aurora

13 minutes ago, Roberta said:

The world no longer revolves around a few elitist arts lovers (of the old-style European variety) who are privileged enough to live in one of a handful of expensive cities with major opera houses.

At the end of the day, the NYTimes and other traditional or online newspapers don't want to spend resources to cater to - what? - about 50-100 persons? -  for whom English is the primary language and who really care about reviews of specific classical performances. How many Engl-reading  individuals really care? I'm guessing that all 50-100 of them post or lurk on Ballet Alert or balletcoforum.

I think you somewhat underestimate the number of people who care about the arts.

1 hour ago, onxmyxtoes said:

Major SNOOZE

There's a reason why those drawings are kept in a MUSEUM. You look at the photo of Helpman and it's obvious that he wouldn't have had the strength to do the one handed knee fish dive in the pas de deux. But the art and dancers evolve... and so do the audiences. If I wanted to see the original footage, I'd watch a video at the library.

I see the value of studying the notations and incorporating into the choreography, but I really don't understand why a reconstruction of the ballet done in the 1800s is something that should be in the permanent rep. There's a lack of understanding of what ABT needs today to keep fresh and relevant in the modern times. 

 

While the fish dives have been typical in the west, I believe to this day the Russian companies do not do them. I don't think people call their versions a "snooze" or un-evolved for this.

I personally like the fish dives, but in the context of this version omitting them seems the obvious choice.

3 hours ago, nanushka said:

Overall, I was impressed with Teuscher's Act II. I've come to accept her particular physical limitations (described above) that make her unideal for Odette, but setting those aside I found her performance to be thoughtful, accomplished, and even moving. I didn't like her mime, but her dancing was strong and often quite beautiful — again, with the above-mentioned reservations. She and Bell had very strong chemistry, and as others have observed previously on this thread, he seems to bring out the best in her (and especially some real warmth).

...

I'm very glad I went last night. It was not a Swan Lake for the ages — or even perhaps one that will stick in my memory for years to come — but there was a lot to enjoy.

Generally I agree with nanushka about this performance, with minor caveats/things to add.

I'm rather more enthusiastic about it. Particularly on Bell who, I felt not only brought out the best in Teuscher, but also acted very well on his own--He made a much more believable character of Siegfried than just about anyone I've seen in a long while (I also had no problems with the tours to one knee--its show offy, but the entire PDD is about showing off).

l'd also like to call attention to not only Teuscher's incredibly emotional performance, which I found very moving, but also to her phrasing, which I thought was excellent. She played with the music, drawing out some movements, dancing with almost syncopation at others. There were no little stops before end poses in pirouettes and other partnered bits as I saw in the (excellent) Shevchenko SL the other night. It was a very well thought out and executed performance. The way she caressed his hair in act IV as she forgave him was really moving.

The only point on which I'd strongly disagree is on Devon's mime--which was strongly executed and clear.

I loved Shevchenko's performance on Tuesday, but in act II when she said that if someone loves her and swears then she will be a swan no more---she glossed over the no more, it was not clear nor visible and lost its meaning.

Teuscher's mime was more legible, elegant, and the emphasis with which she proclaimed death in Act IV was chilling.

Just now, ABT Fan said:

Lendorf? That’s a puzzle.

Indeed!

I mean he is around seemingly, and frequently attends ABT. We know he had serious injuries, but despite his long absence he is still listed on the roster. There just hasn't been any information about what is going on for a long time...

1 minute ago, abatt said:

Lendorf is listed.  I hope he makes it back, but who knows.

No Hallberg.  He would be the one person I would be most interested in seeing perform Apollo.

I wonder if Calvin will get a shot at it--he is learning it at the moment (for Vail).

6 minutes ago, Leah said:

No Gillian Murphy. I was hoping she’d return by then,

I wouldn't read too much into this yet. They might for now be leaving that option open to see how she feels a bit closer to the dates. Better to say nothing now than disappoint people later.

Remember it does say "Principal Dancers for the 2019 Fall season include...etc.," not "principal dancers for the 2019 Fall season are"

2 minutes ago, California said:

Several months ago we had a discussion of the Miami City Ballet's plans to stage Ratmansky's reconstruction of the original in the 2020-21 season. Lopes posted some things on her social media, although it's not yet on their web site. Currently, Miami does Balanchine's one-act Swan Lake. I assume they would want a North American exclusive on the reconstruction.

Considering 2 companies in Europe staged it at virtually the same time, is there any reason to think only one company in North America would be able to?

I recognize they weren't in the same country, but distances in Europe are nowhere near what they are in the US.

Zurich to Milan is about a 4 hour drive. New York is obviously much further away than that from Miami.

26 minutes ago, nanushka said:

I agree about clean solid singles being perfectly acceptable and often very impressive, and I also agree that on the beat — or at the very least starting off that way, in clear relation to the music (understanding that when multiples enter the mix each whip can take more like a beat and a half) — is really to be expected (though not always achieved).

And now I am hoping that the tow truck AAA is sending to me on I-78 gets here quickly so I can still make tonight’s performance! 🙏

Nina(o) Ananiashvilli was always the queen of the super fast singles (this video is actually slower than I remember her tearing into them).

30 minutes ago, nanushka said:

I enjoyed the article (and I've loved watching Hurlin dance), but it's just unfortunate that this is week 6 of the Met season, and we've so far gotten only two reviews. Not so long ago, we'd get one for most every opening night, and for major ballets sometimes another later in the week.

They don't think anyone cares about ballet reviews any more

1 hour ago, NinaFan said:

As we all know, sometimes one dancer brings out the best in another.  IMO Bell brings out the best in Teuscher.   But that's my opinion of course.  

Agreed. You might think Stearns would, but I guess the fact that they (Teuscher and Stearns) are both emotionally reserved dancers cancels out the fact that they are actually a couple.

11 minutes ago, abatt said:

According to Hallberg's website, he is scheduled to do Manon at ROH in the fall with Osipova.

That is a pairing that would get me back to Manon in a heartbeat (I really dislike the ballet but that would be amazing)!

15 minutes ago, ord7916 said:

Roman Zhurbin was the jailer, a role which he also played with Diana.  I remember that being a wonderfully seductive scene, which it was not this time. 

That is NOT how I would ever have described that scene....

It is a rape scene

1 hour ago, annaewgn said:

I feel like Shayer would understand that his injury would set him back. Companies don't usually promote dancers who've only just come back from serious, long-term injuries. Unless they had some serious star-power. Plus (not to seem rude) where would we be if companies casted and promoted based on hurt feelings? It's just not really how management functions. 

I think, given the needs of the company, and their respective range, plus Shayer's long injury period, that not only Bell but also Ahn, are likely to be promoted before him. Both certainly deserve soloist status (as, I believe, does Shayer)

26 minutes ago, JuliaJ said:

I thought the show was close to perfect last night, even without Simkin. This was my first time seeing the show and I absolutely LOVED it despite expectations. Yes, it's all spectacle over substance but that's clearly the point, isn't it? I appreciated just how much pure dancing there was vs. in a mime-heavy ballet. IMO the orientalism (and themes of slavery) is so obviously rooted in fantasy -- and a very historic genre of fantasy -- that it's barely "offensive" in context. There's also some beautiful choreography here despite the showiness of it all, and the music, while not Tschaikovsky, is nonetheless danceable and catchy. 

Shevchenko was so, so beautiful and technically flawless as Medora -- her long, willowy limps and port de bras have a real Russian ballerina quality to them. Her fouttés -- lots of doubles and triples(?) thrown in, and so much speed! -- were maybe the best I've ever seen, in person or on YouTube. She is an exceptional turner -- she kept adding extra rotations, even to the turns à la seconde en dedans, and landing them seamlessly. Trenary, who is another one of my favorite dancers, was superb as Gulnare... she has a sharp, speedy quality to her dancing that makes me wonder how she'd look in Balanchine choreography. 

As for the men, Mack is a strong, athletic jumper with lots of acrobatic-looking tricks up his sleeve and has a wonderful stage presence (makes you not really care about his unrefined feet). His partnering was so solid -- I couldn't believe how fast he turned Shevchenko around in the supported pirouettes. Ahn did a very fine job as Ali. He has high, gorgeous leaps and got lots of applause for pulling off the hard jumps. The only place where I think he fumbled (and barely noticeable if you haven't watched other dancers do it) was in the turns à la seconde with the pirouettes in plié in between (I don't recall him bending the supporting leg at all). The only thing I felt was lacking in his performance was a better sense of characterization, but he can work on that. He certainly has the bravura technique to be a male asset to the company. Special shoutouts to Strayer, as Birbanto, and Bell, as Lankendem, for their excellent dancing, acting, and energy. Bell is so technically strong -- he got so much applause for his center-split jumps (not sure what they're called); I'm excited to see him in Swan Lake in two weeks. 

Anyway, for those who wanted to attend on Saturday just for Simkin, I assure you the rest of this cast is worth seeing!

Additionally, these were role debuts for both Trenary as Gulnare and Bell as Lankendem, which you'd never have known from seeing them. I only know because they noted the fact on Instagram.

1 hour ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

Has Skylar danced Medora at the Met before? She was wonderful:  super-fast and secure pirouettes, lush port de bras, expressive mime.

 

Thanks for the report!

Skylar did debut Medora in 2017 at the Met with almost no notice. It was a remarkable debut, and I'm looking forward to seeing her dance it again on Saturday!

43 minutes ago, abatt said:

Since Manon is a new ballet for Cornejo, I have to wonder whether he even had enough (or any?) rehearsal time for this ballet given his injury.  Even if he is now recovered (which I don't know) how does he make up for the lost rehearsal time?

At the talk last week, he seemed confident he would be performing in Manon and was very excited about the debut.

I'd surmise that he possibly could have done Corsaire but ultimately (regretfully) withdrew from that in order to not risk jeopardizing a debut that is clearly very important to him.

2 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

I was also at the Saturday matinee.  Interesting how those that saw it with Forster/Boylston liked the work and those who saw the Whiteside/Teuscher cast disliked it. 

I think you are mistaken. Both MarzipanShepherdess and I saw the Whiteside/Teuscher cast and liked it, as you can see above, where she wrote an extensive review.

50 minutes ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

I agree with JMcN that a lot of it may be down to expectations from US audiences and critics vs English ones. From what I see (as an American who travels to Europe a few times a year and sees ballet when I’m there), European companies more often break from classical idiom and present more experimental work than American companies generally and certainly ABT. I think of the ENB’s “class war” version of Giselle for example, or Matthew Bourne’s New Directions productions which blur the lines between theater and ballet and takes direct inspiration from pop culture. Or POB, which commissions avant-grade work like Alexander Ekman’s Play.

 

I can certainly see how it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and could be disappointing if you were showing up wanting to see something like one of ABT’s current story ballets, but I found a lot to like and admire in Jane Eyre.

It REALLY captures the novel and its characters, for one. I was so impressed by how quickly and clearly Marston established who each character was through their choreography. She is good at developing choreographic leitmotifs for each character that recur and deepen in meaning—for example, Jane’s crossing of her arms over her chest, with her hands covering her ears beautifully conveys how Jane protectively shuts down in the face of her childhood tormentors, but then the same gesture recurs with Rochester and you see how her early defense mechanisms are preventing her from embracing love. 

I wasn’t sure about the “d-men” at first (male corps dancers who represent Jane’s inner demons) but came to feel those passages powerfully embodied what it’s like to struggle with trauma and feel the past erupt into the present. I found it to be a very moving ballet, in this respect and others. 

I also found myself moved by how the ballet depicted female friendship (between Jane and Helen especially). It struck me that it is SO rare in ballet to see relationships shown between women that aren’t romantic rivalries, and to see stories that aren’t purely love stories. While obviously Jane eyre contains a love story, the novel is much more than that and Marston’s ballet honors that. It’s wonderful to see that in ballet. 

Thursday’s cast was quite good. James Whiteside, who I don’t usually enjoy in story ballets, was great as Rochester, capturing his journey from swaggering machismo to emotional tenderness. He’s having a good season. There were moments where I wanted more emotion from Devon, but overall it was a strong, committed performance. 

One of the pleasures of the ballet are that there are lots of interesting soloist roles. Stella Abrera as flirty, haughty Blanche Ingram, Zimmi Coker as giddy, girlish Adele Varens, Sarah Lane as the officious and tormented Mrs Fairfax, and Calvin Royal as the villainous Mr Brocklehurst all were fantastic and made a lot out of relatively small roles. I thought Cassandra Trenary could have given more dimension to Bertha Mason. Her dancing definitely captured the wild, unhinged aspect of the character effectively, though. 

Audience reaction on Thursday seemed very positive, from what I overheard from those seated near me. I may be in the minority here, but I hope Jane Eyre stays in ABT’s rep. It is quite unique in their repertoire and is such a rich dramatic ballet that I would enjoy seeing how different dancers embody the roles. I think there is also a lot of meaning and intelligence in the choreography and the way motifs echo across the ballet that it would be interesting to unpack in another viewing. 

 

Thanks for writing this up!

I really enjoyed it as did everyone I was with--ranging from experienced ballet goers to relative neophytes.

I agree with basically everything you said, and would like to second just how enthusiastic the crowd response was. Comments I overheard were also very positive.

Going into it expecting it to be modern/ballet vs. Ballet was helpful I think.

I too would be happy for it to stick around.

2 minutes ago, mille-feuille said:

After seeing the devoid-of-ballet Jane Eyre last night, I'm feeling a little scarred. I had planned on seeing Manon for the first time next week, but now I feel the need to confirm--is there enough dancing in it? (All I've seen of it is the bedroom pas de deux, pretzel-like partnering I consider "ballet-lite" or "in the style of ballet.") How much meaty classical dancing is in this ballet?

Personally I don't much like the ballet so I haven't gone in years. But in terms of style it is similar to Romeo & Juliet (just not as good in terms of plot and with more "adult" content)

Update from Cornejo.

Let's keep our fingers crossed for him!

35 minutes ago, abatt said:

Yes, the three ladies you mention are all talented, good dancers.  However, it remains to be seen whether any of them will turn into important artists of the caliber that used to contract with ABT.

Many of whom were exceptional/extraordinary talents no matter where they trained.

In the case of at least some of them, this was at places with no better reputation than ABT's school as ABT Fan noted above.

17 minutes ago, abatt said:

Fracci, Makarov, Kirkland also must have been a great era, but before my time.  

Since ABT has now gone to a new model, whereby it is relying on its own school instead of contracting with artists of international stature, how many stellar artists do we really expect to come out of ABT's school?  It is not an internationally important school.  Even within the US it is not considered a top tier school.  Certainly there are some good dancers, but is anyone really expecting the next Nina Ananiashvilli or Julio Bocca to emerge from ABT's school pipeline?

If it produces talented dancers like Cassandra Trenary, Skylar Brandt and Catherine Hurlin (among many other standouts), I don't have a problem with it.

2 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

I totally agree.

And, he HAS been given opportunities (Romeo, Nutcracker Prince, The Poet in Les Sylphides, Prince Desire - which he doing again this season - and others). Romeo he has never done again. And, last time they did Sleeping Beauty he wasn't cast as the Prince, but this year he is (out of necessity or has he improved since last time?). Last year his Bronze Idol was extraordinary, but that is a role that requires no partnering or acting and is very short. I always look forward to seeing him dance, but I agree that there appears to be a lack of growth.

I agree with ABT Fan and Nanushka.

Additionally he has done the Prince in Cinderella if I remember correctly.

His lack of progress seems largely due to not taking those opportunities when they were presented.

That said, he was eye catching as prince cocoa in Whipped Cream--dancing with more authority and vigor than I have seen him have in that role in the past.

Hopefully this bodes well for his future. He is not the only person to stagnate for some time at soloist level before getting their act together. Jared Matthews had a similar falling off for several years after he made soloist, but then looked for his last season or so a sure thing for promotion before decamping to Houston.  This was due not, I think, to his own lack of opportunities at ABT but the fact that he and his long term partner Yuriko Kajiya wanted to be somewhere where both were principals.

2 hours ago, bingham said:

Raymond Klein had an amazing debut as the Boy in Whipped Cream the other night, He is definitely,IMO, a potential soloist.

I agree he was excellent!

I'd never seen him do much before except Neapolitan in SL.

FYI his name is Jonathan Klein.

51 minutes ago, Needlepoints said:

Unfortunately, I'm not so on the bandwagon for Forster this season.  I thought his Pierrot was bland last week and I thought his turn in Seasons was bland also.  After all the attitude and swagger he displayed as Espada in Don Q, I was hoping for more projection from him in other roles.  I'm not seeing it at the moment.

I like Forster very much but I didn't think he looked as comfortable in The Seasons as did Whiteside in the alternate cast.

That said, he was fantastic as Sergei in on the Dneiper in the cast you didn't get to see. I thought far superior to Stearns in the role.

1 minute ago, California said:

I confess that when I first saw this information, I guessed that she just couldn't get the choreography and bailed. "Schedule conflict" is a more face-saving way to explain that than technical inability to do the steps (especially after the fouette embarrassment last year). Much of Ratmansky's choreography is fiendishly difficult -- the long series of hops on pointe, e.g. -- and a year or two ago, many on this board noted how much difficulty she was having with the steps. I doubt Ratmansky would have been happy letting her change/simplify his work. 

My feeling as well.