe no as to rehiring. Alban Lendorf: Love this dancer. The Don Quixote wasn't his best role or performance but would love to see him do Sylphides or a Bournonville Ballet with ABT. Rehire. Andrew Veyette: He looked great but it was an insult to Jared Matthews that ABT brought him in at all. He is busy enough across the plaza, we love you Andrew but do not rehire. Possible future guests: Kondaurova, Sarafanov, Obraztsova and Fabrice Calmels. Corps de Ballet promising faces: Eric Tamm and especially Tom Forster need to be given more soloist and principal roles (Purple Rothbart for starters...). Pronto. Get them on the promotion track. Zhiyao Zhang nailed every part he was given - especially the Golden Idol - keep Zhang busy. Luis Ribagorda was the beneficiary of Joseph Phillips' departure and Carlos Lopez's retirement and emerged as a demi-caractere soloist. Exciting sexy looking dancer with potential. More Ribagorda please. Gray Davis needs to be given more as does Sterling Baca. I kept noticing the very tall, very handsome Daniel Mantei emerging from the line - especially in "Manon". He needs to be groomed for leads - there is more there. Calvin Royal was seriously thrown away and given nothing to do. Gabe Stone Shayer has been given a lead role by Ratmansky but McKenzie hasn't given him anything else to do. Bloggers have been singling out Courtney Lavine among the corps girls. Gemma Bond should be getting a Lilac Fairy in SB and the Fairy Godmother in "Cinderella" and other soloist roles. (I forgot to mention Nicole Graniero who danced a scintillating Amour in "Don Q" - give her more solos). Sean Stewart is a veteran corps dancer who could be groomed to do character parts at this point - he has acting ability and a wonderful face for comedy roles. Katherine Williams emerged with solo parts from the corps - she is a little soft and tentative but shows promise. Melanie Hamrick was looking stronger than ever and ready for bigger assignments but the fallout over the Mick Jagger yachting trip may have clouded her prospects. Zhong-Jing Fang is just clocking in her time with ABT - another sad story of promise unfulfilled.

Thank you - I am still working on it through today and fixing it bit by bit. I am also taking into consideration going over the guest artists (I saw most of them) and promising corps members who deserve another looking over. (Daniel Mantei, Luis Ribagorda, Courtney Lavine, etc.)

Message reposted below.

I checked Kristi Boone Stappas' public Facebook page. The cover photo shows that she and Isaac Stappas recently welcomed into the family a new daughter - less than six months old. So Kristi has been on maternity leave which would explain her non-appearance for the entire Spring/Summer Met season. Kristi and Isaac also have a ballet studio where they teach: http://www.kristiboone.com/biography/

Radetsky just tweeted this six hours ago: #radetskyrambles: "Last show tonight @ABTBallet. Hoka-hey, let's do this!" So it looks like he is going onstage tonight. Hooray! I will be there for him - lots of empty seats still available.

I wonder if the choice of doing brisés instead of entrechats has to do with Hallberg's many recent injuries to his feet and ankles. The constant jumping up and down landing repeatedly on the feet and ankles may aggravate the injury and place him at risk. The brisés have a forward motion and are lower to the ground (though they weren't with Corella and Baryshnikov).

You know what I wish? I wish that Cojocaru would marry Johan Kobborg and take one and a half to two years out of her career to have a baby and let her body (especially the feet) heal up. Then go back to the barre and get back into top shape and resume her career. I know there is a question of money and a short ballet career. But several NYCB women have burned out, taken a few years off after repeatedly injuring themselves in the same place. Lopatkina also took a long hiatus after a serious injury. It may give her body the rest it needs to heal and actually may add a few years to the latter end of her career. Hallberg cannot have a baby (though he may want to ) but may also need to take a hiatus and let his body heal - ditto Cornejo.

That is an inspired suggestion, cobweb! Like. Also, Tom Forster has the height that McKenzie wants in a Purple Rothbart (Ivan Vasiliev was compared to Puss in Boots in the part on this site). He also has the strong technique and a wonderful sneer. This season Forster has shown some acting chops in different roles - High Brahmin in "Bayadere" and Bossy Ugly Sister in "Cinderella". He should be on the list for Purple Rothbart. How about breaking them both in as Rothbart in Australia?

I think Gabe Stone Shayer should be considered for Puck. He studied at the Bolshoi school and Ratmansky cast him right after joining ABT's corps to dance the leading role of Ariel in the second cast of his "Tempest". McKenzie has been neglecting him passing over Shayer for Bronze Idol or Gypsy Boy in "Don Q". Zhiyao Zhang has danced both those roles well and should be covering Puck.

I did see Thursday night's "Swan Lake". It was a really fine performance and demonstrates the wisdom of letting young dancers stretch their range in demanding roles. Both Isabella Boylston and Daniil Simkin might be considered cast against type here. Boylston is a nervy, young allegro technician not known for lyrical adagio stressing upper body or tragic roles (yet). Simkin has made a name as a whiz kid demi-caractere virtuoso trickster with circus acrobatic jumps and split leaps. There have been complaints that Boylston has sloppy posture, clumsy use of arms and hands and lacks port de bras despite the strong technique in turns and footwork below the waist. Simkin has been accused of being too boyish, elfin and odd looking to play a prince and always seems to be dancing in a ballet competition by and for himself. Well in "Swan Lake" you can't get away with any of that and to their credit, Boylston and Simkin really worked to refine their artistry and technique. This is an example where really good coaching helps the dancer and the company. Odette requires very specific and codified movements of the arms, back, neck and hands - Boylston clearly was carefully coached in the traditional port de bras and epaulement and she looked like a different, softer, more elegant ballerina. I know she coached with Susan Jaffe and Kolpakova has been working with her lately and it shows. As of now, Boylston's face doesn't have the emotional longing and sorrow of a Makarova or Part. But her body and dancing create the necessary images - she is more abstract than dramatic in the role but it works well. Her Odile I had more problems with occasionally though it would seem to be her natural role. There were some sharp staccato accents in splits and supported turns that looked too jerky and show-offy lacking seductive plié stretch and softness. Simkin's partnering was expert in Act II's white act adagio (good overhead lifts) but had a few shaky moments in the Black Swan PDD where Isabella went off center in supported pirouettes and some jerky releases. Simkin also is going for a finished classical line. He points his feet, extends the working leg elegantly and finishes his turns softly as are the descents from jumps. His Siegfried is a youthful, introverted teenager - sheltered and not confident until he falls in love. There is a poetic quality - he is not as royally authoritative as Gomes or Bolle - more of a impressionable child-man but it works. His acting is understated but makes its mark. James Whiteside danced with good attack and strong technique as Purple Rothbart. He got a big hand for his "Russian Dance" solo. The pas de trois was the "A" team of Joseph Gorak, Sarah Lane and Yuriko Kajiya. They almost rivaled the "A" team of a decade ago of Herman and Erica Cornejo and Xiomara Reyes. Gorak, as Macauley stated in his NYT "Giselle" review, looked like another prince on that stage. His feet are always stunningly beautiful and he finished his steps precisely. No problems in Act III's pas de trois for him either. Lane was enchanting and strong and Kajiya had a gentle sparkle. The whole production seems to have come together nicely since Monday with good corps work and solos. The woman next to me - a traveler from abroad - asked me if the production was new. I said that ABT has been doing it since 2000 but maybe it was the young cast that made it seem so fresh.

Okay, so Cojocaru is out for whatever reason. Why do Bolle and Seo have to do a back to back? There are several other casts available. Not Murphy (injured) or Semionova (dancing the matinee). However, there is Herrera/Whiteside (Not glamorous I know...). Boylston/Simkin were excellent tonight and could repeat on Saturday night. There is also Part/Stearns but if Bolle is willing to do a back to back why not Part/Bolle? (they have already danced it together - a performance I missed years ago that by report was ravishing). Of course if Stella Abrera (a more natural O/O than Misty Copeland and stronger technician than Hee Seo) had been coached in the role/s then she could have stepped in with say Jared Matthews, Tom Forster or Eric Tamm...(cue violins playing the old refrain....) Again a bewildering, head scratching choice from AD Kevin McKenzie showing politics and favoritism trumping artistic merit and common sense... BTW: Corey Stearns has danced Oberon in "The Dream" and could fill in for David and perhaps Ms. Cojocaru might want to make up for her failure to dance "Swan Lake" by stepping in as Titania on opening night - Murphy shouldn't be dancing on an injured foot.

I did not go on Tuesday night but a couple of observations. Though Hallberg is tall he does not seem to have the upper body strength that Marcelo has. He is usually better partnering shorter or more compact ballerinas. (They tried him out once with Veronika Part in a "Swan Lake" but only once - I thought it was a wonderful performance but they never danced it again together). I think another issue with the brisé volés vs. entrechats six is the height and build of the Albrecht. A shorter, more compact Albrecht with shorter legs might prefer the brisés while I have noticed that the entrechats look better on taller danseur noble types like Hallberg and Gomes. (Abatt told me that in the Bolshoi "Giselle" she saw in DC with Zakharova and Hallberg, Hallberg performed the brisés and they were not impressive.) Baryshnikov did the brisés back when and Bujones did the entrechats - both are on video. (I only saw Bujones live in a "Giselle" with Marianna Tcherkassky in his last seasons with ABT). I have had similar reactions to Semionova in the past - great technique but nothing unique to communicate about her part. But this year's Nikiya in "Bayadere" really changed my mind. She may not be a memorable Giselle but she is great as Nikiya. Also I am bothered by the fact that ABT management seems to be favoring Semionova giving her preferential roles, evenings, partners, promotion while burying Veronika Part (dumping her into matinees, not giving her major new roles, etc.). Also I totally agree with "onxmyxtoes" that a Vishneva/Gomes opening night really can make the other season castings superfluous. The "Manon" really only seemed special and worthwhile with them (and Semionova was really rather wonderful in it and Cory was very convincing as Des Grieux....). I have high hopes for Cojocaru/Cornejo in "Giselle" on Saturday though!

When Diana as Giselle entered she has this bounding skipping hop step where she goes up on one leg with the other one kind of bent to the knee. Diana hung in the air with each leap and I said "this is going to be a good night for her". Clearly she was on and giving extra. She really amped up the technique in her solo variation actually adding extra hops on pointe and extra beats to complete her big diagonal. Pirouettes were killer. The interpretation was more classic and central than her wild, rebellious, coltish earlier Giselle. A very shy and introverted girl with a rich inner life. The mad scene was more eerie than ever - chillingly out of reality yet connected to something otherworldly. Joseph Gorak and Sarah Lane danced the Peasant PDD - Gorak is really buoyant and clean with nicely finished graceful turns and batteries always landing with his feet in position on the music. Sarah lovely as ever but I get the sense of a dancer who is content to be sweet and accomplished and is stalled artistically. In Act II Diana was working extra hard and though it wasn't entirely effortless seeming it was very excitingly done. Diana was going for an ultra-Romantic style with almost decadent, mannered but evocative exaggerated line. However, Diana has the flexible back and willowy arms for over the top Romantic style and worked it. Diana's technique is still very impressive in this role - she took risks and made them work. Her spins when she was wakened from death were very fast with wild, kind of spastic energy. In the solo Diana tried to make her legs move sideways, back and in deep arabesque penchée without any tension or shifting of weight and it almost seemed that way. (The entrechats en derriere in the pas really required all she had) Marcelo is an arrogant Latin playboy in Act I who is selfish but not really malicious. In Act II he suffers big time. Marcelo was also giving extra in his entrechats six and leaps. In the pas de deux his strength made Diana float on air like a feather. Gillian Murphy was commanding as Myrtha (the gliding bourrees at her entrance were like the beating of a dragonfly's wings). Misty Copeland and especially Yuriko Kajiya were fine as her attendant Wilis. In the final bow the curtain goes up and Diana is center stage leaning into Marcelo with her head resting on his chest looking towards the audience with a faraway, lost expression. Major exchange of flowers and kisses and deep reverences and curtsies to each other. Fans throw flowers and stuffed animals onstage which are ignored. Marcelo doesn't bother to pick them up for her. House pretty much full, even the family circle and rear boxes and the energy is enthusiastic and pumped.

Several of the reviews on the "Barreflies" site by Laura Jacobs, Leigh Witchel, Robert Johnson et al. mention Ashton's idiosyncratic use of a flexible torso and arm work. Definitely this was missing from the corps work. Gillian last night is so technically secure that she could work with her upper body more freely than Julie or the tiny Xiomara. Also, Gillian understood how to differentiate and articulate the footwork - fast and soft, stabbing or gliding - in her solos. Suddenly the choreography seemed alive, varied and expressive. Another redheaded allegro dancer created Ashton's Cinderella - Moira Shearer - and Gillian had the same radiance I imagine Shearer brought to Cinderella last night. Both the demure Julie Kent and the sweet, hopeful Xiomara Reyes were gentle Cinderellas - Gillian had a winning dash of spunkiness mixed with a dreamy quality. Veronika certainly looked beautiful and her majestic, expansive style is suited to Fairy Godmother roles. I could see that she was trying to work in the little direction changes and contrasting quick movements but legato is her thing. She also isn't a very "bendy" dancer - she tends to be very vertical and work from the center. David Hallberg is very much the commanding Prince onstage - Ashton suits him well. I actually thought that Joseph Gorak danced it just as well with a little more lightness and elevation but he doesn't have Hallberg's level of stage authority or secure partnering skills yet. I felt the real drop off in quality was with the two ugly sisters. Roman Zhurbin was rather taciturnly nasty and oafishly butch as the bossy Helpmann sister. His alternate Tom Forster was much giddier, foolishly vain and had more fun with it. Forster was less a guy in a dress than an actor playing a woman. Ditto Craig Salstein who was just doing a silly fluttery drag queen routine vs. Kenneth Easter who brought out the dim, hopeful but always the loser nature of the Ashton shy sister. Luis Ribagorda danced the Jester with exciting wildness and was very vivid theatrically - Arron Scott danced it better but with less personality. The four seasons dancers were by and large better as were the Prince's four male companions. Much better matched and in sync. Christine Schevchenko as Summer brought out the sultry lazy accents in her solo and Yuriko Kajiya was more refined than Misty as Autumn. Skylar Brandt wasn't as technically smooth as Sarah Lane but had more bounding energy and snap. Melanie Hamrick and April Giangeruso were both great as Winter - Hamrick has more command in her stage presence.

I love Ashton's choreography which I saw back in the early 90's with the Royal Ballet on tour with Darcey Bussell. I then saw it twice in 2004 with the Royal Ballet as part of Lincoln Center's Ashton festival. The casts included Cojocaru and Kobborg and later with Leanne Benjamin and Vyacheslav Samodurov. I thought the ABT staging had a tired feeling to it. The David Walker sets are a series of rather darkly painted flats that seem both oppressive and flimsy. Like the "Manon" drops they look crudely painted with colors that have faded and turned dingy. The Royal Ballet productions had more brilliant colors and more lavish set decoration and props - this looked utilitarian. The costumes are lovely. Julie Kent in the 1990's was wonderful in both "Sleeping Beauty" and in Ashton's "Symphonic Variations". Kent has also done lovely work in Ashton's "The Dream" and "A Month in the Country". (She did not do well as "Sylvia" and I never saw her in "Birthday Offering".) Julie has a soft, elegantly classical line without showy flourishes that is very English - kind of an Antoinette Sibley quality. Cinderella should be a perfect role for her and last night I thought it still worked for her beautifully despite one or two flaws. I felt that in the ball room solo, Cinderella needs to alternate between legato and staccato phrasing and also speed up and slow down with the music. Julie danced it all at the same speed with the same soft attack. In the final pas de deux adagio there were some shaky moments where Marcelo was kind of carrying her through it - not a disaster but not the radiant apotheosis needed either. Otherwise, her face is expressive and young looking and her personality very sympathetic. Her footwork was very secure and she manages to go down the steps on pointe without looking down once or bobbling. She had a star ballerina authority that carried everything before her. Marcelo is also very much the star dancer and he just took over the stage on his entrance. He has a fascinating combination of powerful muscularity and soft curved grace in his movements. I loved Stella Abrera as the fairy Godmother. I liked all the fairy solos - Sarah Lane as Spring, Boylston as Summer, Copeland as Autumn and especially April Giangeruso as Winter. But their variations needed more specific phrasing and timing - Boylston needed to be more languid and Copeland needed to have some sort of intention behind her stabbing pointing gestures. The corps needed to be sharper in many places. Besides Julie (and to a lesser extent Marcelo and Stella), Ashton style hadn't been instilled in the soloists and corps. (ABT never got the corps dances in "Sylvia" correctly - they looked like amateurs next to the Royal's corps in the video) Thomas Forster was very funny as the bossy overbearing Stepsister (Bobby Helpmann's role) - he used his size to very good effect. He played a mean girl who was not quite as sharp as she thought she was. Kenneth Easter missed some of the pathos as the timid sheepish Stepsister (the Ashton role). I think it did work well that both dancers were young - Forster was full of coltish overenthusiasm which backfired. I am seeing Xiomara and Joey Gorak tonight and Gillian Murphy and David Hallberg on Thursday. We'll see what they bring to it.

I have also always been curious about the Invitation (another narrative ballet in a historical setting, though not full length), but always assumed it was not revivable--certainly to revive it one would need a very substantial dance-actress... According to this website the "Invitation" choreography was notated in Benesh notation and there is some film of it. Lynn Seymour is alive and could coach it. You need a ballerina with a combination of innocence and emotional ferocity - Natalia Osipova? Cojocaru? http://www.kennethmacmillan.com/ballets/all-works/1960-1966/the-invitation.html

ABT experimented with the full-length "Anastasia" over fifteen years ago when MacMillan specialist/muses Viviana Durante and Alessandra Ferri were both dancing with the company (Durante was a guest when that was unusual for ABT). It was not a success. ABT has wisely passed on mounting "Mayerling" (done by the Royal Ballet on tour in NYC - I saw it 20 years ago with Mukhamedov. It works better on video than live). They also blessedly have ignored "Winter Dreams" and "The Prince of the Pagodas". I don't know "Isadora" - it might make a nice vehicle for Diana or Julie if it is done in the one-act reduction. Please don't ask me about "The Judas Tree". Do not go there... I heard good things about "The Invitation" where Lynn Seymour gave a shattering dance theater performance. "Song of the Earth" "Requiem" and "Concerto" sound interesting. Then of course we have the other long skirt "passion play" ballets by Cranko, Ashton, Neumeier and lesser lights.

Stella Abrera could be a sexy Manon but also Alina Cojocaru has the role in her repertory. Xiomara Reyes has the prepubescent look of a "Lolita" nymphet - the Manon in the Abbé Prevost novel is about fifteen when the Chevalier Des Grieux meets her at the Inn at Amiens. Reyes still can look like a teenager onstage and is a very good actress. But any cast ABT might field would find Vishneva and Gomes a tough act to follow. I must mention that Misty Copeland was delightful as Lescaut's Mistress last night - very vivacious and alluring while dancing with abandon and control.

Messmer gave an exit interview in Time Out that effectively burned her bridges. http://www.timeout.com/newyork/dance/american-ballet-theatre-soloist-simone-messmer-talks-about-her-decision-to-leave I think she is really in a very difficult career juncture right now - where next?

I saw Gillian Murphy and Jared Matthews on Saturday night (I was at NYCB for a double dose of Mearns for the Saturday matinee). Gillian definitely has a mature diva presence as frisky little Swanilda - she isn't anyone's soubrette. But I didn't mind that because her acting and dancing are so strong. She definitely commanded the stage and her fouettés in the coda of the third act pas de deux were a thrill-a-second tour de force bravura display. Jared Matthews was wonderfully rakish and charming as Frantz and his dancing was also superb and confident. He matched Gillian in every way. However, the lack of experience in leading roles showed only in his partnering. In the third act pas de deux adagio there is a sequence where Frantz has to lift and maneuver Swanilda who is in a horizontal position up and down ending up in a fish dive position. Jared did the lifting but made Gillian look like a sack of potatoes being awkwardly rolled up and down his torso. Not every male dancer is Marcelo but had Jared been dancing more leading roles he would have become a better partner. His solos were stunningly well danced as I said and he was boyish charm personified onstage. Roman Zhurbin performed brilliantly the Dr. Coppelius this staging calls for. Devon Teuscher was strong in the Dawn solo. But Luciana Paris who has been replaced all season so far as the Flower Girl and Gypsy Girl in "Don Q", the Flower Girl in "Gaiete Parisienne" and as the first Shade in "Bayadere" looked a little careful and cramped in the "Prayer" solo. She kind of went off pointe once suggesting that she is slowly coming back from injury. For a few seasons now the dance of the hours has been done by little students of the JKO school - they were well drilled and charming if not at the level of the SAB students in NYCB's "Coppelia". "Coppelia" is one of the best preserved 19th century ballets. The Paris Opera Ballet school has preserved a pretty exact replication of the original Arthur Saint-Leon staging and choreography with the substitution of a male Frantz. The NYCB Balanchine/Danilova and ABT Freddie Franklin versions come from a common source - Nicholas Sergeyev's recreation of the Petipa/Ivanov staging at the old Maryinsky. That in turn is identical in the second act in many ways to the Arthur Saint-Leon from Paris. However, Freddie Franklin's version probably represents what he toured with Danilova in the forties. There is considerable cutting down of the third act divertissements reflecting the fewer resources available to the old touring Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. The Bolshoi recreated the Petipa/Ivanov production and I noticed that originally the Dance of the Hours had 24 corps ballerinas representing each hour of the day. That number of hours was reduced to twelve at ABT which really is a shame - only a half day. It would be glorious if ABT, under the supervision of Ratmansky and Yuri Burlaka, did the full Petipa/Ivanov "Coppelia" for ABT - Ratmansky's quirky comic sensibility would work wonders for it.

Perhaps it was a picture taken a while ago when Isabella was in Russia, Ilya? The same time she was being coached in "Giselle" at the Maryinsky? BTW: on Thursday I realized what happened with Shklyarov on Monday. Shklyarov got confused on Monday and crossed downstage right when he should have been upstage center with Gamzatti. (Was he doing the Maryinsky staging?) He realized that at that moment he was supposed to be partnering Gamzatti upstage and had a panic attack. He ran hysterically upstage ignoring in his panic that a corps ballerina was bourreeing in front of him and mowed into her. Nothing like that happened on Thursday.

A note about the June 9th "Cinderella" premiere. Corey Stearns seems to be out of the run but hopefully not because of lingering injury. James Whiteside has been moved from partnering Xiomara Reyes to partnering Hee Seo on the opening night premiere. Joseph Gorak has been tapped to be Ms. Reyes' Prince Charming - someone has been reading these pages about the unhealthy number of guest performers and the lack of opportunities for talented up and comers in the corps and soloist ranks. Stearns as of now is still scheduled to dance in "Manon" the week before and "Giselle" and "Swan Lake" later in June.

I attended on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Both were largely well-danced performances with striking features but were not transcendent dramatic experiences. Tuesday May 27, 2014 - Murphy, Nedak, Boylston, Zhurbin: Murphy has strong technique and has been well-coached in this part. However, the kind of delicate romantic lyricism underpinned by iron-strong classical technique that is the essence of Nikiya is not her thing. Her phrasing was strong and direct but seemed athletic and the element of spirituality was more a surface affect rather than something inherent in her phrasing. After having seen Vishneva, Part, Semionova and even the young, undeveloped Smirnova in the role, I have come to believe you have to be Russian or at least Slavic and Russian-trained like the Roumanian Cojocaru to capture this quality. Nina Ananiashvili had it in spades. I could see that Murphy was coming off an injury in the strain she showed in some of her arabesques. Notably in her harem-pants solo in the Garden Betrothal Scene at the end of (ABT's) first act, the sequence where she does an arabesque on pointe and then lowers the foot and goes into a deep penchée showed uncharacteristic stiffness and strain. However, Gillian in the "Shades" scene did have strong unsupported pirouettes in the scarf variation and fast diagonals of piques in the coda. I suspect that Natalia Makarova recommended Denys Nedak to Kevin McKenzie after having taught him the role of Solor when she set her staging of "Bayadere" for the National Ballet of Ukraine. Like Matvienko and Maxim Beloserkovsky, he was trained at Kiev. He is a fine dancer - tall, well-built with clear, strong technique and is a good partner who is extremely attentive to his ballerina. One always knew that Murphy was in very good hands - like Marcelo. Nedak has a virile authoritative stage presence with excellent mime - he commanded the stage. His solos went very well but unfortunately he had one very bad moment just before the grand pas de deux in the "Shades" scene - he had series of turns and was to land on one knee before Nikiya as shade enters. Nedak unfamiliar with the stage either slipped or misjudged his landing and took a very bad spill on his backside. He quickly recovered and delivered the same flawless performance he had given us at all other times. Except for that one bad spill it was a near-perfect rendering of the role. Isabella Boylston continues to gain authority as Gamzatti and her dancing had a lot of strength and panache. I particularly like her solo in the third act but I also have loved Murphy, Herrera and Dvorovenko in that solo as well. Christine Schevchenko danced the first shade with great speed and vivacity but without the lightness and clarity that Sarah Lane brings to it. Devon Teuscher showed strength and pliancy in the difficult variation for the second shade while Katherine Williams had all the steps but not the phrasing and articulation for the third shade's variation - she is very promising though. Roman Zhurbin's High Brahmin glowered like a young Herbert Lom but seemed a younger more insecure priest than Victor Barbee's mean old lech. He seemed to have genuine feelings other than lust for Nikiya and regretted his vengeful actions against her. Major role debut: Zhiyao Zhang as the Golden Idol - very exciting, high-flying, fast and precise and one of the best since Simkin, Corella and Cornejo. Wednesday May 28, 2014 - Smirnova, Muntagirov, Seo, Zhurbin: Smirnova's oval face has an exquisite almost oriental beauty that reminded me of Asymuratova while her elongated supple body reminds me of Guillem and Zakharova without the exaggerated extensions and gymnastic edges. Smirnova's dancing is effortless, smooth and serene like spun silk - that is both her glory and currently, her big defect. It all looks too easy and lacks tension - musical and dramatic. Vishneva's current level of technique can't match Smirnova's flawless pirouettes and turns but every movement has emotional significance and tension. However, I first saw Diana Vishneva in her early twenties on tour with the Kirov in 1999 as Giselle and Aurora and she was not the dramatic powerhouse she developed into later with ABT and other companies. She was a very pretty young girl with gorgeous perfect technique and lovely training - the interpretations were conventional and lovely but not individual or revealing. The full artistry came later. So it will be with Smirnova - everything is there but in latent form. Muntagirov really danced superbly but he has never shown a lot of dramatic spark - however he was an ardent partner in his first act pas de deux with Smirnova's Nikiya. I thought his solos were stunningly buoyant and secure and he has grown immensely in the part in two years. Hee Seo also built on her dancing performance from Monday night - managing to add some acceleration to her single fouettes in the Pas D'Action coda and even doing a multiple at the end. I think that both Smirnova and Muntagirov are beautiful dancers and would happily see more of them. But they are both young and developing - it is a luxury to be able to compare them in the same week with finished artists like Vishneva, Part, Semionova, Gomes and Cojocaru. This is one luxury I haven't been able to deny myself going every night including tonight for Tereshkina and Shklyarov!