angelica

I'm skipping the entire season too.

I was there last night too. I thought Krohn was simply amazing in the Stravinsky. I am bereft because I just discovered her sublimity a year or so ago in Emeralds and I was looking forward to seeing more of her. I'm told her progression to principal was slow because of a succession of injuries. Perhaps it's good that a dancer retire at the top of their game, rather than wait until the audience is measuring the height of this year's arabesque compared with last year's, or the next injury sidelines them. In that vein, Maria was divine last night in In Memory Of, and I hope she'll still be around for a long time.

I hope that will happen with Veronika, who still deserves more time in the sun.

And he has developed a beautiful classical ballet line, which he was using to great effect, i.e., the Lensky adagio in Onegin and the Boy in Whipped Cream. I will miss that from him most of all.

Sadly....

I need to see more of his ballets. Apart from Seven Sonatas, I'm not really a fan of his work, or his choice of music. I enjoyed his Nutcracker the first two times I saw it, but then the humor became repetitious. Admittedly, he is extremely inventive, but I'm still a Petipa gal at heart.

Yes, it's the old war horses, but they still make my heart sing when I think of the dancers who will be taking on the roles. However, after Whipped Cream and Firebird, I fear for Harlequinade. Maybe they'll invite Veronika back for a Bayadere or a Swan Lake....

In this case, the poster is going to see dancers, not ballets. And I'm out of this thread.

Just to be clear, because this question is not an either/or matter--you either go to see dancers or you go to see ballets. Of course, you go to see both. When I said to remember that you're going to see dancers, not ballets, it was in response to the above post, in which I took alexL to be saying that he/she already knew they didn't like the production but was, in fact, going to see different casts. In that situation you're going to see different casts because primary in your mind is the different ways the dancers interpret the role. If I made an incorrect assumption, then I'm guilty of assuming. But otherwise I think my response was dead-on.

Yes, I agree, go for Mearns.

Seriously? I think that ballet dancers are amazing beings, and what they do with their bodies is transcendent art. Arnold Haskell, a ballet critic in the early decades of the 20th century, said something to the effect that there are three kinds of people in this world: Russian ballet dancers, ballet dancers, and very ordinary people. I just love that perspective, even while knowing it isn't literally true. Admittedly, you need ballets for them to display their art, but I wouldn't say they're forever. Only the very best are carried through the generations. Even some of the Balanchine ballets are on the back burner. Anyway, I think that "worst perspective ever" is hyperbole.

In your shoes, I would change to Reichlen. I've seen Bouder twice and didn't buy a ticket before casting went up because I wanted to see Reichlen or Mearns. (And speaking of Mr. Macaulay, I want to see what all the fuss is about.)

😴

You won't regret your decision if you remember that you are not going to see ballets, you are going to see dancers. They really are two different perspectives.

Thank you, vipa, that's what I'm thinking too. But if she is dancing O/O, I wouldn't want to miss it.

Does anyone know whether (a) Maria Kowroski will be dancing Swan Lake this season, and/or (2) specifically when casting will go online for SL--i.e., will it be Tuesday, September 5th, at 10:00 am, because that's when the box office will be open on that date?

Thanks for pointing that out, miliosr. Although I may skip the whole Fall season, I have high hopes that Forster is on the way up to Principal.

Thanks, sandik. Perhaps I'll reconsider and try to see Symphonic Variations. I saw the Serenade last year, and while I found it entertaining, I'm not sure I'd go to see it again. I do appreciate your input.

Would you be at any of these performances, sandik? There's nothing on the above calendar that attracts me. Or do you mean you would be in, say, St. Petersburg?

Very interesting interview. Indeed, towards the beginning, Cory said that one of his goals on stage was "not being cautious," to be "more free, not so contained." And, at the end, he spoke of the responsibility he feels as a principal dancer, when the audience of 3000+ has high expectations of you, as do your fellow dancers, and you yourself as well. So that does explain a great deal about the disconnect between Cory's heart-stopping performance in the studio and his more cautious (his word) performance on stage. Thanks, Helene and ABT Fan for making it possible to hear this. As for James Whiteside, well, that's a whole other story and not for today.

OMG, I'm playing it on iTunes and it's working!!! Hope it's working for you too, now.

Thanks so much, ABT Fan. You are true to your name! Strangely, I didn't even see the title of the podcast with Cory. Helene said it was #7, but #7 was an interview with David Hallberg. And Cory was not mentioned in any of the other titles. But I do appreciate your taking initiative on this!

Okay, one last try to BA members: If anyone was able to listen to James Whiteside's interview with Cory Stearns, please could you post the link that worked for you? The reason I'm eager to hear this interview is that somewhere I read that one of the subjects addressed was the experience of dancing before an audience of some 3000 people. When I saw Stearns in the studio rehearsal of La Fille Mal Gardee, he was so extraordinary, in his expression, the height of his leaps, and the number and speed of his turns. I thereupon bought a ticket to see him in performance. And once again, in performance, he wasn't extraordinary at all--competent, yes, but the performance had nothing of the élan of the studio rehearsal. So I'm hoping for a window into what is causing that disconnect. Does he get stage fright, for example? Or does he take risks in the studio that he dare not take on stage?

Hi Helene, I went to iTunes, but #7 gave me the David Hallberg interview. I couldn't see anything about Cory Stearns on the listing. I think I will simply give up for now, unless you can get it and send me a new link. Thanks, Angelica