Ambonnay

In the past, ABT has had Hispanic nights (an official gala of a sort ), and in the past, they've done it by making an all-Hispanic principal cast in Le Corsaire. I guess they'd rather use Osipova than their Hispanic soloist, Maria Riccetto. I guess neither Osipova nor Riccetto would technically meet the original description in the ABT's Met program press release. That was why I wasn't originally thinking it could be Osipova. "A Celebration for Alicia Alonso. As part of American Ballet Theatre 70th Anniversary season, the Company will celebrate the life and career of legendary dancer and ballet director Alicia Alonso. Alonso joined Ballet Theatre in 1940 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1946. Famed for her interpretation of the title role in Giselle, Alonso also starred in the World Premieres of ABT’s most critically hailed works, including George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Antony Tudor’s Undertow and as The Accused in Agnes de Mille’s Fall River Legend; all roles that were created on her. Alonso’s 90th birthday will be marked by a special performance of Don Quixote on Thursday evening, June 3 featuring three Principal casts, each dancing the lead in one act of the three act classic." If "three Principal casts" means three casts, whose Basilio and Kitri are all principals, then neither Osipova nor Riccetto technically meets that requirements. I guess "three Principal casts" has a less likely meaning that the "main" ballerina and danseur (ie the male and female leads) in each cast are different, but that meaning seems less plausible. Having Osipova be the Kitri in this is of course wonderful.

Good point. I wonder what other members think about the special June 3d performance, where 3 pairs of Basilios/Kitris will be dancing their applicable portion of a single ballet, versus a "regular" performance? Has the ABT done something like this before?

abatt -- Yes. It seems worthwhile to attend the performance, just to see for oneself either way!

The Basilios and Kitri that were TBA seem to have been filled in now: http://www.abt.org/performances/calendar_index1.asp The June 1 Kitri is N Osipova!! In other words, Osipova's performances have increased from 2 to 3 at the Met 2010, and her partner is Carreno! The June 3 TBA Basilio, dancing with Murphy, is Steifel I forgot where the other TBA in the schedule previously for Basilio was.

The current Pointe magazine has an article entitled "Radetsky Returns". Below are excerpts: -- "family obligatgions have brought him back to the U.S....." -- "When family illness brought me back to the States last summer, I realized how much I'd missed my wife, ABT soloist Stella Abrera. That separation was really tough. I'd missed ABT, as well." -- "I feel that the developments in my personal and professional life have given me a new sense of perspective these days.... Most of all, though, I'm looking forward to spending time with my girl. Being with Stella is more important than chasing roles over in Europe."

I didn't know there were two galas. Could you clarify (not for purposes of my buying a ticket, as I already have a ticket for March 26 and cannot attend March 27) what happens at each gala and which dancers are likely to attend which gala(s)?

The YAGP NYC Gala is March 26, 2010. Tickets are currently on sale: http://www.nycitycenter.org/tickets/Reserv...anceNumber=5237

I wouldn't think anybody is being promoted to principal before 2011 (that's not a suggestion that anybody would be in 2011). I think Hee Seo will be promoted to soloist in the first half of 2010. Simone Mesmer wants to be promoted, but I think Hee Seo will surely be promoted before, or concurrently with, her (not that I think Mesmer will be promoted).

On the Bolshoi's Spartacus (2010 at the Kennedy Center), can group members provide a sense as to when casting for the ballets will be announced? I'd like to see Ivan Vasiliev in the role, if he is performing it.

Corella is only involved in two full-length performances at the Met in 2010. I don't want to attend the Romeo & Juliet he has with Vishneva because it is on the evening that I hope to receive tickets for the Osipova/Hallberg R&J, and two performances during a day may be too much for me. However, the other Corella (Don Quixote) is with Herrera as Kitri. I can tolerate Herrera in a classical role if she is paired with Hallberg and she is the only choice, but I try not to pick Herrera performances. What to do? Maybe wait, since it is conceivable Corella could be one of the two "TBA" Basilios as well?

Apart from the demands of his own company, I wonder why Corella has so few performances too?

FauxPas -- I'm asking because I don't know, not because I am questioning the point about upper body muscular development. Is that something a danseur typically strives to achieve as he matures -- because there could be perceived "cons" to that as well (e.g., a different line to the upper body than if there were less development)? For example, is that something that Hallberg should try to develop and could that compromise the proportion of his torso to his legs (even though he has very long legs)? Somehow, Gomes still looks lean, even though he has upper body muscular development. I don't know about Carreno, because I'm not sure I've ever seen him live. Also, along the lines of muscular development, why would a danseur like Blaine Hoven be working out so much that he has developed the heaviness of muscular physique (especially on the upper body) that he has now? On Part, she does have the weightedness you mention that, I agree, adds to the sense of horizontal power. But it is a particular form of horizontal power which might be better suited to certain roles than others. I think how serious a deficiency the lack of height in her jumps and the sense of weightedness can be when one is addressing vertical coverage depends on the role. I wonder the extent to which large bone structure and the weight of one's bones can affect jumping. Also, Part is not as thin as certain other ballerinas. She has a "thicker" look when you look at her from the side of her body (not just frontally, when you see she has broad shoulders and a broad frame). She also has a more womanly, as opposed to "fragile girl", look that some (myself excluded) would perceive as contributing to a more glamorous look.

I was looking over the ABT bios for who gets what at the Met 2010, and saw that Messmer has a much more flattering photo up on her bio. Not sure it helps the audience identify her in a performance as well as the prior photo (which I only vaguely recall), though. http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp?Dancer_ID=71

I am rolling over my subscription because I am pretty happy with the seating I've had. As you might know, at least for my seating (all seating??), if you roll over your subscription from last year for the same evening at the Met in a timely manner, you are guaranteed your seat from last year. (I haven't subscribed for that long, so I'm not sure what the deadline is, but I was able to renew the subscription yesterday, although I did not get confirmation of additional tickets I requested yesterday because they have to wait for other subscribers to decide, among other things.) Does anybody know whether, as a matter of formal policy, if one has one subscription series, but gets other tickets, those other tickets can also be exchanged? Or is it just the tickets constituting the subscription itself that can be exchanged? Also, can you clarify what you refer to when you say "casting"? Are there big changes ahead typically?

aurora: I have seen V Part as Myrtha, such as in the June 13, 2009 PM Osipova/Hallberg performance. I think Part's weakness in her jumps is not length (i.e., how she can traverse the stage, which I agree she does a fair job of). At least to me, one of her major weaknesses in her dancing is a lack of height in her jumps (ie vertical coverage). Also, to me, a lack of a sensation of lightness when she jumps. Hallberg's jumps carry length, height and lightness combined. Also, I wonder if Robert Bolle might look better with Part because Robert looks more mature than Hallberg, and Part has a more mature look for a ballerina, despite being the recently minted ABT principal (it took her some time to make principal, as we all may recall). Bolle joined La Scala Ballet in 1994, and has been principal since 1996. http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp?Dancer_ID=229 Hallberg is the youngest of the ABT danseurs. There are some ballerinas, e.g., Vishneva, who actually have a lot more experience than Hallberg in terms of years, but wouldn't (at least based on not having yet seen them dance Swan Lake together) look out of place with Hallberg. With Part, that seems to me to not be the case. The only time I've seen Part look fresh and youthful is in her picture on her ABT bio page. As you noted, Part is "statuesque". I don't know how imposing Bolle looks in person, but Hallberg, while tall, does not come across as especially broad (he comes across on stage as just right). Part, on the other hand, does have a certain breadth to her body that some would perceive as creating a "more substantial" look for her when she dances. Part is not a petite ballerina. So, maybe Bolle would also be a better match for Part physically if Bolle were physically stronger than Hallberg. And, yes, I generally dislike Part's dancing. I've said that before on this board.

You're right. She's never done Kitri in NY. How unfortunate for me to have forgotten, given I attended the two performances she had with Hallberg this year (although not her performances with Cornego).

Further observations on the Met casting: 1) Special Don Quixote: I didn't notice this until just now, but the June 3 Don Quixote (Thursday) performance features 3 different pairs of lead performers (likely to be all-principal, although one Kitri is not yet named). 7:30 PM Don Quixote P. Herrera M. Gomes X. Reyes H. Cornejo tba J. Carreño The press release says the following about this performance: Alicia "Alonso’s 90th birthday will be marked by a special performance of Don Quixote on Thursday evening, June 3 featuring three Principal casts, each dancing the lead in one act of the three act classic." 2) Sleeping Beauty: It seems like the most recent production of Sleeping Beauty will again be used. The press release states: "Gillian Murphy and Jose Manuel Carreño will lead the season’s first performance of The Sleeping Beauty on Monday evening, June 14. This production of The Sleeping Beauty received its World Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on June 1, 2007." Not surprising, given the current state of the economy, etc. Also, the Swan Lake production seems to be the same. 3) Fancy Free: The Friday, June 3 and Monday, June 28 performances of "Fancy Free" feature the following three danseurs: H. Cornejo E. Stiefel J. Carreño 4) There is the Paloma-equivalent role in On the Dneiper that is TBA in the following cast on June 28 and July 1: TBA [lead ballerina] Saveliev Messmer Tamm That team had debuted together in the work as follows in 2009: Riccetto Saveliev Messmer Tamm I wonder why there is doubt as to Riccetto being the lead. One possible explanation I can think of is that, on July 1, right before On the Dneiper is the Brahms/Haydn Variations, which includes Riccetto. I wonder if there are other factors in play?

Part of the reason for the mixed reviews may have been that sometimes McKenzie would cause Hallberg and Wiles to be premiering in their respective roles in the same performance -- like in Don Quixote as Kitri and Basilio, and also in their Swan Lake, I think. So, if they got some less than perfect reviews initially in some cases, that might have been because they were each relatively new to their leading roles. Also, I don't think either of them is the very strongest (or the most obvious, in the sense of "in your face") of actors, although Hallberg has gotten better and better in terms of strength of acting (without compromising his more subtle and nice approach). I happen to like the more subtle approach they both took to their acting even early on -- it seemed less artifical than certain other people's acting, such as X Reyes or V Part. I don't disagree with richard53dog and bingham that it would have been nice to see Osipova as Kitri again. However, apart from scheduling, here are some potential reasons that each of ABT and Osipova might want to do something else: 1) Osipova received a great deal of acclaim from critics already for her performance of Kitri in NY. Also, she is well-known internationally for that Kitri role. Therefore, if I were Osipova and I wanted to show the Bolshoi team that I have full capabilities beyond Kitri or that I can receive acclaim in other roles, I would want to do a different full-length ballet. Especially one in which Osipova is not known for starring internationally. That way, she can garner more favorable reviews from US critics for other roles and further establish herself within the Bolshoi. 2) ABT might want Osipova to do something other than what she already did at the Met in 2009, to build up the anticipation among audience members for her performance. Also to build up the anticipation by the critics too. For example, who wouldn't want to see how Osipova does in the Rose Adagio -- even if it's in the context of the last McKenzie production of Sleeping Beauty? If one assumes that, leaving aside tourists, many members of the ballet going population are repeat attendees, having Osipova take on roles that are new for her at the ABT would increase the curiosity factor. 3) Romeo & Juliet and Sleeping Beauty could both showcase a "softer" side of Osipova than Don Quixote, as Giselle might have for some of the scenes. That might be a good thing for Osipova.

ksk04 -- I'm not sure I lament the high use of Stearns relative to Radetsky, but Gomes and Hallberg will continue to be very very busy and Cory Stearns will, as you noted, be heavily utilized. Radetsky may suffer from, among potentially other things, not being viewed by the Company as a tall "princely"-type of danseur. In the Beijing performances in November, Stearns gets one Basilio out of four total performances there of Don Quixote, and that is one of the two evening performances of the work (again pairing Michele Wiles). He also gets one performance of the Gomes role in the two Beijing performances of "Everything Doesn't Happen at Once". I wouldn't disagree with an assertion that Stearns is getting more roles than he probably should, at this stage in his career, given the number of good danseurs who are principals (leaving aside Radetsky and other soloists) and who would probably like to get some of Stearns' roles. But, as suggested by abatt above, some of the ballerinas who require pairing are relatively tall. (Like ksk04, I also do not begrudge Stearns getting these roles, looking at things in a vacuum.) BTW, how tall is Stearns relative to Hallberg? Hallberg seems pretty tall. I noticed that he is taller than Saveliev when I was watching Seven Sonatas, but maybe Saveliev is not that tall??

FauxPas -- Thanks for the correction! Other observations from the Met casting: -- As you suggested, V Part seems to paired with Bolle a lot. She partners him in her only two La Bayaderes, in her only Swan Lake. She partners Gomes in Sleeping Beauty, and continues to pair with him as part of the first team cast in her only two performances of On The Dneiper. Her partner for the "Awakening PDD" is tba in both her performances. In the Brahms-Haydn Variations, V Part might be paired with A. Hammoudi, if the partner is listed in order. I guess part of the reason that V Part pairs with Bolle is that she is the recently minted principal, and he is the recently-resident danseur at the principal level, presumably? But could other factors be that V Part's jump is not that strong and pairing her with Hallberg might highlight that weakness in Part's dancing? (Note I have not seen Bolle perform, so I do not know what his jumps are like.) Also, Hallberg is very busy already without having to partner V Part. -- Interestingly, Murphy is paired with Carreno in her only Met 2010 performance of Swan Lake and her only performance of Sleeping Beauty. http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp?Dancer_ID=31 I wonder if Murphy is being paired with Carreno because, whether rightfully or not, Carreno is not among the danseurs that tend to fill seats as much as certain other danseurs, but Murphy is among the better-liked of the ballerinas for the public. So she could fill some seats for the Company. And Murphy only gets a matinee (single) performance of Swan Lake! In her three La Bayadere performances, she is Gamzetti in two of them and pairs Stiefel in the remaining one. In her two performances of Don Quixote, one is a "TBA" Basilio and one is Stiefel. And then she has one full-length Romeo & Juliet with Hallberg.

A couple of observations regarding Michele Wiles, whom I like watching quite a bit: This casting seems to confirm that somehow K McKenzie is not emphasizing M Wiles as much as had been the case previously, when she used to work so much more frequently with Hallberg. This season, she has no Kitri in Don Quixote and she has to work with Cory Stearns in Swan Lake, while Hallberg is now paird with Vishneva for Swan Lake. She also pairs Stearns in her only Sleeping Beauty (a matinee). Her role in two La Bayaderes is as Gamzatti. http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp?Dancer_ID=46 In fact, for the Met season, she is not partnering David Hallberg at all (subject to a possible partnering, discussed below, on June 9 for a repertory performance). McKenzie seems to want her to work with Stearns. I don't know whether the order of the Brahms/Hayden varations suggests who will partner with whom, but, if they do, Michele is again partnering Stearns within at least three of the four performances Michele has of the variations. For the fourth, June 9, performance of the variations, she is not listed as performing them on the Calendar, but there is a "tba" for the female role just above Hallberg's name for the variations. Then, when you go to Michele's dancer profile, she is listed as performing the variations on June 9. So maybe she is performing with Hallberg a portion of the variations on June 9. Of course, the situation with Hallberg is quite promising. Only Hallberg, and no longer Hallberg and Cornejo, is now partnering Osipova. (That's not surprising, given that Osipova is only performing in two full-length ballets, Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet, and Hallberg is more the princely/romantic male lead type of danseur, as well as, in my assessment, a better partner for Osipova more generally). And Hallberg continues working with Murphy, Herrera, gets a Swan Lake with Vishneva, etc., etc. as well. (Interestingly, Hallberg gets no Don Quixote Basilio roles at the Met next year, despite having danced both danseur roles in the performance previously, of course, unless he is one of the two "TBA" Basilios. Maybe he will be one or more of the Espadas, the role for which is not listed on the calendar.)

Yeah! The ABT site now shows which performances a given dancer is projected to be involved in for Met 2010: http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp?Dancer_ID=66 (Hallberg as an example)

How lucky that my subscription series from last year (Tuesday Evening) consists of 3 performances out of 4 that include Hallberg! Almost perfect! All Ashton Repertory Program -- June 8 -- includes Hallberg among listed dancers Swan Lake -- June 22 -- Vishneva/Hallberg Romeo and Juliet -- July 6 -- Murphy/Hallberg How perfect! I'm going to swap out Lady of the Camelias on May 25 (Kent/Bolle) for the Hallberg La Bayadere. And then I've requested tickets (non-series) to the 2 Hallberg/Osipova performances and the Paloma/Hallberg Sleeping Beauty. Happy happy. Can I ask when individual additional tickets for performances (non-series) start to be assigned to ABT subscribers of another series? Also, is the company's first night at the Met part of any subscription? If not, when can we get tickets? Also, how would I get added to the notification list for the information above about the ABT? I am a subscriber, but don't seem to get such notifications.

May I ask when roughly the cast announcements might be made for the Kennedy Center? What do members do about trying to see their preferred cast there?

Barton and Millepied receive very unfavorable reviews in the WSJ review: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...0902040856.html "Neither Aszure Barton's "One of Three" nor Benjamin Millepied's "Everything Doesn't Happen at Once" amounted to much individually, but in the shadow of "Seven Sonatas," which opened each program, they paled even more...." "Ms. Barton's "One of Three"... is a mostly opaque display ... ... uses ABT's dancers and their ways of dancing awkwardly, as so much received wisdom. Just as often, she tries to be original—and achieves foolish results. Costumed by Yannik Larivée eccentrically and often unbecomingly ..., especially in the case of the three badly dressed women, "One of Three" looks more confounding than confident, more miscellaneous than momentous." "Mr. Millepied's "Everything Doesn't Happen at Once" is an ambitiously scaled exercise ... I say "exercise" because each of the ballet's three movements plays out like a separate study of some sort, variously involving clustered group effects, self-consciously stiff and austere partnered connections, and eye-catching, flashy high points... much in "Everything" ends up looking busy and incidental despite a trendy veneer of sexiness...." "When one considers that such especially talented dancers as Michelle Wiles, Gillian Murphy, Marcelo Gomes and Cory Stearns—to name but four included in Ms. Barton's or Mr. Millepied's casts—failed to make much of an impression with their featured appearances, one is given pause."