abatt

Thanks.  Very pretty costume.  Hope they revive the ballet next season. 

I have not seen these new costumes, but they could not be worse than the awful Santo Loquasto costumes they are replacing.  Any photos of the costumes?

10 minutes ago, matilda said:

I love that Jaffe is putting Roxander in such big roles, and also Magbitang in Puck, 

 

I suspect that they might have contemplated having Cornejo return as Puck, but he apparently has decided that he can no longer dance this role.  

Yes, California makes a great point.  This was very ambitious programming, and most of these dancers have not done these ballets.  I think Jaffe is thinking of the days when she was ABT, when their roster was bursting at the seams with people who could dance every and any role - Corella, Carreno, Steifel and on and on.   Those days are long gone, and staffing is now a big problem.

They have not had a fabulous Sonnambula in a while.  Whelan used to be great in the role, and Janie Taylor too.   If you don't have someone exceptional in that role, it falls flat.   We'll see what Maxwell can do with it. 

10 hours ago, cobweb said:

I was also there last night and like @deanofdance had a great time. For me I especially loved Stars & Stripes. It is irresistible. I never would have thought to put Nadon and Walker in the pas de deux but both looked more comfortable with the choreography than they did on the first night, and both are very appealing. Emma Von Enck again dazzled in Tarantella - so responsive to the music! Sebastian Villarini-Velez did well and was extremely genial. 

I was there on Tuesday as well.  Thankfully Woodward cleaned up her section in Western  involving the fouettes.  She is not doing the Italian fouettes, but at least what she substituted looked neat and controlled.

I never underestimate Mira Nadon.  I liked her and Walker in S&S.  I prefer the whiz bang performances of other interpreters, but their performance   was lovely.   It was worth the price of admission to see Ulbricht partner Kikta in the finale.  She towered over him.  

13 hours ago, MoMo said:

I agree with you completely. I am a baseball fan and on a team, they have more than one player who can play any position, for just this reason. I wish I knew the thinking behind this decision. It’s frustrating and disappointing. 

The problem in part is they continue to have people on the principal roster who, at this stage, are not able to dance many principal roles anymore.  I won't name names but just take a look at the casting and compare it to the roster of principal men.  It is utterly clear who the MVPs are, and who is skating by.   While seniority and years of service are important, when it comes time to put the show on where are the capable dancers who are ready and able to step in?  When an MVP like Bell goes down, there is no flexibility  because all the other MVPs are already stretched to the limit.   

I am extremely disappointed about the Etudes and Dream casting.  Jaffe is turning out to be as bad as McKenzie. 

Put Curley into a major role.  

13 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

Yeah it makes no sense why they shuffled Titania. Trenary did Titania last Fall with Camargo (they were great together) so she’ll be fine. I’m just annoyed. I know Murphy still has lots of fans, and on this board, but despite her long career and stardom she is no longer up to snuff in my opinion, so I’m disappointed that she’ll be dancing the day I’m going instead of Trenary. 

I think you can exchange your tickets, if that helps

If anyone attends Angel Corella's Carmen, which premieres this week, I would be very interested in reading your impressionsl of the ballet. 

11 minutes ago, Tumi said:

Unity was transcendent in Agon. She is one of a kind.

I thought she was good, but not transcendent. 

Whelan and Soto in Agon- that was transcendent.

This is a recurring problem at ABT.  Carmago also had to do all performances of Oberon last season because Stearns was injured.  This year it is to replace Bell.  Whiteside has done Oberon (and very well) but I guess he is no longer able to do this due to age and injury.   Poor Carmago.  I hope he can make it through. ...

They are operating now on a shoestring of very few men who are young and healthy and able to step into a lead role.  Get your house in order ABT.

12 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Ugh! I was so looking forward to seeing Bell in this! Carmago was beautiful in this last year, so no complaints seeing him again, I just wanted to see Bell’s debut. But now Camargo has all four?! Guess they don’t have an understudy, so what’s the plan if Camargo gets sick or injured. Curley would be a great Oberon. But why the Titania switch? I wanted to see Trenary again. 

This is very disappointing.  

Allegra Kent Conjures ‘Messages From the Air, the Atmosphere’ - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Speaking of Unity, she is being coached by Allegra Kent now in Sonnambula.

Casting is up for week 4

NYCB_Casting_October_10-15_2023_lobby_2.pdf (cloudinary.com)

Laracey in Orpheus is perfect casting.  Pollack, not so much.

I assume like everyone else, Martins got a pension since he worked there for over 30 years.  Why wouldn't a portion of that money, or most of it, be his pension.

I had to laugh when the article referenced an unnamed veteran company member.  Gee, who could that be.

16 hours ago, cobweb said:

Hope you made it, abatt! Look forward to hearing your report. I finally made it home on the D train. Never have I been so happy to see the D train!!

Glad you finally made it home Cobweb!  I took a bus into Manhattan to avoid the mayhem of subway delays and cancellations.

I only stayed for the first 2/3 of the program.  Bouree  may not be Balanchine A list choreography, but I enjoyed it .  In particular I was fascinated by the complex  circular patterns he created with the large cast toward the end of the ballet.  I will definitely look forward to seeing this again in the spring.  Emma V.E. once again dazzled.  In fact almost the entire cast was superb.  My only critique is that the pairing of LaFrenaire and Chan needs some polish.  Twice he was a bit late to partner her, and as a result she came down off pointe.  My only other peeve is in the same section, where Dutton O'Hara was a soloist.  She and another soloist have to stand for a second in an unsupported arabesque.  Dutton O'Hara could not find her balance, and her leg kept moving as she struggled to get her leg into the proper position.   

The choreography is witty, and the costumes are lovely.  As mentioned above, the  complex patterns are dazzle late in the ballet.  

Very happy to have this in the rep.  It is commendable that the current team has revived it.  

Phelan has improved immensely in Agon over the last few years.  Her one error was in the opening section where once again she was late on the music in the portion where she wraps her leg around the man's neck.  She has been late on this before in the past.  Otherwise it was an excellent performance.  I have always like Adrian in neo classical works and I thought he was wonderful. 

I had no idea Claire was pregnant and wondered why I had not seen her in the corps lately.

They have been using Villarini Velez a lot lately.  I'm wondering if he is on track for a promotion.  

I would also vote to get Bolden and Riccardo out of the corps and into soloist positions.  

Really looking forward to tonight's performance, but the weather is not cooperating.  The MTA has suspended all service on the subway lines near my house due to flooding of the tunnels.   Contemplating an alternative route via bus.  Hopefully this gets cleared up over the next few hours.😒  

9 hours ago, vipa said:

Cobweb you have me kicking myself for not attending that performance. I should have had more faith. Interestingly I remember Claire Von Enck getting a shot at Tarantella when she was new to the corps, maybe 8 or 9 years ago. She didn't live up to expectations. Funny how careers go. I sometimes wonder if Claire will get more opportunities, or if her time has passed.

Claire's time has passed, in my opinion. 

Some  20 years ago they did a program of Who Cares, Stars & Stripes and Western Symphony.  Loved it and still remember it.  They have never repeated that program. 

33 minutes ago, cobweb said:

I am no fan of the See the Music programs (at least on weeknights), but it seems really unfortunate things have come to this. It also seems unprofessional of the musicians to wear the t- shirts. Does anyone know if their contract specifies attire?

I have no idea about what the contract says about attire, but when the piano soloist came on stage last week  after Rubies for his solo bow, he was wearing an appropriate button down black shirt.

52 minutes ago, bellawood said:

I second that! What fun he is to watch, in the spirit of Damian and Joaquin. 

Yes!  While Mejia did his turns a la seconde he simultaneously jumps during the turn.  The only person I recall doing this is Woetzel.  (I've alse seen Angel Corella do that in Tschai pas back in the day.  Sigh)  

Megan Fairchild was pretty wonderful, but Mejia was the star of this Stars & Stripes. 

Veyette looked great in the last movement of Western, and Kikta sizzled.  And G. Bolden was so engaging in the first movement.  Looking forward to seeing more of him. 

I found Woodward's performance in Western disappointing.  She did not do the Italian Fouettes.  Instead she tried to substitute what I think are called attitude fouettes.  However, those did not go well.  She came off pointe and was not in control.   The last person I saw do the Italian's at NYCB  was Bouder in the fall season after the pandemic before her injuries.  In fact, Western was the ballet where she first got injured. (The alternate case, Lovette, could not manage even one Italian fouette and stood on stage like a deer in the headlights until that portion of the music was done.)

Ulbricht was exuberant and thrilling in Tarantella.  Why have they refused to cast him in Rubies?  Erica is starting to have difficulty with the tricky footwork.  

I thought Sara Adams was miscast in the Unanswered Question.  She doesn't evoke any sense of mystery or spirituality.  My favorite in this role was Janie Taylor. 

Mejia was fabulous as El capitan

Casting update per lobby sheet. Adam's replaces laracey. Furlan replaces Sanz in Western. Bolden replaces Sanz in bouree

1 hour ago, pirouette said:

Ashley Laracey unfortunately got COVID, per her latest Instagram post. She said she will not be performing this week in The Unanswered Question. I hope she recovers quickly! 

If we have to miss Laracey, I'm glad it is in The Unanswered Question instead of Emeralds.  Her performance in Emeralds was exquisite.

There were no boos on Wed.  My impression from reading her ig is that anyone who is critical of her is a hater.  

I think Jaffe already realizes that Roxander is a powerhouse dancer.  But has his partnering ability been tested yet?  I'm not sure.