abatt

I think the rep hurt RB ticket sales. ABT has done the Dream numerous times, and has received great reviews. RB is not necessarily considered the be all and end all regarding Ashton anymore, especially in New York. The mixed program is just bizarre. Age of Anxiety was not well received, and McGregor is not exactly a big draw either. I'm not surprised the tickets didn't sell well.

The most personal memory I have of Evans was from a tribute/memorial to the late Ulysses Dove that took place at the State Theater. Evans and various others performed Dove's Red Angels, and at the bows Evans had to wipe away tears. I remember reading that Evans regarded Dove as a mentor and role model. So sorry Evans is gone at such a young age.

Not surprised. Just disappointed that PR has become more important than artistry and skill.

To my recollection, Obratsova's only appearance in New York in a lead role was one performance of Little Humpbacked Horse at a Wednesday matinee when the Mariinsky came to NYC several years ago.

I feel that Kochetkova is generally a bland but efficient and reliable dancer. She is young and her size makes her a suitable partner for Cornejo and the grossly underutilized Simkin. Since McKenzie has refused to develop Sara Lane as a potential partner for principal roles, it wouldn't come as a surprise at all if Kochetkova became a more permanent fixture during the ABT spring season (which, by the way, does not conflict with her career at SFB).

Not many people here know who Obratsova is, but they came out in large numbers to see her Juliet at ABT.

Who was the man who came out just before Robert Hill?

If the WSJ wanted to do a non news fluff piece, why not point out that Stella Abrera has been a long serving soloist who has been doing principal roles and who would be the first Phillipino American principal at ABT if she were promoted. Oh wait, I know why. Because Stella doesn't have a PR team.

I'm not a Hammoudi fan, but he is doing almost every principal role on the roster. It would be completely unjust not to promote him now or in the very near future. Predictions, Hammoudi and Copeland get promoted. That's it from within ABT's ranks..

I went to tonight's SL. I have great admiration for Murphy's high level of technical ability, but I have to say I was completely unmoved by her Odette. To me, it seemed perfunctory and lacking in drama. She is not a fluid dancer. She can spin like nobody else in the company, but that just wasn't enough for me. I felt like she had made a lot of progress as Odette over the years, but somehow last night's performance seemed like a regression rather than a step forward for her Odette. Gomes was fantastic, completely invested in every moment on stage. Cory has improved a lot as Purple Rothbart. I too will be at the RB most of the week.

Why would the addition of Kochetkova foreclose the promotion of Misty. Both events can occur.

That's true. People may be dancing with injuries, or just may not feel well due to illness but they go on anyway. But that doesn't change the validity of people reporting on what they saw on stage on a particular night, even if there is a great explanation for why it occurred.

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No, I believe the no same day exchange policy is also ABT's policy. When there was a blizzard a few years ago, ABT instructed BAM representatives to tell all ticketholders that there were no exchanges. (That was when ABT was doing Nutcracker at BAM.) When BAM is presenting its own shows, they have always allowed exchanges in instances when there is a massive snow event. As noted above you are always entitled to a refund if the lead performer in a Broadway show is out, and I have exercised that privilege a number of times over the years.

Gomes is not dancing Cinderella because he's going to be dancing in a Matthew Bourne ballet in London that week.

Hee is definitely being abused. I feel sorry for her. The pressure and fatigue must be overwhelming. Well, if ABT thinks it's selling performances and not performers, they are in for a rude awakening next season.

I've never seen Nunez, but my understanding is that she is that she is excellent in Ashton's Cinderella. You may never get to see her again unless you regularly go to London to see the RB. Perhaps people who have seen Nunez at the RB can comment?

I was one of the people Amour was referring to as a no show last night. Mr. Abatt made a valiant effort to sell our tickets at a discount at his office, but there were no takers. I have nothing against Hee as Juliet, but after having seen her as Osipova's replacement on Wed I just couldn't fathom seeing the same cast in the same roles again on Friday. Additionally, I knew that it would be a no-win situation to attempt to exchange the tickets on the same day at the box office. Moreover, having already made so many ticket exchanges due to the cancellations of Semionova and Osipova there is nothing left for me to exchange into that fits into my schedule. This new McKenzie system of assigning the same dancer to a role multiple times per week is certainly a negative development to ABT loyalists who book multiple shows per week to see different casts. The Osipova-Obratsova-Vishneva Juliet trifecta was a bust, except for the wonderful Obratsova. This entire season has been mostly disappointing. While I have always undertaken a strategy of leaving dates open to exchange into at the end of the season, this season there were so many cancellations that the number of dates I left open as potential backup dates just wasn't enough. Plus, due to circumstances at work going to Wed matinees is no longer an option at the moment. Lesson learned. Money lost. Fewer advance ticket purchases for next season. My subscription purchases will be reduced next season. Thank goodness ballet ticket cost about one-third the cost of opera tickets.

A further comment on the mismanagement issues at ABT. ABT has large sums being paid out for principal contracts to people who show up for only a few shows a season, like Vishneva and Bolle. They are not principals. They are guest artists and they should not have principal contracts. Give the principal contracts to people who actually devote their careers to ABT, not to people who show up for 4 shows so that they can spend springtime in New York City on ABT's dime. I get that Kent has given her life to the Company, so that fact that she can't really do much anymore isn't a sore spot.

Megan is expected to return. Robbie is not expected to be part of the fall season.

Of course Lane couldn't step in right now because she is not prepared on such short notice. But it is ABT's mismanagement of the talent within the company that has led to that circumstance. Injuries and illness happen and nobody can be blamed for that, but the lack of preparation of other suitable ABT dancers to fill the roles can definitely be blamed on ABT. It was just a matter of pure luck that Stella happened to have danced a bunch of Giselles elsewhere shortly before the ABT season began, so that she was able to fill the void. Otherwise I guarantee that Seo would have been our Giselle for that show too.

At this point I would have gone to see Copeland and Gorak in R&J, but there are no tickets available in my price range, and I sure as heck will not be giving them more money to see it even if they did allow me to exchange my ticket for tonight into tomorrow's matinee.

Right, forgot about the Smirnova Chudin debacle.

There is a credibility problem at ABT in general. How long before the season began did they know Semionova's injuries would cause her to miss the entire season? Personally, I suspect it was well before they ever made their public announcement about it. How far in advance di ABT know that Osipova and Sarafanov would not dance the new SB, and how long did they wait to tell us about it. Also, I have no doubt that Vishneva is sick and is very disappointed to miss her R&J. But why did she cancel out on the gala, when she was seen strutting down the red carpet without any apparent illness or injury. When you are scheduled only for very few shows per year, people take specific notice of your absence. Taken in totality, I think all these issues are contributing to the angry backlash against ABT

Gomes was conserving energy in his solos on Wed. He knew he would only have one day of rest before his Friday show. His passion was not reduced, nor was his partnering.