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ABT Met Season 2023

California

By California
in American Ballet Theatre

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vipa

vipa

Posted
Posted
33 minutes ago, Buddy said:

It is written in stone that you can never have enough Swan Lakes (and I do like the Kevin McKenzie one very much) and probably Giselles.  😊 

 

 

You remind me a quote by David Vaughn, a wonderfully witty dance writer and fan I had the pleasure if knowing. (I may be paraphrasing a bit): The best Swan Lake you've ever seen is never the one you're watching.

That always made me laugh.

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Buddy

Buddy

Posted
Posted (edited)
Just now, vipa said:

You remind me a quote by David Vaughn, a wonderfully witty dance writer and fan I had the pleasure if knowing. (I may be paraphrasing a bit): The best Swan Lake you've ever seen is never the one you're watching.

 

Except when it is. 😊

I have seen some beautiful ones. Once upon a time there was this beautiful Swan Queen named Veronika Part....

Thanks for the smile, Vipa.

Edited by Buddy
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ABT Fan

ABT Fan

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Kamicos said:

Ugh…SL, Giselle, R & J again??? I love all of these ballets but something else would really be nice for a change! What about Onegin, Cinderella, Coppelia, Manon, Sylvia, Spartacus, Carmen, Mayerling, A month in the Country, Daphnis and Chloe just to name a few. I guess Like Water for Chocolate is it next spring!

 

I can understand it, though it makes for redundant and unimaginative programming. For one, SL is always a cash cow, and I'm sure they're still trying to make up financially for lost revenue during the shutdown. Plus they have several new principals, esp Brandt and Hurlin, who reportedly did very well in their O/O debuts this past season. Similarly, Giselle boasted several major debuts this year as well, especially for Brandt, so they probably want to capitalize on that again next year. R&J, well I can't imagine the thinking behind that one so soon. It's highly possible we may have one or even two major retirements next year, and these three ballets could provide one last opportunity for those leaving to perform such iconic roles one last time, and for their actual farewell performance.

 

11 minutes ago, Becki Lee said:

Found a pic of Frankie in the blue dress in Like Water For Chocolate 

 

https://www.culturewhisper.com/amp/dance/the_royal_ballet_like_water_for_chocolate/16668

 

That's the same dress that Trenary is wearing in her IG story, so safe to assume she'll be cast as one of the leads. (Good news, given her pitiful casting this past season.)

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nysusan

nysusan

Posted
Posted
Swan Lake & Giselle again, yay! ABT doesn't typically do Giselle every year, maybe every third year so I'll be thrilled to see it again if they program it for their Met season. Right now they have an incredible Giselle in Brandt and I would love to see her develop in the role.  I would hate the idea of not seeing Swan Lake for a couple of years so even though I'm not a big fan of ABT's staging or their current O/Os I'm glad they do it every year. For me a mediocre SL is better than no SL (and NYCB's doesn't count).
 
I'm not so keen on R&J, esp since IMO ABT does not have a great Juliet at the moment and great artists in the lead roles are the only thing that makes R&J interesting to me. But it is very popular with the Met audience so I can see why they'd program it again.
 
With a season that is barely more than 4 weeks long I doubt they'll have room for much more than SL, Giselle, R&J and LWFC (assuming these are the ballets that are programmed). I can also see them doing maybe a 4 show run of OLAR. I would love to see Bayadere (not likely), Sylvia or Raymonda (I know, we'll probably never see another Raymonda at ABT).
 
Fortunately my taste seems to match that of ABT's core Met audience - give me the classics please - every single season!
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Fleurfairy

Fleurfairy

Posted
Posted
17 hours ago, Kamicos said:

Ugh…SL, Giselle, R & J again??? I love all of these ballets but something else would really be nice for a change! What about Onegin, Cinderella, Coppelia, Manon, Sylvia, Spartacus, Carmen, Mayerling, A month in the Country, Daphnis and Chloe just to name a few. I guess Like Water for Chocolate is it next spring!

 

Agree, dullsville. ABT just does not know how to get their programming right lately. And yes The Dream came back (for 3 paltry performances) but where's the rest of Ashton? I'd love to see La Fille Mal Gardee and Cinderella. Where has DeMille been???? I have been watching Ballet West's IG rehearsals clips of Rodeo and it makes me sad that NY hasn't seen this in at least a decade. 

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bingham

bingham

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Fleurfairy said:

Agree, dullsville. ABT just does not know how to get their programming right lately. And yes The Dream came back (for 3 paltry performances) but where's the rest of Ashton? I'd love to see La Fille Mal Gardee and Cinderella. Where has DeMille been???? I have been watching Ballet West's IG rehearsals clips of Rodeo and it makes me sad that NY hasn't seen this in at least a decade. 

NY audience, in general, don’t like these ballets anymore. La Fille , a long Time favorite , does not attract audience. Maybe , with Skylarand Cassie with Danil It will be an attraction.😒again

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abatt

abatt

Posted
Posted (edited)

I think the audiences are smaller for ABT because there are no more "star" dancers, and people came to expect star wattage at ABT after so many years of international, top tier talent.     If, for example, Olga Smirnova or Victoria Tereshkina were to appear at ABT, I'm sure audiences would show up regardless of what they were dancing.

 

Edited by abatt
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nysusan

nysusan

Posted
Posted (edited)
44 minutes ago, abatt said:

I think the audiences are smaller for ABT because there are no more "star" dancers, and people came to expect star wattage at ABT after so many years of international, top tier talent.     If, for example, Olga Smirnova or Victoria Tereshkina were to appear at ABT, I'm sure audiences would show up regardless of what they were dancing.

 

Good point. Time was (not too long ago) you could go to ABT and see the best dancers in the world. Not anymore. Not saying that ABT doesn't have some very good dancers - they do. But none at the level of a Vishneva or Ferri or Osipova or Gomes or Corella (except for Cornejo , who is at the end of his career and Simkin, who is rarely scheduled to appear now). Book Smirnova or Osipova and the Met will fill up quickly.

Edited by nysusan
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volcanohunter

volcanohunter

Posted
Posted

Ballet companies can't dip into their historical repertoire at will. Generally speaking, licensing contracts for performing rights last three years. Since Swan Lake, Giselle and Romeo and Juliet have been performed recently, it's safe to say those licensing agreements are active. Plus there is an existing agreement concerning Like Water for Chocolate, and unless the ballet is a total flop, those rights will be used to the maximum before any major new acquisitions will be considered. Any ballet that hasn't been performed for more than three years, and post Covid-canceled seasons that accounts for a lot of repertoire, would require a new licensing agreement. They will come, but given the financial condition of many ballet companies today, they have to make good use of the money they've already spent before they start a new spree.

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bingham

bingham

Posted
Posted
46 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

Ballet companies can't dip into their historical repertoire at will. Generally speaking, licensing contracts for performing rights last three years. Since Swan Lake, Giselle and Romeo and Juliet have been performed recently, it's safe to say those licensing agreements are active. Plus there is an existing agreement concerning Like Water for Chocolate, and unless the ballet is a total flop, those rights will be used to the maximum before any major new acquisitions will be considered. Any ballet that hasn't been performed for more than three years, and post Covid-canceled seasons that accounts for a lot of repertoire, would require a new licensing agreement. They will come, but given the financial condition of many ballet companies today, they have to make good use of the money they've already spent before they start a new spree.

 That makes sense. I never knew of the licensing part. One learns so much in this site. Thanks VH.

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tutu

tutu

Posted
Posted
On 11/3/2022 at 10:07 AM, nysusan said:
 
I'm not so keen on R&J, esp since IMO ABT does not have a great Juliet at the moment and great artists in the lead roles are the only thing that makes R&J interesting to me. But it is very popular with the Met audience so I can see why they'd program it again.

I know it’ll never happen this season, but I’d love to see some debuts from the new generation coming up — Zimmi Coker comes to mind.

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ABT Fan

ABT Fan

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, tutu said:

I know it’ll never happen this season, but I’d love to see some debuts from the new generation coming up — Zimmi Coker comes to mind.

I agree. Well, you never know, especially if there are injuries or illnesses. I’d love to see Misseldine get a Myrtha next year. I’m sure she will eventually, and be magnificent, but with the present casting of Teuscher, Hurlin, Williams and probably one for Shevchenko (since she now does Giselle as well) there isn’t really room. 

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stuben

stuben

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

I agree. Well, you never know, especially if there are injuries or illnesses. I’d love to see Misseldine get a Myrtha next year. I’m sure she will eventually, and be magnificent, but with the present casting of Teuscher, Hurlin, Williams and probably one for Shevchenko (since she now does Giselle as well) there isn’t really room. 

Speaking of injuries, did anyone see Bonfiglio or McCune during the Fall Season? I didn't notice any posting that included them and nothing on their social media, especially Bonfiglio since she wasn't in anything I saw during Met Season either but she is still listed on the website. As for Myrtha, I recall Waski did this when she joined Boston Ballet, and if my memory serves me correct she was cast for Met Season before she left, so hopefully she will get her opportunity again as well. IMHO she did quite well during this Met Season alongside Williams, considering per Pointe article of her "marathon season" that she did a full Boston season with a one day break to be at the Met?  As much as I love the SL etc. I do wish new management will bring more new works as I see from Australia etc. Seems Hallberg has some interesting pieces in 2023, also missing him on the stage here :(.

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ABT Fan

ABT Fan

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, stuben said:

Speaking of injuries, did anyone see Bonfiglio or McCune during the Fall Season? I didn't notice any posting that included them and nothing on their social media, especially Bonfiglio since she wasn't in anything I saw during Met Season either but she is still listed on the website. As for Myrtha, I recall Waski did this when she joined Boston Ballet, and if my memory serves me correct she was cast for Met Season before she left, so hopefully she will get her opportunity again as well. IMHO she did quite well during this Met Season alongside Williams, considering per Pointe article of her "marathon season" that she did a full Boston season with a one day break to be at the Met?  As much as I love the SL etc. I do wish new management will bring more new works as I see from Australia etc. Seems Hallberg has some interesting pieces in 2023, also missing him on the stage here :(.

McCune performed in The Seasons as one of the Water Men - I remember noticing him, as well.

I don't see Bonfiglio in any of my programs, so she didn't dance at any of the performances I attended.

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FauxPas

FauxPas

Posted
Posted

Remember that the ABT Spring/Summer 2023 Met Season was planned by McKenzie since the planning has to be done a year in advance.  Also I always thought that new season contracts start in the Fall, so that any big changes in the roster will happen in 2024 most likely.

Susan Jaffe's artistic agenda won't come into focus probably until the Fall 2023 and 2024.  Then, hopefully, there will be changes and improvements.  New ideas and fresh innovations, we hope.

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