FauxPas

Some points of interest: Angel Corella is listed on the season roster as per the announcement but his schedule is not worked out yet - he just listed on the calendar for "Coppelia". Plenty of TBA's though. Diana Vishneva has a singularly uninteresting season - just Giselle, Lady of the Camellias and nothing else... Daniil Simkin as Basilio in "Don Quixote" YESSSS!!! Bolle also has a skimpy season with just Armand again. Hopefully he will take over some tba slots in "Giselle" and "Swan Lake". Part has a new role as Zina in "Bright Stream" with Hammoudi who clearly is now on a promotion track. No Giselle for Abrera

Christopher Newton will be staging "Shadowplay" - that bit was cut off. Also, any word on what Osipova and Cojocaru will be dancing? My guess is that Osipova can repeat Don Q, Giselle and Sleeping Beauty - but anything new for her? Also, Cojocaru I would suspect is giving her first New York Giselle and might repeat Princess Aurora - anything new for her? The ingenue role in "Bright Stream" would be suitable - I saw Svetlana Lunkina shine in that part when the Bolshoi danced it here. She has similarities to Cojocaru. Other point of interest - NO ROMEO AND JULIET!!! Was it accidentally left off? I can't believe it. The first season in 800 years ABT has not performed it at the end of the Met season!!!

Lediakh is pretty damn impressive. Watch out for a radiant, round-faced very young Ekaterina Maximova as the Fairy of Spring. I think this is the best film representation of Raisa Struchkova - she is very slim and girlish and her technique is brilliant. In clips from the sixties I have seen she is very plumpish though muscular and strong - very womanly body. However, her piqué turns whether plump or slim are simply dazzling. Struchkova was the coach/teacher of Nina Ananiashvili and her piqués were equally brilliant and I saw them live many, many times. Struchkova's facial expressions are also very natural and charming. As for the choreography...nothing beats Ashton but this is quite pleasant. There are cuts to the score to get it under 2 hours in length.

Evidently the great ballerina Carla Fracci saw "The Black Swan" at the Venice Film Festival and thought it was trash: "An absurd film which renders a great disservice to the ballet world" http://operachic.typepad.com/opera_chic/2010/09/crankier-than-franco-carla-fracci-skewers-aronofskys-black-swan-eats-it-for-dinner.html

The original Mariinsky Ivanov staging had a young soloist as Marie/Clara and a big Italian ballerina Antonietta Dell'Era do the Sugar Plum. Well in some productions, Clara undergoes a metamorphosis into the Sugar Plum Fairy including the very influential Grigorovich production at the Bolshoi. In the San Francisco Ballet production the child dancing Clara is actually replaced by another ballerina for the metamorphosis in the big pas de deux. Balanchine clearly wanted to create more roles for other ballerinas so he invented the Dewdrop. Other productions create a Snow Queen for the waltz of the snowflakes. Ratmansky at the Bolshoi was expert at spotting and promoting young talent like Osipova. He really pushed young talents forward ignoring the heirarchy of soloists, principals, etc. He also promoted dancers like Lunkina and Masha Alexandrova who were inexplicably languishing the soloist ranks. I noticed that in his "Seven Sonatas" Ratmansky cast Joseph Phillips as the alternate to Herman Cornejo in a demanding leading role. Sarah Lane was in one of those casts as well. This has a very salutary effect on a company as a whole. So I am glad to see Hammoudi and Kajiya get gigs over more established principals.

It's a sunburst around one of his nipples. Offensive? That's a pretty harsh word, and in any context except ballet I would reject its application to Craig's tattoo. I just think any visible tattoo is inappropriate for many roles in ballet, Apollo being a prime example. I'm not sure, but if it's on the nipple that's hidden under the sash, then I retract my objection. Well, though I agree about visible tattoos being inadvisable - especially in classical ballets - this one may work in "Apollo". Apollo was not only the god of the arts but also the sun god. So a sunburst on the nipple may work very well. I think that Craig Hall's classical handsome features would work well too. Bring it on!

I wouldn't call Jackie Reyes "fat" nor exactly short either. However, she has a rounder build with broader hips and shorter torso than many of the other ballerinas in the corps. So she has to stay quite thin and in shape to look good in tutu roles - just put on a few pounds and she can look "fat". I saw her leave the building after a performance and she looked a normal weight - just healthy. However, I noticed that onstage she not only looked a bit plumpish but also seemed out of shape. The out of shape may be the reason she isn't staying on. Jackie Reyes has one of those bodies that is not a classic ballerina physique - so she has to work harder to keep in shape and in form. The very tall, large curvy Veronika Part has the same problem but with a very different physicality. In previous decades many ballerinas didn't have classic ballerina bodies but were great dancers. Now all you see is petite, small boned, long-limbed girls with long necks, arms and legs and slim small torsos. You wonder about who is being weeded out on the school level. What they might have become had the appropriate ballerina physical "type" not become so restrictive. I keep thinking about Elisabeth Platel who was rejected from the POB school for being too tall. She went on to dance successfully for other French regional companies and then was invited back.

Anne Milewski was dancing some solo roles like Amour in "Don Quixote". Karin Ellis-Wentz is also a veteran who danced Helena in "The Dream" very effectively this past season.

Ceeszi, Diana Vishneva danced one performance of Aurora in this ABT production in its first, disastrous season in 2007. She immediately "fell ill" and canceled her scheduled second appearance and was replaced by Paloma Herrera. BTW: she danced well that night, I was there. She did not dance the role when the production returned for its second season in 2008. Two things: I was pleased with how classical and restrained Osipova was as Aurora. No 180 degree extensions or flashy additions - just lovely poised dancing especially in Acts II and III. Also, a friend who went to all the performances had glowing reports of Xiomara Reyes as Aurora on Friday night. He said she had the most perfect execution of the choreography of any of the ballerinas including Gillian Murphy and Cojocaru.

Seriously Adam, I don't remember any noticeable falling off of pointe that would justify "she still couldn't stay up." Canbelto waited at the stage door and told me that Cojocaru came out dressed very elegantly but was wearing very large and boxy orthopedic shoes rather than elegant flats, pumps or sandals. She has seriously bad feet. I think it was miraculous that she did so well when I believe she had to take off over a year to recover from a stress fracture.

I too did a double header on Saturday and agree with most of what I am reading above. A few notes: Macauley doesn't love this company nor does he have much time for three act story ballets. Anna Kisselgoff was open to all styles and genres of ballet. Kisselgoff, Croce and Clive Barnes could appreciate each genre for its own qualities instead of comparing it consistently unfavorably with the Balanchine neoclassical streamlined ideal. ABT is not the only object of his critical scorn, he has dismissed the Kirov as well. Macauley only reviewed these two performances farming out the opening night to a colleague. Since he has little taste for Veronika Part's dancing, he probably wouldn't have seen her on Wednesday night. As for his criticism of Alina Cojocaru's dancing - its two salient qualities are 1) her incredible musicality phrasing each step to the music and 2) delicacy achieved through strength - steely control that allows her to shape and finish each step with finesse and right on the music. Recent serious foot injuries would account for both the boxy shoes and the slight wobbles. Perhaps Macauley wanted more overt contrast between the Auroras of each act reflecting the music - young princess, vision and royal bride. Certainly Cojocaru hears the music because of the way she shapes each step like notes on a musical score. I felt Cojocaru was quite subtle allowing the choreography to tell the story without overlaying an overt dramatic affect on top of the movements. But her personal radiance, charm, musicality and modesty were present throughout. I don't think I have ever seen the Act III solo danced more perfectly by any other ballerina (I have seen Vishneva, Zakharova, Ananiashvili, Asylmuratova, Jaffe, Semenyaka, Durante and many others in the part). However, I felt that both Cojocaru and Osipova showed why they are top international ballerinas but both are capable of better Auroras. They would need a better production - and one with which Cojocaru is more familiar, better rehearsed and in tune with her colleagues. Osipova showed much of what she is capable of but missed details and seemed nervous. Osipova was nervous and tentative in places because she is new to the role, Cojocaru because she is new to this production and colleagues. I hope to see both again in New York soon. I hope both get to do this role again and Giselle in the future at ABT.

BTW: for those who want to know how Osipova is doing: she was at NYCB tonight (Thursday 6/17). She attended a program of Donizetti Variations/Interplay/After the Rain but left before Scotch Symphony. Osipova looked fine with no bruises on her face. She was in the company of Daniil Simkin and seemed to be enjoying the program. So she doesn't seem to have any visible injuries (she was wearing little or no makeup) and is going out.

Okay, third "Beauty" in a row for me last night. Some more critical notes on Part. She was very lovely. I was sitting in Dress Circle with good binoculars. Her balances in the Rose Adagio were good. One or two were short but usually she held the last one. However, about halfway through the adagio I saw a look of panic hit her face. It was the point where the final set of balances with the promenades were coming up and the music was getting more ecstatic. You could see Part freeze up. Then she got to the last set and though one balance was short and she grabbed the next prince's hand quickly she held the last one a very long time. On the other hand, her Rose Adagio was in general more successful than Dvorovenko's on Tuesday but that freezing up and panic diminished the effect. Dvorovenko recovered completely after losing the balance and coming off pointe. However, Part has finally figured out how to dance the solo with the violin obbligato that follows the Rose Adagio. She looked lost in this solo back in 2007 sketching the steps and unable to get in sync musically. But last night she was radiant and lush phrasing each step exactly on the beat. She figured out how to work the leg beats and hops with her long legs. Her leaps at the end of Act I were exuberant. Part's delirium after pricking her finger was the most dramatic of any of the ballerinas so far - the work of a natural tragedienne. After the intermission, everything was smooth sailing and all was right with the world - the Vision Scene was a romantic dream come to life and the third act pas de deux was commanding and elegant. Part as the Act II vision was hauntingly melancholic and lost. Gomes had commitment, passion, technique and supportive partnering to burn as her Prince. Part seemed to calm down and expand in his capable arms. Shout out to Maria Bystrova in the first Fairy variation - she is a real Petipa ballerina. Bigger roles please and soon, Myrta and Lilac Fairy and Gamzatti would fit her perfectly.

I'll bite. I have been to both performances Monday and Tuesday night. This has been due to guilt that I have been concentrating on certain Russian ladies and not giving the home team a chance. The home team includes, btw, the Kiev-born and trained Irina Dvorovenko. The production is not offensive any more. Tony Walton's backdrops are rather ugly with sulfuric acid yellow skylines. Yes, there is a Disney effect to the castle sets but that isn't fatal. As we all know Holly Hynes has supplied several new and improved costumes - though I personally want the old Celtic Prince's costume with the purple plaid accented with purple maribou. I would be a smash in it in the Village Halloween parade. The text is pretty much total Petipa cum Sergeyev except for some extra jumping for Prince Desiré and his attendants and a little scene dansant for the guest fairy tale characters in Act III. This little interlude between Puss in Boots, White Cat, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf and Cinderella and her Prince disappeared on Tuesday - they are still tinkering. The solo pas for these characters including the famous one for the two cats are gone. Only the Bluebirds are left. The Act III Silver, Gold and Diamond trio is reworked into a grand pas for the fairies with no male danseur. I think this works rather well but I am willing to be flamed by purists. It isn't great but it doesn't get in the way of superb dancers which ABT supplied. Gillian Murphy was a lovely Aurora on Monday. NYSusan compared her in an earlier appearance with Mary Lou Retton - perhaps some coaching with Irina Kolpakova has softened her bouncy athleticism. Gillian had very sharp footwork and secure balances. I am very much liking a softness in her arms and upper body epaulement with gives lyricism and depth to her virtuosity. Jose Manuel Carreno danced very well as her Prince - the role doesn't have a lot of sustained dancing so he could pace himself. In preparing for tours and finishing pirouettes one could see a look of intense concentration on his face willing his body to do what it once did effortlessly. But I could see no real gaffes and he was superb partner and romantic stage presence. Veronika Part is one of nature's Lilac Fairies with her lush, expansive dancing. However, I noticed that she was rather carefully planting and preparing each step which made her dancing rather jerky and piecemeal. As Roslyn Sulcas mentioned in her NY Times review this lessened as the evening went on. BTW: the text for the Lilac Fairy solos changes in each version - this one had more pirouettes and classical virtuosity. In the Royal Ballet text and the Mariinsky 1890 version I saw Part dance over a decade ago, the Lilac Fairy has a much softer Romantic line with less demanding steps. The fairies were excellent on Monday and Tuesday. Gemma Bond stood out on Tuesday for her Fairy of Charity (Miettes qui Tombent/Breadcrumb Fairy) with her sharp nuanced footwork and elegant style. I also liked Isabella Boylston on Monday. Kristi Boone was subtle and fiery as the Fairy of Temperment (Violante) on Tuesday night. I preferred Sarah Lane's Fairy of Joy (Canari qui Chante) on Tuesday to Yuriko Kajiya's - Kajiya would flicker her fingers one or twice and then stop. The secret to these hand flutters is that they are flutters of happiness and not spastic attacks - they should look effervescent. Sarah Lane was also lovely as Princess Florine on Monday night with Daniil Simkin as her Bluebird - a role made for him. Simkin was superb but didn't obliterate memories of Herman Cornejo in the part. He seemed to lack a note of ardor or joy - the Bluebird in the Perrault story is an enchanted prince flying up to his imprisoned love who is locked in a tower. He is bringing a song of joy and hope to one who is trapped and lost. Charles Barker's conducting on Monday dragged in places and the horns just can't play in tune. Tuesday night brought Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky. I have been skipping them for the past year or so though I don't hate them. Irina whenever I see her dances well but always seems to have one big goof. I have come to the conclusion that I am a bad luck charm for her and when I am there I jinx her. Her Aurora was extremely stylish and thoroughly coached by Kolpakova. Very precise use of the arms and the hands. It was a lesson to all American ballerinas to see how a little flick of the wrist or flutter of the hands could add old-world finesse to the end of a pirouette or turn. Of course, there is something of the practiced coquette about Irina with her heart-shaped face and wide smile. Something rather calculated about her dancing too. Her goof came in the first series of balances where she started to sway on the third and had to drop off pointe and regain her arabesque. She did very well in the more difficult final series with the promenades. Irina also had a cape that came undone in her final tableau but her attentive husband refastened it for her. Max is back from the looks of what I saw last night. His jetés kept pace with his companions at the beginning of the hunt scene and he nailed his assemblé turns. He is a born danseur noble but also acted better with more commitment and detail than Carreno. He expressed more Romantic angst and longing and really seemed to be searching for something. Kevin - use Max more. Maria Riccetto as the Tuesday night Lilac Fairy danced the steps better and with more precision and attack than Part on Monday. But the audience didn't seem to care. I really was impressed with her controlled abandon and technical security but she didn't have the phrasing and stage presence to sell it. A superbly danced solo would finish with tepid applause. The Tuesday Bluebird couple were a gorgeous Stella Abrera and Blaine Hoven. Hoven redeemed himself - he has lost the dorky haircut and the bulky overdeveloped upper body musculature that was weighting his dancing and making him ungainly. He was light and crisp as the Bluebird with razor sharp sissonnés and clean high jumps. Stella looked so elegant like a combination of Margot Fonteyn and Marianna Tcherkassky. She had a little skid on a final jump but it didn't matter. David LaMarche conducted beautifully on Tuesday and the whole show gelled just a little better.

I remember that in its second season "Onegin" did not sell well. ABT is looking for vehicles for Julie Kent and she is a lovely Tatyana. Also the dancers hated Cranko's "The Taming of the Shrew" so it wasn't revived. I too would like to see "La Fille Mal Gardee" again. It was done in the forties by ABT as "Naughty Lisette" and "The Wayward Daughter" with choreography by Nijinska. http://www.abt.org/education/archive/balle..._gardee_la.html The Ashton "Fille" is definitely worth reviving. I could see it cast with Abrera/Radetsky, Stiefel/Murphy, Cornejo/Reyes, Simkin/Lane, Hallberg/Dvorovenko (or Vishneva?) and Corella/Riccetto. Sarah Lane has beautifully carried "The Sleeping Beauty" as Aurora and a soubrette role like Lise would fit her easily. Just a note that Stella Abrera debuted as the prima ballerina in "Birthday Offering" on Saturday night. I preferred her to Irina Dvorovenko. Abrera had more creaminess and silky phrasing with no hard edges. Dvorovenko rather uncharacteristically wobbled on her balances (less on Thursday night). But after careful preparation, Abrera nailed hers. Maria Riccetto took over Stella's variation with her customary technical aplomb but was less expressive. Gemma Bond formerly of the Royal Ballet took over the Boylston solo and looked windswept. I preferred Boylston's lighter quirkiness but Bond looked very elegant and definitely is ready for more solo work. Hee Seo did the adagio variation danced by Part on opening night and was dreamy and soft-limbed on a smaller scale. Renata Pavam is an excellent turner and did the pirouettes in the first variation much better than Sarah Lane did on opening night. Christine Shevchenko was strong in the variation danced by Leann Underwood which is demanding. Simone Messmer was again commanding in her allegro solo variation. Eric Tamm has been dancing very well this season (in the last "Dame aux Camellias" he was very fine as Des Grieux) with excellent turns and firm technique. More please. The cancelation of the City Center seasons has taken away opportunities from talented rising corps and soloist dancers. The Met season tends to concentrate on principals and guest stars. Nice to see a new face in there. Another ballet that never misses a Met season at ABT: the MacMillan "Romeo and Juliet". I don't need to see that again for several more years. I am out of town for the Hallberg/Osipova casting but probably wouldn't go anyway. Edited note: I was looking through the Ballet Talk archives back in 2003. The second season of "Fille" sold very badly and BT'ers were begging people to attend. I was thinking it was a ballet very suitable for kiddies. But maybe it really is not.

Just a note that I attended Tuesday night's opening performance of the Ashton Evening at ABT. Birthday Offering: This is a gorgeous ballet which highlights the women. Each soloist ballerina has a gorgeous little solo each in a different manner like the fairies in "Sleeping Beauty". In fact in way it is like a neoclassical distillation of "Sleeping Beauty" - the lead ballerina role created by Margot Fonteyn has choreography that quotes Aurora's steps (balances, etc.) I also thought of a softer more lyrical version of Balanchine's neoclassical tributes to Petipa like "Ballet Imperial". Anyway, the solos were danced by Sarah Lane, Leann Underwood, Veronika Part, Simon Messmer (subbing for Kajiya), Isabella Boylston and Stella Abrera. Part was majestic and creamy, Abrera sensual and dreamy yet scintillating, Messmer was powerful with stabbing incisive footwork, Underwood confident and in command of every move in a tricky solo. Sarah Lane was the bubbly soubrette ballerina and was charming except for a little bobble in a pirouette. Isabella Boylston had the most delicious solo with off the beat phrasing. She entered in a quick little backwards bourree and the moves were all quirky and charming. Saveliev, Simkin, Hammoudi, Salstein, De Long and Radetsky partnered the ballerinas but didn't have anything much else to do. Irina Dvorovenko looked lovely and danced with a kind of practiced charm. However, I sometimes find a kind of brittleness in her phrasing and a tendency to break up the line into steps losing flow. She also botched one balance almost tottering backwards. Maxim Beloserkovsky looked every inch the cavalier but in one section with repeated assemblé turns he looked in strong technical form. He has been dancing less and less in leading roles lately but perhaps he is regaining form. A note that Gillian Murphy is not dancing "Birthday Offering" this season - the alternate is now Stella Abrera who will step in this Saturday evening. I am glad to see Stella get a major role since she has been dancing so well. But I would have liked to see Gillian in this part as well. Stella would be gorgeous in the "Thais PDD" as well since she is exotic and glamorous and her dancing always creates a kind of atmosphere. Thais PDD: Diana Vishneva again gorgeous and sensual like a spicy middle-eastern perfume hanging in the air. Jared Matthews did better in his partnering than on the opening night gala performance. However, there is one section where the male partner has to manipulate the ballerina rotating her from resting his back to his chest. It looked a little bumpy again and made one wish that Marcelo was doing the part despite its less than virtuoso demands (it was created on Antony Dowell who was a virtuoso and star). With Marcelo it all would have flowed smoothly. A friend said he thought that Diana glared at Jared Matthews at one point - I didn't see it. Matthews did look wonderful in the part and danced his solo well. Awakening PDD: This was elegantly danced by Cory Stearns and Paloma Herrera as on the opening night gala. One can't help but anticipate greedily the greater authority and grandeur that Part and Hallberg will bring to it tonight. The intermission came after the two little pas de deux. It seemed that the programming was a little off here as "Birthday Offering" is a razzler dazzler and these two little morceaux seemed a weak ending to the first half of the program. The Dream: I was surprised at how Gillian Murphy's strong technique actually added musicality and charm to the role of Titania. She had amazingly precise scintillating footwork while keeping the upper body very connected and flowing. Lovely epaulement and arms. The combination was gorgeous like a silky sustained melody with a strongly rhythmic counterpoint accompaniment underneath moving it forward. She was gracious and charming as Titania. David Hallberg was a touch disappointing as Oberon but only in comparison with his best work - I saw some turns that were a little stiff. Beautiful legs and feet but he didn't seem to be dancing at full capacity. On the other hand Herman Cornejo remains a wonder of the world as Puck - he flew through the variations. I am wondering if this is his best role. Also returning and a heartening sight was Julio Bragado-Young as Bottom dancing on pointe with nearly all of his old brio. This is almost unbelievable after his tragic car accident just a few years ago. The lovers were Jared Matthews and Sascha Radetsky in fine form with Stella Abrera as Hermia and a very comedic Maria Riccetto as a wildly goofy Helena. Most personality I have ever seen from Riccetto and she danced superbly. Rather wonderful evening and I highly recommend going.

I agree with a lot of what has been written above except that I felt that Carreno was more than respectable and held his own. Admittedly he paled in comparison with his younger self and had to pace himself during the variations. But he was quite wonderful as a partner, still could do his "slow-down" turns and cut a dashing, sexy figure onstage. Carreno seems very canny as to what he can and cannot do. In the little dance duel with the Gypsy Boy in Act II, Simkin was throwing in 180 turns and backbends and heaven knows what steps. Carreno didn't attempt the steps Simkin was dancing and just did the pirouettes he does well. Osipova has a really charming gamine stage presence and lots of good humor. Several of the solos in Act I seemed like I had never seen them before because I had never seen that kind of elevation and attack before. I have seen Nina Ananiashvili and Sylvie Guillem as Kitri (Vishneva too) and none of them had this kind of attack. Guillem had a lot of that abandon but not the ballon. It is a kind of athletic dancing and it was nice to see the classical discipline and elegance Osipova brought to the Act II Dulcinea sequence. Ananiashvili and others like Xiomara Reyes apply the jumps and bravura over a classical format as Kitri - still a ballerina. Osipova's Bolshoi style made her kind of a character dancer Kitri much like certain bravura male dancers brought a touch of Moiseyev peasant dancer acrobatics to danseur noble roles. It is a little bit of a different style but Osipova has lots of extra things to offer - she can do more with each step. Other ballerinas can tie the steps together in beautiful patterns but Osipova makes every moment pop. I was very surprised in the third act grand pas that Osipova after doing a very impressive balance eschewed the two balances with the promenades ending them not with a balance but a supported pirouette. I have never seen that done before. Also, Kitri and Basil only wear red when the PDD is done as an excerpt, white is worn in the full ballet since it is their wedding day. Kitri may be spirited and free but she would not wear anything but white on her wedding day! I liked Jared Matthews better than Gennadi Saveliev as Espada and have enjoyed him in several things. Over the years there has been a tendency towards soloist stasis at ABT concerning talented male soloists. Good dancers like Parrish Maynard, Charles Askegard, Joaquin de Luz, Danny Tidwell and Carlos Molina left ABT because they knew they couldn't break that phalanx of principal male superstars (they had other reasons too I am sure). Sascha Radetsky was another that left for the Het Ballet to dance roles he was denied at ABT. It would be shameful if Sascha returned to ABT after being a principal in Europe and be stuck with the same secondary soloist roles as before. Corey Stearns is very fine and getting better all the time. But when Ethan, Max and Jose Manuel move on, I hope the plums aren't handed out only to him. Joseph Phillips also would make a fine Basilio with Sarah Lane as his Kitri. Simkin, Radetsky, Phillips, Tamm and others should not have to wait as long as Herman Cornejo did to dance leading male roles in classical ballets.

I don't think that Simkin is as short as Cornejo - I think he is about the same height as Corella. I think that Simkin could easily be partnered in "Don Quixote" with Paloma or Natalia Osipova. In fact, I find Simkin/Osipova a better match as to youth and dynamism than the Osipova/Carreno duo I will be seeing tonight. I think that Osipova's youthful verve and powerhouse technique will probably make Carreno look older and more technically diminished than he actually is.

Just a note to BalletTalkers: did anyone see Corey Stearns' debut as Basilio yesterday afternoon with Michele Wiles? I am rather curious as to how that went down. With Stiefel, Carreno, Beloserkovsky winding down, Corella in a slump of a sort and Bocca, Malakhov and Carlos Acosta gone from the company there is a need for new Basilios. Frankly, I think that Basilio is not a good fit for Stearns who is really a danseur noble, not a virtuoso firecracker and the lifts would give him problems. He is a little immature for the role though the Solor showed progress. I also worry about so many role debuts in one season. Seems to be a lot of pressure on a young man and could lead to injury. It took ABT too many years to give Herman Cornejo the part of Basilio but there was a lot of competition. Frankly, I think that Sascha Radetsky and Daniil Simkin (who has done the role) are the more appropriate choices for Basilio.

The dramatic structure would have been better with the ballet in two longer acts. Frankly, the first act is choreographically and dramatically thin. I don't know how this would have affected the Chopin score, but the first act should have been telescoped since it is essentially character introduction and plot exposition that leads up to the country house party and then stops before we get there. The shortened first act could then be combined with the current second act at the country house up to the big love PDD with Marguerite and Armand in the bedroom as the final climax and emotional payoff. Act II would begin at the auction with M. Duval telling his side of the story of how he convinced Marguerite to break off the affair running through the end of Act III. The new Act I is the big romance and Act II is the heatbreak, separation and death of Marguerite. We could have cut out one intermission and maybe 10 to 15 minutes of filler and we all would get home a half hour or more earlier. My only earlier exposure to this ballet was the film with Marcia Haydee and gorgeous Ivan Liska. That film clocks in at under two hours and it works better than the stage version. If my memory is correct, less is more here. Neumeier felt the inclination as MacMillan did to create grand opera length, three act ballet spectaculars. Like "Mayerling" there is good stuff there and a LOT of padding. As I have heard (since I never saw either version), the one act MacMillan "Anastasia" is way better than the big three act show that came to ABT over 10 years ago. Another interesting observation - Manon has more interesting, technically demanding choreography than Marguerite who basically runs around on pointe waving her arms and then is tossed around in the air over Armand's shoulders. Things that make the evening worthwhile - some gorgeous pas de deux's, a beautiful physical production and costumes, Soheil Nasseri's fabulous pianism in Chopin (shout out to cutie Koji Attwood as his backup), good use of the soloists and corps in supporting roles, Julie Kent's deep vulnerability and sadness (real tears) and every second of Roberto Bolle.

Dvorovenko is wonderful as both Nikiya and Gamzatti. This season ABT fielded only three Gamzattis and Murphy was the only one who also dances Nikiya this season. In the past Susan Jaffe, Paloma Herrera, Cynthia Harvey, Leslie Browne and Amanda McKerrow alternated the parts. In Russia, Natalia Makarova danced Gamzatti as well as Nikiya at the Kirov.

One note about galas and choreography. Choreography isn't best served by being presented in "bleeding chunks". Even the warhorse pas de deux from "Swan Lake", "Giselle" and "Don Quixote" were shorn of the solos leaving the pas de deux and coda only. The two Ashton premieres "Thais" and "Awakening Pas de Deux" were fortunate in that they could be presented in toto. Also, unlike Macauley I consider Petipa, Tharp, Ashton, Neumeier and Parsons (though not in "Caught") major choreographers. Ratmansky, Robbins and Balanchine will be in the repertory mix this year. Kevin McKenzie with his background with the Joffrey in the 1970's is very conversant with major 20th century choreography and is interested in acquiring major works for ABT. We have seen more Ashton under his directorship than in any other period in ABT's history. In fact my major criticism is that McKenzie has neglected the Tudor, De Mille and the other founding ABT choreographers works. The Tudor centennial season at City Center last year was a partial recompense.

I was there too last night. My impression is that Mr. Koch didn't get much recognition when his name was announced but did get some decent applause later on. Many of my observations are echoed above. However: La Dame aux Camellias: this was very well danced. Bolle's passion and commitment impressed me and showed his skills as an actor rather than as a very pretty face and body. His partnering was magnificent. Bolle is not quite the acrobatic technical virtuoso that other ABT men are/have been. However, he has artistic skills that are continuing to be revealed to us as he does a wider range of roles. Julie looked very lovely and expressive. This will be very good. I don't think Neumeier is idiotic or trashy. He does use a lot of acrobatic lifts in a style used by Cranko and other 20th century choreographers. This Act III pas de deux had emotional specificity. Giselle: Hallberg and Osipova have been dancing this ballet in Russia. Osipova showed greater refinement in her upper body and style. What was interesting about her exciting Giselle at ABT last season was that her Act II Wili was still a tormented, febrile creature and her virtuosic aerial dancing with those huge jumps were full of that nervous energy. The PDD last night had much softer Romantic arms and more inward emotion - it will be interesting to see how she develops. Hallberg was all that one might expect and hope from him in this role. He now seems to be Osipova's preferred partner. This is interesting as they have very different plastiques, height and style of movement. But they work well together. Swan Lake PDD: Part's Odette has always been more subtle than her Odile which has always been a straightforward vamp. I would like a touch of "mystery woman" added to the mix rather than just a smiling femme fatale. A little Greta Garbo "don't come too close" attitude but really attracting the moth to the flame thing. However, some of those supported pirouettes were veering to the side and Marcelo had to straighten her out. The fouettes in the coda were solid and there were no gaffes. Sleeping Beauty Act III PDD: Xiomara Reyes was promoted because ABT needed a tiny virtuosa ballerina to partner Herman and Angel and Xiomara fit the bill. Sarah Lane is the only shorter ballerina currently. Her natural metier is demi-caractere ballerina but indeed she is good as Kitri and also Giselle but I like her Lise and Coppelia too. Tiny ballerinas have been cast as Aurora in the past and can make touchingly youthful figures in the part. I thought she danced pretty well. She is not as young as she looks and recently has had several injuries. Herman Cornejo had partnered Ashley Tuttle in "Theme and Variations" and the Times reviewer said he had trouble getting his arms over her head while partnering her and she is not that tall. Arm length is another factor here. Thais PDD: Vishneva excels in oriental odalisque type roles (Nikiya in Bayadere and Zobeide in Scheherazade) and this was right down her alley. She brought the right kind elegant sensuality. Jared Matthews also danced well but his partnering was rough and several bad landings and messy turns were his fault. This will need more rehearsal if this partnership is to be repeated. Rose Adagio: Michele Wiles had a tentative quality in the first set of balances. However, the final set with the promenades were very secure and she knew she nailed them. I am not sure I like her body type as Aurora but she seems to be able to dance it. I am seriously thinking of seeing her do it. Don Quixote PDD: Ethan Steifel looked like he is back and seemed happy up there. I didn't think I'd see him dance this well again. Birthday Offering: this looked a little stiffly danced to me (though Irina looked lovely in it). Hopefully it will settle in. What gorgeous music and choreography! Caught: Okay this is Cirque de Soleil techno trash but for a gala it was a diverting curiosity. Basically the strobe catches Angel in mid-flight. We never see his feet touch the ground so he seems to levitate. It was cool. If this piece had gone on a minute longer I would have been tempted to walk out. Special effects to loud techno music. Angel is amazing though. His thighs didn't look that big to me. Ballo per Sei: Edward Liang's choreography looked elegant and well-constructed and the ABT II kids danced it with polish. I would like to have seen the whole thing. More observations later.

Various posters on this board have noticed a deterioration in Max's technique. Especially noteworthy is that Max is not partnering Irina in "Don Quixote" as has been the custom in the past. I know that ABT was developing Max's virtuoso skills as opposed the understated "danseur noble" long-lined elegance that was his natural style of movement. He has either aged beyond that point where he can push his technique to compete with Corella and other such bravura dancers or he let himself deteriorate.

Where I do agree with you Ambonnay is that Hallberg has a "sensitive young man" quality onstage despite his height that makes him seem boyish and callow next to the womanly Part. Gomes and Bolle who are more matinee idol dashing leading man types match up better with her being more mature and sexual onstage.