ABT Fan Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 19 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said: Just checked and they aren't following each other on Instagram, which seems odd considering that they both follow many ABT colleagues, including those with whom they've frequently danced. Cornejo follows Copeland, Brandt, Paris and Boylston. Lane follows Simkin, Gorak and Cirio. The performances they turned out in Manon and Sleeping Beauty were sensational last year, and they had such chemistry. I can't imagine those performances being the product of a frayed relationship. But who knows what may have happened between then and now. I hope anyone who attends Saturday night will report on whether Lane presents Cornejo with flowers during the curtain calls and what the interaction is like. Those interactions, as well as absences, during anniversary/farewell curtain calls can sometimes speak volumes. Herrera's chilly reception of McKenzie during her farewell curtain calls comes to mind... Well, that is bizarre that they don't follow each other. Hmmmmm. Does Cornejo follow Trenary? I'll be there Saturday night. Link to comment
fondoffouettes Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 1 minute ago, ABT Fan said: Well, that is bizarre that they don't follow each other. Hmmmmm. Does Cornejo follow Trenary? I'll be there Saturday night. Yes, he follows her main account and her @pearltakespics account. Link to comment
canbelto Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 On Herman's public-facing Facebook account he is not friends with Sarah either. https://www.facebook.com/herman.cornejo He is friends with a number of ABT dancers. Link to comment
its the mom Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 I rarely get to NY to see this company. They do not perform much that interests me, although I am hoping to catch Jane Eyre this time around. I am astonished, like many, at casting. Blaine Hoven deserves better. And does Sarah Lane. Both would be welcome additions to any company. And both have years of dancing left if they so choose. I wish they would go elsewhere. Sarah could do well in Europe. I would love to see her in Berlin or London (with Simkin or Cirio respectively.) Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 Going back to Hoven. I still can't believe he has no main lead debuts. I can't see him as Albrecht or Siegfried (maybe Siegfried), but he'd be worlds better as Romeo vs Gorak with Lane. He's an exceptional actor. Maybe he'll get a Hilarion debut, I think he'd be terrific, and one of the 3 Prince Desire TBA's. He's very good with quick footwork, so I could see him with Lane or Brandt. I'm sure he'll get to reprise his Benno and Bluebird. But, after such a successful Met season this year, I can't believe how he's been left out (too). Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 12 minutes ago, canbelto said: On Herman's public-facing Facebook account he is not friends with Sarah either. https://www.facebook.com/herman.cornejo He is friends with a number of ABT dancers. Well, this combined with them not following each other on Instagram is telling I suppose. I find it hard to believe after all of these years, but s--- happens. Link to comment
Fleurfairy Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 Yes, it is telling and too bad. They were the best partnership in the company. If they refuse to dance together, that could be a factor of why Lane's number of performances have dried up. And with Cirio and Simkin gone, she doesn't have a lot of options (besides Gorak) and McKenzie doesn't seem interested in fostering any new partnerships for her. I hope people in CA report back to us re: her Nutcrackers with Ahn. Link to comment
Roberta Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 The grid didn't open for me either but I checked the ABT website for casting, by ballet. Here's what most excites me: First and foremost: June 2 - 6 OF LOVE AND RAGE (new Ratmansky) - while casting is not listed, I noticed that the two dancers on the publicity photo are...Hurlin & Bell (!!!) I'm in like flint! I'll select one or two performances according to final casting. May 21 BAYADERE SUPER-DUPER NIGHT: Smirnova/Kim/Murphy! June 17 mat. SLEEPING BEAUTY Hurlin's Aurora debut with "TBA" prince...on the same day... June 17 eve. SLEEPING BEAUTY Lane with a "TBA" prince (at least we know that it won't be Gorak, who is paired with Trenary) June 27 mat or July 2 SWAN LAKE with Schevchenko and FORSTER So that's about four Amtrak trips between DC and NY next spring. However tempting, I'll pass on Abrera's and Lane's Giselles, as I've already witnessed their glories and prefer to keep the memories in my mind. R&J is not my favorite ballet, no matter who is dancing...and the Jane Eyre repeats - heck NO! Link to comment
RUKen Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 21 hours ago, fondoffouettes said: The calendar is showing both Forster and Royal dancing Albrecht in the 6/10 matinee of Giselle, opposite Shevchenko. Presumably one of them should have been assigned to the evening performance, with Murphy, which currently lacks an Albrecht. I guess that will be Forster, since he's dancing it with her when they are on the road. The calendar has been corrected to show Royal with Shevchenko in the matinee and Forster with Murphy in the evening. Link to comment
MarzipanShepherdess Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 I'm pretty excited for this season! Last season there were no ballets I wanted to see multiple performances of, due to casting, but this season there are several where I'll definitely attend multiple performances. I'll be heart-broken to see Stella retire, of course, but I'm glad she's going out properly feted and getting to dance some great roles like Giselle and Juliet. Hopefully we'll also be graced with a Lilac Fairy and some appearances in the mixed bills and in Of Love and Rage. I'd have loved to see her one last time in Ashton's Cinderella, but oh well. Very much looking forward to Shevchenko/Royal/Hurlin's Giselle debuts, and to Hurlin as Aurora and Gamzatti. Also THRILLED Kimin Kim is coming back for Bayadère, a ballet he's phenomenal in. And seeing Osipova as Giselle and Juliet will be a treat. I'm glad to see the guest stars being judiciously balanced with opportunities for soloists and corps dancers. I echo those lamenting that Blaine Hoven hasn't gotten anything major, though I expect he'll show up in the mixed bills and the new Ratmansky. I'm glad Jane Eyre is back, but I wish we were seeing some Jane debuts rather than the same dancers from last season. Link to comment
Barbara Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 If very short Copeland can dance with very tall Hallberg I don’t see why Sarah couldn’t be paired with Hoven. I don’t think that would be an extreme height difference. Would you say Hoven and Ahn are similar heights? Link to comment
MarzipanShepherdess Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 17 minutes ago, Barbara said: If very short Copeland can dance with very tall Hallberg I don’t see why Sarah couldn’t be paired with Hoven. I don’t think that would be an extreme height difference. Would you say Hoven and Ahn are similar heights? Yes, I think Hoven and Ahn are similar heights. I don't think lack of a suitable partner is what is holding Sarah back. It seems like her problem is more that she isn't a favorite of Kevin's or in demand as a partner (at least from the male principals like Cornejo who have influence on who they dance with). She seems to have similar issues to those Veronika Part had--not broadly liked by her peers or by management, and it certainly seems to impact casting. Link to comment
cobweb Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 2 hours ago, canbelto said: On Herman's public-facing Facebook account he is not friends with Sarah either. ... and taking a quick scroll through Sarah's public-facing instagram, I don't see a single photo with Cornejo in it. Seems like there was a significant falling out. Link to comment
fondoffouettes Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 24 minutes ago, Barbara said: If very short Copeland can dance with very tall Hallberg I don’t see why Sarah couldn’t be paired with Hoven. I don’t think that would be an extreme height difference. Would you say Hoven and Ahn are similar heights? This photo gives a pretty good indication of how Lane looks next to Hoven. I don't see any reason why they couldn't dance together; the height difference would of course be lessened when she's on pointe. Even though Copeland is short, she appears to have much longer feet than Lane. 9 minutes ago, MarzipanShepherdess said: She seems to have similar issues to those Veronika Part had--not broadly liked by her peers or by management, and it certainly seems to impact casting. There was a definite sense that Part was somewhat removed from her peers, but I've never gotten that sense about Lane (at least based on social media). I feel as if I've seen tons of photos of Lane interacting warmly with her colleagues, and gracious comments being posted back and forth. Gorak seems to be her particular bestie. Link to comment
canbelto Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 7 minutes ago, cobweb said: ... and taking a quick scroll through Sarah's public-facing instagram, I don't see a single photo with Cornejo in it. Seems like there was a significant falling out. I remember her posting a lot of Sleeping Beauty and Manon pix with Cornejo that now seem to be gone. Whatever happened seems to be significant enough for a social media scrub. Link to comment
fondoffouettes Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 1 minute ago, canbelto said: I remember her posting a lot of Sleeping Beauty and Manon pix with Cornejo that now seem to be gone. Whatever happened seems to be significant enough for a social media scrub. I thought perhaps I was just misremembering, but I could have sworn there were photos of them from those performances, too. He only has a presence on her feed up to her 2018 Don Quixote debut, and then nothing. Link to comment
angelica Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 13 minutes ago, cobweb said: ... and taking a quick scroll through Sarah's public-facing instagram, I don't see a single photo with Cornejo in it. Seems like there was a significant falling out. So strange, after a fabulous success in Manon last spring. Link to comment
Lena C. Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, Leah said: In any case, it might be possible that Cornejo and Lane might not want to dance together anymore for whatever reason. I wouldn’t be so quick to come down on McKenzie for this. I hardly think that a dancer of Cornejo’s stature could just be ordered to stop partnering with someone if he didn’t want to. I have to say that I highly doubt this. McKenzie kept Cornejo from many romantic lead roles because of his bias against Cornejo's height. Cornejo himself has said that he had to prove his worthiness. This glaring lack of casting for Lane, her weak partner for her Juliet debut and only one performance, only one Giselle and a matinee time slot, again no Swan Lake despite proving herself last season, it all speaks volumes of McKenzie's bias against Lane. Lane has more than proved her worthiness. Who would seriously partner Boylston with Cornejo over Lane, as has been done for Bayadere? I don't want to believe that Cornejo and Lane no longer wish to dance together. They have such a warm, long partnership and friendship. They have only kind words for each other. Cornejo said in an interview this past summer that Lane is one of his favored, long term partners. She is smaller than Boylston and Trenary, Cornejo's partners for this spring. So size/height can't be to blame. Anyone who saw their magnificent Manon performances last Spring can attest to the brilliance of their partnership. What is there left to blame besides McKenzie and his vendetta against Lane? She can actually dance the steps/doesn't dumb down the choreography, she has amazing chemistry with Cornejo, she has many loyal fans here who all come to her performances. What else is there? Well, I posted this without reading the other comments. I'm so anxious that it does appear as though there was a falling out/rift between Lane and Cornejo. This greatly upsets me, as a devoted fan of their partnership. It must have been catastrophic to cause this degree of separation. Edited October 25, 2019 by Lena C. Link to comment
LadyBubbles Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 Okay all, settle down. I, too, remember all those pics with Cornejo. They were Insta STORIES. I remember them very well because I screenshot them. I went through Lane's IG and I don't see any missing pictures. Also, I don't think Lane and Cornejo ever followed each other. I remember finding that out a few years ago and thinking hmm weird but ok. She at least seems to be the type of person to follow those she regularly interacts with on social media on a regular basis. Just a reminder that these two are "old millennials." Younger millennials and Gen Z'ers take social media way more seriously than the pre-1988 crowd. So, I wouldn't put much thought into it if I were you guys. Link to comment
Lena C. Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, fondoffouettes said: Just checked and they aren't following each other on Instagram, which seems odd considering that they both follow many ABT colleagues, including those with whom they've frequently danced. Cornejo follows Copeland, Brandt, Paris and Boylston. Lane follows Simkin, Gorak and Cirio. The performances they turned out in Manon and Sleeping Beauty were sensational last year, and they had such chemistry. I can't imagine those performances being the product of a frayed relationship. But who knows what may have happened between then and now. I hope anyone who attends Saturday night will report on whether Lane presents Cornejo with flowers during the curtain calls and what the interaction is like. Those interactions, as well as absences, during anniversary/farewell curtain calls can sometimes speak volumes. Herrera's chilly reception of McKenzie during her farewell curtain calls comes to mind... Ugh this is giving me such anxiety. I really hope we're all worrying over nothing. I guess tomorrow at the bouquet giving will give some insights. McKenzie's vendetta against Lane seems more likely than a catastrophic rift. Edited October 25, 2019 by Lena C. Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 I didn't notice the social media scrub until others pointed it out above. I'm not on Facebook, but I follow Lane on Instagram, however, I didn't pick up on him being absent in her feed and didn't go back in time to notice that he had been removed. That is glaring. Whatever happened, this is very upsetting and so, so disappointing. They had one of the greatest partnerships. I always imagined that once it came time for him to retire (assuming he'd retire before her), they'd dance together one last time, probably in Giselle. Now, it looks like they'll never dance together again. I guess it's always possible that Lane's Desire TBA could become Cornejo, but I'm doubting that now. This spells trouble for Lane, I fear. Already the AD's least favorite, is he really phasing her out so he can promote Trenary, Brandt and Hurlin sooner rather than later? I don't see the AD forcing retirement on any of the other women (definitely not Copeland, Murphy, Seo, Teuscher) and all of the female principals have probably several years left in them (Murphy may be sooner). So, if Trenary is promoted this year since Abrera is leaving, someone else has to go to make room for Brandt or Hurlin, whether that's this year or next. 😢 Link to comment
stuben Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 25 minutes ago, Lena C. said: ... it all speaks volumes of McKenzie's bias against Lane. Lane has more than proved her worthiness. ... Anyone who saw their magnificent Manon performances last Spring can attest to the brilliance of their partnership. What is there left to blame besides McKenzie and his vendetta against Lane? She can actually dance the steps/doesn't dumb down the choreography, she has amazing chemistry with Cornejo, she has many loyal fans here who all come to her performances. What else is there? My thoughts exactly! I saw that performance and left with such emotions, something I will never forget, at that moment Lane WAS Manon! Only thing I can add to this is recalling what happened to Part, she was quite forthcoming, if my memory serves me well, about her displeasure of why she was departing. Seems like KM or the powers that be can make someone they feel bad enough so that they quit, and if this is the case it would be most unfortunate, as in the case of Part. Link to comment
nanushka Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 32 minutes ago, stuben said: Only thing I can add to this is recalling what happened to Part, she was quite forthcoming, if my memory serves me well, about her displeasure of why she was departing. Seems like KM or the powers that be can make someone they feel bad enough so that they quit, and if this is the case it would be most unfortunate, as in the case of Part. I'm not sure if you mean to imply that Part quit, but I don't believe that was the case. She said publicly that her contract was not renewed. Link to comment
stuben Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 8 minutes ago, nanushka said: I'm not sure if you mean to imply that Part quit, but I don't believe that was the case. She said publicly that her contract was not renewed. I guess I should have been clearer and thanks for adding to this. I didn't mean that she quit, I recall of her feeling about her leaving, however, I recall how she was treated similarly at the time. With so much unknown about how 'bias" and "vendettas" work within, I do wonder how many others left for similar reasons (not sure principals or soloists). We will never know. Link to comment
angelica Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 7 minutes ago, stuben said: I guess I should have been clearer and thanks for adding to this. I didn't mean that she quit, I recall of her feeling about her leaving, however, I recall how she was treated similarly at the time. With so much unknown about how 'bias" and "vendettas" work within, I do wonder how many others left for similar reasons (not sure principals or soloists). We will never know. I do believe that Herrera, Kent, and Reyes did not go gentle into ABT retirement. Link to comment
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