vipa

Thank you Helene. This was a very interesting interview. Her determination is pretty remarkable.

That was a crazy time in ABT in many ways. I don't exactly remember the Twyla Tharp involvement but her dancers were in the company to do her rep.

My guess is that a lot of women at ABT can do them. The trick is doing them when you're the lead in a full length, along with all the other dancing. In SL you've done the pas, variations and coda in the white act and then pas and variations in the black act before you hit the fouettes. Practice in pacing is needed. One reason I was willing to give Sarah Lane a pass on not completing the fouettes was because she was put in at the last minute, and hadn't done it before. She couldn't have had enough rehearsal time to develop pacing.

ABT had Andrew Veyette from NYCB as a guest for Theme and Variations. He brought his A game and was outstanding. Not much press or notice though. Well - there were probably a lot of dancers in the wings. If a dancer from another country had flown in and done as well, I suspect more attention would have been paid.

Beautiful and moving tributes. I have to say that I admire the way Peter Boal speaks of any dancer who retires, even corps members. Being an AD is hard but he seems to handle it with a great deal of humanity. BTW he was one of my all time favorites in the role of Apollo!

I so agree canbelto. NYCB at the moment has some of the finest ballerinas in the world - Mearns, Peck, Bouder, Reichlin, Hyltin. BTW Hyltin did the fouettes in the SL that I saw but the main point is that it is not a company priority and full length ballets are not what they are known for. ABT hangs it's hat on traditional, full length story ballet. It's a different animal.

I agree Abatt, and that clearly is her perspective. If there were more black dancers and one of them was chosen over her, she would have to think differently. As I said before it's complicated. Back in the day when I was a dancer and didn't get a role I thought I should have, I often thought I lost out because of height, plain old favoritism or some other reason that I found unjustifiec. Now that I look back it's easier for me to see the virtues of other dancers.

I agree it is hard to turn a ship around but it has to be done. NYCB is a different animal. First there is a tradition, since the Balanchine days, of throwing young people into things. Second, it is a company that mostly relies on rep programs. Throwing an apprentice on as one of 4 leads in Symphony in C (as Martins did recently) is a something of a risk but the entire evening doesn't rest on the shoulders of that dancer.

This is Copeland's own opinion that she was more talented and brought more depth to a role. Many dancers feel this way when passed over for a role. It is not necessarily true. I guarantee that for every Giselle, Juliette etc. that is cast there are a number of women who feel they should have been given the chance. Sometimes some of them are probably right. I always thought that Copeland was cast plenty over the years. She obviously disagrees. It's complicated.

That may be so, but I think the point is that Balanchine didn't try to reconstruct the original, he made choices and kept his audience in mind. My personal reason for not wanting to see the Ratmansky SB again is that I don't think he kept today's audience in mind, and it for me it's a museum piece. I understand that others feel differently and respect that.

I think any Somova controversy is different. She had ardent fans who were blown away by her and then she had detractors. In ABT Part is an example of that type of controversy. I don't think there is much disagreement about Copeland. No one is calling her a great ballerina.

The Aurora scratch her ear comment made me laugh fondoffouettes. I don't disagree in many ways. I guess I just think that musicality and taste can be choreographed and coached without going whole hog into an attempt at recreation. Especially when dancers, dance technique, and audiences have changed so much. Acocella says it better than I, in the same New Yorker piece I cited before. She comments on the Ratmansky project of recreating "Les Millions d'Arelequin." She writes "Balanchine, who had danced the ballet in Russia as a boy, also revisited it. But he didn't reproduce the original steps - Who remembers them, he said. Instead, he reimagined Petipa's creation as a new piece, "Harlequinade, " with at least two marvelous roles. I have faith that the steps he created out of his idea of the old ones are as interesting as the original and better suited to modern audiences and dancers."

Expressing an interest in black ballerinas is a tough one for me in that I'm not looking for race or ethnic background when a dancer draws my interest. I loved Debra Austin, who was an African-American dancer. She was soloist in NYCB and then a principal in Pennsylvania ballet. She was a fine artist, musical, beautiful technique and an amazing jump. I go back and watch her performances on youtube to this day! I don't think she got more or less attention than the other NYCB soloists or Pennsylvania principals of her day. I've noticed Olivia Boisson as a lovely dancer with a warm quality who is in the NYCB corps. She won an award as a promising artist a few years ago. I enjoy watching her on stage. I don't know if she will rise up through the ranks. Most don't and if she doesn't I don't think it will because of the color of her skin. I was a fan of Misty Copeland's when she was a soloist. I enjoyed her in many roles. As a principal dancer she doesn't rise to the level, artistically or technically, that I go to the ballet to see. I have limited money for tickets, so I don't go to see her. I also tend to avoid Hee Seo, and it isn't because she's Asian. Now - me not buying a ticket for Copeland is not a problem for ABT. Her performances are sold out, and if you go into the Met gift shop, there is a Misty Copeland corner with dolls and books. Misty Copeland is doing fine and ABT is cashing in on her performances. Good for them. There are other dancers that I go to see.

What's up with Macaulay in the NY Times? Is he avoiding reviewing ABT? He just reviewed Sara Mearns in the Isadora Duncan company. I think that's strange.

As a person who won't go to see the Ratmansky SB ever again will I quote Acocella from New Yorker magazine (moderators if this is inappropriate do what you have to do. I'm not sure if I'm breaking any rules) "But Ratmansky is a great choreographer, one who can make thrilling modern ballets to modern music. That being the case, can't someone else go sit in the archives." As far as I am concerned, I don't care what went into SB in 1921 and what went out whenever. I don't want a lecture I want a ballet.

I believe the Tudor R&J is a one act ballet and would be on a mixed bill program

See what you mean Jayne. Womack being so openly critical about people and companies would be a red flag. There are a lot of talented dancers out there to hire. Also her limited experience as you described (and I agree with) make her seem a dancer left behind.

I see your point abatt and agree. On the other hand, it could be that if ABT dispensed with that kind of rep there would be more opportunities for younger dancers. You'd get more soloists in principal roles and more corp members in soloist roles. It could be great for dancer development. Of course the AD has to consider what the ABT audience wants and/or is used to.

I feel the same why. That's why every year when ABT is at the Met I totally avoid certain weeks regardless of who is dancing.

It was a few months ago that Megan Fairchild, on instagram, confirmed that she was no longer married to Veyette and wrote the following: "Tonight I did something I truly never thought I would be able to do. I performed in front of 2600 people, with a person who I share a lot of painful memories. I feel like I climbed a mountain in the last two days, and it ironically only felt like a small hill. You never know where life will take you, but I know now that I can survive whatever comes my way." That was after performing Allegro Brilliant with Veyette. I don't know if the company intentionally let some time pass after their divorce before pairing them, but they ended up being paired none-the-less. I expect the same will be true of T. Peck & R. Fairchild. If he remains with the company.

I am weighing in as a person who never liked the ballet. It could be, nanushka, that it's just not your thing. I am not much of a full length story ballet fan unless there is a lot of dancing. This ballet has a lot of drama but as CTballetfan wrote, not a lot of memorable dancing. If dancing is what you are looking for skip it. If you are looking for drama and intensity, expressed with partnering and acting go for it. I'm sure Abrera and Sterns will do a good job.

I am always confused about competitions and what is to be gained and lost by a dancer. Joy W. has been a professional for a while now what do these competitions offer her? I honestly don't know.

One more thing about the fouettes - it isn't really 32. I never feel a need to count because it's really an amount of music. If you start with a double pirouette and do 29 or 30 singles (depending how you started with the music) - then pull in for a double - finish - you're good. If you delay the start a hair and finish with a releve in fifth we're talking 29 actual single fouettes, but looking OK. It's not the number that matters (IMO) it's finishing out the fouette music looking like you're in control.

The article actually gave her height and weight! I don't believe that would happen today.

Last thought about Sarah Lane now that I've read other comments and had a day to think about the performance. For all the ups and downs, all the elements are there, and this season she has proven herself IMO to be a real artist. I sincerely hope that last night will not be her last SL with ABT. I would love to see her again when she's had some real preparation and rehearsal time. I hope Kevin McKenzie sees it that way too - promotes her and gives her Swan Lake opportunities before next year's Met season. I also wonder what will happen with Kochetkova and ABT now that she's missed the entire Met season.