Barbara

Pleeease Mr. McKenzie, use Tom Forster!

I feel the same about Fang - I cannot take my eyes off her. I think she always shows a little something extra. So happy for her and the C/Katherines!

I agree with all of the comments above about the entire cast. Oh, let's not forget Alexandra Basmagy-Diaz's beautiful debut as Lady Capulet. Also seduced, if I may say, by Hammoudi's Tybalt. He may have been a character actor/dancer disguised as a leading man all this time. I haven't enjoyed him this much in a long time. 

1 hour ago, Rick said:

Devon’s upper body flexibility was fine. What was lacking was a sense of abandon, or surrender. I mean, her Romeo was this tall, dashing Aran Bell who seemed completely in love her, and yet she seemed to feel nothing.   She went through the movements without expressing emotion. I think it’s her first time dancing Juliet so hopefully her interpretation will be more convincing next time. 

I must respectfully disagree with this description of Devon's characterization. I thought it was a triumph and that she and Bell show the makings of a wonderful partnership. Even from the Dress Circle I could read her emotive body language and the very thing I did think she showed was abandon and passion. They had a palpable chemistry. It was the most moving R&J I've seen at ABT in a long time. 

I totally agree!

I have a different opinion of the Saturday matinee. Devon was a mixed bag today. Her upper back was so stiff that I'm wondering if there is an injury and makes me wonder how her Swan Lake (which I loved last year) and Juliet will be. She suffered greatly in comparison to Sarah's soulful expressive turn on Wed. Where she excelled is her rock solid balances; she nailed the scarf variation. I thought Ahn was very raw with a long way to go as a good partner. Even his solos were not clean or exciting. No chemistry with either lead woman. (Why wasn't Tommy Forster given this opportunity? Or Blaine Hoven? Where has he been?) Trenary was excellent as Gamzatti! So glad to have her back. Her Italian fouettes were grand and solid. The shades were much improved today. I preferred the sharpness of Joey Gorak's Bronze Idol to Gabe's today; I often find him explosive but sloppy. All in all some things to like, others not so much. 

Did Bolle really do 3 performances today??? That's what it looked like from his IG story. The 11:00 Kids performance, then the 2 Giselles. Or perhaps he was just indicating his admiration of the company doing 3 performances in one day. 

Surprised Gemma Bond's name wasn't mentioned. I've enjoyed her work and think she's still on the corps roster. (Although according to her IG feed she's pregnant, probably had the baby by now, and might be taking time off.)

So sad to hear this news. Every so often I would wonder why he was no longer posting. RIP Mr. Johnson. 

5 hours ago, abatt said:

I'm concerned that they might take Teuscher out of Juliet this season, just as they did on tour. 

If that happens I'm back to the exchange window!

6 hours ago, abatt said:

Sara Mearns lost control on her final spin, and tried to cover up the error. 

Abatt, I noticed this too but for me it worked! It might have looked like she was losing a bit of control (that's her m.o. isn't it - dancing on the edge of control?) but then swung the final spin into, well I don't even know what to call it - a very fast spin throwing herself into a backbend with her head thrown back. I found it thrilling! Wish this had been filmed so we could see that bit again.

I'm sorry not to see Paulina's Myrta but look forward to Katie Williams as well. I think Stephanie Williams would do well in the role too. I don't know her height but she seems on the taller side to me. She has that dark beauty and lyricism that reminds me a bit of V Part. 

Also take into account that it's the emotional momentum he's brought to bear in his characterization culminating in these wonderful turns. That could definitely induce excitement!

I've decided to hang on to my Hallberg/Osipova Giselle ticket for the time being. I was going to exchange my Sat matinee Bayadere (Teuscher/Ahn/Trenary) for the Hee/Kim but decided I'm already tired of exchanging. (I had several seating exchanges and a couple performance exchanges) At some point I just hit a wall and decide I'm simply seeing who I'm seeing. I'm hoping something exciting will happen with the Giselle: either it will take place as cast, or it will be filled by a terrific guest artist, or maybe Kim will come earlier and dance Albrecht either with Osipova or I'd even be ok with Seo. Frankly what I'm most looking forward to this season are my several Lane performances and those with the young 'uns, Teuscher, Schevenko, Trenary and Brandt. 

I agree, Peg.  Even though it has many good actors they are not put to good use,  the story is confusing and not even very spy thriller-intense imo. No chemistry between Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton. The most deliciously campy lines go to Mary Louise Parker, almost worth the price of admission. They did do a very good job of cgi'ing Jennifer's head on Isabella's body but the choreography was no great shakes and the dance sequence very brief. In no way did Jennifer L look the part of a Bolshoi prima. Toward the end Jennifer's character attends the ballet and although the stage is seen from a distance you can easily tell it is Isabella dancing and she does get a cast credit as Princess Aurora dancer. However, at my cinema it was a sell out and I bet it does good business. If it makes money this is based on book one of a trilogy so....

He doesn't seem to mention his personal training program for dancers any longer. This could have been a path for him to remain with the company and maybe still will be. On the other hand, he's always noted on social media how much he loves warm weather, which makes me wonder if in retirement he will return to Spain or even LA. 

He posted on his instagram account from Chicago where the company is now performing. I figured he was there for rehearsals and was injury free. But maybe the terms of his contract require him to show up a certain number of days even if he is injured? 

Thanks, Laurel - you made me feel like I was there. I've commented on IG that I hope the Lane/Cornejo cast of Other Dances is offered next fall. That piece was a highlight of last fall. 

I had different impressions of today's performance. I did not care for Mearns in the prayer section of Mozartiana - it seemed too brittle and not lush enough. And I actually thought Chase Finlay looked in better form than I've seen him in the past. Cortege is fun and I agree, Ashley Bouder was stellar! I really want to like Russell Jantzen more as I like the look of a tall dancer and I have been moved in some of his performances, but to me he often looks very tense in the neck/shoulders and I find myself worrying that he won't have a successful solo. 

I saw it last week and made one mention of it in a previous thread. That comment had to do with how deeply sad it was to see Marcelo and Veronika dancing together and looking ravishing. It was truly hard to watch the doc through the lens of his resignation. Also, the footage is very old, it seemed from many years ago. For example there's one shot of David Hallberg looking so young and unlike his current appearance that it was jarring. Also a shot of his family showed his niece as a small child, and she must now be close to teenage going by Marcelo's more recent (pre-resignation) social media posts. Yet if you didn't know you would think these shots were more current. There is no timeline, which I felt was a detriment. In addition, the film makers clearly had no access to shoot ABT company rehearsals or performances so Marcelo dancing with his home company is absent. That being said, though it was bitter, it was also sweet to see him again. My favorite sequence was Marcelo teaching partnering skills to students with the help of Luciana Voltolini (also no longer with ABT) that was fascinating. 

I'd really like to see this, missed them last visit. I wish the Joyce site would state which works are being performed by  the various choreographers. Maybe too soon? 

I saw the Marcelo documentary this afternoon and it left me deeply sad, as I knew it would. Doubly so since the beginning shows he and Veronika backstage and then snippets of them in Swan Lake, which were gloriously beautiful. Why they weren't paired more at ABT is beyond me. I will miss both of them so much when spring season rolls around. 

If he was simply retiring a role then why be so cryptic? I think it's a prelude to a full retirement announcement. I too wonder about his fitness program, which he doesn't mention anymore. I'll miss him if my hunch is correct.

I have a feeling both Marcelo and K. McKenzie are waiting for the holidays to be over to make any statements or announcement of re-casting. Perhaps this week? Or at least after New Years day. 

2 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

In the meantime, I imagine (hopefully) that Mckenzie is already looking for a replacement (holidays or not) and that guy needs to be a star. At the very least they'd need a major guest artist to fill in temporarily (I'd say two as Gomes leaves about 5 principal roles open for the Met season).

Yes,  I'm sure K. McKenzie is not having the holiday he might have imagined. I would love if Shklyarov returned to fill in.

2 hours ago, ABT Fan said: