abatt

I also found Osipova's arms to be distracting at times.

You can get a bit of a glimpse of what NY Susan is talking about simply by comparing the photo of Misty/Whiteside with the photo of Murphy/Gomes that appeared in the NY Times. You can see they are in the same pose. Misty's leg droops a little, while Gillian's leg is held high with a beautfiul line and beautiful turnout. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/26/arts/misty-copeland-debuts-as-odette-odile-in-swan-lake.html# http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/arts/dance/review-american-ballet-theaters-swan-lake-adds-drama-to-romance.html?_r=0#

I liked Lamb better than Osipova. Whenever Lamb was on stage she was radiant and joyful. Perhaps it's because she fell early in the performance, but for me Osipova's performance lacked joy. I thought Osipova's spins and turns were much more impressive than Lanmb's, though. Golding was much better as Oberson than he was as Siegfried in the HD broadcast of SL a few months ago. McRae is certainly faster and jumps higher than Golding, but I enjoyed Golding's long lines due to his height. I didn't stay for Songs.

Yes, Garen Scribner is the name on the AiP website as Robbie's understudy.

Korbes is appointed as the Associate Artistic Director of LA Dance Project http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/carla-korbes-joins-l-a-dance-project/?module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Arts&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs&region=Body

Marcelo is a great asset to ABT and I adore his performances. His choreography, not so much.

Based on what I know of this week and last week he missed his Wednesday evening performances. I don't know what happened for the matinees, though.

Misty is critic proof. Her audience will come regardless of any reviews.

I doubt anyone from ABT will speak on record. Transparency is not high on their agenda. The only honest and transparent record of their Star Strategy was removed from the internet after balletomanes found out about its existence.

If Tempest does go to that Ballet Graveyard, I think there is hope to recycle the costumes for a Halloween party.

Do you think these ladies (Wilkinson and Anderson) were there because they asked to be included, or did ABT/Team Misty contact them to make it more of a historic "event".

I once saw Makarova inconspicously leave the stage door after an ABT performance and once people realized after a few seconds that it was her, they began calling her name and trailing after her. She kept moving as fast as possible to avoid them. As an aside, I once saw Joey Gorak leave the stage door with a large bag of laundry in front of him to avoid contact with the crowd outside.

Part does SL every season, and I think last night was the first one I've missed since she joined ABT. So there will be many more chances to see her SL, although maybe not with Marcelo as Purple Rothbart. Yes, Hamrick has been out for several weeks. I'm pretty sure I saw her in the corps on Monday night at SL too.

I've become aware that Robbie Fairchild is starting to take days off from AiP here and there. There is no set schedule of the shows he does not perform, but the AiP website now indicates that someone else is doing Robbie's role at some performances. (Sorry, don't recalll the person's name.) Given that the show performs 8 times per week, I'm glad Robbie is finally getting some well deserved rest, but I know that people who arrive at the theater are quite disappointed to learn of his absence. I think it would be beneficial to all if the website provided more specific info to consumers about which shows he will miss. Have not heard any info about whether Cope is also skipping some shows.

As I watched Songs last night for the first time, I saw images which reminded me of the Dark Angel in Serenade, as well as images which remined me of Balanchine's Orpheus. Thanks to canbelto for putting up the link for the Mahler songs. I will be able to watch the ballet with more perspective and information during my next viewing.

I was at the RB "gala" performance on Tuesday, as well as last night's performance. Tuesday's Dream was, in my opinion, quite lackluster, especially the performances of McRae and Puck (don't recall is name). The entire cast looked much better and sharper last night. However, on the whole I definitely prefer ABT in the Dream. McRae is the shortest Oberon I've seen. I'm used to seeing tall men like Steifel, Hallberg, Gomes and Whiteside as Oberson. Tall men create gorgeous, long lines, which McRae cannot do. MOreover, McRae is not a particularly virtuosic dancer compared to the men at ABt. Yes, his chaine turns were very fast and clean, But the rest of it paled in comparison to the ABT men. Moreover, nobody can touch Cornejo's speed, elevation and charm as Puck. Certainly not the guy that played the role the last 2 nights at RB. Lamb is a gorgeous dancer with beautiful feet. She was fascinating. Re Song of the Earth, I know generally what the Mahler songs are about, but not having the texts to read before the show or at intermission was a problem. Parts of the ballet, especially the final section, were very compelling. But the ballet just seemed to go on for too long, and certain sections fo the choregraphy did not sustain my interest. I can see why this one does not cross the Pond very often. By the way, I thought Nunez was excellent and I can't wait to see her in Cinderella next week at ABT.

I would have enjoyed seeing Part, but did not want to see Stearns. Also would have loved to see Cornejo, but not with Kochetkova as O/O. So it's a RB week for me, except for the fact that I will see the Sat evening SL because I like 2/3 of the lead cast.

Wait. Hammoudi was listed for the Purple Rothbart role for the Wed matinee. Was he replaced by Zhurbin? Zhurbin has never done that role.

Or, Classic Ballet, you can combine vacation and ballet. Perhaps a trip to Washington to see the Mariinsky's Raymonda. We don't yet know any casting, but at least we know it won't be Hee Seo.

The fall gala is once again going to have a fashion-oriented theme. In addition to the already announced 4 new works, Martins is reviving his Thou Swell, with new costumes. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/four-world-premieres-set-for-new-york-city-ballet-gala/?ref=arts

I used to have trouble selecting which performances to see, because there were so many great dancers to choose from. Now when I review the schedule,my task is a lot easier. Very few people left on the roster that I'm thrilled about seeing. However, it's getting harder to avoid the performers I have no interest in by virtue of the casting changes. Since KM also presided over a great period at ABT, I tend to believe that budgetary/financial issues are to blame for the way things are managed now, and that his hands may be tied to a large extent by these issues.

Part's greatest SL was the one time she danced it with Bolle. Somehow, some way, I'm hoping for a cast change on Saturday night in which Part must fill in for Seo, and she has to have either Bolle or Gomes partner her. I can dream, can't I. No ill wishes to Hee Seo.

SL was very well sold last night at ABT.

I think they would need a significant amount of money for the type of investment in coaching and teaching and manpower needed to fix the company. Everyone can see that except for the Met season, they are operating with a skeleton staff of principals on a shoestring budget. This setup seems to work for most of their tours and other engagements until the Met season. If they need to hire an outside visitor or two to supplement the roster (i.e., Nedak and Vishneva for the CA SB premiere) they splurge for it. MOst of the time, it's not even an issue, especially since they don't tour much anymore. I suspect there is no way they could afford to pay more principals for full term contracts , benefits and insurance on an annual basis. That's why KM had to clear the roster with some retirements before anyone could be promoted. During a lot of their non-Met engagements, they emphasize ensemble works where the corps and soloists can do the rep work and still make it look good, so the absence of an adequate roster of principals is not so apparent (i.e., Company B, The Green Table, and so on.) Frankly, I think part of the reason that the Nutcracker at BAM failed financially is because pretty much the same few principal dancers and soloists performed the lead roles, and after the regulars had seen them there was not much incentive to return for repeat viewings. Part of the fun of seeing the NYCB Nutcracker each year is that new company members get chances to dance the leads as a sort of rite of passage, so the regulars enjoy returning to see new faces. .(Yes, I know, the NYCB version is THE iconic version. 'The Ratmansky version clearly is not iconic.) In some ways ABT is kind of like Walmart. There are a relatively small number of regular full time employees, and the rest are independent contractors and part-timers as a cost savings measure to ABT. When people reach high salaries based on seniority pay and pension, time to go (i.e., Reyes).

Personally, I have a much greater faith in Corella's ability to properly balance integrity and commerce than I do in McKenzie's ability to strike that balance.