mimsyb

Y'know, it's really sad fondoff that ABT is at a point were we can't even assume that they'll even promote from within the company. What a sad state of affairs this has become. If this indeed true that Kotchekova is one of the newest principals that ABT will import, I'm not excited about it at all.

Also, I just found out yesterday that, per Thomas Forster's Instagram, Leanne Underwood left a few weeks ago. Her last performance was Zulma in Giselle.

Really? Didn't Underwood do Rosaline on Saturday PM?

It is difficult for ABT Principals to get their heads around a given role, since they're cast once or twice. Dancing more means getting more and/or bigger roles. Guesting certainly helps.

My thoughts exactly. I sometimes think as a Principle one gets to dance less than when one is a Soloist at ABT. Except, of course, if you are Hee Seo! At least as a soloist, you really get to dance a more varied rep. and more frequently. And yes, guesting is always an option.

As far as encores are concerned I understand that Brian Shaw was required to encore at least part of the Bluebird's choreography when the Royal Ballet toured Russia for the first time.

And I re-call Raissa Struchkova encoring "Spring Waters" when the Bolshoi first came to America.

Hee Seo is certainly not Vishneva but the level of vitriol directed at her seems quite unwarranted. From reading some of the comments here, one would think she was a total hack---but she actually can be quite lovely (as she was last night).

...

I very much agree with the consensus here that ABT needs to better develop, promote, and support the home team and I think it's a shame that KM has burned so much of the audience on Hee Seo by leaning on her so heavily. Don't write her off--she is a dancer worth watching.

Yes, I would agree Seo is a lovely dancer and should not be written off. But to rely on this one dancer is really playing a foolish game. ABT has already risked having her become a punch line for the inevitable "go to" dancer whenever someone cancels or is injured. Many ticket buyers feel burned or betrayed or something and might never again buy a ticket to see her, which is a shame and does neither Ms. Seo or ABT any favors. And I might proffer that it borders on "dancer abuse". No one should be asked to do what she has been asked to do. The body and the mind need to rest. She needs someone to advocate for her (manager/agent, Misty's PR team?). She needs to stay healthy and dance well and not feel she is "wonder woman". And she shouldn't have to collect all these slings and arrows being thrust at her. Her career should be one of confidence and radiance, not one that is knocked down every time her name appears as a replacement. I feel she is paying an unwarranted price for the lack of leadership elsewhere at ABT. I have no idea what sort of contract she has, but it seems to me there should be some kind of protection clause in any contract that asks the unaskable of any artist. Perhaps she likes being put on for any role, anytime there's a need. I can't speak for her. It simply seems she could be better served and appreciated if it didn't seem like a one woman show whenever there's a cancellation.

For the record, people were not leaving in droves. The woman next to me left after Act I and there were a few more empty seats after each act. Most people who've paid $125+ are not about to walk out in the middle. And while it was not Diana Vishneva - and that was indeed disappointing - many of us found it somewhat enjoyable.

"Somewhat enjoyable" are not words I'd want to use to describe a performance by one of the world's foremost companies. I do not blame Seo. The woman does need help, both technically and in the acting department. My guess is she is exhausted, and doesn't know the meaning of the word "no". She's been asked to pick up the pieces in far too many instances; she may be as frustrated about it all as we are. Unlike Vishneva who can and does control how many and what roles she dances, Seo seems to say yes to it all and doesn't consider the end result. If nothing else, she should consider the very real possibility of becoming injured herself in doing all of what's being asked of her. The lady needs a rest! And ABT sorely needs to prepare others for every major role in it's rep. (both male and female). All of this uproar would be a tad more moot if a Vishneva "replacement" were of a higher standard. Or, at the very least, a "major discovery" of someone new to a role. How many times have we gone to NYCB to see say, a Bouder or Mearns perform and come away thrilled at the replacement? I'm just sayin'.....

I know it's not quite the same, but if a male principal pulled out sick on the day of a performance, would they yank the female principal from the part as well and bring in a whole new couple? Would that be considered acceptable? I doubt it. This is Gomes we're talking about -- a major ABT dancer and a big draw for many fans. And this isn't Sleeping Beauty, where the male principal hardly dances -- this is Romeo, who has far more stage time than Juliet. I'm almost certain that Gillian and Whiteside were not asked and did not say "no." Gomes was ready to dance, he had a partner ready with whom he'd rehearsed, and who was undoubtedly the cover scheduled for this evening. So they danced.

That said, I left after the balcony scene, which was perfectly fine, but just didn't have what I was looking for from Vishneva and Gomes together. When one doesn't have the two of them to look forward to in the big highlight scenes, the other long, dull stretches (Victor Barbee and Pascal Knopp going at it with big swords in a ridiculous, overwrought manner?), Romeo and Juliet becomes quite a drag.

Yes, I do understand all of what you said. This can't be easy for ANYONE involved. I too left after the balcony scene. I didn't see much point in staying. It was all perfectly fine, if a little by the numbers. I guess I had been so spoiled by Obraztsova/Cornejo, et al last night and was looking forward to Vishneva with Gomes. Theirs is a partnership of true equality and passion. I simply didn't feel much was going on tonight and much of the rest of the cast also seemed to be totally under water. It all felt flattened and airless. Not much one can do. On to tomorrow! And to answer ORD7916, yes, I am very much a subscriber and was still turned down for an exchange.

Just at the Box Office. Was adamantly and I must say rudely refused an exchange. I'm guessing the guy was just fed up fielding requests. This is disappointing. Seo is fine as Juliet, but I didn't lay out mucho dineros to see her three times. Not much else to say, other than it's a sadness there is no one else at ABT who could fill in. Lane is probably not prepared and Gorak dances tomorrow matinee so that wouldn't work either. Gillian/Whiteside would seem to have been the right answer, but perhaps they weren't available or said "no". It's all very crazy to say the least. Will go and hope for the best.

Oh, oh, oh, OBRAZTSOVA!! 'Nuff said. She and Cornejo were stellar tonight. Entire cast was splendid. But Ms. Obraztsova left me breathless. Her dancing was, of course, of the highest level, but her portrayal of Juliet was so finely detailed and present at all moments. Things I'd never seen before were brought to crystalline focus. Bravi to the entire cast!!

She isn't my cup of tea, I agree too student like. Hopefully her performance will develop with more experience. Does anyone have a link for Laurencia? Would love to see it.

Well. this is a graduation performance, not one developed after a few years of experience. And as such she looks remarkably fresh and promising. Time will tell.

I know, my mistake. I copied the program from Mariinsky's website and skipped proofreading.

I also think the program is fabulous. Especially I liked the Laurencia and I think Shakirova was great. I really hope someone is going to post her Aurora on YT. On the other hand, even though I like Lukina, her interpretation of Aurora wasn't that good. She was a little bit too much like a student to my taste. Of course it's not the easiest part.

Here's Lukina on June 13th. (Aurora's entrance and the Rose Adagio)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isyym-cUJR4

Thanks for this! She is beautiful. And I loved not only the color of her tutu, but the length. As opposed to what we got at ABT last week with the "reconstruction", this allowed the dancer to shine as Aurora, to let us into her life. All the wonderful little details that were tried for but sadly missed by the ABT version were so charming here. The little fiddlers were in costumes that complimented her and the scene in general,and they were actually bowing those tiny violins. The mens' costumes did not over whelm and look foolish. Also, the wigs made sense and didn't make the dancers ugly. The King and Queen looked like radiant parents and not something out of a horror film. But most importantly, the grandeur of the choreography fit the grandeur of the music. At ABT, this extraordinary music seemed to be danced by less than capable dancers and made the entire scene resemble a small town recital somewhere off in the "boonies". How I wish ABT had spent their money in a more responsible way and not given us a version that just looks more and more dated every time I saw it. This video, on the other hand, makes one realize how fresh and gorgeous all of this can be!!

In reading this exchange, I'm reminded of Matthew Bourne's comments that the story doesn't make sense, especially the love-at-first-sight in the awakening. I enjoyed the Bourne version of Sleeping Beauty, although I know many on this board didn't, and he didn't resolve all the problems either, at least according to critics at the time. Brian Seibert's review in 2013 is typical:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/arts/dance/matthew-bournes-sleeping-beauty-at-city-center.html?_r=0

I suppose the message is that this SB requires serious suspension of belief so you can focus on the music and dancing. But all those costumes and wigs are a major distraction. And I'm not sure why we need to re-learn how to appreciate the technical virtuosity of the early 20th century. It's fun to watch tapes of Olga Korbut's back "summy" on the uneven parallel bars in 1972 at the Olympics, but they're of historic interest only at this point, now that such moves are standard for today's gymnasts. Today it's impossible to get as excited as those commentators were back then. Technique has moved on in ballet, too, a century later. It's interesting to see what the standard was back then, but hard to get excited about it.

I also happened to like the Mathew Bourne "Sleeping Beauty". Yes, while failing to also address or solve some of the problems, I found it to be an amazing take on the entire ballet and his use of the score was also well done. One of the best Garland Waltzs ever. And his "Rose Adagio" was stellar!

At least according to the LA Times report, she's leaving a job that paid in the $300K neighborhood (including benefits) and replacing somebody who was paid in the $900K neighborhood. Plus, she has a chance to show she can turn around a massively important cultural institution in LA. She'd be nuts to turn that down! It's not necessarily a reflection on ABT (which is not to deny major problems at ABT, as so many have noted here).

Let me add: can anybody think of a woman given this kind of truly major opportunity in this country?

Let's all "Lean In" with Sheryl Sanberg.

Just wondering what people think about Wendy Perron's review (a dissenting view amongst critics?)? Food for thought. http://wendyperron.com/a-new-sleeping-beauty-but-why/

Amen! Ms. Perron has articulated very well much of what's been discussed on BA. I couldn't help but agree with her about the Prince's journey and arrival at the castle. If this were a Trockadero production (oh, if only!), the Prince might have arrived at the castle covered in brambles, overwhelmed by bug bites and with a torn sleeve or two. One really should earn that love. Sometimes the Trocks in their unabashed silliness get the emotions of a story exactly right. AND they probably would have made the Queen's hair-do even taller still! Eight years is an awful long time to have to wait.

Never mind the shoes looking different. Today's dancers would probably have to wear some padding to approximate the look of the original SB cast, if the production was really trying to offer an experience as close as possible to what Petipa created. ;-)

I was curious abut that also. What did the Original costumes for 1890 look like and why weren't they used if indeed this was a "reconstruction" of that production.? Why go with the Bakst costumes? To possibly make the dancers look as flattering as possible? What version of the choreography was danced in 1921 when the Bakst costumes were done? In the end, this version became a "mash up" of years and styles.

mimsyb -- ABT performed a pas from Tudor's Romeo&Juliet back in 2008 for his centennial celebration. If memory serves, David Hallberg and Gillian Murphy danced it. But they've never, ever attempted a full reconstruction even though McKenzie spoke in the 90s of restoring it as part of a mixed bill that would also include Ashton's The Dream and Limon's The Moor's Pavane. How about that for a mixed bill???

Thanks for the Tudor "R&J" info. Yes, it was just the pas performed back then. And as I recall, Ziomara also danced it. And I like your Triple Bill also. That would be some evening! In going over past memories I've come up with one other I'd love to see again. And that's a ballet Robert Hill did for them in 2001 called "Marimba". It had such great energy and life and the live music was sensational!! Oh, and I'd like to see ABT dance something from Richard Alston. Vastly under appreciated in this country. (NY Theater Ballet does a few of his things and he was at the Joyce several years back. But his is a unique voice in dance)

This is a forlorn hope but I vote for the Antony Tudor Romeo&Juliet. It may already be too late. It has been 38 years since it was last performed and some of the cast members from the 70s (Fernando Bujones, Ivan Nagy) who could have helped with a reconstruction are now lost to us. But Carla Fracci, Natalia Makharova and John Prinz are still with us so I still hold out hope (however diminishing).

Wait, wasn't Tudor's "R&J" done at City Center several years back? I seem to recall it so. I think they also danced "Leaves Are Fading" at that time, which is also due for a revival. It offers many dance opportunities for the company. I would also vote for "La Fille", "Sylvia" and "Birthday Offering". All of these ballets offer lots of dance opportunities. And what about "Grand Pas Classique"? I'm pretty sure Van Hamel danced that one and should know it still. "Upper Room" always gets my vote, as does "Bach Partita", but then I'd also love to see a revival of Tharp's "How Near Heaven". Also, her "Known By Heart" truly deserves another showing. The 'junkman duet' from that ballet is a classic, but then so is the two man duet that originally starred Griff Braun and Keith Roberts. Easily one of the most astonishing duets ever made. Roberts is on tap at ABT, Julie and Susan Jaffe probably have it in their muscles still, as does Angel and Steifel. I think this is a ballet made for some of today's dancers at ABT. I could go on.............

See this is what's frustrating. Everyone wants ABT to become more like a company, with chances for every member to shine, and many chances given to corps members. And then along comes a production that does give the whole company a chance, and everyone complains it's not enough of a star turn.

But I'm thinking that with this particular approach to the choreography, it really doesn't matter who dances what. Corps, soloist, principle. While the choreography doesn't necessarily make for "a star turn', neither does much of the other choreography stand out. Almost every role is diminished in some way. I think the only time I sat up and took notice was for the Diamond Fairy in Act III and for Carabosse and her troupe of invaders. Everyone else sort of disappeared into the scenery somehow. The lady sitting next to me on Saturday PM said she bought her ticket for that night as she had been told that Diana Vishneva was an extraordinary dancer. She wanted to know if "something was wrong with her". Was she injured perhaps? I tried to explain about the difference in approach to the style, but she wasn't convinced. She simply felt Vishneva was "a bad dancer"! "Not what I expected". I think we sometimes assume the average patron is not all that sophisticated or informed about what they are seeing. But this lady clearly just thought it was about bad dancing.

So we bid a fond (or in some cases, not so fond) farewell to "Sleeping Beauty" for this year. I saw four different casts and was there last night for Vishneva/Gomes/Part. While all three had their moments, I have to say I've never seen such top shelf dancers look so diminished doing this choreography. Diana certainly can act this role, as can Marcelo. But both came off rather small bore last night. Just when I wanted to sit up and take notice, Diana did those rather unbalanced looking demi pointe chainees. No better way for a "downer" finish to a variation! They did do the fish dives and her legs snapped upward more quickly than the others I saw dance. He sort of ran out of gas at the end of his variation, with feet not terribly pointed or clean in the batterie. Herman's were the best in this section. Part did little for me in her Lilac role. Shevchenko was at her most glowing and gracious best when she danced it. I see her as Principle material in the not so distant future. Both Luciana Paris and Skylar Brandt were wonderful in their Prologue variations. Sarah Lane got totally lost in hers. (as an aside. when Sarah was in the corps, she stood out and shone like a bright star. Now anytime she's onstage in any group setting, she totally disappears). Of all the Diamond fairies, Skylar was the most crystaline, but Shevchenko also glistened. These two dancers, along with Cassandra Trenary are, IMO, the future of ABT. Trenary/Simkin came off well with this choreography for Blue Bird/Florine, and still told a story while dancing. I agree about Isadora Loyola as the cat, but also thought Eilna Miettinen was superb in this role. She's dancing so well right now. I love watching her on stage. Talk about terrific port de bras! Nicole Graniero as "Little Red" was very fun, and she too should be getting more things to do. Gomes was the best Carabosse (better than his Prince, actually, although Marcelo wears the famous red coat the best). Raffa is too small for this role. Craig was also good here, cause he can overact til the cows come home and it actually works! For me, I'm still taking Dramamine to calm my stomach after seeing SO MANY BALANCES in the Garland Waltz! Like other scenes in this production, there are just too many people on stage at a time when I'd like a bit of clarity. And speaking of lots of people on stage. The extras that walk in for the Prologue and also appear throughout in other scenes are a stitch! Some of those men look like they are truly on their last legs and are being dragged along by the women. Are the only guests invited to these parties all that old? (as another aside; I found it so re-assuring last week when I saw all the same old guys lining up in "Bayadere". They have been there FOREVER! One could barely walk and keep up. A job for life in that temple, I assume. Hahahaha!)

All in all, I like the scenery in this "S.B."production and some of the costumes work. (it is ever so much better than what came before!) But I'm finding after seeing it four times, I'm a bit bored by the choreography. (hence I start looking at the old extras!). The score remains a wonderment; the choreography less so. Too many dancers look out of sorts dancing it; as if they wandered into the wrong rehearsal room. I had hoped after four tries I would feel uplifted by it all. But I feel I'm the one who has been put to sleep for a hundred years. And I wonder if I would venture another ticket to see it again next year. Oh, if only the King and Queen had had a boy child! Things could have been so different. So now I am looking forward to "R&J" this coming week to rev my engine again!

Ok if it's not fair to compare Lane to the very best (Fonteyn), here is another other petite Aurora who also never attained principal status in her home company:

Here is the lovely Olesia Novikova:

OK, this was really lovely. All the cavaliers were nicely standing away from her so to reveal her, Aurora. I think it also enables the dancer to better gage her balances in the end. Far too often the male dancer is simply too close to the ballerina. And let's for a moment talk costumes. I think the paler pink color is superior to the deeper rose that ABT now has. She just looks younger, fresher. The darker color at ABT comes perilously close to looking like a costume for a bordello dancer. It doesn't compliment the dancer. And here I love the costumes on the little "fiddlers". They totally compliment the scene. At ABT, those "Jingle bell" costumes are out of place, gaudy, and do not in any way compliment the Aurora. They simply pull focus. In watching this, I couldn't help but think how much I'd love to see Skylar Brandt dance Aurora at ABT. She has many of the same stylistic touches of Novikova. And she has the technical chops also. Next year???

I've never been to a performance Lane has danced in, so I can't speak from that experience. But today, I decided to head over to youtube to see what I could find. Mind you, I never took ballet, so I don't know all the terms, but I'm a musician which makes me see dance from that perspective. I watched Lane and Gorak in Flower Festival and then I watched Cojarocu and Kobborg dance in it.

In watching Lane first, I found that I admired her port des bras, but that I thought she danced in a very measured way. She had a way of sinking dead center in the music - what I call sitting in the beat - which is very nice, very pretty, but very unexciting. In dancing to music (I teach musical phrasing to championship Irish dancers), one can be on the beat in 3 different ways: one can be charging, one can dance in the very center of the music, and one can "bring up the rear." The first scenario shows an energetic dancer charging the beat. It's exciting and very crisp. The second example has a dancer performing right in the center of the beat. They are usually very neat, pretty dancers, but there's no electricity. The final way of staying on the beat is what I call "bringing up the rear" meaning that while technically, the dancer is not off time, but s/he appears heavy.

In Irish dance, the ones who charge are the ones who win. There's an electricity to that kind of dancing. Cojaracu is that kind of dancer. There's nothing measured about her musical phrasing. It's quick, yet very much well timed musically. There's practically an electrical flow to what she does, whereas Lane, while musically correct, appears bland by contrast. When I work with Irish dancers, I always tell them to charge the beat. It can completely recreate a dancer's look. There's nothing wrong with dancing in the middle of the beat, but it's dull. Maybe beautiful, but too much sameness. That's what I see in Lane.

I apologize for the very un-dance terminology. But I have found that every time I love a dancer and find that others find that dancer exciting and very musical as well, it turns out to be someone with that bit of charge. Sitting in the beat creates too much smoothness, too much sameness.

I agree with your definition of the dancer who "charges" wins. I call it "dancing on top of the notes". It's what makes City Ballet dancers so special and , as you say, electrifying.

Assuming they have a men's class at ABT, I'm sure there's nothing preventing the women from taking it. Men's classes are full of jumping. A common strategy for female dancers to improve their strength and jumps.

I always loved to dance with the men in Mr. Ouboukov's class at SAB. Oh boy!

I think it shows a lack of imagination on the part of the AD. I know the problems of rehearsal time etc. but these choices seem crazy to me. If a star has to drop out, putting in someone who is already doing the role is highly unsatisfactory. These are people I could have bought a ticket to see if I wanted to. Seeing someone new at least adds some excitement. My example - bought a ticket to Cojocaru in SL. She withdrew and I got Kochetkova. Ok I got something different. The next time Cojocaru withdrew from SL I got Hee Seo and I felt totally cheated.

Wow Peter Martins is suddenly looking like a genus.

But Seo is an 'in house' dancer. How can that be a bad replacement? Seems to me it can only nurture and make the dancer better somehow. Which is something we all talk about. Nurturing and giving performances to those from within the ranks. Many here bemoan the importation of so many "guests", but when an ABT dancer gets the break, that too is criticized. We can't have it both ways. Unless the criticism is directed toward certain dancers from the ABT roster getting the break and others not. I totally understand the reasoning behind going with someone already in the rehearsal process.

And in case you hadn't noticed, Seo's Tuesday night performance has been given to superstar Misty Copeland. As far as the AD is concerned, it's ABL (anyone but Lane).

But this makes perfect sense. MIsty is already rehearsing the role and is set to dance it on Saturday matinee (the 20th). Why call in another dancer, either from outside or in house? That's just more rehearsal time for everyone, etc. I'm sure management felt this was a far safer bet than going with Sarah. Her turn (or year ) will come. Just not now.

Is it perhaps due to ABT's financial structure as opposed to NYCB's? NYCB nurtures dances up through SAB and has always done so... ABT now has a school and is training some nice dancers (I'm watching Calvin Royale's career with much interest), but can ABT's international star headliner system accommodate the bridge from unknown to new star? Is it an executive management problem more than an artistic one? Are McKenzie's hands tied by the institution's business plan?

People give Misty Copeland a hard time for her impressive self marketing campaign, but isn't she just taking on the celebrity fostering necessary for an artist to headline ABT? A campaign that ABT seems unable to engage in for its own dancers?

How did Hallberg manage to float to the top? Technique & artistry, of course, he is a treasure! But did something else help? ( honest question)

I agree here in many respects. The schooling at SAB for future dancers at NYCB is superior to what ABT has. (at least right now). Rep. on any given night at NYCB can encourage" newbies" to shine, and also allows us, the audience to follow their path upward. (Anthony Huxley and Lauren Lovette are but two recent examples). The Met is too large for many dancers to hold our interest for an entire ballet, and I totally agree that a better venue would be beneficial for all. Sadly, NYC doesn't have such a place that is available while NYCB is also holding down the STate Theater. The Fall Season at the State always shows the ABT dancers to better advantage. And also the rep is more varied there. As to the other question about whether executive management could be a part of the issue, not much is known on that front. (or at least written about here). I would suspect that McKenzie does not operate in a total vacuum.

Not sure about this timing, but didn't Hallberg come to our greater attention when he was dancing with Osipova a few years ago? Of course, we noticed and applauded him before, but that partnership really made him a bigger star. And also the fact that he went to the Bolshoi gave him a greater presence in the media. There were interviews and photos everywhere. Rather like what we're experiencing with Misty. (different reasons, same media build up).

Is the problem really Kevin McKenzie? Is he imposing this "glass ceiling" on ballerinas? Or, is the glass ceiling imposed by the audience? Which shows sell out? The ones with specific stars (nearly always Russian) and more recently the shows with the self promoting soloist (Misty Copeland). Maybe the real problem is the lack of effective marketing at ABT to "sell" American ballerinas to the audience?

NYC is a strange place, full of immigrants from other lands, who will (sometimes) support their own tribe at the ballet. But are the Russians (and Ukranians) supporting Veronika Part, even though she was a soloist at Mariinsky? Are the Phillipinos supporting Stella Abrera in droves? There is something to the box office and "star" part of the business and we need to examine it further.

Marketing, coaching. All costs money. Perhaps executive management needs also to be put into this picture. McKenzie may only be able to do what the budget allows. Boards, Executive Directors, major donors, etc. All have to be on the same page in order for change to occur. Sometimes it isn't just the Artistic Director who can make change happen.