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angelica

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Everything posted by angelica

  1. I just received a press release about the Fall Season, which will be October 20 - 30 (easy to remember!) The calendar is supposed to be online as part of the Master Calendar, but so far my computer isn't picking it up.
  2. Does anyone know the dates of the fall season?
  3. What a strange experience I had last night at R&J! I thought Camargo was good, seemed very comfortable in the role and danced well, nailing all the jumps and turns. I especially liked his renverses. However, for a final opinion I would need to seem him in a princely role, because what some people described as a "natural" manner onstage, I felt showed a lack of pure classicism. Now, of course, Romeo is not a prince,, so perhaps that was intentional on Camargo's part, but to me, accustomed to the "Hallberg" look, I felt something was lacking. He could have grown an extra inch by pulling up more. Perhaps that will come being surrounded by the guys at ABT. I think he's a good acquisition for the company and I would be happy to see him again. I was totally taken by Joo Won Ahn in the role of Tybalt. I had never, in all my years of watching R&J, paid much attention to the role of Tybalt. But Ahn's body proportions, carriage, and demeanor just blew me away. And that gorgeous costume! He looked like the poster child for classical form. and perhaps that's another thing about Camargo--I wish he were equipped with longer legs. I have actually heard that there are exercises to elongate the leg muscles, but I don't know if that's true or not. The other person I was delighted to see was Joey Gorak, whose career stalled for reasons to which I'm not privy. But he was in performance shape and looked great. I wish I had been able to see a different Mercutio. I had seen Gabe Stone Shayer in his previous performance with Shevchenko and Royal, and it would have been interesting to see one of the newer corps guys. I found Shayer's acting believable, but I wish he would do something about his technique, as he's really quite sloppy as a dancer.
  4. I have attended every ballet this season in which Shevchenko has danced the leading role, and Wednesday matinee's performance did not disappoint. It's worth it for me to travel 1 1/2 hours from Westchester just to see her arabesque, of which there were many astonishing ones yesterday. Her line, her proportions, her carriage, her fluidity, her facial expressions, her immersion in a role, all make for an exquisite ballerina. I thought the performance, both Royal and Shevy, was beautiful. She was a childish 13 and throughout the dramatic arc of the ballet became an impassioned one, and then grief-stricken. The moment when she and Calvin locked eyes for the first time, which I wait for every R&J, was sudden and magnificent, totally believable. In addition, her fluidity is one of her strengths, and this ballet brought that out in abundance. Royal is getting better and better. He is gorgeous to look at and his acting has grown into highly detailed and believable performances. The two together were a treasure to watch, and I look forward to seeing them again next time. The audience, although rather sparse for a Wednesday matinee, was appreciative. In the last scene, it seemed as if the audience members were on the edge of their seats, holding their breath, until the final chord, when they burst out with cheers and hoopla. Flowers were thrown to the stage and actually got there. So wonderful to see these two dancers, homegrown, so perfectly matched.
  5. I have no problem with Roman Zhurbin's promotion to principal dancer. He is one of a kind on ABT's roster, and they certainly want to show appreciation for his artistic contribution and also make sure that they keep him.
  6. I'm going to go on record as saying that Hurlin's O/O debut this afternoon was phenomenal! This is the first time I've seen her in a major role, and I was thoroughly blown away. I thought her Odette was soulful and believable, and her Odile was on fire. Her perfectly proportioned limbs gave her a beautiful line in every dimension, and she has technical chops to spare. In addition, nothing she did seemed forced to me. Her acting emanated from true feeling, where she was inside the role. Definitely a promotion in the near-term. I also thought Ahn has a beautiful line and that he acquitted himself well in his acting. Again, it wasn't forced. Like JuliaJ, I was disappointed to see the same cast as last week in the secondary roles. Was hoping to see some of the new men whom I couldn't distinguish in Of Love and Rage because figuring out who was who was extremely complicated on just one viewing. However, today Neapolitan pirouettes were fun to watch, and I think I know who was who.
  7. At the risk of repeating myself, if you have the stamina and the bucks, I would opt for a double-header on Wednesday, July 29th, for Shevchenko in the matinee and Brandt in the evening. It's impossible to find a perfect cast with ABT, but with Swan Lake it's O/O who makes the show. Don't know if we'll ever get another Marcelo for Purple Rothbart, but this new Curley guy might be coming up the ranks.
  8. I especially hate (1) the beginning of the final act when the corps dancers are doing extremely boring things (I wouldn't even call them steps) in front of the curtain, presumably when the scenery is being changed; and (2) the women's costumes in the first act where they are so encumbered by fabric that you can't see what are possibly beautiful (don't know 'cause can't see 'em) lines.
  9. Didn't ABT present Raymonda Variations (or some such name) as part of a Repertory program before they shut down for the pandemic? I remember Devon Teuscher doing magnificent multiple turns of all kinds, which totally won me over.
  10. YIKES! I got the date wrong for the double-header O/O. Thank you to ABT Fan for correcting me. Please don't try to buy ABT tickets for July 29th. The date is actually June 29th!
  11. Thank you for the correction. How careless of me!
  12. Maybe you could attend the matinee and celebrate the birthday boy in the evening? Or the reverse?
  13. I love Ternary, despite the 2 strikes against her: (1) She poorly executed the hops on pointe during her Giselle performance last Fall at the Koch, and (2) she seems to have many gigs that she arranges outside the auspices of ABT that allow her to do contemporary work, unlike Shevchanko and Brandt, who are, currently, at the top of my own personal roster. Speaking of which, if you're willing to do a double header, on July 29th Shevchenko is dancing O/O at the matinee and Brandt is dancing the same role in the evening. How can anyone pass up that opportunity?
  14. I saw clips on Brandt's Instagram in which Crispino was partnering Brandt in her coaching sessions and he looked terrific! Definitely would love to see him promoted.
  15. I totally agree with the above. I would double up on Shevchenko if you can.
  16. I have a long, unhappy relationship with opera glasses and ballet. Even when they're adjusted for my eyes, I find that when I can get them focused on the dancers onstage, the dancers move and I have to find them again. And again. And so on. I find that the best seat value (these are not my favorite seats, but I'd take them, is Side Parterre (first row only). Second value choice would be first row Dress Circle. Other good choices are in the center of the Orchestra where the rake lifts you above the people in front, say row O or P, but of course those are pricier. The Met simply isn't built for ballet; the horseshoe is too deep.
  17. I intended to see three Giselles, but at the last minute had to donate my ticket for Brandt's performance. Sooooo disappointed to miss it, and definitely my loss. When Trenary opened the cottage door and did her first jump, I gasped, it was so buoyant and landed soundlessly. And off she went, skipping and hopping and doing all sorts of Giselle steps that I thought were lovely to watch. In Act II, however, when she made those supported Romantic arabesques, three to each side, leaning further and further into each one, I found myself tearing up, I think because the "picture" was so exquisite, like seeing the most beautiful thing you'd seen in a long time. I think she'll get better and better with the role dramatically (and technically), but may she never lose the shapes of those gorgeous Romantic arabesques. In addition, when she did the entrechats and passee jumps, the conductor slowed the music down so she could go higher than she might have done otherwise. In short, I think she's a natural Giselle with phenomenal ballon and I look forward to seeing her again asap. As for Royal, he is soooo gorgeous, with a handsome face and a perfectly proportioned ballet body, that all he has to do is stand there and I will applaud. But he didn't just stand there, he gave it his ALL, and I think he too will get better and better with every year (I remember the years when he didn't point his toes). Wonderful dancers usually get better the longer they are in the company, I also LOVED Shevchenko's Giselle, which seemed a much more realized characterization than Trenary's. I think she was perfect, maybe too perfect. I'd like to see her take some risks in subsequent performances. She has the makings of a Russian ballerina (and why not, after all?) and I'd love to see her make the most of her gifts.
  18. Moderators, please help! I had wanted to quote the entire press release (although I do have the complete url, but I didn't want to mention Sarah Lane twice!
  19. You are here: Home / dance / American Repertory Ballet names Ethan Stiefel as its new Artistic Director American Repertory Ballet names Ethan Stiefel as its new Artistic Director 18 November 2020 by gramilano. See Gramilano for complete details https://www.gramilano.com/2020/11/american-repertory-ballet-names-ethan-stiefel-as-its-new-artistic-director/ Now that Ethan Stiefel is going to head up American Repertory Ballet, dare we hope that we will see Sarah Lane dance principal roles with that company (which I had never heard of until now)?
  20. My reaction to seeing this was "Is that really beautiful?" Implied answer, No. It does seem exactly like a stunt for an acrobat. However, most of Brandt's postings show her looking very beautiful, indeed.
  21. Definitely not trick editing. She's been working on it for awhile and posting her progress on Instagram.
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