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New Ratmansky full-length to premiere in 2020

ABT Fan

By ABT Fan
in American Ballet Theatre

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RUKen

RUKen

Posted
Posted

Casting is up for the performances at the Met in June:

Tuesday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Callirhoe – Catherine Hurlin
Chaereas – Aran Bell

Wednesday, June 3 at 2 p.m.
Callirhoe – Christine Shevchenko
Chaereas – Thomas Forster

Wednesday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Callirhoe – Hee Seo
Chaereas – Calvin Royal III

Thursday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Callirhoe – Catherine Hurlin
Chaereas – Aran Bell

Friday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Callirhoe – Hee Seo
Chaereas – Calvin Royal III

Saturday, June 6 at 2:00 p.m.
Callirhoe – Catherine Hurlin
Chaereas – Aran Bell

Saturday, June 6 at 8:00 p.m.
Callirhoe – Christine Shevchenko
Chaereas – Thomas Forster

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Lena C.

Lena C.

Posted
Posted
On 12/5/2019 at 4:50 PM, Fleurfairy said:

Judging by the fact that we already know two of the casts (Hurlin/Bell and Shevchenko/Forster), it doesn’t seem likely. Especially when AD Favorites Boylston and Seo are available as well. 

Well, you called it. AD favorite Seo it is. I was really holding out hope for Lane, given her dismal casting this spring. Perhaps she'll understudy, given her appalling unofficial role as senior standby in the wings.

Nevertheless, I'm eager to see Shevchenko and Forster. Will definitely be there for both of their performances. On the fence about the other two casts, especially Seo and Royal. 

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canbelto

canbelto

Posted
Posted (edited)

Ratmansky is quite open that he decides casting and demands long rehearsal periods and great commitment to his projects. Hurlin and Shevchenko are people he's advocated for a long time, before they were soloists or principals.

Edited by canbelto
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Lena C.

Lena C.

Posted
Posted

Oh okay. I'm glad that McKenzie doesn't have a complete monopoly over casting. Just held out hope that Ratmansky would cast Lane. Like Leah said, there's still the possibility of a secondary female role for her. Just hoping for ANY other roles for Lane. 

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ABT Fan

ABT Fan

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Posted
8 minutes ago, California said:

Wow! Notable absences: Copeland, Cornejo, Lane

And Lane is notably absent from the engagements in Chicago, North Carolina, UAE, Detroit!

Not surprising that Copeland wasn’t cast. She hasn’t been in a Ratmansky piece for some time (was replaced in Whipped Cream the last time it was performed and Brandt replaced her as Columbine before Harlequinade even opened).

Lane is doing the second act in Bayadère in Chicago with Ahn, at least, but missing from the other tours as you mentioned. Disappointing she’s apparently not in Love and Rage (unless she gets a very little part...).

At least Blaine Hoven finally has something to do. He is inexplicably missing from all plum casting on tour and at the Met (after an incredible year last year).

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stuben

stuben

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Not surprising that Copeland wasn’t cast. She hasn’t been in a Ratmansky piece for some time (was replaced in Whipped Cream the last time it was performed and Brandt replaced her as Columbine before Harlequinade even opened).

Lane is doing the second act in Bayadère in Chicago with Ahn, at least, but missing from the other tours as you mentioned. Disappointing she’s apparently not in Love and Rage (unless she gets a very little part...).

At least Blaine Hoven finally has something to do. He is inexplicably missing from all plum casting on tour and at the Met (after an incredible year last year).

I noticed Keith Roberts in one of the shows as King of Babylon? Isn't he a ballet master for the company? So I do wonder why Blaine couldn't have done this or even an actual company member, since I can't imagine they are short on male dancers who can mime as well as Roman? I would think it is to the advantage to any company to give their dancers opportunities vs a teaching staff.

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nanushka

nanushka

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, stuben said:

I noticed Keith Roberts in one of the shows as King of Babylon? Isn't he a ballet master for the company? So I do wonder why Blaine couldn't have done this or even an actual company member, since I can't imagine they are short on male dancers who can mime as well as Roman? I would think it is to the advantage to any company to give their dancers opportunities vs a teaching staff.

OTOH perhaps giving a member of the teaching staff a role in a prominent premiere is one way of motivating staff retention when they may not be able to pay highly competitive salaries.

But yeah, seems a little unfortunate.

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ABT Fan

ABT Fan

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Posted

I’m going to assume that the King of Babylon is a purely acting role, as Zhurbin does many of those in the full lengths as does Roberts. Roberts is an exceptional actor so casting him makes sense to me. Hoven is in the same cast as Dionysius, which is a dancing role (based off of Whiteside’s Instagram post in the same role).

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stuben

stuben

Posted
Posted
35 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

I’m going to assume that the King of Babylon is a purely acting role, as Zhurbin does many of those in the full lengths as does Roberts. Roberts is an exceptional actor so casting him makes sense to me. Hoven is in the same cast as Dionysius, which is a dancing role (based off of Whiteside’s Instagram post in the same role).

Oops good catch I missed that one of Blaine, I stand corrected 😊 and I completely agree about Roman as a wonderful actor as I have enjoyed his performances for so many years! However, it is still unfortunate that no other dancer is able to step in vs a teaching staff, then again, even the wonderful Georgina Parkinson has stepped in for so many years herself wonderfully. Well at least Hoven has something better than nothing.

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Lena C.

Lena C.

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, California said:

Wow! Notable absences: Copeland, Cornejo, Lane

And Lane is notably absent from the engagements in Chicago, North Carolina, UAE, Detroit!

*sigh* Well there goes my hope for additional performances for Lane. Very disappointed. Oh well. Still looking forward to seeing Schevchenko and Forster. 

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nanushka

nanushka

Posted
Posted (edited)
15 minutes ago, AB'sMom said:

I don’t want to read too much into this, but Lane is definitely coming to Costa Mesa during the Of Love and Rage run. She is teaching a class to the upper level students at the ABT Gillespie School.

Good info, though yes, best not to read into it yet. Her husband is in the corps, so quite likely dancing in the production, and they often travel together with their two dogs. But perhaps she'll be dancing one or more currently unlisted roles as well.

Edited by nanushka
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Josette

Josette

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Posted

I came out of the premiere thinking along the lines of "what was that?" more than loving or even liking it.  Part of the problem may be that I saw The Royal Ballet last week and have recently attended performances of SFB, so I have raised expectations.  Nevertheless, the dancing last night was excellent.   I'm seeing four performances.  The dancing is non-stop, as AB'sMom says above, and I'm not sure if that is favorable, having seen a sublime performance of Dances at a Gathering by The Royal Ballet seven days ago, where there is stillness.  

Aran Bell really impressed me in his total commitment, charisma, and natural acting ability; I also appreciated the performances of  James Whiteside and, especially, Cory Stearns.  Cory Stearns did traditional mime in his role and he had a centered stillness in his characterization that I found impressive.   Catherine Hurlin gave an excellent first performance in a principal role, dancing with fluidity, beautiful line, and musicality - as she always does-, but was not expressive facially (unlike Aran) and she tended to have her mouth partially open at all but a few moments.    I was in the front row, and her lack of emotional range at this point in her career was troublesome for me.  She did not, however, do any fake acting or put on a phony acting face, so she will likely grow in that area.  Aran already shows exceptional, believable emotional range, both facially and in his body.  

I also have to say that I was uncomfortable with a newly created ballet where women are valued as to which is the most beautiful (irresistible) and especially in the scene where the King intends to take her without her consent,  knowing that she loves her husband and with the husband present.  

There was a lovely moment near the end where the reunited couple kiss downstage and she is lifted above him diagonally and at an angle while he is kneeling - easily the best part of the evening and very moving. 

I am very interested in seeing the other two casts. 

 

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AB'sMom

AB'sMom

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Posted

I wish I knew more about ballet so I could give better commentary. The best way I can explain things would be to say that rather than being a ballet where there is a lot of mime and people standing on the sides of the stage, broken up by stretches of either the Corp de ballet or a pas de deux or a solo (I know that’s a broad generalization), nearly everyone on stage is moving most of the time. I did sometimes wish for a break in the busyness of it all, thinking it would perhaps make the dramatic moments more dramatic.  But I loved that conversations were shorts bursts of choreography, if that makes any sense, and that they used a chorus of dancers since it is a staple of Greek drama. The men in particular seemed to get more choreography than is typical. I’ll see how I feel after at least one more viewing. For now I’ll say that I loved the choreography but wasn’t emotionally moved by the story. 

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