abatt

29 minutes ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

 I'm not going to begrudge Cornejo an Apollo (if he's in fact getting one).

 

I plan on going to see Cornejo as Apollo if he is cast, but I think he is too short for the role.

1 minute ago, FPF said:

I thought that he said that he wasn't going to be a full-time soloist but would still dance in his own work.

I would rather they give that soloist slot to someone is actually a full time dancer, like Roman Mejia.

I've been to lots of galas where there is a disclosed mandatory contribution as part of the ticket price, but that contribution has always been TAX DEDUCTIBLE.  Your ticket comes with another piece of paper telling you the contribution portion for tax purposes.  What ABT is doing is forcing a charitable contribution, but not providing the customer with the option or the documentation to take it as a tax deduction.  Is this even legal?  Anyone with some spare time should write to the New York State AG's office  to inquire whether this is legal.

Costume restoration fee?!!!  What will they think of next.  Pointe shoe fee?  There comes a point at which we all have to say enough. 

8 minutes ago, California said:

If you have ordered tickets (which went on sale on-line Monday) and have not yet received your print-at-home tickets, it seems their system is broken. Write to customercare@davidkochtheater.com with your e-mail receipt and they'll either hold your tickets at the box office or mail them through US mail.

Considering the amount they charge per ticket for handling fees, this is very disturbing.

I'm very happy for them, but sad that the audience will not see Laracey's gorgeous performance in Emeralds this fall.  Hopefully, she will return  to the role at some future time.

17 minutes ago, its the mom said:

Simkin is not listed for the fall season, is he?

Correct.  Simkin is not performing in the fall season.

3 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

I could imagine a dazzling Tchai Pas with Brandt and Cornejo. 

Or Brandt /Simkin.

9 hours ago, DeCoster said:

 

In terms of Balanchine, I'm happy with anything except Prodigal Son and Fancy Free, which I've seen too much.

 

Fancy Free is Robbins.

2 hours ago, Roberta said:

Give me any Balanchine by ABT, performed 100 times, than one Jane Eyre!

Yes indeed.

5 minutes ago, nanushka said:

If it were enough for significant talent to just rise to the top, the company would have more than three full-time male principals. There has to be more that could be done.

If McKenzie did  not allow dancers like Hallberg and Simkin to seek opportunities elsewhere, I think they would just quit.  That's part of  the reason the ranks are so thin for the non-Met season among the principal men.

55 minutes ago, nanushka said:

I’m certainly not offended but I also don’t think Forster has really been tested and/or failed such tests. Has he fallen short with any consistency  in roles he’s been given?

I like Forster in poetic or dramatic roles with less challenging ballet steps like Les Sylphides, Lilac Garden and Jane Eyre.  However, I question his ability to pull  off full length roles like Albrecht or Siegfried. This is just based on seeing him in smaller roles like Ballroom Rothbart. 

Significant talent tends to rise to the top.  It was not a coincidence when last season Bell got the role of Romeo when Lendorf withdrew.  Sometimes McKenzie makes bad choices, but he seems to also be able to recognize prodigious talent when it's before him. 

I believe there are often other factors at work that have nothing to do with talent or ability when a marginal dancer  is elevated to principal at ABT.  Was it mere coincidence that Hee Seo made principal at the end of the 2012 Met Opera season, shortly before ABT embarked upon its tour to Asia (including South Korea)? 

1 hour ago, nanushka said:

There's no one in the company now, I don't think, who could plausibly have been promoted to male principal at this particular point, given experiences to date.

Completely agree.  I guess I may offend a few people here, but I don't think  Forster or  Hoven have the technique for the most challenging principal roles.  They are good soloists who are able to do an  occasional lead role.  Although McKenzie has promoted certain others  dancers to principal who also lacked strong technique, I would not want that trend to continue unabated.

The next principal will likely be Aran Bell, and if he continues on the same path and trajectory of this season, his promotion will be well deserved.

I'm wondering whether Copeland will be cast in any Ratmansky ballets going forward.  It seems to be more than a coincidence that Copeland did not perform in a single work choreographed or reconstructed by Ratmansky this season.  Ratmansky's work occupied more than half of the 8 week season.

Of the four Aurora's, I thought Lane and Trenary were very similar in approach and stylization.  They are both petite dancers.  Boylston, in contrast, approaches the role in a much more athletic, aggressive way.  She covers much more space when she moves, she jumps higher, and she moves with greater speed.  Hee Seo was a beautiful, delicate Aurora.  Yes, some of her balances in the Rose Adagio were shaky, but the rest of her performance was excellent.  It was refreshing to see the role performed by someone with longer limbs.

I thought Stella had the best characterization of Lilac Fairy, but the best dancing of that role was from Shevchenko.

Bell danced the solo this afternoon.  He did a wonderful job, but Cornejo was in a class by himself in that solo.  I  was not impressed with Gorak's performance. He has no elevation and his footwork is not clearly articulated.  

9 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

 Once place where they may have surpassed their Tuesday performance was in Cornejo's variation; he seemed to dance it with even greater verve, with incredible elevation.

 

Yes, I agree that Herman was even more thrilling on Friday evening than on Tuesday.  His performance of his solo was thrilling and astonishing.

27 minutes ago, nanushka said:

 

They seem fully stocked with female principals at present, especially in comparison with the men.

Yes, that's why I'm getting a bad feeling that Stella may become a forced retirement in a year or two, just like Part.

9 hours ago, BrazilianBAllet said:

I saw him on Monday and he danced his solo at the wedding (his petit allegro full of beats). Unless I am missing something, is this what was deleted from your performance? 

Yes, this is what was deleted from the performance that I saw at the Thursday matinee.  I understand why they did it - he is dancing four Desire performances.  However, it is nevertheless unfair to the audience and another indication of mismanagement at ABT.  They should have had a backup available so that Bell didn't have to perform 4 shows.  Cory Stearns knows the role.  Why didn't they call upon him?  Why couldn't the two dates for Whiteside be split between Gorak and Bell so that each had 3 shows instead of two?  No, instead the choice was made to give the Thursday audience less than the full ballet.

I might also add that this placed extra stress on Boylston, because as soon as the initial portion of the pas was completed, she had to come out and do her solo variation.  The pas is a lot of work for Aurora, but only involves partnering for Desire.  The portion where Desire comes out for his big solo is a rest period for Aurora.  No rest for Boylston.

Bell danced in today's matinee, but they deleted Desire's big solo in the Wedding Act.  Very disappointed.  Boylston was outstanding.

Although ballet  reviews now seem sporadic and nearly extinct at the Times, I have noticed that there has not been any diminished coverage of opera.  Every production at the Met Opera is reviewed, and sometimes when a new cast comes in later in the run the production is reviewed again.  Additionally, they frequently run reviews of operas elsewhere, such as festivals in Europe. 

What I find puzzling is the NY Times now regularly posts clips of the best of the late night TV shows like Fallon, Colbert.  Anyone with a computer, phone, tablet or other devices  can watch the monologues or the entire programs.  What's the point of the Times' coverage of what happened on these programs.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/arts/dance/joyce-theater-2019-ballet-festival.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Farts&action=click&contentCollection=arts&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

Here is the info on the Joyce Ballet festival, per the NY Times. More info on the Joyce website.

For me the big news of the week of Swan Lake was Shevchenko and Aran Bell. Both are exquisite artists. How is it even possible that the young Mr. Bell is so marvelously polished at age 20?  

Program A is great, and program B is also pretty good.  I will likely skip program C, or go only once.