fondoffouettes

I'm pretty sure it was in the 2009 Met Season: http://www.abt.org/insideabt/news_display.asp?News_ID=265. Maybe it was also done in a fall season around that time, too.

Wow, I completely forgot about that, and that must be the case! I wholeheartedly agree with canbelto regarding Lane taking on a principal's workload. I'm holding my breath but I'm very hopeful that it will happen for her. ABT's (very) recent track record of rewarding seniority and giving a rank that matches a dancer's actual workload makes me hopeful. I mean, Stella was promoted in a year in which Giselle was her only new major role, right? Or maybe also Cinderella? Lane seems to have proven herself in even more roles, though the Swan Lake wasn't the unqualified triumph we were all hoping for. That said, I actually found her Giselle to be more moving than Stella's first one, though Stella has the willowy arms we more associate with at least Act II Giselle. I also thought Sarah's Gulnare was exceptional. I imagine she's the type of dancer that will only continue to blossom and grow after a promotion (kind of like how Veronika got a huge confidence boost from her promotion and only reached her technical peak after earning the rank). I remember Gorak saying in an interview how he and Lane are both a ball of nerves before a performance; a promotion may make her feel more at ease (less like so much is riding on every outing in a principal role). We're all wishing and hoping for you, Sarah!!!

The NYT has posted a fantastic behind-the-scenes video of the Met featuring lots of ABT dancers and the Whipped Cream production. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/30/arts/metropolitan-opera-backstage-ballet.html

I think it is! I just took a look at the next three performances and they are extremely well-sold, with some sections sold-out. Wow.

So, it's been six weeks and no progress has been made on updating the rest of the website, if that was the intention. All season I've found the new homepage (i.e., the modern-day portal back to 1998) to be a huge hindrance in getting to the information I actually want. It's just one more thing to click on before getting to the full website. Why create an additional barrier for visitors to your website? Also, I find the new home page (more of a splash page in its function, really), to look much better on mobile than it does on a desktop. However, it's quite glitchy on mobile, at least in my experiences using a newish iPhone. Often times, I'll click on something in the right-hand menu and absolutely nothing happens. The only link that consistently works for me is the "view full website" link. This half-baked website "redesign" is an embarrassment. On the flip-side of the coin, ABT is now consistently producing modern-looking promotional and informational videos. Yay! Still not as slick as NYCB, but a huge leap forward. Edited to add: Oh, and the picture of Murphy in Don Q on the homepage has been captioned as "Hee Seo and David Hallberg in Giselle" for quite some time now, I believe for the past six weeks. I think a pic of Hallberg and Seo was on the homepage at some point. I know I'm being persnickety, but the photo captions are very prominent. How could someone not have caught that?

I feel exactly the same. There have been times I've gone to as many as three or four performances, but this time I'll just go to one with Symphonic Variations. I realize that it makes sense logistically and financially to repeat pieces from the previous season, but this just feels like too much of the same. I actually enjoyed Her Notes last season, but I kind of expected it to be one of those somewhat pleasant premieres we never see again. It's not something I'd rush back to. I also find it a little odd that the Lang pièce d’occasion (danced by students and apprentices) is being billed as one of three world premieres, alongside the Ratmansky and Millepied. I know it's technically a world premiere, but the one-off nature of a pièce d'occasion doesn't seem to merit that sort of attention. But who knows, maybe it will end up being the next Monotones. And I guess you have to generate hype where you can if you're a press person...

I'm more disheartened by the dwindling quantity and quality of arts coverage. What's the point of even publishing something like this? I guess it's a nice free plug for ABT, but that's about it... https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/28/arts/dance/american-ballet-theater-moves-to-tchaikovsky.html

Okay -- I assumed it was an exclusive since the press release didn't appear on ABT's website until after the NYT story had been posted. But I realize the posting on the website might not be synched to the e-mail distribution.

They must have given the NYT exclusive first rights to publish the information, and perhaps newspaper's editorial schedule dictated when ABT publicly announced this information. Of course there could be other reasons, too. Maybe ABT felt it was best to generate buzz for the next season while the current one is still in progress.

It's possible a promotion announcement may still be coming. In 2012, the fall season announcement preceded the promotions announcement (which included Seo's promotion to principal). http://www.abt.org/insideabt/news_display.asp?News_ID=408 http://www.abt.org/insideabt/news_display.asp?News_ID=410 Seo was left off the fall season announcement, but I assume she appeared in that season as a principal dancer. There has also been the occasional promotion in the fall (Simkin, Whiteside). Not sure what the reasoning is behind a fall versus spring promotion.

The NYT report on the fall season: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/28/arts/dance/american-ballet-theater-fall-season.html I can't believe they're bringing back Millepied's dreadful Daphnis and Chloe. I'm happy to see the return of Other Dances (I remember Murphy and Hallberg being delightful in it, during that weird fall season at Avery Fisher Hall). Symphonic Variations is another welcome return; we'll see if the company looks more comfortable in it this time around.

He's kind of leaning forward a bit in this pic, but his height looks somewhat comparable to Bolle's, maybe an inch or so shorter:

I wouldn't mind if ABT got back in the habit of promoting dancers by their mid-20s, though. Murphy was promoted to principal at 23; Gomes at 22 (though nearly 23); Cornejo at 22; Simkin at 24; Hallberg at 24; Seo at 26; and Stearns at about 26. Shevchenko and Teuscher are both already 28. I won't go into all the reasons that have kept dancers from developing at ABT (since they've already been discussed in depth in these forums), but I'd rather see those two dancers get their shot at principal sooner rather than later. I agree that Brandt and Trenary could use another season or two, but please don't make them wait until they are 30...

Of course -- whoops! Thanks for the catch.

In addition to promotions, I hope Kochetkova's contract doesn't get renewed. I don't wish any ill on an injured dancer, but if there's anything this season showed, it's that there are technically sound (and short) dancers within ABT's ranks that can be partnered by Cornejo and Simkin. Kochetkova doesn't bring enough artistry to the table to justify her place at ABT, in my opinion.

Ah, thanks, LadyBubbles. I was thinking of 2015, when there were all those promotions. There are always a few surprises, but these are my best guesses: Soloist to Principal: Very Likely: Lane (The company has been rewarding seniority recently. Her Giselle was an unqualified triumph, and her Swan Lake was quite good, despite the limited prep time.) Likely: Shevchenko (She rose to the challenge, and then some, in Don Q and Corsaire.); Teuscher (She nailed Swan Lake, but I wonder if they will wait for her to carry another full-length before promoting her.) Possible: Hammoudi (His dancing has been so underwhelming, but he's a pretty solid partner and continues to be cast in principal roles.); Brandt (I suspect they will try her out in more roles for one or two more seasons, but you never know!); Trenary (Her dancing has been lovely, but until she takes on another full-length classical role, I'm not sure she'll be promoted.) Wild Card: Gorak (As others have noted, he's kind of stalled out casting-wise, but he continues to dance beautifully. He's the only male dancer whose elegance approaches that of Hallberg.) Corps to Soloist: Very Likely: Royal (He's been dancing so strongly. Standouts for me have been Rothbart, Symphonic Variations and the last section of the Shostakovich Trilogy.) Wild Cards: I think there may be very few promotions in this category, given the number that happened in 2015, but perhaps Hamrick, Fang or Scott will be rewarded for their many years of dancing soloist parts. Then there are the relative newbies who have been standing out: Ahn, Shayer, Zhang (Ziyao). Of course, I'm sure most of these predictions will be wrong!

Yeah, I think he's the most likely promotion from corps to soloist. There were a lot of promotions from corps to soloist last year, so I could imagine him being the only such promotion this year. I know there has been a lot of talk recently of ABT lowering its standards with regard to its principals' technique. That said, I still can't imagine Hammoudi being promoted. He's looked sloppy for years now, with no signs of improvement, really.

I'm praying that she's not retiring. There are still many roles I'd love to see her reprise -- Nikiya, Lilac Fairy, Myrtha, Mercedes/Dryad Queen. It's been noted that other ballerinas, such as Vishneva and Kent, were able to retire SL and then continue dancing for several years. Veronika, however, doesn't have a stock of MacMillan and MacMillan-esque roles that she can dance in her later years. Petipa has always been her bread and butter. And I agree, I've always suspected the Part may leave quietly. For some reason, I can't picture her doing the standard ABT farewell with all the fanfare and flowers (though I wish she would). I guess I've always gotten the impression that she's a bit of an introvert and maybe somewhat of an outsider at the company. Other dancers in the company never seem to post about her or comment on her performances. This is a rare and beautiful photo of her with other ABT principals:

She responded to someone in the comments section who asked for clarification and made it pretty clear that she won't be dancing the role again at the Met.

It was Veronika Part's last SL at the Met, per her Instagram feed (she confirms it in the comments). I'm heartsick.

It's part of a broader shift in arts coverage at the NYT, initiated earlier this year. They've de-emphasized reviews and are focusing on interest pieces. They've been careful not to call it a reduction in arts coverage, but that's exactly what it is. Now we get Twitter-length reactions to performances in the column "That Decisive Moment": https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/arts/music/mahler-transformed-this-weeks-8-best-classical-music-moments.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fthat-decisive-moment&action=click&contentCollection=music&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection There were a lot of throwaway reviews of ABT in the past, but I do miss the consistent coverage. It's funny to see Macaulay in his press seats all season long -- and writing about nearly none of ABT's performances. But, I guess you could argue that these performances are still informing his articles (like his recent one on The Sleeping Beauty). Admins -- I hope you'll relocate this conversation if it's not suited to this particular thread. I'd like to see the issue the NYT's refocused/reduced coverage commented upon by others.

I dunno -- I think there's something beautiful about honoring ballet's heritage. That's not to say I want carbon copies of what was produced in the late nineteenth century. (I'd love to see a Swan Lake that's informed by Ratmansky's reconstruction, but not necessarily the reconstruction itself.) And to his credit, Ratmansky wasn't dogmatic in adhering to the dance notation; he allowed for the fish dives in Act III, and he reinserted the overhead lift in the Bluebird pas de deux. For me, it was a revelation to see choreography that actually fit Tchaikovsky's music for Sleeping Beauty. There were no extra supported pirouettes shoe-horned into music that wouldn't accommodate them. And the music for mime, action and scene transitions was used for just that. The Sleeping Beauty reconstruction made me want to see more ballets stripped of their acrobatic Soviet accretions. I don't need to see Aurora scratch her ear with her big toe.

Well, if it looks anything like this, I can imagine Ratmansky relishing the opportunity... Can anyone recommend a source to learn more about the Ballets Russes' Sleeping Princess and subsequent "Aurora's Wedding"? I'd really like to read more about those productions and understand what exists of Baskt's designs.

This thread from 2006 suggests that the two additional dances are the Arabian and Chinese: I've been wondering whether ABT would completely recreate Act III of their current Sleeping Beauty production for "Aurora's Wedding." There are a lot of dancers to put onstage in the Ratmansky production. The Ratmansky production does have walk-on roles inspired by the 1921 Chinese and Arabian dances. Some details from the OC Register review of the premiere: "Equally inspired by Bakst, Ratmansky chose to include some expendable, but loveable walk-through characters from the 1921 production (Mandarin, Porcelain Princesses, Scheherazade, Shah and his Brother) based on the vividness of their costume designs." In the Ratmanksy production at the Met, I seem to recall that these Chinese and Arabian characters were portrayed by hired dancers rather than ABT's company members. Maybe Ratmansky has choreographed dances for these characters, now to be portrayed by ABT's own dancers? Will they use the same costumes that were used for the walk-on roles? I think it's pretty safe to assume that they will not insert the Chinese and Arabian dances from Ratmansky's Nutcracker. They would be so out of step with the style of his reconstructed Sleeping Beauty .

Some beautiful video clips (and sentiments) from Vishneva's Instagram: Vishneva memories I'll never forget: her astonishing first Giselle with Corella, with a mad scene that sent chills down the spine; when she made time stand still in the Thais pas de deux with Jared Matthews; when she brought the house down in the Manon bedroom pas de deux with Carreno (earning an ovation like none I've ever experienced during a mixed program*); and every moment of abandon she shared onstage with Gomes, of course! *edited to add: I just remembered an additional detail: She made a heart sign with her hands over her chest during the ovation, and then extended them to the audience. Only Vishneva could get away with that! ;)