abatt

I'm going to chime in and agree with the posts that praised Vasiliev's acting as Solor in Bayadere this season. (I also saw his Spartacus a few years ago at the Kennedy Center, and he was riveting.) He is not a one-trick-pony. He can act and convey characterization, as proven by that performance. Maybe he is not ready or suitable for the full roster of princely roles, but it is not fair, either, to say that he should automatically be excluded from those roles. Obviously, to each his own. I would much rather go to Vasiliev performance than a Cory Stearns performance even though Stearns has the coveted princely body type.

How do we think this new development will impact the other short virtuoso men at ABT? Cornejo is clearly a very important star at ABT, so I doubt that Vasiliev will cut into Herman's territory. However, I'm not sure whether this will hurt Daniil's chances for a promotion. Personally, I'm thrilled about Vasiliev's more permanent relationship with ABT.

I know that the Lar Lubovitch version is completely different from the Limon version, but I would have expected to see Abrera as Emilia and Radetsky as Iago. I believe those are roles that they had in the Lubovitch version, and I thought Radetsky, in particular, was well cast as the villain. I'm also happy to see that Lane got Stars & Stripes. I hope she does a great job with it. I assumed that they would have given it to Kajiya.

If nothing else, this new film should be a visual feast of costumes and scenery.

Simkin posted some "tentative" casting regarding his roles on his website. He listed opening night (though he did not identify which ballet he would perform in) and the Friday matinee of Leaves are Fading. I have not been able to find any other info on casting, http://www.daniilsimkin.com/

My cinema in New York City has cut back on the number of showings. Previously they always had two showings of the Bolshoi films (one live, plus one the following Sunday, all at 11 AM). This year they have only one showing. I'm a little surprised because attendance seemed pretty good. Also, it's not like they are showing anything else at !! AM on a Sunday. My theater has started reserving 3 rows of seats for press. This is a problem, because the theater really isn't that large. Guess I'll have to get up even earlier now to get a good seat.

The casting for La Sylphide is up on the Bolshoi website. Sylphide will be the next ballet to be broadcast in the Ballet In Cinema series. I believe they are broadcasting the Sept 30 performance. If that is the case, the lead cast is Krysanova and Lopatin. I think I would have preferred to see the alternate cast of Obratsova and Skvortsov. New York's Big Cinema Manhattan is presenting Sylphide on Oct 7, according to their website.

Yes, thanks mussel!

onxmyxtoes, the ADA seats are presently available for purchase for all ABT performances. You will be able to see the ADA seats on the seating charts online. However, unlike last year, when the ADA seats were offered at a significant discount, this year they are the same price as every other seat in the same vicinity. Thus, there is no financial benefit to purchasing the ADA seats, and you can usually find better seats at the same price than the ADA seats.

There will be an exhibition at the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts featuring the photos of Martha Swope, who photographed the New York City Ballet and the Martha Graham companies. Attached is a link to a description of the exhibit. It will run from Sept 27, 2012 through Jan 26, 2013. http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/martha-swope-rehearsal

I found the plot hard to follow. However, I enjoyed the ballet for the most part. I disliked the scenery, but the costumes were magnificent. The dancers in all the major roles were terrific.

I thought Semionova was full time w. ABT, so I'm surprised she's not on the schedule.

Regarding Kondaurova, how much dancing does the Stepmother have in this production? Is it mostly a character role? Does the stepmother have pointe work?

There is nobody at NYCB named Morgan Fairchild. The reference is to Kathryn Morgan. See separate thread herein under NYCB titled Kathryn Morgan, started by Ivanov several days ago, for Ms. Morgan's explanation, via her facebook page, as to why she left NYCB.

Thank you, Birdsall!

Thank you for posting this schedule. Does anyone know the schedule for the opera in cinema lineup for 2012-2013?

Merkuriev's name has been removed from the Koch's website regarding this event.

These are all mussel's "predictions", but mussel seems to have an extremely reliable and accurate crystal ball.

I wouldn't assume that it won't be renewed. It's a way to sell tickets for unpopular programs. Right now they are still trying to fill/mail regular subscription orders. When did they send out the Society info last year? I think it was in August. Why not call and ask?

I paid for my Standard Subscription back in June, and I'm still waiting for those tickets. I don't expect to receive those tickets until late August or early September, which is what occurred last year. (That is one reason among many that I significantly cut back on my subscriptions at NYCB.) I called the subscription office earlier this week to find out my seat assignment for my Standard Series, and gave my subscriber ID number. After a few minutes on hold, I was told that the information was not available. The administration over there is pretty terrible. Since the box office is opening in a few days, isn't it reasonable to assume that someone who paid for a subscription in June would have already been assigned a seat? They may be waiting to offer the pick your own seat option for Create Your Own subscribers in order to give themselves enough time to mail out subscriber tickets to people who paid for them months ago. Of course, this doesn't explain why single ticket purchasers are able to buy their tickets weeks before subscribers receive their subscription tickets.

Any info on whether there will be a retirement during the 2013 season?

It was a nice touch for her to mention that it was her decision to leave. That way she puts to rest any speculation that Martins forced her out. I hope she can come back, but more importantly I hope she and her doctors can resolve/treat her medical problems. Without your health, almost everything else in life is meaningless.

California, the pdf for the upcoming season is on the website, but it's harder to locate. I think I clicked on the subscribe option, and eventually came upon the pdf link.

I'm happy Manon is gone. R&J is a much better ballet, although it is getting tiresome since ABT has already done it two consecutive seasons (at least). The thing that keeps people coming back is incredible casting. If Drink to Me is coming in the spring, I feel even better about my inclination to miss it at City Center. I wish they were doing Leaves Are Fading instead of Drink. I love that ballet. Glad to hear that Sylvia will be back. Thanks for all these "predictions", mussel.

Gomes was brought into the Mik to partner Osipova in Swan Lake a few months ago. If she felt that inferior Americans were cheapening Russian ballet, why would Gomes (Brazilian, but spent his entire career at ABT) been invited in to be her partner. She could have had a Russian company member from the Mik. or elsewhere be her partner. Conrad's hyposthesis makes no sense. Of course Tsiskaridze was angry about Hallberg's hiring. Every role that is given to Hallberg at the Bolshoi is one less role for a Bolshoi principal. Don't you think that every one of the Bolshoi men was angry that Hallberg got the worldwide broadcast of Sleeping Beauty?