vipa

we can all hope and pray. the fact that he's at least returned to classical ballet is a start! canbelto, you put it best when pointing out that ABT has a problem with it's female principal roster toom, but they've been fortunate to not have missed large portions of the season due to injury and other commitments. I too don't think Ricetto or Lane are ready for promotions. Obviously, as I have previously expressed, I think Abrera is more than ready and deserving of a promotion (for years...), and while her history with injuries are worrisome, she's been healthy since taking that whole year off. And in fact, is a dancer's history with injuries really a good enough reason to NOT promote them, especially when they have shown that they are worthy when healthy? How quickly ABT addresses this problem as a whole and how ready the dancers who get transitioned actually are to fill those shoes will affect the company as a whole greatly for years to come. Here's to hoping Kevin sees what's right in front of him and does something about it. I agree about Abrera. I disagree about Lane. She is an interesting case to me. I haven't seen the bad performances that some others have reported on BT. I don't doubt the reports. On the other hand as a new corps member she did an excellent Theme and Variation, and has done very good Themes since then. She also delivered as Aurora. It must be very discouraging for her to get no benefit from those successes. Maybe Lane has plateaued because she has the goods, but is only used when needed for a short guy. Bottom line - you have a corps member who delivers on Theme in her first year - develop her - didn't happen.

Very interesting comments. It is also notable that ABT (and presumably other companies) hire people who are competition winners and then use them as corps members. This is tricky. Zhong-Jing Fang was a competition winner maybe 10 years ago, got a few opportunities at ABT, stayed in the corps, had injuries along the way and now is definitely corps for ever. This is not a fully formed thought on my part. Maybe as the ABT school goes on the company will fill from the school but right now you take a highly proficient dancer, who had won competitions doing difficult variation and expect that person to remain motivated year after year doing corps or the same pas de trois pieces over and over. NYCB has a much better system because of the rep. (they also strongly discourage their students from entering competitions). I wouldn't blame any ABT soloist for going elsewhere. Also, it seems that succeeding in principal opportunities doesn't seem to get you anywhere (like Lane in Theme & Auora). Again this is a somewhat unformed train of thought.

I guess it's a matter of taste. For me I preferred Cynthia Gregory swan arms above all others. I liked Nina A very much, but in general am not a fan of the Russian trained swans! Anyway an American (well Canadian) dancer who was a fine swan queen at ABT was Martine Van Hamel. She is rarely mentioned these days.

It seems like ABT did the best they could minus bringing in another Aurora or couple from the outside. I think a lot of ticket holders for Osipova would have been even more upset if they got an "in house" Aurora. This somewhat ties into the discussion about ABT and the state of male dancing - promoting from within vs getting stars.

Wiles used to do at least 2 Lilacs. Now that she has apparently left the company (see thread on Swan Lake), they need someone new to fill in as Lilac. Yes, I get that's why she's being put in, but Messmer or even Copeland, for me, suit the part more temperamentally and could use an opportunity like this. Seo will almost certainly be an Aurora the next time SB gets dragged out. I'm still waiting for Sarah Lane to get another shot at Aurora. Her first was quite good - lovely Rose Adagio.

This is more about women than men, but part of the same problem - Sarah Lane is really, really good in Theme and Variations, which is one of the most difficult ballets to pull off. I saw her twice and both were terrific and a friend saw her in DC and was dazzled. I also saw her Aurora and it thought it terrific. People quibbled with it here and there saying things like "she smiled too much," but she was new at it and her rose adagio was one of the best I've seen -- there were absolutely no technical difficulties in any part of the ballet. She got one Gamzatti, which was terrific. Yet, her opportunities have been sporadic at best. No more Auroras or Gamzattis. I'm not saying she is perfect in everything (Flames of Paris pas with Simkin not so hot) but there it a real talent there to be nurtured. Look at Ricceto (not one of my favorites). If ABT wants to develop her please do so in a constructive way. She gets Giselle one year, the next year no Giselle but one Coppellia. She gets lots of things that she struggles in and some things that suit her, but it all seems helter skelter. Developing dancers and partnership in a sensible way could go along with hiring imports. There seems to be no plan at ABT. I also believe that home grown talent can sell tickets - it's in the marketing. Look at NYCB's Romeo & Juliet (which I don't care for). No stars but sells out - marketing!

I just voted for shopping for a principal, but I would like that to happen while talent is being nurtured from within. I just think that the immediate problem won't be solved from within, but in the future the AD could be ready.

Another issue is that Kevin M. doesn't seem to want to encourage partnerships. Irina and Max are a team, but that is probably contractual and doesn't really sell tickets. On the other hand ballet has a history of partnerships - Fonteyn/Nureyev, Fracci/Bruhn, Sibley/Dowel, Kirkland/Barishnikov, Cojocoru/Kobberg. A friend of mine from England told me that Rojo/Acosta are considered a "hot" ticket as a couple. I think partnerships can matter. For me - ABT this spring, I saw and loved Cojocaru's Giselle. I was not going to see her SB (not in my budget and I saw and loved it last year). The minute I knew Kobberg was in, I bought a ticket.

Thank you Imspear. Ulbricht is amazing. Now if the world could see Bouder or T. Peck with him it would be great. I've now watched 3 versions - where is the Balanchine trust? Long weekend perhaps!

Polite wouldn't be my word - lagging tempos and a big misunderstanding of the choreography, would be more of my description. I wish the world could see Daniel Ulbricht do it with either Tiler Peck or Ashley Bouder!

This is an important point: dancers need to be nurtured and given appropriate opportunities. Look at the growth opportunities that Balanchine crafted at all levels, from little breakout solos to extended soloist roles, providing so many roles to grow his dancers. He was sure to build these in especially in his story ballets. They're ready made; AD's need to know how to use them. Peter Boal once said that the problem he has with most full-lengths is that they give major roles to just a few dancers, and the full-length rep ABT's bread and butter. Even the new PNB "Giselle", which greatly extends roles like Bathilde and Wilfrid, and beefs up many others, has four Principal roles -- Giselle, Albrecht, Hilarion (major in this production), and Myrtha -- with the two demi-soloist Wilis and four character roles. That leaves "Peasant Pas de Deux", which in many companies is used to cast another set of senior soloists or principals, because there are no national dances or other solos in the ballet, and you can't leave dancers on the bench. To his great credit, Boal cast it with five couples (performed with 4.5) and all but one cast was made up of young corps dancers. Totally agree Helene - you made the points I was going to. At NYCB a dancer can be on stage every night in rep doing real technique both in the corp & as a soloist. In ABT even if you've gotten a few shot at Peasant Pas it's a far reach from that to Albrecht.

I think you are totally right about the decision making. I don't know what anyone else wants to happen. I'd like the 3rd and 4th rings to be opened up with some reasonably ticket prices. Now the inexpensive tickets are really bad seats; not a way to build an audience. I went from subscriber to the cheapest but good seats (high up, but centrally located) to subscriber to better seats, to single ticket buyer when I became picky about casting. My point is that as time went on I spent more per ticket. When I look now, I'm priced out of seats that I'd be willing to sit in. I'm just not going to sit in bad seats - I'd rather not go. I love NYCB and will probably go once or twice and spend the bucks, but I'll be even more selective about my ticket buying. If sections are not filled will NYCB also remove those seats from sales, until only the front of orchestra is open. Also, I'd love for NYCB to do the HD movie performances that the Met Opera is doing. It made me give opera a try and I am becoming a fan. I just think NYCB is heading in the wrong direction in terms of building and audience for the future. Older fans like myself won't be bringing newbies or their kids or grandkids - too expensive.

Thank you so much for posting this.

To my way of thinking a rather disappointing rep. I guess I'll have to see what the individual programs actually are. ABT doesn't do Cunningham as well as the Cunningham Co. it doesn't do Paul Taylor as well as the Taylor Co. What's the ABT identity - story ballets at the Met and ballets best done by other companies at City Center? Sorry, I'm being totally grumpy. ABT's rep is as inexplicable as NYCB's new pricing.

Indeed - how many times has that ballet loving Mr. Koch been to see NYCB?

What a great idea. You pay a fee and after that have unlimited buy on get one at half price. I'd do that. I vote for Amy Reusch as the head of marketing for NYCB. Again my prediction is that they will block off more and more sections until the 1st row of orchestra is the only one available and go for a million a ticket. Is there any word on how Peter Martins feels about this ticket policy?

Did he say who he was doing it with?

Many of the comments on the Times article are great. I don't know if management will listen. I just took a look at the pricing and seating chart for 11/12 and am so discouraged. One point is that when the fourth ring was open you could get a decent seat for a low price. Yes you'd be far from the stage but seats somewhat center and not super far up were great. Fourth ring rows A & B were terrific (my favorites) and rows C through E also good (for my viewing, I know others like to sit way back). Now the cheapest seats are way over on the sides of the 1st & 2nd ring and there doesn't seem to be a lot of them. I'm not going to take a newbie to the ballet and have them sit way over on the side. One thing mentioned in the Times article was that eliminating the upper sections would have people seated together without a lot of empty sections, to make for a more exciting experience. I and a lot of people I know will be going less. Unless they manage to attract a new audience there will be more empty sections. Maybe they will keep eliminating seats until the performances are done for a few people in prime orchestra and 1st ring who pay a million dollars a ticket.

I just noticed that ABT is including Lilac Fairy and Caraboose in their casting for Sleeping Beauty on the ABT website. I wish they'd include Blue Bird Pas. I'm a little disappointed that I'm getting Riccetto as Lilac. I would have preferred Abrera. Oh well! I just don't get why Riccetto gets cast in so much. On a slightly related note - the best Lilac fairy I've seen live was Sara Mearns in that other company. There is a great youtube vid of marianela nunez doing Lilac variation.

This is the most shocking casting replacement ABT has made all season: a company member...replacing an injured company member?!? Maybe Kevin couldn't find anyone to guest..... Maybe because he is leaving ABT, Kevin forgot Carreno was a commpany member

Good point about rep. ABT has a lot of problems, many of which have been discussed recently in various threads. But their repertory history is staggering. Over the years I've seen a breadth of repertory with them that's been wider and more varied than any other ballet company that I've seen. I wish they would play to that strength, I think it's a tremendous asset. Exactly my thought. I don't know how expensive it would be to set some pieces from the past, but I truly believe that a program of great choreography could be put together that could sell tickets. The Met rep program was anemic.

Thank you abatt. I had just read the article. I don't know quite what to make of it. They want to fill the orchestra, 1st and 2nd rings before opening up sales for the rest of the house. If they open up the 3rd and 4th ring, those tickets will not be as cheap as they had been. There was also talk about prices changing as time goes on. I don't know quite what to make of it all. I love rows A & B of the fourth ring. If I understand correctly, I won't be able to buy those unless it is a performance that is selling extremely well, and then those tickets will be more expensive then they had been. If anyone has more clarification I would appreciate it. For me, I guess I'll be going fewer times and being more selective. I guess NYCB is experimenting with ways to stay alive. I don't blame them for that.

While we are all playing AD, I have two more thoughts. How about Tudor's "Gala Performance" Two casts - 1st cast Principals or Guests maybe Kent, Dvorovenko, Osipova and 2nd cast Soloists maybe Seo, Boone, Lane. Also, it would be fun to see the early Eliot Feld works, Intermezzo & At Midnight. I remember them fondly. I know my ideas are not realistic. Oh - one more - Osipova as the cowgirl in Rodeo. I really believe that ABT has a lot of great works from the past that could be re-explored and sell tickets. Who wouldn't want to see Gomes as Billy the Kid?

A nice video interview with Sarah Lane - questions about the film, Black Swan, are there but don't dominate. http://www.starpulse.com/news/Stuart_Brazell/2011/06/21/stuart_brazell_sits_down_with_black_sw

Hi puppytreats. Don't stop posting. The only point we were trying to make is that committed fans sometimes have poor seating locations. Thank you for clarifying your point. Agreed - please don't stop posting. We all have our ticket buying habits/restrictions. Ballet fans can be found in all sections.