abatt

I was extremely disappointed by Anna Karenina. I had a hard time convincing myself that this thin, dull choreography was actually done by Ratmansky. It made Lady of the Camelias look like a masterpiece. Even Vishneva - the master of tragedy, consumption, death - couldn't make this ballet interesting. The most positive thing I can say is that the use of projections as scenic backdrops was well done, and the costumes were very attractive.

I think the "passport problem" was an official line given by Osipova's manager and ABT. Osipova regularly travels all over the world, and has done so for years. I'm incredulous that she suddenly had a "passport problem." I guess Osipova, her manager and ABT think that the general public is gullible. It would be better to offer no explanation or reason than to insult our intelligence.

The true test will be box office receipts for the 2011-12 season.

Part was an excellent Lilac Fairy - one of her best roles. Also I need to mention how much I liked Boylston as the Fairy of Valor. I liked Gillian, but Cojocaru's Friday evening performance was my favorite of the run. I also saw the Saturday evening show. Cory was making a very good impression until it came time for the fish dives in the wedding scene. The first two were awkward but not terrible. When Paloma came out of the second fish dive she lost her footing slightly. On the the third fish dive, Cory pretty much lost control of her, and he had to use his right arm (the free arm) to steady Paloma and get her into a less awkward position. Neither of them looked too happy after that. Up until that point, Cory was doing pretty well. He was dancing big, with very high jumps. In the past he has tended to run out of energy by the end of his variations, but not last night. He was also doing well in partnering Paloma until the fish dives. Paloma's performance didn't have much nuance, but it was technically very good.

Bring back Raymonda.

I loved Cojocaru and Kobborg. It's not just that she can hold her balances forever. Her phrasing is gorgeous. She employs her arms, back, head and neck to beautiful effect. Cojocaru and Kobborg were better on Friday than Wednesday. Stella was marvelous earlier in the week as Lilac. I also loved Lane and Simkin in Bluebird on Tues and Friday evening. Lane held an unsupported balance last night forever (and without the help of the Cojocaru Gaynor Minden shoes to offer extra support). Why, oh why, can't we see Sarah in a lead role? Yuriko was a disaster as Lilac, in my opinion. (She replaced Ricetto.) She had little sense of musicality or phrasing. It's not merely her size that is an impediment to success in this role. I saw Part and Gomes earlier in the week. Gomes is such a gorgeous dancer in evey way. Part was lovely, and did a particularly moving Vision Scene. I'm seeing both shows today. I can't believe that the season ends today. The time flew by.

I didn't realize Herman came in as a corps member. He and his sister were dancing with Bocca's touring troupe before they were hired at ABT.

Totally agree. Kevin is out of energy and ideas. No new star dancers are being cultivated, perhaps because of his reliance on international superstars. If only Ratmansky would take over (wishful thinking) but his schedule is so full that seems unlikely.

I'm not sure how you can say no new star dancers have been cultivated from within ABT in recent years. Gomes, Hallberg and Murphy each came up through the ABT ranks in recent years. Although Herman Cornejo came in as a soloist, I regard him as having been primarily cultivated at ABT. Each of the above listed dancers is a star, in my opinion. There are also several promising soloists. This has occurred under McKenzie's tenure.

I'm interested to see if Irina does the wedding variation tonight. Last year in Los Angeles, she and Max skipped the solo variations in the wedding pas.

That's really surprising and disappointing to hear. ABT should never allow dancers to completely skip variations because of their physical limitation. I understand that people frequently alter choreograhy to suit their strengths, but I've never heard of dancers leaving out entire solo variations. (I didn't see Irina last night, so I can't comment on last night's show.)

Many of us wanted to see Osipova and instead wound up with two tickets to see Cojocaru and Kobborg. It would be a huge plus for ABT customer relations if they would allow those of us with tickets for both performances to return one for credit to City Center or Nutcracker. Wishful thinking, I know, but what a huge gesture of goodwill towards loyal customers... and giving ABT a reputation as a company that cares about its loyal fans, unlike another nearby company, which will remain nameless.

Let's not forget ABT is the company that did not permit any exchanges for the day of that blizzard in Dec 2010 - you remember, the one where there was NO public transportation and we got about 20 inches of snow.

Nina A. had the most exquisite swan arms I have ever seen. Her exit at the end of Act II of the ABT version was always a thrill.

He didnt like Semionova's performance (was he at the same theater ? )

He talks nicely, for once, about Part and mentioned Wiles (including that SL was her farewell performance with ABT)

Her favorite of the week was Gilliam, and he talks about the stunning triple-pirouettes that she threw in Act II, mentioned before in this board.

I used to disagree with him 150%, lately I had started to enjoy his reviews more and more.....and here we go again to bad old times.....

He was so dismissive of Semionova's performance. I too was amazed that he finally had something posiitve to say about Part.

I guess that's why I never read the column before. It seems like the objective of the column is for the subject to list as many luxury designer brands as possible that they purportedly wore over the course of several days. (Also throw in as many chic salons and exclusive parties as possible.) It's not really a human interest story, so much as a material interest story. Not my cup of tea.

She does seem shallow and materialistic from that article.

Here's a link to an article in today's NY Times Style section about Irina. She has always been impeccably dressed every time I have seen her on the street, not to mention those exquisite gowns she wears to galas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/fashion/the-ballerina-irina-dvorovenko-what-i-wore.html?scp=1&sq=Irina&st=cse

Add me to the chorus of people who thought the Semionova-Gomes performance was stellar. I would go see her again in a heartbeat. I hope ABT invites her back.

I have to disagree with the post above that Part is miscast in SL. In fact, SL is her calling card. In my opinion, it is her best role. The problem is that ABT is not giving her the right partner. Part, Dvorovenko and Wiles have primarily been responsible for "breaking in" Cory in principal roles over the last few years.

They have been giving Hammoudi a lot of opportunities lately, but he has not been impressive. He nearly dropped Simone Messmer in Lady of the Cams of few weeks ago, and last night he could not manage an overhead lift of tiny Fang. In the Bright Stream performance I saw, Hammoudi had some good moments, but there were numerous instances where his dancing was sloppy. Simkin seems destined to be the next male principal there.

I saw the Part-Stearns performance on Friday evening. Stearns is improving every season. However, he still has quite a bit of work to do. He started out strong in Act I. I thought he did a fine job in his solo late in Act I. Yes, he could improve his line somewhat, but overall his Act I was strong. His partnering of Veronika is not as strong as it should be. When he was supporting her in her spins, she was frequently tilted. That's a partnering issue that needs to improvement and correction. Part gave a good performance, but not a great performance. I think this may have been due, in part, to the lack of chemistry between Part and Stearns. It also may be due to the problem that she does not have complete confidence in Stearns as a partner. I used to love the way Part used her "Russian Back" so expressively. However, Part's Russian Back was not in evidence much last night, in my opinion. I was happy that she did her fouettes in Act III cleanly and without incident. These used to give her trouble, but she seems to have conquered those demons. My facorite Part SL was several years ago with Roberto Bolle. It seems like we will not be seeing that partnership again.

Hammoudi has some problems in his debut as Purple Rothbart. He wasn't menacing. He just looked like a guy who was trying to get through a new role. He botched an overhead lift of Fang. He held her awkwardly in front of him to try and cover the mistake as best he could. In the section where he is supposed to hold an arabesque on demi point, he could barely sustain the position for more than a few seconds before he lowered his leg. To his credit, he executed the rest of the choreography well.

Jared Mathews did very well as Benno.

I'm a little surprised at Seo being given Lilac Fairy...doesn't seem like her type of role at all.

Wiles used to do at least 2 Lilacs. Now that she has apparently left the company (see thread on Swan Lake), they need someone new to fill in as Lilac.

Even if they open up the fourth ring for events that are selling well, I don't think those tickets will sell. They are too overpriced considering the distance from the stage. I would never pay $103 (subscriber price) or $119 (regular price) to sit in any seat in the fourth ring, no matter who was performing. NYCB is going to price itself out of business.

Did anyone see the advertisement in last Sunday's NYT Magazine for First Republic Bank? It pictures Michele Wiles with her husband and the quote, seemingly attributed to both of them, reads "When my business was growing, I received an Eagle Loan from First Republic. Their quick turnaround was critical to my success." Under the quote both names are printed, James McCullough and Michele Wiles, along with their occupations. I was perplexed by this and reread it a few times last Sunday. I began to wonder if they're in business together now.

Married to Normal Folk

I saw the ad you're referring to. Wiles looks really strange in the photo. She is wearing a black cape that totally hides her figure.

Carreno's performance last night was better than most of the performances he has given over the last 2 years. It was as if he turned back time. Last night he really did look like he could have danced several more years. He gave it his all, and it was a performance to remember. His chemistry w. Kent was riveting. His partnering was magnificent, and his technique was wonderful. Kent certainly has issues these days with holding her positions and balances. However, I thought that the depth of emotion she brought to the role more than made up for her technical lapses. When she and Carreno parted at the end of Act II, it almost brought tears to my eyes it was so moving. Her deportment is so beautifully elegant. Even though Dvorovenko and Herrera were superior Odettes in terms of technique earlier this week, those performances didn't have much emotional impact for me. Therefore, I felt Kent's performance was superior despite the obvious flaws in her technique. Murphy was so impressive as Odile, with amazing technical prowess (triple spins). Difficult choreography looks like child's play when she does it. How wonderful to see Susan Jaffe as the Queen Mother, reminding of all of the great performances that she and Jose performed on that stage. DeLuz has lost some of his technique, but it was wonderful to see him back on the MET stage. Sarah and Yuriko were much better in the peasant pas than earlier in the week.

Hallberg was very good as Purple Rothbart, but I cannot buy him as an evil character. Gomes is my gold standard as Purple Rothbart.

I didn't notice Osipova come out. What was she wearing? I saw Irina, Xiomara, Ferri, Jaffe and Paloma. I did not see Part or Wiles. It was great to see Bocca back to honor Jose as well. Steifel and Max B. were there too, even though they are not performing this season. I didn't see Herman. I don't think he was there. Hamrick (the future Mrs. Carreno) gave Jose a big hug and kiss (and flowers, I think) and then went to the back of the stage. Jose's daughters did not appear to interact with her at all on stage. I think the gray haired man who came out right before McKenzie was Barbee. Does anyone know?

Carreno gave many great, memorable performances on that stage which I will cherish in my memory. The first time I ever saw ABT was in the mid 90s. It was a Don Q. w. Susan Jaffe and Jose.

Genadi was replaced by Simkin as Benno tonight. Gomes was fantastic as Siegfried. He's a great partner, has charismatic stage presence, and strong technique. Paloma was better as the Black Swan than as Odette. She doesn't really have enough dramatic presence to be a great Odette. It would help if she learned to use her upper body, especially her back, to greater effect. Radetsky did a good job as Purple Rothbart. He's not as electrifying as Gomes (who is?), but his jumps were very good.

Not to be offtopic, but has there been anything to indicate she was going to cut down her ABT committment significantly or was this just due to the rampant hypothesizing regarding Stiefel's new engagement that has been going on here?

It isn't a hypothesis. Steifel has already talked about the fact that Murphy will appear in New Zealand in the press. See, for example, the following link

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/4288734/NZ-Ballet-secures-rock-star-pair

Not only did ABT recently dance Upper Room at City Center, but I'm recollecting that Miami City Ballet also performed it at City Center a few years ago too. How much of this ballet do we really need?

Also, do we really need to see Company B again? They did it last season at the Met, I believe. They also did it at their last City Center season. I've had my fill of Company B.

I remember Susan Jaffe and Steifel doing Junk pdd at the premiere, and it was great. The role perfectly suited Steifel. (I don't like the entire ballet, just the Junk Duet.) A few years ago I saw Irina and Max do the Junk Duet at a gala. They were woefully miscast. If I decide to go once to see this, I will certainly wait for the casting.

Speaking of casting, they have not published any info on which principals will be participating in this engagement. Will we be losing Gillian to New Zealand for the fall and for Nutcracker season?