abatt

I didn't realize that they were tacking on facility fees to the ABT tixs. Thanks

In fairness, ABT does not charge any "facility fee", which the Met Opera tacks on to each and every ticket purchased to each every opera. The current per ticket opera fee at the Met is $3.50 I believe. The Koch also charges a per ticket facility fee of $3.50.

I don't object to the See the Music lectures on principle. They are educational. I just think they should be held during intermission, rather than add to the length of the show. For people who have long commutes (me!) or have to pay for baby sitters, the addition of 10 or 15 minutes is an unwelcome imposition.

See the Music is a lecture and demonstration given by the orchestra. It Completely agree. I noticed that for next season, they have already identified which performances are going to be "See the Music" dates, so that those who prefer not have their evening lengthened by 15 minutes for these lectures can simply avoid purchasing tickets on the See the Music dates.

I think it is particularly ironic that ABT uses Misty as an example of trying to fight elitism and to increase diversity of audiences, and then turns around and does a bait and switch 2 weeks before the show date regarding her performance time in her iconic role (she does after all sell a Misty doll that uses the Firebird costume). To add insult to injury, the people who want to follow their idol and switch into her performance are now faced with all kind of extra fees and mandatory donations to ABT and the Met as part of the ticket switch. If I were new to ABT and ballet, these events would be enough for me to never do business w. ABT again. Instead of fighting elitism, they are discouraging families and people new to ballet from further attendance. $20 may seem like a drop in the bucket to many ballet goers, but it is not a drop in the bucket to most people. If I go to a store and exchange an item for a lower priced item, the store doesn't require me to make a donation, and the store is required to refund me the difference in price. Cultural elitism at its worst.

Indiana Woodward seems to be scooping up lots of roles, so I'm anticipating that she will be selected for Swanilda.

It started this year. Non subscribers can now exchange, but there is a fee. It is also my understanding that the amount of the fee increases the closer it is to the date of the show. I was told this, but I have not located it anywhere in writing. Looking at the link posted by fondoffouettes, I'm surprised the fee is as high as $20. Outrageous. Yes, you have to pay the dynamically higher price, even if it's the same section as the seat your exchanging out of.

Copeland posted the update on her Firebird casting on her instagram account. I looked at some of the comments, and there are quite a few displeased ticket buyers. One complained that the box office charged a fee to exchange the tickets. (I assume that was a non-subscriber.) Another complained that the price of the tickets at the Wed matinee was less than the ticket price of the Wed evening show, but the box office would not refund the difference to the ticket buyer and the person had no choice but to make a donation of the difference to the Met. I don't blame these ticket purchasers for being angry. When ABT makes a cast change in a lead role, no ticket buyer should be charged for exchanging the tickets, regardless of whether you are a subscriber. Also, this game of forcing a contribution to the Met has got to stop. When you exhcange Carnegie Hall tickets for a lower priced event, Carnegie REFUNDS the difference to you. These ABT/Met policies, combined with inexplicable cast changes, are a great way to lose your customers.

https://nypost.com/2018/04/30/41-year-old-ballet-star-keeps-younger-dancers-on-their-toes/ Fluff piece on Maria Korowski. She turns 42 in June, but has not made any decisions on when she will retire.

Justin Peck is nominated for a Tony award for best choreography for Carousel. (No nominatons for Ramasar or Pollack.) Many award nominations for this revival. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/01/theater/tony-awards-nominees-list.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Farts&action=click&contentCollection=arts&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

They moved a Copeland Firebird from Wed evening into Wed matinee. It seems apparent that Lendorf is out for the season. why not just take his name off and put TBA in those slots?

Considering that ABT has several tall men in the soloist rank, I find it surprising that they are using Bell for Romeo. That signals that there is little possibility that Royal, Forster or Hoven can expect a lead role.I

LOVE IT! Yes, I would be utternly thrilled if Marcelo joined NYCB.

The web design is poor because you have to put your cursor over every performance to see the cast. The old web design was superior because it allowed you to see all the casting for each performance easily at a glance.

I'm concerned that they might take Teuscher out of Juliet this season, just as they did on tour.

Mearns mentioned on instagram that she had been scheduled to dance Tchai pas several years ago, but was injured. I liked her in the ballet, but Tiler Peck is more of a virtuoso. Both Mearns and Bouder did the final solo variation by taking small steps between each fouette for most of the variation. Tiler Peck was the only one who did the fouettes without steps between. and she also did arm variations while spinning. Sara Mearns lost control on her final spin, and tried to cover up the error. As for the men, although DeLuz did change some of the traditional variations in his Tchai pas solos, I thought he was spectacular in both his solo work and his partnering. His speed and the height of his jumps still amaze. Tyler Angle is no virtuoso and I though his solo variations were completely ordinary. Tchai pas is one ballet in which the performers must dazzle. It is a showpiece of bravura fireworks. I wish they would give the role to Mejia, Huxley or J. Gordon. They are all much stronger technically than Tyler Angle, although none would have been a suitable partner for Mearns.

thanks

Is there any pointe work in the ballet? Are all the dancers in bare feet?

Yes, Bayadere does not sell well at ABT. I too would like to see Lendorf as Solor, but I am not even considering buying tickets until much closer to the date. I have serious doubts as to whether he will be able to dance at all this Spring. Also, I can't really imagine Boylston as the soulful, lyrical Nikiya. However, I have no doubt that she would be completely secure and nail the difficult scarf dance.

Yes, I noticed that too. The lead female dancer is "Nikita".

Forgot to mention that I loved Miriam Miller in the third theme of 4T's. More please. Looking at the casting for the next few weeks makes me realize the abundance of talent in the company. Very much looking forward to seeing important debuts for Phelan, Gerrity and others. A few bold face names are missing from upcoming casting: Harrison Ball, Ashly Isaacs and Georgina Paz. Are they all on the injured list? correction: I see Georgina is doing West Side Story next week. Glad to see her back on stage.

For me, the clear highlight of both Tuesday and Wed evenings was Maria Korowski. She was outstanding in Concerto B. on Tuesday and as the lead muse in Apollo last night. Elegance, grace and refinement are the best adjectives to describe her dancing. She and Russell Janzen look spectacular together in Concerto B. I thought Chase Finlay looked better as Apollo than in the winter. He is becoming more and more comfortable in the role, and he didn't seem as winded as he did during the winter season. However, he still has a lot of work to do in Agon. His performance with Reichlin in the Agon pdd was completely lacking in tension and excitement. This is the blandest Agon couple I've ever seen. Agree with everyone that DeLuz and Peck were thrilling Tschai pas.

Maria Korowski's belt once came undone on stage during one of the leotard ballets. She tried to ignore it, but it was not possible, so when she was near a stage wing she took it off and quickly threw it into the wings.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/arts/dance/megan-fairchild-swan-lake.html Here was the article. It does not give his name, but provides some general info about Megan's boyfriend, where they live and how they met.

There was an article about Megan and her boyfriend in the NY Times a few months ago.