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American Ballet Theatre 2021-2022 season


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23 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

In years past the Paris Opera Ballet and the Bolshoi had fielded a full complement of wilis on that stage. I'm looking at a POB program from 2012, and there were 24 wilis (including Amandine Albisson, Valentine Colasante and Laura Hecquet), plus Myrtha, Moyna and Zulme. My guess is that under the circumstances ABT decided to put fewer dancers into its studios for rehearsals.

There were 18 wilis onstage Saturday night (not counting Myrtha, Moyna, Zulma and Giselle), which is the same number ABT typically uses (according to my programs from past Met seasons).

Once the cottages and ramps were gone, I thought the stage looked less crowded in Act II.

Edited by nanushka
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7 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

In years past the Paris Opera Ballet and the Bolshoi had fielded a full complement of wilis on that stage. I'm looking at a POB program from 2012, and there were 24 wilis (including Amandine Albisson, Valentine Colasante and Laura Hecquet), plus Myrtha, Moyna and Zulme. My guess is that under the circumstances ABT decided to put fewer dancers into its studios for rehearsals.

I also wondered if perhaps the POB sets were better scaled to a smaller stage, as I believe they traditionally perform the ballet at the Palais Garnier rather than the Bastille. If ABT were to create a production specifically for the Koch, I bet they could find some ways to open up some stage space. But yes, I wouldn't be surprised if COVID considerations played a part, as well. 

I agree with what others have noted about the lighting at the Koch. I think they must be able to create more sophisticated lighting schemes at the Met. 

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18 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

I also wondered if perhaps the POB sets were better scaled to a smaller stage, as I believe they traditionally perform the ballet at the Palais Garnier rather than the Bastille.

The Garnier stage is very wide, so I doubt the Giselle sets are scaled small.

During that tour Giselle had eight girlfriends, there were 24 grape pickers and the hunting entourage included 16 nameless aristocrats, and I don't remember thinking that the stage looked cramped. But with many, many productions I wonder why the cottages jut out so far onto the stage. :dunno:

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I’ll jump in with a report. I specifically chose my one and only Giselle ticket for Tom Forster’s debut and I thought he was fantastic. From his first appearance on the stage he was authoritative and elegant. I thought he and Gillian had a lovely rapport. Hers was a tradition interpretation and in the first act I especially appreciated her controlled roll downs off point. Her diagonal hops might not have covered the entire stage but were strong and musical. In the second act Forster did the entrechats six, which were impressive in their height and sharp beats and the fact he held his arms in a low  port de bras not using them to help him gain height. Can anyone do bourees better than Gillian? At one point she flutters off stage backwards in a blur of fleet movement. By the end Forster had me tearing up. I’ll leave it to others to address more technical or aesthetic issues but for me it was a magical and emotional return to watching ABT. And of course bravo to the wonderful corps of Wilis! 

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I went to the Forster Murphy Giselle.  For me, Murphy will always be a more natural Myrta than Giselle.  There is nothing girlish about Murphy, particularly at this stage of her career.  (In contrast, I thought Kent always looked waif-like, even as she aged.) However, I thought that the pairing of two mature dancers - Murphy with Forster - worked well.  I also liked the fact that Murphy did not overplay the mad scene.  Some of the ballerinas like Shevshenko,have chosen over the top acting.  (There was one point when Shevshenko was shaking so much it was like she was having a seizure.)  Murphy does not go for broke technically in Giselle in either act.  (Example, she did a lovely job with the hops on pointe, but she ended several beats before the music ended.  In her whirling in the beginning of Act II, she also stopped a little before the music ended.) Her technique was fine but not dazzling or on the stratospheric level that we have observed throughout her career.  I thought she captured the Romantic style nicely, especially in the use of her upper body.

Forster has never been a dazzling technician, but his characterization worked well.  He was a very attentive partner and he tried to add as much detail as possible to his portrayal.  As an example, at his entrance in Act II he decided to stroke the flowers he was holding.  At the graveside, he didn't just kneel; he stretched his torso over the grave area.  

 

Going forward, I'm not sure what to expect from Murphy in the Spring Season.  Her hallmark has always been daring technical abilities, like doing triple fouettes  while changing arm positions with her fan as Kitri, and flapping her swan arms while doing her whiplash fast fouettes in Act III of Swan Lake.  It's not clear to me whether she will regain that level by the Spring.

  

Edited by abatt
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56 minutes ago, abatt said:

Going forward, I'm not sure what to expect from Murphy in the Spring Season.  Her hallmark has always been daring technical abilities, like doing triple fouettes  while changing arm positions with her fan as Kitri, and flapping her swan arms while doing her whiplash fast fouettes in Act III of Swan Lake.  It's not clear to me whether she will regain that level by the Spring.

  

I saw Gillian Murphy dance Swan Lake a few years ago. I was moved beyond belief. I find her to be a true artist and her appeal, for me, has nothing to do with her technical mastery.  If I want pyrotechnical physical feats I can watch teenage ballet students all over Youtube. Gillian Murphy can tell a story through dance and make you feel what the character feels.  

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13 minutes ago, GB1216 said:

I wonder what’s going on with Misty Copeland. She’s the only principal not cast in any performance.  I looked on her IG, and she’s heavily promoting another book, but I didn’t see anything about injury or anything.  

She did pull out of her last Giselle prior to the pandemic, I recall (Skylar Brandt replaced her in DC).

 

Misty Copeland is in town. She was there attending the Saturday matinee, as I saw her outside immediately before the performance.

Edited by aurora
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14 minutes ago, GB1216 said:

I wonder what’s going on with Misty Copeland. She’s the only principal not cast in any performance.  I looked on her IG, and she’s heavily promoting another book, but I didn’t see anything about injury or anything.  

Copeland is also not cast in the Ratmansky Nutcracker at Segerstrom in December, although his choreography is not a great fit for her. https://www.abt.org/performances/the-nutcracker/

When the spring Met schedule comes out (soon, I hope!), perhaps we'll learn more - a retirement performance, perhaps?

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I would be very surprised if Misty doesn't retire after the spring season. She isn't even dancing Nutcracker. Maybe they'll give her Romeo and Juliet with Calvin as a farewell performance... they were supposed to dance it for the 2020 season together. 

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1 hour ago, BalanchineFan said:

I saw Gillian Murphy dance Swan Lake a few years ago. I was moved beyond belief. I find her to be a true artist and her appeal, for me, has nothing to do with her technical mastery.  If I want pyrotechnical physical feats I can watch teenage ballet students all over Youtube. Gillian Murphy can tell a story through dance and make you feel what the character feels.  

It's not really fair to dismiss technical ability as irrelevant to  ballet and something we should just go watch on youtube. When Murphy starts flapping her swan arms in Act III, she is referencing Odile while performing Odette.  It is integral to the performance, and the fact that almost nobody can do that while performing perfect fouettes is that much more impressive.  Kitri is a headstrong girl with spirit, so when Murphy is able to change her arm positions with her fan while performing perfect fouettes, this is also an integral part of her characterization.  Her technique adds to characterization and enhances her story. 

I do agree that Murphy is a very fine dance actress, and look forward to seeing her Pillar of Fire again this week.

Edited by abatt
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1 hour ago, JuliaJ said:

I would be very surprised if Misty doesn't retire after the spring season. She isn't even dancing Nutcracker. Maybe they'll give her Romeo and Juliet with Calvin as a farewell performance... they were supposed to dance it for the 2020 season together. 

I've been wondering that too and also think it's possible for Murphy to retire, in addition to Paris and Fang.

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I was there last night -- I went specifically to see Pillar of Fire, and that was fantastic. Gillian Murphy is a world-class dramatist who can really use her body to convey emotion. Zimmi Coker was FABULOUS as the younger sister. I see big things in this girl's future -- Aurora, Giselle, Juliet... she has Skylar Brandt-esque lines and technique and also great acting abilities. Someone upthread said they should have put her in the Giselle peasant pas and I totally agree. 

Unfortunately the rest of the program was lackluster, which I pretty much expected. Follia Variations is a perfectly competent piece but it feels very "busy." It was a great vehicle for the corps members to show off their skills though. Fangqi Li was very good as the lead girl. I wouldn't mind seeing this ballet again, but I definitely wouldn't seek it out. 

ZigZag was totally tacky. I knew it was going to be bad as soon as the curtain went up and showed a backdrop that looked like Charlie Brown's shirt. I actually love Tony Bennett-type music, and the choreography in itself was fine, but the whole thing just felt stupid and pointless when put together as a ballet. I actually had flashbacks to youth dance recitals where this kind of music was often used. It didn't help that ABT dancers don't exactly move with jazz in their veins. The only dancers who I felt really "got" the style of movement were Royal (his solo to "Blue Moon" was the best part of the ballet, in my opinion) and Hoven. 

If ABT ever starts performing on cruise ships again, ZigZag would be perfect for that. 

Edited by JuliaJ
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Murphy was great in Pillar.  She conveyed controlled rage and  humiliation with  dramatic acting and  dancing.  Hagar is one of her finest roles.  So glad I got to see this again with her in the lead.  Tom Forster was also excellent.  My one reservation about the cast is that I don't find Stearns believable as the sleazy, sexy guy who entices Hagar.  I remember Gomes in this role, and he was so much more menacing and effective. 

Folia was fine.  The choreography is workmanlike. Li is making a big impression this fall as a lovely dancer.

I didn't stay for Zig Zag.

 

 

Edited by abatt
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I agree with both of the above reviews of this mixed bill. Fangqi Li again made a lovely impression (she was the lead in purple in La Follia Variations). I also noticed the diminutive Kanon Kimura in that. The ballet was pleasant, if slight, and I enjoyed it far more than I expected to because of the commitment, technique and unity of these dancers. All of them were corps and many of them unknown to me: cast was Scout Forsythe, Jonathan Klein, Emily Hayes, Melvin Lawovi, Kanon Kimura, Jacob Clerico, Fangqi Li, and Joseph Markey. If this is the quality of the up-and-comers in the next generation at ABT, color me impressed.

The casting in Pillar of Fire was perfect, to me. Gillian Murphy as the lonely middle sister Hagar and Zimmi Coker the flirtatious younger sister. Their both being long-limbed redheads enhanced the idea of them being sisters. Thomas Forster was the diffident Friend charmed by the pretty and confident younger sister. Cory Stearns played the Young Man as a handsome, careless cad; Cory's good looks came into good effect here. Not having seen earlier interpretations of the role as sleazy or malevolent, I found his portrayal entirely convincing. I've known handsome men like that: charming when in pursuit, but losing interest once the hunt is over and uncaring of the damage they leave behind. Not quite qualifying as malevolent as the harm they cause is only a side effect of believing they are entitled to satisfy their own desires at all times.

Gillian's the best dance actress ABT has and here she was exquisite - never too much drama, never too little. Zimmi enchanted me with her lightness, precision and acting ability. I think she's going to be fast-tracked into bigger things very soon. Thomas Forster's dancing was very good, and his final duet with Gillian, touching & heartfelt. I've been a big Forster fan for many years and am happy to see him doing so well in major roles. Most of all I was moved by Anthony Tudor's ability to express story and emotion through his choreography. This is my first viewing of Pillar and having it sandwiched between these two newer ballets reminded me of what it's like, as a native New Yorker, to visit regional city art museums. In NYC, everything's a masterpiece. In, say, Cleveland Art Museum, you see lots of very good, even fine art, but when you come across a masterwork there, it glows even brighter by comparison with the art around it. And so it was with Pillar last night.

Zig Zag was pretty good choreography - Lang knows what she is doing - but I still didn't warm to it. It feels like it was designed to be a crowd-pleaser. The loud-volume music was recordings of past-his-prime Tony Bennett: older & thinner-sounding.  (And in his duet with Lady Gaga I couldn't help but be aware that vocally she wasn't up to the task.) But it was fun, very Broadway-style, and danced with verve and enthusiasm with cute costumes. I noticed that the more elderly audience members near me - particularly the gents - seemed to enjoy it hugely. It's hard to tell how much of a hit it was from audience response though because the house was only about half-full. Pillar of Fire isn't a big box-office draw and the other two works were both new and while fine, neither were they something I would be excited to see again. I worry that ABT, having moved away from the guest-star model of getting ticket sales, will decide it must return to that because it's not making ends meet when the fault is not lack of home talent but poor programming.

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On 10/29/2021 at 8:21 AM, JuliaJ said:

the curtain went up and showed a backdrop that looked like Charlie Brown's shirt.

Ha-- Charlie Brown shirt was exactly what I thought of too! I actually enjoyed ZigZag more than I was expecting-- it was definitely tacky, and it wasn't exactly ballet, but it was fun and exuberant. It could have been half the length and I would have probably liked it more. I wish it had been done to live music. I was there for the gala performance, it was a pretty enthusiastic audience in general, which might have contributed. 

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