fondoffouettes

I recalled from her Instagram that she had mentioned dancing the Fleur de Farine Fairy iat the Kennedy Center: https://www.instagram.com/p/BBTwWUor6Tl/?taken-by=cocolavine I agree she's a lovely dancer. I've been excited by all the talent ABT is able to draw upon to fill soloist roles. I used to somewhat dread watching things like the Three Odalisques in Corsaire, the Neopolitan dance in SL, or the peasant pas de deux from Giselle because they were so often cast with underwhelming dancers. It seems like that's rarely the case these days.

I agree with most of the comments regarding last night's performances. Part's arms were incredibly expressive, as we've come to expect, with many beautiful details. I thought she looked more comfortable with the technical demands of the role than ever before, and she seemed to dance with more freedom. I wasn't really surprised about the diminished flexibility in her back; I think this has been apparent for the last two or three seasons. She'll be 39 in February, so it's just something I've come to expect as she ages. I agree 100% with what everyone has said about Whiteside's dramatic abilities (or lack thereof). He was pretty much a blank slate all night long -- not just with Part, but also in the ways he interacted with Benno, his mother, and basically everyone else in the ballet. I was sitting in the first row, and he had the same expression plastered on his face for much of the evening. His body language didn't convey much emotion either. I'm surprised I'm saying this -- but the Part/Stearns partnership actually had more chemistry, though nowhere near the dizzying heights of Part/Gomes or Part/Bolle. Gomes was as wonderful as ever as Rothbart. The arabesque en demi-pointe and leaps, etc., aren't as technically impressive as in past years, but his interpretation is more deliciously malevolent than ever.

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Just back from the premiere, and while there was a lot to like in the piece, it kind of felt like an over-bloated one-act ballet that had been stretched into a full-length ballet with intermission. There wasn't enough -- either dance-wise or dramatically -- to hold my interest over two acts. I think it could have packed a lot more punch if Ratmansky had cut out some of the repetitive and not particularly distinctive corps dances, as well as some of the mime and "funny" interactions between characters, which only received the slightest smattering of laughter across the auditorium. This could have been a delightful novelty as a one-act. As a full-length entertainment, it simply dragged. And this was not Ratmansky's most inventive choreography -- not by a long shot. He relied a lot on cutesy/awkward hand-gestures, stomping choreography for the corps, and repetitive, serpentine and seductive moves for the Queen. I can't say I'm left with remarkable images that will linger in my mind, as with the best Ratmanksy, which can be so akin to Ashton. Ratmansky is a renowned storyteller -- no doubt -- but I don't think he was at his most authoritative in this ballet. The characters seemed a bit two-dimensional to me (well, they are fairy tale characters after all) and the storytelling aspects felt a bit muddled. What could have been the "big moments" in the ballet's plot didn't really make an impact. I realize that the story ballets of the Ballet Russe often prioritized spectacle over pure dancing, but this ballet lacked that wow factor. A lot of the exotica choreography just felt generic. If you've seen Ratmansky's re-choreographed numbers for the current Aida production at the Met, you get the idea... The upside: I loved the aesthetic of the scenery and costumes. Almost blindingly bright and saturated in tone. And the dancers were full committed dramatically, and, as always, Ratmanksy brought out their best qualities. Part was perfect for the Queen role -- pure glamour and seduction. Brandt was her typical firecracker self -- so swift and crisp and perfectly birdlike/inhuman. The King was fine, more of a caricature than anything else. Stearns was good as the sorcerer, which is almost strictly a character role, though the prosthetic nose and heavy makeup made it difficult to read his expressions. And it sounded like he was having to breath heavily through the prosthetic nose. (I was all the way back in row M and could hear him breathing.) That said, I feel it's a ballet worth seeing again. Ratmansky's ballets are filled with so many details -- they are often so multilayered -- but I'm worried this one might be the exception. He's a choreographer who's so wonderful at infusing his characters with heart and humanity (again, so much like Ashton), but with stylized fairy tale characters like those in Cockerel, I found myself searching for the emotional core of the work and coming up empty.

This was my first time seeing Fille, and I must admit that I, too, am not a fan. I don't think any ballet has ever packed in so many endless peasant dances, though they are more interesting than many we see in other ballets. The cheery, pastoral tone of the work is nice at first, but it starts to get a bit tired as the evening progresses. It's all a bit one-note. The second act is particularly bad: It's all gags and peasant dances until Lise and Colas finally dance together. And much like some of the slapstick comedy in Cinderella, the humor in Fille seems rather stale and dated. Is it really that funny to see Widow Simone spank Lise several times? What may have set mid-twentieth-century British audiences roaring just doesn't work today. It's quaint, but not very entertaining. Throughout much of the evening, I found myself waiting for the "real dancing" to begin. The first act does have some wonderful moments for Lise and Colas. I just wish the ballet had some soloist roles that could also provide exciting dance moments. The dim-witted suitor's endless antics are probably among the most tiresome elements of this ballet. That said, I found Abrera and Whiteside to both be lovely. What Dancerboy90210 says of Abrera's technical weaknesses in some areas may be true, but she seemed just about as perfect as one could be for the role of Lise. Brimming with warmth, delicacy and good humor. Whiteside's partnering was spot-on and I thought he looked excellent in all of his variations. Wonderful leaps and incredibly strong turns. His hair and makeup were toned-down and tasteful. Some have argued that he seems to dance only for himself; last night, I thought he was very attentive to Abrera and not at all showboaty. Gomes was wonderfully hammy as Widow Simone. His antics and clog dance would have been more enjoyable if the whole ballet hadn't been filled with tired gags and endless cutesy interactions. If there's one example that sums up what's problematic about this ballet, it's the maypole dance. After Lise does the promenade holding ribbons (essentially acting as a human maypole), Ashton then follows it up with an actual maypole dance, and one that's not very interesting. Why follow up a spectacular dance moment with something so boring and pedestrian? I guess Ashton liked the parallel... Anyways, I think this is a ballet for the archives, not for today's audiences...

I agree that the company as a whole looked excellent on Saturday evening. Sylvia's attendants have rarely looked better. I think the issue may be that the company lacks a lineup of strong Sylvias. All but Gillian were new to the role, and she was injured. Herrera, Wiles and Vishneva were strong Sylvias in the past, and I also loved Part's interpretation. It's always good to see dancers take up new roles, but Sylvia requires a pretty spectacular ballerina to carry the evening.

I attended last night's performance, and I think Sylvia suites Boylston's strengths very well. What I think she lacks at this stage in her career is authority, and that can only come with time and coaching. She's obviously an incredibly gifted dancer but she just doesn't have that star quality or "it" factor that makes it impossible to keep your eyes off of her when she walks onstage. Parish was beautiful throughout -- wonderful solos and super strong partnering. I'd agree that both his and Boylston's performances were rather "surface level." There wasn't a great deal of dramatic investment in the characters. Boylston's face doesn't read especially well from stage, probably due to her small, closely set eyes and thin mouth, so she's going to have to work harder than most to convey emotion. I'm kind of shocked management has not asked Boylston to fix her dye job for the stage. Her dark roots are now about seven or eight inches long. When she took off her helmet off in Act I, she looked like a brunette with a blonde bun tacked to her head. Her hair is perfectly fine for a regular 20-something with an office job, but it looks awful on a ballerina. I do think that light hair helps soften her look, but the brassy bleach-blonde dye job and severe dark roots aren't doing her any favors onstage.

Any reports on Night of the Three Sylvias???

Does anyone know why Abrera and Forster were dancing the White Swan PDD at the Met today? Numerous ABT dancers posted pics of it on their Instagram accounts, but without context for the occasion. https://www.instagram.com/p/BFUQILWJBer/?taken-by=_xander&hl=en

A bit off topic, but since there has been some discussion of what roles may suit Abrera best, I couldn't help posting this recent pic from her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BFAbbOXsTIq/?taken-by=stellaabreradetsky&hl=e How wonderful would it be to see her as Nikiya after so many Gamzattis...

That's my worry, nysusan. If he couldn't handle Yuriko in The Nutcracker, how is he going to handle Part in Swan Lake? If Hammoudi can't make this a breakthrough season, then I think it's never going to happen.

I just noticed some casting shifts for Swan Lake: Lendorf is out for 6/13 SL with Boylston; Whiteside replaces him. Part is now paired with Hammoudi in the Wednesday evening SL. Has he danced Siegfried at the Met before, and has he ever partnered Part? It seems like it would have been a more obvious choice to pair Hammoudi with Boylston, and to keep Part with Whiteside, who partners her very well. Edited to add: Hammoudi also is now listed in the previously TBA slot for the Murphy Romeo and Juliet (I'm not sure if this is new news or not). I think this means all TBAs are now filled. This is a huge season for Hammoudi now. I hope he rises to the occasion!

Stella's injuries also were a reason for her being sidelined. I believe she was cast in Giselle twice (maybe three times?) but each time had to pull out due to injuries. I do think that she was on the principal track before those injuries got in the way. However, when she was back in good physical shape, I do agree that she was underutilized. I wish ABT had never invited Semionova to join the company. She's a beautiful dancer, but dull. And she takes up a spot (or two) in nearly every classical ballet that could go to Stella or an up-and-coming soloist dancer.

The sales for her performances of The Firebird are also extraordinary. The house is almost sold out for both of her performances. Mixed programs always sell so poorly at the Met, so what a boon to ABT. And everything but Family Circle is sold out for her Swan Lake! Sales for her Fille mal gardée seem about on par with other casts, which make sense since it's not a title with widespread recognition.

I think it's also a question whether Copeland is up to the task of Aurora. She has looked pretty lacking in some classical roles (Gamzatti) and much better in others (Princess Florine). I didn't see her Swan Lake, but I recall opinions on here were mixed. I don't see her as a principal dancer who will take on all the big Petipa roles. I think she'll just be cast in the two or three that suit her strengths, plus Juliet and some Ashton and Ratmansky here and there. Maybe Myrta if she can improve her jumps a bit?

Single-ticket purchases have now gone live on the Met's website, but, oddly, it's not allowing you to select your seats. I hope this is just a technical error that will be corrected. Updated at 12:02 p.m.: Website is still now allowing seat selection. Has ABT let us down yet again?

Does anyone know when single tickets go on sale for non-subscribers? I agree with others that Hoven has been looking great in recent seasons and I think he's perfectly suited to Aminta. I worry about Hammoudi as Prince Desire. He hasn't really risen to the challenge in recent principal roles, and I can't imagine him pulling off the fiendishly difficult variation in the last act. But he's always a dancer that I've rooted for, so I wish him the best.

I received my second mailing of the ABT subscription brochure (it seemed slightly tweaked from the previous version) and Hallberg is still shown among the principal dancers appearing in the spring season. It will be interesting to see how long ABT keeps all the male TBDs on the calendar before potentially listing them as Hallberg. I presume they are even holding the Ratmansky Chamber Symphony for Hallberg, since I believe that is the only role he danced in the ​Shostakovitch Trilogy. Only a little over three months to go now...

There was much discussion last season about how Stella Abrera was so well-suited to the style of dancing in Ratmansky's reconstruction. Scroll down to the bottom of this article, which ABT posted to their Facebook page, for video evidence: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/stellas-star-turn I wish there were more video clips out there of this production (dare we dream of a DVD someday?).

Yes, I was thinking of the same thing! Unfortunately, the full-length Sylvia has been taken off of YouTube because I was curious to see the exact position in which the ballerina is held. When I've actually seen Gomes and Part perform that pas de deux, Gomes has executed the lift more cleanly than most others, so I expect they will be in top form by opening night. Other male dancers have struggled to execute the sections where he spins the ballerina around following the Grigorovich lift, yet Gomes has always done it beautifully with Part, who is not a small dancer.

Yes, I think it's simply choreographed differently in the Ratmansky PDD. The adult Clara runs up to the Nutcracker Prince, but she doesn't jump into his arms. It's always a dead lift. It definitely has the potential to look awkward when the male dancer spends too much time setting up the lift. The Colorado choreography has the advantage of looking like one fluid movement. What I prefer about the Ratmansky version, though, is that Clara stays upright the whole time and doesn't squat near the male dancer's shoulder before popping up into the position. I can't recall whether any of ABT's male dancers have ever released their left arm.

Gomes has posted some gorgeous footage of him and Part rehearsing that notoriously tricky overhead lift in the PDD: https://www.instagram.com/p/-7DVBZiufF/?taken-by=marcelua

For the Lane fans -- a neat 360-degree video of her rehearsing The Sleeping Beauty filmed by The Wall Street Journal: http://www.wsj.com/articles/behind-the-scenes-with-a-ballerina-at-lincoln-center-1446646806

I just want to add my voice to the chorus of praise for the two main couples in Ratmansky's Piano Concerto. Shevchenko and Brandt were explosive, whipping off spins with lightning speed and precision. A particular highlight was when Brandt flew across the stage in a series of jetes. I want to see more of them -- in anything. Royal and Shayer were equally wonderful and handled the incredibly tricky lifts and other partnering elements wonderfully. They were all dancing at 110%. During the curtain calls, both women gave their bouquets to their partners. The company looked fantastic in the Brahms-Haydn Variations, even better than when I had seen them the previous week. Boylston impressed with her sky-high extensions in both the Tharp and Morris pieces. The fall season made me feel very optimistic about the future of ABT. I think it will take a few years, but we should hopefully see some more innovative casting (for the Met season) in the future.

For those interested in seeing more of Gomes' choreography, he has choreographed a (presumably short) piece about Salome for one of the Frick's Salon Evenings, on November 20: http://www.frick.org/programs/salon_evenings I presume they will use ABT dancers, as they had for the Don Quixote evening.