angelica

Well said, Jayne.

Herman has been extraordinary since Day 1. He is great, great, great, and needs no one else to inspire his stellar performances.

But that's the point. Kevin McKenzie is wrong-headed in doing this. Abrera and Lane need their chances right now! They are at the top of their game. If they can thrill Macaulay, they can thrill audiences. Seo has promise, but a ways to go. I just don't see essence of classicism in Boylston. You can put her on stage and she'll ace the fouettes, but that doesn't make for a principal dancer. Perhaps she'll develop as an artist, but I see her now as a technician.

I agree. Don't me wrong, Vasiliev is not at all suited for some roles. He doesn't have a good classical line, but what he does bring to the table is this very raw and passionate persona coupled with tons of bravura. And, for me, in the role of Ali that bravura and passion is ideal. Yes, but couple that with the classical lines of Cornejo, Corella, and Stiefel. Compare and contrast.

There were fireworks aplenty at the Metropolitan Opera House this afternoon when ABT presented a spectacular performance of Le Corsaire. I thought that Veronika, eloquent as always, was at the top of her game technically, executing double fouettes amongst other double turns, and that Cory seemed to thrive on the role of Conrad, which required him to swagger and strut rather than be soulful (which he wasn't at all in the role of Siegfried a week ago Monday when it was called for). Herman is always wonderful, although I would have preferred to see him as Ali. Although Vasiliev can jump and do tricks, he does not have classical proportions nor a classical line, and he could just as well have been a circus acrobat. The mood in the house was festive, and everyone seemed to be having a grand old time.

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 didn't realize that Misty is 29. Nevertheless, Stella is definitely the more classical of the two, and has already earned her stripes in the Royal Ballet of New Zealand's production of Sleeping Beauty. I think she's first in line. With Sarah Lane right behind her. However, I would definitely prefer seeing Misty get her chance over Isabella Boylston, who, IMHO, is cutting the line.

Correct, and I wasn't really intending to imply differently. Dvorovenko's O/O showcased maturity, and I felt that she tried to give this approach to the ballet because of a lack of built-in chemistry with Muntagirov. But, alas, his Siegfried never changed. Frankly, Muntagirov's best moment was the Act III solo, where he didn't have to interact with anyone and could just dance. You're right, MMR, you didn't imply differently. Sorry if I gave that impression. I was sitting in Row A Center Orchestra and couldn't believe what I was (wasn't) seeing. He didn't even use his upper body in an expressive way. It seemed almost sunken in at times.

I just looked back at the ABT casting/schedule that I printed out last October. She was cast with Gomes for every performance except a Swan Lake on 6/26 with Hallberg. But at some point this spring, Semionova was substituted for Vishneva at that performance. Was there ever an explanation for that? Did she refuse to dance with Hallberg, or perhaps had another engagement that interfered? I also noticed another interesting change from that old schedule: Stiefel had been scheduleld with Murphy for the Swan Lake the evening of 6/27, but she did that with Gomes instead. Perhaps Stiefel decided not to do Swan and Gomes was the only reasonable substitute for Murphy. If Vishneva had insisted on Gomes, that would have given him two consecutive nights. Which brings us right back to the oft-referenced male principal problem at ABT. And--you deserve a medal for your research.

If I don't go to bed right now I'm going to go on and on about Stella Abrera and how she, too, does not fit the image of the standard ballerina and comes from an ethnic background that has been sufficiently marginalized to warrant special attention. Stella has extraordinary talent and technique and deserves a chance to make her mark on the world. And she needs it NOW! Misty has time on her side.

Hopefully with Marcelo, as often as possible. Yes, but he can only do so much. We need to clone him.

The authentic drama of a full-length ballet is created by the chemistry between the partners, which brings spontaneity to their dancing, gives them courage to take risks, and allows them to develop the full range of their talents. When dancers like Part and Dvorovenko are ill-served by their vacant partners, they can either overcompensate and become overly-dramatic, as I felt Part did with Cory on Monday night, or they can dance their own personal interpretation without reference to a partner at all, as I felt Dvorovenko did at the Saturday matinee. If she was attempting to show her Siegfriend the ways of the world, she certainly didn't make any progress. He was the same Siegfriend at the end as he was at the beginning. It's almost cruel to pair up these exquisite female dancers with partners who detract from their performances. There is a reason that Vishneva will dance only with Gomes (is that a fact or only hearsay?) Over the many decades that I've been attending ballet performances, I've seen some extraordinary partnerships, going back to Maximova-Vasiliev, Fonteyn-Nureyev, Fracci-Bruhn, Ferri-Bocca, and a handful of others. Perhaps great partnerships are formed in heaven, but we need more of them at ABT--for the dancers' sakes, for the audiences' sakes, and to preserve the heritage of these great ballets, not to mention the future of ABT.

I actually think that Cory has potential, but that he would greatly benefit from acting lessons. He needs to learn to project much more, both to his partner and to the audience. Sometimes I imagine that because he is tall, handsome, and has a beautiful "line," things have come easily for him. I don't wish suffering on him, but he needs to learn how to convey such feelings to the rafters. I've seen Sarafanov on a DVD of Don Q. and he looked very very young, definitely not partner material for our eminent female principals. Our best hope may be in Jared Matthews and Joseph Gorak, pairing them up with Stella Abrera (please give us more Stella Abrera!), Sarah Lane, and Yuriko Kajiya. The Nutcracker performance of Lane/Gorak and the Giselle performance of Kajiya/Matthews were excellent and promising. But where does this leave the exquisite and incomparable Veronika Part?

Abatt, I think you are being exceedingly kind to Muntagirov. I totally agree that he had little chemistry with Dvorovenko, but I felt that he projected no emotion whatsoever, beyond a rather bland half-grin, which he displayed throughout at least 3/4 of the ballet. Somehow Irina managed not to overcompensate for him, as Veronika (whom I adore) unfortunately did for Cory on Monday night. Muntagirov's jumps were high and his landings well done, but I honestly didn't think it was possible for someone to dance ballet so vacuously. Jared Matthews, simply standing in fifth position, was more interesting to watch than Muntagirov soaring over the stage. If this statement is too harsh for this list, then please, moderators, delete it.

Anything and everything with Veronika Part! And how about a major role for Stella Abrera? We've already been waiting too long for that. And a Fille with Herman and Sarah would bring down the house.

That should be "within four seats off the center aisle" (i.e., through seat 7 or 8).

Seating preferences are so individual and depend so much on what you want to see and how good your eyes are. I like to see facial expressions (I'm neutral about sweat) so it's important for me to be up close. So even though first or second row Dress Circle seats are generally considered to be good seats, they're only good if you like to see the panorama of the stage and are willing to forego the facial expressions--or if you've got major binoculars and don't mind using them. For me, anything in Orchestra Center through Row P (except C, D, E and F because the seats aren't raked) and Side through Row P within four seats off the aisle (with same caveat about unraked seats) are infinitely preferable to Dress Circle, even Row A.

I seem to have had a very different reaction to last night's Swan Lake. As a long time admirer of Veronika Part, I'd been awaiting last night's performance as the highlight of the season. But the moment Veronika jumped out on stage for the white act, I felt something was wrong. The fluidity of Bayadere and even Bright Stream seemed absent--to me she seemed more like a swan possessed (which, of course, she was), but possessed of something beyond sorrow and longing. I found her movements awkward, absent the eloquence for which she is so treasured and is unique to her dancing. In fact, she seemed almost manic--I was afraid she was going to have a seizure right then and there, as she mimed her story to Cory. Now, perhaps she had to try extra hard because of his blankness. "Don't you get it, dammit, Siegfried?" He's handsome, has a beautiful line, can lift, but he never fails to disappoint with his absence of fervor. I felt that Veronika's Odile was far better than her Odette. The only explanation I can come up with is that with all the foreign guest artists being praised for their over-the-top acting, perhaps she was coached to dance Odette this way, absent the lyricism and fluidity that was so present in Bayadere. And her mouth was open for all the drama in Act II--I wonder where she got that from.... The supporting cast couldn't have been better. The pas de trois in Act I was wonderful. So were the leading swans. But what happened to the waltz of the big swans in Act II? When did that get taken out? And I must say that I find the opening of the fourth act a travesty. Compare with the fourth act on the DVD of Ananiashvili dancing with the State Ballet of Perm. I suppose one could say this is a more contemporary SL, but I don't at all get those high-stepping swans and what all the running back and forth is supposed to suggest--perhaps they are distraught as to what will become of them? Can anyone explain this to me?

I saw Marie-Agnes Gillot dance the role of Myrtha in Paris about three years ago, and she tore out of the wings and flew over the stage like the proverbial bat out of hell, a wili on the warpath if there ever was one. If you have the opportunity to see her in this role, I highly recommend that you do so. She will also be dancing Bolero in New York, and I'm going to see her in that as well. One can never get enough of her.

That should have been "light as a feather." As I said, I'm still recovering!

Thank you, abatt, for reporting on all four casts. I'm still recovering from my double-header of yesterday and completely agree with you about Hallberg-Seo and Dvorovenko-Stearns. Having seen only those two casts, I must say that Hallberg was breathtaking and compelling, almost demonic in his rejection of Tatiana and later desperation. Seo was ardent and fluid (the way I remember her in R&J), and I found her fine acting a nice surprise. And I completely agree that Dvorovenko did not create the arc from youthful adoration to maturity. I also felt her acting was contrived. To be fair, I think that the pairing of Dvorovenko and Stearns was unfortunate because he looks so youthful next to her sophistication before they even move a muscle. For Olga-Lensky, however, I found Kajiya and Gorak just wonderful. Gorak has a beautiful line and executed the steps well and with confidence; Kajiya was light as a feature and pitch-perfect.

Also Dvorovenko-Stearns, please.

Also Dvorovenko-Stearns, please.

Why, oh why, don't they promote Stella Abrera? She is one of the most exquisite dancers of this generation and after her performances in SB in New Zealand, has shown her ability to carry major principal roles. I think that at this stage she is more polished than Semionova, who still needs some serious coaching to bring her fluidity up several notches. I would have no hard feelings for any of the Soloists and Corp dancers for leaving and dancing elsewhere. McKenzie relies on hiring foreign stars way too much instead of developing what he has. Too often McKenzie lets dancers, who could be brilliant, languish away in Corps, or never promotes dancers who should have been promoted ages ago (Abrera). The only 2 positive things I can say he has done was establishing an associate school for ABT (We will happily see the fruits of this in the future reflected in the Corp being uniform) and hiring Ratmansky. Other than that, his decisions as an AD, I feel, holds back ABT from becoming great like companies such as the Mariinskiy, Bolshoi, or POB. Well said. I totally agree. The only thing I would add is that he promotes certain dancers who are not ready for promotion at the expense of those he doesn't promote.

Why, oh why, don't they promote Stella Abrera? She is one of the most exquisite dancers of this generation and after her performances in SB in New Zealand, has shown her ability to carry major principal roles. I think that at this stage she is more polished than Semionova, who still needs some serious coaching to bring her fluidity up several notches.