sneds

Hi! Interesting... Acosta is currently scheduled to dance with the Royal Ballet through October 22 and starting again on November 13 (for a debut in "The Four Temperaments on Nov. 15). Wonder if he'll join ABT a day or two into the City Center season or if his schedule in London will be adjusted. Normally I'd be excited to have Acosta in New York, but since I'll be in the UK starting in the fall, I hope he doesn't change his schedule with the Royal Ballet! Kate

Hi! Ashley Bouder was one of the tropical birds in "Carnival of the Animals", so she danced on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights. I didn't see Fairchild in the "Chaconne" corps-perhaps you mixed her up with one of the apprentices or new corps members. There aren't any pictures of the apprentices/recent corps members anywhere, and I often get them confused. Kate

Hi! Megan did just fine in both the afternoon and evening performances! The only scary moment occured when Austin Laurent slipped during his solo as the acrobat automaton. He managed to sit through the remaining 15-20 minutes of the act, but was clearly hurt and did not reappear in the third act. I hope his OK, as I've always admired his gorgeous splits in that solo. I suspect that Borree has not recovered enough from her injury (that kept her out for most of the spring season) to dance a full length ballet. It may also have been more complicated than is obvious to have Ringer dance in Coppelia. She has also had an injury recently, plus having her dance may have required Askegard to dance Franz, given Ringer's height. Also, there could have been issues with costumes, rehearsal time and casting in other ballets. I certainly was nervous with having Fairchild do two performances in one day, but feel uncomfortable criticizing the casting decision without knowing all the details. Kate

Hi! I'm also studying in the UK this fall, and I sympathize about the lack of information from the UK consulates. Luckily, the school I'll be attending has provided a lot of information on their website. US citizens do not needs visas, HOWEVER as of November 13th, the law in the European Union is changing and all US citizens (and citizens from nine other non-visa countries) who are staying in the UK longer than 6 months will need to get an entry certificate, which will be inserted into their passport. I highly reccomend getting this done BEFORE your son leaves the U.S. as there may be a lot of people going to the US consulates in the UK trying to get the new paperwork done before the final date and it could be difficult if your son is not near a US consulate or embassy. The paperwork can be done at one of the US consulates in the UK. Info on the rule change can be found here: http://www.ed.ac.uk/internat/entry_clearance.html It is especially important to get this done now if your son intends to travel outside the UK while he is at school, as it will make it much easier for him to travel and he may need a visa to visit some countries (there is a Schengen visa, which will allow you to travel around the following countries for a visit during the course of one trip (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden) . It is also important if your son intends to do any work as student, as the UK is very strict letting non-citizens work. Your son will need to fill out two forms: IM2A (general room) and IM2S (student form) and take those along with his passport, a letter of acceptance from the school in the UK, proof of money to pay for ALL expenses (copy or original of bank statement/scholarship forms etc.), two passport sized photos and if he's doing post-grad study, proof of graduation from a college/university in the US (official transcript). I believe the student forms cost 36 pounds, payable in cash or money order (I'm just bringing lots of cash). The forms can be downloaded from the UK Visa website, which also all plenty of information: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pa...d=1014919208354 Though some of it is specific to Univ. Edinburgh, their international student section has a lot of really useful information (especially the pre-arrival and immigration section): http://www.ed.ac.uk/internat/ If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me or e-mail me through my website (www.sabworkshops.org). Cheers! Kate

Hi! Well, Kathleen Breen Combs ended up receiving the Lefkowitz (sp?) Award for Achievement. I don't have the whole list of winners, as it was quite a challenge to write names down in the dark , but the big news is that two gold medals were awarded, as well as a Youskevitch Award. Only three gold medals have ever been awarded at NYIBC, the only man to receive a gold being Jose Manuel Carreno. This year, both Ogulcan Borova of Turkey (Ballet Internationale) and Cesar Morales of Chile (Ballet de Santiago) were awarded gold medals and Ludmila Pagliero of Argentina received the Youskevitch Award. I saw both men in rehearsals and was very impressed. The Youskevitch Award is a one year contract at ABT, but the I'm not sure of the terms, as the only previous awardee, Carlos Molina, received the award in 1996, but did not join ABT until 1998. Does anyone know more about the award? Also, the NYIBC will now take place every other year. I was very impressed by all the performers tonight-it's not a large stage and sounded as if it wasn't sprung, or at least not the best of sprung stages. Rehearsing in the small studios at Fiorello Laguardia High School was obviously good practice for the Alice Tully Hall stage. Kate

Hi! Nice performance tonight, but with a major gaff at the end...Puck did not fly. I was up very close and couldn't tell what the problem was, but ALbert Evans was never hooked to the wires. I wonder if the wires may have gotten twisted coming down, so that it was not safe to raise anyone. Nice ad-libbing by Evans though. Kate

Hi! The ABT orchestra has been problematic all season, in particular the brass section. I attended one Romeo & Juliet and one Swan Lake, both late in the runs of the ballets, where the orchestra was so off as to be distracting from the dancing. It's something that needs to be addressed, as I think it's not fair to the dancers or the audience to have such poor quality of music, when for the most part, the dancing is so wonderful. Whether or not it's justified, I tend to give a little more leeway to the NYCB orchestra, since their rep is so huge and varies so much day to day. Kate

Adrian Danchig-Waring is also now listed as a member of the corps on the NYCB website. Kate

Thank you Dale for the explanation of "Western Symphony". I think this past weekend was the first time I'd seen the ballet, other than on tape, and was a bit perplexed by the "mysterious" fourth lead couple in the finale (Andrew Robertson and ?). I am correct in assuming that they represent the deleted third movement? Does anyone know why the third movement is no longer danced at NYCB? Thanks! Kate

Hi! Joaquin De Luz was Mercutio- sparkling performance, though not with the same elevation as Herman Cornejo at the matinee. De Luz's acting is well though out-apparently he worked on the role with Gil Boggs (who I think was the original Mercutio in ABT's version). Also les scary than Tuesday night when he lost his balance taking off for a jump and ended up sliding/tumbling on the stage. David Hallberg was fun as Benvolio. Hallberg has beautiful technique-he combines amazing height with very polished dancing and has the most gorgeous, flexible feet- though he's not a strong an actor as some of the other dancers in the role. However, he's only 20, so he's got plenty of time to develop his acting skills! I was pleasantly surprised at how well Malakhov, DeLuz and Hallberg danced together and the pleasant, if not totally believable rapport between them. Still, it didn't have the natural feel that Corella, Lopez & Cornejo did in the matinee. During one of the crowd scenes in the second act, Mercutio, Benvolio and Romeo lean against eachother, and then Romeo, who is in the middle, backs off, letting the other two guys fall into eachother. At the matinee, Lopez and Corella changed the set up (and it wasn't clear whether Cornejo was in on the joke) and both moved, letting Cornejo nearly hit the floor before catching him. Whether pre-rehearsed or not, it looked totally natural and really funny. Kate

Hi! I thought Vishneva was wonderful-she's an attractive dancer with a wonderfully flexible back and polished technique. However I thought her performance was not matched by Malakhov. He just never seemed to have much connection with Vishneva, and never moved me-the performance didn't seem whole hearted and he looked very tired by the end. I would have liked to have seen her perform with another partner...maybe Marcelo Gomes? Romeo is a role that can't just be acted-it has to be emoted with the whole body for it to be believable. Malakhov was certainly not just going through the motions, but he didn't have the energy or youthful feeling that Vishneva did, nor did he didn't look completely comfortable with the partnering, especially in the final "pas de deux". Kate

Hi! Interesting...I was also watching from closer up (front of the orchestra) and thought Rutherford was wonderful, especially on Tuesday night. It really can make a difference in one's perception of a performance, depending on where you sit in a theater. Alexandra Ansanelli is wonderful to watch wherever you are in theater, but when you are up close, her facial expressions add another layer to her performance. It's a challenge for the dancers, because they have to project up to the upper rings without looking overblown to audience in the orchestra and first ring. And I think certain ballets simply don't project well because the choreography is built around lots of little details. Both balletmasters and dancers (at NYCB and ABT) tend to sit in the orchestra section, probably because it's the easiest place to get to from backstage and that's where the house seats tend to be located. Out of curiousity, I checked the technical specs for the State Theatre, and about half the seats are in the orchestra and first ring. So, I would think it would be as important to perform for those closer up as those farther away. Kate

It's just one night, and they can easily drive back for performances in Saratoga on any other day. I think that's the last weekend in Saratoga anyway, so they would just join the rest of the company in NY for the flight to St. Petersburg after that. Kate

Hi! Matinee and evening were wonderful. Kudos to Janie Taylor and Sebastian Marcovici for some fast thinking during 'Symphonic Dances". Her foot got caught in his belt, and he had to stop and untangle her, throwing the torn belt into the wings. It was so smooth and they picked up so pefectly back into the music that some people near me (in the front of the orchestra) didn't realize what had happened. Alexandra Ansanelli and Damian were wonderful together...he is giving 110% at every performance and looks just thrilled to be on stage. She was wonderful in "Carousel" (the beginning is a bit different-and better I think-no more picture of the ferris wheel and some minor changes in choreography) and her debut in "Steadfast Tin Soldier" in the evening was absolutely delightful. Her facial expressions were perfect and she has just the right style for the role. She and Woetzel seem to be a good pair. She looked bit tired by "Vienna Waltzes", but seemed energized by Peter Boal's gracious partnering and soaring dancing. Ringer & Fayette were wonderful in "Brahms-Schoenberg", though I think Golbin's slip (she looked a bit off in the next series of step to me, from close up in the orchestra) jarred the audience a bit-it was the second fall and third mishap of the afternoon. Besides Woetzel & Nichols, Millepied was the highlight for me...he was really on! Overall, I thought that Brahms needs a few more performances to really hit the stride, but it was wonderful even so. All Balanchine in the evening, and all wonderful!!! Kate

Hi! I believe Veyette only did, at most, three double tours. He looked to be increasingly off balance, and very off on the last landing. Don't think he did four, but in any case, it wasn't the prettiest set of double tours. In the grand scheme of things, it was pretty minor, and I though the ballet was wonderfully danced, but that section didn't have the same effect that it can have when it's really a game of oneupsmanship (one good cast was ?, Carmena, Hendrickson and Ulbricht...I think the fourth may have been Orza possibly). Kate

Hi! The double tours didn't quite happen as choreographed...Veyette is a great dancer, but not yet a four double tour level yet. I'd have put Hendrickson or Carmena at the end-I'd think one of them would have a better chance of getting in the rotations without a lot of preparation. Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux was beautiful....Woetzel just seemed to hang in the air on his assembles and his landings are so light. Whelan is lovely, and it's a good partnership, dancing, temperament (on stage) and physique wise. Vienna Waltzes was also good....Rachel Rutherford was stunning in the First Movement. With her hair up, she looked a lot like Meryl Streep, and I mean that as a compliment. Beautiful but elegant at the same time. Kate

Hi! A big thank you to Dale!! I went to the gallery yesterday and the books had arrived. I'd probably have waited for much longer had I not known to ask. The dog in several of the photos is really cute! Keep your eye out as he (she?) appears in several pictures in various places! Thanks! Kate

Hi! I saw the matinee workshop performance and emjoyed it very much. Chopiniana, the setless Les Sylphides, was nicely performed. I won't call it costumeless, as the dancers are wearing something , but it's simply costumed with white practice dresses for the women and black tights/white shirt on the man. Zlato Fagundes who was to have danced the male lead was injured and was replated by Tyler Angle (younger brother of NYCB soloist, Jared Angle). Nikolaj Hubbe did well with his stagings of Ballabile and the pdd from the Flower Festival at Genzano. Nice attention to epaulment from the dancers. The Act II pdd from Swan Lake was solidly performed, though I don't think that the vast majority of student dancers are ready for the role of Odette/Odile. I think it requires an emotional maturity that only comes with age and experience. Aurora's Wedding (from Sleeping Beauty) was an inspired choice. It's a great chance to see the varied talents of the SAB students and a lot fun to watch. Highlights were the grand pas de deux (Angle & Ana Sophia Scheller) and the Blue Bird pas de deux (Olivia Goodrich and Vincent Paradiso). Paradisio and Angle appeared with NYCB in Swan Lake this season. Mae Wien Award Winners: Sheryl Ware Sarah Mearns, Ana Sophia Scheller, Vincent Paradiso and Giovanni Villalobos

Peter Boal Carrie Lee Riggins Alexandra Ansanelli (??) Sean Savoye (who retired a few years ago)

Hi! Is the book actually on sale yet? I pre-ordered it and was under the impression that it was not being released until June 10th, give or take a few days. I haven't seen it anywhere, other than the sealed copies in the gallery. Also, Nancy Ellison and some of the ABT dancers will be the Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble at 7pm on June 11th, in conjuction with the release of the book. Kate

In re: the tissue I thought it looked as if Ansanelli might have gotten a bloody nose, and that's why she had a tissue. Given the confines of backstage, it's conceiveable that she could have collided with something or someone while offstage. Kate

He's also dancing with Dvorovenko and Beletserkovsky on the 10th. Kate

To clarify... Tewsley is not scheduled for anything this week, but is scheduled to debut in Glass Pieces next week. Kate

Hi! Unfortunately, ABT only releases principal casting, so the only date DeLuz is on the casting sheet for is this coming Wednesday Matinee (Fille Mal Gardee). I'm sure he'll be doing solo roles in some of the other full length productions, but you'll just have to keep an eye/ear out for the exact casting. Kate

Trying to help here-some casting changes as per the cast sheet at State Theater (as of 5/21): Borree has been replaced in all her scheduled performances this week, with the resulting changes: -Korbes will debut in the Kangaroo role in "Carnival of the Animals" tonight -Both performances of "Coppelia" this weekend (5/24, 5/25) will be danced by Benjamin Millepied and Alexandra Ansanelli, with Ansanelli making her debut as Swanhilda at the Saturday matinee. Kate