Dancerboy90210

No Hallberg? Bolyston is dancing everything.... I would've thought Abrera would get a Juliet or Odette/Odile before an Aurora! Mckenzie continues to push Seo more and more!... Want more Abrera, less Copeland...

I agree that ABT is having trouble moving forward. While some of their newer dancers are promising, they lack the artistic excellence of many of the former crop of dancers. Also, they don't have that magical quality that makes their performances an "occasion". I think McKenzie realizes this and also might be a little nostalgic, so instead of moving forward he prefers to dwell in the past. I think his focus on guest artists could be him trying to cover up his imperfections in developing new talent. I think its time for a new director, if you ask me. That will move them forward.

This coming season would be a good time to have Stella and Sarah Lane debut in Juliet. Sad that Lane probably won't get the chance, because I'm sure they'll have to accommodate Kochetkova. I've always been and always will be a Ferri fan, but with such a shortage of slots for principals to get the opportunity to dance, its sad to not see this go to a current dancer. Stella especially, as great as she is, doesn't have that many years left, so I think it would be a disservice to not let her dance while she is capable. IMO, McKenize also owes her for all the years he kept her sidelined!

Guess this is better than bringing in tons of guest artists. I'd be interested to see how Ferri holds up the technical demands of the role. I'm crossing my fingers for the chance to see Abrera dance Juliet. It seems well suited for her and judging from last years casting switcharoos, the company needs more Juliets. Wonder if Boylston will get a Juliet, might be interesting. But I'd rather see Abrera over all the other Juliets the company currently has on hand.

I'm surprised that Gomes got Seo. Seems like McKenzie is doing everything in his power to try and get audiences to accept Seo. Stella deserves Aurora and it would be a good opportunity for her to perfect it before Met Season. I think Copeland will probably get cast for Detroit. Perhaps the limited amount of rehearsal time factors into there being no debuts. Boylston and Gorak for opening night is interesting....

Giselle is 175 in 2016! I'm very surprised ABT isn't performing it.

I was wishing they'd bring Giselle back just to see Stella again! They should release a video of her, before its too late!

Might Stella get a go at Medora? I can only imagine that bedroom Pas de Deux. She would be so beautiful. Veronika Part has danced it before. Can't imagine Copland dancing Medora, but she will probably get cast.

Hallberg would be the perfect regular partner for Stella - he should demand that McKenzie cast them together. BTW: Stella has danced successfully Gamzatti in "La Bayadere" which has some similarities in technical demands to Odile. Certainly Julie Kent went on for years as O/O until very recently and probably fudged/simplified some of the Act III steps - I wasn't there so I don't know - but there is a precedent. I think Stella could do a fine Odile even if she has to substitute a circle of piques for the fouettes. But I wouldn't be surprised if she could manage a decent set of fouettes - certainly as well as Copeland and Hee Seo can.

Totally agree. I think Kevin puts up with Copeland because she sells tickets. If you took out the fame, she wouldn't be doing O/O. Hopefully Copeland is practicing her fouettes so that by next summer she can at least handle 32 singles. I think Stella would handle herself better and more professionally than both Copeland and Seo. However, Kevin seems to have a double standard with a lot of his casting. I can say that performances with Stella cast in principal roles will get a greater share of my financial resources devoted to ABT Met Season tickets.

I agree that Stella would make a great Juliet, but I don't think Kevin will cast her in Odette/Odile. I think she would make a great Odette, but might struggle with the technical demands of Odile. Seems O/O is one of the first roles aging ballerinas retire. However, Stella is an incredible professional and always comes to the stage looking well rehearsed and powers through, so I could be wrong. And if Kevin casts her, she deserves someone like Gomes or Hallberg as her prince. Would be such an injustice to pair her with Gorak or a less experienced partner. With that said, I wouldn't be surprised if Gorak gets cast as Siegfried. I think artistically she would be remarkable. I think Kevin might save some of the limited O/O slots for a younger ballerina. We know that Kochetkova will be dancing O/O. (You can put me in the "much rather see Lane camp") Wouldn't mind if Kevin doesn't cast Seo in favor of another ballerina, but the past two seasons I believe she has danced two or three O/O performances during Swan Lake week. Don't understand that type of casting, because its not really her "role". Could understand two shows for Murphy or Part, because O/D is what they do best.

I don't know much about The Golden Cockerel. Will be interesting to see. I had hoped that Ratmansky might have taken on Swan Lake and redid their version, which to be honest could use a refresh. Excited for La Fille Mal Gardee, its nice to see them throw in a wild card and not do just the normal repertory rotations. Wonder how long until we get to see casting. Gardee seems like a great ballet for their new corp of shorter principals and soloists. I'm crossing my fingers for the opportunity to see lots of Stella! They also announced their Nutcracker casting in California today and was a little disappointed to see Stella paired with Hammoudi. Nothing against him, but she deserves a fully developed partner. Judging from her incredible Giselle this past season, I think casting her with a strong partner and dancer helps her deliver an incredible performance. This was clear after seeing her with Gorak in Cinderella. He has incredible talent and is on his way to the top, but his partnering and acting skills are lacking. This type of stuff takes away from Stella's performance. She deserves the best. Shall we all take our bets on casting? Lets hope for lots of debuts!

Speaking of seasoned corps, anyone know whatever happened to Nicole Graniero? She has a website but it still says ABT? She had quite a lengthy repertorie and hope she hasn't given up all together.

She is joining Washington Ballet. It was posted on her instagram. Can I just say I'm so happy to see Stella's picture on the principal page!

Disappointed that Abrera isn't listed yet. Think she could've been good in Le Spectre de la Rose or Valse Fantasie.

Really interesting article from Sarah Kaufman on Misty Copeland. She explores the conflict between artistry and celebrity.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/can-misty-copeland-be-both-a-celebrity-and-a-great-artist/2015/07/10/210fdc20-2517-11e5-b77f-eb13a215f593_story.html

Wonder why she isn't doing the evening shows... aren't those the biggest box office draws?

see article....

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/06/theater/misty-copeland-of-american-ballet-theater-to-join-on-the-town.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

It just occurred to me that with the most recent round of promotions, ABT now has two locally marketable principal dancers for their LA season. Abrera, from South Pasadena, could plausibly be presented as a "hometown ballerina." Kotchetkova's repute is stronger on the West Coast than it is in NYC. Planned or coincidence?

I wonder if Kotchetkova will participate in their Nutcracker season. SFB does Nutcracker for quite some time in December, so I can imagine it would be a little difficult for her to do both. Also, IMO Nutcracker ticket sales are probably less influenced by casting. However a solid cast might make the difference between a well-sold performance and a total sell out. I think ABT would be able to sell well enough without Kotchetkova. Now, for their other LA programing (not Nutcracker) they might need her there.

I'm not sure height is really the reason: there's ALWAYS room for short-to-medium height women, as they can dance with men of any height. (McKenzie at least doesn't seem to have a problem with tall men partnering shorter women: Whiteside has partnered Reyes; Gomes has partnered Herrera. The fact that they haven't done so more frequently was probably due to the temporary overload of senior, medium-to-tall principal ballerinas: Part, Murphy, Semionova, Wiles, Kent, Vishneva.)

I imagine what has shaped Lane's casting also is whether a given pairing has a sufficient popular following to fill a reasonable proportion of the Met. Lane and Cornejo are both critical darlings...but neither has enough of a popular following to fill half of the Met: they could never regularly be paired profitably. Hallberg, Bolle, and Gomes have popular followings, but are desperately needed for tall ballerinas. Stearns and Whiteside don't have followings. At the moment, Simkin's really Lane's only viable partner from a box office perspective.

I think that's what will shape casting going forward: Copeland, Kotchetkova, Simkin, and Lendorf (who all have popular followings or novelty in their favor) will be primarily paired with the short-to-medium height dancers without popular followings...not each other. As he's being groomed, I imagine that Gorak will be paired with Copeland and Kotchetkova a LOT.

I think Cornejo has a pretty big following. I think his name has the ability to sell tickets a lot better than Kotchetkova (at least in NYC). I think a Gorak/Lanes pairing would be difficult to sell at the Met (at the moment, maybe better in the future). I think Copeland will stick with matinee performances, possibly paired with more up and coming male dancers. Its clear that Copeland can sell tickets, so I think giving her performances that are normally difficult to sell is a good business decision. Especially, if you factor in their new "dynamic pricing". That leaves other shows open for casting that doesn't sell as well, but the performance's timing picks up some of the slack (i.e. Saturday night). Also, I'd say Simkin is a box office draw, especially in Don Q and Corsaire. I also would say that Lane is a "short" ballerina, not a short to medium sized ballerina. I highly doubt she would ever be paired with a taller male partner (Gomes, Bolle, Hallberg). I think that would look rather strange, but maybe I'd have to see it first.

IMO, perhaps in age since I believe Lane is older than both, however, Lane has an extensive repertoire as compared to both, especially with Trenary whom I have only seen doing "cute and flirty" roles, and I guess time will tell if either can indeed competite in skills as Lane.

I think the short female principal ranks seem quite full now. From an investment prospective, Lane seems to be competing with Kochetkova on one hand, but also with Brandt and Trenary who they will probably be grooming to be the next crop of "short ballerinas". Would it make sense for Kevin to invest in Lane while he has Kochetkova? If he waited for Kochetkova to retire before promoting Lane, by then Lane likely wouldn't have any dancing years left. IMO, Kochetkova's appointment to principal wasn't necessary. I think Kevin should've thrown Lane a new principal role next season (Juliet, Kitri, etc), brought Kochetkova back to guest, and then if all went well with Lane promote her to principal and discontinue the use of Kochetkova. Hiring Kochetkova as a regular principal really complicates things. However, I thought that Abrera would be passed over for promotion for similar reasons and Kevin proved me wrong. So I guess time will tell. However, if I were Lane I would look at other companies. She is too talented to stay "stuck" in the soloist ranks during her prime years.

Isn't it strange that ABT hasn't released a press release on its Fall Season? I thought they announced it in the middle of the Met season. That way they can benefit from the Met season buzz and use it to stimulate ticket sales for the fall. I know their Met season usually gets announced around October, way ahead of the summer.

I think the promotions also hint to 2016 Met Season programing. I think Simkin will have a better season next year, especially if they bring back Don Q and Corsaire. I think this season was heavy on ballets such as Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Othello, etc, to give Kent a strong final season. Poor Herrera and Reyes only got their Giselle. Also to prepare Copeland for her "promotion", which was impossible to ignore as she pursued her PR campaign. Juliet was a much better ballet for her than say Don Q! I also think Vishneva probably has heavy demands on what she will and will not dance. Kevin will still have to accommodate Vishneva next season, which I feel will benefit Part, Abrera and Semionova. So Kevin now has a group of more lyrical dancers and another group of more technical dancers. Kevin can't really ignore Vishneva on casting, in the way that he does Part, because she is a big box office draw and her dancing years are likely winding down. I hope we get to see Abrera as Manon, Juliet, and of course another Giselle. I don't think she would be cast as Kitri (especially given the number of capable dancers Kevin could cast). I think if Part gets another go, it would likely be the 2pm Wednesday performance. I think that slot might be better for a debut with Brandt (or Lane) with Jeff Cirio. Simkin will probably stay with Bolyston and Cornejo will likely dance with Kochetkova. Lane will have a lot of competition with Brandt and Trenary rising to soloist. In a way they're going to be competing for similar roles and a limited amount of partners. I hope Abrera gets paired up with solid partners (Hallberg, Gomes, Bolle, etc) in whatever she is cast in. I wouldn't want to see her with Stearns, etc. Her partnership with Shkylarov was so promising that I hope they get more opportunities to dance together. I could see Abrera getting a go at Medora. I'll be interested to see if and what new work Ratmansky might present next season. Maybe a new Raymonda? I doubt it would be Corsaire, because they just spent money on new sets and costumes. Maybe a new Swan Lake? He could bring in a new full-length ballet such as Paquita, or Flames of Paris. Maybe bring in Ratmansky's Don Q, but I think ABT has a pretty solid production. I would love for them to bring in Marco Spada or some "wild-card" to generate some excitement on the programing side.

This might be a wild suggestion, but ever think that Lane could decamp to New York City Ballet? Might be a stretch, because I don't think she ever trained at SAB. She could occupy Fairchild/Bouder roles. With Fairchild on leave and Bouder's injuries, Lane could be a viable alternative to Pereira who often seems to pick up the slack. Someone mentioned earlier that Lane might be better suited for mixed bill programing and not major full lengths. I would love to see her do Juliet, even if it must be the Martin's version.

Did Stella get a good welcome at her performance today? I wish I could've been there to scream a few extra bravas for her! Hope someone posts the bows on YouTube.

Misty apparently held a press conference this afternoon. According to the NY Times, in addition to the lead roles she already has performed, she wants the title role in Giselle.

Why in the world would Misty hold a press conference separate than the company? I'm sure that reporters were looking for her to comment but still. Can't she just give a comment or release a statement? In regards to Misty in Giselle, at this stage I would just hope that I don't end up with a ticket for that show!

I don't think Forster will dance the same roles as Hammoudi has. While they are similar in height, I don't personally don't think KM has Forster on the principal dancer track. He seems like a really strong soloist. I do not see him as a prince, in the same way I recognize Hammoudi's prince potential. Could be wrong though, guess time will tell. I'd take Lane over Kotchekova any day! Guess KM disagrees. Part seems like she will have a harder time finding both a partner and good casting in the future. So many people that need to dance, partners that need to be spread out among all dancers, and a limited number of performances. I think KM likes the Bolle/Seo pairing. With Kent's retirement, I think Abrera has a better chance of landing Bolle than Part.

Can't help but feel bad for Sarah Lane. Hope she doesn't get stuck as a soloist for too long and we miss her "prime years". Seems like the ballerina ranks are going to be set in stone for a while. They now have an entire crop of women and no one seems to be retiring anytime soon. I guess next year will be the year of male promotions, Gorak, Hammoudi and maybe Cirio if he does well. (Assuming all goes well) Cirio is a good replacement for Cornejo. In the little I have seen, Cirio has some of the same qualities. (Not that ABT needs to replace Cornejo anytime soon, just saying). I feel this plays out the worst for Lane, Part and Simkin. They all look likely to suffer to make room for the new and rising additions. I personally don't see what Kochetkova brings that current dancers can't supply. Think it was a bad choice on KM's part. However, it sounds like KM finally got some excitement generated! Should've done this mid-season to drain out all the bad press from casting changes, lackluster programing, etc. This makes me think that maybe the "star strategy" was Rachel Moore's idea. Maybe KM wants to refocus on homegrown talent. After this season, I hope he learns his lesson! The board gave Moore the title of CEO, so technically KM reported to her. Lets hope that Moore's replacement helps pave the way forward in a manner that balances artistic quality and standards, ABT tradition, all while still looking forward and developing. After all, ABT is a world class company and not a summer pick-up gig.

I wonder what ballets we will see next Met season. Hope that we get to see Stella take on Odette/Odile. After her Giselle, I think she can deliver an out of this world Odette! I have so much respect for her. IMO, KM really robbed her and stalled her career, by keeping her as a soloist for so long. While its better late than never, I commend her for staying focused and never letting herself fizzle out. She earned her spot years before Bolyston and Seo! They're not even in the same league as Stella. I really want to see Stella take on Juliet and Nikiya. I also feel KM owes Sarah Lane a Juliet. Don't understand why Seo does 3 Juliets, and yet Lane can't take on one! I just really hope that next year's programing isn't all displays of virtuosic technical skills. Obviously that will leave out a chuck of their principal dancers. I mean if Copeland can't do 32 fouettes in Swan Lake, I can only imagine how hard of a time she would have in Don Q! We would be on the edge of our seats wondering if she would finish in one piece! Not that she isn't allowed to make mistakes, but the Met is not the place for trial and error! Its a world renowned theater, dancers need to be able to deliver on a somewhat (hopefully more often than not) consistent bases.

A little on my personal feelings on Copeland. While I respect her origins and the new audiences she is bringing in, I think she has set a horrible precedent for ballet. IMO, dancers should NEVER hire publicist unless they are mega stars who are already established. Ones work should speak for itself. One of the most beautiful things about ballet is the focus, level of commitment, and work that goes into each dancer. While some are more gifted than others, without the work talent usually fizzles out. If I were AD at ABT, I would put in the dancers contracts that all publicity is handled by the organization (no outside help without the permission of the AD and/or CEO). Dancers should come to companies hungry for work and looking for experiences. They should not be looking for titles, fame, etc. The harder one works, the luckier they will be. Of course, everyone aspires to be a principal.. to be Giselle, Odette, Kitri, etc, but you have to respect the work that goes into getting there. Hiring a publicist or crafting an image as a celebrity, whether its done consciously or not, puts the dancer "above" the art form. Call me old fashion, but I like my favorite dancers to be a little mysterious. When they dance (especially in full length classics), they are becoming objects of remarkable beauty. The more you know about a dancer, the harder I feel it is for them to achieve that. IMO, they have some responsibility to maintain that image. I remember hearing that Balanchine used to demand that his dancers always leave the theater dressed up. He never allowed sweats, sandals, etc. He used to tell them that seeing a dancer leave the theater in sweat pants ruins what they worked so hard to create on stage. They were world-class ballerinas after all. What I am getting at is that the audience should have a bit of distance between themselves and the artist.

Being too comfortable with a dancer ruins that experience of beauty that they work their entire lives to create. I know KM didn't have much of a choice but to promote Copeland, but I think it really sends the wrong message to aspiring dancers. Even in the past few weeks, so many articles about how "Copeland's Promotion was the "talk" of the ballet world" all seemed to be designed by a PR team set on her being promoted. IMO, the wrong way to go about a title or rank. And yet, Copeland still is quite rough artistically and clearly lacking technically. Sarah Lane has a rough Rose Adagio and now in return she seems stuck in the soloist ranks. Copeland bails out at 12 fouettes and goes into a rapidly degrading series of turns from 5th and gets promoted. I guess my advice to aspiring dancers would be to get a publicist early. Guess to be successful nowadays one needs to sell themselves over their actual work.

(In my defense, I was a huge Copeland supporter in her early years with the company. IMO, when all her publicity stuff started her focus changed and it is reflected in her work)