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ABT'S Nutcracker


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I browsed the webpage of ABT and found that casting was announced for Nutcracker. What I do not understand is that for the same performance a list of 6 or 7 dancers appears, including 2 ballerinas, and I wondered who plays which role.

Could someone clarify this issue for me, please?

Silvy

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I saw ABT's current Nutcracker a long time ago, but I believe 1) Clara and the Nutcracker are danced by adult dancers (so that's 2), there's a Snow Queen (+1), and a Sugar Plum and a Cavalier (+2), and Drosselmyer (+1). So that's why there are several principle dancers listed, although I don't think they've listed the Snow Queen (after looking at the casting on abt's site).

Happily for us Part watchers, she is cast as Sugar Plum on December 21. :wub:

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Irina and Max are going to be dancing with the Delta Festival Ballet's Nutcracker in New Orleans, LA, so I will get to see them dance!!! Irina will be Sugarplum Fairy and I think Max will be her Cavalier. It is Dec. 20 & 21.

Sorry this is a little off topic!

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My daughter and I went to the opening night of ABT's Nutcracker in Orange County, CA and we had the privilege to see Paloma Herrera dance as the Sugar Plum Fairy, along with Marcello Gomes. They looked wonderful. Paloma looked relaxed and happy and performed better than we've ever seen (and she is one of our favorites). She was very dramatic and her technique was beyond perfect (if that's possible). My daughter, who is a "turner" counted 11 and then 10 supported pirouettes (and I proceeded to point out to her that Paloma's center is absolutely "steel" and that was the reason she could do so many turns, and everything else that she does). Stella Abrerra was the Snow Queen and she did fine, although the "snow" must have been a bit slippery, as she slipped a couple of times during her variation. She definitely has the regal aire that is required for that part. Of course, she was beyond words in the Arabian (as always). Radetsky was her partner and he looked scared-to-death, but he performed well (I hear that they had a bit of trouble during the dress rehearsal and had to do it over, so I'm sure that this part of the performance will improve with time). Xiomara Reyes was very good as Clara and quite believable as a "child." Cornejo looked quite tentative in his role as the Nutcracker Prince, but we later heard that he is perhaps injured, so that would explain why I got the impression that Clara was "dragging" him through the performance rather than the Nutcracker Prince sweeping Clara off her feet (as we have seen Corella do so nicely before). Monique Meunier and Veronika Part were the Spanish Ladies, and I'm sorry, but after seeing them both in this production and in the Don Q. and George Harrison tribute this summer, I just can't quite see what others see in them. The waltz of the flowers was not quite as polished as we've seen before (I got the impression that some of the boys were having jumping competitions on stage -- it just looked a little bit "student-ish" to me -- just my opinion). I liked Victor as Drosselmeyer; he always does well. Also, the Fritz and Peter Bully in the party scene were very good; Fritz looked as though he can really dance well, and Peter Bully was a very good actor. Ethan Brown was very good as Clara's Father (he's another of our favorites). Bo Busby did the part of the tallest Russian and we liked him, too.

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Oberon, I remember the Baryshnikov staging of the Nutcracker because it used to be shown every Christmastime on PBS -- I never saw it on stage.

The best thing about the TV production, I thought, was Gelsey Kirkland and Baryshnikov as Clara and the Prince -- what a great partnership (at least on stage B), and this captures them at their peak. Kirkland was just beautiful -- I still remember how delicate her footwork was and how she really captured the character of a girl growing into womanhood. Baryshnikov is his usual breathtaking self, and it was quite touching how protective he seemed toward her as Clara.

What I didn't like was the heavy psychodrama surrounding Drosslemyer -- he seems unnecessarily dark and almost creepy. I especially disliked how he floated in and out of the final pas de deux for Clara and the Prince (what in most other Nutcrackers is the Sugar Plum Fairy's dance with her Cavalier); it seemed a bit heavy-handed. Like, got it, she's caught between two worlds, childhood and adulthood, reality and fantasy, yadda yadda. :FIREdevil: Still, writing about the production makes me want to see it again. :)

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ABT's website listed Veronika Part and Marcello Gomes in the Sugar Plum pas de deux on Sunday evening. There were also a lot of new Claras listed - Erica Cornejo, Renata Pavam, Maria Riccetto and Anne Milewski. Did anyone see any of them? Any info would be appreciated!

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One of the teachers at one of our ballet studios did see Veronika Part/Marcello Gomes as Sugar Plum/Cavalier. She reported that they had trouble with a couple of lifts and she was rather disappointed with the performance in general (and ABT is one of her favorite companies--she and her parents go to see them every time they come to OC). From her description, she may have seen Renata Pavam as Arabian (but she wasn't sure and she didn't have the program with her when we discussed her experience at the ballet.) My daughter and I saw Renata Pavam as the Ballerina Doll on opening night and we thought she did very well. Two years ago we saw Anne Milewski as Clara and she was great!

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Thanks so much for the feedback. It’s dissapointing to hear that Part didn’t do well as Sugar Plum. She was barely cast at all in ABT’s City Center season and I’ve been hoping that this would be the start of some bigger roles for her. It is nice to hear that Milewski is coming along well. I’ve never seen ABT’s Nutcracker, but she rarely gets featured roles in NY so I assumed that this was her first Clara.

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