ABT: Roster in Review - 2018

[fondoffouettes]

41 minutes ago, BalanchineFan said:

I've seen Calvin Royal III dance Agon ppd a few times with Unity Phelan. He's great in it, though there are no solos in the ppd. Maybe he could do some of the Balanchine rep.

I also saw his Benvolio in R&J and was surprised how well it looked. I hadn't particularly pictured him in classical story ballets.

I also thought he was superb in Symphonic Variations. And he and Shevchenko were electric in the third piece of the Shostakovich Trilogy. 

It sounds like he had a much stronger outing in his second Purple Rothbart. It’s been a tough role for ABT to cast successfully; the let-downs far outnumber the successes. If Hallberg were still an actual company member, I wish he’d dance it again (especially since Siegfried seems increasingly unlikely).

[angelica]

I think (hope) that we've weathered the worst of the fallout from the foreign guest artist debacle and the logjam it caused in the ranks--at least as far as the female principals and soloists are concerned. Forgive me if I've omitted someone, but with Shevchenko, Lane, and maybe Teuscher, some of the glaring gaps have been filled in. And with Trenary and Brandt on the rise, we're going to have a fine contingent of female dancers, with some promising corps members as well--Hurlin, McBride, Ogawa, Lavine, for example. However, I'm very unsure about the male contingent. This season was basically the season of Stearns, Whiteside, and Cornejo, but we need more up-and-coming male principals. If Bell is promoted to soloist, and I believe he deserves to be promoted, and Forster and Hoven promoted to principal, that's like putting a finger in the dike temporarily. We need more male principals at the level of our female principals. Calvin Royal III needs to be brought into more prominent roles. Are there some corps men who are being overlooked? 

Edited June 24, 2018 by angelica

[fondoffouettes]

3 minutes ago, angelica said:

If Bell is promoted to soloist, and I believe he deserves to be promoted, and Forster and Hoven promoted to principal, that's like putting a finger in the dike temporarily. We need more male principals at the level of our female principals. Are there some corps men who are being overlooked? And how about the ones who got away--Sterling Baca and Matthew Gordon? We mustn't let that happen again.

I don’t see McKenzie promoting Hoven and Forster, at least not this year. He hasn’t been giving them roles to test their principal potential, as he’s been doing for the past several years with dancers like Hammoudi and Gorak. Hoven did get that one Aminta, but then nothing after that. Forster has never gotten the leading role in a full-length.

I wonder if McKenzie hopes to tempt Baca to rejoin, though Baca certainly seems to have found a mentor in Corella. And I’m sure part of the appeal of the PA Ballet was that his girlfriend, Nayara Lopes, also got a position in the company. I only know her dancing through video clips, but she certainly looks like a fine dancer.

[California]

16 minutes ago, angelica said:

 However, I'm very unsure about the male contingent. 

I don't know how long ago SAB started their tuition-free program for boys, but I wonder if that has something to do with NYCB's apparently greater success at identifying and nurturing promising male dancers:

"Boys Program: Tuition is free for all boys enrolled for the Winter Term in the Prep and Children’s Divisions (ages 6 to approximately 13). Boys Program participants pay only a $75 registration fee for 10 months of training."

http://www.sab.org/school/diversity__inclusion/financial_aid.php

Does the JKO school have anything like this?

[Fleurfairy]

10 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

I don’t see McKenzie promoting Hoven and Forster, at least not this year. He hasn’t been giving them roles to test their principal potential, as he’s been doing for the past several years with dancers like Hammoudi and Gorak. Hoven did get that one Aminta, but then nothing after that. Forster has never gotten the leading role in a full-length.

I wonder if McKenzie hopes to tempt Baca to rejoin, though Baca certainly seems to have found a mentor in Corella. And I’m sure part of the appeal of the PA Ballet was that his girlfriend, Nayara Lopes, also got a position in the company. I only know her dancing through video clips, but she certainly looks like a fine dancer.

It’s a real shame because Baca and Jared Matthews could be killing it at ABT right now if not for McKenzie’s total mismanagement. He really only had himself to blame for the lack of good male talent. 

[angelica]

12 minutes ago, California said:

I don't know how long ago SAB started their tuition-free program for boys, but I wonder if that has something to do with NYCB's apparently greater success at identifying and nurturing promising male dancers:

"Boys Program: Tuition is free for all boys enrolled for the Winter Term in the Prep and Children’s Divisions (ages 6 to approximately 13). Boys Program participants pay only a $75 registration fee for 10 months of training."

http://www.sab.org/school/diversity__inclusion/financial_aid.php

Does the JKO school have anything like this?

That's a great question. Does anyone know?

 

[its the mom]

14 minutes ago, angelica said:

That's a great question. Does anyone know?

 

I do not believe they advertise a tuition free men's program.  I do know that merit scholarships are given.  Part of the problem for JKO is the fact that there is no dorm.  For most people not living in the city or in close proximity, moving their child to the city for training is cost-prohibitive.

 

[AB'sMom]

The lack of dorm thing seems crazy to me. I’ve always wondered how teenagers join the Studio Company if they don’t live locally. Are they all from wealthy families?

[angelica]

Do they get any stipend in the Studio Company, enough so maybe four of them can share a one-bedroom apartment?

[aurora]

2 hours ago, Fleurfairy said:

It’s a real shame because Baca and Jared Matthews could be killing it at ABT right now if not for McKenzie’s total mismanagement. He really only had himself to blame for the lack of good male talent. 

I don't think it is fair to say that re: Jared. I do agree he would have done well as a principal and was sorry to see him leave. But he had stalled for some years and really not delivered in his roles. He then got back in form but with both him and his fiancee (who I also loved) wanting principal status moving back to his home town where they could both have that is kind of a no brainer.

 

I really AM VERY sorry they left but I don't see that it was due to any fault by McKenzie

[its the mom]

7 hours ago, angelica said:

Do they get any stipend in the Studio Company, enough so maybe four of them can share a one-bedroom apartment?

Yes, there is a stipend for Studio Company, but not for those in the school, at least as far as I know.  However, I am sure that with whatever stipend they get, it is still very financially difficult to live in NYC.  https://www.rentcafe.com/average-rent-market-trends/us/ny/manhattan/

[Texan]

16 hours ago, aurora said:

I don't think it is fair to say that re: Jared. I do agree he would have done well as a principal and was sorry to see him leave. But he had stalled for some years and really not delivered in his roles. He then got back in form but with both him and his fiancee (who I also loved) wanting principal status moving back to his home town where they could both have that is kind of a no brainer.

 

I really AM VERY sorry they left but I don't see that it was due to any fault by McKenzie

Coincidentally, I just saw Jared perform Siegfried in Houston this weekend.  I was really disappointed.  

Yuriko Kajiya seems to have maintained her classical techniques after leaving ABT, but I am not sure about her fiancee.

[ABT Fan]

Lendorf has posted that he just had knee surgery. He’s been out for months so I’m wondering if he had tried other means of recovery.

 

[aurora]

21 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Lendorf has posted that he just had knee surgery. He’s been out for months so I’m wondering if he had tried other means of recovery.

 

The outpouring of love from his ABT colleagues is quite touching! I wish him a speedy recovery!

[Jayne]

ABT has a *lot* of male soloists ( 7 total) and 4 part time principals (Bolle, Halllberg, Simkin, and Lendorf on IR), and just 3 full time principals (Cornejo, Sterns, and Whiteside).  

This seems like a very good time to expand an equal exchange program with other major companies to have adequate male principals.  If foreign visas are too high of an obstacle, ABT should look at regional companies *and* NYCB for exchanges.  

 

[lacdescygnes]

24 minutes ago, Jayne said:

ABT has a *lot* of male soloists ( 7 total) and 4 part time principals (Bolle, Halllberg, Simkin, and Lendorf on IR), and just 3 full time principals (Cornejo, Sterns, and Whiteside).  

This seems like a very good time to expand an equal exchange program with other major companies to have adequate male principals.  If foreign visas are too high of an obstacle, ABT should look at regional companies *and* NYCB for exchanges.  

 

I fully agree. I honestly hope they don't try and promote more mediocre or not yet ready dancers from within their ranks, and go outside to recruit credible principals.

The female side of the principal roster was boosted with internal promotions but I have yet to be impressed with Teuscher (pretty but stiff, boring, no arabesque to speak of or acting chops) or Lane (too inconsistent and one-note). Although I will say I was very impressed by Seo this year who seems to really have worked on her technique, so perhaps there is hope for one or both of them. Still, there are very few casts I would pay full price to see at ABT at the moment.

[Ilovegiselle]

On 3/20/2018 at 2:20 PM, NinaFan said:

Agreed.  There are a number of dancers who do not belong at the principal level already.  I'd hate for ABT to continue that trend.

Imo... Lane.

[fondoffouettes]

19 hours ago, lacdescygnes said:

The female side of the principal roster was boosted with internal promotions but I have yet to be impressed with Teuscher (pretty but stiff, boring, no arabesque to speak of or acting chops) or Lane (too inconsistent and one-note). 

I agree that Lane can be inconsistent, and before her promotion, I would have agreed that she could be a bit one-note. But following her revelatory Giselle and then her promotion, I feel as if she's shown so much depth in her interpretations. I think she's one of the finest actors in the company. I don't think she ever got to show this side of herself as an artist when she was dancing the countless peasant pas de deux and trois, Princess Florines, etc. 

[Vs1]

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Edited June 27, 2018 by Vs1
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[NinaFan]

2 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

I agree that Lane can be inconsistent, and before her promotion, I would have agreed that she could be a bit one-note. But following her revelatory Giselle and then her promotion, I feel as if she's shown so much depth in her interpretations. I think she's one of the finest actors in the company. I don't think she ever got to show this side of herself as an artist when she was dancing the countless peasant pas de deux and trois, Princess Florines, etc. 

I agree about Lane and her depth as an actor.  Like others who stagnated at ABT, Lane was not able to show off her dramatic skills until she performed her first Giselle last year.  While they are completely different dancers, I feel the same way about Shevchenko who was also stuck in the same type roles for years.  Flower girls etc. cannot even begin to show off the complete artistry of a dancer.  

Edited June 26, 2018 by NinaFan

[tutu]

On 6/25/2018 at 5:47 AM, its the mom said:

Yes, there is a stipend for Studio Company, but not for those in the school, at least as far as I know.  However, I am sure that with whatever stipend they get, it is still very financially difficult to live in NYC.  https://www.rentcafe.com/average-rent-market-trends/us/ny/manhattan/

Per ABT’s website, “some” of the Studio Company members are provided housing: https://www.abt.org/faq/abt-studio-company/

[its the mom]

Yes, for "some" Studio Company members.  However, there is no dorm situation for those in the school.

[Lynette H]

I see from the Royal Ballet School list of graduate contracts this year that one is headed to the ABT Studio company - Eli Gruska. He's the only one headed to any company the US this year.

[its the mom]

8 minutes ago, Lynette H said:

I see from the Royal Ballet School list of graduate contracts this year that one is headed to the ABT Studio company - Eli Gruska. He's the only one headed to any company the US this year.

I saw that.  Quite a number going into Royal this year.

[canbelto]

Sarah Lane posted this instagram which makes it sound like Daniil Simkin is leaving permanently as well: