vipa

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.

From this group I'd pick Radetsky (sp?) as the best. Misha always looked a little stiff in some Balanchine pieces such as Tsch pas and Theme. Sarabita, IMO, approached it like Corsaire - or pick your flashy pas. Live performances my favorites were Peter Martins, Helgi Tommason & Damien Woetzel. No performer in that selection matched them.

I'd love to see Gomes in Push Comes to Shove. How about with Part & Lane? Part doing Tharp would be interesting!

Lots of great ideas. To GeorgeB fan I don't see Vasiliev, at this point in his development, as a fit for Push Comes to Shove. I've seem Vasiliev twice and both time he was spectacular in the same steps that he inserted into the ballet. I'm not convinced that he is adaptable enough to do Tharp choreography. Never the less, I'd love to see Push Comes to Shove done again. I'd also love to see Rodeo, Miss Julie, Lilac Garden, Three Virgins and a Devil, Billy the Kid and a lot of other things that had been part of ABTs history. One more comment - Vasiliev is the great new thing. I loved him in Bright Stream. At the same time he is unfinished and from my small sampling does the same tricks over and over. From past male dancers to compare dancers to I always look up Peter Schaufass on Youtube. Check it out. He is a not often mentioned dancer.

On my recent trip to New York, I was shocked to find that a ticket for a matinee performance of Jewels was $112. If I lived in New York and made my current salary, I would never be able to go. If you live in NYC or are visiting and willing to take a chance, check out the Atrium for discount tickets. I've gotten half price tickets there for NYCB a few times. They don't have every performance but I've had good luck.

Thanks for the response. I don't know which it was, but it was a light lavender costume on Tuesday - she danced with the boy - and she was wonderful. It makes total sense that it is was a great performer in dance roles. How wonderful that the RDB uses them so well.

I was there Tues. for the first performance. I agree with some but not all that has been posted. The Lesson - Macaulay, in his review said the Lesson "is a tawdry little absurdist melodrama about a sadistic-murderous-psychopathic ballet teacher." Other posters to this site seemed to agree. I don't. I think it's a good piece that presents the idea of an abusive relationship in a theatrical way. It's not about ballet or about a ballet teacher. You have a trusting young woman who is eager to please, the seemingly shy instructor who as time goes on becomes more and more demanding, and his enabler who cooperates and helps clean up his messes. By the time the young woman wants out of the situation it is too late. I think the piece is well choreographed and Kobborg amazing as the teacher. His evolution from mildly shy to instructive to demanding to OK this is a totally crazy person was very convincing. Bournonville Variations - Great stuff. The lighting effects were unnecessary. It was like the material wasn't trusted so some Los Vegas effects were tossed in, but what a great idea and the effects didn't ruin it`. What a treasure these steps and variations are - fast footwork, unexpected directions, beautiful torso work, musical - you expect the turn to go one way, but it goes the other - the foot is in back of the knee instead of the front sometimes. The musical phrasing is delightful. Every ballet and dance fan should see this stuff. Lost on Slow - Interesting enough. It showed the dancers off well in a more contemporary style of movement. I wouldn't mind seeing it again! Napoli Act lll - I loved it. I danced it many, many years ago many times -- no one does it like the Danes. The variations were delightful, and again the choreography - lovely & musical in between steps, beautifully shaped jumps, grand plies when you don't expect them. a turn into a jump that makes you gasp and smile because it is both lovely and unpredicted. One more thing I have to add. The RDB has Character Dancers in their roster. One of these women (I don't know who) won my heart. She did a little section with a child, but she enriched the act through out. When the corps was doing their predictable stuff, my eye wondered over to her. She'd be on the side interacting, hitting the tamborine, swaying to the music and being alive on stage. She was not the only one, but she was exemplary. This kind of stage craft can really make a difference.

Thanks for posting. I wasn't going to see SB this season (having exhausted my ballet budget), but I just bought tickets for Cojocaru/Kobborg! He is close to 40 if not 40 already - It's not likely that I'll have another chance to see them together. Good opportunity for Sterns. Hope he does well.

[quote name='Colleen Boresta' date='13 June 2011 - 09:05 AM' timestamp='1307970302' post='287075 Xiomara Reyes is a very sweet Zina, but she is outshone by her co-stars, especially Osipova and Vasiliev. My only quibble with The Bright Stream is that it ends too suddenly. A final pas de deux between Zina and Pyotr is needed to show they are really on the road to happiness. And a razzle dazzle solo for each of the principal characters would conclude the ballet on an even higher note. I respectfully disagree with a couple of points. IMO Reyes totally held her own with Osipova. In fact I thought their sections together charming and sometimes touching, with one never outshining the other. Osipova has a flashier role, doing the male variation, but when together I thought they worked well together, and Reyes in her pas de deux was excellent. She also whipped off those fouettes quite nicely. I love the ending. It is almost like an old MGM musical kind of ending of - that's all folks- or - nothing more to say so goodbye. For me the ending added to the overall charm.

I look forward to your thoughts. I thought the quality of the dancers quite high.

I agree with the superlatives. Go see it if you can. I just want to add that the story telling is amazingly clear. We know who each character is. They stay in character throughout through the choreography. The characters have conversations that we understand. For example, in the first act when Zina & the ballerina meet and realize the know each other we see them ask each other the normal things like "are you married" "do you have kids" etc. It's all so clear and focused. The sound of laughter in the audience (particularly the kids) was wonderful! I'd love to hear more impressions of various casts.