ABT at The Met 2010 Opening Night program

[leonid17]

(BTW, Misty Copeland who, it seems, will not be dancing this season, also appeared then, looking beautiful).

Wow, I've been wondering where IS Misty? Will she really not be dancing this season, is there anything official on that?

Try her website:- http://www.mistycopeland.com/home.html

[carbro]

Wow, I've been wondering where IS Misty? Will she really not be dancing this season, is there anything official on that?

Try her website:- http://www.mistycopeland.com/home.html

Thank you, leonid. Any idea how current the announcement on her website is? Misty's name had been on the calendar for several dates when casting was first announced, all of which have been removed, and her ABT bio page now lists none. (By comparison, Stella Abrera's gives dates for six roles.)

[leonid17]

Wow, I've been wondering where IS Misty? Will she really not be dancing this season, is there anything official on that?

Try her website:- http://www.mistycopeland.com/home.html

Thank you, leonid. Any idea how current the announcement on her website is? Misty's name had been on the calendar for several dates when casting was first announced, all of which have been removed, and her ABT bio page now lists none. (By comparison, Stella Abrera's gives dates for six roles.)

I am pretty sure I kept this link after seeing it on my local website here in London.

I would be surprised if the ABT regulars aren't up with the news. So no doubt a post will soon follow.

[MJ]

MJ, the reason Balanchine interpolated that piece in his Nutcracker is that the same theme was already in the Nutcracker score--during the music for the transformation of the living room and the growing Christmas tree. Thus, when he was choreographing his Nutcracker for NYCB and found he needed more music in Act I, he added the previously unused entr'acte from Sleeping Beauty.

Yep, I was usually on stage ready to help move the packages at the bottom of the Tree in the Stamford Balanchine Nutcracker. If I was not off stage I had my ear pressed against the pit door to listen to the violin solo.

BUT, it was a huge time waster, adding 7+ minutes to the ballet. It did give Clara's mother time to change into a nightgown and some of the Party Scene Children to get into Soldier/mouse costumes. Or adults changing into a Mouse costume. :^)

I think it is more effective in Nutz than Beauty.

[carbro]

It's a gorgeous passage, but I don't think it supports dancing very well, especially in view of how perfectly so much else of Tchaikovsky does.

[miliosr]

Kevin McKenzie with his background with the Joffrey in the 1970's is very conversant with major 20th century choreography and is interested in acquiring major works for ABT.

Of course, as Joan Acocella pointed out some years ago in the pages of The New Yorker, McKenzie having developed his eye at the Joffrey in the 70s cuts both ways. There's the "good" Kevin who saw the wonderful historical works Robert Joffrey brought in to the company's repertory. But then there's the "bad" Kevin who saw a lot of trashy "pop" ballets during his tenure at the Joffrey. I give you The Pied Piper and the George Harrison tribute as examples of his "bad" Joffrey eye at work at ABT.

The Tudor centennial season at City Center last year was a partial recompense.

Or a last gasp.

[Marga]

It's a gorgeous passage .....

It is one of my favorite parts of the ballet. It really takes us luxuriously into the transition between worlds.

[vipa]

Any idea how current the announcement on her website is? Misty's name had been on the calendar for several dates when casting was first announced, all of which have been removed, and her ABT bio page now lists none. (By comparison, Stella Abrera's gives dates for six roles.)

That could just mean no principal roles. As many of us have noted before, ABT is really bad about posting the casting of secondary/soloist roles - Bluebird in SB, the fairies in SB, the 3 shades in Bayadere etc. Birthday Offering only lists the principal couple and Company B says "company." Copeland could be appearing in any of those roles, but we would have no way of knowing.

Again, I wish for more detailed casting from ABT, but as others have noted it is a star focused company.

[nysusan]

Misty was listed in tonight's program as one of the 3 solo shades, but was replaced by Christine Shevchenko. There was a slip announcing the change but it didn't indicate the reason for the substitution. It did indicate that Roberto Bolle was unable to perform due to injury, he was replaced by Gomes. Marcelo was wonderful (as was Part), but I sure hope he has enough left in the tank for his scheduled performance tomorrow night with Vishneva - that would make 3 nights in a row for him!

[carbro]

Misty was listed in tonight's program as one of the 3 solo shades, but was replaced by Christine Shevchenko. There was a slip announcing the change but it didn't indicate the reason for the substitution. It did indicate that Roberto Bolle was unable to perform due to injury, he was replaced by Gomes. Marcelo was wonderful (as was Part), but I sure hope he has enough left in the tank for his scheduled performance tomorrow night with Vishneva - that would make 3 nights in a row for him!

Thank you, nysusan. Glad to see there's reason to hope to see Misty dance during the next eight weeks.

[leonid17]

New York Times has photographs of dancers taking part in Monday's Gala.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/05/1....html?ref=dance

[4mrdncr]

The seven ABT alumni who were introduced were supposed to represent a decade of the company's history, although it seems to me that there was some overlap -- van Hamel, Makarova and Baryshnikov are pretty much contemporaries. I, too, was pleased to see Baryshnikov return, like the Prodigal AD. I hope whatever rift may have existed has, at long last, healed.

Very surprised Baryshnikov has never attended a gala before? Or just not appeared onstage before? He has attended previous ABT performances though, hasn't he?

For me, the evening's pointless low mark was Caught, during which I was forced to not only cover my ears but also close my eyes. All my senses felt like they were under violent attack. I saw David Parsons dance Caught in a smaller venue. Either the strobe was less bright or the house was less dark, but I don't remember my eyes hurting then as they did Monday night. Then again, I was about 20 years younger, although I'm sure my age had nothing to do with it.

Thanks for the cogent remarks carbro about "Caught" you had a very legitimate complaint, and your observations were reasoned as always.

Myself, I have always wondered if the warning about the use of a strobe was for epileptics or others prone to seizures, or other medical reasons?

However, I think it's been fairly documented that age does affect eyes, especially after age 40+ ... eg.

(1) aging eyes need more light to see, so at night or in darkened theaters, it's harder to see, and especially

(2) it's harder for the eyes to adjust quickly to light vs. dark, which of course a strobe is the epitome of--(Also my problem driving at night with contact lenses whenever I encounter an idiot who doesn't lower their highbeams, I am literally blind until they pass and can only hope I'm still driving in a straight line.)

Anyway, Parsons explained that the dancer holds the control for the strobe. It requires no special coordination with the crew. One reason why it was chosen for Corella may have been that with his busier schedule these days, once he learned the piece,

Angel has known the choreography for this work at least 12 years and possibly longer.

he did not have to coordinate rehearsals in New York or with a partner.

Very true.

[Kyeong]

At this time when only three performances are remaining, and when I feel so thankful to all dancers in the ABT, whom I didn't know almost at all in May, I come to think of the work, “caught”, which I liked most at the opening gala night.

I thought it the real gem of ABT opening gala night. I was excited to see Angel Corella, and the creativity of that work shined above other a little boring programs. To me, the “caught” was an abridged version of the destiny and the life of the dancer.

Caught by something unaccountable, they began to dance, showed themselves under the glaring lighting, and disappeared into the dark with the applause. We don’t know how they landed and how they will leap up again to the stage. We only see them on the stage, and enjoy the strange and/or beautiful otherworld they present there.

Also, the fact that they cannot stay long enough in the air is the heartbreaking nature of a performing art, I think, and also represents the mortality of our life. We, as well as they, try to overcome that evanescence by creating and appreciating a perfectly beautiful moment.

Now at this time they are going to disappear again into the darkness, I am just thankful to them for willingly and successfully leaping up to the stage this season, and wish them all best of luck. Hope to be able to see them next year.