abatt

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.

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.

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.

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?

Gomes as Purple Rothbart made the evening worth the price of admission. Irina is in a real bind these days. She is so used to dancing with her husband, but he is frequently injured. She seems to have little or no connection with the partners she is assigned as replacements for Max. I too felt her performance was too chilly. There was no chemistry w. Jose, and therefore the performance left me cold. She did the steps well enough (except that her Act II solo phrasing was too choppy and disconnected). However, there was no drama. Jose gave a fine performance, although it is much smaller in scale than in days gone by.

Saviliev is replacing Max B. in SB on Thurs, July 7.

I was hoping for a similar program to the one ABT did at Kennedy Center, with Lilac Garden and Theme & Variations. The rep they will be doing is disappointing and not very enticing for the most part.

I saw two casts- Wed matinee w. Abrera-Cote and last night w. Murphy-Hallberg. Murphy and Hallberg were fantastic, but the choreography in this ballet is so weak and dull. Murphy has great elevation and speed. Hallberg has goregous lines and feet. It was a pleasure to see them together. However, this ballet offers very little in the way of masterful choreography, and at 2 1/2 hours, it's a long, dull night. I didn't think Abrera and Cote were as good as Murphy-Hallberg. I like Stella very much, but one can see lapses in her technique, especially in comparison to Murphy. Cote was a strong partner, but I didn't think his solos were particularly well executed. Also, the lack of chemistry between them was evident. Onwards to Swan Lake.

I loved this film. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD so I can see it again and look more closely at the details I may have missed in the movie theater.

I think Fearful Symmetries was picked up by other ballet companies.

Yes, that is EXACTLY the problem with trying to herd everyone into these extreme sides with poor views. Maybe if the administrators who dreamed this up actually sat in these awful seats, they would have a better understanding of why those extreme side seats do not sell, and why people refuse to purchase those seats. I think some people who are ageeing to be moved from the fourth ring will be very disappointed when they take their new $26 seats and suddenly realize that half the stage is not visible because of the extreme angle, and instead of seeing the peformance they will be watching the dancers in the wings hanging out. Maybe the solution is fewer performances every season, rather than herding everyone out of the fourth ring. NYCB used to have a Sunday evening performance, but it was discontinued because it never sold well. NYCB has reduced the number of weeks it performs in Saratoga too. Maybe 16 weeks of rep performances is overkill, and there is no market for that many performances. One additional point of interest is that NYCB is purchasing the rights to a ballet that was created on the Royal Ballet (Wheeldon's DGV, to be performed during the 2011-2012 season). I don't think NYCB has ever done this before, have they? My understanding is that to date NYCB has only performed works that were created on NYCB. Purchasing the right to perform good ballets that were created elsewhere is a step in the right direction. It is much more cost efficient than commissioning new works that are total duds.

In case anyone is interested, the casting for the Purple Rothbart role is as follows: Monday June 27- Gomes Tues June 28- Saviliev Wed Matinee June 29 and Sat Mat July 2- Matthews Wed Eve June 29 and Sat Eve July 2- Radetsky Thurs June 30 - Hallberg Fri July 1 Hammoudi Also, Carreno is replacing Max B. as Siegfried on Monday June 27.

They have never dared to do all Martins. The house would be empty. Obviously, most All Balanchine programs sell well.

Here's a link to a NY Times article on the pricing issue: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/arts/dance/city-ballet-raises-prices-and-phases-out-low-cost-tickets.html?_r=1&ref=dance

The average age of ballet audiences seems considerably younger than opera audiences. They have played up as much as possible the fact that Sarah Jessica Parker is now on the NYCB Board. Her picture is in the press every time she attends a NYCB gala. This seems like part of their effort to attract a younger audience. Now if they could get Lady Gaga on the Board, that would be a coup.