abatt Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Right, forgot about the Smirnova Chudin debacle. Link to comment
nysusan Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Don't discount tonight's performance. You might be pleasantly surprised. I certainly was on wednesday. Don't discount tonight's performance. You might be pleasantly surprised. I certainly was on wednesday. I will be pleasantly surprised if I find that Seo is a lovely Juliet, if she doesn't fall on her butt and if we don't see her typical bland performance. But I will eat my hat if I walk out of tonight's performance thinking that I've just witnessed a great Juliet - one that has been beautifully danced, wonderfully acted, full of nuance - like last nights, like that legendary first Osipova/Hallberg R&J or like most Vishneva/Gomes Giselles & R&Js. I'm glad that she's improving and maybe I should be grateful that I'm being forced to see her in one of her better roles (I have already been forced to see her Nikyia this season, which was extremely mediocre), but really, I don't pay $100 to see a nice performance by a newly minted house ballerina - and ABT is forcing us into that position all to often this season. If I had a cheaper ticket I would just stay home. If there was something else I wanted to see that didn't conflict with my Ailey or RB tickets I would make a big deal at the box and insist on an exchange. But there is nothing left to exchange for except more Hee Seo Link to comment
c-green Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Thank you for your reply, abatt and aurora. Certainly Marcelo sometimes seems to save his power probably thinking about his rest schedule in MET. I wont' complain to him, because he has always hard schedule. And as aurora says, he knows how he dances wonderfully in any conditions. My friends were totally moved by Wednesday's Seo/Gomes. (But that is the reason why I love to see him on the tours out of MET... he always seems to be at top his games and doesn't look to be troubled by schedule.) Link to comment
Helene Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 It ultimately doesn't matter whether they knew earlier or thought there was a chance that the dancer(s) would be ready, either based on the dancer's or doctor's evaluation. I've never read a Principal contract or guest contract and don't know if there are terms where a guest artist reserves the right to not cancel before a given date. What does matter is the perception that ABT withheld the information about casting changes to sell more tickets based on the original casts. The extent to which this matters is unclear. I'm not sure how wide this perception is: at Ballet Alert! we're a limited audience base who are self-selected to make our opinions known. Whether they are shared by many of the audience is unknown. (The truism in customer service for years has been that for every person who complains, that person represents a multiplier of people who agree, but I'm not sure when this was last tested or adjusted.) Some people who are upset by this will not buy tickets next year. Some people will skip the ballet; others will go see New York City Ballet. Others will buy tickets, regardless of how upsetting this is, because the trade-off of not seeing the work isn't worth it. Others have been converted to dancers they never expected to like. Some are just as interested in seeing dancers develop as they are in seeing a finished performance like the one Obraztsova was described as giving. Tourists who buy tickets because they've got a free night on Monday likely won't care, unless they are told to care. Link to comment
abatt Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 At this point I would have gone to see Copeland and Gorak in R&J, but there are no tickets available in my price range, and I sure as heck will not be giving them more money to see it even if they did allow me to exchange my ticket for tonight into tomorrow's matinee. Link to comment
Kaysta Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Seo is not a great Juliet, but she's not a Misty Copeland either. I went in expecting mediocrity and was pleasantly surprised. She is a far better Juliet than Nikiya. She really danced with emotion and intensity as Juliet, and I felt she lacked that as Nikiya. I completely agree with abatt on KM's over-reliance on Seo being a problem. And, although I enjoyed Seo's performance much more than I expected, I would be disappointed with this switch if I had tickets tonight. Link to comment
MRR Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Gomes I thought was very good on Wednesday but not his best. Age is starting to show, particularly in the extension of his arabesque and his leaps, and overall he paced himself throughout the performance to ensure that he made the big scenes count. Still, he is one of my favorite danseurs and that did not change after Wednesday's show: I would even say that relative to Stearns and especially Hammoudi, Gomes was the sturdiest technically. He still has wonderfully elongated and sustained pirouettes, beautiful light landings, and even when you thought he didn't have bravura left in him, he popped off a series of five double saut de basque in a row, executed with ease. Of course this is redundant but his partnering was superb: he gave Seo freedom to luxuriate in every step in both the balcony pas and the bedroom pas. His portrayal is a stronger Romeo, not one to be easily knocked down, and where he was tender with Juliet he was positively enraged in the fight with Tybalt that Tybalt stood NO chance. His grief in the tomb scene was so raw, just incredible. He is not the most suitable partner to Seo, even if separately he is a great Romeo and she is a great Juliet. She is lyrical and innocent where he is more mature, virile, and visceral, but they were wonderful together. Personally I would love to see Seo dance with Bolle, in this ballet. Gomes also drew out the necessary eroticism from Seo in the balcony pas, eroticism which went totally missing with Stearns on Monday. On Monday, she was sweet and lovely but I didn't get a sense that she had to be with Romeo. It wasn't life or death for her. Monday Seo gave a nice performance, not exceptional and certainly not very memorable, but the big difference Wednesday is that everything was bigger. She practically flew into those lifts toward the end of the balcony pas: she trusted Marcelo with her life in a way she hadn't with Cory, though Cory's partnering was actually great on the whole. Her extensions were more luxuriant, her acting even in the scenes without Marcelo just read better in the theater. Her Act 1 solo had a couple of pirouettes that didn't finish on top, but her upper body was luscious and she had great control over her plie. Her Act III scene with her parents and Paris is one of her best: she makes fully clear that she can never be with Paris, but you also sense that she is hiding something, and something very big. On Monday during the potion scene she did this awkward step where she sat by the bed and went onto pointe and back down; thankfully she dropped that Wednesday as even that lone moment robbed the scene of its full drama. Her backward bourrees were divine. On Wednesday she gave us the full characterization of Juliet without ever becoming hysterical. I would still like her to work on her death scene, not her silent "scream" which was very powerful but her actual death, which seemed too....pleasant? She looked more injured than dying, and her body was too far downstage on the tomb to properly "drape" off of it during her death. I also didn't get the sense, as tutu described with Obraztsova, that Seo's Juliet had a clear history and relationship to her Capulet family. But all in all, Wednesday was an exquisite performance, maybe spurred on quite a lot by Gomes. She receives a lot of criticism but her work in this ballet should be credited. I basically agree with the comments surrounding Simkin's and Salstein's Mercutios. Simkin's Mercutio is tricks, tricks, and more tricks, with charisma and a sort of childish arrogance. His brassy characterization makes him quite unlikeable: in spite of the big personality and all the goods technically, Simkin never becomes a Mercutio you could see anybody becoming friends with. Frankly you're sort of relieved when he dies. His campy and over-the-top death scene I actually liked: his sunken, rounded posture even in his "just kidding, I'm not dead" moment really made you believe in his pain. I found the death scene very affective, however showy it was, but his abrupt plopping onto the floor after such a drawn out, interminable death broke the mood (at least on Monday) and actually elicited laughter. Salstein's portrayal is certainly charismatic but far more likeable: he is as rebellious and devilish as Mercutio should be, but you see why Romeo and Benvolio are friends with his in the first place. His technique is inferior to Simkin's but overall his character was far more interesting. Roman Zhurbin was only one of the three Tybalts I saw who had real weight (the other two were Patrick Ogle and Thomas Forster). And a lot of people praise Forster but I just didn't get much from him: for example, even in the Act I scene where he discovers Romeo and Juliet together and pushes Romeo, he barely pushed Gomes relative to Zhurbin who almost sent Stearns into the wings. Zhurbin was a scary Tybalt, very intimidating and it was evident just how fiercely he was going to "protect" Juliet from any Montague in sight. Joseph Gorak as Benvolio has lines reminiscent of Anthony Dowell. I agree with all the praise about him but I wonder if he will have that dramatic impact for Romeo, especially in a debut. I do think his youthful quality will be very suited to the role though. Blaine Hoven I found miscast as Benvolio (Monday and Wednesday), and his turns in the men's trio were biffed--to both sides--on Monday though much better on Wednesday. Stella Abrera's Lady Capulet I also enjoyed....so imperious. Mandolin Dance was pretty much a disaster all three shows. On Monday guys were falling out of turns, off line, off unison, with different angles in the handstand cabrioles and an overall sense that nobody will remember this silly three-minute dance, so why dance it well? Where things seemed like they couldn't get worse, Tuesday the center boy forgot the first of the handstand cabrioles and adjusted his hat around that same point to ensure it wouldn't fall off. Wednesday was messy again, but I guess no huge disasters? Shocking that a company with a reputation as world class could perform as poorly as this, at any point in the ballet. Misty Copeland and Alexandre Hammoudi in the Tuesday R&J I commented about in a previous post and I'm curious as to everyone's thoughts about Misty when she dances with Gorak tomorrow. Again, I found her portrayal overwrought and overacted, with potentially good moments if her portrayal is stripped down. Hammoudi I'm curious as to why he is being pushed: beyond his gorgeous tall physique and beautiful lines, I don't see a lot else.... Link to comment
Cygnet Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Huge Thanks to all for the Obraztsova reports! Why am I not surprised in the least of her triumph? Seeing that she's quite under-utilized at the Bolshoi and rarely included in their international tours, may I dream that she might be spending a nice long time at ABT in the future? I've never been a big fan of the rent-a-Russian practice but Genya Obraztsova is an exception. P.s. I'd pay a mint to see her as Aurora in Ratmansky's BEAUTY. She was one of the loveliest Auroras in the Mariinsky's 1890 version, which is another interpretation of the Stepanov notes on Petipa's original, so 'known' to Genya. I'm ITA with you. A hearty "Thank You" to everyone who attended last night and reported. Congratulations to G for her successful Met and ABT debut! Link to comment
Amour Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I think some of the good soloists (other than Misty) should have been getting some lead roles (and not just 1 for Stella and 1 for Sarah). That's what they do at NYCB and that's how you grow talent in a company. This over reliance on Hee Seo is just tragic:( Link to comment
MRR Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Yes. For instance, Lane and Gorak in R&J would have been a very lovely and suitable couple in R&J. Link to comment
Amour Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Yes. For instance, Lane and Gorak in R&J would have been a very lovely and suitable couple in R&J.Yes! Link to comment
Just an Observer Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 How would Lane and and Gorak (or anyone else who hasn't been rehearsing for the role) be able to step in on one day's notice? Link to comment
abatt Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Of course Lane couldn't step in right now because she is not prepared on such short notice. But it is ABT's mismanagement of the talent within the company that has led to that circumstance. Injuries and illness happen and nobody can be blamed for that, but the lack of preparation of other suitable ABT dancers to fill the roles can definitely be blamed on ABT. It was just a matter of pure luck that Stella happened to have danced a bunch of Giselles elsewhere shortly before the ABT season began, so that she was able to fill the void. Otherwise I guarantee that Seo would have been our Giselle for that show too. Link to comment
California Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 At least judging from his Instagram and Twitter accounts, Marcelo has family in town from Brazil. I imagine they're disappointed they can't see him dance with Vishneva tonight, but they'd be even more disappointed if he didn't dance at all. https://instagram.com/marcelua/ Link to comment
MRR Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 How would Lane and and Gorak (or anyone else who hasn't been rehearsing for the role) be able to step in on one day's notice? Sorry, I didn't mean that they could, it's just frustrating when Lane would be very suited to Juliet and doesn't get cast. And I agree with everything Abatt said: I actually find it remarkable now that they didn't give Hee Seo that extra Giselle given that she took over all of Semionova's performances (and now Osipova's and Vishneva's R&Js, this week). I think she will be fine tonight, but I worry about her Swan Lakes next week on top of such a heavy season. Link to comment
mimsyb Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Just at the Box Office. Was adamantly and I must say rudely refused an exchange. I'm guessing the guy was just fed up fielding requests. This is disappointing. Seo is fine as Juliet, but I didn't lay out mucho dineros to see her three times. Not much else to say, other than it's a sadness there is no one else at ABT who could fill in. Lane is probably not prepared and Gorak dances tomorrow matinee so that wouldn't work either. Gillian/Whiteside would seem to have been the right answer, but perhaps they weren't available or said "no". It's all very crazy to say the least. Will go and hope for the best. Link to comment
abatt Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 A further comment on the mismanagement issues at ABT. ABT has large sums being paid out for principal contracts to people who show up for only a few shows a season, like Vishneva and Bolle. They are not principals. They are guest artists and they should not have principal contracts. Give the principal contracts to people who actually devote their careers to ABT, not to people who show up for 4 shows so that they can spend springtime in New York City on ABT's dime. I get that Kent has given her life to the Company, so that fact that she can't really do much anymore isn't a sore spot. Link to comment
Amour Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Just at the Box Office. Was adamantly and I must say rudely refused an exchange. I'm guessing the guy was just fed up fielding requests. This is disappointing. When I called, I demanded to speak to a manager or supervisor (which Alexandria is). The ticket agents really don't have the authority to do much. But even Alexandria said it's been a terrible season, the worst she's seen in her 10 years working at the Met. And even she couldn't do a refund or exchange, only comps. That's obviously ABT's policy, one I suspect will cost them dearly in subscribers and/or members next year. Link to comment
Helene Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 Of course Lane couldn't step in right now because she is not prepared on such short notice. But it is ABT's mismanagement of the talent within the company that has led to that circumstance. Injuries and illness happen and nobody can be blamed for that, but the lack of preparation of other suitable ABT dancers to fill the roles can definitely be blamed on ABT. Maybe, but maybe not. For the majority of companies in North America, while there is overlap in rehearsal and coaching sessions -- and overlap in performance for two programs at SFB -- this creates a more controllable situation than for ABT and NYCB, which have longs blocks of performances in a row, and the impact of injury snowballs. (This can happen with the more common schedule, too, especially during "Nutcracker" season or when the company is using all of its resources, including students, for major productions.) A big issue is that it's harder to predict who will become ill or injured over the duration of the schedule, including by having extra performances, last-minute rehearsals, new partners, fatigue, etc. When they have five or six Juliets that need to be coached and rehearsed for their single, or if lucky, two performance(s), the number of dancers in whom they can invest to prepare as back-ups is limited. It's yet another catch-22 for the up-and-coming dancers: they are eager, but they don't get the resources. Fans of specific dancers and critics of the guest system at ABT might argue with the lack of opportunities, but if Osipova, Semionova, and Vishneva had danced their performances as scheduled, there would be plenty of oohs and ahs and happy customers. The AD and/or the stage has to decide who is dancing what, and then his or her scheduling guru(s) has to allocate finite coaching, rehearsal space, and rehearsal time, within the constraints of the contracts across whatever is needed. These are not trivial constraints. There is a tricky balance to give the most people the fewest amount of resources they need to be successful. Bringing in a dancer who has done a role in prior years is not necessarily an option, whether they had a day or a week's notice, when all of the moving parts are considered. That isn't to say that AD's don't make major mistakes along the way. I'm just not sure this is specifically one of them, given the overall artistic plan. A further comment on the mismanagement issues at ABT. ABT has large sums being paid out for principal contracts to people who show up for only a few shows a season, like Vishneva and Bolle. They are not principals. They are guest artists and they should not have principal contracts. Give the principal contracts to people who actually devote their careers to ABT, not to people who show up for 4 shows so that they can spend springtime in New York City on ABT's dime. I get that Kent has given her life to the Company, so that fact that she can't really do much anymore isn't a sore spot. Unless either Bolle's or Vishneva's contract is public knowledge, you don't know what their compensation is or how it is calculated; not all Principal contracts are the same. According to the 990's from 2009-2013 available from charitynavigator, neither was among the top earners at ABT whose compensation had to be reported individually. (The ABT website has the 2012 form only.) I remember the line in "The Turning Point," where Anne Bancroft's character says that when she learns that her and Freddie's performances would be cut, she feels bad for him, because they were being paid by performance. Link to comment
vipa Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Of course Lane couldn't step in right now because she is not prepared on such short notice. But it is ABT's mismanagement of the talent within the company that has led to that circumstance. Injuries and illness happen and nobody can be blamed for that, but the lack of preparation of other suitable ABT dancers to fill the roles can definitely be blamed on ABT. It was just a matter of pure luck that Stella happened to have danced a bunch of Giselles elsewhere shortly before the ABT season began, so that she was able to fill the void. Otherwise I guarantee that Seo would have been our Giselle for that show too. I agree that Lane couldn't step in now. However, she did say in an interview that she was taught the role on tour because it looked like Hee Seo wouldn't be able to perform. I ended up that Seo could so Lane never did it. Perhaps Lane and others should get to do these roles a couple of times on tour. That may give the AD more options when things happen. I'm not even saying that Lane could of gone on tonight, just that she could be in the mix of options. Link to comment
miliosr Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I have to defend Bolle. First of all, we don't know what ABT is paying him for his half dozen or so shows. But even if ABT is paying him what the other principal males make, he's earning it because he's showing up and not flaking out of performances. (Knock on wood!) He's also been getting some of the best reviews I've ever seen him get with ABT. ABT has a male principal problem but it's not Bolle. ABT is trying to run the company with the Big Four workhorses (Cornejo, Gomes, Stearns and Whiteside) plus Bolle. Hallberg is out injured for the second (or is it third?) year in a row and Simkin is not carrying a principal's workload. Performing Bluebirds and Golden Idols and Romeo's friends just isn't principal dancing at a company like ABT. If I were the Big Four, I would be more pissed with Simkin's principal contract than with whatever arrangement Bolle has with the company. In my opinion, the company is still reeling from the losses of Carreno, Corella and Steifel, Bringing in Whiteside filled some of the gap but they're still short at least two male principals -- even if Hallberg recovered tomorrow. Promoting Gorak might cover some of the gap. That would still leave a vacant spot and I'm not convinced either Forster or Hammoudi are the answer. ABT needs Bolle! Link to comment
ord7916 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Omg. I am in my seat now and I just saw the note in the playbill. I had no idea. For those who were refused exchanges, are you subscribers? We are supposed to be able to exchange at will. Had I known I would have tried. Link to comment
Natalia Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Bolle is 40. (A great-looking 40!) He shouldn't be counted on as a true principal for the long haul. Link to comment
miliosr Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Bolle is 40. (A great-looking 40!) He shouldn't be counted on as a true principal for the long haul. True. But until ABT rebuilds its diminished principal male ranks, they need him in the short term. Since his technique isn't showing any obvious signs of outright collapse, getting a few more years out of him is a way for ABT to hedge their bets. Link to comment
canbelto Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Vishneva is very explicit about her terms and conditions. She makes no bones about only dancing a limited number of performances, Marcelo being her sole partner, and only dancing in productions she feels are of high quality and suit her. But she has a huge following in NY so I assume whatever financial compensation she gets is more than made up for in ticket sales and strong word of mouth. It's rare to have an almost 40 ballerina be a guaranteed almost sell out. She's also consistent: she's this way with her home company (the Mariinsky) as well. Link to comment
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