angelica

If Veronika Part were dancing, I would say go to Corsaire, but not with the other casts. Osipova and Vasiliev bring audiences to a frenzy of applause, but they are more like an acrobatic act than a classical ballet partnership. When you hear all the screaming and applause for their feats, remember (1) that the circus draws many more viewers than the ballet (no, I don't have any statistics to back that up) and (2) that the reason Vasiliev can jump so high is that he has unballetic extremely muscular legs. Baryshnikov was another fabulous jumper with muscular legs, but he never abandoned the pure classical training that he received. Vasiliev is sloppy and he coasts on his jumps and turns.

Me too.

Thank you, dirac! I just ordered them for my 8-year-old granddaughter, who is a budding prima ballerina.

I'd cast my vote for Vishneva/Gomes in R&J. In fact, I'd cast two votes for that. The dancing will be heartbreakingly beautiful and the music is gorgeous. It would be worth seeing for the music of The Dance of the Capulets alone.

I think it's the 19th century Petipa ballets that show Seo's technical limitations. Petipa is unforgiving when it comes to ballet technique--his choreography demands technical perfection, including strength and stamina. It's in those ballets that Seo is known to founder, for example, in Bayadere as Nikiya, and now in Don Q as Queen of the Dryads. I worry for her in Swan Lake, especially those 32 fouettes. If she was fantastic in Symphony in C, then presumably she can work to "up" her technique for the Petipa ballets. I haven't seen "C" enough to know the choreography, but I believe the second movement is the adagio movement. Seo is good in adagio. But she's simply not ready for the challenges of high-powered Petipa roles and to put her onstage in them is doing her and the audience a disservice.

What's sad is that Hee Seo is luminescent in rapturous ballets, such as Romeo & Juliet, even A Month in the Country, but doesn't have sufficient technique for technically difficult roles. What's disgraceful is that she was promoted to principal dancer ahead of other more deserving soloists who can deliver scintillating, secure technique as well as rapturous performances, those who have it all. I won't start naming names because by now you all know who I mean and I risk repeating myself again and again.

The point being, however, that Tiler Peck and Ashley Bouder would give clean, classical renditions of Kitri that nevertheless deliver bravura dancing.

P.S. I don't have time to quote from it now, but if you read Macaulay's review in today's New York Times, you'll see that he remarks pointedly about their lack of style and their seeming to care less and less about it. Don Q is a ballet with bravura dancing, but it's still in the classical tradition, needing dancers who are committed to the classical style, not dancers who show "signs of caring less rather than more about refinement as time passes."

Polina Semionova dances Kitri and she has long legs. As does Ananiashvili. And don't underestimate Maria Kowroski--had she been trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School she would have knocked Kitri right out of the ball park. Personally, I never liked Plisetskaya. Maximova and Bessmertnova were my cup of tea.

Just to present the other side, Colleen, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the Osipova/Vasiliev performance. However, for me, their dancing falls far short of what I admire most about classical ballet, namely, the classical line, which is created by turnout, pointed feet, eloquent port de bras, and a body that is in geometric harmony with classical style--a short torso and long, long legs. Maria Kowroski uses her long legs to brilliant effect in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. The reason Ivan can perform those absolutely incredible jumps is because he is landing on very short, muscular legs. When I saw him in rehearsal in the studio, he came down with a huge thud every time. If David Hallberg, who to me is the embodiment of classical style, were even to attempt those jumps, he'd surely break a leg because his body isn't compact and muscular enough to support the force of the landing. As for Osipova, IMHO, she overacts. I, too, have seen many performances of Don Q over the years, and I would say my favorite Kitris were Kirkland and Ananiashvili. For the men, Corella and Carreno. I don't think I've seen Cornejo, and I'd better get out there and do it soon! I wouldn't say that Vasiliev is technically accomplished because he doesn't dance with classical technique. Rather, I would say that he is acrobatically accomplished, that he can jump higher and turn longer than most everyone else, except that Angel and Herman can turn more. He doesn't dance with turnout or pointed feet, and doesn't hold anything like a good first position or fifth position. Baryshnikov, who of all the great dancers is built most like Vasiliev, had classical training that he never compromised for the acrobatics. In an interview reported in The New York Times, Ratmansky spoke of Vasiliev's abilities, but also stated that he needed more discipline in classical technique. To each his own.

What they really need to do is promote Stella Abrera to principal status. Also give her Queen of the Dryads. I saw her doing them in a company class and she nailed them all. Stella Abrera danced Queen of the Dryads in the Saturday 5/25 matinee I attended, and looked amazing! This was my first time seeing Don Quixote, so I have nothing to compare it to (and I'm no expert), but I could see no flaws in her performance. I'm sooo glad to hear that. Right now she is one of the very best dancers in the company, with an unaffected classical purity, a totally reliable technique, and a riveting stage presence. She is a terrific actress as well. All of which is to say, at the risk of repeating myself, that she deserves principal status and an opportunity to dance the roles she was meant to dance. I'm hoping for a Giselle in 2014. She's a terrific Myrtha, but she deserves to dance the title role.

What they really need to do is promote Stella Abrera to principal status. Also give her Queen of the Dryads. I saw her doing them in a company class and she nailed them all.

Oh dear, a google search tells me that "eye candy" may connote that the person is lacking in depth or intelligence and is only a "pretty face." That's not at all what I mean to suggest about Cory. I think he has a gorgeous ballet line and his acting continues to grow in depth. He was amazing, for example, in The Moor's Pavane. I mean "eye candy" in the most positive light--he is, quite simply, in addition to everything else he brings to the stage, gorgeous to look at.

I think Cory Stearns is eye candy.

I actually prefer the links because the embedded videos take longer to load than simply clicking on the links.

We could all make a long list of ABT dancers who deserve to be promoted but haven't been. Among them I would include Joseph Gorak, Jared Matthews, Stella Abrera, and Sarah Lane. I don't know the corps dancers well enough to identify the standouts, but Luciana Paris comes immediately to mind.

I agree, vipa, that A Month in the Country would be improved by more dancing. However, I attended the dress rehearsal on Tuesday, and just seeing David Hallberg walk across the stage was worth the price of admission, so to speak. He gets more gorgeous with every year, and his line is so exquisite that I didn't even mind the dreadful costume.

If I'm not mistaken, Balanchine liked it when a dancer took a fall because it meant that the dancer was "going for broke," so to speak, giving it her/his all. I've seen Sarah fall in rehearsal, and I think she's someone who'll take the risk in service to a performance rather than play it safe.

Not to mention that copy editors must adhere to the style of the publication, namely, "house style," e.g. Chicago Manual of Style, Associated Press Style, et al., which is not a decision of the copy editor, who is merely an employee, but, as you say, that's another thread. I promise, no more about copy editors.

My son is a copy editor and we often joke that everyone blames the copy editor! Except that if you're that copy editor, it's not a joke. Posted in good fun.

Thank you, abatt. Don't you think they should? I've seen Hallberg as Espada and Abrera as Mercedes (for example). These are dancers who will bring people into the theater.

Please could someone give a shout-out when the Espada/Mercedes casting goes up? If they can give Purple Rothbart, they ought by now to know Espada/Mercedes. Thanks in advance.

MakarovaFan, I did check out Smirnova's Nikiya, as you suggested, and I found it interesting and reassuring to see the difference in her use of the wrists and hands from the way she used them in Swan Lake. Now I'm thinking that someone (herself, a coach, a teacher?) suggested that in Swan Lake she use her wrists and hands as wings, which is perhaps why she breaks at the wrists all the time. Her Nikiya was beautiful. I loved the way she used her torso and her pliant back, and it is apparent that she can use her wrists and hands in other ways. Maybe she just needs to see herself (on YouTube) or have someone tell her that her wrists and hands don't need to be flapping every minute to convey that she's a swan.

I saw Jared Matthews dance this role on Monday night, and he was extraordinary. It's a difficult solo that demands perfection and Jared nailed it. In addition, his acting in the scenes leading up to the duel was completely believable.

I totally agree that last night's performance of Onegin was memorable in every way and that Diana and Marcelo delivered a dramatic and heartrending performance. However, I want to make a special comment for the performance of Jared Matthews as Lensky. His acting, the rise of his emotions from quizzical to dismay to desperation was seamless and completely believable. His dancing in the solo before the duel was sublime, and is emblazoned in my memory, I hope forever. His performance definitely showed him ready to be promoted to principal dancer. ABT might have thought of that before inviting a cadre of foreign male principals, but as is all too often the case, ABT fails to promote its own. Promote Jared and put him on stage--he is the better mousetrap, and the people will come.