angelica

Please forgive my ignorance, but I'd like to set my DVR too. At what time and on what channel does the David Letterman Show appear? And how long does it run? I fell in love with Veronika Part this year but will be away on Thursday night. Many thanks, angelica Letterman is on from 11:35-12:35 pm EST. My guess is that Ms. Part will be the second guest. The first 20 minutes is almost always monologue, Top Ten list etc. He's on CBS. Thank you soooo much for the coordinates. I will definitely record it! angelica

Thanks so much! Got it! angelica

Please forgive my ignorance, but I'd like to set my DVR too. At what time and on what channel does the David Letterman Show appear? And how long does it run? I fell in love with Veronika Part this year but will be away on Thursday night. Many thanks, angelica

Oh dear, is Stella injured again? I hope not. I've been overjoyed by her presence this season, albeit in soloist roles. I'm still eagerly awaiting her debut in the title role of Giselle, which had to be postponed this year and last. angelica

I would just like to add my voice to those who adored Veronika Part in the role of Odette-Odile. This is the first year I've seen her in principal roles (I know, I'm a little behind the pack). I fell in love with her in La Sylphide and only then decided to get a ticket for her Swan Lake--Box 1, seat 4 was the only available seat left anywhere near the stage. It was worth it just to be there, despite missing 1/4 of the stage. Part was extraordinary. Her long limbs and her perfect classical line were the foundation for the emotional depth she brought to the role. I couldn't believe anyone could sustain so much suppleness and fluidity, expressing the widest range of emotion with her arched back, long arms and long legs. Every movement extended amplitude to its limits. I couldn't take my eyes off her. I also want to add that seeing Stella Abrera last night was reason enough to go. I've missed her terribly and she danced beautifully, with the very special softness and lightness that had me predicting her promotion to principal two years ago, before her injury caused her to miss her debut in Giselle two years in a row. Welcome back, Stella! I have high hopes for you. angelica

I saw Veronika Part and Cory Stearns dance La Sylphide last night and was totally enraptured by Part. I had loved her as Myrta earlier this season and wondered whether she would be a mismatch for the role of the Sylph, especially in comparison with the petite Osipova. To my delight, Part was exquisite in the role. There is something very special in the quality of her movements. They have amplitude and a quality of seamless expansiveness, in which she opens slowly into a position, keeps opening and opening, more and more, until she reaches it and then moves on to another. She is never static. She dances with complete authenticity, never posturing for effect. One movement blends into another, and with her gorgeous classical line I couldn't take my eyes off her. I've never seen anyone else dance quite like her, and I can't wait to see her again. I enjoyed Cory Stearns as James. Craig Salstein had the audience (including me) laughing out loud when he imitated the Sylph, he did it so well. Admittedly, this was my first Sylphide so I didn't have any other performances to compare it to. When I referred to Osipova above, I was imagining her in the role based on her Giselle. But I did want to put in a good word for Part. I was appalled to find her name omitted from the McCauley review of Giselle earlier in the week. I am now a committed fan. angelica

So much has been said already, but I'll add some brief impressions of last night's performance. I've been watching Giselle for over five decades, and to my mind this was the most magnificent overall performance I've seen since the Maximova-Vasiliev performance in June 1966, which I will never, ever forget! I especially loved Act II: Osipova was exquisite, Hallberg was eloquent in his grief. He seemed so overcome that he couldn't even smile for the curtain calls. Part was the best Myrtha I've ever seen and deserving of every brava and bravissima that emanated from a nearby box. There's a quality to Part's dancing that's indescribable, but it has something to do with grandeur. As for Osipova, I am stunned that a 23-year old woman--still a girl, really--could act with so much depth. I know that others have faulted her for her acting, but, for me, dancing trumps acting in Act II. Ultimately, on several levels, Act II is about the power of dancing, and her dancing was mesmerizing. And Underwood's renverses alone made the performance! angelica

I agree completely. She's a very rate type -- a danseuse noble -- which is why she was so wonderful as Lilac in the Kirov's old/new "Beauty" and why she's so gorgeous in adagio. She's not built to do quick turns! She was sensational as Myrta in the Giselle last night with Osipova and Hallberg! angelica

This evening I attended the Spotlight Forum wherein Alessandra Ferri interviewed Nina Ananiashvili. I can't begin to describe how luminescent Nina was. First of all, no matter how magnificent she looks on stage, she is, if it can be possible, as beautiful if not more beautiful in person. Or perhaps you expect it on stage, with makeup and costumes. In person she was ravishing, utterly charming, and someone who has been chosen by the Gods, if such there be. She and Alessandra talked spontaneously and with much humor, revealing their engaging personalities in much of which was spontaneous conversation, although the questions were prepared (I wasn't sure whether the answers were.) Both were extremely articulate in languages not their own. It was a privilege to be there and now my only problem is how to go on living in the world as an ordinary mortal. Angelica

I saw Nina and Gomes last night and thought they were both resplendent. It pains me that there is no DVD of Nina dancing Giselle, no legacy of that to pass on to our grandchildren. Gillian was, as usual, her technically magnificent, implacable Myrtha, exactly what is needed for that glorious role. And Gennadi was wonderful as Hilarion. He is a beautiful dancer and I think he brings a kind of reverence to the art of ballet when he almost literally transforms himself into the role with his superior acting as well as modesty and dignity. I liked Maria in the peasant pas de deux. She is technically strong and also lyrical, so it will be interesting to see whether she can command the stage in her June 10th Giselle. I won't be there, alas, but I trust someone here will let us know. angelica

I too have bought tickets for her Giselle debut the last two years, ultimately exchanging them once I became aware she would not be dancing. We are birds of a feather. I did the same thing with my Giselle/Stella tickets! angelica

I am so happy to hear that Stella is performing again. Although she was taken out of Giselle again this year, presumably because of her injury, perhaps we can look forward to seeing her dance the title role next year! I've bought tickets for her debut for the last two years! Angelica

It's certainly worth a try. How would one call ABT? Does anyone have a telephone number that doesn't go through the Metropolitan Opera House? I'd be willing to make the call. Angelica Okay, I found the telephone number. I will call them during office hours on Monday or Tuesday and will report back for anyone who is interested. Angelica

It's certainly worth a try. How would one call ABT? Does anyone have a telephone number that doesn't go through the Metropolitan Opera House? I'd be willing to make the call. Angelica

Hello all, Last year Stella Abrera was scheduled to make her debut in Giselle at a Wednesday matinee of ABT. She was then taken off the schedule and didn't dance at all with ABT last season. Now the same thing has happened again this year. She was scheduled to dance Giselle at the Wednesday matinee on June 10th, but I saw today on ABT's web site that Giselle will be danced at that performance by "TBA." I called the Met to confirm this, and was told that Stella is no longer scheduled to dance this season. I love her dancing, and was so much looking forward to seeing her make her debut in a leading role. Does anyone know what happened? Angelica

Has anyone else besides me noticed the change in seating availability whereby ABT is allotting certain sections (e.g., Saturday night grand tier, orchestra prime, and center parterre) for 6-performance subscriptions rather than keeping them available for 4-performance subscriptions as well? Every day is an IQ test. angelica

"I am one of those people who wishes ABT would announce fuller casting, not just principals." Yes, I quite agree. Also, I just received the spring subscription brochure and noticed, when I checked the web site, that sometimes casting listed as TBA in the brochure shows up on the web site as N. Osipova. I caught some clips of her doing Giselle on youtube, and she looks wonderful. But one has to cross-check to get the latest information. And, of course, casting is always subject to change, which can be very frustrating if you've picked performances according to the casting. angelica

I've just received the subscription brochure for ABT's Spring season at the Met in NYC, and I see that Stella Abrera is once again scheduled to dance Giselle at a Wednesday matinee (June 10th). Last year she was pulled from the schedule at the last minute. In the current brochure she isn't scheduled to dance in any other ballets the entire season. Can anyone provide a heads-up on her? I would LOVE to see her dance Giselle. But I don't want to buy tickets for that date and find that she isn't dancing. Someone told me that Sascha Radetsky, Stella's husband, has joined the Royal Ballet. Is that true? Might Stella remain in Europe and come back to ABT for guest performances? Thanks for any light people can shed on this magnificent couple. angelica

Thanks so much for the heads-up. Yes, it is a great loss for those of us in New York, especially people like myself who have JUST gotten to know her dancing and fallen in love with her. But at least she isn't injured. That was my primary concern. I love Sascha too. Does anyone know what company they'll be joining/have joined? I wonder if they left to dance principal roles. They are certainly more than capable. I hope it's a company that comes to NY and we will we see them dance again. Otherwise I might have to go to Europe--it would be worth the trip. Angelica

Does anyone know what is happening with Stella Abrera? She was supposed to dance her first Giselle with ABT during this past season, but I understand that she never got to do that because she was injured and was out for the remainder of the season. I don't see her name in the casting for the fall season in New York. Is she going to be all right? I hope so because I fell in love with her the year before when she danced the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty. I said to my husband "Next year she is going to be a principal," and I even bought a pair of her autographed pointe shoes. I am concerned for her. I hope she is getting the best possible care and is going to dance again. Angelica

[ "...just cant stop thinking how sad is not to have Nina's Don Q, Swan Lake and Giselle for the ages." There are two DVDs of Nina at the age of 29 (approx, I'm not exactly sure of her age then), one dancing Don Q and one dancing Swan Lake with the State Ballet of Perm. She is breathtaking in both. I understand that the Swan Lake DVD is becoming a collector's item, so get it while you can. I recommend Amazon or Kultur. But why no Nina as Giselle? I think someone should capture Julie Kent and Ethan Stiefel before it's too late. Where are you, DVD people? Angelica

I saw both Monday night's performance of Giselle and also Tuesday's. Will also be going to see Cornejo make his debut as Albrecht on Thursday. I've been attending performances of Giselle since the Bolshoi first danced it in the US in the late fifties. I thought Nina and Angel were exceptional on Monday night, perhaps the greatest performance of Giselle I've ever seen. Nina danced with every pore of her body. She used her eyes to perfection, in addition to her radiance, her perfect line, and flawless technique. In Act II I couldn't take my eyes off her for even a moment. Why, oh why, is there no DVD of her performing this work? That is such a great loss to posterity. Why is there no good DVD of Giselle to be had? And then I saw Julie and Ethan on Tuesday and I felt the same way--that this was the greatest performance of Giselle I'd ever seen! Julie was breathtaking. She was charming and delightful in Act I, completely in command of her exquisite classical line and technique. In Act II she was truly a spirit, completely weightless, with fluid Romantic arms/hands and finely articulated legs. She reminded me of Carla Fracci, whom I also adored in that role. Julie's performance should be captured on DVD before it's too late. I agree about the veils. I sat in the side parterre (my favorite seats, as I'd rather sacrifice a corner of the stage in order to see the expressions on the dancers' faces) and saw the arm and the string ("oh, so that's how they do it," I thought). In older productions the wilis used to go offstage for a moment and return without their veils. Both Gennadi and Sascha were great Hilarions. My impression, though please correct me if I'm wrong, is that the role of Hilarion contains more classical dancing than it used to. Perhaps this is because the quality of male dancers has improved greatly since the 1960s. Gennadi's acting was superb, as well as his dancing. Sascha is a joy to watch as well. I hope that before too long both will be able to move up the ranks to become principal dancers. I am eagerly awaiting the debut of Stella and David in the leading roles. May her injuries heal quickly and completely. We need her back on stage! Both performances are indelibly etched in my brain. But where are the DVD people? Why weren't they capturing these transcendent performances? Angelica

"Yes, Herman has extraordinary elevation, but to me that his among his lesser assets. He has an amazing ability to see exactly how a phrase should look and reproduce it with his body. When he dances, you can almost see the mental work he's put into his dancing -- not to imply that you can see him thinking on stage. And his musicality is unsurpassed." I quite agree that Herman Cornejo is the greatest male dancer today. Your observation about the mental work he has put into his dancing is interesting to me, because to me it comes across as intuitive--a talent beyond compare--as if he just "knows" how to move, what is called for by the music and the context. But you may be right--perhaps all the thought that he has given to a role allows it to seem completely natural, the way years of rigorous training make ballet look easy in an accomplished dancer. Thankfully, the prediction when he joined ABT that he would never be a prince because of his height has not come true. The ballet fairy has bestowed upon him, and by extension, upon us, a true partner in Xiomara Reyes. I can't wait to see him dance Albrecht! Angelica

"the fact that I even noticed her eyes was an astonishment--you almost never notice dancers' eyes, they're so doll-like and disciplined." Talking about eyes... Have you seen the DVD of Swan Lake danced by Nina Ananiashvili with the State Ballet of Perm when she was 29 years old? Her eyes are as expressive as her arms and legs. And on the DVD they show her face up close so you really see her eyes. In her recent performance of Don Q Nina's eyes were alive as can be. My impression is that in Vaganova technique, emphasis is placed on using the eyes, along with epaulement, the head, arms and upper body. I haven't noticed that very much in American-trained dancers, who, in my experience, tend to focus on footwork and extensions. Angelica

Yes, toeprints, it's true that the Golden Age of ballet, at least in my memory, was in the 1960s and 1970s. Remember all those performances that were broadcast "Live from Lincoln Center"? Those were the years that Nureyev and then Baryshnikov were dancing, and Makarova was mounting La Bayadere for ABT. During the 1970s I lived in Bloomington, Indiana, a university town with a very fine music school. At that time I was home raising my children (in those days a family could still live on one income) and I used to run what I whimsically called a "Ballet Alert" service. Whenever ballet was going to be on TV, I rounded up all the girls and boys on the street and we would gather around the biggest TV we could find and watch all together. For awhile I taught the little girls ballet in my living room, just for fun. But I think we're due for a revival. For one thing, although it appears to me that Alistair McCauley, the new dance critic for the New York Times, prefers Balanchine and NYCB to ABT and the 19th century classics, we are definitely seeing more dance reviews than in recent years. For another, I think the quality of dancing at ABT is going up all the time, especially the male dancers, but the women as well. As they say, there is talent "deep within the ranks." The male stars, e.g., Corella, Cornejo, Stiefel, Gomes (and when are they going to promote Sascha Radetsky to Principal?) have that "superstar" quality again, in addition to their exquisite ballet line, like Nureyev. I think Malakhov must be one of the most underappreciated dancers of all time. He was thrilling to watch. Where is he now? Looking ahead to the future, on a personal note, I've been playing the DVD of Nina Ananiashvili and Alexei Fadeyechev dancing Swan Lake with the State Ballet of Perm (Nina was 29 years old when it was made) for my now 3-year-old granddaughter since she was a year old, and she was and still is completely mesmerized. She also knows Giselle, Nutcracker and La Bayadere. When she watches Swan Lake she dances along in her white tutu for Odette and her black tutu for Odile, and makes her father (my son), who never had a ballet lesson in his life, play the role of Prince Siegfriend, supporting her and lifting her at the appropriate moments. It's a hoot to watch them. I am grooming her to carry on the torch. Angelica