abatt

I think the fact that NYCB is doing SB for two weeks in February might cut into the ABT box office take if it revives SB again next spring. Although they are completely different in every way, to the general non-balletomane public, it's basically the same ballet no matter what company or production it is.

For me, the Ratmansky SB is the type of large scale spectacle that is perfect for the gigantic Met Opera stage. I hope they keep this production for a long, long time.

The point is that those unscheduled debuts of soloists in new roles played a significant part in their rise to principal.

Last night I felt like Sarah had finally rid herself of anxiety and nerves. She looked free and happy. What a performance.

Isn't it interesting that Lendorf's injury led to Cirio being cast as Colas, which was his most significant lead role of the season. Similarly, last season Abrera's Giselle was only possible because Semionova was injured. That Giselle was a key component to her rise to principal, in my opinion. The moral of the story: while injuries are quite unfortunate, they potentially give new opportunities to dancers to demonstrate all they can do. The question is why does it take a major injury for McKenzie to cast new people in roles.

Interestingly, Merrill Ashley was originally scheduled to dance Aurora during the SB debut season at NYCB, but due to injury she could only do Carabosse. Anyway, Lane was magnificent tonight, and Herman was at his virtuosic best. Herman's amazing elevation and speed were quite remarkable. Lane was much improved compared to last season. So sad that she is not given more roles to show what she can do. The audience went nuts when Misty came out for her Florine variation. I'm pretty sure went to see Herman in every role he did this season. He had a great season, and this is the first time in a few years where he was injury free for the entire season. Good news. - Herman's red jacket in the second act fits much better. They found a tailor for him.

Gee, would it have broken the ABT budget to promote Calvin and Gabe to soloist as well. Seems like a stingy slap in the face to those two dancers. Congrats to Cirio, who has been dancing wonderfully. Like some others, I question whether they need another short principal. I don't think Gorak is ready to be a principal. Hammoudi's Deisre this week finally convinced me that maybe, at last, Hammoudi is finally putting all the pieces together- acting, partnering and strong solo work. If he can keep up that good work, and remain injury free, I think he deserves to be a principal. I was happy that the NY Times reviewed him favorably. Congrats to Hoven. He has paid his dues.

I saw Gorak and Boylston's Bluebird pas last night, and I didn't think Gorak was noteworthy. Yes he has beautiful feet and a lovely line. However, at times Groak has little elevation. I also noticed this during his SL peasant pas. Zhang is a very promising talent, and I hope they develop and coach him. A further word of praise for Whiteside and Hamoudi. In the fish dives, both Gorak and Stearns used both hands to get the ballerina into proper position. In contrast, Hammoudi and Whiteside did it the more difficult and proper way, which involves using only the left hand and arm to spin the ballerina and then position her for the dive. The right hand and arm never touch the ballerina. Bravo. A skill that is rarely seen anymore. Mr. Abatt pointed out to me that both Seo and Trenary are waifs, so it was easier for those large men to complete the fish dive in the proper manner. Even so, credit is due. Unfortunately, there were more empty seats on the Wed matinee than I have seen all week for the other SB shows. Trenary does not seem to have a following yet, but she will.

A star was born this afternoon. Trenary was spectacular. Please teach her Giselle and Juliet immediately. This afternoon's performance was a season highlight. Whiteside was also fantastic. Zhang was easily the best Bluebird of the week so far. Seo had mixed results tonight. Her Rose Adagio was rocky and unsteady. She did much better with the lyrical vision scene. The wedding pas also went well. The big surprise for me was that Hammoudi danced quite well. The characterization was good, the partnering was strong and - most surprising- he did pretty well with his solos. If there are any promotions, I suspect they will be announced tomorrow. I think June 30 was the date they announced last year's promotions.

Could Ratmansky be referring to Paquita as the ballet coming to ABT in 2018?

Oh no, it appears from those words quoted above that Calvin is leaving. To me, the words "next chapter" indicate a departure. How awful. I hope we are all misreading his meaning. However, a friend did notice that Royal had tears in his eyes at the curtain calls of an R&J this week. With the departures of Baca and (perhaps) Royal, the folly of McKenzie's policies are coming to fruition. How do you leave so many talented people to rot in the corps for so long? I guess this potentially improves Blain Hoven's chance to move up to soloist.

Misty is only 5 ft. 2 in. She is the shortest Juliet on the current roster of Juliets. If Simkin can't partner her because she is too big, he shouldn't be dancing Romeo. By the way, I saw the Seo Bolle cast on Friday. I thought both dancers were excellent. Talk about age just being a number- Bolle may be 40 years old or thereabouts on paper, but he dances like a much younger man. I normally am not a Seo fan, but Juliet suits her very well. Cirio was a terrific Mercutio. Calvin Royal danced beautifully as Benvolio. Promote him!

FYI, NY Times loved it and wants Ferri back at ABT for more performances in the future. Review in the links. Different strokes ,,,,,

I saw the show during late previews. I had very mixed feelings about the show. The portions of the show which recounted the making of Shuffle Along were very entertaining and engaging. However, the book for the portion of the show (second act) which recounted the history of what ultimately happened to these performers later in life became tedious and went on for too long. The musical numbers and tap dance numbers were fantastic. All of the performances were first rate. I'm really very surprised that they are closing the show simply because Audra is unable to perform due to her unanticipated pregnancy. Brian Stokes Mitchell, Billy Porter and the other leads are superb. This was a very lavish production, with a large cast. I feel sorry that the fate and jobs of all these performers is apparently tied to the availability of one actress. Audra must feel pretty awful to know that she is the cause of so many people losing their jobs and their investment.

Thanks California, for confirming the alteration of the choreography for Juliet. Also, have a safe trip back home. It was great to see you! Great to see so many Ballet Alert friends at intermission. Edit to add: I've seen a lot of R&J's since I started going to ABT sometime during the late 1990s. Last night I had the strange experience of having two women in their 20s sitting next to me who laughed repeatedly during Salstein's death scene. They also laughed repeatedly during the crypt scene whenever Herman had to manipulate, lift or drag Juliet's body. I've never heard people laugh during these scenes in all the years I've been seeing this ballet.

American In Paris on Broadway will close on January 1, 2017, according to the NY Times. I think the box office dropped quite a bit once R. Fairchild left the show.

There is an odd wrinkle in the distribution channels for Royal Opera and Royal Ballet broadcasts. Peter Gelb and the Met Opera have prohibited any distributor of the Met Live in HD operas to also distribute the Royal Opera broadcasts. There is no such restriction on ballet broadcasts. That is why Fathom Events has never shown/distributed any of the Royal Opera HD broadcasts in the U.S..

I thought Ferri started out the evening sometimes looking a little tentative, espeicially with respect to the pointe work. I also think there might have been some alterations of the choreography for Juliet in the balcony scene. (Anyone else notice this?) Act II has little or no dancing for Juleit. However, by the Act III bedroom scene that tentativeness was swept away and she was brilliant. She still has beautiful line, extension and flexibility. And those beautiful, curved feet, wow. The only thing that's somewhat diminished is the pointe work and the speed. However, that didn't matter. What she lost in technique was completely overshadowed by her incredible, moving acting. It was a master class in that respect. Herman was ON FIRE. I've never seen him have this level of connection with any other partner. We all kniew he had brilliant technique, and it was abundantly on display. I have not seen anyone conquer the spins and other demands of the balcony scene with such skill and speed since Corella left. I was a little worried about some of the lifts, because you could sometimes see how much effort he needed to accomplish them. I was surprised at how well Herman acted the part. Ferri brought out the best in him in that respect. I doubt any other partner will inspire him to such heights in the future in terms of the acting. It was an historic night. By the end I had tears in my eyes. A word about some of the other dancers. Salstein may not have the excellent technique of some others, but he makes his character come alive through his characterization and interactions with others in the cast. During the Tuesday night show, Aaron Scott looked like he was taking a final exam. Though he is a brilliant dancer, he had no warmth or stage presence. He sacrificed characterization and treated it like an opportunity to display his jumps and spins, in my opinion. There is more to Mercutio than spins. I also thought Stella was terrific as Juliet's mother last night. Her portrayal is so full of detail. Devon Teucher (on Tues evening) needs a lot of work and improvement in the same role. She ilacked stage presence and didn't seem to have a clue how to dramatize the role.

Vishneva Gomes R&J on Tuesday was very well sold. I have not seen Murphy's Juliet since her debut with Hallberg as her Romeo. Glad to hear that she was so good. I could not bring myself to see Hammoudi as Romeo.

The problem with the Symphony Space presentations of the RB films is that they were always on weekdays at 1PM. Therefore, the majority of people who work for a living could not attend. I note that the Royal Opera broadcasts at Symphony Space are always on Sunday afternoons, and they are well attended. Clearly, a decision was made by someone at Symphony Space that the ballet showings were not as important as the opera showings. The time slot for the balelt showings made them doomed to failure from the outset. Certain of the RB films were shown through Fathom Events at numerous theaters. In particular I'm referrign to the Swan Lake with Osipova. It's possible that Fathom might show the ballets featuring Osipova.

I think Seo took Polina's spot as Juliet, and that's why Seo got 2 Juliets.

I was struck by the fact that McKenzie asked Ferri to come back and dance. Struck- but not surprised in the least. It was an easy way to add a box office bump, with a huge advance ticket sale in the bank and lots of press coverage. But I have to contemplate the question of whether Ferri's appearance potentially deprived a younger dancer of making a debut as Juliet. There is a time to step aside and allow the next generation their shot. I surely hope this does not become a trend at ABT.

There is an article in today's NY Times about Ferri's appearance tonight as Juliet. It's probably in the Links section. What I found most interesting is Ferri's statement that McKenzie approached her about returning to dance at ABT. Worth a read.

Regarding Ratmansky, I assume that salary is for the new works he creates and the six (or however many weeks) he has agreed to spend in NY every year with ABT coaching the dancers in his new works. To the extent that they are reviving works that Ratmansky created previously at ABT or elsewhere, I would assume that ABT pays him an additional amount which is classified as a royalty payment, and is not included in his annual salary paid by ABT.

I last saw Kochetkova a few years ago in SL and thought she was awful. That was the year that Cornejo debuted as the lead in SL. This year I decided to pay a return visit. I've realized that Herman is worth seeing, even if I don't like his partner. (Herman was amazing. He is not the most romantic of leading men, but he definitely had the strongest technique of all the casts I saw.) Happy to report that Kochetkova has improved a lot as O/O since 2013. I'm glad I attended. I also thought that Sterling Baca was a very wonderful purple Rothbart, and Zhang was excellent in the pas de trois. His landings were in perfect, tight fifth position, and he jumps very high. I also attended my very first Boylston O/O, on the theory that she will never have a better partner than Gomes so I had better go see her this season. I was pleasantly surprised. There are still some ugly hand and arm positions going on (the splayed fingers are a distraction), but there were also moments of striking beauty. Another habit that she must try and get rid of is the way she sometimes jerks her head forward when jumping. I'm glad she decided to do neat single fouettes (yes, 32) instead of biting off more than she could chew. I've seen her come to grief when she has tried to do flashy doubles and triples and then lost control in other ballets.