vipa

Again part of the problem is that so few black dancers reach the point of being professional. There has to be exposure to dance, access to quality training, money for training & pointe shoes etc. and then commitment & talent. It all has to happen relatively young. Copeland started late, but it is the rare person who can do that. So when a black dancer isn't hired or cast it is hard to know if it is really racism (IMO). Dancers are hired to fill a function in a company's rep so height, and the type of dancer (lyrical, allegro etc.) are big factors. Also, seeming to the AD to be bit more "stage ready" than someone else is a factor. Many things have to align just right for a person to be hired. ADs do not & cannot hire every good or even wonderful dance they see. Maybe Copeland's self promotion will translate into more African American girls studying ballet and more will enter the pipe line. That's my hope.

It is difficult for any woman to advance past the corps in a ballet company. First off the odds of getting into a major ballet company are small then the odds of advancing are even smaller. Copeland got into ABT because of her talent (she even turned down KM's first invitation to study full time at the school), she was promoted to soloist because KM thought her soloist material. Since that time she's built an audience for herself through self promotion. Audiences go to see her because of her various TV appearances etc. If/when she becomes a principal dancer we and she will never be sure of why. Ballet's PR problem? Mainstream press gravitates to drama not quality. I don't expect the mainstream press to report on ballet anymore than I expect reporting on opera, concert music or quality independent films. Unless there is some kind of incident (singer gets fired for being too fat for the costume) the mainstream press is busy reporting on the latest scandalous behavior of an actress, actor or politician.

Leaving aside whether or not Copeland deserves promotion for her dancing - a subject I have no opinion on, not having seen her dance - what about a hypothetical soloist of any race who is getting lots of outside attention, who essentially has a fan club, and is selling lots of extra tickets because of it. For an AD, what are the ethics of promoting that dancer for the sake of his or her bottom line, and by extension, for the survival of the art form? Interesting that Copeland's Nutcracker shows sold out. Did they do any special advertising for those performances? Of course Copeland tweeting etc. about them might have been enough. I have no idea what KM will do in respect to making her a principal, but see no reason to promote her because she has outside attention. As a soloist getting cast in secondary roles and an occasional 1st principal role she can serve the function of being a ticket draw without being a principal dancer.

Please report back Kaysta, I'd love to hear the impressions of a first timer!

Woetzel often asks dancers to perform things that are out of their comfort zone. It will be interesting to see what Copeland will be performing. Also, as has been stated above, the dancers at that festival participate in a number of outreach programs, discussions as well as Q&A's. I wouldn't find it odd for Woetzel to invite any ABT soloist, Misty included, so I'm not surprised he asked her.

This certainly shows (me at least) what a powerful publicity machine Misty Copeland has behind her.

I've been reading all comments with interest. I believe that frank, well intentioned discussions about race happen too infrequently in our country, and so think it is a good conversation to be having. Copeland has been offered/created mass marketing opportunities, and has taken full advantage. I say good for her. Why not raise the profile of ballet and attract a more diverse audience? I will be interested to see if DTH ticket sales benefit, or if Copeland herself is the sole beneficiary. Personally, I don't care for Copeland's dancing. What disturbs me, is that when I mention this to some ballet fans that I know, a few insist that what I'm really saying is that I don't like the "black" body type in ballet. When I say I don't care for Hee Seo (which I don't) people accept that there are things about her performance quality and technique that I find lacking, and it has nothing to do with the fact she is Korean. Clearly there is a lot of racism in this country, but that doesn't mean that racism is behind every reaction to an individual of color.

I noticed that too MJ. I just figured that ABT was doing it on the cheap, since it was just a 2 week season, and had their performance information inserted into pre-existing NYCB programs. It would have saved a lot of time & money.

I saw the Met Opera's Carmen in the movies today. Beautiful production. Christopher Wheeldon did a good job with the choreography and it was nice of him to give Maria Kowroski and her husband Martin Harvey a chance to dance with each other. They looked good together.

I was there Thurs. night and I thought the company looked great - something I haven't thought for a while. Bach Partita a wonderfully structured piece was very well danced. Paloma Herrera (never a favorite of mine) looked wonderful. Obviously she is making a choice to retire in the spring. I wish her well with what ever she does. Seven Sonatas - I know everyone loves this piece, and I love sections but I have to admit that at times my attention wanders. Scarlatti seems an odd choice as a composer. Never-the-less well danced by all. Sinfonetta - I enjoyed it very much. It is a fun ballet with lots of choreographic themes and it's a piece that gives dancers a chance to show off their movement quality in a way ABT dancers don't often get. A few notes about individual dancers - Marcelo Gomes continues to be my ideal in male dancing and partnering. As a dancer his technique is beautiful and masculine. As a partner he saves any misstep made by his partner while offering a gracious, respectful attitude that en-nobels himself and the woman. It makes them both look better. He never strikes a pose while partnering that says "look at me." Not all male dancers in ABT share this trait. Sarah Lane looked wonderful in the soloist role in Bach Partita and the principal role in Seven Sonatas. Her port de bras is just gorgeous. She is not an "extreme" dancer in terms of wack your leg super high, but to me her arabesque line sings. Please give this woman more opportunities. Aaron Scott - Who is this guy? He looked great in Seven Sonatas Craig Salstein - Loved him in Bach Partita - He looked like a real Twiya dancer - I'm old enough to remember back in the day.

I agree abatt, but that concerns me about ABT. In a two week season, every female lead in Raymonda should be a ballerina with a capital B.

I was there tonight. I really hope to read other impressions to compare notes, but here are mine. I thought it really a mixed bag. First thing - there were a lot of empty seats. I don't know why. Raymonda Divertissements - IMO Hee Seo just doesn't have the amplitude, musicality and assurance to do this. It takes a ballerina that can do a lot with steps, port de bras and covering space. To me she doesn't own the stage and project enough to bring this off. Whiteside's variation was good. Copeland & Lane are a mismatched duo in the first variation, but it was pleasant enough. Skylar Brandt and especially Christina Shevchenco pulled off their variations well, but truthfully I'd love to see a little more musicality and phrasing. Lilac Garden - I'm one who thinks this should always be in the ABT rep. I was with someone who rarely sees dance and she was riveted by the stop action moment and what followed. I thought Devon Teucher a good Carolin but didn't care for Part as the mistress. The main reason is that I never saw the "stop action" moments from her that suspend time. Martine Van Hamel was amazing in this way. Also some of the lifts didn't gel. There is one lift where she is almost parallel to the floor which became a move-though instead of a heart stopping moment. It's funny because my usual criticism of Russian dancers is that they seem to me to be too position oriented. Fancy Free - Loved Gomes & Cornejo. Stearns didn't make much of his solo. Julie Kent was a disappointment in the pas, but maybe I'm too used to seeing Tiler Peck across the plaza. I'm going again next week. I hope ticket sales improve.

Saw the mat performance. I went with some trepidation about Square Dance because Abi Stafford was cast. I've seen Ashley Bouder twice in recent history and was blown away. Turned out Stafford gave a very pleasing performance. She doesn't have the blazing clarity and speed of Bouder, but who does. Stafford had no technical issues, was quite musical and had a charming manner. Taylor Stanley was much improved and more relaxed than I've seen him in the past. The corps looked amazing. Steadfast Tin Soldier - I've seen too many times. Pereira & Ulbricht were fine although I wonder if they're as tired of the ballet as I am (They didn't dance as if they were. I just wonder) Le Tombeau de Couperin - I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I always find it charming. Few choreographers have given such a wonder gift to the corps. This Bitter Earth pas - Extraordinary performance by Whelan and Tyler Angle. The partnering was flawless. Whelan's total commitment to the choreography, the way every part of her body is expressive is very moving. The audience gave her an ovation. I think she is wise to retire from NYCB. She can only do a fraction of the rep there. Now she'll be free put her whole focus on project that suit her wonderful talents. I'm looking forward to it. The Concert - As always, hilarious. Sterling Hyltin, Andrew Veyette & Lydia Wellington were the leads. I have to say that Georgina Pazcoguin is always a stand out dramatically in any narrative. When she glares you believe it. All in all a very enjoyable afternoon. I look forward to hearing about W. Whalen's farewell performance from those of you lucky enough to have tickets.

vipa, do you think there's any possibility of Abrera getting a Giselle in the season after this one, when Kent, Herrera, and Reyes will be retired, or should I give up all hope? Angelica my opinion is that if KM hasn't given Stella a shot at Giselle yet, he isn't going to. I think it's crazy that Kent is doing Giselle this season. Also I think Stella should have been given Giselle before Boylston. That was not to be. Seo, Boylston & Copeland are KM's favored ones. Abrera and Lane are not. That's the way it seems to me. I don't know what is going to happen in terms of promotions but I predict Copeland and maybe a poaching of Kochtakova (if she's willing). I'd love to hear more thoughts from others.

Glad to see Lane getting 2 Sleeping Beauties and Abrera doing Cinderella. I'm disappointed that Lane didn't get Juliet. I too have trouble picturing Copeland in the role. Nunez is a nice surprise. I'm a little disappointed that Kochtakova is a guest again. Don't get me wrong. I've seen her, and she is an excellent dancer. I just don't see her as outstanding enough to use instead of the home team. Maybe ABT is trying to sign her as a company member. From the casting I don't see a promotion for Lane or Abrera in the future. Neither are being given a whole lot of opportunities. Copeland maybe. KM seems to be casting her in a lot.

I also think Ulbricht is wonderful, but I think he hasn't be cast more because of his height. He is a bit shorter than DeLuz and that bit makes a difference. DeLuz is tall enough to partner both Megan Fairchild & Tiler Peck, even in ballets with difficult partnering like Theme & Variations. Ulbricht is not quite tall enough to partner either of them. He gets away with doing Tarantella with Ashley Bouder because there is no real partnering. I don't think there's a dancer in NYCB, with the ability to do ballerina roles, who is short enough for him.

Well, considering they've been doing the same ballets (in different versions at times) over and over again for at least the last 40 years, I would say the answer is -- indefinitely! (That being said, they may be on the way to pricing themselves out of the market with their constant price increases.) That is so true about pricing. One of the problems with a reliance on full lengths is that it takes a big name to sell tickets. I would bet that the casual ballet goer that buys tickets to ABT thinks "guest artist" is always better.

Cobweb, I agree wtih you about Everywhere We Go. As I said before, it could have ended several times and It would be fine with me. I will be seeing Abi Stafford next weekend in Square Dance. Having seen Bouder in it, I was a disappointed when I saw the casting, but you've given me hope. I'll report back. Thank you for your impressions.

I went this afternoon. I am a New Yorker so my only other viewing of PNB was the last City Center season when I saw a rep performance but not R&J. It's hard to give impressions of a company I've seen so seldom live, but here I go. Tide Harmonic by Wheeldon - Pleasant, well crafted but not memorable. The only thing that sticks in my mind is a kind of pushed slide of women on pointe. For both my husband and myself Elizabeth Murphy was a stand out for her beautiful movement quality and stage presence. Memory Glow - Really liked this piece. When I saw the number of different composers in the program I wondered how it was all going to fit together. Not to worry. The music flowed seamlessly. There was a fluidity of movement that all the dancers exhibited but Angelica Generosa was a stand out. Debonair - I like this Justin Peck piece a lot more than Everywhere We Go - the piece I saw with NYCB the other night. In both pieces his ability to move groups and give exciting unison movement to a group is evident. The pas de deux for Carla Korbes & Jerome Tisserand is lovely. Korbes is a dancer on a level beyond the others that I saw. Her arms, focus (not as in concentration, but in where she looks and draws your attention to) are extraordinary. The openness and quiet of her upper body is beyond beautiful. This is a flaw with some of the other female dancers. Their shoulders go up and down and they loose an openness in the chest & shoulder area. All in all a very entertaining afternoon, with lots of fine dancing. I have to admit, I wish they had come with one piece of standard rep (tutu, Balanchine or something). PNB is a classical ballet company and I'd like to be able to measure the company against other companies. I understand the problems of the small stage and wanting to bring a unique profile to NY, but when a ballet company comes to town I like a gauge to see where they are at. Just my thing!

I was also there last night and totally agree with abatt about Maria K & Tyler Angle in Chaconne. The were both wonderful. Her musicality and wit, and his allegro technique and ability to make clear, beautiful shapes in the air were on full display. I've never gotten Erica Pereira. She and Carmena did the secondary pas. She's been a soloist for about 5 years now and hasn't seemed to develop at all. Her upper and lower body never seem in sync. No matter who her partner is, she seems uncomfortable being partnered and there is always a flub. She's small and thin but seems impossible to partner. It's sad to see a dancer so stuck. Interplay was fun despite a few not so great double tours here and there. Sebastian Velez nailed his four consecutive which was great. Lauren Lovette was partnered with great skill by Chase Finley, and was just beautiful in the pas de deux - lush, radiant, sweet and secure. I think she has the makings of a principal dancer. In After the Rain, Wendy Whalen & Craig Hall demonstrated their usual sensitivity to the music, choreography and each other. The audience was obviously aware that Whalen is retiring, and treated her with tremendous warmth. I wonder who will inherit that role. It was my first viewing of Peck's Everywhere We Go. I liked the beginning and a lot of the group movements. I also liked some of the motifs that he introduced and developed. Yet the piece didn't hang together for me. For one thing the music (IMO) has no arc, so the order of the pieces seemed random. That made the order of the sections of choreography seem random too. In fact there were several times when the piece could have ended that would have been fine with me. It wasn't building towards anything. Some dancers did look really good in it. Rebecca Krohn's line, movement quality and port de bras were outstanding. Ashly Isaacs is a real powerhouse. I'm interested in seeing how she develops. Perhaps I need to see the piece again to make better sense out of it, but on 1st viewing it just went one until it stopped with some interesting sections and good dancing.

I read in an interview with Sarah Lane that she learned Juliet on tour because Hee Seo had a possible injury, but then Seo was able to perform so Lane didn't gat a chance. Maybe some would disagree, but Kochetkova has more dance opportunities at SFB than she would at ABT. They do big ballets, but a greater variety of rep than ABT. I guess it depends on where she is in her career and what she wants out of it, but it seems to me she'd dance a lot less at ABT than she does at SFB.

Thank you for this. I'm attending on the 11th. I am disappointed that I won't be seeing Carrie Imler. I've been wanted to see her perform live forever. I guess I'll never get the chance.

SARAAAHHHH! STELLAAAA and SARAAAHHH! Long overdue, but worth waiting for, if it happens. We must pray to Terpsichore. I'd love to see it happen, but don't hold out much hope. KM has never shown a real appreciation for either of them. It will be interesting to see what happens re casting in the Ratmansky Sleeping Beauty. That may reveal a lot.

I actually liked the all Tschaikovsky program. When I was there the place was packed so I think it sold well. Someone in subscriptions told me it sold like hot cakes on the "choose your own performances" type series. Firebird & Sonnambula don't attract me, but I can see taking a children to that program. Both narratives are easy to follow and, I believe, interesting if you haven't seen them before. Donizetti is pure fun. I think they are trying programming to attract different audiences. Some things work, some don't. I, for example, wouldn't go to a program of all new works, but perhaps there are those that will. An important point in all of this is that the company has tremendous depth right now and looks great, and the orchestra sounds wonderful.

I see no reason to not keep it in the rep rotation. Great music, a narrative that's easy to follow and the creature like beauty of the Firebird is compelling. Over the years I've found it a great ballet to take kids to. That said, any ballet has to have context. By that I mean it's position in the overall plan of a given season. Personally, I won't go to see a program that has both Firebird and La Sonnambula on it. Frankly, I'm not actively interested in seeing those two ballets, so a program with both of them keeps me away. If Firebird was sandwiched between a ballet (like Donezetti) that I actively like, and a new piece I'm curious about I'd go. Is there a reason you asked Mazurka?