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ABT 2019 Le Corsaire


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37 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Has Simkin ever been out injured? Assuming he is, this may be a first.

If he has been, it's been a real rarity during his ABT years. I can't recall offhand any time he's been replaced. I'm so disappointed I won't get to see his Ali. If he has to withdraw from Manon or Swan Lake, I hope there may be a silver lining of Forster or another dancer getting a debut.

Ahn certainly has a busy few days ahead of him. 

Edited by fondoffouettes
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1 hour ago, ABT Fan said:

Oh no, oh no, oh no! Simkin has been replaced as Ali for the rest of his performances! Whiteside and Ahn cover.

BUMMER. I bought tickets specifically to see Simkin tonight. This is my first ABT performance of the season, and I only decided to go after reading the reviews, and seeing the videos, posted here over the past few days. BOOOOO. 

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49 minutes ago, Needlepoints said:

Insert in tonight’s program says Simkin is injured.

Simkin was my deciding factor between splurging considerable $$ and waiting to see if there are rush tickets this Sat. Although I love Shevchenko and wanted to see Mack, I just can't get into Le Corsaire unless it has an extraordinary Ali at its center. I like Ahn but I can't really see him knocking my socks off in the role. 

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On 6/12/2019 at 12:08 AM, alexL said:

Simkin- . . . The only visible mistake I could think of was the fudged chainé turns after landing the last saut de basque. My non balletomane friends didn't even know that was a mistake. 

 

Looking back, one wonders if this mistake was a hint that something was wrong...wish he'd tell us on Instagram.

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2 hours ago, Inge said:

Simkin was my deciding factor between splurging considerable $$ and waiting to see if there are rush tickets this Sat. Although I love Shevchenko and wanted to see Mack, I just can't get into Le Corsaire unless it has an extraordinary Ali at its center. I like Ahn but I can't really see him knocking my socks off in the role. 

I hear you, but I would not hesitate to buy a ticket — rush or splurge — to Saturday evening’s performance. Shevchenko and Trenary gave two of this most extraordinary performances of Medora and Gulnare I’ve ever seen. Their artistry and technical mastery only seem to have reached new heights. And Mack seems to have gotten over any debut jitters. His Conrad was much more compelling than what I’ve seen from Whiteside and Stearns, and he was able to throw in more bravura steps than I’m used to, holding his own against Ali. His partnering was impeccable. Ahn is a beautiful dancer, but no one can hold a candle to Simkin, so it’s hard for me to judge Ahn’s performance fairly, having gone in hoping for a Simkin’s Ali. And kudos to Bell for his fantastic partnering and gorgeous deep knee bends in his variation.

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I thought the show was close to perfect last night, even without Simkin. This was my first time seeing the show and I absolutely LOVED it despite expectations. Yes, it's all spectacle over substance but that's clearly the point, isn't it? I appreciated just how much pure dancing there was vs. in a mime-heavy ballet. IMO the orientalism (and romanticization of harems and slavery) is so obviously rooted in fantasy -- and a very historic genre of fantasy -- that it's barely "offensive" in context. There's also some beautiful choreography here despite the showiness of it all, and the music, while not Tschaikovsky, is nonetheless danceable and catchy. 

Shevchenko was so, so beautiful and technically flawless as Medora -- her long, willowy limbs and port de bras have a real Russian ballerina quality to them. Her fouttés -- lots of doubles and triples(?) thrown in, and so much speed! -- were maybe the best I've ever seen, in person or on YouTube. She is an exceptional turner -- she kept adding extra rotations, even to the turns à la seconde en dedans, and landing them seamlessly. Trenary, who is another one of my favorite dancers, was superb as Gulnare... she has a sharp, speedy quality to her dancing that makes me wonder how she'd look in Balanchine choreography. 

As for the men, Mack is a strong, athletic jumper with lots of acrobatic-looking tricks up his sleeve and has a wonderful stage presence (makes you not really care about his unrefined feet). His partnering was so solid -- I couldn't believe how fast he turned Shevchenko around in the supported pirouettes. Ahn did a very fine job as Ali. He has high, gorgeous leaps and got lots of applause for pulling off the hard jumps. The only place where I think he fumbled (and barely noticeable if you haven't watched other dancers do it) was in the turns à la seconde with the pirouettes in plié in between (I don't recall him bending the supporting leg at all). The only thing I felt was lacking in his performance was a better sense of characterization, but he can work on that. He certainly has the bravura technique to be a male asset to the company. Special shoutouts to Strayer, as Birbanto, and Bell, as Lankendem, for their excellent dancing, acting, and energy. Bell is so technically strong -- he got so much applause for his center-split jumps (not sure what they're called); I'm excited to see him in Swan Lake in two weeks. 

Anyway, for those who wanted to attend on Saturday just for Simkin, I assure you the rest of this cast is worth seeing!

Edited by JuliaJ
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26 minutes ago, JuliaJ said:

I thought the show was close to perfect last night, even without Simkin. This was my first time seeing the show and I absolutely LOVED it despite expectations. Yes, it's all spectacle over substance but that's clearly the point, isn't it? I appreciated just how much pure dancing there was vs. in a mime-heavy ballet. IMO the orientalism (and themes of slavery) is so obviously rooted in fantasy -- and a very historic genre of fantasy -- that it's barely "offensive" in context. There's also some beautiful choreography here despite the showiness of it all, and the music, while not Tschaikovsky, is nonetheless danceable and catchy. 

Shevchenko was so, so beautiful and technically flawless as Medora -- her long, willowy limps and port de bras have a real Russian ballerina quality to them. Her fouttés -- lots of doubles and triples(?) thrown in, and so much speed! -- were maybe the best I've ever seen, in person or on YouTube. She is an exceptional turner -- she kept adding extra rotations, even to the turns à la seconde en dedans, and landing them seamlessly. Trenary, who is another one of my favorite dancers, was superb as Gulnare... she has a sharp, speedy quality to her dancing that makes me wonder how she'd look in Balanchine choreography. 

As for the men, Mack is a strong, athletic jumper with lots of acrobatic-looking tricks up his sleeve and has a wonderful stage presence (makes you not really care about his unrefined feet). His partnering was so solid -- I couldn't believe how fast he turned Shevchenko around in the supported pirouettes. Ahn did a very fine job as Ali. He has high, gorgeous leaps and got lots of applause for pulling off the hard jumps. The only place where I think he fumbled (and barely noticeable if you haven't watched other dancers do it) was in the turns à la seconde with the pirouettes in plié in between (I don't recall him bending the supporting leg at all). The only thing I felt was lacking in his performance was a better sense of characterization, but he can work on that. He certainly has the bravura technique to be a male asset to the company. Special shoutouts to Strayer, as Birbanto, and Bell, as Lankendem, for their excellent dancing, acting, and energy. Bell is so technically strong -- he got so much applause for his center-split jumps (not sure what they're called); I'm excited to see him in Swan Lake in two weeks. 

Anyway, for those who wanted to attend on Saturday just for Simkin, I assure you the rest of this cast is worth seeing!

Additionally, these were role debuts for both Trenary as Gulnare and Bell as Lankendem, which you'd never have known from seeing them. I only know because they noted the fact on Instagram.

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I never really focused on Bell before in a solo role.  I missed his debut last season as Romeo.  He was very impressive as Lankendem in his debut last night.   The difference between Bell's performance and Hoven's performance on Tuesday in the same role was stark.  I thought Hoven on Tuesday gave an adequate, able performance.  Bell, however, had some soaring jumps, landed the signature Lankadem jumps with deeply bent knees, and did a very fine job partnering.  My only criticism was that his spins seemed a little slow.   Clearly he has great potential as a lead dancer.

Edited by abatt
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50 minutes ago, aurora said:

Additionally, these were role debuts for both Trenary as Gulnare and Bell as Lankendem, which you'd never have known from seeing them. I only know because they noted the fact on Instagram.

I knew it was a debut for Bell but wasn't sure about Trenary. Wow -- her performance was so light and sparkling, not to mention technically rock solid. She had mentioned in an Instagram story, in which she was rehearsing the role, that hops on pointe aren't easy for her, but you would have never known when she did them last night. She has such a special quality about her that's really hard for me to put into words. I'd really love to see her as Queen of the Dryads in Don Q, among many other roles...

Edited by fondoffouettes
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3 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

I knew it was a debut for Bell but wasn't sure about Trenary. Wow -- her performance was so light and sparkling, not to mention technically rock solid. She had mentioned in an Instagram story, in which she was rehearsing the role, that hops on pointe aren't easy for her, but you would have never known when she did them last night. She has such a special quality about her that's really hard for me to put into words. I'd really love to see her as Queen of the Dryads in Don Q, among many other roles...

I saw her Queen of the Dryads last year, a debut, and she was beautiful. She needed more authority, but technically and otherwise artistically she was gorgeous. 

I am so looking forward to tomorrow (I’m doing a double-hitter) even though both Cornejo and Simkin won’t be dancing. 😫 The two female casts are excellent not to mention getting to see Mack and the other fellas’ debuts.

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22 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

I saw her Queen of the Dryads last year, a debut, and she was beautiful. She needed more authority, but technically and otherwise artistically she was gorgeous. 

 

I  thought Trenary's debut last night was strong, except that in her series of diagonal spins in the first act she had some difficulty.  Her performance in the third act was more secure.  I agree that she seems to lack authority, but perhaps that will improve over time. 

Shevchenko, however, seems to get stronger and dances with more authority with every additional performance.  She was excellent as Medora.

Edited by abatt
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I never would have gone to Le Corsaire, and possibly would have missed the entire Met season, except that I wanted to see Daniil Simkin. That didn't pan out, but I saw enough wonderful dancing to make me consider finding room in my budget for a few performances of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. First off, Christine Shevchenko was exquisite. She is everything I could ask for in a classical ballerina - lyrical and sensuous, with speed and precision, thrilling fouettes, and carries herself like an old-fashioned star. Swan Lake, here I come! I found Brooklyn Mack an exciting dancer, lacking in refinement to be sure, but with elevation and energy to light up the stage. I would be glad to see him again (... unlike several others on the current principal roster). He and Shevchenko have totally different styles and didn't have a ton of chemistry, but I could overlook that. Cassandra Trenary was also excellent, although she could project more. As someone who sees ABT much much less than I used to, I have not followed the development of Aran Bell, but I was highly impressed with both his dancing and his  vivid and uninhibited stage personality. I thought Joo Won Ahn (hope I'm spelling that right) danced very large as Ali, not with the control and finesse of Simkin, but impressive enough. Finally, Brittany deGrofft was a lovely and musical odalisque. 

Edited by cobweb
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44 minutes ago, cobweb said:

Christine Shevchenko was exquisite. She is everything I could ask for in a classical ballerina - lyrical and sensuous, with speed and precision, thrilling fouettes, and carries herself like an old-fashioned star. Swan Lake, here I come! 

I thought Shevchenko was divine last night, and your description of her is right on the mark. I'm definitely going to see her Swan Lake, and any other performances of hers I can get my hands on, like Saturday night

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Brandt was incredible this afternoon. I was very impressed! Her technique was nearly flawless and she’s mostly lost the open-mouthed affectation (it appeared slightly only a few times). She now presents herself as a ballerina, not just a promising soloist. To my amazement, Whiteside was terrific. I’ve always considered him a very good dancer, just boring, but today he displayed incredibly high jumps and overall exceptional dancing. He is also a very, very good partner, better than I’ve noticed before. He had Brandt spinning lightening fast in her supported pirouettes and every lift looked easy (and you know they had less than two weeks to rehearse together). He also had character, which I usually don’t see from him. They also had a chemistry which I didn’t anticipate.

Lane was gorgeous as always. Those port de bras...swoon! As someone else noted earlier, she accurately portrayed the sad, suffering slave girl that most others do not. Too bad Gulnare doesn’t dance as much as Medora.

I very much liked Hoven as Lankendem. He was spicy though a few times his stamina ran low at the end of his solos. He and Lane were very good together. Was he Malakov? Of course not, but who is?

Ahn was very good as Ali but he did have some difficulties, falling out of a few turns. However, some of his split jumps were incredibly high and just hung in the air. A stronger presence is needed. He’s doing double the amount this week covering for Simkin so I can easily forgive the errors. I hope he’s eating some Wheaties and drinking some Red Bull in preparation for doing it all over again in a few hours. 

Scott was fine as Birbanto, but I missed Craig Salstein in the role who always brought so much personality and unique touches to the role.

The 3 Odalisques - Fang, Hamrick, Giangeruso - were mostly forgettable. Giangeruso’s stiff upper back and shoulders have not improved, nor have Fang’s sloppy feet. She frequently unpoints her feet coming out of a step way too soon, giving a dead fish look. Her promotion still baffles me.

Lastly, although the role of the pasha is offensive, Zhurbin’s acting is always so spot on and creative that I just focused on that. A few times I was even stealing a glance at him instead of the principals to see what he was up to.

Onto tonight!

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7 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

Scott was fine as Birbanto, but I missed Craig Salstein in the role who always brought so much personality and unique touches to the role.

I was thinking about what you wrote in the "Promotions" thread, regarding Shayer, while watching Scott today. I've never loved Scott, but he definitely comes across more as a man than a boy in this role, unlike Shayer. The drama made much more sense. (Not that it has to in Corsaire...)

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9 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

So I guess no one saw the Teuscher/Williams cast? I was curious to hear about Williams particularly since this was her first big debut.

I saw this cast, but I have no technical background so can’t say anything other than I enjoyed it.  I thought both Teuscher and Williams were great.  The bedroom pas at the end of Act 2 (Teuscher and Stearns) was gorgeous; it was my favorite between  Brandt/Mack, Teuscher/Stearns, and Shevchenko/Mack.

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10 minutes ago, Needlepoints said:

I saw this cast, but I have no technical background so can’t say anything other than I enjoyed it.  I thought both Teuscher and Williams were great.  The bedroom pas at the end of Act 2 (Teuscher and Stearns) was gorgeous; it was my favorite between  Brandt/Mack, Teuscher/Stearns, and Shevchenko/Mack.

Great to hear. I can imagine this being a good role for Teuscher.

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16 hours ago, nanushka said:

I was thinking about what you wrote in the "Promotions" thread, regarding Shayer, while watching Scott today. I've never loved Scott, but he definitely comes across more as a man than a boy in this role, unlike Shayer. The drama made much more sense. (Not that it has to in Corsaire...)

I saw both casts and thought Scott and Shayer both came across as men.  The drama seemed the same to me either way, however, I found Shayer's dancing much more exciting.  

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