fondoffouettes

The previous scenery and costumes were by Rouben Ter-Arutunian. I'm glad they aren't just going with a cyclorama, but rather commissioning new sets, as well. The more they can avoid comparison with NYCB, the better.

On Whiteside's most recent podcast episode featuring three retiring corp women, it's mentioned that ABT is creating new costumes for Ballet Imperial, so they are presumably planning to hold onto this ballet for a while. It's clear from the conversation that they'll be new designs, not just rebuilt versions of the existing designs. I wonder if they'll go with chiffon skirts rather than tutus. (I did find the encrusted tutus and big tiaras way too heavy, even though I had been curious to see the ballet with tutus.) I don't feel I need to see ABT dance this ballet again.

Interesting. I see Roxander has reposted the story with the text "surprise show" overlaid on it, so evidently this was a last-minute change.

I agree with others that I've grown extremely tired of the McKenzie production, though I don't think they'll be replacing it anytime soon. I think they just rebuilt all the costumes a couple years ago, didn't they? So that was a big investment. This week, I was struck by how small-scale the production looks. I realize it needs to work in multiple venues, but it feels very small and storybook-like in the Met. I was planning to skip this ABT season entirely for the first time since I started attending 20 years ago, but I decided relatively last minute to see Misseldine's O/O. I no longer feel I need to revisit most other ABT ballerinas in this role, or to sit through lackluster dancing in the secondary roles. I agree with @abatt that we see little growth from year to year. I was very glad to hear reports of Murphy's strong outing, however, and hope to see her again in the role before she retires. I wonder what Jaffe is thinking about in terms of Sleeping Beauty. Is it simply too costly for the company to revive? The ballet has name recognition and could presumably sell well (it certainly did when NYCB performed it most recently). I know many are not fans of the Ratmansky reconstruction, but that production would make me want to see at least 2-3 different casts. Edited to add: If they can't even cast a credible pas de trois in SL, I can't imagine how they'd cast all the secondary roles in Sleeping Beauty. Or maybe Ratmansky's coaching would have a positive effect on the dancers.

Despite my rapturous response to Misseldine, I can also agree with what you've said here. I do agree there was some choppiness and that she could work on her phrasing. I didn't like how she bopped her foot into position in her extensions. But for me, she was more compelling than what I've seen from most principals over the last 5-10 years at ABT and displayed a raw talent that I deeply appreciate. I've been pretty disappointed in how ABT's promising ballerinas have turned out recently -- at one point, I thought Shevchenko might be the next great ballerina, only to be disappointed by her blandness -- so for me, Misseldine is a bright spot.

Thanks, @ABT Fan! I see ABT has already posted some lovely photos of the moment: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8-e0SRS3AP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Emma Zordan in their marketing department has been capturing beautiful, professional-quality photos from the wings since last season. Kudos to her!

Misseldine was extraordinary this afternoon. I went in with very high expectations, and she exceeded them. I've been wanting for so long for an ABT ballerina to really make me feel something again in the role of O/O (ever since Part's departure), and today that finally happened. My heart was in my throat when Misseldine danced Act II, and the adrenaline was racing through me during the Act III pas de deux, the adagio of which may be one of the finest I've ever seen. Her dramatic choices and use of her arms and hands throughout were extraordinary. Based on my taste in what I like to see in an O/O, Misseldine was the most compelling dancer I've seen in the role since Part and Ananiashvili. I should add that I was also struck by Misseldine's ability to make so much of moments that were quiet or still, or nearly still. Nothing was overdone, but every detail was so well-considered. Bell was every inch a prince, and I loved how he added some personal twists to his various variations. I love just looking at his arabesque. His leap off the cliff at the end was SO beautiful. He was like a crescent moon soaring across the sky. WOW. Markey is the best Purple Rothbart I've seen since they've started casting the role seemingly exclusively with soloists and corps members. He commanded the stage and had flair to spare. I'd love to see more of him. Waski was a train wreck in the pas de trois back in 2022 when she'd just returned to ABT from Boston Ballet. Back then, she similarly fell out of turns and had zero ballon. Some on this forum attributed it to possible exhaustion from her marathon run of performances at Boston Ballet and then ABT. Then she was terrible again in 2023. Today's performance was much the same, perhaps even worse. The final supported pirouette was awful, with her falling off point and being awkwardly manipulated by Frenette. In that little section toward the beginning of Act III, she fell off pointe in every pirouette she attempted (there are at least three). It baffles me that she's cast in this role. @ABT Fan, I've never seen an onstage promotion at ABT! I unfortunately had to leave before the page bows. Can you describe more how it happened? Did Jaffe come out with a microphone?

Zoe Magnussen must be leaving the company. In her Instagram Stories, Mira Nadon just wished Magnussen congratulations on her career at NYCB.

If/when it reopens, I'd add Boulud Sud to the list. I've always had excellent food there. It's pricey but probably a hair less so than Lincoln (also great). Boulud Sud has been closed for renovations since the winter, though, with no reopening date provided.

The Saturday matinee was my first time seeing DAAG and overall I liked it but didn't love it. At times, I found myself admiring the concept of the ballet more than the actual choreography. The hour went by quickly for me, but I found that some sections wore thin, particularly some of the ensemble work. I did wonder what the ballet would look like with 10-15 minutes of the weakest choreography excised. But still, I'd be interested to see this ballet again with a different cast; not because I didn't enjoy Saturday's cast, but because I'd love to see what various NYCB dancers would do with the roles. Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet feels stuffed to the gills with choreography, not all of it terribly interesting, but I do particularly like the second and fourth movements. I think the third movement could be removed and I wouldn't miss it. Nadon was glorious in the second movement. She noted on Instagram that tall dancers don't usually get to dance that role, but thanks to Bolden, she was able to. I just wish that the jacket Bolden wears could somehow be adjusted; it looked all bunched up and somewhat awkward, and I found it visually distracting during some of the tricky partnering. I agree that both Maxwell and Miller were great in the first movement. Phelan wouldn't have been my first choice for the fourth movement, but it was a successful debut and I'm glad she was pushed out of her comfort zone. Angle's solo work was very muted, but I'm sure his rock-solid partnering was essential for Phelan's debut. I'd also like to echo what others have said of Gerrity. I've never enjoyed her as much as I did this week in DAAG and Bourrée Fantasque; her dancing had a special something extra.

I'm glad to have seen Bourrée Fantasque for the first time this evening. I thought it was a hoot, and I'd happily watch it again! Nadon was great in the first movement, and I think Zuniga did well for a debut, with room to grow; he lacked stage presence. Gerrity and Bolden were lovely in the second movement and pulled off all the tricky partnering very well. Abreu seems to have worked out the kinks; no mishaps between him and von Enck. The costumes for the women in the second movement are some of my all-time favorite Karinksa costumes I've ever seen -- wow. One detail I love is the little black bows where the straps connect with the back of the bodices. Fairchild and Ulbricht were very good in Steadfast Tin Soldier, but I'd happily never see this ballet again. Luckily, it's short. It looked awkward when Fairchild climbed into the fireplace at the end. Is it ever executed in a way that makes it look like the ballerina has actually been blown into the fireplace? I haven't seen this ballet in maybe 15 years, so I'm just not sure. Nadon was magnetic in Errante and commanded the stage in her solo. Her flexible back and slinky arms were gorgeous. One thing I really appreciate about Nadon is that you never really see her working to achieve an effect, and she doesn't overdo things (no vamping). Yet, she's endlessly fascinating to watch. It was so good to see Sanz back and looking so well; I really enjoyed him. Overall, it's not a great ballet, and the corps feels sort of superfluous, but it was a great vehicle for Nadon. The boho tops for the corps girls are so awkward! They are not flowy enough to look like real boho tops, so they just end up looking like ill-fitting baggy bodices. Tonight's Symphony in C felt off to me, almost dull (and I can't believe I'm calling a Symphony in C performance dull). The energy and incisiveness just wasn't there for me. Gerrity was just fine in the first movement, though I enjoyed her much more in Bourrée Fantasque. Chan was pretty good, though somehow I expected more from him. I was pretty disappointed with Phelan. She seemed rather tense for much of the adagio; there was no majesty, no depth, no individualized interpretation. I feel like management is putting her in these roles because of her look -- beautiful lines, very pretty face -- but she just doesn't bring any inner life to them. Knight was fine, though he made some of the partnering look effortful. I'm glad he's stopped bleaching his hair, but all the volume he has toward the back of his head just makes his proportions look weird; it makes him look shorter than he is. Takahashi seemed to lose steam toward the end of the third movement (I kept wishing Mejia were there to tear up the stage). It was great to see Macgill again. She danced very well, though during all the turns where she holds one arm above her head, I wished she'd shaped her arm and hand better; it just looked sloppy and not fully shaped. There was one time when she pulled off a really impressive multiple pirouette and did hold her arm above her head in a nice position, and it looked fantastic! So, oddly enough, I enjoyed tonight's Bourrée Fantasque more than Symphony in C. Who would have thunk it?

Their link to learn more about Barry Hughson and his vision for ABT just goes to ABT's homepage. And there's nothing more about him and his vision if you go to the ABT News page, either. Great job, ABT.

Yes, she is in the performance of Symphony in C in Paris that was filmed for PBS' Great Performances (dancing the third movement beautifully, opposite Huxley). I only really know her from that video since I haven't had the opportunity to see her this season, but her performance in that video made a great impression on me. Has she essentially been absent or mostly absent since around that time? I believe injury was mentioned up-thread. @abatt, you mentioned Mira Nadon in Scotch Symphony earlier. I didn't see her SAB performance live, but I was thrilled that Lincoln Center released the film of it during the pandemic. I could see why everyone had been raving. She performed like a fully fledged ballerina, not a pre-professional dancer. Riccardo was good, but you could see the contrast between him and Nadon; he was dancing more like an apprentice/student (albeit an extremely promising one). If you can still find the video floating around somewhere, I highly recommend it.

I've only experienced the Balanchine era via video, but I've overall found 4Ts to be very well-danced by the company over the past several seasons, with some performances being particularly exhilarating/moving. I think they've generally cast the ballet well. Serenade has been more of a mixed bag, with several of the female leads not quite doing it for me, for whatever reason. I'd look forward to seeing some new dancers breathe life into the work. Emma Von Enck as the Russian Girl? Nadon as Dark Angel?

One reason I appreciated the Ratmansky Nutcracker at BAM was that it was so much more affordable than the NYCB Nutcracker, and it was a great opportunity to see dancers like Murphy, Part, Hallberg, etc., in their prime, as @FauxPas has noted. I'm pretty sure I always paid under $100 to sit somewhere relatively decent in the mezzanine. I wish ABT could have used that price point to its advantage in sustaining its Nutcracker at BAM. However, I have family in Southern CA and am delighted that they have the opportunity to see a company like ABT perform Nutcracker. I do wonder how ballets with more niche appeal, like Woolf Works, manage to perform ticket-wise at the Segerstrom. I love both LA and Orange County, but as @California says, it's a tough region for ballet. (On a tangentially related note, it makes me very happy that Kathryn Morgan and her husband have established her dance studio in Huntington Beach!)