ABT Fall 2023

[abatt]

The tempo of Ballet Imperial was often so slow it robbed the ballet of its propulsive momentum.  Where was the breakneck speed and attack that makes this ballet such a thrilling vehicle for the lead ballerina?  Completely Missing In Action at ABT. 

Mearns is gold standard in this ballet, with Tiler Peck a close second.  ABT needs to go back to the drawing board for this one. 

In order to save his failing knees, Whiteside omitted dropping to his knee after his double tours in the pas with Boylston.   This Cavalier does not go to bended knee.

Roxander was great as Puck.  He overshadowed everyone else on stage.  This was a better vehicle for Murphy than Etudes, in my opinion. 

I thought Carmago did well as Oberon, but he is not an ideal interpreter.   Sometimes the intricacy of the choreography is lost as Carmago just tries to get the job done.   This role requires someone with very long legs and beautiful feet.  

Blaine Hoven had some trouble with Bottom and the pointe work required for the role.  

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by abatt

[abatt]

Forgot to add that ABT dancers are too much prone so standing and posing, often with a broad smile,  after completing a variation in Ballet Imperial.  

Didn't mind the elaborate costumes, but the curtains and the backdrop made the ballet seem musty. 

[MRR]

Odd, I recall James doing them.  What did he do instead?  He would have landed on his right knee, and his left was the one injured.  

Tour to knee is compulsory for a male dancer (obviously harder in BI where they happen between partnering a ballerina) that it shouldn't be omitted if a dancer is healthy to perform.

Edited October 22, 2023 by MRR

[abatt]

5 minutes ago, MRR said:

Odd, I recall James doing them.  What did he do instead?  He would have landed on his right knee, and his left was the one injured.  

Tour to knee is compulsory for a male dancer (obviously harder in BI where they happen between partnering a ballerina) that it shouldn't be omitted if a dancer is healthy to perform.

He stood after doing  each double tour, whereas the NYCB lead dropped to the knee, 

[aurora]

3 hours ago, matilda said:

Of course Roxander needs, and will acquire, more experience in partnering, but I found his partnering mostly solid in Piano Concerto and Etudes the other night given his lack of experience and the difficulty of the roles. 

Not so long ago, Roman Mejia popped onto the scene at NYCB as a young technical whiz, was given some difficult partnering challenges early on (with a few fumbles, like in his debut of Allegro Brillante), but he's improved drastically in that area in a relatively short span of time. 

Roxander is clearly a hard worker and seems ambitious so I'm confident he'll continue honing his partnering skills. He has great potential partners in Brandt and Coker in particular. 

Agreed.

I'll also say that I saw the rehearsal on weds and the evening performance where he almost dropped Teuscher but held on.

It was fine in rehearsal. I don't even think it was "anxiety" for him as much as it was "over excitement".

 

That dress rehearsal was the first one where I've ever heard the repeated 'correction' to "Remember this is just a dress rehearsal not a performance! Keep something back!!"

 

 

[laurel]

9 hours ago, MRR said:

The principal ballerina role is a monster and Isabella appeared nervous at the start. The preparations for steps had more adjustments than optimal, and her pained ballerina expression looked, well, actually pained. 

 

That's exactly what I saw last night.  Very surprised to see Boylston, at this point in her career, looking so nervous.  Her back was stiff, her fingers splayed like the digits on a tree frog, grasping a leaf.  She appeared to be gritting her teeth as well.  She didn't relax into the performance until the start of the 3rd movement, when her back visibly eased, and both she and Whiteside began to smile.  It was about time.  Neither looked regal or imperial, but rather like workhorses, just trying to get through the choreography.  Skylar Brandt was very, very good.  She appeared very much at ease with the choreography, her feet precise and delicate.  Her pasted-on grin, however, began to annoy me.  It bore too strong a resemblance to Conrad Veidt in the silent horror film, The Man Who Laughs.  She was at her best when joined by featured dancers Betsy McBride and Erica Lall.  They were a beautiful trio.  McBride was the only dancer I could see who really inhabited the concept of "regal."  She held her back and shoulders upright, but not stiffly, her demeanor was royal.  And more pleased than giddy; i.e., no grinning.  If ABT would like this ballet to continue as homage to Balanchine's Imperial Russia, I think everyone should be coached to hold themselves properly.  And after her performance in Ballet Imperial, Erica Lall moved seamlessly into the corps de fairies in The Dream.  I'd love to see her in more featured roles in classical works.  She never gets to display her skills in these kinds of ballets.  

Jake Roxander continues to astound.  As Puck, in The Dream, he executed one airborne split leap into the downstage left wing at an enormous height, it could have been five feet in the air (though it seemed so, it wasn't), but truly gaspworthy.  In this role, he reminded me less like Cornejo, and more like Daniel Ulbricht at NYC Ballet.  His characterization, the playfulness, and the all American ease of his performance for me echoed Ulbricht as the Harlequin La Sonnambula, or even Candy Cane in Nutcracker.  No matter how brilliant his dancing in the past, Cornejo always seemed to maintain his reserve, to hold back on visibly large emotions.  I think Roxander's acting ability will be of great importance once he is given the chance to tackle the big three-act classical ballets.  Something extra to look forward to in the spring!

[abatt]

12 minutes ago, laurel said:

That's exactly what I saw last night.  Very surprised to see Boylston, at this point in her career, looking so nervous.  Her back was stiff, her fingers splayed like the digits on a tree frog, grasping a leaf.  She appeared to be gritting her teeth as well.  She didn't relax into the performance until the start of the 3rd movement, when her back visibly eased, and both she and Whiteside began to smile.  It was about time.  Neither looked regal or imperial, but rather like workhorses, just trying to get through the choreography.

 

Boylston has had this issue with her hands and fingers for her whole career.  It's never going to change.  Perhaps she was so nervous because she was in the audience about two weeks ago at NYCB with Whiteside, and saw Mearns and Angle perform this ballet with brilliance. 

Maybe ABT shouldn't do Balanchine if they can't do it well and/or don't have the dancers to  perform the roles well.  

[fondoffouettes]

1 hour ago, abatt said:

Maybe ABT shouldn't do Balanchine if they can't do it well and/or don't have the dancers to  perform the roles well.  

To be honest, I thought the company had abandoned the notion of dancing most Balanchine. For the past decade or so, they'd stopped dancing works like Symphony in C, Ballo della Regina, Allegro Brillante, and Ballet Imperial. I assumed McKenzie came to he conclusion those works weren't the best fit for the company. We continued to see Theme and Variations, which is understandable since it's part of the company's choreographic heritage. And Symphonie Concertante made good sense for the company, as NYCB doesn't dance it. 

To me, this current season feels very much like a throwback to early-2000s ABT, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Part of the reason I'd wanted to see ABT's Ballet Imperial was that I was curious to see the ballet danced in tutus, and I quite liked the principal and soloist costumes that I saw in rehearsal videos. But now that I've seen pictures of the the backdrop along with the costumes for the entire ensemble, it's reading really dated to me. I'll hold further judgment until I see the piece in person later this week. 

How gorgeous is this Karinska costume for NYCB's Ballet Imperial? I love the color combo, judicious use of crystals, and the vertical lines on the bodice. (I'd love to see NYCB's Theme and Variations costumes replaced with something similar.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cyi9GkpuJFR/?hl=en

NYCB also recently posted some up-close shots of Karinska's Symphony in C costumes on their Instagram. I feel like I was able to see them well for the first time, as it's been hard to read the details of the costumes on old videos and photos, and I never saw the work at NYCB before the current costumes were introduced. The economy of the decoration is striking, and I really love the use of what looks like damask on the bodices (not a fabric I'm used to seeing very often on ballet bodices). 

Edited October 22, 2023 by fondoffouettes

[ABT Fan]

This afternoon was quite flat with an audience that seemed mostly asleep.
 

I didn’t find Ballet Imperial musty looking with the gorgeously elaborate costumes and decor. I found the royal blue curtains bold and fresh. But I understand why this scenery would not appeal to some. Choreographically, it was not my cup of tea. Between the super slow tempo and continuous formal gesturing and posturing, I was expecting Czar Nicholas II to make an entrance. The corps danced well overall but struggled staying in line. Lea Fleytoux stood out for all the right reasons. Shevchenko was regal, but she seemed nervous and tentative. Her dancing was mostly secure but not special. No sparkle. Royal is naturally elegant and his partnering was very solid, but he lacks the clean technique necessary for a white tights ballet. The highlight was absolutely Misseldine as the second ballerina. Crisp, sharp footwork, beautiful use of her head and upper body, sissones that sliced the air with beautifully pointed feet. Energy and stamina to spare. Her two lieutenants Li and Park were perfectly matched as were her two suitors, Han and Frenette (subbing for Sebastian). Frenette especially danced very clean. 
 

The Dream was not a dream today. Murphy’s Titania was depressing. No energy, stiff back and upper body, low arabesques, and she fell off pointe repeatedly. I kept thinking of Trenary in this last year, lush and spritely, whom I should have seen today before they switched the casting. Respectfully, it is past time for Murphy to retire. Carmargo’s Oberon was very good. It is too bad we didn’t get to see Bell’s debut. Magbitang’s Puck was very solid with high elevation on his jumps, but at certain points he almost seemed to be marking. And, I saw no progression from his interpretation last year. Hoven's Bottom was also poorly executed, falling off pointe in several sections with a very underwhelming interpretation.
 

I suppose today was bound to be some sort of let down after seeing the extraordinary Roxander the other night, but I still expected better.

Edited October 22, 2023 by ABT Fan
Typos

[California]

Just a few small things to add to the many insightful comments on Sunday's matinee:

• Elwince Magbitang was a perfectly good Puck, but it's difficult to overcome the standard set by Roxander the night before. 
• Daniel Camargo was superb and a good actor/comedian. Beautiful long lines.
• Chloe Misseldine: can't disagree with the praise for the technique, but her facial expressions became annoying: too-big smile alternating with open-mouthed fish gulping for air. 
• Gillian Murphy: yes, please retire. It's painful to watch.
• Aran Bell is in an Instagram story today in a small company class taught by Craig Salstein. Fingers crossed we get to see him Tuesday!

Some trivia for the musicians in the audience: I sat down in front Saturday night and again Sunday near the pianist for the Tchaikovsky. On Saturday her page turner turned two pages at once, quickly saw his mistake and flipped back one page. She scowled and he seemed to be apologizing.  When you're a page turner, YOU HAVE ONE JOB. He seemed to be extra-careful on Sunday!

Edited October 22, 2023 by California

[ABT Fan]

9 minutes ago, California said:

Just a few small things to add to the many insightful comments on Sunday's matinee:

• Elwince Magbitang was a perfectly good Puck, but it's difficult to overcome the standard set by Roxander the night before. 
• Daniel Camargo was superb and a good actor/comedian. Beautiful long lines.
•  

Yes - I fully admit that my less-than-stellar perception of Magbitang is probably diminished by Roxander. He was still very good. And, agree about Carmargo's beautiful lines.

[Papagena]

13 minutes ago, California said:

Gillian Murphy: yes, please retire. It's painful to watch.

Would you say it's a big dip in quality from the last couple seasons? I expected a gradual decline like Cornejo, but it sounds like the decline has been much steeper. She's dancing Etudes in the Fall gala which is a bold choice. But to hear she had issues with Tatiana is disheartening, as it's not the most difficult role ... 

I wonder if her focus on ARB is taking away from studio time? I assumed next year would be her last Summer season at The Met since she probably wants to retire as O/O, her signature role. 

Edited October 22, 2023 by Papagena

[California]

6 minutes ago, Papagena said:

She's dancing Etudes in the Fall gala which is a bold choice.

Murphy also did Etudes on Thursday night. Grouped with Cornejo and Ahn, she was showing her age, but nobody outshone her overall that night.

[abatt]

Thanks for the reports about today's show.

 

Perceptive note above that Jaffe is planning these fall programs  like in the heyday of the early 2000s. I won't start listing all those great dancers from that era -  otherwise I might start crying at my computer as I type.  But what we are seeing is that they don't have the personnel to justify scheduling the major ballets that they used to do.  Ahn, Han - both serviceable in Etudes but not spectacular in any way.  Ballet Imperial - not so wonderful.  All the other Balanchine killer ballets are now a big stretch for them given the roster they have now.  They would not have the personnel to do justice to a ballet like Symphony in C now.  It requires 8 highly competent and wonderful dancers, and you would need two casts.  

I didn't see today's show, but I cannot understand why they would have 44 year old Murphy do Titania twice in less than 24 hours.  It's nuts.   Is anyone surprised that she had trouble pulling this off today?  She needs lots of recovery time.   Not to mention that the inexplicable casting switcheroo putting Murphy in rather than the originally announced Trenary  pissed off lots of people.   Is Blaine doing all of the Bottom's.  Please, get a guy who can do the pointe work, or don't do the ballet.  This is embarrassing.  

Except for a few bright spots, this company is a shadow of what it once was.

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by abatt

[fondoffouettes]

13 minutes ago, abatt said:

Perceptive note above that Jaffe is planning these fall programs  like in the heyday of the early 2000s. I won't start listing all those great dancers from that era -  otherwise I might start crying at my computer as I type.  But what we are seeing is that they don't have the personnel to justify scheduling the major ballets that they used to do.

I've been thinking a lot, too, about Corsaire and Bayadere. I know Jaffe has said she doesn't plan to program those ballets until they can address the Orientalist tropes, but I frankly I don't think the company can properly cast those ballets at moment, especially when it comes to the male roles. And there are only maybe one ore two female dancers I'd like to see as Nikiya at the moment.

 

[canbelto]

I am surprised with the reports about Murphy because I saw her last night and thought she was quite wonderful still.

[Helene]

The pandemic closures and restriction did a number on gradual declines.   All dancers should have been able to heal a bunch of nagging injuries through rest, but many elective surgeries were long postponed., and individual physical therapy was restricted or more difficult.  The ability of dancers to keep in shape given their living circumstances and local restrictions, and some having to help their children through distance learning, greatly differed, and some people thrive in a group setting when it comes to training, and, in isolation, not so much. 

 

 

[California]

42 minutes ago, canbelto said:

I am surprised with the reports about Murphy because I saw her last night and thought she was quite wonderful still.

 Murphy left the stage at 10 pm Saturday and was back on stage 17 hours later for the matinee. Camargo had the same schedule, but he's 32 and she's 44. Brutal.

[Helene]

All injury reports need to be from official, public-facing sources, with a link or citation.

[MoMo]

11 minutes ago, Helene said:

All injury reports need to be from official, public-facing sources, with a link or citation.

After a whirlwind of a Met season last summer, it’s saddens me to say I will not be performing this Fall Season due to a back injury. I’m on the mend but my body still needs time to heal. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to supporting my colleagues on the fantastic season they have ahead of them and soaking up the inspiration for when I come back. (This is Tyler Maloney’ s post on his FB dates October 4th). This is why he is not dancing Bottom, as he normally would. 

[ABT Fan]

20 minutes ago, MoMo said:

After a whirlwind of a Met season last summer, it’s saddens me to say I will not be performing this Fall Season due to a back injury. I’m on the mend but my body still needs time to heal. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to supporting my colleagues on the fantastic season they have ahead of them and soaking up the inspiration for when I come back. (This is Tyler Maloney’ s post on his FB dates October 4th). This is why he is not dancing Bottom, as he normally would. 

Maloney posted this on his IG as well:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx-9GwtgHzY/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[DPell]

3 hours ago, abatt said:

 Is Blaine doing all of the Bottom's.  Please, get a guy who can do the pointe work, or don't do the ballet.  This is embarrassing.  m

Melvin Lawovi recently posted on his Instagram story that he’s dancing Bottom at the next two performances.

[pirouette]

Adding on... I was also at the matinee today and had mixed feelings. 

I was very excited to see ABT’s interpretation of Ballet Imperial. I agree that Chloe Misseldine had a lovely debut and honestly seemed more relaxed than the principals. Regarding the tempo — I thought it was fine during the corps and assemble moments, but it slowed an unbearable amount during the pas de deux and Shevchenko’s solos. I was close to tearing my hair out. I’ve seen Shevchenko and Calvin Royal in other roles and like them well enough, but I did not enjoy them here. She seemed nervous and tentative; I was waiting for her to dance bigger and freer but she never really got there. About the set and costumes — I had less of a problem with the tutus and background looking dated and musty-looking (personally I thought they were beautiful on their own), and more with how it took away from the choreography. The dancers looked so weighed down by the skirts, which bounced in a rather unflattering way. I’m glad Balanchine changed it later on. On the topic of changes, I have question: I noticed that at NYCB, during the section where the soloist and corps do the échappés in the triangle/diamond formation, they start before the last row arrive. At ABT, they only start once the formation is complete. Was the NYCB version a later change, or does it just vary by company? The moment I'm talking about is at 30:36 of the video below... Would also be interested if others are knowledgeable on any other choreo changes for this ballet. 

 

This was only my second time seeing The Dream, so I was still very much awed by the gorgeous set and costumes. Someone upthread mentioned the loud floors and it was EXTREMELY loud in this ballet whenever the corps ran and jumped. During the opening section, it was painful how the sound of the pointe shoes overpowered the divine music and orchestra. I compared pictures I took at ABT vs NYCB and they definitely changed out the floor. Anyways, the highlight for me in The Dream was Camargo. Magbitang was a good Puck, but I’m super excited to see Roxander on Wednesday! 

This was the program I was most excited about for ABT’s fall season, but now after making it to the actual performances, I have to say I surprisingly enjoyed the “Classics Old and New” program more! 

[MRR]

Also adding to Sunday matinee:

Misseldine was easily the highlight of Ballet Imperial and perhaps the whole performance.  It is refreshing to see a taller ballerina in this role with every limb stretched to its fullest, carving space and air.  Excellent floaty jetés, ironclad pirouettes and balances, and high, long extensions in every direction.  If I'm to quibble, she takes "air biting" to the extreme with a wide, open-mouthed smile in many of the difficult passages.  Her entrechat six were muddy, but no worse than Brandt's.

Shevchenko basically took Boylston's performance in reverse, the good and the bad.  She was cleaner in the opening solo with no trouble on the double pirouette to arabesque (Bella took a sizable hop) and generally more seamless transitions.  Her port de bras is classical and rounded, with an expression appearing in control.  Unfortunately the technical challenges mounted and she came up very short in the allegro:  weak footwork and not a six in sight.  She also did not bring any mystique or yearning in the adagio, though I blame some of this on Calvin's partnering.  I disagree that it was "very solid," he had visible off-balance adjustments of feet and hands throughout and nearly had her off pointe in the first finger turn manège.  The blurring supported turns that went on for about 8 or so on Saturday, stopped abruptly at four with Shevchenko having to go back to arabesque.  Technically he also wasn't strong in what is a thin but exposed role:  weak, floppy feet, thin beats, cheated takeoff on tours, gradually diminishing cabrioles, and finally a triple pirouette that crashed to the knee.   Especially when comparing to Philip Neal above, or even James's utilitarian but competent effort Saturday, this was not a performance of a principal.  

Fangqi Li and SunMi Park were lovely demis, with Li in particular presenting an elegant, aristocratic bearing.  

Don't dispute it's time for Gillian to retire, or think she deserves any special praise for performing at age 44.  But I'm more with canbelto thinking her Titania was far from a disaster.  Even on Sunday running out of steam faster than opening night, she did not give a drastically different performance.  She still brings a certain charm to the role and her arabesque, while creeping to the side with a bent knee, is not embarrassing.  Her balances and turns in the solo were fairly good, perhaps diminishing in speed, but I didn't notice the constant falling off pointe.  The pas de deux was the most evident point of decline with a stiff, jagged epaulement that got worse as she tired.  She did not possess that floating, fairy quality.  But I saw Kistler in Balanchine's Midsummer at around the same age, and Murphy danced more than adequately in comparison.

Camargo as Oberon has a stately, elongated posture but a rather clipped, exactly 90 degree arabesque.  He was perhaps a touch more relaxed Sunday, or animated, not having to contend with Roxander's Puck.  He brings a certain mysticism to the role with good comedic timing, flowing turns, and sharp allegro for someone of his stature.  The manège in the Scherzo were a bit awkward cutting the corners of the stage, more so today, and there were a few wobbled landings.  Overall I agree he is not as memorable an interpreter as Gomes or Hallberg, but right now Camargo is the go-to for the role at ABT, pending Bell's eventual debut.

Elwince Magbitang as Puck was not flattered by the comparison of Roxander in the role before.  While fleet-footed, he has no quality of projection, comedy, or technique that highly stands out.  His jump gets maybe half the amplitude of Jake's without the piercing glissades or endless pirouettes to go in-between.  The four lovers also did not approach nearly the same level of wit as Saturday.  Blaine Hoven was painful as Bottom, falling at the end of his solo opening night and not executing really any of the choreography on pointe.

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by MRR

[stuben]

I am not sure if anyone noticed this but my two cents about Petite Mort: The wheels for those black dresses probably needed some oiling! The silence made those squeaky wheels sound even louder, I felt like I was in the basement of a horror film listening to what the squeaky wheels were going to turn up around the corner 😂 I am sorry but that just stuck in my mind.

Also, I know there are lots of Misseldine fans here and I don't disagree however she was in the corps for the Etudes I saw, and I didn't feel she stood out much with stage presence, I know a corps needs to blend in but facial expressions usually help a corp member to "stand out from the crowd", and IMHO I thought Waski did a pretty good job as she was center stage alongside Misseldine. The two of them actually looked pretty good together due to their height. It is always easier, I assume, to "stand out" if a dancer is alone on stage. Good to know about Ballet Imperial as I will be seeing that this week.

I am also wondering if anyone knows what happened to ZJ Fang, she has not been cast in anything this season, is she injured?