angelica

And Stella needs to change her name to Abrerova.

How I would love to see Stella and Sascha in New York! On the stage at BAM!

This past week I saw a dress rehearsal of three of the pas de deux from The Leaves Are Fading, each with a different cast, and they were all beautiful. This took place at the ABT studios. If you can, try to catch the performances of Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes. Rapturous. Stylistically eloquent. I'm going to see Veronika Part and Roberto Bolle, whom I didn't see in rehearsal.

I believe they are dancing together on October 20th at 8:00 pm at New York City Center in the new Alexei Ratmansky ballet.

They just started rehearsing after the summer break. The casting will probably depend on rehearsals of the new productions/revival. That's so helpful to know. Thank you, bingham, I feel much better.

Are we ever going to learn the casting for the City Center Season, or is it supposed to be a surprise? Does anyone know why ABT is holding back on this?

I would give my eye teeth to ride the elevator to the top of the Empire State Building with Veronika Part's mother so I can unblushingly wax enthusiastic about her daughter's supreme gifts and superlative training. I wouldn't say a single negative word. Her minor technical insecurities make her especially endearing and give each performance a spontaneity that doesn't happen with certain other ballerinas. Veronika's mom, I hope you're reading!

I like the contrast of having the short tutus in Swan Lake and the long tutus in Giselle. I believe there is a book of short stories called "Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It." That says it all.

Last year it was after tickets went on sale. Thanks, nanushka, I, too, remember that from last year. I just received the fall brochure and it says "Order NOW by phone or online..etc." but of course the casting isn't out. I don't like to order tickets without knowing the casting. But I also want good seats. To me this seems reasonable, not like having your cake and eating it too. So I'd like to make a request that any BA member who learns casting information please let us know where to find it! Thank you, all.

Does anyone have any idea when the casting will be announced?

MakarovaFan, would it be possible for you to take some basic beginner ballet classes so that you can "live" the movements? I understand that adult ballet classes have become quite the rage in New York City--I don't know where you live or whether that would work for you. I'm 100 years old (well, not quite, but you get the idea) and there are people in my class who started in their 30s and 40s. I had lessons as a child but then stopped for 37 years. Went back to classes about five years ago. That being said, you don't want to do anything to injure yourself, so as an adult you have to be cautious in what you do.

Although I loved all three performances of Giselle presented thus far, the highlights for me were: 1. the corps de ballet in every performance, who were awe-inspiring; 2. Clairemarie Osta, who must surely be one of the great Giselles of all time; and 3. Marie-Agnes Gillot as Myrtha, tearing out of the wings with commanding authority in those grand jetes in attitude. I also enjoyed Emilie Cozette as Myrtha. And I loved the vetting of mime in the first act in favor of more dancing. Only thing on my wish list: Since POB much of the time dances at breakneck speed, I would love to have Myrtha's opening bourrees done quickly. I wonder why they favor the slower bourrees. Perhaps they see the fast ones as too "showy." This is a company with rare taste.

Oh yes, Michael, talk about "extraordinary!" I've been attending performances of Giselle since before most of you were born (probably), and last night's Giselle was one of the most extraordinary I've ever seen. Working backwards, the ensemble work was breathtaking in its uniformity, speed, accuracy, and sheer beauty, a Greek chorus commenting as one on the protagonists. The peasant pas de deux was charmingly danced by Charline Giezendanner and Fabien Revillion, and those pirouettes from a kneeling position were spot on. It seemed as if there was more dancing in Act I than I've seen in previous performances, which was a plus. On the part of the principals, Act II was breathtaking. Aurelie Dupont went from being a rather sophisticated peasant in Act I to being sheer gossamer in Act II. Mathieu Ganio was a deeply contrite Albrecht and a fine partner. His entrechat six towards the end of Act I seemed to rise to heaven. Emilie Cozette was an impervious Myrtha. The one thing I missed was the speed of the bourrees that dancers at ABT seem to achieve. But I think this was a stylistic difference in that I'm sure she could have done them because POB can dance FAST. And oh, those Wilis! What is most striking to me about this company is the clarity of execution. You can "read" every step and no one takes short cuts. Two Giselles to go today. Will I remember each one in its singularity or will they combine in a single blur of magnificence? I'll take it either way.

I thought Marie-Agnes Gillot was absolutely riveting in Bolero. I couldn't tell you anything about what the men around her were doing because my eyes were glued to her the entire time.

I hope so. I'm counting on Paris Opera Ballet, four performances in three days.

So agree. What about Joseph Gorak? YES, YES, YES!!! Every time Gorak is onstage, I always end up watching him. So effortless and elegant! During the R&J dress rehearsal where Gorak was Benvolio, I kept wishing he were Romeo instead of Hammoudi... I second, third, fourth and fifth the rise of Joseph Gorak. I thought he was WONDERFUL as Lensky in Onegin. Also as the Nutcracker Prince last December.

It always makes me happy to know there are other people who appreciate and adore Veronika Part and are out there plugging for her! She is unique, special, ravishing, and we need to have our voices heard.

At the gala, she looked like she was at a different level than he was. That's too bad, and all the more reason to find her the right partner. She should not become one of those flowers to blush unseen. I believe that she has greatness in her.

Yes, nanushka and oxnmytoes, it's clear that a partner other than Hallberg needs to be found for Veronika. Maybe Tom is the one. When you look at the history of ballet, almost all the great ballerinas were paired in great partnerships, for example, Maximova-Vasiliev, Fracci-Bruhn, Fonteyn-Nureyev, Makarova-Baryshnikov, Ferri-Bocca, and today, Vishneva-Gomes, amongst others. Veronika is such a beautiful dancer and is at the top of her game technically and expressively. She needs to be in a partnership with "chemistry," so that she can connect with a partner who will bring out her passion, spontaneity, and lusciousness.

I believe a somewhat larger-than-average proportion of Veronika's height is in her legs, making her appear particularly tall onstage, and particularly in tutus. She also has long feet and perhaps slightly longer-than-average arms -- making her, in my opinion, the perfectly sized and proportioned ballerina. I so wish there were more like her. I could watch her Odette (with a good Siegfried) 7 nights a week. It's so hard having to wait a whole year for just one more performance! Okay, forgive me for gushing. Please give Veronika two SL's next year--with a partner where there is "chemistry." She can dance with passion and eloquence, but she is hobbled by a partner who is impervious to the dramatic demands of the role. I know she isn't dancing SL with Hallberg anymore, but they were ravishing together a couples of years ago in a last minute cast change substituting for Irina and Max.

That's very interesting, because the film "La Danse" makes the point that it is difficult for the girls to form friendships while they are in the school because they are all competing with one another. Perhaps once you are accepted into the company the feeling of competition is lessened. Nevertheless, with those annual exams just to retain your status, it's hard for me to imagine the company as a family. This brings to mind, paraphrasing, "All happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

I, too, was transfixed by Hee Seo's performance in R&J, then thoroughly disappointed with her bland debut in Giselle. Her Tatiana was okay but not great. I think her reputation was sealed by those R&J performances but she has not yet lived up to the promise she showed in that ballet.

I haven't seen most of these dancers, but Gillot is a must-see as Myrtha. You'll gasp as she comes tearing out of the wings. I've seen Giselle a gazillion times and she is Myrtha come to life as never before.

This is very wrong-headed of ABT. See Macaulay's review of Le Corsaire in the New York Times. Even he is coming around to Sarah and Stella.. Seo and Boylston don't hold a candle to them and Sarah and Stella deserve their chance at greatness. I think Hee Seo can hold up to Abrera and Lane....in the right role. She broke my heart as Juliet, and I know a lot of people on this board expressed praise for her Tatiana in Onegin. But I could never see her as a Gamzatti, Kitri, Odile, Manon, etc. I think Seo can be very, very lovely, but I doubt her versatility (and I say this is someone who enjoys her dancing but hasn't seen much of her beyond R&J). MMR, I, too, loved Seo in R&J, which is why I was so disappointed in her Giselle debut (two years ago?) dancing with Hallberg. Admittedly, he wasn't at his best either. I won't rehash that here, but if you saw the performance you know what I mean. But I think that Stella and Sarah both deserve promotion to Principal Dancer, and Seo needs more time to develop. She was wonderful as the young Tatiana, but less so as the sophisticated adult. She has time on her side. Stella and Sarah do not.

Herman has been extraordinary since Day 1. He is great, great, great, and needs no one else to inspire his stellar performances. Angelica, I completely agree with you that Cornejo needs no one to inspire his performances, I didn't mean it that way. But having seen him so many times over the years I have seen performances of his that were finer than others, and yesterday he was on fire. I was only imagining that even the best of the best can find that working alongside another extraordinary talent can be stimulating. I don't know that to be the case - but regardless, the presence of two such performances in one show was a treasure. Griffie, You may well be right here, as I haven't seen Herman in many performances because I tend to avoid Xiomara, whom I know many people adore. Whenever I've seen Herman, I've been in awe of him. It all seems to come so naturally. It's not only in bravura steps. There's a YouTube video of him partnering someone in the white swan PdD (I'm not sure whether I got the link on this list), which shows him to be a brilliant partner--soulful, strong, gentle, deeply expressive--and he doesn't do a single turn or jump, and retains the classical line throughout. Also, I seem to be in the minority on this list in not finding Vasiliev inspiring. My eye is trained to seek out the classical line, which is one of the reasons I love watching Hallberg. It strikes me that every principal dancer has qualities that we love, and perhaps, in some cases, others we may not. For example, I adore Veronika Part, but my heart is in my throat whenever she has to confront multiple turns. For me this lends her a vulnerability and freshness and gives each of her performances a spontaneity--of course, IMHO she has the most beautiful classical line of any female ballerina dancing in the US today.