vipa

An apprentice as Titania. Good for Peter Martins. I will be there. I'm also curious to see Bouder in the divert pas. It's one of my favorite pieces of choreography ever. I wouldn't think she was suited for it, but I'll let it be an afternoon to let myself be open for surprises.

In NYCB if a special dancer is replaced you still have a lot of dancers to watch doing a lot of choreography. ABT is so big ballet oriented that there isn't much dancing for anyone but the principals. I bought a ticket to see Cojocaru in SL. Hee Seo was her replacement and I didn't stay for the whole thing. That is very different from buying a ticket to see Ashley Bouder do Stars and Stripes. In that case you'd see three other ballets (probably well done) and then be ready to have an unexpected experience.

Wonderful points canbelto. I too buy tickets for NYCB well in advance based on the rep and, because the talent is so deep, I trust the casting. At ABT there are ballets I just don't want to see. When there's a ballet I want to see I know there is not much dancing for anyone except the leads so I am very picky about casting. The problem for ABT right now is that "guest stars" don't sell like they used to. Just importing a person is not going to generate ticket sales but they keep bringing people in.

Just an FYI. Sarah Lane put on FB she and Joseph Gorak are doing peasant pas 5/22 and 5/27 evening.

One thing in all of this casting stuff is that I have never been able to figure out KM's taste in dancers. Perhaps others are more astute than I. Clearly he doesn't care for Lane as demonstrated by what he doesn't cast her in. Also he doesn't seem to care if he miscasts her. I'm thinking of times he put her with Simkin in Flames of Paris pas and Stars & Stripes pas. Both I believe were to show off Simkin's virtuosity but she, being a lyrical dancer, was just fodder. A few years ago, before she left for another company, Maria Riccetto was a soloist being given a lot - several performances of Duo Concertant, Giselle, Mozartiana, Coppiela etc. I didn't get that at all. Now Hee Seo is thrown on again and again. In terms of ticket sales I would think that a debut would sell a bit better than another performance by Hee Seo. If she is injured I hope KM has a back up plan. My personal opinion is that things are a mess at ABT.

This would have been a great opportunity for KM to offer opportunities to some dancers, not more and more Hee Seo.

Had a very enjoyable afternoon at the ballet. I have to admit I am a sucker for Bournonville and I loved B. Divertissements. I thought everyone in Ballable looked great. Fine jumps, cleanly finished ronde de jambs (on point for the ladies/jumped for the men), lovely foot work, nice epaulement. There was one weird moment when the men, as a group, started late and were behind the music. I think that was an orchestra mishap because they caught up and were fine. Flower Festival pas was done by Ashly Isaacs & Antony Carmina (replacing Catazaro). She is a dancer that makes me smile. I love the way she eats up space. I wouldn't say her performance was flawless. I think there were balances that didn't go the way she hoped and a few other small things, but on the whole it was a delight both in technique and performance quality. This is a lady who is destined to be a principal and I look forward to seeing her dance many many roles. Carmina's jumps were high and easy, and his beats clean. As a couple they looked nice together. Pas de six from Napoli was well done. I thought some variations went better than others. Unfortunately the program doesn't list who did which variation, and I am not familiar with the corps dancers. If anyone out there knows who did what variation I'd love it if you'd name them. I think there are two big differences between the way NYCB did this and the Danes who I saw at the Joyce. One is that the NYCB dancers push things in a way the Danes don't. The Danes have a more relaxed approach. Of course this could be a result of growing up with the material. The second is a matter of accents. The NYCB dancers tend to create accents in the movement and music that the Danes don't. Anyway, that's my observation. Overall I'd say that as dancers that didn't grow up in the Bournonville tradition NYCB dancers probably handle it better than most. On to La Sylphide. I thought Bouder and Veyette were perfection. She used her formidable technique totally in service to the character. Her look, acting and dancing all blended to create the sylph. Her jumps were amazing and her musical phrasing heart melting. Bravo. Veyette is one of the best male dancers on the stage today. Megan LeCrone was sweet and delightful as Effie, which was a surprise to me. I think of her as a leotard ballet dancer. Clearly she's more versatile than I thought. Joseph Gordon's dancing as Gurn was excellent (his acting was good too). His jumps were high and beautifully shaped, beats strong and stage presence secure. How much longer will he be in the corps? I loved Marika Anderson as Madge. I love a glam witch!! James clearly was a fool. Anyone who has ever read a fairy tale knows that a basic rule is be nice to the witch. He broke that rule right away! What a great company.

Thought my ticket buying was over for the season but then decided I wanted to see Raymonda without paying a fortune. 2 days ago 3rd and 4th ring had 0 tickets. Tonight I got row A of 3rd ring for $29 per ticket for May 22. Seats are off to the side but I know from experience that the sight lines are fine. I'm not sure what NYCB is trying to do re ticket sales but I do know the last few times I've gone the theater has been nicely filled.

I can't imagine Lane would get O/O but maybe Juliet if Semionove is still out. Lane said in an interview that she learned it on tour but never got to perform it.

Interesting Amour. I agree that Misty is fine in contemporary roles. KM is casting her in everything from Rodeo to Swan Lake, yet he seems to pigeon hole other dancers. It's almost as if he's trying to prove she can do anything and everything so he can promote her. I agree ABT is at a low point.

I could have sworn ABT scanned my print at home ticket on Tuesday.

I am not a fan of Copeland's but am a fan of Lane and Abrera. If Lane and Abrera didn't exist I still wouldn't be a Copeland fan or think she was principal caliber. I don't expect Lane or Abrera to be promoted. Abrera's time, it would seem, has passed and Lane's casting suggests she will do the few principal roles she's been doing and that's it. I find it regrettable that these 2 talented artists haven't been fully recognized by the AD. To my way of thinking if Copeland was't there Lane and Abrera would have had more performance opportunities but it seems most likely to me that KM just doesn't see them as principals for whatever reason. To me Copeland is not a special dancer, she gets through the steps most of the time and has a lot of energy. I see nothing special in her technique, musicality or imagination when creating something on stage. I believe a principal dancer or ballerina has to do a lot more than get through a bunch of principal roles. It seems KM doesn't agree with me. IMO he promoted Hee Seo and Boylston prematurely and Copeland is to follow. Anyway when (I don't think it's if) Copeland gets promoted it's likely I'll never see her dance again. With ticket prices being what they are and ABT's practice of a rep of full length ballets I'd never buy a ticket to see her.

I mostly agree with abatt about T&V. My problem with it had to do with tempo. It seemed almost sluggish tempo wise and for me that drained a lot of the zip/drama/energy from the piece. Even the polonaise section was slow. They don't even have to take it at the NYCB breakneck speed. Something in between would be fine with me. That said Lane & Cornejo gave fine performances and had a lovely rapport in the pas. Her port de bras is creamy and beautiful, and there are times when her arabesque line just sings. It doesn't have to do with the height of her leg but with the the rightness of her leg, arms, back and head. I totally second abatt's description of Lilac Garden. I did stay for Rodeo. I haven't seen it since back in the ABT Christine Sarry days! I loved Xiomara. The piece is in a way a cartoon, but Reyes' emotions were so real and rich that she created a truly sympathetic character. As abatt said the place seemed less than half full. They have to do something about filling seats.

I think one difference in NYCB is that the dancers spend a year or, in most cases more, in SAB. The have variations and partnering classes that are taught by former members of the company so they get a feel for they style and what's expected. I would think that would help at least a little.

Boylston's done it before.

I saw Catazaro's first performance of Apollo, which was thoroughly trashed on this site, and even though I understood everyone's points I saw in Catazaro the idea of who Apollo was. I would actually go see it again to watch it develop because I truly think it will.

I agree with the points made by Helene and abatt. If the "See The Music" lectures were pre performance or intermission options I'd be all for them.

I so agree. I have been avoiding "See The Music" performances for a while. I'd rather see the ballets and get home a little earlier than be forced to listen to a lecture about the music. Having them during intermission is a great idea.

I agree and Apollo is a big debut. As I said earlier, to me Catazaro demonstrated that he had a clear idea of the role even if he didn't fulfill it this time around. Dropping the lyre did throw him for a moment. He couldn't leave it where it was because it would have been in the way. He quickly moved it to (or close to) where it was supposed to end up. Whether he should have moved it right then etc. I guess is a call but I totally got why he did.

Yes, a first timer

I was also there last night and seem alone in thinking that Catazaro was not a total disaster. When he dropped the lyre it took him a second to figure out how to handle that, but he did recover. There were some partnering difficulties. Most notibly the "swimming lesson" with Terpsichore on his back. Hyltin wasn't positioned quite right and it was tentative, but no disaster. Also I felt Catazaro's movements could have been bigger and more musical, and he had some spacing issues. He got too close to the three muses as he was driving them (or they were pulling him). I know that sounds totally awful but even with all that I could see he has a clear idea of how Apollo develops and tried to present it. He is also a very masculine presence on stage. I was left with the feeling/hope that with some experience, coaching and fixes to the partneering his could grow into a decent Apollo. When I saw Mearns listed as a muse with Hyltin & Scheller I thought it was a mismatch but was proven wrong. I liked the way the three looked together. Very different from one another but inhabiting the same world. Mearns brought her brand of boldness and musicality to Polyhymnia, and it made me look at the variation in a new way. There is a treacherous step of a pique turn into arabesque, that a lot more often than not has to be fudged by dancers. She hit the first spot on, the next two required some fixing but she handled it. It was great to see Sheller back on stage. She was lovely as Calliope but could have danced bigger IMO. HIltin is a dancer I didn't care for until last year. Now I look forward to her performances. I find she combines fragility and conficence, youth and knowingness in a very enticing way Agon was great. I saw this cast last season. The only change was Rebecca Krohn replacing Savannah Lowery in the 2nd trio. I always enjoy Krohn in leotard ballets. She can be very extreme in her movements while being totally composed. Reichlin and Danching-Waring did a wonderful pas, I just wish there was more abandon to the opening steps so the sudden stop with her leg wrapped around him had more impact. Unity Phelan stood out in the other trio for her beatiful movement quality and control. I see soloist in her future. Duo Concertant is one of Hiltin's best roles. Her speed and exuberance a joy to behold. Jansen seemed labored here and and there but had no real problems and was a pleasure to watch. Symph in 3 - This ballet always makes me smile. It was well danced by all. I particularly enjoyed the pas with Tiler Peck (I don't think there's a role she can't do) and Ramasar. I think I've said this before, but I always think of that pas as an alien mating ritual! I have to say the house seemed pretty full and the audience was very enthusiastic. What a great company!!

Interesting points Diane. I also wondered if she had an understudy. If so it would probably be someone 20 - 25 years younger.

I found it interesting that when it came to Stravinsky, Kirkland said she hated his music even Firebird, one of his most accessible scores. She hated the costume, music and choreography for Firebird. It seems to me she wanted something that NYCB or Balanchine didn't had to offer. I don't think it had to do with emotional support. What ballet company in the world was going to provide that?

Tapfan this is highly inflammatory. NYCB & SAB are of course relevant in the ballet world. I don't think I need to go into the details of why. The Balanchine acolytes, as you call them, I assume are people who worked with him. While it's true that not every one of them is wise, they should be listened to just as those who worked directly with Mozart, Petipa or any other genius had to be listened to. These people will be gone soon enough so their thoughts and opinions IMO are to be treasured, even if ultimately rejected. I've expressed my opinion of Misty Copeland in other posts so I see no need to repeat.

In thinking about a time line I think it should be noted that Copeland was sidelined with a serious injury for quite some time.