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Also for those going to Costa Mesa, it appears they are not selling tickets for seating Tier 3 (their online chart says it's "sold out undefined" which...the likelihood of it being sold out is incredibly minute) in an unusual move. Attempting to fill from the bottom up?

I heard rumors of other, additional pregnancies...any confirmation on those? Or does it not matter for the tour? Berkeley is still out of date on their website. Have to buy another set of tickets...thank god I waited. If I don't manage to see Big Red I will be very irritated. Disappointed about Tereshkina, but obviously congrats to the mothers-to-be.

Any further info on this would be greatly appreciated by several of us!

Bart, here is the Stepanova video I think you are talking about. She's fascinating to watch. Her section starts at 7 minutes-ish (after Vishneva and Kondourova) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD9CYXnl1KM

We both lucked out then! Crossing every available body part that the casting holds for both of us.

Her contract begins officially in September, so they won't update to include her until then. They did this with someone else (maybe Sascha when he returned?) and it seemed a little bizarre then as well. Glad Misty is getting a go... she is doing a Nutcracker with Festival Ballet Theatre out here in southern California as well this year. Also excellent to see Joseph Gorak back on the list this year!!

I don't think Filin will have too much of a say, actually, beyond "these people usually dance together"-Reid Anderson casts the principal parts in productions of Onegin and he can be quite finicky about who he lets dance in it (he has refused to let Sylvie Guillem and Tamara Rojo dance it) I can't recall Zakharova as being listed for performing Tatiana as La Scala despite them having it on numerous times while she's been an etoile there--maybe Anderson hasn't wanted to cast her in the ballet? Should prove interesting regardless!

Osmolkina is coming on the fall tour and we don't get to see her Swan Lake? (Has the Mariinsky actually let her do Swan Lake at home yet? That may be the better question)

Sorry, but Russian ballet productions often display this kind of racial insensitivity and it's gross regardless of cultural norms. Just because they don't view it as racially insensitive doesn't mean that it's not. Most who do this type of thing don't see anything wrong with it and that is the majority of the problem. America is NOT unique in having a history of racial discrimination or denigrating others, we just now have a tendency to talk about it a lot more than some other countries, but not more than all of course (and we are by NO MEANS perfect in our handling of racial sensitivity). Apollinaire Scherr wrote about this: http://www.artsjourn...dance_will.html

I'm sure that didn't escape their notice! Is Skorik the dancer who was the subject of the crazed youtube video from russianballetvideo a month or so ago? The girl with the major technical issues? I can't find the video now, but if so, she really should not be dancing major tours with the problems she seems to regularly have.

Well I guess my Saturday matinee subscription seats hit the jackpot, THANK GOD. The only other dancer I am remotely interested in is Tereshkina so I'm glad she's opening on Tuesday. Where is Lopatkina?

It would probably be more detrimental for a female dancer given pointe work, but I would think he would be able to bounce back. I think both Sarah Lamb and Tamara Rojo have broken bones in their feet and they returned with little issue after time. BUT this seems like the third foot/ankle injury we've heard of from him recently (last year he skipped out on the LA tour for an ankle injury, the ankle injury from the Sleeping Beauty Bolshoi broadcast, and now this). If they are all occurring on the same side there's definitely something going on there that needs to be worked out--either it's an inherent weakness that needs to be strengthened or he's overcompensating for residual ankle problems while he's dancing. I'm sure he's getting the best possible care and PT though!

I wouldn't mind a longer tutu for the swans if they were nice and flattering (thinking the slightly extended length tutus the corps wear in Diamonds, perhaps), but those Royal Ballet ones always look like they are molting to me. It's not a good look.

Nice that Cornejo gets to open the run...though I'm assuming ABT management is playing off of the fact that the theater at which that are performing is the one Corella's company is now based out of. I guess ABT is lucky Corella didn't exercise a non-compete clause????

Are you talking about Part as Giselle? I believe she's done the role as a guest somewhere in Russia (not at the Mariinsky) maybe 2 or 3 years ago. Unfortunately I cannot remember where I read this. Part seems like she'd be a more successful Giselle than Murphy, but I wouldn't turn down the chance to see either. Just Murphy's Myrtha is SO cold, so unyielding it's a bit hard to see her as anything else. They are both fabulous Myrthas so it'd be a shame to lose them in that role though.

Are these companies basically merging? Or at war?? Are we to expect an all-Duato bill at the Met in the future?

I would say they are pretty close, no? I don't think they brought Bolle in for Zenaida's Manon but instead got some Danish fellow. Bolle was used to do Manon with Darcy Bussell who seems a touch shorter than Veronika or Zenaida. Count me among those who would love to see Part as Manon (or Juliet) and I think she would absolutely excel given a well suited partner. I don't see it happening though, as even when Bolle is brought in he isn't being brought to dance with her now coupled with the Diana/Marcelo situation. Veronika would be great in "A Month" as well...it's been a "tall" girl role at the Royal for awhile. It would be a great showcase for her, though again I guessing she'd get put in line behind Julie, Diana, and Alina (who just did it at the Royal). Damn frustrating to be a fan of hers! EDIT: I wouldn't count Paloma out for Manon. I read an interview awhile ago saying it's her dream role and Kevin said it would be coming. I don't think this is the wisest idea, but maybe she's got it in her.

Thanks for clearing that up mimsyb, those drawn on beards make everyone look very different! I too was glad to see such a family atmosphere--even though Ethan hasn't been around dancing much, the affection the company has for him and he for them is so clear.

I suspect POB is aware of ABT's male principal problem and not casting him in the Peasant pas is a way of hiding him from ABT poacher. Oh my! A French import would be most unusual--poaching advisory level: yellow.

Is Julio Bragado Young retiring? Ethan had him take a solo bow with another Corsair near the end of the video (can't ID the other guy, sorry)...if so they are dropping like flies this season. Sorry to see these dancers go. Edit: if LaKarsavina reads this, thank you for your wonderful videos and for having excellent seats all the time!

Thanks for all of the wonderful reports about Veronika's debut. I didn't think I'd be looking forward to Le Corsaire here next year, but I cannot wait to see what she can do with it!

Well any "from within" promotion is to be applauded at this point!! Hopefully the promo gives Hammoudi some more studio time to concentrate on his interpretations because I think there is really something there, he just needs stronger coaching (hopefully ABT can provide it....). This still doesn't fix the male principal problem, but I suppose it begins addressing it very slightly and isn't just a bandaid like all the male guests this season. So Semionova takes Wiles' vacancy, and Seo is stepping up as the go to lyrical ballerina for when Julie Kent retires. Unfortunately I don't see any of the other soloist women moving up for awhile now, depending on the rest of the principal women (how much time Murphy devotes to NZ, what Irina and Max decide to do, etc.). Poor Stella

I thought of another online resource! The blog The Ballet Bag posted a glossary of terms complete with video references from clips of ballets. It's pretty thorough: http://www.theballetbag.com/browse-the-bag/bag-of-steps/

I would definitely second the Royal Ballet's youtube channel so that you can envision what those steps look like before delving into any books on steps/technique. Along the lines if mimsyb's suggestion of watching a class, I would recommend the video of the Royal Ballet's daily class on their youtube channel. The ballet mistress (Olga) talks them through most of the exercises and it's very interesting when the interviewer isn't talking over her.

I would wager that Manon will be back either 2013 or 2014 depending on Julie's retirement plans. With La dame aux camelias and the new prod. of Onegin, Kevin has given her a great rep the last few years, but I assume LDaC will not be back for a number of few years and Onegin will run more season only before laying to rest for a few seasons, so that will leave her with R&J, Giselle, Swan Lake for three acters unless Kevin has his eye on another acquisition that would be a good vehicle for her. We know ABT will be doing Symphony in C on tour in April 2013, so that implies it should be on at the Met as well, making at least two mixed bills: the all Ratmanksy one and the one that would contain Symphony in C.