abatt

I think the audiences are smaller for ABT because there are no more "star" dancers, and people came to expect star wattage at ABT after so many years of international, top tier talent. If, for example, Olga Smirnova or Victoria Tereshkina were to appear at ABT, I'm sure audiences would show up regardless of what they were dancing.

I didn't realize that the costumes had changed until you pointed out. Now I do recall the costumes in the above photo. Yes, the similarity of costumes of all performers were a problem. The old costumes were better. The lighting was too dark. And the steam machine made too much noise and at times it was too smoky to see the choreography.

After a Severe Injury, James Whiteside Is Dancing on a New Knee - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Here is an article about James Whiteside's recovery process from knee surgery.

Completely agree with everyone about last night's show. First, Camargo was much better last night than in his debut on Wednesday. It's like someone gave him small corrections, and that made all the difference to take his performance to the next level. Titania suits Trenary very well. And Magbitang! Whew. Very impressive. As a I watched the performance I envisioned him as a future lead in Don Q. Agree that Curley was much better than Ahn as Winter. I hope to see Curley in many more new roles. Sadly, Shealy was definitely out of her depth. If anyone goes this afternoon, I'd be curious to know whether Stearns appears, or whether Camargo does his third Oberon in five days! I missed the mixed bill due to a medical issue on Friday. But based on what multiple friends have told me, it sounds like I didn't miss much. Hopefully Sinfonietta will return soon, on a stronger program.

The ballet has no specific religious content in the ballet, but according to Christian Pentecost the disciples of Jesus were gathered together in an upper room, and the Holy Spirit descended upon them with a rushing wind and tongues of fire. I think here dance is like a Holy Spirit that the dancers serve with wild abandon and unrelenting service.

I liked Camargo, but I didn't think he had complete mastery of the Ashton style as Oberon. I'm thinking back to Hallberg, who was probably the most astonishing Oberon in terms of the capturing the Ashton style and technique. Herman was very good as Puck, but not at the same incredible level of his younger days. No complaints about Murphy. The Seasons was fantastic.

No, my recollection is that this is much more costly than other dance performances at City Center. The presenters know that Osipova is a brand name who hasn't appeared in New York for years and they fully intend to squeeze every dollar out of that situation. My concern is that most of these types of shows tend to be duds in terms of content - vanity projects with awful new "choreography". (Remember Diana Vishneva's shows? The one where she was writhing on the floor? Or how about the one where she was spinning around the stage with what looked like a crystal lampshade? )

The ticket prices for this are stratospheric.

I think this level of athletic and artistic ability requires a short run. These dancers were doing superhuman work, and I'm not sure they could do more than a few days of consecutive performances at this high level without injury. I think Ulbricht doesn't have the ideal body type for a danseur. He has never had great line because of this. That's why he tends to be cast only in modern ballets or as the jester. However, in the right roles he is priceless. Tharp is definitely his wheelhouse. Tharp in fact has done some great work on Broadway for extended runs (Come Fly Away, Movin Out), but she has also had at least one awful bomb (the one with Bob Dylan's music).

Me too! I recall my mother watching all of those shows when I was a youngster. Many famous people got their start on soaps - Meg Ryan, Julianne Moore to name only a few.

The Brilliance and the Blahs of City Ballet. (And Then There’s Solange.) - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Season review.

I went last night. Terrific night of dancing. As always, In The Upper Room was completely electrifying. So wonderful to see K. Gilliland on the stage again. Such a shame her career at NYCB was cut short due to recurent injuries. Ulbricht was completely in his element in this material. He and Delgado were stunning together in Nine Sinatra Songs. My only critique was lack of unison in certain places in In the Upper Room.

Darn. I wish I could see this, but I'm not free on the dates Simkin is performing.

What is Cojocaru's connection to Ukraine?

I note that Smirnova was recently in the US to appear at the Fall For Dance Festival. I would be thrilled if she made an appearance, as she clearly knows the role. This is on my wish list.

The United Ukrainian Ballet to make U.S. Debut | Kennedy Center (kennedy-center.org) Here was the press release from the Kennedy Center. Shevchenko is confirmed as a guest artist, with others to be announced.

I doubt that Alina Cojocaru will make the trip to the US for this engagement. However, I would be pleased to see Shevchenko in this. How far in advance did they announce the casting?

My mistake. Thanks for the correction.

They did not perform the Taylor solo during this run. NYCB has to pay for the right to present the Taylor solo, so maybe that has something to do with why they are not presenting it for this run.

I would go in an instant to see both Shevcheko and Cojocaru. Just wondering who was the third cast in London?

What Is the Power of Unity Phelan’s Dancing? ‘I’m Clay.’ - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Article about Unity.

I'm all for giving Bouder a fair opportunity to try to get back in shape. However, the question in my mind is whether she is working towards that goal or expects the company to accept her in her present state. The company has been pretty liberal in allowing certain male principals to carry extra weight. I'm not sure if that will be accepted for the ladies, though. Bouder was mysteriously removed from the casting of Symphony in C, and the role she created in DSCH has, correctly, been assigned to others. Since her roles were mostly allegro soubrette type roles, I'm not sure what former roles she could continue in. Additionally, Bouder is the proverbial squeaky wheel, and there may be a concern within management of how to deal with the current issue without having it end up as an article in the NY Times.

Hyltin was glorious. She looked like she was recalling all of her past performances in a reverie during her VW solo. And Robbie Fairchild was stellar as her partner. I miss him. The performance made me recall when Robbie & Sterling were cast together in the debut of R&J in 2007. They have come full circle together. It almost made me weep recalling all their years at NYCB and all of their performances. Maria K. was in the house. A little too tired to write more.

I was there tonight too. I went to see Mearns in VW, and she did not disappoint. She gave an exquisite performance with Jared A. as her partner. She brought the interpretive depth that was lacking in Unity's performance of this role. I also went to see J. Gordon's debut in Voices of Spring. He danced beautifully. I agree with cobweb about Bouder, although I thought this costume provided more coverage than the one in Scotch. She is definitely diminished. The spinning is still pretty good, but the elevation in jumps has gone missing. I would love to see Woodward's debut in the Voices of Spring role on Saturday, but I probably won't be there. Emma Von Enck is also a wonderful suggestion.

Interesting that they are now adding full length ballets to the Koch season. Smart move. Mixed rep doesn't generally sell very well for ABT. .