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Veronika Part leaving ABT


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Remember the reality TV show about Ballet West, Breaking Pointe? Cameras followed one or two corps dancers who had been told in the middle of the season that they would not continue past the last program on the calendar (May/June).  This allowed the dancers to audition during the late winter/spring when auditions were taking place.

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1 hour ago, Natalia said:

Remember the reality TV show about Ballet West, Breaking Pointe? Cameras followed one or two corps dancers who had been told in the middle of the season that they would not continue past the last program on the calendar (May/June).  This allowed the dancers to audition during the late winter/spring when auditions were taking place.

I don't know when Part was told, but the dancers belong to a union that regulates such thing. It couldn't have been just a last minute surprise.

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5 hours ago, abatt said:

Well if it is a typo, then they have a real idiot in charge of drafting the press releases.  

 

I normally never boo at a performance, but if McKenzie shows his face at her farewell, I might just have to discard etiquette and boo.  

 

Boy...great thing I am not there. My BRAVI are always first and louds from usually the first lines in orchestra. My BOO would be epic to McKenzie. I am not kidding. I have no shame on such matters. Not too politically correct here. What a disgrace. One of the very few decent O/O of the season...the most beautiful ballerina of ABT,  who can also cast a REAL "Ballet spell" over her performances, this is SHAMEFUL!!!. Her Prelude in Chopiniana has been one of the GRANDEST performances I have ever seen.  Her Myrtha, to die for. I mean...c'mon. WHEN IS McKenzie FINALLY LIVING FOR GOOD?!?!?! Xiomara, Reyes and Part could had ALL stayed longer, and it would had been a well deserved counter acting to the weaknesses of Copeland, Seo and even Lane. Aggh!!!

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32 minutes ago, cubanmiamiboy said:

Her Prelude in Chopiniana has been one of the GRANDEST performances I have ever seen.

 

 

I have to agree, cubanmiamiboy. It was one of those "time stands still" performances. A completely different role, but the Preghiera this evening immediately made me think of her Prelude in Chopaniana. She excels in those still, introspective moments.

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I agree, Cubanmiamiboy.   Part has given us so many "time stand still moments".  Her "O/O" stands alone among many.  "Bayadere", "Chopiniana", Myrtha, "Cinderella", "Sylvia", even "Trilogy".  We can probably all give a favorite moment.  Such a loss to the company.  I know she's had injuries, but ABT seems to be very willing to wait it out for other dancers, but never for Veronika.   She was never given a partner with whom she could develop a performance relationship with.  IMO she should have been dancing with Gomes all these years.  Now that Vishneva is gone, Part was the only real Prima ABT still had.  Her elegance and assertiveness out shone all the rest.  How I wish she could still find a place somewhere, but I'm guessing at this stage of her career, that might not be possible.  NAtional Ballet of Canada perhaps, or even Pennsylvania Ballet.   What a sad day at ABT when they can't find a place for this great ballerina.

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On 7/3/2017 at 7:24 PM, cobweb said:

This is so sad. Part is one of the few principals that I actually buy tickets to see at ABT -- there are three, no make that four, of the other principal women that I studiously avoid. I was so excited about the up-and-coming soloists, but this puts it all in a more depressing light. 

I have never been a Part fan, but I definitely see her value and the importance of having her there. What principal dancer is there for younger dancers to look up to now in say in SL? I saw Part's SL a couple of years ago. I was not as blown away as her fans BUT she delivered a valid, mature performance and yes did the fouettes. Murphy, the other senior principal, seems to be out injured a lot, and quite frankly her technique still overpowers her artistry. Most dancers can't match Murphy's technique so would find her hard it emulate. If Sarah Lane is promoted (fingers cross) it is a loss to her that Part isn't there. Hee Seo, Boylston, Copeland all could use a role model like Part. If they are smart enough to watch her. I've left off Kochetkova because I find her boring and no one knows what's happening with her relationship with ABT. I've also left off Abrera who, IMO, became a principal when she was passed her prime.

 

I don't understand the AD's game plan.

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vipa, not only can Veronika serve as a role model for the younger principals, she can also serve as an inspiration because she is one example of someone who worked through technical deficiencies. I remember when she first came on the scene for every person who loved her attributes, there were others who pointed out that she wasn't skilled at turning, balancing, etc. But she worked hard to fix those problems and eventually became technically very consistent. She definitely was one of those ballerinas where the artistry came first, and the consistency came later.

 

Right now there are several ABT principals who have neither the artistry nor the technical consistency. 

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The only fellow company member that seems to have acknowledged Part's departure online seems to be Scout Forsythe, who included a screenshot of the NYT article about Part's farewell in an Instagram story. Obviously it's an awkward situation, but the rest of the dancers who post frequently are staying mum on this issue.

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9 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

The only fellow company member that seems to have acknowledged Part's departure online seems to be Scout Forsythe, who included a screenshot of the NYT article about Part's farewell in an Instagram story. Obviously it's an awkward situation, but the rest of the dancers who post frequently are staying mum on this issue.

 

Then again, it's only quite infrequently that others in the company post about Veronika in general –– at least among those I follow.

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12 hours ago, nanushka said:

 

Then again, it's only quite infrequently that others in the company post about Veronika in general –– at least among those I follow.

Yes, true. She didn't seem to be friends with anyone in the company. At least that's how it appeared to me. 

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On 7/3/2017 at 6:46 PM, fondoffouettes said:

The petition has almost reached 200 signatures. I think it's really more about the symbolism at his point, rather than hoping for action on the part of ABT, but the response has still been heartening.

 

Quite impressive that, as of right now, 462 people have signed. I agree, I don't expect it to change anything, but it's a nice gesture of support.

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I signed the petition. I'm sad but certainly not depressed. I'm also getting a bit tired of the big Pity Party that this has become. I'll cheer her on Saturday, cheer the 22 years of memories (first saw her in June 1995 at a Vaganova year-end show...Neumeier's Pavlova & Ceccheti), then look forward to the next chapter of her life. 

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6 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

Plus, I've overheard patrons discussing it in the lobby for the last two performances, as well as venting to ushers. Fans are seriously distraught and don't know how to deal with this. I'm one of them. It's actually been making me feel depressed. 

 

I've been sad and upset about it all as well. There's no shame in having strong feelings about the loss (to oneself) of a great artist whose work has had a profound impact on one –– particularly when that loss comes prematurely and in questionable circumstances. Live performances, especially, can create such strong emotions. Veronika's performances have affected me in a way that few other dancers' have, and year after year I have looked forward to them as highlights of my experiences as a balletgoer. Yes, her life isn't over, there will be a next chapter, she may even continue to perform in some capacity. But it is quite likely that I will never see her dance again. I have many feelings about that. Pity –– either for myself or for her –– is not one of them.

 

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7 minutes ago, Fleurfairy said:

I'm curious to know the ballpark of salary that Misty Copeland commands. I imagine it's very high, probably the highest in America? I wonder if that's a factor in ABT whittling down their principal roster..... 

 

Salaries for dancers at ABT are paid through their sponsors. 

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4 minutes ago, mimsyb said:

Wasn't it written somewhere in one of the recent articles that Part's sponsorship was turned down by ABT?  I believe the company has the right to do that.  Does anyone know?

 

That was in a comment that Part herself made on Facebook, I believe, not in an article.

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1 hour ago, Fleurfairy said:

I'm curious to know the ballpark of salary that Misty Copeland commands. I imagine it's very high, probably the highest in America? I wonder if that's a factor in ABT whittling down their principal roster..... 

 

Per its 2015 IRS 990, ABT's highest paid dancer in 2105 was Gillian Murphy, whose base compensation was $173,340. (Scroll down to pages 10 and 46 in the linked PDF.) In 2014, the highest paid dancer was Paloma Herrera. 

 

Is Copeland being paid more than that now? We won't know until ABT files its 2017 990, which won't be until sometime in 2018.

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Fascinating.  Thanks for the tax return.  Is the 2016 return available anywhere?

 

I'm in the wrong line of business.  Director of Marketing Timm makes $176,000?!  Is he the mastermind behind prohibiting subscribers from buying additional tickets during subscriber priority week?  Pure genius!!

Edited by abatt
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On ABT's website, the 2016 return isn't available.

 

Usually, their principal dancers are paid according to rank and seniority which is why Murphy is the highest paid principal (in 2015 at least) and why Herrera was before that. Even though Murphy and Gomes were both promoted to principal in 2002, she joined the corps a year earlier ('96) and was promoted to soloist a year earlier too ('99). I don't know if that pay scale follows a union rule or is just a company policy (written or not). But, let's assume it's not a union rule, I'd be surprised if Copeland's salary is/was bumped high above all the other principals. Even though she sells tickets, doing away with their policy of "seniority = higher salary" would really anger the other dancers I imagine. Or, maybe they're going to go the way of Hollywood - the more marketable/profitable you are the more you're paid.

 

But, the fact that the Dir. of Marketing is paid more than Murphy is outrageous.

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