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mimsyb

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Posts posted by mimsyb

  1. I attended the Sunday evening performance of this venue. I had sort of hoped that at least one of the recent choreographers from the Avery Fisher venue would have spoken and elaborated on how he/she decided to use the space in any specific way. Alas, not to be. While the professional dancers were quite effective and some of the information regarding sets for various theaters was interesting, this for me, was one of the least interesting of the programs that ABT has put on. Some of the student stuff we've sort of seen before to some degree, although perhaps not specific to Bouroneville. Anyway, the evening seemed a bit dry. The Barton work excerpted from the piece presented at Avery Fisher made no sense without some input from the choreographer. The pas from "Seven Sonatas" was lovely, even without the other sections of the ballet. I miss the terrific finger sandwiches they used to serve at the receptions (economic tough times, I guess), but the cookies were pretty good!

  2. Surprisingly, we enjoyed the Millepied piece very much.It,probably, would be even more effective if seen in a bigger space and from an upper seat.Stella was just great in her 2 very different roles.Maria B., Renata, Eric and esp Arron S. were standouts in their solos.

    i did not like the AF Hall venue. Surely, the Koch Theatre can squeeze ABT for 2 weeks in the fall?

    Agreed, will NYCB claim squatters' rights? I would like to see NYCB at the MOH as well. NYC has plenty of great venues: BAM, Park Avenue Armory, Radio City, NJPAC.

    Unlike some I rather liked the Avery Fisher venue. My seat in the front row of the first tier (while a bit far back) was perfect viewing for dance. (but talk about far away, Radio City Music Hall makes the performers look like midgets!). Anyway, one of the things that AFH has going for it as opposed to say City Center, the Koch and even the Met is a real entrance lobby that one can enjoy before passing the ticket taker. None of those mentioned theaters has any place to sit, have a snack or a pre-theater drink or coffee before one gets through to the main area. What a nice thing to be able to not feel shoved and and packed in. I've never been able to understand why both the Met and the Koch have such an unwelcoming entry area. Once through the ticket taker it's fine, but such a crush before. Avery Fisher is more European in that respect. Also, the entry has nice light, again welcoming not dark like City Center tends to be. A couple more pluses. Restrooms (plenty), legroom (hooray!), and professional ushers who seemingly liked their job. Never rude or surly once! I loved the "open" stage before the performance . While probably not what one would like before "Swan Lake", for these more experimental pieces it was a great touch! To see these wonderful athletes prance and stretch before and then see them pull it all together for the work was for me a breath of air! And while I didn't love all the work presented, I felt this was an excellent venue for what was shown. It would be nice if ABT, along with their other venues did a short season like this every year. I can think of no better way to spend a nice Fall evening than to sit by the new fountain before the show and then enter into a bright space full of energy and talent!

    Kudos to ABT for this!

  3. It's a pleasure reading these posts. Thanks to all.

    Question: Do any of these new works have the legs to carry them to a future with other companies around the world -- and, if so, where and by whom? Will they gather dust in the back of ABT's storage closet? Or what?

    Ratmansky's "Seven Sonatas" absolutely would fit into any great classical company, both here and abroad. I can't imagine any artistic director saying "no" to this piece. A wonderful challenge, technically and a wonder to watch. Every viewing brings new depth of pleasure. Kudos to ABT for this one! The Millepied would look good on San Francisco Ballet, or Pacific Northwest, possibly even Miami City could have a go at it. Personally, I think it needs some tweaking, but it has such great energy going for it. The dancers seem to be having a wonderful time. As for the Barton, the less said the better. Ouch! What a dud. Even the costumes aren't worth saving. The men in their black suits look like refugees from the male variation from Paul Taylor's "Cloven Kingdom". If only this ballet had that work's energy and drive. I found myself nostalgic for last season's Stallings piece, also a dud. Well, you can't win them all. For the most part the Avery Fisher experiment has been a winner. It surely gives a new perspective to the company. Off to the matinee!

  4. I forgot to add this -- it was a very long program. It started at 6:30pm (they were fairly prompt) and ended at 9:30pm.

    There was one speech by Imani (spelling? She's a model) and also Veronica Webb.

    Ms. Webb butchered Benjamin's Millepied's last name. It might have been nice if someone at ABT phonetically spelled out his last name.

    Yes, someone at ABT fell down on the job in that department. How hard is it to get someone to listen to the ladies' speech and get it right for them? In truth, the intro speech came across as sort of a bad awards ceremony speech with the ladies alternating lines as they did. It would have been a nicer gesture if Kevin had come out and made a nice speech, especially since they were performing in a new space. And yes, the evening was long. I would have eliminated "The Dying Swan". Coming where it did in the program it sort of fell flat. The other works were all interesting (especially the Millepied who made the best use of the odd space), and it will be good to see them all again. I wasn't as thrilled with the lighting as in most instances the dancers faces seemed to fade and disappear. Loved the "casual" look of the dancers warming up. A fun evening and certainly different!

  5. I too am trying to see this from both sides. In my view, the Union should have been brought into this. On Broadway with Actor's Equity they have a "show cause" clause that mandates that management must "show cause" for dismissal and all sides have the opportunity to be heard. A recognized, valid reason for dismissal must be proved. Management cannot simply fire or release someone.

  6. PS - Walking back to my car after the matinee I passed the lovely Stella Abrera. I'm hoping she was on her way for the evening performance as Lady Capulet. Can anyone report?

    Not Lady Capulet. That was Kristi Boone. Stella played one of the Harlots.

  7. Yes, debuts are special, and in years to come, you can say that you saw Seo and Stearns back when ... . Another reason to attend Thursday is, that is the night the company celebrates 95-year-old Freddie Franklin after he plays Friar Lawrence. The juxtaposing of this youngest lead cast against this senior veteran will,no doubt, make the homage especially poignant.

    On the other hand, you're more likely to get polished performances by Romeos and Juliets in either Wednesday performance.

    Decisions, decisions. :crying:

    :)

    Or see all three of them and really enjoy your NYC trip!

  8. In regards to the choreography, I find this to be one of the most satisfying full-lengths overall in that there are no boring lulls, no endless matador or pirate dances, no national dances that seem to go on and on forever. All of the female corps (I believe) wear pointe shoes and are given challenging turns and leaps throughout. The result is that it's very hard for the corps to stay in synch, but I'd take fouettes in tandem anyday over a perfectly executed Hungarian dance. What struck me last night is that Ashton left no music unchoreographed--every strain of music had a coresponding hand gesture, flick of the foot, or bend of the knee. I left feeling as if he had done justice--and then some--to Delibes' gorgeous score.
    I am so glad someone could put what I feel about Sylvia into words. I know the audience will be filled with enthusiastic families on 7/4 and I will be joining them. Excited to see Alex Hammoudi's Orion!

    t

    Now if only those point shoes could be a bit more quiet! The corps, especially in Act I sound like a herd of cattle entering the corral! Even Vishneva's shoes were noisy throughout the performance. I find that she blurs much of the delicious Ashton footwork and goes for the big picture usually. In her Act II, she seemed to be channeling herself a bit much from last year's Scheherazade, but redeemed herself in the purely classical Act III. Stiefel underdanced a bit but partnered well. Jared Mathews was largely ineffective as Orion. But this is a wonderful ballet for ABT. Musically and visually, it's a standout. The best overall performance for me was last night's Wiles/ Bolle/Stearns/Simkin. Wiles is really suited to this work and she found freshness and beauty in her dancing that sometimes goes missing. Maybe the partnering of Bolle helped. They were wonderful together. Stearns danced and acted convincingly. As for Simkin, he seems to be able to do almost everything thrown his way this season. His Eros had an elegance yet at the same time a sense of humor. A delight. I'd like to see this ballet remain in the rep. (and hopefully add "La Fille Mal Gardee!). Ashton has an extraordinary way with non human characters, at the same time he remains the most human of choreographers.

  9. I still wonder what these pieces will look like on the AVH stage. I actually did see a ballet performance set on the stage many years ago - May 1972 - to be specific. But I can't remember how they did it except that I vaguely remember clustering the musicians to the back and sides of the stage with the dancers

    (

    I'm guessing that each of the new works will have the musicians on stage with the dancers because there is no pit. What an awful hall for a ballet company!

    Several years ago a production of "Pacific Overtures" (Sondheim) from Japan played at Avery Fisher. It was a stunning production and utilized the space in an amazing way. It had an enormous cast, a full orchestra (that I believe was above the playing area), and used a ramp down the middle of the orchestra seating, as well as the full stage. The sets were gorgeous as was the entire production. It had quite a bit of generous movement in it and for that everything fit quite nicely. I'm not advocating a ramp for ABT, but sometimes odd spaces and venues can provide a clever and inventive choreographer a new way of looking at movement. We are so used to the usual stage arrangement. I for one look forward to the possibilities. By the way, I saw this Japanese production on three occasions, each from a different seat in the house (orchestra, side tier box, and way in back upstairs.) Each seating had a perfect view of the stage. Given the right repertoire, it may prove to be just fine!

  10. As I wrote above regarding those sites, you can tap into existing subscribers fro those areas. I wonder how many different avenues the company looked into before setting with the one to perform at AFH.

    Doesn't it sometimes depend on availability of any particular site for a particular time frame? Theaters tend to book their spaces months if not years in advance. Perhaps nothing appropriate was available for the time frame. It will be a challenge, but we can hope the choreographers will rise to the occasion and something wonderful could come out of the venue change.

  11. Tonight's performance was pretty sensational and I find it hard to quibble. Yes the corps had some hiccups and the production is a problem but the partnership of Vishneva and Gomes was amazing. Absolutely fantastic in acts 2 and 3. I could watch Vishneva's arms and hands for days. There were some jaw dropping moments tonight. Her transformation at the end of act 2 was spin chilling. For me Gomes has grown in the last few years into one of ABT's best dancers and strongest partners. (I'm sad I didn't get to see Gomes' Von Rothbart on Monday, he seems to be the only one who can make that choreography really work.) I second the praise of the four cygnettes. I thought they nailed it. Simkin was terrific too, more so in the solos than the partnering. I've enjoyed him in everything he has done this year.

    I won't repeat the kudos from so many about Vishneva/Gomes as they correspond to mine. Sensational!! But what strikes me about many of the reports is that they talk about the messiness of the corps and other parts of the ballet. I've attended all performance so far, and the corps, etc. is not improving. It's sad when one of the finest classical companies in the world cannot put together and rehearse a corps de ballet that is spot on perfect, yet sadder still that we, the audience, forgive it because of the star power presented in the leads. That the pas de trois, purple Rothbart, the corps, and yes, even the orchestra are not all superior in content should not be forgiven. We should not have to wait from dazzling moment to dazzling moment for our pure enjoyment of this work. If the whole production were of a higher quality how much more our appreciation would be and even the dazzling star power moments would fit more appropriately. ABT is a fine company. There is no excuse for some of the casting and certainly no excuse for the sloppy dancing. ABT deserves a better production, to be sure. But even the one it has should be given a better rendering. It seems this week the juice has been drained from the company. I will continue to attend, as I too love the wonderful pairings of the stars. I only wish there was more meat on the bones of this work and more consistency in its production.

  12. Corella was brilliant from a dramatic point of view. As one post noted above, he was able to convey his loneliness during the birthday party scene merely through facial expressions. In his solo at the end of Act I, he expressed yearning and despair through his stretched line. During the Act II pdd, he became increasingly enraptured with his swan queen. This was expressed not only through passiionate facial expressions, but through every little gesture of his body. His technique has declined a little bit over the years, but he is still way ahead of the rest of the ABT pack, in my opinion.

    I agree with Corella still being amazing. I never saw him in his younger years, but his technical capabilities are still much much more than good, even if they might not be what they once were. I agree Corella is much better than any other danseur at the ABT, with the exception of Hallberg, who, for me, is at least at Corella's present-day level from an overall evaluation perspective and has the potential to grow into more. But Hallberg, despite all his commendable qualities, is not (yet) a superb actor (with that not being a negative, because sometimes I think Hallberg chooses subtlety and finesse over more obvious ways of acting communication). Also, Hallberg has the benefit of a beautiful natural physique and elegant frame, and height and handsomeness. While Corella is handsome as well and has an open, inviting face, Corella did not start off with those all of those natural advantages and therefore is to be particularly commended for his remarkable achievements.

    Corella's acting is so much better than any ABT principal's (male or female) I have seen. Many small changes in body position, meaningful glances at his partner, the way he might sway his head, or shift his hand -- all of those things can, in some ways, be said to be more than "acting" and to make his acting blur with his overall "occupation" of the role of Prince Siegfried. It is quite amazing that Corella can do so much with just his face, although it is his whole body that is involved in expressing what is happening with the Prince throughout. And yet Corella's acting doesn't seem contrived. It seemed natural and genuine. :unsure:

    I also saw last night's SL. I felt Corella was a bit distant in his Act I acting, and not his usual self in the dancing department. Even my seat mate noticed the weight gain and I think his dancing at times looks more forced than usual. But he pulled it together for Act II, both acting wise and in his dancing. Still, he seems to have lost a lot of his youthful fluency, especially in transitions from one jump to the next or in his turn preparations. I agree that Gillian has improved her White Swan in many ways, and her passion has deepened as displayed by her extraordinary flexibility of her back. What can one say about her Black Swan? She out did herself in many respects, including the fouettes with the multiple turns (yes, they were quads) and the new arm waving. It can border on a circus act at times, but in truth by that time of the evening I was ready for some excitement. For most of the evening I sat numb. Saveliev was not very effective as purple Rothbart. (they should take Isaac Stappas out of the Ninja suit and give him a go at the role. He's the best villain at ABT, and he's pretty sexy on the eyes.). The Pas de Trois for the most part was a yawn. Ricetto looked dazzling, Abrera started out OK but faded into her variation, and Mathews was well, Mathews. Not much going on. I'd love to see Joseph Phillips or Erich Tamm given a chance at this. Both would generate more excitement. The swans were pretty much hit and miss. Many instances of dancing off the music and not dancing together. Arms at different angles and arabesque heights not uniform. The four Cynettes were fine, although dancing at a rather moribund tempo. The two big swans (Leann Underwood and Melanie Hamrick) again not in sync. And neither could do the entre chat sixes (a common problem with the ABT women). Nancy Raffa as the Queen Mother was excellent, although I had a hard time getting the image of her stunning portrayal of Madge in last weeks "La Sylphide" out of my mind. In many ways, "Swan Lake" is the ultimate test of a company and it's resources. Last night fell short. But I'm seeing all the other casts, so somewhere in there there has to be a fully realized performance. And my last gripe of the evening. Can't someone at ABT or the Met do something about the total inappropriate use of cell phones and Blackberrys during the performance? The lady sitting on my other side (Grand tier) was texting the entire performance! This has gotten totally out of control and the ushers do nothing even when you mention it to them. The lady texting told me "to mind my own business". Apparently she thought she was at the ball game. Please someone HELP!!

  13. I think McKenzie added the monster Rothbart and the stuffed swan in order to make it more "Disneyesque". Kids like to see monsters and stuffed animals, so let's put them on stage. I think he believes that this approach makes it more family friendly and therefore sells more tickets.

    The stuffed swan is a bit of a problem. I've seen all the "monster Rothbarts" do this role, and to my eye only Isaac Stappas reveals the swan facing towards stage right, so more of the audience can see the "bird in hand" (so to speak). All the other Rothbarts bring the bird out facing stage left, and because the action takes place in the downstage corner and because the bird is caught in the light coming from the wing many in the audience miss the moment. And only see the bird's behind,not it's head. By facing the bird to the right, it benefits from the back light from the wing, thus more people see it. I sometimes wonder if anyone bothers to watch the action from the house, or ever goes up to Grand Tier or Dress Circle to see how an action "reads" from different vantage points. The audience is more than just those in the orchestra.

    mimsyb

  14. I just returned from an absolutely unforgettable night of dancing. Natalia Osipova was in short amazing, and although I've heard of her amazing jumps, her speed, her turns, to actually see them in person is another matter. I have never seen a ballerina with such natural elevation -- it seems as if she literally flies across the big Met stage. Even her hops on pointe in the Spessivtseva variation seemed to have this moment of suspension in the air. Her Giselle is a generous, happy girl in Act 1, less emotionally intense than Diana Vishneva (whom I saw on Tuesday). But you like this Giselle, so the inevitable betrayal stings. Osipova's Giselle doesn't seem to have a weak heart -- in the Mad Scene she has sudden cardiac arrest and goes limp more realistically than any other Giselle I've seen.

    What a difference a good Myrtha makes in a Giselle! Wiles on Tuesday was dull and her movements jerky, and her solos went for nothing. Veronika Part, on the other hand, has this natural buoyancy and fluidity of movement, as well as a commanding stage presence that gave the whole second act a wonderful energy. Even the Wili corps seemed energized by their wonderful leader. Osipova's second act wasn't lithograph pretty, but instead a frenzy of pure dance. Her initiation as a Wili was so quick and ferocious that she drew gasps across the audience. Osipova's Giselle wasn't the stern, implacable Wili of Diana Vishneva. Instead, she was simply a continuation of the exuberant, irrepressible girl in Act 1. Everything about her was feather light -- her entrechats have this wonderful openness to them, and her developpes were solid, if a bit quick. Her grande jetes resembled flying. The only negative to Osipova's Giselle was that I didn't sense any deep tragedy in the story. But that's ok -- I'm sure that with time, the interpretation will deepen. In the meantime, I can just revel in her breathtaking dancing.

    David Hallberg was a wonderfully classic Albrecht. He naturally looks aristocratic, and he plays Albrecht as slightly aloof from the start. He did an amazing sequence of entrechats in the second act. Despite the fact that this is the first time they danced together, I thought Osipova and Hallberg partnered beautifully together.

    ABT is very lucky to have Natalia Osipova. :wub:

    While I too think she is an amazing dancer with a rare sense of space for which her jumps seem to go on and up forever, still I found this entire performance to be strangely unmoving. I'm sure I'm totally in the minority here, but I found her first act cloying and a bit "weepy". Hard to get a handle on it, but I didn't feel much rapport between Osipova and Hallberg. While he does seem aloof at times, he seemed to be having a tough time relating to her. She just sort of dances for herself. Beautifully, but...... Her second act was one expression throughout, rather like a mask. I sensed a lack of "soul" to the performance. Compare with Nina's final "Giselle" when she broke our hearts, not once but twice. Osipova is young and will most definitly improve and grow. I also would prefer a bit of color to her first act dress which looked like a frilly nightgown all in white. Very girlie, girlie.

    mimsyb

  15. I was just wondering what everyone's opinion was on her?

    I find her to be one of the most incredible and well-rounded performers in the company. She seems to be having a great season. Her Desir this week was incredible, not to mention her performance in Dnieper which blew me away.

    So what says everyone else?

    Agreed. She was one of the few good things in "Desir". All passion and extraordinary sweep to her dancing. And for me she was the best of the 'Olgas' in "On the Dneiper". One could see leaving home for her! She dances big and with great assurance. Her Myrta was a bit unsteady, but that was probably nerves. She will only get better. I'm always drawn to her whenever she's on stage.

    mimsyb

  16. Saying something was very long implies that it was on the dull side........

    Nina may not be in her best shape this season but she is never dull.... neither is Angel...

    What a strange pairing, David Hallberg with Xiomara Reyes. Also I don't think I've ever seen Hallberg dance Tchai pas,

    but I can well imagine he was all noble beauty and gorgeous lines.

    Indeed, ABT came up with a brilliantly beautiful idea, the Tchai-Balanchine celebration program! They should do it again in the Fall at City Center with a new bunch of Mr. B's best ballets.

    I agree that the programming idea was a winner with the Balanchine/Tchaikovsky. It certainly showed a wonderful range of work from the genius of Balanchine. While City Center would be a bit small for this, I would love to see ABT dance the glorious "Symphony in C" (it would show better at the Met) But what a showcase for all the dancers of this company. With it's four sections (movements), it would keep the casting people busy for days, while affording us, the audience an opportunity to see all the levels that this company can field. One can dream!

    mimsyb

  17. True, but Ansanelli is a dancer. (If the makers of "Isadora" back in the Sixties had cast Lynn Seymour as in the title role, she wouldn't have been an exact physical match, but in spirit and style she would have been as close to Isadora as anyone could have gotten.)

    Duff also strikes me as a little young for the movie's time frame described in the article - she will be playing the middle aged Fonteyn, not the young dancer. So in the best of all possible worlds a suitable mature ballerina would be cast in the role, although no one springs to mind offhand.

    It may be, of course, that the filmmakers don't intend on showing much if any dancing, in which case the project would indeed be worth very little....

    Thanks for commenting, everyone! Keep posting.

    Do you mean the film "Isadora" with Vanessa Redgrave or the marvelous other Isadora film that starred the wonderful British actress Vivienne Pickles in the title role. ? Totally a non dancer, Ms. Pickles brought huge passion and clarity to the role. Well directed and with a good script, a non dancer could realistically play Fontyne. It also would depend on the story line. While we define the life of Fontyne by her dancing (duh!), still her other life away from ballet could prove quite a story. Wait and see.

    mimsyb

  18. Today's NY Times has a glowing review of a new production of Schiller's Mary Stuart, with Janet McTeer as Elizabeth I and Harriet Walter as Mary Queen of Scots. It's a London transplant, produced by the Donmar Warehouse.

    http://theater2.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/the...20mary.html?hpw

    Wouldn't this story make a wonderful ballet? Think of the contrasting lives of Vanessa Redgrave (Mary) / Glenda Jackson (Elizabeth) -- and their confrontations (though the two women actually never met). It's classic and fairly well-known. That needs that you don't need to fill it with all sorts of plot exposition. It COULD be an elaborate story ballet. But it could also be something quite condensed. You would need powerful and quite different dramatic ballerinas.

    So: whom would you cast as Elizabeth? whom as Mary? And, for the adventurous, how about a choreographer?

    I can't think of contemporary dramatic ballerinas, but -- if we could move back to the past -- I think that John Cranko could have done something with Marcia Haydee (Mary) and Nora Kaye (Elizabeth) -- though they're from different generations. Jose Limon, of course. And Antony Tudor. Are there ANY choreographers and ballerinas who could carry this off today?

    Wendy Whelen as Elizabeth and Gillian Murphy as Mary. Boris Eifman as choreographer! Or cast a man in the role of Elizabeth. That would make for a better pas de deux situation, even though the two characters presumably never met. Only the barest suggestion of costumes. Perhaps a neck ruff on leotards. Phillip Glass music.

    mimsyb

  19. It's hard to imagine which of the other principals would take it on--Nina dances it the night before, and Reyes and Part the next day. I suppose that since it is not a full-evening ballet it wouldn't be quite as strenuous to dance it two days in a row. My hope is that they will cast someone like Lane in the role, but now I wonder if I should just trade my ticket in for the 17th...Does anyone have any other hunches as to who could possibly dance on the 19th?

    Part would make the most sense as she doesn't dance until Saturday evening. But don't underestimate Nina. She stepped in for Vishneva last year with little notice. Maybe better to go with experience.

  20. [ADMIN BEANIE ON]

    We're a discussion board. What is "yadda, yadda, yadda" to one poster may be important to someone else.

    Ballet Talk policy is that "discussing the discussion" is off-limits.

    Any discussion that doesn't appeal is one that can be skipped.

    [ADMIN BEAN OFF]

    Apologies to anyone I may have offended with my words regarding the Osipova saga. My teeth were (and are still) knashing over the date changes, etc. like everyone's. Until it was pointed out to me by my friend in subscriptions to read the "fine print" at the bottom of all brochures about "all casts and programs are subject to change". That said, I agree that if ABT knew of this conflict it might have been better to have left the dates TBA until everything was cleared up. Happy customers come back. Alas, it's an imperfect system. Again, apologies if my words were misconstrued.

    mimsyb

  21. It seems very possible that "La Sylphide" of June 19 may be cancelled. But since ABT is on tour in London the information is just being late.

    The Osipova saga continues.....I just took a look at ABT's website. The Sylphide for Fri Juen 19 is now listed as TBA/Hallberg. So it looks like Osipova is out of the June 19 performance. Typical of ABT to bait and switch on casting. It's happened numerous times in the past, and so now I expect it all the time.

    and in the greatest of ironies--i switched my tickets from the 17th to the 19th because originally the 17th was the date that she was double booked....

    argh!

    All this "yadda, yadda about Ms. Osipova and when she does or does not dance is amazing. My guess is that most of us have seen her only at YAGP or on Utube, so that there's much anticipation about seeing her live in a complete ballet. Scheduling is very difficult. Many dancers and companies make arrangement months if not years in advance. But the deal is that if she's good, which she is, and if she sells seats, which undoubtedly she will, she'll be baaaaak! To think otherwise would assume ABT doesn't have a clue commercially speaking. This is about good business. It would be splendid if Ms. Osipova left the Bolshoi and became a permanent member of ABT now that her friend, Alexi Ratmansky is here. I admire Veronica Part for making her break. It has taken her awhile, but she is now dancing better than ever (and probably more often) than when in Russia. Meanwhile, there are so many other splendid dancers to choose from in all the roles, so if I miss Ms. Osipova this season, I'm sure there will be other seasons. At ABT there's always a wealth of talent to look forward to seeing. A great ballet company is made up of more than just it's stars. To me, the corps and secondary roles are all equally as important, or else the ballet doesn't work as a total package. The glory of ABT's corps is always such a pleasure: I often find myself training my opera glasses on many of them rather than the leads. So, my advice is, try for her performances, but if you're unlucky there, open yourself to all the other possibilities that make the ABT Spring Season such a joy!

    mimsyb

  22. I'd also like to mention Arron Scott, who is going to give Craig Salstein a run for his money in the funny department, as well as turning into a really good dancer. His "Tico-Tico" in "Company B" was superior to Craig's "Oh, Johnny".

    Yes, I too thought Arron Scott gave us a wonderful "Tico Tico". He got the Taylor movement without the mugging that is starting to already creep into some of the others performances in this piece. Also saw the new soloist addition, Daniil Simkin in the role on Friday night and was dismayed at his take on it. Ok, he is obviously a good technician (even in trousers, not tights!), but the underpinings of this dance were way beyond him. First of all, he looks about twelve years old, and is not a great match up on stage with any of the other dancers. Someone ought to tell him not to wear so much lipstick on his already wide grin, and the men certainly don't bow along with the women right away, although there he was running downstage with the girls, and then having to be pulled back by, I think, Roman Zhurbin. Maybe this addition to the company is to provide Sarah Lane with a petite partner to match her somewhat overstated talent. I agree she was nice in the corps, but has yet to find any comfort in the soloist catagory. At least the two mini dynamos could match each other grin for grin!

    For me, the less said about Michelle Wiles in "Theme" the better. Oy! What a mess! Doesn't she hear music? And just because you can do three or four piroettes doesn't mean you should. Less is always more, but with Michelle it always seems like she's out to prove to the dance world she's a contender. Alas, not for this viewer. And poor Cory Stearns! He just looked relieved it was over. Give us Blaine Hoven or Alexandre Hammoudi any day.

    More later, but will someone please tell Jared Mathews to get a haircut?

    mimsyb

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