Ethan Stiefel to head New Zealand Ballet

[FauxPas]

Ethan (and it seems Gillian Murphy - hopefully only as a guest) will be heading to New Zealand to run the ballet company there. Congratulations to Ethan but I suspect his dancing career at ABT will end. That means Malakhov, Bocca, Carreno and the rest of the old guard will be gone leaving only the elusive Corella...

Time marches on...

http://www.ballet.co.uk/dcforum/news/4842.html

[GeorgeB fan]

It's so depressing for me on a personal level. Because it's not just the gentlemen who has left us over the years. The ladies as well. Nina Ananiashvili, Amanda McKerrow, Susan Jaffe, Alessandra Ferri, Ashley Tuttle. They were all the dancers who was performing gloriously when I first started going to the ballet back in the 90's. Fourteen, fifteen years ago. Time was supposed to stand still! What happened?? It makes me feel old!! And I don't like feeling old!

[onxmyxtoes]

I hope this does not offend anyone, but just wondering if he is more prepared to run a company now. He went to California to direct Ballet Pacifica. The company suffered with financial troubles, he left them, and then the company AND the school closed in less than a year. Then he recently resigned from his position as Dean of NCSA. I hope this isn't a pattern...

Article about the Ballet Pacifica situation : http://articles.latimes.com/2006/mar/31/entertainment/et-pacifica31

http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2010/sep/03/uncsas-dance-dean-to-step-down-ar-395844/

In the above article about NCSA, they mention that he stepped down so he could do some more dancing. Now, he's taking an AD role. I just don't know what to make of this.

[abatt]

The stated reason for his departure from North Carolina that he wanted to perform more now seems disingenuous.

[TutuMaker]

I seems to be fashionable to bad mouth Mr. Stiefel. The implication that he is somehow responsible for the demise of Ballet Pacifica is unjust. The board had previously let go Molly Lynch, and long-time AD with a great track history due to disagreements about the programming. The board seemed to believe that having Mr. Stiefel as AD would bring in large amounts of money without any effort on their part. Mr. Stiefel seemed the only party interested in raising money. As to the collapse of the school, one can only blame the board Once again money was unwisely spent to employ approximately 8 administrators. I am unaware of any other school that has more money going to administrators than instructors! Additionally the executive director was abrasive and completely ignorant of ballet.

In short, I believe promises were made to Mr. Stiefel and that the board did not keep their end of the bargain. In my observations, Mr. Stiefel took his obligations very seriously!

In regards to NCSA, I would hazard to guess that Mr. Stiefel was in negotiations with RBNZ at the time that his contract with NCSA needed to be renewed. Rather than tip his hand, he probably stated what he would do if he did not sign the RBNZ contract.

I wish all the best to Mr. Stiefel, Ms. Murphy and the Royal Ballet of New Zealand.

[Helene]

Hopefully New Zealand will get to see Mr. Stiefel perform at least a bit, with his own company. Even Peter Boal was planning more than a cameo in a gala performance of "Duo Concertant" when he first came to PNB, until injury tripped him up.

[kitcat]

Personally, I think it would be very, very difficult to manage an AD's or a Dean's position as a part-timer while still performing in another city. I can't imagine how anyone could do it. The time demands would be enormous and exhausting.

Much luck to both of the dancers in New Zealand...it really sounds like a dream come true!

The best thing that happened from the Ballet Pacifica "situation" was becoming acquainted with the lovely and talented Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner. They are such wonderful teachers and occasionally hold master classes and privates in the area and are warmly loved by all their former students.

[Colleen Boresta]

I've always loved Ethan Stiefel as a dancer. I remember him in New York City Ballet's Sleeping Beauty as a 19 year old. And of course I've seen many fantastic performances from him as an ABT principal. I do think, however, it is time for him to move on as a dancer. He must be close to 40 (or over 40) and he's had several severe injuries in the past few years. And so what that he hasn't had great success as an artistic director of a ballet company yet? Don't they always that the third time is the charm. As has already been said, I hope Gillian Muprhy doesn't follow Stiefel to New Zealand on a full time basis. She's one of my favorite ballerinas ever, and I think she has at least ten good years of dancing ahead of her. Hopefully it will be with ABT.

[abatt]

I've always loved Ethan Stiefel as a dancer. I remember him in New York City Ballet's Sleeping Beauty as a 19 year old. And of course I've seen many fantastic performances from him as an ABT principal. I do think, however, it is time for him to move on as a dancer. He must be close to 40 (or over 40) and he's had several severe injuries in the past few years.

I thought one of the recent articles regarding Steifel's new position in New Zealand said he was 37, and Murphy is 31. He certainly has had some severe injuries. Murphy has grown as an artist during the last few years. She is among the strongest technicians of the current crop of women principals too. I, too, hope that she continues her relationship with ABT.

[dancemom101]

Apparently, Gillian will be accompanying Stiefel to NZ, though perhaps not on a full time basis. See following link which notes she will keep her affiliation with ABT--though the extent of which remains to be seen. I think if ABT loses her it will leave a huge hole.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/enter...-rock-star-pair

[abatt]

My guess is that Murphy will participate in the 8 week season at the Met, but might not participate in touring or Nutcracker. This seems to be what many of ABT's principals do. You're right, it will leave a hole in ABT. More opportunities for the soloists, I guess.

[jsmu]

EEEK. Murphy is by far the strongest technician at ABT at the moment, and one of only two or three ballerinas who look even vaguely comfortable in Balanchine roles! (I am thinking of ABT's 'regular ballerinas', not of guest stars Osipova and Vishneva, who are lamentably rarely seen-- much less in Balanchine)...This is jarring. Stiefel's career was much closer to its end than Murphy's is; I hope she is planning on a lot of those flights from hell. As Katherine Mansfield once observed, (paraphrased) it's a long way to New Zealand.