mimsyb

Alicia Vikander took home the Academy Award for best supporting actress. I have a question for those who've seen the movie: was she really in a supporting role, or was this one of those instances where a lead was shoehorned into the category?

Probably option two. She seemed to be the lead female in the film more than support. (if you don't ultimately count Redmayne). Probably a case of a of a more probable win as Supporting Actress than in the already crowded Lead Actress field. She was very good whatever category one wishes to put her into.

To my surprise, today at the ticket exchange box office for ABT, I was told you could only obtain as many tickets as you were exchanging. In other words, you could not purchase any tickets in addition to the number you were exchanging. Did anyone else have this problem, or did I just get a wise guy box office employee? I've been an ABT subscriber for a good 15 years, and I have never had this problem. I've always been permitted in the past to buy additional tickets beyond the number I exchanged during the priority exchange week. The end result will be that I will have to return to the box office to get rid of some tickets I was marginally interested in to get certain other dates. I won't be repurchasing the marginal interest dates at a later time. Good job ABT! Considering that the place is half empty most nights, this new policy doesn't make any sense. The box office person said that ABT was "adamant" that no additional tickets be sold to subscribers during the priority week.

I had the same experience. I could make equal exchange (which I did), but was not permitted to "add on" singles as has always been done in the past. What a disappointment. I left pretty mad, because like you it now means an additional trip down to the BO. What a pain. The BO person I had said this was an ABT decision, not the Met's and that the Met fought not to have this policy, as it means longer lines next Sunday (more chaos) and it also means that money didn't come into the BO for tickets purchased. What a dumb policy. It alienates us as subscription holders. So, I didn't put anything additional on my credit card on Sunday, but I also took another look at what I had intended to buy and decided perhaps I could do without those dates. Not a very smart move on ABT's part. Another reason to dislike their ticket policies. BOOOO!!!

I have such an odd list. But seeing these ballets when I was young opened my eyes to the extraordinary possibilities of dance. I loved the great classics, but these ballets stand out in my mind. In no particular order:

Picnic at Tintagel

The Combat

Facade

Wedding Bouquet

Serenade

Wow! Didn't see this one coming. I thought she was working with the JKO school. Congratulations to Julie and her husband.

Yes, Big surprise. Happy for both. Just a wild thought. What are the odds that Sarah Lane might jump ship for Foggy Bottom?

Given that Lendorf hasn't returned yet, perhaps McKenzie's keeping Gorak's schedule open in case a replacement becomes necessary late in the season for Swan Lake, etc.? (Although I do hope that Lendorf returns...I really want to see him live.)

I'm curious about how the new Ratmansky work is affecting casting, too: each of the five movements of the Bernstein piece is named after a (male) speaker in the Symposium. If the dance was originally intended as a showpiece for the older and younger male dancers of the company--which wouldn't have been a bad idea before Lendorf and Hallberg got injured--some of the up-and-comers may be building that. (He's already serving the company's women in Firebird and The Golden Cockerel.)

I bet Hoven will be good in Sylvia: Aminta suits his strengths like a glove.

Yes. I think Hoven is due for a push upward. He's made much progress in recent months. Plus, he's a good "mid-height" choice for more leading roles.

I was wondering the exact same thing. Why not Scott? Or Forster?

Lane has also danced with Gorak, and quite successfully (Nutcracker, The Tempest....). If Cornejo has other commitments that now prevent him from dancing SB, why not pair Lane w/ Gorak, and partner Boylston with Forster. I think Forster may be a bit too tall for Lane and I think he'd make a wonderful Prince.

I'm not a huge Lane fan (although she could carry Lise). And Gorak just isn't much of an actor.....yet. But now that you mention Forster, I'd like to see him dance Alain (he IS a good actor) and see Scott paired with Skylar Brandt for the Lise/Colas roles. Also, hoping that Roman Zhurbin gets a crack at Alain. But obviously, Craig will do Alain and probably over act it! MO

For now Seo is scheduled for two Auroras opposite Hammoudi. She hasn't yet been assigned a partner for the final performance. At least she's due to get one day off between her first and second performances, but asking her to do three Auroras over four days at the tail end of the season is asking an awful lot.

These are the differences in casting between the ABT and Met sites. Six TBAs have been filled, four new TBAs have appeared, three previous TBAs remain unfilled, and apparently one cast has been changed entirely.

May 11m (Aminta) - Lendorf → TBA

May 11e (Aminta) - TBA → Hoven

May 14e (Aminta) - Lendorf → TBA

May 24 (Colas) - Lendorf → Cirio

May 26 (Colas) - TBA → Whiteside

May 27 (Colas) - Lendorf → Cirio

May 30 (Colas) - TBA → Whiteside

June 1e (Conrad) - Lendorf → TBA

June 3 (Lankendem) - Lendorf → Cirio; (Ali) - still TBA

June 4m (Conrad) - Lendorf → TBA

June 22m (Romeo) - TBA → Whiteside

June 22e (Romeo) - TBA → Hammoudi

June 25m (Romeo) - still TBA (w/Copeland)

June 29e (Désiré) -TBA → Hammoudi

July 1 (Aurora) - Lane → Seo; (Désiré) - Cornejo → Hammoudi

July 2e (Désiré) - still TBA (w/Seo)

OK. So I'm disappointed that Whiteside has inherited the Lendorf Colas performances. Why not someone like Aaron Scott for that role? I think he would be quite splendid. MO

Lane/Cornejo are still listed on the ABT site, but they're gone on the MET site (which tends to show casting updates before the ABT site). That really sucks. I'm guessing Cornejo has other commitments in July and cancelled the last week of performances (ala Gomes last season with Cinderella).

It's a shame they couldn't find another partner for Lane. I don't see how Copeland was allowed to dance Swan Lake with Whiteside (a guy who is a foot taller than her) but they won't let Lane dance with anyone not named Cornejo, Simkin, or Gorak.

ETA: before some people jump on me for using Copeland as an example, I didn't use it as a personal attack on her. I did it because both Copeland and Lane are of similar height (maybe Copeland an inch or half an inch taller) so I don't see why they couldn't have the same partners (both short AND tall). Yeah. I know it looks awkward when you partner is that much taller than you. But if I were a dancer I'll take awkwardness any day if it means I get one chance at a leading role on a big stage this year.

It's not always about height and matching the sizes of dancers.

Well while we're on City Ballet wrap-up I was shocked at how out of shape Robert Fairchild looked yesterday in Agon.

Yes, I thought that also. A bit "chunky" perhaps. And stylistically he seemed out of sorts with others on stage. Still, for me anyway, it was a lot better to see him dancing Balanchine than in that dreadful "American in Paris".

Didn't he know about the hierarchy of the Paris Opera going in? One would assume he did. Maybe just too many apple carts were upset. Change comes slowly and with finesse. Doubtful Mr. Millepied had either the time or the finesse! He denied this in his interview, but perhaps the current political situation (vis a vis terrorism, etc.) wasn't to Miss Portman's liking when it came to living in Paris. Add this into a messy situation at the Opera and maybe it was decided it was best to leave. And for what it's worth, I would agree about not possibly bringing him to NYCB when Martins eventually retires . My vote would go to Woetzel.

I agree Bobbi. Last niight was the perfect antidote to Tuesday. No gimmicks. Just great choreography.

Proving yet again the sublime genius of Balanchine.

One of the very greats. RIP

This must be the first time in the history of ballet that pricing has been dictated by Princess Florine, a secondary role...a full pdd/nice role but hardly the star. I hope that the DC masses won't be disappointed when, after two hours (three scenes and two intermissions), they still will not have seen their idol. We'll hear a lot of "Where's Misty?" from the crowd intermissions. I understand a price hike for an idolized dancer performing the lead in a full-evening ballet but not an eight-minute appearance (plus intro & coda in Act III).

Crass. Not only does it diminish the dancers who are dancing the leads, but it points up how ignorant an audience might be about the ballet. ABT seems to be saying "let's milk this promotion as far as we can" (or dare)

I would like to say to Sohalia that the dancers who Felin invited to join the Bolshoi as well as the dancers he promoted are all extraordinary.

Extraordinary. And the remark about the quality of their dancing which Maria Allash made in the film made her look pathetic. It was sad

I agree. Unlike many here I found the film a bit of a drudge. And not really very interesting film making. Some of the camera work was pretty amateur - ish, and the amount of information left unsaid was astounding. To not have mentioned the dancers Filin did bring to the Bolshoi, and as someone mentioned not to include more of Dmitrichenko's background, or even the on going roil between Filin and Tskiskardze put Filin in a negative view. I would also have loved to have seen more footage of Filin actually working with the dancers in a rehearsal. To see the process more. Everyone seems to arrive fully formed and then turned loose to do as they please. The film just seemed to be a slight wash of the entire situation and I found little of interest here, either as a source of information or even as a "stand alone film". Not very compelling.

Before creating this post, I searched for "Bolshoi Babylon" and found this thread. I hope I am not posting information that hasn't already been posted elsewhere.

I read the following three articles on the New York Times (subscription might be required):

1. ‘Bolshoi Babylon’ Explores a Secretive Ballet Troupe
2. Maria Alexandrova on the Bolshoi: ‘We Still Don’t Know the Truth’
3. Anastasia Meskova on the Bolshoi: ‘I Was in the Middle’

There was an article in the Times today. (Saturday). I was struck by a photo of Maria Alexandrova rehearsing in a studio at the Bolshoi. The floor seemed to be a "marley" that was simply taped down (with a few bubbles here and there), as opposed to a permanent flooring that one sees at say, NYCB or SFB, etc. For a theater that's just gone through a multi million dollar renovation, one would think that a first class flooring could have been installed.

Clip from "The Man Who Loved Redheads." Love the shoes, too.

I have a copy of this film. Very hard to find, but worth seeking out. This was always a big favorite of mine when I was younger. I never understood why it wasn't made into a musical for Broadway. Wonderful story.

Thanks for the historical information about the extended fingers and the golden thimbles in Chinese culture. Personally, I never found it to be "incorrect" to dance the variation with the extended fingers. It is a fantasy after all.

I tired to watch but I started getting bored about a half hour in. The actress who played Dorothy had a lovely voice but was not a good actress. I switched over to a cable TV showing of BIG with Tom Hanks.

Couldn't watch BORING!! And besides, George Sanders and the "Falcon" was on Turner Classic Films. Now THAT I can stay up for.

Yes. I'm reading one now: "Russian Winter" by Daphne Katolay. Just started it but

compelling. Will finish it!

Also, not quite the same, but a novel called Pyotr Ilyich by Adin Dalton is a good read about "you know who". For the young reader there are the two novels by Regina Woody: "Student Dancer" and "Ballet in the Barn" Possibly these are out of print.

I can imagine several nightmare casting possibilities, but what would the good ones be?

Mark Rylance. He could play anyone!

The City and all it's people and all of France are in my thoughts.

McKenzie completely ignores Lane, so I doubt we will ever see her Juliet. We are more likely to see a Brandt or Trenary Juliet before we ever see a Lane Juliet.

Kochetkova is here to stay, like it or not. (I am not a Kochetkova fan.) If you want to see Cornejo, you must accept Kochetkova as part of the package deal.

Not sure they are a "package", but I like them together quite a lot. She has energy and zip in her dancing, they look good together and he seems to partner her with ease. As far as Lane is concerned, she seemed to melt into the wallpaper an awful lot these past few weeks. She has technique and she always comes off very nicely, very pretty. But for me she always has that "poor little match girl" expression on her face. There's never a sense of suspense or danger in her dancing. I saw her do "Green Table" and thought, "OK, she's pretty good in this type of ballet.". Then I saw Skylar Brandt dance the same role the following night,and I promptly forgot anything about Sarah. Skylar's musical sense is sensational and she always swings for the fences. Both Skylar and Cassandra Trennary seem to be the ones to watch for the near future. And also Shevchenko. All three ladies have a certain "something " about their dancing and performance that sets them apart from the others. Sarah is too predictable for my taste. The other three offer a challenge to "come watch me dance" every time I see them. I hate to say this, but Lane seems to be cut from yesterday's cloth. Somehow she doesn't seem to be on the same level as the other three mentioned. I'm still waiting for her to come into her own, but it would appear that time is moving on and in another direction.

Yes , the two performances I attended were poorly sold. I think it's the rep. There is too much repetition of works that most people aren't especially eager to see. For me, the constant repetition of Company B and the Green Table was one reason I only attended twice. Normally, with better rep I would have attended more.

Yet all three performances I attended (last Thursday, Friday and again last night) seemed very well sold. I was surprised that the Orch. was nearly full, as were the rings. Even 4th ring . Last night had Misty dancing twice, but the other nights were not necessarily a" Copeland Night". I agree however that the repetition of "Green Table" (which I like very much) and "Company B" (which I prefer in Paul Taylor's company version) was a bit of over kill. Other things might have been presented. I guess Tudor doesn't necessarily sell, but "Leaves Are Fading" would have been a nice addition this Season. It gives many dancers a chance to dance. Possibly with so many firsts ("Monotones", After You" and "After Effect", "Valse Fantasie") it was easier to do older rep more times.

I come from a Spartan theater etiquette education. My lowest, most primal instincts seem to snap when triggered by the seemingly increased notion of chewing on something 25 hours a day.

Well, at least it's not the Kabuki Theater in Japan, where it is not uncommon to see Bento boxes unwrapped and eaten during the performance. I think it's entirely appropriate to mention it to an usher. You may or may not get a response. Both the Met and the State Theater are pretty good about regulating the "no food" issue. Sadly today far too many people come to the theater and behave as if it's their own home, where anything goes. (including putting their feet up on the seats!). I come down on the side of immersing myself in the entire experience of whatever it is that I'm watching. I suppose if one is bold enough and clear enough in one's aversion to another's eating during a performance, then it's also entirely appropriate to say something to the offending person. If, for instance, you are watching "Swan Lake" you might say something like, "I don't think they had wrapped candy in the Prince's Court." Or, "I hope you intend to take that noisy wrapper with you when you leave the lakeside." Or, "You must not have received the memo in your program that Odette is particularly adverse to noisy candy wrappers" Or, "Don't make me ask Rothbart to come up here to this seat and ask for your half sucked candy!" Be creative!

I am fully aware of this mimsyb and my apologies as it is by no means to insult Mr. Taylor's work, and you are indeed correct that it is a matter of preference in this case, I was merely stating that I would much prefer live orchestra performances. My grand daughter thought it was fun and entertaining so that was nice for her to see another side of ballet without pointe shoes. I guess I am a Mr. B and Twyla fan myself

Yes, me too for both Mr. B and for Twyla. My heart just beats differently for much of Taylor and with his current usage of the orchestra for many of his works now when he performs in NYC, some of his works take on new and exciting life. We are so very lucky to be in NYC and have the pleasure of seeing so much wonderful dance.