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angelica

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Posts posted by angelica

  1. 13 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

    Abrera discusses that DC Giselle, which ended up being her final peformance, in this NYT article. She was the first ballerina whose artistry I fell in love with, I believe because of a performance of Symphonic Variations in which she and Marcelo Gomes were the leads, if I remember correctly. In addition to her incredible Giselle debut, I'll always remember the warmth and beauty she brought to the role of Lilac Fairy; the way her arms and hands spoke was incredible. Benevolence personified.

    The first time I noticed Abrera was at a performance of Sleeping Beauty in which Diana Vishneva was supposed to dance Aurora. When we got to the Met we learned that Vishneva was ill and Herrera was replacing her. I wanted to leave, but in the end we decided to stay. When Abrera came onstage as Lilac Fairy, I was so taken with her exquisite performance that I thought "Who is that?" I saw in the program that it was Stella Abrera, whom I didn't know before, and at intermission I raced to the Grand Tier and bought a pair of her pointe shoes. "She's going to be a principal next year," I said. Sure enough, the next year she was cast at the Wednesday matinee Giselle, which was a stepping stone towards principal. Alas, she was injured, couldn't perform, and the rest is more recent history. I'm thrilled to learn that you also found her port de bras exquisite, not to mention her graciousness in the role.

  2. 1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

    The POB has performed Giselle there. So has the Bolshoi. ABT also has a history of doing story ballets in that theater, and I think it's a more suitable venue for a myriad of reasons.

    At the risk of repeating myself, I think that the Met Opera House is a terrible venue for ballet. The rings are much too deep. IMHO, every seat is a compromise.

  3. 9 hours ago, LadyBubbles said:

    Met season will be cut to 5 weeks starting in 2021 because the Opera season will be extended. This was supposed to be the last 8 week season, unless future seasons run into mid-late July.

    Yes! Run the season into mid-late July. Many tourists visit New York in the summer and perhaps ABT can draw an audience from among them, rather than the New Yorkers who flee the city during the summer.

  4. 1 hour ago, California said:

    The message ABT sent to ticket holders and the web page say nothing about getting a refund on tickets already purchased (including subscriptions). To get that, log into your account on the Met Opera page. It knows which tickets you hold and gives you a choice of a refund or a donation. https://www.metopera.org/

    Thank you, California. I just went to that link and it was very simple.

  5. 7 minutes ago, Roberta said:

    Different strokes for different folks, as I found Hurlin to be a more compelling actress, more fluid in delivery (Russian "plastique") and just-plain-beautiful (lines, face, that fire-red hair!). Of course, Shevchenko has perhaps the more steely academic technique - I love her great leaping Myrtha! - but, to me, the role of Callirhoe is all about "plastique." Needless to say, Aran Bell was her perfect hero - great soloist and steady partner. They make such a lovely pair in every sense! 

    Oh, Roberta, I'm so glad you wrote. It's much easier for me to do nothing than to exchange those tickets. I'm seeing Shevchenko in both Giselle and Swan Lake, and who knows, perhaps I'll keep the Hurlin ticket for OLAR and simply buy a Shevy ticket if a good seat comes up when they release unsold VIP seats a day or two before her performance. I'm interested to see Forster too. At last the female roster has more than one or two dancers I want to see, and the male roster is s-l-o-w-l-y rebuilding to a better, if not yet compelling, level.

  6. 5 hours ago, Josette said:

    angelica, if you LOVE Shevchenko, you must see her in this! This is a two-act ballet that keeps a brisk pace and is nothing like Ratmansky's  Sleeping Beauty. I saw it four times, didn't care for it during the premiere, then completely changed my mind and got more out of it with every performance. I have no desire to see Hurlin in it again but would gladly see Hee Seo and Shevchenko again and again. 

    Wow, Josette, thanks so much. I'm definitely going to see Shevchenko in this. Also, it's great to hear that someone lit a fire under Seo. I loved her in her R&J debut years ago, but then her acting seemed to diminish with every year. I'm seeing Hurlin as Mryta, so perhaps I'll even change my Hurlin ticket for Seo for OLAR. Truth to tell, I wasn't very impressed with Hurlin on her Instagram videos, but figured she was The Next New Thing, and since she was doing the premiere, I felt I needed to see her. Your comments are soooo helpful.

    To be fair, Hurlin is new to these principal roles, she will probably grow into them and get better and better. I think she needs more refinement.

  7. 3 hours ago, Josette said:

    I can only vouch for Shevchenko/Forster and Seo, who are all worth seeing in this ballet.  I have never seen Royal - who  did not perform - in a featured role, except for Pierrot in Harlequinade, which does not allow any of us to imagine what he would be like as Chaereas.  

    I have a ticket for Hurlin/Bell in my subscription. I LOVE Shevchenko but have never seen Hurlin in a major role, so I do want to keep that ticket. Is this ballet worth seeing twice? I almost died during the last act of the Ratmansky Sleeping Beauty.

  8. 2 minutes ago, LadyBubbles said:

    Lots of $$$. I'd rather see Brandt than Copeland, but then again I'd rather see Lane than Brandt. Then again, there's the Cornejo problem so we know it's not going to happen (the latter).

    I had the same thought about Lane. 

    I also thought that Skylar had beautiful swan arms in the Instagram post showing her bouree-ing offstage. That's always such a telling moment for me. I was interested to see her say in her first clips that the role wasn't natural for her so she needed a great deal of repetition. I agreed with that assessment at the time. But then when I saw that clip of those beautiful swan arms (not too much, not too little, but juuuuust right), I thought to myself, she's definitely "getting" it.

  9. 9 minutes ago, nysusan said:

    I got that one. If you join at the supporter level or above ($750 per year or $62.50 per month) you can buy single tickets starting 3/15.

    3/15 is also when subscriber exchange week starts. It runs from 3/15 - 3/21 and then single tickets go on sale on 3/22.

     

    Does anyone know whether, if you exchange subscription tickets during subscriber exchange week, you can also buy single tickets at that time? I'm going to guess yes, because you could buy additional tickets when you renewed your subscription, but I don't want to take that for granted.

  10. 2 hours ago, nanushka said:

    I see no reason to doubt her. The statement seems pretty sincere, and it's not as if Hope Hicks is a household name.

    The quotation is easily found online. For instance, I just googled "hard work quotes," and this was one of the top hits, with Hicks' quotation at the top right:

    https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/hard-work-quotes

    I didn't know who Hope Hicks was either. I had to look it up. Sorry for duplicate quote. I don't know how to delete it.

    2 hours ago, nanushka said:

    I

     

  11. 59 minutes ago, Leah said:

    That’s when subscription tickets are mailed, right? For some reason I seem to remember them coming around January last year but I must be making that up.

    I just received my subscription tickets two days ago. You're right, they used to come in January. I was about to call ABT to inquire, just as they arrived.

  12. 2 hours ago, canbelto said:

    I think Brandt is talented and all that but one thing about Giselle is that the role needs strong jumpers, and from what I've seen Brandt doesn't have much of a jump at all.

    I think her jumps look good in the coaching videos on Instagram. Not every Giselle is an Osipova, and I'd definitely rather watch Brandt than Osipova.

  13. 43 minutes ago, abatt said:

    The story Brandt tells mirrors how Abrera got her Giselle years ago.  Abrera had performed the role in either Australia or New Zealand several months before the ABT season.  When Semionova cancelled, Abrera was ready to step in due to her own efforts in previously learning and performing the role of Giselle elsewhere.  It is a disgrace that this is how ABT works internally. 

    My understanding was that McKenzie had coached Abrera for her Giselle in Australia, which was part of an exchange program, so he was perfectly comfortable casting her with ABT that fateful (in a good way) season.

  14. 33 minutes ago, Fleurfairy said:

    Not a fan of anyone of any profession tooting their own horn constantly. I know that's what social media if for to an extent, but Brandt goes above and beyond with the endless videos of her own dancing as well as reposts of everyone who comments or posts a story about her. I find it tacky. But I guess this is what gets you promoted at ABT, Home of Misty Copeland.

    I would venture a guess that she is disappointed in her casting in the upcoming spring season, although there are still possibilities left open.

    I'm sure that if they were doing DonQ she would have gotten a Kitri. She has really paid her dues all the way from JKO, through Studio Company, through corps, and is ready for more principal roles.

    Someone remarked above thread that she looks so happy when she's dancing that maybe she doesn't yet have the soul for an O/O or Juliet. Does anyone think of her as a soubrette dancer?

  15. 31 minutes ago, nanushka said:

    Got it, yes, I see your meaning. Thanks for clarifying. And yes, the sidelining is sadly reminiscent. One wonders why Lane was promoted if her talents were going to be made so little use of.

    If I remember correctly, Lane was promoted after she and Simkin had danced one of the most exquisite performances of Giselle ever, on very short notice. I don't recall what else happened that season, but perhaps there was another "save" as well.

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