vipa

That's a shame. I hope she is not ending her dance career but is going somewhere with more performance opportunities.

Kaysta get that NYCB subscription. I am a big fan of that company, it's my favorite in the world. I'm selfish and would love to hear your thoughts about their performances.

I was there last night. Having an inadequate O/O really makes all the weaknesses of this production so obvious. First Hee Seo, I agree with much of what's been said. She is a beautiful woman, with lovely proportions who can get her body into beautiful lines. She has obvious technical limitations and is not particularly musical. Not once did she shape a musical phrase in a way that touched me, surprised me or made me pay attention. She just went on as best she could step by step by step. The moment in Act II when Odette is struggling and then bam - suddenly under Von Rothbard's control was so undramatic, that the person I was with thought it was no longer part of the choreography. IMO she shouldn't be a principal in a major company. On the other hand, last night's performance made me wonder if ABT is still really a major company. The dancing on the whole seemed pretty unfocused. I think because no one is told to have a musical imperative so there is a lot of dancing kind of around the music, not really with it. The pas de trois Teuscher, Shevchenko & Mathews looked strained. The women's dancing in particular looked inorganic and contrived, as if the perfect head tilt was the object of the whole thing. Bolle was appropriately introspective and princely. Yet even he danced as if musicality or even staying with the music was far from a priority. I guess I mostly feel that there is no artistic vision behind the company. There is a need for better coaching and sense of what the company wants to be. NYCB, SFB and PNB all have strong identities. Whether you like them or not is another matter, but you know what they are and what they are after. What is ABT trying to be?

I agree about Part. I was never in the Part camp and in fact haven't seen her dance for several years BUT she is a real ballerina with something to say. Also, from what I've read here some of the technical issues that I used to find so jarring have been resolved. I would have been happy with Part. I bought a ticket for Cojocaru even though it doesn't seem an ideal role for her, but she is so musical and has such imagination that I knew she'd make me see SL in a new way.

I can't tell you how bummed I am. This is the 2nd year in a row I bought a ticket to Cojocaru's SL only to have it cancelled. To make matters worse (no offense to Hee Seo fans) to have an international star replaced by the Hee Seo is ridiculous. Did ABT explain? Last year they imported Maria Kotchetkova.

I just wanted to add that this wasn't Cojocaru's first Giselle with Hallberg. I saw them do it at ABT a couple of years ago.

Indeed, could Mr. Gelb not have required that anyone who wanted a work to be canceled to have actually seen that work? This is art.

So cute. Thank you for posting. I will be at that performance. I do hope it's Cornejo - Hallberg replaced him in Giselle

Thank you so much - I just watched a documentary on Violette and Balanchine, and plan to do more watching before 6 tomorrow.

I just don't see ABT doing a 3 hour work. There is musician and stage hand overtime to consider. My husband was a stage manager on broadway shows and time was always of the essence. Aside from that this is a work people bring their kids to - it it lasts for 3 hours it better be very magical.

Batsuchan, I agree! I think the issue is also that David's entrechat sixes are stunning, one of the best in the world, while his brises were accomplished, but by no means any kind of best. I still remember Hallberg's entrechat sixes from his Giselle w/ Osipova I think 2 years ago. He took my breath away. And, that was an extraordinary partnership (though apparently short-lived). Funny you should mention Hallberg/Osipova from a few years ago. I remember a Hallberg/Cojocaru Giselle from a few years ago the was one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. I remember Hallberg's wonderful entrechat sixes from that performance.

Canbelto that is so well stated. I didn't see her Giselle but did see her Symphony in C and you expressed perfectly the idea of a "house ballerina type." It is true that a company needs a dancer like that, but like some others I wish KM had been more committed to developing company talent and giving them opportunities (I don't have to get into Stella, and I believe Lane is also a victim of this and it's not just these two).

Sarah Lane looked very beautiful standing in front of him at the barre!

I have mixed feeling about Misty Copeland. If she brings in a new audience great, at the same time one hopes that the people she brings in get hooked and return even if she isn't dancing. I don't know if that is the case. Personally, I never go to the ballet for "passion play ballets" not my thing which is why I go to see ABT so infrequently.

Thank you Cobweb for that report. I'm happy to hear Gina P. did well. I too wish she was used in more. Maybe this is the start.

Did anyone see Gina Pazcoguin as Hippolyta? I've always been a fan of Gina's but never thought of her as being cast in this.

It is also strange to me that they don't offer atrium discount tickets like NYCB, the Phil and even Act One now playing does. Why not?

I just want to add that I think Veyette is one of the best male dancers on the stage today. His Theme at ABT was stellar. The performance of Midsummer that I saw the other night was tremendous. A former ABT dancer (male) that attended with me said that Veyette's performance gave him goose bumps! I'd really, really love to see him in Mozartiana. Add to that his prowess as a partner, I'd say he's up there with any man on the stage today.

I saw Midsummer on Wed. evening and thoroughly enjoyed it. Mearns was terrific in the authority with which she held the stage from the moment she entered. Her "cavalier" pas de deux with Justin Peck was full, lush and beautiful. Running full tilt into off balance promenades, never holding back she was wonderful. As is often the case in NYCB she is partnered by someone with the skills to allow her to be free. Her "Bottom" pas de deux was tender and lovely, which of course gave it humor. Andrew Veyette as Oberon was also quite fine. His variations were stunning in their clean quickness, wonderful beats and multiple turns. I also enjoyed his characterization. Brittany Pollack was a pleasure to watch as the Butterfly. What a fine dancer. I didn't think Megan LeCrone would make a good Hippolyta, I always think of her as a leotard ballet dancer, but I thought she did well. She scaled up her dancing to make it bigger and more forceful. There were no technical problems at all. Silas Farley is a little young (and young looking) for Theseus but he'll grow into it. There's not much dancing but I'm sure he is benefiting from performing the partnering required of the role. Briefly the couples - Lauren King, Abi Stafford, Chase Finlay & Zachary Catazaro were all quite good in both acts. Lastly the divertissement - That is one of my favorite pas's of all time. I hope my breath the entire time I'm watching. And watching Tiler Peck, what more can I say that hasn't been said except I'm amazed that every time I see her she's better than the last. Her musicality, port de bras, rapport with her partner (Tyler Angle in this case) are amazing to behold. She draws you into her world and it is a joy to be there. On top of it all I have to say that as I was watching the balletm every once in a while there would be a moment when I would think - Wow this choreography is brilliant - and it is.

You took the words right out of my mouth Plisskin. Never the less maybe this is a step in the right direction in term of promotion. NYCB, PNB & SFB all have web sights with lots of video. ABT is a dud in that respect.

Abatt I think that's true but the rep needs are totally different. NYCB has many types of principal roles. In ABT principals have do leads in full length story ballets. Not that every full length ballet is the same, but the range of ballets done regularly by each company makes the needs of each company quite different.

Bingo. I don't know the specifics of this case but there are lots of reasons a company hires or doesn't hire someone. Companies have specific needs. Do they need short dancers, tall dancers, a lot of dancers or just a few few. Every year a number of wonderful SAB graduates go off to other companies.

I think it unfair to think of NYCB as a 1950's coed prep school without knowing the back rounds of the dancers. I know from watching interviews that NYCB dancers come from all over the country and are from diverse economic backgrounds. There are a lot of factors involved. Most dancers in the company spend 1 or more summers at a SAB summer intensive. That's a self selective group of who auditions and who wants to travel to NYC and live there for a summer. After that a select group is invited to stay for the school year. Again there is some self selection involved. After that there is an invitation to be an apprentice and then to join the company. Tapfan I don't know if you are implying that there is a conspiracy but I can't imagine one exists. I also know that scholarship money for at SAB is generous for those that can't afford it.

Abatt thank you. I wish I could have been there. I have to say that Yuriko learning prayer just a couple of days earlier and doing it well doesn't impress me. It's not a multi layered dramatic role, it's a variation that many students learn in variation class. That said I'm please the Yuriko did it well. Houston Ballet is lucky. I'm also glad that Lane did well. Here's my beef about Lane. When she entered the corps of ABT and did Theme & Variations, I saw so much potential. How she is supposed to develop being given a Sleeping Beauty once every 5 years and a Coppelia one time only is beyond me. Again it points to the problem with ABT. Yuriko is smart to get out. She'll be able to develop more artistically and perform better roles. Boylston is having a lot of stuff thrown at her but is having technical difficulties (my observation). Again no development of talent. OK I'd better climb down off my soap box

Thank you Helen any updates would be appreciated