Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

abatt

Senior Member
  • Posts

    6,512
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by abatt

  1. Hallberg, Gomes, Stearns and Whiteside have all successfully performed Oberon. Is Bell any taller than they are?
  2. Thanks for clarifying, jeff-ish. Not to further pile on to the negative comments about last night, but Taylor Stanley is too short to partner Mearns in Serenade.
  3. Yes, I noticed that Gordon was helping to shove Laracey under the curtain. Maybe she collapsed too far from the hem. Sadly, there were moments in this that were Trock-worthy.
  4. Have to agree with the above comments on T&V. Megan danced small. Also, Huxley did only six double tour - pirouettes, instead of the standard 8. He filled in by killing some time in the early part of the music. And the corps lines were indeed sometimes sloppy. Davide needs some refinement in his new role in Serenade. When he had to catch Indiana and balance her on his back it looked pretty awkward. Also, before he departs the stage he has to flip the Waltz girl before she lays down on the ground. The flip wasn't a full 360 degrees, so he then had to adjust Mearns' body so that she was in the correct position when he laid her down on the floor. Maybe the biggest blooper of the evening came in Orpheus. By the way Laracey was gorgeous as Eurydice, and Joe Gordon was vastly improved as Orpheus since he did this role a few years ago. After Laracey disappeared under the white curtain, the white curtain is raised a few moments later. Only problem was that apparently the folks who helped drag her body under the curtain were still on the stage when the curtain rose. I was sitting on the extreme right side, and could see three people running off the stage on the left side as the curtain rose. I could also hear someone offstage yell something as the curtain went up, but I could not hear what was yelled.
  5. If Bell is not injured, then ABT pulled a major bait and switch on its ticket buyers. Nothing against Carmago, who is a wonderful dancer. It is possible that he was injured during the training/rehearsal period scheduled for the Dream and Etudes. It is frustrating nevertheless.
  6. For those who were there on Sat evening, did Pollack and Schumacher do 4th movement of Symphony in C or were there changes.
  7. Have to agree. Pollack was instantly forgettable. Her positions were never held or stretched. She also is a poor actor. Laracey in the same role was gorgeously poetic and did well with her acting. Given that Brittany has been removed from Western second movement , I'm getting the feeling that she prefers to do more softball roles at the moment. The problem is the softball roles usually require lyricism and some acting, which are not her strong suits. Maxwell's debut in the lead was impressive. However, Huxley is flat as the Poet. He is a technical wizard, but this role requires something entirely different which he does not have. I guess they needed a small guy for the poet so that Alexa could carry him. I think Davide Riccardo could be interesting as a future Poet. Hope he does well next week in Serenade. Why hasn't Laracey been cast again in either Apollo or in Concerto B this fall? I very much enjoyed the all new cast in Apollo. Return of the tall muses. YEAH!!! Can't add anything more to the raves for Peck and Gordon in Tschai Piano. Added- It took Finlay years to properly do that movement in Apollo where he has to spin down into a seated position. Hopefully Chan will do better with that in the future. The other major flub on the night I saw the new cast of Apollo was Kikta's difficult with those tricky spins in her solo.
  8. Wonder if Treanary will finally get a Swan Lake
  9. abatt

    Carmen

    Thanks for your comments. I'm glad Corella created something worthwhile.
  10. Davide Riccardo is taking the TBA role in serenade next week per the lobby cast sheet.
  11. Tchai Piano No. 3 was indeed everything. Mearns is a treasure. Wish this was coming back later this season.
  12. Could not agree MORE cubanmiamiboy. The baldness is a complete distraction in classical roles. It didn't bother me in modern roles. The baldness destroys the illusion of chivalrous noble danseur in these tutu ballet. He looks like one of the goon squad from Prodigal Son accidentally dropped into a tutu ballet for a visit.
  13. For me the big question mark is Miller. She generally has not added any major Balanchine roles to her rep since Peter Martins left. I would have expected her to at least get a debut in Jewels, or Symphony in C or some other important ballet. It didn't happen. Kikta is the one getting the nice debut roles. I like Kikta, but I think she is so tall that there may be a concern about who could partner her in principal roles. They already have LaFreniere, who is probably similar height, and there are already difficulties in finding proper partners for her. Chan is used often here, but he is not tall enough to partner her. My two cents.
  14. Thanks. Very pretty costume. Hope they revive the ballet next season.
  15. I have not seen these new costumes, but they could not be worse than the awful Santo Loquasto costumes they are replacing. Any photos of the costumes?
  16. I suspect that they might have contemplated having Cornejo return as Puck, but he apparently has decided that he can no longer dance this role.
  17. Yes, California makes a great point. This was very ambitious programming, and most of these dancers have not done these ballets. I think Jaffe is thinking of the days when she was ABT, when their roster was bursting at the seams with people who could dance every and any role - Corella, Carreno, Steifel and on and on. Those days are long gone, and staffing is now a big problem.
  18. They have not had a fabulous Sonnambula in a while. Whelan used to be great in the role, and Janie Taylor too. If you don't have someone exceptional in that role, it falls flat. We'll see what Maxwell can do with it.
  19. I was there on Tuesday as well. Thankfully Woodward cleaned up her section in Western involving the fouettes. She is not doing the Italian fouettes, but at least what she substituted looked neat and controlled. I never underestimate Mira Nadon. I liked her and Walker in S&S. I prefer the whiz bang performances of other interpreters, but their performance was lovely. It was worth the price of admission to see Ulbricht partner Kikta in the finale. She towered over him.
  20. The problem in part is they continue to have people on the principal roster who, at this stage, are not able to dance many principal roles anymore. I won't name names but just take a look at the casting and compare it to the roster of principal men. It is utterly clear who the MVPs are, and who is skating by. While seniority and years of service are important, when it comes time to put the show on where are the capable dancers who are ready and able to step in? When an MVP like Bell goes down, there is no flexibility because all the other MVPs are already stretched to the limit. I am extremely disappointed about the Etudes and Dream casting. Jaffe is turning out to be as bad as McKenzie. Put Curley into a major role.
  21. I think you can exchange your tickets, if that helps
  22. If anyone attends Angel Corella's Carmen, which premieres this week, I would be very interested in reading your impressionsl of the ballet.
  23. I thought she was good, but not transcendent. Whelan and Soto in Agon- that was transcendent.
  24. This is a recurring problem at ABT. Carmago also had to do all performances of Oberon last season because Stearns was injured. This year it is to replace Bell. Whiteside has done Oberon (and very well) but I guess he is no longer able to do this due to age and injury. Poor Carmago. I hope he can make it through. ... They are operating now on a shoestring of very few men who are young and healthy and able to step into a lead role. Get your house in order ABT.
×
×
  • Create New...