abatt

As to the Shakespearean evening, I assume The Tempest will be on that program with the Dream?

The full press release can now be found on the ABT home page, including the entire list of ballets that will be performed and the principal dancers who will appear at the Koch.

Thanks ABT Fan. I'll be there for the last show to bid her farewell. Kind of ironic that she'll be doing the Finger variation that night.

Reyes replacing Osipova for Sat evening, per the ABT calendar on the website.

It's official. Reyes is now replacing Osipova in the Sat evening performance of Sylvia, as stated on the ABT performance calendar on the website.

Does anyonne know when Messmer's final performance at ABT will be? Since she does not have any lead roles during the final week, it's not possible to discern that info from the ABT calendar.

Kent

The only American principals who are coming to mind during the time frame at issue are McKerrow, Jaffe, Steifel, Hallberg, Wiles, Roberts, Tuttle (briefly). Any Americans I've forgotten?

Why did Kourlas put in parenthesis that Messmer cried while giving one of her responses? Was it really necessary to add information about her demeanor, instead of just reporting the response itself? I didn't think it was appropriate.

Also Vishneva.

I would add to that list of foreigners Max Beletserkovsky and Paloma Herrera.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/american-ballet-theater-announces-fall-season/ Here is some info on the fall season at the Koch. Ratmansky premieres a new work, The Tempest.

Once again, Gomes to the rescue. What would ABT do without him?

I'm confused. Looking on the ROH website, Alexandrova is listed for 3 Swan Lakes and one Bayadere. Is there some other source that indicates that she is not performing as scheduled in these roles during the tour?

It seems like McKenzie gives wide latitude to certain dancers to pick and choose their roles, even when ABT has invested time and money into training these individuals in a particular role that they only actually perform once at ABT.Osipova was scheduled to perform SB the season after she debuted it with ABT, but never made it back to America due to "passport" issues. (Osipova was rehearsing R&J in London at the time. Cojocaru replaced her.) I can understand why Vishneva has given up Don Q at this stage of the game, though. I think Vishneva simply does not like the ABT SB. I saw Vishneva do SB with the Mariinsky in DC a few years ago, and she was lovely. No clue why she only chose to dance Sylvia for one season. By the way, if Osipova is unable to dance her Sylvia assignment on Saturday evening, that will have been another complete waste of ABT's training resources. I know sometimes things happen that are out of your control but ....

Murphy was fantastic last night. This is one of her best roles. Regarding Reyes, has she ever performed Sylvia, or will Thursday be her debut? On a separate note, Boylston was replaced last night in a minor role (Persephone). Now Boylston is someone who I would be interested in seeing as Sylvia, but I guess that won't happen this season. Herman has had a run of bad luck in the partner department. First Cojocaru cancels out, requiring ABT to go and hire a ballerina short enough to take over Cojocaru's roles. Now Osipova has cancelled, requring Reyes to step into a role she was never scheduled to dance. These problems highlight the difficulties presented by using a short male principal. One of the other ballerinas scheduled to do the role cannot just step in and add a performance to her schedule, because they are all too tall for Herman. I like Herman very much, and I'm glad he has so many opportunities with ABT. However, the casting issues are apparent.

Yes, Murphy was wonderful on Thursday. She grows as an artist every year. Her current interpretation of SL is much richer and deeper than the one that was preserved on DVD some 10 years ago. Her physical, technical power is probably the strongest of anyone in the company. She always blows me away when she adds the swan-flap arms while she's doing triple fouettes in Act III. Whiteside had a very successful debut in the lead role. Based on what I've seen he is a valuable addition to the ABT roster.

Thanks mussel

More than a decade ago there was an off Broadway play about Diana Vreeland called "Full Gallop". It was excellent. Did anyone see that? It was at Manhattan Theater Club. I think Mary Louise Wilson played Vreeland.

Onxmyxtoes, I think Kent did the pique turns instead of the arabesques because it is easier for her. If you noticed, there were also a number of instances in the second act where she altered the choreography to avoid doing arabesques. It didn't bother me that she made these changes. These are the types of changes she needs to make in order to continue doing the role.

I attended this afternoon's performance w. Kent and Gomes. What Kent lacks in flexibility and technique due to age, she more than made up for in dramatic presence and detailed characterization. She certainly changes the choreography in a number of ways to suit her current level of ability. She was at her best in conveying the tragedy of Odette's situation. Great mime, excellent acting. I'm not sure how many more seasons she will continue to do SL in the future, but I'm glad I decided to see this performance. Gomes is of course the best partner at ABT- maybe one of the best anywhere. He partnered her perfectly. His Act I solo was beautifully done, with a fully stretched line. He is not an especially great spinner or jumper compared to some of the other ABT men (like Cornejo), but his Act III was very well done. Kent did her fouettes (singles) in Act III well, but with some traveling. She was deliciously evil as Odile. I thought Purple Rothbart suited James Whiteside well. He was a bit tentative at the start of the ballet when he partners Julie. The matinee on Sat is always a gamble because of the number of kids. Well, it happened- Just as Julie took the stage in Act II a kid starting screaming so that 3,800 people could hear. Kent clearly heard it too, but she soldiered on and ignored the disturbance as best she could. It was a very gratifying performance from the leads. Onwards to Sylvia. There are a few people who have breathtaking port de bras in Swan Lake. In this regard, Lopatkina is my gold standard. (I've never seen her do SL live, but I have seen her on DVD). Kent came pretty darn close to the Lopatkina port de bras gold standard today.

I attended last night. First let me say that Herman was BRILLIANT. His technical level is so high - the highest of any male principal in the company. He was flying in the highest jumps and most perfect turns I've seen since Angel Corella's performances in his prime. He pulled out all the stops for us. Acting was good too. There were one or two minor partnering issues, but nothing horrible. He has waited a long time get this part at ABT, and he made the most of every moment. Thrilling. I wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Buddy about Kochetkova. I have an admitted bias for long limbed dancers as Odette, so Kochetkova does not fit that image. (Obviously they needed a tiny woman for Herman.) She performed well, but somehow I wasn't terribly moved by her Act II. She seemed to relax later on in the ballet, so her Act IV was much more dramatic and moving than her Act II. She definitely has strong technique, but I felt that a little more attention to using her back and arms would have added a lot to the performance. I thought as Odile she did a fine job with the technical dimensions, but I never felt that she was a temptress - more like a high school girl at the prom. (Her Odile costume was ill fitting. Too large. I bet she is the smallest dancer to ever wear these costumes at ABT.) Jared Mathews did a much better job as Purple Rothbart than I expected, compared to prior years. Again, Joe Gorak was wonderful as Benno. The audience was packed to the rafters.

I didn't see any possible way that Hallberg would be shut out of the London visit by the Bolshoi. It was just a matter of time before they worked him into the schedule.

Did she come to NY on tour with POB? I don't remember her. Do you think McKenzie's wheels are already spinning about a potential guest appearance by Froustey during the SFB off-season.

Will Melanie Hamrick and Jose now be a bi-coastal couple?