ABT 2022 Summer promotions

[Drew]

2 hours ago, balletlover08 said:

Here's an article that PointeMagazine did on Chloe Misseldine on her latest promotion to soloist. They have quotes from Nancy Raffe, Yan Chen (her mother and former soloist of ABT) and Kevin Mckenzie. 

https://pointemagazine.com/chloe-misseldine-ballet/ 

There is a funny full circle moment. Yan was former principal of now defunct National Ballet in Washington. When Kevin came to ABT from national ballet as artistic director he brought one dancer with him, Yan as a corps member who he promptly promoted to soloist following her 1st met season. Now at the end of his tenure at ABT, he promotes Chloe (Yan's daughter) to soloist after her first corps member. Which means Yan was one of his first promotions and Chloe one of his last, I guess that puts into perspective what 30 years is. 

Thank you for the reference....It is a nice story, but I think the full circle is not exactly as you describe it. Mckenzie came to ABT as a dancer after the National Ballet folded, but he became artistic director many years later. According to her ABT biography, Yan Chen was a principal dancer with Washington Ballet (not the same as the National Ballet of Washington and indeed she is quite a bit too young too have been a principal with the National Ballet which folded in 1974).

Edited July 15, 2022 by Drew

[Helene]

There are two circles described in the article:

• “Kevin said, ‘The last time your mom sat here was to tell me that she was pregnant with you,’” she says. He then offered her an apprenticeship with the main company. “
• “Every time I go home I always take class with the company," (Orlando Ballet)

[stuben]

19 hours ago, Helene said:

There are two circles described in the article:

• “Kevin said, ‘The last time your mom sat here was to tell me that she was pregnant with you,’” she says. He then offered her an apprenticeship with the main company. “
• “Every time I go home I always take class with the company," (Orlando Ballet)

Interesting article and seems the first circle is a final gift from KM to her mother. Don't get me wrong and only IMHO it is just interesting how so many in the past have had to pay their dues to be given soloist roles or even moved up, for example in recent years with Williams. Yet the two newly minted corps without any rep experience, but one or two,  were decided upon? In business this is known mostly as "do it and let's see what sticks" by the execs. So I guess time will tell especially when Misseldine and Park both have very little rep to proof their skills, other than competitions. I don't know about others but IMO  technique isn't everything, this is after all a "theatre" and will need the emotions in many of the reps.

I also took a look at the corps bios and can found these two, Cooker and Waski, and found interesting they have been overlooked all these years:

https://www.abt.org/people/zimmi-coker/?type=performer

https://www.abt.org/people/paulina-waski/?type=performer

 

 

[stuben]

On 7/12/2022 at 3:45 PM, FauxPas said:

An interesting fact about Chloe Misseldine - she actually is second generation ABT.  Her mother is the Chinese ballerina Yan Chen who danced at ABT in the 1990's.  I saw Yan Chen as Swanilda in "Coppelia" in which she was charming (I think her partner was Angel Corella).  Chen was working her way up the ranks but was plagued by injuries and also was married and started a family which also includes Chloe's older brother Adam. 

So we know where the talent comes from.

Thank you for this info and have now read the article.

[nanushka]

Misseldine has far more than just technique, from what I've seen of her. In the Swan Lake pas de trois (and even in her brief scene as Lady Montague), she stood out as a remarkable, very special onstage presence with a unique and eye-catching movement quality. I doubt her promotion had anything to do with who her mother is. Her abilities speak for themselves.

[fondoffouettes]

43 minutes ago, stuben said:

Interesting article and seems the first circle is a final gift from KM to her mother. Don't get me wrong and only IMHO it is just interesting how so many in the past have had to pay their dues to be given soloist roles or even moved up, for example in recent years with Williams. Yet the two newly minted corps without any rep experience, but one or two,  were decided upon? In business this is known mostly as "do it and let's see what sticks" by the execs. So I guess time will tell especially when Misseldine and Park both have very little rep to proof their skills, other than competitions. I don't know about others but IMO  technique isn't everything, this is after all a "theatre" and will need the emotions in many of the reps.

I also took a look at the corps bios and can found these two, Cooker and Waski, and found interesting they have been overlooked all these years:

https://www.abt.org/people/zimmi-coker/?type=performer

https://www.abt.org/people/paulina-waski/?type=performer

 

I wouldn't necessarily describe Coker as overlooked. She only had two Met seasons under her belt before the pandemic hit. I think there's reason to hope she may be promoted within the next year or two.

Waski did not appear to be in good form on the occasions I saw her this season. I remember being impressed by her before her hiatus from the company, so maybe I just saw her on off nights or she's still working to get back to 100 percent after rejoining the company. 

[stuben]

13 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Misseldine has far more than just technique, from what I've seen of her. In the Swan Lake pas de trois (and even in her brief scene as Lady Montague), she stood out as a remarkable, very special onstage presence with a unique and eye-catching movement quality. I doubt her promotion had anything to do with who her mother is. Her abilities speak 

11 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

I wouldn't necessarily describe Coker as overlooked. She only had two Met seasons under her belt before the pandemic hit. I think there's reason to hope she may be promoted within the next year or two.

Waski did not appear to be in good form on the occasions I saw her this season. I remember being impressed by her before her hiatus from the company, so maybe I just saw her on off nights or she's still working to get back to 100 percent after rejoining the company. 

Time will tell for all with new management and possibly new reps to come or revisits of the golden years.

[balletlover08]

44 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said:

I wouldn't necessarily describe Coker as overlooked. She only had two Met seasons under her belt before the pandemic hit. I think there's reason to hope she may be promoted within the next year or two.

Waski did not appear to be in good form on the occasions I saw her this season. I remember being impressed by her before her hiatus from the company, so maybe I just saw her on off nights or she's still working to get back to 100 percent after rejoining the company. 

Waski was at Boston previously and did their whole season before coming to ABT and doing all of the Met season. So she probably was just exhausted. She will hopefully be in better form after some rest. On one of her instagram captions she said she did 25 shows of Swan Lake in 2 months which seems like a lot. 

[nanushka]

24 minutes ago, balletlover08 said:

Waski was at Boston previously and did their whole season before coming to ABT and doing all of the Met season. So she probably was just exhausted. She will hopefully be in better form after some rest. On one of her instagram captions she said she did 25 shows of Swan Lake in 2 months which seems like a lot. 

Out of curiosity, has she talked publicly (on IG or elsewhere) about her reasons for going to Boston and/or for returning to ABT?

[ABT Fan]

1 hour ago, nanushka said:

Out of curiosity, has she talked publicly (on IG or elsewhere) about her reasons for going to Boston and/or for returning to ABT?

I believe I remember her posting that she has family, a sister I think, in Boston and she alluded that that was the reason she went there.

[Beezus21]

I think Chloe Misseldine is exquisite to watch, but it's hard to believe that her family connection to ABT has not helped her become a soloist at the young age of 20! Elisabeth Beyer, who is also 20, is still sitting in the Studio Company waiting to be promoted to an Apprentice. How does that even add up?!

[cobweb]

I have not seen Chloe Misseldine, but after many years on this message board, I have a lot of respect for the opinions of my fellow posters, and the word on Misseldine is uniformly impressive. Not only that, but ABT has a definite need for new soloists, so she seems like a very obvious choice. Just MHO, but I doubt it had anything to do with the family connection, and far more with her talent and potential. Or, from the perspective of a fan, I want to see talented beautiful dancers, so however she got there (and assuming I like her as much as everyone else seems to), I'm glad. I know nothing about Elisabeth Beyer, but surely we will see her soon, and I look forward to seeing both of these young ladies. 

[MarzipanShepherdess]

8 hours ago, balletlover08 said:

Waski was at Boston previously and did their whole season before coming to ABT and doing all of the Met season. So she probably was just exhausted. She will hopefully be in better form after some rest. On one of her instagram captions she said she did 25 shows of Swan Lake in 2 months which seems like a lot. 

That explains a lot, thanks for this context! I recalled posters here admiring Paulina and was surprised at feeling underwhelmed when I saw her in solos this season. But oof, doing a full Boston Ballet season and then a full ABT season in the corps would exhaust anyone. I look forward to seeing her when she's recharged.

[fondoffouettes]

4 minutes ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

That explains a lot, thanks for this context! I recalled posters here admiring Paulina and was surprised at feeling underwhelmed when I saw her in solos this season. But oof, doing a full Boston Ballet season and then a full ABT season in the corps would exhaust anyone. I look forward to seeing her when she's recharged.

Same. Thank you so much for the context. 

Per Carlos Gonzalez's Instagram stories, corps member Javier Rivet is leaving ABT. I suppose we may here of more departures, as there are always a few at the end of every Met season. 

[choriamb]

I like the female soloist promotions:  all have solid classical technique mixed with a little something else. In corps roles, Granlund's line always looks a little "more right" than anyone else's:  she'll just need to develop as a dramatic presence.  Misseldine is in the mould of a young Shevchenko:  she has loads of attack and presents to the audience fearlessly...but still needs to hone her line and interactions with everyone else on stage. Park's line and attack are less distinctive...but always presented with a real awareness of the other folks on stage:  she's an all-rounder and the closest to the full style/attack/dramatic package.

I'm glad that ABT elevated Zhurbin. It sends a message about the importance of dramatic skills. And  the right message to those corps members who have aged past promotion due to COVID or injury:  you're realistically unlikely to star in the great classical roles unless you're a technical prodigy promoted at a very early age...but it's possible to achieve real stature through other routes.  So many of the good performances in this season have been made possible by mid-level or senior corps members stepping up.

I'm surprised that Coker, Clerico, and Ishchuk weren't elevated in this round, because I've seen all three carry off performances with more elan than some current principals at a comparable stage in their careers. So, I rather wonder if they're simply waiting for them to season as classical dancers first. Or maybe McKenzie thought it was wiser to elevate some less-publicized dancers first lest their gifts go unnoticed by the new AD:  a lot of people can maintain a classical line or act in the studio...knowing who can maintain those things consistently on stage is very different.

Edited July 17, 2022 by choriamb

[MarzipanShepherdess]

7 hours ago, choriamb said:

I'm surprised that Coker, Clerico, and Ishchuk weren't elevated in this round, because I've seen all three carry off performances with more elan than some current principals at a comparable stage in their careers. So, I rather wonder if they're simply waiting for them to season as classical dancers first. Or maybe McKenzie thought it was wiser to elevate some less-publicized dancers first lest their gifts go unnoticed by the new AD:  a lot of people can maintain a classical line or act in the studio...knowing who can maintain those things consistently on stage is very different.

Your reasoning here makes a great deal of sense to me as an explanation for why Kevin chose SunMi, Betsy, Chloe, and Breanne for his last round of promotions over Zimmi, the corps dancer everyone seems to have felt surest was going to get promoted. And Sung Woo Han over someone like Andrii Ishchuk. He does seem to have gone with less obvious candidates.

[stuben]

On 7/15/2022 at 1:10 PM, balletlover08 said:

Here's an article that PointeMagazine did on Chloe Misseldine on her latest promotion to soloist. They have quotes from Nancy Raffe, Yan Chen (her mother and former soloist of ABT) and Kevin Mckenzie. 

https://pointemagazine.com/chloe-misseldine-ballet/ 

There is a funny full circle moment. Yan was former principal of now defunct National Ballet in Washington. When Kevin came to ABT from national ballet as artistic director he brought one dancer with him, Yan as a corps member who he promptly promoted to soloist following her 1st met season. Now at the end of his tenure at ABT, he promotes Chloe (Yan's daughter) to soloist after her first corps member. Which means Yan was one of his first promotions and Chloe one of his last, I guess that puts into perspective what 30 years is. 

Unlike the newspapers, articles as such would have been put together (with interviews etc.) a few months in advance, so should we assume this decision was made prior to Met Season? I am sure financially and otherwise this had to be considered since the loss of revenue due to the pandemic.

21 hours ago, balletlover08 said:

Waski was at Boston previously and did their whole season before coming to ABT and doing all of the Met season. So she probably was just exhausted. She will hopefully be in better form after some rest. On one of her instagram captions she said she did 25 shows of Swan Lake in 2 months which seems like a lot. 

 

12 hours ago, MarzipanShepherdess said:

That explains a lot, thanks for this context! I recalled posters here admiring Paulina and was surprised at feeling underwhelmed when I saw her in solos this season. But oof, doing a full Boston Ballet season and then a full ABT season in the corps would exhaust anyone. I look forward to seeing her when she's recharged.

Just saw this latest post and seem it was more than 25 shows?! Non-stop from December, assuming including Nutcracker season? Anyone know how many shows Boston Ballet has done? Agree this sounds exhausting just thinking about it!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgFm0jcgblO/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

 

[TheAccidentalBalletomane]

On 7/12/2022 at 6:17 PM, Kamicos said:

I can’t believe Zimmi Coker was not promoted. No offense to Park, but she barely has any experience with the company, let alone soloist roles and Zimmi has many. This is just not right. 

I too am surprised that a dancer with such little ABT experience was promoted so quickly over arguably those that are perhaps more "ready".  I would assume McKenzie wanted to leave his mark on the way out and selected Park based upon his personal preferences and vision which is still his prerogative.  However, Coker left a strong impression on many including me and I hope this does not discourage her and hope she will be promoted in the next round.

[abatt]

I also found the promotion of Park surprising.  Look on her bio.  She's been at ABT for about 6 months.  Her roles as demi soloist were flower girl and peasant pas. She was never an apprentice at ABT.  We will never know what happens behind the scenes.  Maybe McKenzie  knows from seeing company class or rehearsals that Park will be successful and deserves more. I'm not saying she isn't talented, but the promotion at this juncture raises questions.

 

 

Edited July 17, 2022 by abatt

[balletlover08]

40 minutes ago, abatt said:

I also found the promotion of Park surprising.  Look on her bio.  She's been at ABT for about 6 months.  Her roles as demi soloist were flower girl and peasant pas. She was never an apprentice at ABT.  We will never know what happens behind the scenes.  Maybe McKenzie  knows from seeing company class or rehearsals that Park will be successful and deserves more. I'm not saying she isn't talented, but the promotion at this juncture raises questions.

 

 

She was in stuco for maybe 2 seasons and then was an apprentice from 11/21 to 2/22 which is what the nutcracker season? 

[ECat]

16 hours ago, Beezus21 said:

I think Chloe Misseldine is exquisite to watch, but it's hard to believe that her family connection to ABT has not helped her become a soloist at the young age of 20! Elisabeth Beyer, who is also 20, is still sitting in the Studio Company waiting to be promoted to an Apprentice. How does that even add up?!

If that were the case, one might ask why Hannah Marshall has not been promoted. Her mother is Cheryl Yeager, former ABT principal who danced while McKenzie was a principal.

[abatt]

Chloe made a strong impression in of Love and Rage.  Ratmansky only uses people he feels are strong dancers. I generally don't  feel that he is influenced by public opinion or nepotism when choosing a cast for his ballets. For me that role was a test.  She also did well in Single Eye.

Edited July 17, 2022 by abatt

[ABT Fan]

I think Misseldine has that "it" factor. She has the perfect proportions for ballet, incredible technique, dramatic ability and a maturity well beyond her years and level of experience. She's like Bell and it's rare. I suspect she will not remain a soloist for very long. They will probably do Giselle again this coming year (either in the Fall or at the Met) and I wouldn't be surprised if they give her Myrtha as her first big role. In the not too distant future I can easily see her as O/O, Gamzatti, Nikiya, Medora.

Park on the other hand, with only 6 months in the company, we've seen her in 2 Demi-soloist roles - that's it. I thought her SL peasant pas was fabulous but I don't think she was any better than Coker. And, I certainly didn't get an "it" factor vibe which IMO would justify such a rapid fire promotion. How the company feels they can judge anyone worthy of a soloist promotion after so little experience is beyond me. It's not like she came from a different company. This one definitely raises a lot of questions.

[nanushka]

22 hours ago, Beezus21 said:

I think Chloe Misseldine is exquisite to watch, but it's hard to believe that her family connection to ABT has not helped her become a soloist at the young age of 20! Elisabeth Beyer, who is also 20, is still sitting in the Studio Company waiting to be promoted to an Apprentice. How does that even add up?!

It doesn't. Promotions are never (or never just) about the math.

Edited July 18, 2022 by nanushka

[cobweb]

I could more easily believe that being the child or grandchild of a Board member or major donor, would play a bigger factor in company decisions, than being the child of a former dancer. Being the child of a dancer brings what must be very significant benefits in the form of early exposure to the art form and lots of one-on-one coaching. But I doubt the AD is very influenced, especially in promotions beyond the corps de ballet, by whether he used to dance with your mother. On the other hand, I would find it easier to believe that having a parent or grandparent who is a financial mainstay of the company, might influence who is accepted into the corps, and possibly casting decisions beyond that. Just my speculation.