angelica

3 minutes ago, Leah said:

IIRC the Veronika Part drama concerned ABT taking away her sponsorship and giving it to a newly promoted dancer. So scarcity is an issue it would seem.

IIRC, and I may not, I thought the issue was that ABT took away Veronika's "contract," i.e., there are only a certain number of "contracts" available for each level of the hierarchy. My understanding is that when someone sponsors a dancer, the money doesn't go toward that dancer's salary, but into a large general pool that supports the company in various ways. The bonus for the sponsor is the fiction that they are supporting a specific dancer; but they do get to know that dancer personally.

13 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

I

And yet, McK had no problem getting rid of Reyes, Kent, and Herrera in one swell swoop. I know there are different financial considerations at NYCB and ABT, but NYCB manages to keep a larger roster of principals. it all comes down to money for the contracts.

And Part too.

Plus, I don't think there is any comparison between Bell and Shayer. Bell promises to become a principal dancer and to dance the entire repertoire of leading male roles; whereas Shayer, as someone said above, is likely to remain a demi-charactere dancer. I doubt he will ever become a principal. And lord knows, the company desperately needs principal men. 

44 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Christine Shevchenko was exquisite. She is everything I could ask for in a classical ballerina - lyrical and sensuous, with speed and precision, thrilling fouettes, and carries herself like an old-fashioned star. Swan Lake, here I come! 

I thought Shevchenko was divine last night, and your description of her is right on the mark. I'm definitely going to see her Swan Lake, and any other performances of hers I can get my hands on, like Saturday night

Thank you, bingham.

1 hour ago, bingham said:

 Vladimir Shklyarov would be a good principal addition but then they would probably have to hire his wife too.

Shklyarov was the very fine Albrecht to Abrera's sublime Giselle at ABT's 75th Anniversary reunion/performance. And since I studied Russian in college, I can even pronounce it (it's quite phonetic, actually).

However, I don't know who his wife is. Anybody?

I apologize in advance for my very negative reaction, which is that if I never see this theater piece again, it will have already been one too many times. But I have always been a confirmed balletomane, with a taste for Twyla Tharp and a few outliers, and can't wait for the rest of the season. On the positive side, my son and his family, who drove all the way down from New Hampshire to see it, loved it a lot. I loved the book. I just wanted to see classical dancing. But--I was prepared, and happy to give my offspring an enjoyable afternoon. 

17 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

This page take the cake! Ahn as Romeo!

https://www.abt.org/event_dates/sleeping-beauty-7-6-19-800pm/

This isn't in the ballet Romeo and Juliet. It is likely in the suite of dances in Sleeping Beauty at the wedding , including RR Hood, Hop O' My Thumb, etc.

38 minutes ago, Longtimelurker said:

I am happy I didn't see any of those performances as Jane Eyre was the worst thing I have seen at ABT and am surprised that Mackenzie chose to stage this. I agree on most of the criticisms that have already been posted, but I also found the choice to have 2 different dancers play Jane to be confusing and unnecessary. After watching the glory of NYCB's Midsummer last week, this was an extreme letdown.

Another worst: The Tempest

1 hour ago, Barbara said:

 I will continue to put thoughts out the universe of a Forster/Shevchenko Swan Lake. 

I would definitely buy a ticket for that, and tell all my friends to do the same.

5 minutes ago, Fleurfairy said:

On Sarah Lane’s Instagram story, she posted a shot of counts for the Jane Eyre “wedding scene”. What part could she be playing at the wedding? I can only imagine some sort of corps part since none of the other major female characters in the book were at Jane’s wedding. 

Perhaps, against all odds, she is learning the role of Jane? Either as an understudy, or sometime down the road?

3 hours ago, nysusan said:

 

I agree with you 100%! I did renew my subscription so I will be going, but it was quite a challenge to find performances I wanted to go to. Almost everything was a compromise - a ballet I wasn't crazy about to see a specific dancer, one dancer I loved paired with another I dislike.  And there is way too much Ratmansky. I like him but come on - Ratmansky trio, his Harlequinade, Whipped Cream and  Sleeping Beauty. Four programs in an 8 week season? Its just too much.

And as to exciting debuts in Swan Lake - I haven't seen Shevchenko yet (hoping to see her this season, another compromise since she's dancing with Whiteside) but I would definitely not consider Teuscher's O/O exciting. I thought she showed a lot of promise in her debut but last year with Stearns she was just awful. Her Odette had a stiff back, low arabesques, unstretched and unheld positions and was boring, boring, boring!

I was going to weigh in similarly, nysusan, but you saved me the trouble, as I agree with everything you wrote, down to the final exclamation points.

54 minutes ago, lmspear said:

His name is Eric Conrad.  I think he was mentioned under another topic on this board a few years ago

 

Thank you, Imspear. I've never heard of him. Was he associated with a ballet company during a stage career, or has he made alignment the focus of his coaching?

Who is the coach?

3 hours ago, canbelto said:

The few times I've seen Ashley Laracey this season (as Rubies, also as Lilac Fairy) I have been shocked by what I've seen. She just isn't dancing like she normally does. Can't explain it. But there's no energy to her dancing. She also looks frighteningly thin.

It seemed to me that Unity Phelan, who danced Diamond last night, was even thinner than Ashley Larceny. Did anyone else notice that?

2 hours ago, California said:

 

2 minutes ago, nanushka said:

No, that's Aurora's music during the vision scene (or at least one of two different versions of it — the one Tchaikovsky originally wrote for Gold in Act III, I believe, but that came to be used for Aurora in Act II). Presumably this was recorded during a rehearsal when the Act II set wasn't in place.

Thank you, nanushka.

Oh, laurel, thanks so much for posting that gorgeous clip! But isn't that the Lilac Fairy music? Is it that Ratmansky so shortened the role of the Lilac Fairy that he was able to use that music for Aurora?

Stanley is currently my favorite dancer on the male roster. From the first time I saw him, I couldn't take my eyes off him.

Thanks so much, Leah! 

1 hour ago, cobweb said:

Pretty soon, I think. The day varies, but typically it's posted Wednesday or Thursday two weeks in advance, and usually I've noticed it gets posted late in the day, 5 or 6pm or even later. 

ETA: I'm eagerly waiting, too!

Thank you, cobweb. I assumed it would be yesterday, so I've wasted a lot of time looking for it!

Does anyone know when casting will be online for Week 2 of the Winter season?

10 hours ago, nanran3 said:

Glad to hear she was in good form.  I have seen some performances lately where I felt maybe her time has come to move on.  An elegant lovely dancer, I wonder if she is being considered for the AD position, or for a ballet master role...

Oh, please don't retire Maria just yet. She is my favorite dancer at NYCB, and I'm not ready to let those gorgeous legs and extensions out of my life just yet. Her turns seemed fine this season. And she leapt up onto Tyler Angle's shoulders in the blink of an eye--it was amazing to watch.

12 hours ago, lmspear said:

They could bring back former "company flagship" soloists such  as Jared Matthews and Joseph Phillips for guest appearances so the NYC audience can catch up on their progress and get a demonstration of what might have been if ABT put more effort into developing and recognizing the home grown talent a few years ago.

Love it.