angelica

I totally agree, Helene. The only thing I would add is that what you say is an understatement. How long has KM been the artistic director of ABT? Maybe, it's time for a change? KM has been the AD of ABT since 1992. His 20th anniversary was celebrated in--must have been 2012. For many years now people have been saying that it's time for a change, as more and more very fine dancers have become mired in the "soloist graveyard," and dancers with foreign names and credentials have been recruited as guest artists for roles in which the home team soloists (e.g., Stella Abrera, Sarah Lane, to name two) could have been given the opportunity to show what they can do in principal roles and hopefully rise in the ranks. That would have opened up soloist spots for promotions from the corps de ballet. I'm not against inviting a guest artist or two, but ABT has been relying on guest artists for too many performances, while members of the audience such as myself have been hoping against hope for promotions from within of some of our most beloved dancers whose careers have been stalled. ABT has been digging its own grave for a long time. The departure of Kajiya and Matthews is a huge blot on the history of ABT's recent artistic direction.

I totally agree, Helene. The only thing I would add is that what you say is an understatement.

abatt, there's a wonderful review of last night's ABT performance on the Haglund's Heel blog. Vivid description, pros and cons, it's a don't miss review.

I know that many people on this board like James Whiteside, and I suppose I'm in the minority. I find him stiff in the upper body and not classical overall. Stearns, on the other hand, while needing to ramp up his acting, perhaps with some serious coaching, has a beautiful ballet line. He was a sensational actor in The Moor's Pavane, and I had hoped that signaled a positive change. But I agree that he and Veronika do not have a good rapport on stage. I saw them in rehearsal one day and he was very attentive to her, so I don't know what the problem is. In any event, I've heard that Stearns is injured, although I don't know how badly. There may be much shuffling of the casting deck before the season has even begun.

Her Kitri was wonderful last season. The only problem, and it arises again this year, was and will be her partner, who is simply not up to her caliber. Her Bayadere and her O/O are unsurpassed.

If he's Artistic Director, a major part of his job is to develop artists and that includes encouraging and rewarding them. And that will sell tickets. Yes! Yes! Yes! It's the Board of Trustees that's supposed to bring in the money. And the Executive Director.

You are so right, fondofouettes, why, oh why, don't they film these historic performances, for us, for ABT management, and for future generations? Ballet is such a fleeting art, unlike literature and painting, and the only way to capture it is on film. While most of us would agree that film is no substitute for live performance, nevertheless if it's between film and nothing, I'll take film any day. For example, Gillian Murphy's Giselle with RBNZ is exquisite, although there again you see the contrast, with all due respect, between the world class performer and the dancers of RBNZ.

I do think this must be the case. Beyond her beautiful line and exquisite classical technique, she certainly has the look favored by KM. I'm not saying she's someone who would ever try to get by on looks (and she doesn't need to, given her tremendous talent), but in a company like ABT, it has certainly helped others to have ideal ballet bodies and pretty faces. I imagine this would have only helped to open doors for Abrera at ABT, and yet, that has not been the case... I have to assume that the injuries she suffered several years ago, around the time she was cast in the Kudelka Cinderella and Giselle, sidelined her chances of promotion. Perhaps there are lingering physical issues that prevent her from carrying a lead role in classical ballet. If there are no physical issues preventing her from dancing an Aurora, Odette/Odile, etc., then it makes me sad to think she has never been given the opportunity. American audiences have never had the opportunity to see her tested in such roles, and until we do, it's hard to say what KM's reasons may be for holding her back. I'd be curious to know whether she has ever been the cover for one of these roles. The only deficiencies I've noticed in her dancing is a tendency to occasionally tense up during particularly difficult sections and also a bit of inconsistency in unsupported pirouettes. She's not an invincible Murphy, but not every principal dancer needs to be. ABT has certainly been willing to work with other principals whose artistry eclipses any technical shortcomings. ITA, nysusan, to me it is inexplicable. fondoffouettes, given the fact that Stella danced 10 Auroras in 30 days with the Royal New Zealand Ballet after her recovery, and not too long ago, it would seem that there are no lingering physical issues to prevent her from dancing anything. The role of Aurora is one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult role in the Petipa canon, although every Petipa ballet is a mine field, and she pulled those performances off without a hitch. (I wasn't there, but that is what I read.) Maybe if we clamor loud enough we can get someone at ABT to pay attention to this most beloved dancer. If I had $100,000 to donate, I would do it with strings attached.

That is a very interesting observation, choriamb, and I love your imaginary conversation between Boylston and McKenzie. It makes perfect sense in a company that is sorely lacking in developing its dancers and is not spending enough time coaching the partnerships. By this logic, Boylston and Whiteside are the perfect couple, because both of them lack refinement and therefore neither is showing up the other. To me they are the lowest common denominator in the leading roles. This is in contrast to Part and Whiteside, e.g., in Don Q, where Part dances with fluidity in contrast to Whiteside's stiffness, especially in the upper body. (Not to mention the fact that Part is not an easy dancer to partner, but she is a principal all the same because her dancing is at the principal level.) It makes no sense to me, however, to promote inferior female dancers in order to make the male roster look better. IMHO the artistic director does an injustice to the company when he fails to (1) develop his finest female dancers; (2) develop his finest male dancers; and (3) coach, coach, coach the partnerships so that the finest dancers, both male and female, are on an equal plane with one another.

Abatt, I totally agree with you about Seo. She is beautiful in the lyrical dramatic roles but cannot execute the difficult Petipa choreography. Boylston, on the other hand, can do anything technically, but is sorely lacking in refinement. What I don't understand is why Abrera, who can do both Petipa with sureness and refinement, and dance-drama with eloquence, seems to be invisible to McKenzie.

I cannot believe that McKenzie would promote Boylston to principal over Abrera, who is one of the most exquisite classical dancers of our generation. If that happens, I will be devastated and disillusioned. But Boylston's casting as Giselle in Minneapolis does point in that direction. Abrera was cast as Giselle a few years ago but then she was injured. She has been fully recovered for some time, and I would not want to see her passed over without giving her the role she deserves.

Thank you for your input, canbelto and kbarber. If I'm not mistaken, Macaulay didn't like it either. I think I'll skip it for now. I'm getting too old to make trips into the city for anything that isn't stellar.

I am praying to Terpsichore for this!

I would support that wholeheartedly.

Has anyone seen the film? I believe it was screened on Saturday and will be shown again Thursday evening. I'd love to know whether it's worth a trip into the city and a late night home.

I was going to mention Fracci-Bruhn, Drew, but you beat me to it! The early bird catches the worm.... I would also like to underscore Maximova-Vasiliev, Fonteyn-Nureyev, Kirkland-Baryshnikov,and Ferri-Bocca, and today, Vishneva-Gomes. I am surely leaving out names that will come to me in the middle of the night. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a perfect partner could be found for Veronika Part? She is so deserving. Also, still searching for the perfect partner for David Hallberg....

I can't say I'm too excited about this casting, either, and I had assumed that ABT was holding those spots for a potential guest star. It's actually shaping up to be more of a "home team" season than in some recent years. I see there is also initial casting up for Gaite Parisienne--the two casts are Part/Stearns and Seo/Gomes. I'm not at all familiar with the ballet, but perhaps others can deduce which roles they will be dancing. Always exciting to see Part take up a new role! Just my luck to be out of the country for Part's debut in Gaite Parisienne as well as her Bayadere! Not to pick nits (okay, picking nits), but you would think that the people who keep the ABT calendar would know how to spell the name of their own ballet!

I thought the camera work for "Jewels" was very well done, and am especially grateful that from time to time the main camera ceded to other cameras in other positions, in particular a camera higher up in the auditorium, so that the movie audience could see the patterns created by the dancers, notably the corps de ballet. I would have appreciated a bit more of this patterning, but was glad to get it at least a few times. During the credits, I noticed there was someone called a "Switcher," and wondered whether that is the person who is responsible for switching the cameras. I also appreciated the close-ups, which enabled you to see the dancers from even closer than you would from the first row of the orchestra. I, too, prefer ballet live, but one benefit of these live-streams is that you get to see the performance in real time while you also get to see the dancers' faces and expressions.

Thank you, rg.

Does anyone know the web site for buying tickets to Lost Illusions and Marco Spada? They were both being advertised like crazy before the livestream of Jewels this morning, but although I can get a listing of upcoming performances (either through Ballet in Cinema or Emerging Pictures) I can't find where to purchase the tickets.

Does anyone have any idea when casting will be announced? I hate to buy tickets without knowing who will be dancing. There is one ballerina I definitely do not want to see, and I definitely want to see Smirnova in something.

It seems they are already selling tickets. Any casting info? Does anyone know when we'll have casting information for the Koch? There are some dancers I want to see and one in particular I want to avoid. I hate buying tickets when it's a crap shoot. Also, it is my impression that once ABT announces casting, they only change it in the case of injury or other unforeseen problem. However, I seem to remember from posts on this forum that the Russian companies have fewer qualms about changing casting at the last minute. Am I wrong about that?

Isn't there a YouTube video of Obratzova rehearsing "Swan Lake"? Is that she did it at the Mariinsky and not the Bolshoi? They do have many Odette/Odiles on their roster.

Calvin Royal III of the ABT corps is tall, and he just gets better and better all the time. I see a bright future for him.

Hello, Everyone, I wish I could have seen this performance, but as I live in Albany, I'm down for my NYCB subscription every few months and last week for Nutcracker so no time to see. Angelica, are you sure it wasn't wishful thinking, your point about Cornejo rolling into your arms - he's so gorgeous and his dancing is just so lovely - only kidding, of course, but I wouldn't mind if he rolled into my arms! And ABT Fan, I'd have gushed, too. He's just a love. Thanks for your posts! ~ Karen Hi AlbanyGirl, It was truly an OMG moment. I had my arms outstretched. But actually I was greatly relieved when he came to a dead stop, because, after all, what do you say to one of the greatest dancers of all time when he misjudges the stage and essentially falls off it? "Buenas noches, Senor Cornejo"? And probably my arms would not have been strong enough to hold him up and we would both have tumbled to the floor, audience gasping. It would have been a grand fiasco. Happily, artist that he is, he did not misjudge. (But you're right, one can dream.... )