Roberto Dini

And found Cornejo's dancing in Act 3 to be thrillingly beautiful. Effortless, soaring jumps with real ballon-that magical pause in the air one reads about more than one sees.

Reyes is a trooper. A last minute debut in an extraordinarily challenging "star" role. Add to that a distraught child (or children) who let loose at the beginning of her variation in Act 3. I quite liked her in the scene in Orion's cave. But I agree with Abatt that this is not really her role and, I find, that like Sleeping Beauty, which is clearly in Ashton's mind, the ballet does not come near its full glory without a glorious ballerina at it's center.

I could not agree more. I saw the Thursday evening performance. Cornejo somehow seems to jump higher while already airborne in mid-jump. His Act 3 solo was especially amazing. Unfortunately for me (although I doubt it was audible on stage), some bozo decided to sing along with the music to Xiomara Reyes' variation (the pizzicato variation). While I applaud that audience member's ability to sing the variation, it was totally inappropriate and extremely annoying.

I would love to see what Reyes does with the role in the future.

On a side note, I never noticed the tattoo that Cornejo has on his inside forearm just above the wrist. Once I noticed it, I found it distracting.

I saw the Tuesday performance with Hallberg and Semionova and the Thursday performance with Whiteside and Herrera. I agree with most of what's been said above. I expected more from Semionova and was a little disappointed. I was surprised at how pedestrian her bourées seemed. I love the step that Juliet does throughout the evening when she moves away from Paris, where she relevés in parallel and the bourées in parallel away from Paris. It was a let down each time she did it. I also didn't feel the stakes were high enough for Semionova in the bedroom pas de deux and the scene with Paris before her suicide. I didn't get, "This is life or death" from her.

Otherwise, the standout of the evening was Gorak. My eye was constantly drawn to him whenever he was dancing. He was wonderful, and I hope to see more of him.

I went to Thursday's performance because I had enjoyed Whiteside in the Ratmansky symphony. I found Whiteside and Herrara's performance much more enjoyable than Semionova and Hallberg. Herrera's performance had the passion that was missing from Semionova's. Yes, Whiteside's focus could have been stronger in the purely acting moments, such as when he enters the Capulet's party, but that is quibbling and is certainly something he can fix. Perhaps, Hallberg's dancing was more polished in comparison, but Whiteside certainly held his own. He definitely has more presence and confidence than Cory Stearns had when he was first put into principal roles. Stearns always reminded me of a deer in headlights. Thankfully, those days are long gone. I loved Stearns in Onegin with Dvorovenko, but I digress.

Back to Thursday's performance, Luis Ribagorda made a strong impression as Benvolio on Thursday, and I loved Stella Abrera as Lady Capulet. She is amazing. I can never get enough of her. I think she and Sascha Radetsky set a very high bar in their portrayals of Lady Capulet and Tybalt, a bar from which I measure all other performances of those roles. I should add Susan Jones as the Nurse to the list of performances by which others should be measured..

I saw the performance on Tuesday and was a little disappointed in the new costumes and set designs although the 2nd act costumes are a definite improvement (at least Medora's are). I think it was in the jardin animé that the chandeliers reminded me of jellyfish. I can't imagine how much it all must have cost, but I don't think it's that much of an improvement. I enjoyed seeing Herman dance but wish he had danced Ali.

Yes, I believe that is the article. Thank you.

Perhaps you're thinking of this piece, which appeared in the New York Times a year ago.

http://www.nytimes.c...nversation.html

I enjoyed the Irina's interview and don't think it was that negative. She didn't say anything that we haven't heard before. I recall an article with a number of soloists at ABT who expressed dissatisfaction at being overlooked while stars are being brought into the company as principals. I'm sorry, but I do not recall in what publication that article appeared.

the haze in UPPER ROOM is steam, not smoke.

Really? It smelled like theatrical smoke/fog to me. I think it's often glycol or glycerin and water, but whatever it consists of, it certainly had that odor about it. If it were steam, I would think it would dissipate more quickly than it did and that one would feel the humidity in the house by the end of the piece as it certainly had billowed into the house by the end of the work.

Having seen both casts of Symphony No. 9, I preferred Part over Semionova. Part's performance was tinged with tragedy and high drama. She captured the darker aspects of the music perfectly.

Gomes was electrifying as Othello. He has a way of conveying primal emotions to an audience that few people at ABT have. The problem for me was that Julie Kent was much too mature to pull of the innocent blushing bride that is Desdemona. When Gomes and Kent were dancing together in this, it seemed more like Hamlet and Mama Gertrude than Othello and Desdemona.

So who is going to replace Herman in Barcelona Don Q on opening night? Poor Herman. I hope this is a short term injury.

I thought both casts were excellent but would give a slight edge to Part also. Cornejo was brilliant. I'd imagine that Jared Matthews must have been waiting in the wings in case Cornejo couldn't continue. I don't know how he could have gotten onstage that quickly if he weren't already in costume.

Perhaps it was due to my distance from the stage but Kent did not seem too old to be playing Desdemona to me. Abatt's comment made me think of Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie, who, while listing the roles she'd portray brilliantly, includes Juliet, saying "And if the house were big enough, I still could play her yet."

I loved Rodeo. I liked both programs on Saturday, the matinee and evening performances. I enjoyed the visual effect of the smoke in In the Upper Room but would think it would be annoying/difficult to dance in stage smoke although the dancers seem to have no problem doing so.

I saw Cornejo, Reyes, Boylston and Simkin Wednesday night. I loved it. It really gives the company the chance to shine. Susan Jones was very funny.

Wow. Hard crowd. Cornejo's brises were certainly well beyond competent.

I'm disappointed, and yet not surprised, that they've raised the ticket prices for his farewell.

I saw Giselle both Thursday and Friday. I agree Kelley Boyd's mime was very good. In fact, I preferred it to Raffa's the night before.

Alina's mad scene was quite impressive. I loved how she ran through the crowd, grabbing various townsmen as though she was looking desparately for Albrecht.

Corella danced beautifully.

I loved Reyes and Cornejo. Devon Teuscher was good, but I would rather have seen Abrera as Myrtha. I remember enjoying her performance in the role a few years ago and felt that she was more commanding in the role than Teuscher.

Radetsky played Hilarion both nights. I've always found him to be one of the best Hilarions of late. I'm not sure exactly why, but I thought his performance was better Friday night.

I think Kander & Ebb summed up the whole idea of class, or lack thereof, pretty well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq4VtQQ00XI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nZ7nKh8zHg

Does dropping a wrapper make one "bad" and holding a door make one "good"? Manners are welcomed and supported, and they permit smoother interactions in society, but having them does not lead to any conclusion regarding one's ethics, morals, or character.

My experience has very little-(actually nothing)- to do with high, complexes theories and deep moral thoughts. I don't really care, nor do I now, if the woman texting, or the other one eating candy or the third one shaking the rattle are beautiful human beings. For that matters, the three of them could have been as amazing as Mother Theresa and I still would find their behavior totally disruptive, disrespectful and invasive. Gosh...seriously...it's really time to stop being so over condescendet and remind people of which basic principles of manners-(those we're all supposed to learn at home, as kids)-are to be applied once you step in a Opera House. The other stuff about murder and stealing and the rest of the commandments is certainly subject for endless discussions, but honestly, I don't think they would be appropriate stuff for this thread. As for the rest, as Helene says, there's always the circus.

Nina Ananiashvilli is probably my favorite performer who I've seen live although Veronika Part very pleasantly surprised me with a stellar performance with Roberto Bolle a couple of seasons ago with ABT.

Recorded performances, I enjoy Nina and Evelyn Hart (although she looks awfully gaunt) in the Natalia Makarova production that perhaps avesraggiana was referring to earlier? I love the evil looks Evelyn gives the camera as the black swan. I believe I recall reading that she was a last-minute replacement for someone who had gotten ill when they were set to record the ballet. The dvd transfer is disappointingly bad with a a lot of color bleeding and blurring, as I recall.

This may not be relevant to this thread, but in my dealings with the subscription department, I have been impressed by how accommodating they have been to me, how they value their subscribers and do not want to lose any (due to this new pricing policy), how they patiently explain seat locations (zillions of times I'm sure), and how idealistic the particular lady I spoke to today was about the Company - she was devoted to the Company and wanted as many people as possible to see them. My decision to subscribe was validated, I feel, by the positive vibes I got on the phone from this lady. She was a true devotee, and spoke as if NYCB were her calling.

It makes sense for them to be patient and accommodating. I'm sure the people working in the subscription office want to keep their jobs. I doubt they have anything to do with setting the ticket prices themselves. They work in customer service. I don't envy their having to explain the new pricing plan to callers.

Nonetheless, she was a very special person, going beyond her job to help me. Ever try calling Verizon? Now that's "customer service"!

I have no doubt that this woman is spectacular, but both she and Verizon have different agendas. I am no fan of Verzion. Verizon Wireless, formerly a separate entity, used to have incredible customer service, but after they snafued two phones that I removed from a family plan, they lost what little respect I had for them. They rank on a par with Verizon itself. I no longer user Verizon and will avoid them if at all possible.

I enjoyed your review, but was puzzled by your comment, "Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings" is brilliant but nonetheless quite un-Tchaikovsky--it's a rich, almost frenetic score which bounds in every direction."

I think the serenade is quintessential Tchaikovsky.

In the second video, there are some interest questions to Angel Corella about dancing with his own company and ABT and to Jose Manuel Carreño about this being his final season with ABT.

Hi I'm in Japan.

We Japanese really appreciate that ABT with full company has come to Japan in this tough situation.

Thanks so much!

I've enjoyed every show I saw so far.

As they mentioned,art gives us a lot of energy to heal from the tragedy.

Here's links of the press conference movie.

You don't need to translate...at least each dancer's own words.

(divided into 2 parts)

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16122204

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/16122459

Another news is Marcelo Gomes replaced and is replacing Angel Corella in full DonQ on matinee 24th and in closing night gala's Tchaikovsky PDD though Angel appeared and danced in Opening night gala and following special DonQ Act 2.

Thank you for sharing these videos.

Yes, I do take issue with the no exchanges, no returns policy. I am not insinuating bait and switch, although I can see why you might have read it that way. Since for many balletomanes, amongst whom I count myself, the cast is the most important thing, I do think it would be fair for any company to exchange tickets if the cast changes. If the cast changes because my favorite dancer is injured, then I should be allowed to exchange my ticket for another performance if I'm unhappy with the particular replacement. You may not agree with this, you may think that it would create a "mess" for abt, but it is not "ridiculous" or "libelous."

The "No Exchanges; No refunds" policy is fairly standard practice as far as ticketing is concerned. Sometimes companies will allow subscribers to exchange tickets as an inducement to subscribe. In past seasons, I had no problems exchanging tickets at ABT.

Of course, the METOpera charges an exchange fee of $5 of $10 per ticket (I don't remember which) unless you join their membership/patron program. Their exchange fees were rather painful when I had to exchange a number of tickets because I was required to take a class on the same night as my subscription plan.

I get sick of all the ticketing fees, convenience fees and the like. Stop nickeling and diming people with fees and just include them in your ticket prices, especially when you run your own box office as the MET does.

This may not be relevant to this thread, but in my dealings with the subscription department, I have been impressed by how accommodating they have been to me, how they value their subscribers and do not want to lose any (due to this new pricing policy), how they patiently explain seat locations (zillions of times I'm sure), and how idealistic the particular lady I spoke to today was about the Company - she was devoted to the Company and wanted as many people as possible to see them. My decision to subscribe was validated, I feel, by the positive vibes I got on the phone from this lady. She was a true devotee, and spoke as if NYCB were her calling.

It makes sense for them to be patient and accommodating. I'm sure the people working in the subscription office want to keep their jobs. I doubt they have anything to do with setting the ticket prices themselves. They work in customer service. I don't envy their having to explain the new pricing plan to callers.

Tonight was apparently Carlos Lopez's final performance with the company. At the curtain call, many of the dancers brought him before the curtain and tearfully applauded him. Lopez was also in tears, and Gomes gave him a big hug. Anyone know if he is joining another company?

Wow, did not see that coming, though am not surprised. I did a google search and pulled up this blog entry on his website: http://www.carloslopez.org/Carlos_Lopez_Website/Blog/Entries/2011/5/29_Changes.html which seems to allude to his departure.

Has Carlos Lopez announced his plans? I don't see any new blog posts on his website. He became a US citizen in May.

(A counter-argument would be that stars are born and not made. In which case, McKenzie deserves little or no credit for Gomes, Hallberg, Murphy, Stearns and others.)

While that may be a counter-argument, I think it's a weak one. Most people need time to grow into parts. Stearns was a prime example of being thrust into too many leading roles too soon. I remember several of his performances had a sort of "deer-in-the-headlights" quality to them.

NYCB has a system, and it's a system od promotion from within. It has produced recently Wendi Whelan, Ashley Bouder, Sara Mearns,and many men who will no doubt take their places as principals.

Not to mention Charles Askegard, Joaquin DeLuz, Sofiane Sylve, Ib Andersen, Ask La Cour, Nikolaj Hubbe, and oh, yes, Peter Martins!

On the other hand, one could enjoy watching the developoment of ABT's home-grown Herman Cornejo, Cory Stearns, Gillian Murphy, Marcelo Gomes, Julie Kent, Paloma Hererra, and others who are clearly moving up the ranks.

Didn't Joaquin De Luz rise up through the ranks of ABT before switching to NYCB?

De Luz and Cornejo were often cast on alternate nights in the same roles at ABT.

Deborah Jowitt, who wrote about dance for the Village Voice for over 40 years, is now blogging on ArtsJournal at Dance Beat (which was also the title of her first anthology)

Thank you for the heads up.

If I recall correctly -- and it's been way, way over a decade since I sat there (for a Nutcracker)-- the 5th ring is a small tier of side-only seats situated above the 4th ring's tier of side seats. I think there's something like 34 or 36 seats up there in total. No center section, just the sides of the horseshoe.

That's what Fifth Ring is. They would be, at best, very limited view seats. I think they were meant to be akin to the score desks at the Metropolitan Opera, to hear the opera and not see the production, although I don't think Fifth Ring seats have lamps for score following.

Actually, they weren't too bad for observing the patterns if you happened to be seated in the seats furthest away from the stage..

I really only like the last seats in the fifth ring--the ones furthest from the stage, but prefer the fourth ring over all. And yes, I believe Helene is correct. There are no score lamps in the fifth ring unless you bring your own.

What I don't understand is why they don't try just closing the third ring... That price level is such that those people could choose between spending a little more or joining the 4th ring....

I agree with you, but the rationale probably is to consolidate the populated areas of the house. Closing the third ring but opening the fourth would leave a gap.