abatt

I would love to see Simkin as the lead in Don Q. The problem is that the only short woman dancing the female lead is Reyes, and she is partnered with Cornejo. If they had more short virtuoso women, Simkin might have more opportunities. Why hasn't Sascha been dancing? I thought for sure he would turn up as Espada, at least.

She will do La Source. I remember reading on her Twitter page a few weeks ago that she was rehearsing La Source.

Herman defied gravity in Don Q. with incredible elevation and lengthy hang time in the air. He can also spin like a top. This is an excelent role for him. I liked Xiomara as Kitri, although I think she is less technically accomplished than certain other principals. In particular, her line tends to get a bit sloppy. Boone was lovely as Driad Queen and Mercedes, although she knocked over one of the darts during her variation. Genadi didn't do much for me as Espada. Anne Milewski was a perky Amour. Pavam and Boylston were the flower girls. Regarding Sat evening, Stiefel had flashes of brilliance, especially in the last act. However, overall it is clear that his technique has declined quite a bit. Gillian was a marvel, as usual. Hallberg showed us his gorgeous line and feet as Espada. Stella was Mercedes=Driad Queen. The flower girls were Lane and Messmer. Due to their differing size and height, that pairing wasn't a great idea. Pavam was Amour. Simkin nearly stole the show as the gypsy leader in Act II. I'm taking a break from Don Q on Monday, and I'm gearing up to see Osipova rock the house as Kitri on Tuesday.

I've seen three Don Qs at the Met in 2 days. Friday evening, Angel and Paloma were electrifying. Although Angel's technique has declined somewhat from when he was a youngster, he is still phenomenal. He easily whipped off extremely fast spins and soaring leaps. He loves this role and it shows. Paloma was also wonderful, in what I believe is her best role. She held one of her balances for what seemed to be an eternity, and treated the audience to double fouettes in the wedding pdd. The auditorium was PACKED. McKenzie made a major error by not giving Angel more to do this season. Gomes was a ham as Espada, and looked like he was having the time of his life. Stella replaced Part as Mercedes and Queen of the Dryads on Friday. (Did they always cast the same person in those 2 roles?) It is so good to see her back and looking so good. She performed her Italian fouettes marvelously. Sarah Lane was dazzling as Amour. Yuriko and Misty were the flower girls. It was a joyous evening. I'll write more tomorrow on the other performances I saw. Time to recharge the ballet batteries with some sleep.

This particular change will have the effect of alienating and driving away their most loyal subscribers, who have multiple subscriptions. It's very difficult to pay for multiple subscriptions all at once. The fact that they are allowing you to pay in 2 installments (as they have always done) is helpful, but not helpful enough. The Met Opera allows its subscribers to pay in FIVE consecutive monthly installments. Also, it bothers me that, unlike every other subscriber based organization I have ever encountered, NYCB subscribers do not get a priority purchase/exchange week in advance of the general public. In fact. we don't receive our subscription tickets until several weeks AFTER the box office has opened to the public.

I had mixed feelings about the production. I thought the first act was terribly boring and the choreography for the corps was simplistic. I also thought the subplot involving Manon was ridiculous. Murphy and Hallberg danced beautifully, though. I enjoyed the major pdds in Acts II and III between Kent and Bolle. This ballet plays to Kent's lyricism, fluidity and acting skills. She was magnificent. Roberto Bolle was utterly captivating. What a fabulous partner, exquisite actor and excellent dancer. I'm so disappointed we couldn't see his Solor last week, but I'm glad he made it back to the stage for this role. Kent and Bolle's partnership on stage was wonderful. I also thought Xiomara Reyes was outstanding in a role that really suits her well. Hee Seo was also a standout. It made me want to see her Juliet. The problem with this ballet is that it is 3 hours (including 2 intermissions), and I thought only a fraction of the evening was filled with fascinating choreography. It is much too long, and most of the choreography for the ensemble is, in my opinion, amateurish. the costumes were gorgeous. The pianist was wonderful. (I don't have my program to identify him by name.) I have concerns about whether Cory Stearns will have the charismatic presence to handle this role. I'd be interested in hearing any reports on his performance with Irina tonight.

The Lynn Taylor Corbett ballet will be The Seven Deadly Sins, with Patti Lupone, in the Spring of 2011. That was previously announced.

Based on what I observed during the Winter season at NYCB, the full length ballets (Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty) sold well, especially on weekends. I think some of these rep programs are not of interest to the average ballet audience member. Also, I think a new Wheeldon ballet sells a lot better than certain less esteemed choreographers. I've noticed that the ALL Balanchine programs tend to sell well too. It is disturbing to see so many empty seats at the Koch Theater lately. I think that this new system of requiring subscribers to pay for the fall, winter and spring seasons over only two installments is going to backfire. They will be losing a lot of subscribers.

Hi Deborah. I was wondering if you were okay since you hadn't posted for some time. Now I understand why you don't write on the board anymore. Regarding the renewal, is there any option to pay in installments?

I saw Gillian's Nikiya last night. Her technique was wonderful and secure, as expected. In fact, I think she had the strongest technique of all the Nikiyas I saw in this run. Her performance wasn't as lyrical or poetic as Part's or Vishneva's, but it was a good start. Stearns was better last nigth than he was on Sat evening. Moreover, he performed the difficult lift in Act I that was omitted in his erlier performance with Part. Hee Seo looked a little sloppy as compared to her performnace on Fri evening. Misty Copeland is back. She danced the first Shade variation. Bolle attended a dress rehearsal of Lady of the Cams. on Monday afternoon, so it's looking like he will probably - hopefully- be there tonight. Also, the casting sheets in the lobby contain some additional info. on Sleeping Beauty that is not on the ABT website. The casting for Lilac Fairy and Carabosse is as follows: June 14 Part ; Raffa June 15 Ricetto ; Van Hamel June 16M Abrera; Bystrova June 16E Abrera; Raffa June17 Ricetto; van Hamel June 18 Ricetto; Raffa June 19M Abrera; Van Hamel June 19 E Wiles; Bystrova

Irina was a great Gamzatti. I don't know why she's not doing that role anymore.

Herman and Angel were both brilliant in the Bronze Idol variations. I doubt Herman will ever be doing that role again. It is now beneath his level, as it is a soloist role. Isn't it ironic that Herman and Angel, two of ABT's most dazzling talents, happen to be brothers in law.

It's been a marathon week of Bayaderes. I too was at last night's Bayadere w. Part, Stearns and Wiles. Part's Kingdom of the Shades act was better on Wednesday evening (with Gomes) than last night w. Stearns. Part was riveting. Wiles was excellent as Gamzatti. I'm happy to report that Cory Stearns was much better than I had anticipated, but I'm still not convinced that he is ABT principal dancer material. The last time I saw him in a lead role was approx. 2 yrs ago, when he filled in in Corsaire for an injured Max as Irina's partner. At that time he was completely blank as far as acting ability, and he was merely adequate technically and as a partner. He has improved tremendously in his ability to act. He was a good partner, especially considering that Part is a very tall woman and this was his debut in the role of Solor. It is clear that he has been meticulously coached, and it paid off. The main problem that I continue to have with him is that his technical abilities are not commensurate with ABT's elite male principals. He sometimes lacks elevation in his jumps, flexibility in his back, and speed in his turns. In most companies, he would be automatic principal material. However, at ABT, watching Stearns was a bit disappointing. I hope he can improve these elements of his performances.

I attended this afternoon as well. I thought Marcovici and Whelan did an excellent job with the pdd in Agon. I also liked T. Reichlin. Morgen is one of my favorite Martins ballets. Maria was excellent in Chaconne, but Marcovici is leaden in his jumps. There were many, many empty seats.

If Bolle is injured, who will they use to replace him in Lady of the Cam. next week? I suspect if he's still out, they may pair up Kent w. Gomes. It's unfortunate that the season has hardly begun and Bolle is already injured. Edited to add: I just checked the ABT website. Hee Seo is replacing Stella tonight as Gamzatti. I hope Stella is merely sick, and not injured again.

I was at last night's performance for the Kingdom of the Shades Act II. Gomes was even better last night than on Tuesday. Part was sublime.

CASTING ALERT FOR TONIGHT'S BAYADERE I just looked at the ABT website. Bolle is REPLACED tonight by Gomes. That means Gomes is doing Solor 3 nights in a row!

Vishneva was wonderful last night as Nikiya. Her supple back and gorgeous lines were lovely. Her performance also had emotional resonance due to her fine acting. In the finale of the Shades scene, when she crosses the stage in a series of spins across the diagonal of the stage, she moved with incredible speed. The crowd went wild. Gomes started out a little slow (partly because the orchestra was incredibly slow in parts), but suddenly came alive during the Kingdom of the Shades scene. He partnered Vishneva beautifully, and his leaps and jumps were high and airy. Gillian was excellent as Gamzatti. Of course, the difficult choreography was no problem for her as she breezed through with triple turns. She is also adding additional nuances to her acting. I can't wait to see her as Nikiya on Monday! Simkin nearly stole the show with his stunning bravura in the Bronze Idol variation. The three shades were Lane, Kajiya and Ricetto. Lane performed her variation beautifully. She is such a wonderful dancer. I wish they would give her more to do. I disliked Yuriko's performance because she always seemed to end phrases several seconds after the music stopped. The second intermission seemed interminable. the show ended at approx. 10:30 PM. By the way, Diana was wearing a pair of very sparkly pants in the final act. I thought they looked tacky. Is that a new costume? I think I would have remembered that from previous years.

Macauley thinks Lady of the Cam. is "foolish". I guess I'm not surprised by his reaction, but most of the audience seemed to enjoy it.

I like Reyes as Juliet and Giselle. She may also be good as Kitri. In those ballets, her youthful appearance and small size are not a problem. I have no clue what award Koch was accepting. I think it was a thank you to a rich person who has heaped a load of cash on ABT award. When he kissed the award not once, but twice, it was certainly overkill. Ranieri used to be ABT's big donor. I haven't heard his name as much of late. Yes, it appears that Angel may be on the K. McKenzie persona non grata list, for reasons I cannot understand. It's a pity, because I will go see Corella in everything he does.

Were all of those dancers physically present at the gala? There are certainly many other greats that could have been mentioned, if they were just reading names. Yes, all of the above listed former dancers came out on stage as their names were announced.

I was there last night too. The opening intro. of important dancers of ABT's past was an unexpected high. How I miss Ferri! David Koch received surprisingly little applause from the audience considering how much money he has contributed. Believe it or not, he has a 9 year old daughter who takes lessons at SAB. I expect to see her on stage at the new ABT Nutcracker. The standout performances for me were the Osipova/Hallberg Giselle pdd, Vishneva's luminous performance of the Thais pdd, and Gillian's coda in the DonQ pdd. Let's hope Steifel's knees can make it through the season. He looked good and in shape last night. I enjoyed the Lady of the Cam. pdd. I've never seen that ballet. I'm guessing that Vishneva and Gomes are going to be AWESOME in that ballet together. Stella looked radiant. I wish they would give her more roles. I didn't like the Reyes/Cornejo SB pdd. Cornejo screwed up one of the fish dives. They both lack grandeur of style. The Awakening pdd fell flat, in my opinion. I'm looking forward to the season. As for the parade of dresses at the end, this year I thought Irina's dress swallowed her up. It was a gorgeous dress, but it seemed too flowing and billowing for her small frame. I liked Part's dress,and it looked good on her.

This comment relates to casting, but not the first two weeks. Moderators, feel free to move this post. ABT's ad in yesterday's NYTimes indicates that the Manon pdd on June 29 will be performed by Vishneva and Carreno. On the ABT website, it's listed as TBA.

I attended the Friday evening and Sunday matinee performances. I also attended the Serenade performance at the Sat matinee. I thought Outlier had its interesting moments, and I would see it again. However, I can't really say that I liked it. In particular, I don't care for the undulating body movement that McGregor seems to favor. That's what hip hop dancers do. I could have stayed home and watched MTV to see that. I expect more from NYCB. I also disliked the choreography for Maria K., where her limbs are manipulated by male partners. I thought the opening section for Tiler Peck was wonderful, and the choreography for Wendy Whelan was also very good. The lighting was very well done. The cast seemed too large and underutilized. I can't decide whether I preferred Maria K's Cortege over S. Mearn's. They were both pretty wonderful. An embarrassment of riches. J. Stafford is an adequate partner, but he is overall a pretty bland personality on stage, and is not terribly impressive on a technical level. Krohn and Suozzi danced their variations with thiriling abandon on Friday evening. It was excellent. I wasn't so impressed with S. Lowery's performance in the same role on Sunday afternoon. It looked underpowered. Was it my imagination, or did Scheller not perform her variation on Sunday afternoon in Cortege? Wendy and Gonzalo were excellent in Sunday's Opus 19. Wendy has lost some speed and energy in this ballet since she first took it on several years ago. Serenade is always a joy. I first saw Ringer do the waltz girl a few years ago. She was stunning. After that, they never assigned her the role again. I have literally been waiting YEARS for Ringer to return to this role. I finally got my wish on Friday evening. Once again she was spectacular. Darci was moving in the Sunday cast. I didn't love M. Fairchild as the Russian girl. One problem was that she was much shorter than the others in the cast. Tess Reichlin was a revelation in this role on Saturday afternoon. Her long limbs made the sweeping choreography look gorgeous. Her jumps were high and covered so much space. Gilliland has improved a great deal in the Dark Angel role since she first took it on a few years ago. The male leads were excellent in both performances. However, Ask LaCour had some awkward partnering issues on Fri evening. Divert. 15 was even better on Sun than when I saw it earlier in the season. Bouder outdid herself. She was incredible. Tiler Peck and Veyette were also standouts in a fantastic cast. Borree was better on Sunday than earlier in the season.

There is very limited casting up on the ABT website now re Birthday Offering. June 8 lists Dvoorvenko/Beleserkovsky. June 10 and 12 lists Murphy/Tamm.