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onxmyxtoes

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Posts posted by onxmyxtoes

  1. I do think ABT not doing Nutcracker in NY is a huge missed opportunity. The Nutcracker is like the "gateway" ballet for many people. It could be a good vehicle to draw in new audiences. Also with the ridiculous prices and limited availability of NYCB Nut tickets, I really think it would be a great alternative, especially for Downtown Manhattan or Brooklyn based people. They have such limited performances in NYC that they can easily be forgotten. 

  2. 22 hours ago, California said:

    Trivia of the day: Judging from several Instagram Stories, ABT dancers are now on an 18-hour flight to China. From their postings: corps members fly economy (Roxander) and principals business/first (Cornejo)

    But a photo of Trenary in an instagram story show her with the masses

  3. The last program was my least favorite out of the bunch. Program 1 (Piano Concerto, Petit Mort, Etudes) and Program 2 (Ballet Imperial, The Dream), were much stronger programs. This one felt sleepy to me and the audience was also pretty low energy. 

  4. I don't see any reason to not promote Jake Roxander even though he joined the company in 2022. If someone is clearly a star, performing at a level higher than one's rank and higher than the level of people at the rank above... it sounds like good cause to promote.

  5. Erica Lall's ballon in today's matinee was unlike anyone I have seen recently. She gave me Osipova vibes - not quite Osipova but wow here sixes were so high up in the air with such ease!!

    I sensed a lot of hesitation in Hee's dancing and especially noticed that choreography was modified to avoid prolonged back bends. Her Act II solo was beautiful, with just a small fumble during the turn sequence. Act III solo was competent but she looked like she was struggling and had no characterization at all. It wasn't her best performance.

    Aran Bell was the most technically sound Sigfried I saw all week. He is the only one that did the same choreography as seen in the early 2000s filming with Angel Corella. Both Daniel Carmago and James Whiteside modified (made easier) the choreography. Aran is one to watch!

    Joo Won gave a proficient Von Rothbart with beautiful turns and balances. 

     

  6. The principal man roster seems a bit light at the moment. I remember when Purple Van R was often performed by principal men like David Hallberg, Marcelo Gomes, Ivan Vasiliev, and Cory Sterns. Recently it's been more of a corps and sometimes soloist role, although no soloists are dancing it this year either - the soloist roster is also very light. I do realize that Ahn is a principal performing Von R. 

  7. While we are on the topic of early debuts, I have a strong memory of a Don Quixote tour performance of very new principals (at the time), Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomes. There were quite a few fumbles and some "tricks" had not been perfected yet. They seemed like really inexperienced principals (as they were), and I was a bit disappointed to not get the star power I expected from principals like Angel Corella and Paloma Herrera. 

    Fast forward 10 years and those two principals became the power houses of ABT; their Swan Lake was absolutely formidable. I think it's wise to be kind to these newer principals and know that you choose to see their early performances as a stepping stone in their careers. This is part of the process of making a true star. If you want to see a fully-formed interpretation, you're better off choosing a senior principal (albeit not one who has come back recently from a very serious injury).

  8. I was so impressed the time that Hee stepped in for Gillian during Act III/IV a few years ago. Gillian hurt her foot during Act II and then Hee finished the ballet for her. Hee's black swan solo was electrified and she finished the fouettes with confidence. It must've been adrenaline running through her body, being called on last minute!

    I am looking forward to seeing her in the complete role this Saturday matinee.

  9. 11 hours ago, FauxPas said:

    Sorry to say that I felt both Trenary and, to a lesser extent, Royal were disappointing in their debuts.

    Cassandra Trenary didn't have full technical command of the role of Giselle - her technique either let her down or didn't rise above utilitarian most of Act I.  Act II was somewhat better but still nothing to write home about.  Overall she lacked fragility and a sense of impending tragedy.  Cassie's Giselle in Act I could have been a country heroine in a comic ballet like "Fille Mal Gardée".

    Trenary plays a "happy peasant girl" Giselle in Act I - normal, well-adjusted and wholesome.  She is coy and flirtatious with Albrecht and all her little hesitations and flights from his advances are coquetry.  Her heart episode in Act I was fleeting and seemed like a mild fainting spell - Trenary otherwise seemed robust and healthy.  The mad scene was surprisingly angry and dark and didn't match up with the selfless forgiving spirit in Act II.  She is a good actress and has a warm engaging stage presence - the audience was very much on her side. 

    I didn't see much elevation in her jumps, her extensions are not that high but her turns were adequate.  Things fell apart in the Act I "Spessivtseva solo" where Trenary came off pointe not once but twice during the hops on one foot.  She did try to make that up with a whiplash series of tours piques but the damage was done.

    Act II she just seemed rather earthbound.  When Giselle is summoned by Myrtha from her grave, her body should be stiff and lifeless like a soulless automaton - Trenary had loose limbs and relaxed torso and seemed alive before Myrtha's wand spun her to life.  There were no glaring technical fails in Act II's choreography, but Trenary's upper body wasn't hitting the right poses.  No Romantic style.  All sorts of details were missing.  Trenary just ran offstage after the coda of the grand pas de deux in Act II while Calvin Royal III did a jeté.

    Royal did well enough without showing any great affinity for the role or the style.  His Albrecht started off as a carefree smiling playboy - a player who gets caught off guard in his own game.  The dancing was good but without much finish.  His landings were kind of loose.  In Act II solo, Royal performed brisé volées but again the upper body wasn't in the right position and he slipped on Giselle's lilies when landing at Myrtha's feet - both times.  He was not bad but he wasn't great.

    Act II seemed lit too darkly and it was hard to see faces at times - in other productions when the Wilis and Giselle come on a "ghostly light" fills the forest and makes everything kind of luminescent.  Not here - murky.

    It's a shame neither will get a second crack at their roles.  Stephanie Peterson as Myrtha had greater ease and authority in her second attempt replacing the schedule Zhong-Jing Fang.  The opening balances in arabesque were smoother, her arms were lovely and she projected much more malice against Albrecht and Hilarion.  Rachel Richardson and Isabella Loyola were Moyna and Zulma - both fine.  The Peasant Pas de Deux was danced by Katherine Williams and Blaine Hoven - she was a treat and he looked good until he tried to land from jumps where it got a little messy.  Many of the ABT men now have trouble landing cleanly in fifth after the long layoff - they need to work on it in class.  Patrick Frenette was a slighter and more boyish Hilarion than is customary - his gamekeeper seemed a troubled sullen misfit who has taken too much rejection in life and is getting his own back.  Susan Jones was Berthe and Courtney Lavine a very soigné Bathilde with superior attitude but also her own hurt feelings.

    The production is looking tighter and better overall with repetition but the leads here didn't rise above adequate.  No poetry and nothing otherworldly. 

    This article in Pointe Magazine reveals Trenary’s creative process in creating her version of Giselle, which is intentionally different than the frail/weaker version you may be accustomed to. Her interpretation was fresh, unique, and an expression of her artistry and dramatic quality 

    Pointe Magazine on Cassandra Trenary’s Giselle

     

  10. Major SNOOZE

    There's a reason why those drawings are kept in a MUSEUM. You look at the photo of Helpman and it's obvious that he wouldn't have had the strength to do the one handed knee fish dive in the pas de deux. But the art and dancers evolve... and so do the audiences. If I wanted to see the original footage, I'd watch a video at the library.

    I see the value of studying the notations and incorporating into the choreography, but I really don't understand why a reconstruction of the ballet done in the 1800s is something that should be in the permanent rep. There's a lack of understanding of what ABT needs today to keep fresh and relevant in the modern times. 

     

  11. 7 hours ago, nanushka said:

    That said, I would never go to see a full performance of Swan Lake just for the Purple Rothbart. Even if Gomes were to return for a one-off performance.

    What really??? I think a return performance from Gomes in that role is well worth it! HAHA

  12. The complaint lists that photos of NYCB female dancers were shared, but what complicates this is knowing that many male dancers date female dancers in company. There leaves open the possibility that nude photos were taken willingly but the sharing was unknown. The way the complaint is written, it almost suggests that the male dancers were taking photos of the women without their knowing and then distributing. If anyone remembers reading otherwise, I am open to being corrected.

  13. 6 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

    The roster has been updated to reflect those who have resigned/retired, including Cirio, Davis, Stewart and others. Gisele Bethea has been removed, so that answers the questions surrounding her (why did they bother to update her photo in the last few weeks, though?). The new promotions haven't been reflected yet, but they don't take affect for another month (though last year I remember them updating the site early with the new principals).

    I wonder when Luciana Paris will return from maternity? Her Instagram makes no mention of it, but since she's still on the roster she must be coming back (hopefully, in the fall).

    https://www.abt.org/the-company/dancers/

    Other than the ones you mentioned and Kelley Potter, any other roster changes?

    Oh, I remember the dancer known as Bruce (can't remember his "real" name) also mentioned he was leaving.

  14. 30 minutes ago, abatt said:

    If Ferri decides to come out of retirement for a Manon, Cornejo could be her partner.  Either Cornejo or Bolle.  Ferri indicated a few years ago that she wants to return to that role, which is easier than Juliet.

    I mean is Ferri even in retirement if she's danced in the last 3 Met seasons?

  15. Especially frustrating today was an email from ABT advertising 25% off tickets to Giselle. I had purchased a few Giselle performances at full-price with my subscription and now wish I had been able to get 25% off w/ their promo code. Feels like the subscriber benefit to lock in pricing before dynamic pricing went into affect is not such a benefit in this case.

  16. 1 minute ago, NinaFan said:

    I agree that Boylston may be more suited for Gamzatti (and which she performs beautifully), but I'd love to see her Nikiya opposite Lendorf's Solor.   I just hope we get to see him this season.  I find it odd that they removed Lendorf from R&J, but left him in Bayadere, which precedes R&J.  Something doesn't make sense.

    Do you think it's possible that Lendorf hasn't learned Romeo yet (?) and that's why they took him out? I think he's done Solor before, so maybe he just needs to get in shape for the role instead of learning it.

  17. CubanMiamiBoy posted this video in another thread, and I thought it was good example to add to this discussion. Here is an example of someone who (IMO) makes the fouettes mesmerizing. There's something about seeing her face whip around so many times in succession and to the music that makes Tiler's fouettes hypnotic. Can't stop watching these

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