ABT Met Season 2024

[California]

52 minutes ago, nysusan said:

 

Thats the question everyone is asking (everyone I know anyway). I am so upset that she's banished Bayadere, Corsaire & Raymonda from the rep . . .

I expect I'll be going to more Philadelphia Ballet performances in the coming years! I suspect that those who have seen the company in recent years will agree that they are first-rate in rep and performance. They were scheduled to do Bayadere in March 2020 (I'm not sure if any of that was cancelled due to COVID) and they're doing Corsaire this October.  I plan to see their Etudes (programmed with La Sylphide) next May. They have a Raymonda Suites (as does Boston Ballet). I'll be curious to see what ABT brings to Segerstrom next spring. I hope it isn't Crime and Punishment!

Edited April 24 by California

[bingham]

1 hour ago, nysusan said:

 

Thats the question everyone is asking (everyone I know anyway). I am so upset that she's banished Bayadere, Corsaire & Raymonda from the rep but she could at least program Coppelia or DonQ. I love Swan Lake but it can't be the only Petipa ABT does anymore. Not if they want to survive.

I’m so disappointed with her programming. She should consider what her audience like.

[nysusan]

5 hours ago, California said:

I expect I'll be going to more Philadelphia Ballet performances in the coming years! I suspect that those who have seen the company in recent years will agree that they are first-rate in rep and performance. They were scheduled to do Bayadere in March 2020 (I'm not sure if any of that was cancelled due to COVID) and they're doing Corsaire this October.  I plan to see their Etudes (programmed with La Sylphide) next May. They have a Raymonda Suites (as does Boston Ballet). I'll be curious to see what ABT brings to Segerstrom next spring. I hope it isn't Crime and Punishment!

Philly is a 90 minute train ride from NY, with easy access to the Academy of Music and 2 hotels across the street. I saw their Modern Masters program last month and was very impressed. I've already ordered a Saturday matinee sub. They are doing 4 programs - Corsaire, Swan Lake, La Sylphide/Etudes and a modern program. They let you exchange a program up front so I swapped the modern program for a Saturday night Corsaire. They also give you 1 free ticket so I used it for the Sat night La Sylphide program.

 

[cobweb]

17 minutes ago, bingham said:

I’m so disappointed with her programming. She should consider what her audience like.

I totally agree, and also agree with the comments above about Philadelphia Ballet. I don't have a subscription (yet), but I definitely plan on seeing a couple of programs next year. It is an easy trip from NY, Philly is a very fun place to be for the arts lover, and when I saw the company last month they looked great. 

[Becki Lee]

Maybe worth starting a new thread, but our Northop in Minnesota just announced it’s next season and ABT will be performing Giselle. (April 25)

[California]

1 hour ago, Becki Lee said:

Maybe worth starting a new thread, but our Northop in Minnesota just announced it’s next season and ABT will be performing Giselle. (April 25)

Thanks for the heads-up on ABT's Minnesota visit. Looks like it's just two performances April 18-19, followed by a fundraiser. Not enough to warrant a trip for an out-of-towner.

I wish ABT would announce their tour schedule on their web page, They must know it by now.

https://www.northrop.umn.edu/upcoming-events?page=2

[FauxPas]

So if we want to start predicting the 2025 Summer ABT season we have "Giselle", "Crime and Punishment" and the inevitable "Swan Lake" with maybe another classical ballet?  I hope NOT "Romeo and Juliet".  "Don Quixote"?  That would have some variety.

I think if ABT wants to revive "Woolf Works" it could probably be staged perfectly well at the New York State (K*ch) Theater for the Fall season.

Not loving the shortened Met season and the lack of classical rep.  They need to do some classics like "Don Quixote" or a new "Coppelia" at the State Theater.

Edited April 24 by FauxPas

[California]

3 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

So if we want to start predicting the 2025 Summer ABT season we have "Giselle", "Crime and Punishment", the inevitable "Swan Lake" and maybe another classic?  I hope NOT "Romeo and Juliet".  "Don Quixote"?  That would have some variety.

I think if ABT wants to revive "Woolf Works" it could probably be staged perfectly well at the New York State (K*ch) Theater for the Fall season.

Not loving the shortened Met season and the lack of classical rep.

Didn't Jaffe say she was fond of Manon? Haven't done that in a while (2019?).

[nysusan]

5 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

So if we want to start predicting the 2025 Summer ABT season we have "Giselle", "Crime and Punishment", the inevitable "Swan Lake" and maybe another classic?  I hope NOT "Romeo and Juliet".  "Don Quixote"?  That would have some variety.

I think if ABT wants to revive "Woolf Works" it could probably be staged perfectly well at the New York State (K*ch) Theater for the Fall season.

Not loving the shortened Met season and the lack of classical rep.

The post here said that Crime & Punishment will be at the Koch, so hoping they will also do Giselle there, leaving the full (!) 5 week Met season with room for some more classical ballet. We know they will schedule Woolf Works and Swan Lake - what else? The 2025 summer programing will determine whether or not I give up my sub.

[Roberta]

4 hours ago, bingham said:

I’m so disappointed with her programming. She should consider what her audience like.

So am I. Has ABT become a Classics Illustrator presenter? Read this scenario and tell me how it could be turned into a watchable production:

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/crime/summary/

 

ABT is off my list of companies. When in NYC, it's 100% of my money to NYCB. 

[FauxPas]

I bought two tickets at the box office for the upcoming ABT season - "Woolf Works" June 28 "Honoring Alessandra Ferri" because it will be her de facto farewell and the July 6 evening "Swan Lake" because I haven't seen Brandt as Odette/Odile and Cornejo's days in classical lead roles are limited.  Otherwise, I will see what shows end up discounted.  "Onegin" is never that popular and the current crop of dancers can't match Vishneva, Gomes, Osipova, Kent, Bolle et al.  I think Camargo is potentially wonderful as Onegin.  Camargo might get me to see "Like Water for Chocolate" a second time.  I also have some interest in Catherine Hurlin and a lot of interest in Chloe Misseldine (and Aran Bell) in "Swan Lake".  But I can wait for the rest.  "Romeo and Juliet" I really need a break from.

Edited April 24 by FauxPas

[ABT Fan]

The only aspect of R&J that I’m looking forward to this year is seeing Roxander as Mercutio again (don’t miss it if you haven’t seen it) - hoping he’s cast with leads I’m not avoiding- and fingers crossed a Curley debut as Tybalt. 

[bingham]

IT would have been wonderful if A Ratmansky  had staged his Paquita Suite for ABT instead of NYCB. I guess , the timing of his ABT departure prevented this. The upcoming ABT ladies would  be wonderful in this. 

Edited April 24 by bingham

[California]

7 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

The only aspect of R&J that I’m looking forward to this year is seeing Roxander as Mercutio again (don’t miss it if you haven’t seen it) - hoping he’s cast with leads I’m not avoiding- and fingers crossed a Curley debut as Tybalt. 

Way back when, there was speculation that R&J was on the schedule again to provide an appropriate vehicle for a Copeland retirement. Let's hope it doesn't come back in 2025 for that reason!

[theo]

5 hours ago, cobweb said:

I totally agree, and also agree with the comments above about Philadelphia Ballet. I don't have a subscription (yet), but I definitely plan on seeing a couple of programs next year. It is an easy trip from NY, Philly is a very fun place to be for the arts lover, and when I saw the company last month they looked great. 

So Minnesota gets Gisselle and DC gets something border line contemporary.  I live an hour from Philadelphia.  Philadelphia ballet does the  classics and their dancers are very good. That's where I'll go.  Sorry ABT but Ms. Jaffe is playing fast and loose with the programming. I'm not sure who she thinks her audience is,  

[NinaFan]

I totally agree with everyone about the disappointing programming at ABT. I used to look forward to multiple performances of ballets such as Bayadere, Corsaire, Don Q, Manon, etc. but now we seem to get almost the same rotation of ballets each year, plus a couple of new ballets which seem to have little dancing and way too much story. I still have a subscription but only because they've made it so easy to exchange online. That being said there is so little to exchange into these days. How many KM Swan Lakes can one see year after year?  And I’m not too enamored with the mostly repetitive Koch performances either. 

I’ve only seen Philadelphia Ballet once at the Joyce shortly after Angel became AD so it is time to start going to Philly. Been to KC quite a few times, so Philly seems like a bargain in travel time.  I plan to see at least see Corsaire and La Sylphide/Etudes.

5 hours ago, nysusan said:

Philly is a 90 minute train ride from NY, with easy access to the Academy of Music and 2 hotels across the street. I saw their Modern Masters program last month and was very impressed. I've already ordered a Saturday matinee sub. They are doing 4 programs - Corsaire, Swan Lake, La Sylphide/Etudes and a modern program. They let you exchange a program up front so I swapped the modern program for a Saturday night Corsaire. They also give you 1 free ticket so I used it for the Sat night La Sylphide program.

 

nysusan - The subscription sounds like a great deal!  What are the best options to get from Amtrak to the Academy of Music?  Thank you.

[ABT Fan]

1 hour ago, California said:

Way back when, there was speculation that R&J was on the schedule again to provide an appropriate vehicle for a Copeland retirement. Let's hope it doesn't come back in 2025 for that reason!

Geez, I forgot about that. The time for a Copeland retirement has come and gone.

I wish they’d bench Giselle for a few more years. It’s one of my favorites, but they’ve performed it a lot the past several years. We need other ballets. 

I don’t think we should crucify Jaffe yet. I think some are having selective memories- she programmed an excellent Fall season last year that many here commended her on. We’ve also talked at length about the costs of putting on ballets and limited licensing fees, so she probably had no choice but to bring back LWFC this year, which many are unhappy about. I also think she’s trying to walk a fine line between programming the classics that we all want vs modern day sensitivity issues. ABT doing Corsaire and Bayadere in NYC has far bigger implications (good and bad) than Philly Ballet (a regional company) in PA. We don’t know, she may be trying to figure those out. I’m willing to give her another year. I’m also disappointed in Crime and Punishment, but we don’t know what else will be programmed. Give me Don Q or bring back Paquita, Raymonda. Program another great Fall season - I’d be up for Etudes again, add some Tudor, one of the Ratmansky pieces, etc. But if next year it’s C&P plus SL, Giselle, R&J - I’ll  be done!

13 minutes ago, NinaFan said:

I totally agree with everyone about the disappointing programming at ABT. I used to look forward to multiple performances of ballets such as Bayadere, Corsaire, Don Q, Manon, etc. but now we seem to get almost the same rotation of ballets each year, plus a couple of new ballets which seem to have little dancing and way too much story. I still have a subscription but only because they've made it so easy to exchange online. That being said there is so little to exchange into these days. How many KM Swan Lakes can one see year after year?  And I’m not too enamored with the mostly repetitive Koch performances either. 

I’ve only seen Philadelphia Ballet once at the Joyce shortly after Angel became AD so it is time to start going to Philly. Been to KC quite a few times, so Philly seems like a bargain in travel time.  I plan to see at least see Corsaire and La Sylphide/Etudes.

nysusan - The subscription sounds like a great deal!  What are the best options to get from Amtrak to the Academy of Music?  Thank you.

It’s a very quick cab ride!

[NinaFan]

4 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

......It’s a very quick cab ride!

Thank you!

[NinaFan]

2 hours ago, FauxPas said:

So if we want to start predicting the 2025 Summer ABT season we have "Giselle", "Crime and Punishment" and the inevitable "Swan Lake" with maybe another classical ballet?  I hope NOT "Romeo and Juliet".  "Don Quixote"?  That would have some variety.

I think if ABT wants to revive "Woolf Works" it could probably be staged perfectly well at the New York State (K*ch) Theater for the Fall season.

Not loving the shortened Met season and the lack of classical rep.  They need to do some classics like "Don Quixote" or a new "Coppelia" at the State Theater.

Agreed.  At least NYCB is bringing back Coppelia next year. 

[cobweb]

26 minutes ago, NinaFan said:

  What are the best options to get from Amtrak to the Academy of Music? 

Yes, it’s a short Lyft ride. I also wanted to mention that there are some very inexpensive bus options (megabus, Peter Pan/greyhound) for travel between NY and Philly. It tends to take a little longer than the train and is prone to getting caught up in traffic. But if you leave yourself ample time to account for that, you can save a bundle over Amtrak. 

[California]

28 minutes ago, NinaFan said:

I totally agree with everyone about the disappointing programming at ABT. I used to look forward to multiple performances of ballets such as Bayadere, Corsaire, Don Q, Manon, etc. but now we seem to get almost the same rotation of ballets each year, plus a couple of new ballets which seem to have little dancing and way too much story. I still have a subscription but only because they've made it so easy to exchange online. That being said there is so little to exchange into these days. How many KM Swan Lakes can one see year after year?  And I’m not too enamored with the mostly repetitive Koch performances either. 

I’ve only seen Philadelphia Ballet once at the Joyce shortly after Angel became AD so it is time to start going to Philly. Been to KC quite a few times, so Philly seems like a bargain in travel time.  I plan to see at least see Corsaire and La Sylphide/Etudes.

nysusan - The subscription sounds like a great deal!  What are the best options to get from Amtrak to the Academy of Music?  Thank you.

Cab fare from 30th Street station to the Academy of Music is about $10, depending on traffic.  https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Philadelphia

It's possible to do that on the subway, but I wouldn't recommend it. I was at a conference recently at the Doubletree (across the street from the Academy of Music). These were the subway instructions they gave us:

• From 30th Street Train Station via subway: take the Market-Frankford subway line east to 15th St. Free Transfer to Broad St line south. Exit Walnut/Locust. Hotel is one block south on Broad Street. Fare: $2.50 (cash only-exact fare) https://www.septa.org/maps/

[Papagena]

12 hours ago, bingham said:

I’m so disappointed with her programming. She should consider what her audience like.

The last few times I went to ABT's La Bayadere they were very undersold. For all the love I have for this ballet, it's hardly a big seller audiences are begging for. 

Giselle and R&J (and obviously SL) do decently for ABT but most of our favorite full lengths (mine included) just don't sell very well unless it's an Osipova or Copeland-level famous dancer now. 

The only tickets I'm buying in advance this year are for Woolf Works because most of the principal dancers don't excite me. I think any issues with programming (so far Jaffe has been at least just as interesting than mckenzie) are compounded by ABT not feeling like a particularly exciting company anymore and lacking ... hm ... a crackle or energy? 

Not sure why they don't dip into their mid 20th century rep more. Tons of expensive warhorse ballets weren't even their primary original identity. 

 

Edited April 25 by Papagena

[choriamb]

11 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

I don’t think we should crucify Jaffe yet. I think some are having selective memories- she programmed an excellent Fall season last year that many here commended her on. We’ve also talked at length about the costs of putting on ballets and limited licensing fees, so she probably had no choice but to bring back LWFC this year, which many are unhappy about. I also think she’s trying to walk a fine line between programming the classics that we all want vs modern day sensitivity issues. ABT doing Corsaire and Bayadere in NYC has far bigger implications (good and bad) than Philly Ballet (a regional company) in PA. We don’t know, she may be trying to figure those out. I’m willing to give her another year. I’m also disappointed in Crime and Punishment, but we don’t know what else will be programmed. Give me Don Q or bring back Paquita, Raymonda. Program another great Fall season - I’d be up for Etudes again, add some Tudor, one of the Ratmansky pieces, etc. But if next year it’s C&P plus SL, Giselle, R&J - I’ll  be done!

Agreed. I'll never fault Jaffe for trialling one new ballet each year (and seeing out the license of the previous year's new ballet even if it isn't a hit).

They can't only do warhorses...and I've been genuinely excited about Woolf Works and the other most recent new ballets just because they've offered so many opportunities to see potential soloist/principal candidates. (Although I won't lie: the ONLY way that I'm risking Crime and Punishment is if Curley gets his first top-billed full-length lead in it.)

I personally think that there will be a Petipa extravaganza in 2026 (or 2027) to celebrate their 6 youngest soloists becoming principals. ABT now has a larger number of soloists under the age of 27 who have successfully danced a lead role in a full-length than they've had in the 2 decades that I've watched them:  they'll totally want to make a splash showing them off in the classics when they're all ready for prime-time.

But I don't think that we'll see much more Petipa than we've already seen until then. Jaffe still has to slowly ease those 6 soloists into harder, top-billed roles over the next two years...and ease about 12 principals/soloists over the age of 37 off the stage.

(FWIW, I also think that Trenary's delayed Swan Lake debut is probably partly due to this aging-in/aging-out process. If Brandt or Boylston were injured, Trenary's now really the only woman who is short enough, experienced enough, and young/healthy enough to risk helming a last-minute Swan Lake with Cornejo or Carmargo. It seems unlikely that they would risk presenting her in a major role debut within 2 days of a sub. I sometimes wonder whether she and Bell are held in reserve at times simply because they're the right age/height/technique/gumption to dance with anyone in the event of injury.)

Edited April 25 by choriamb

[matilda]

I feel like ABT has tried quite a few approaches since the end of the guest era, and all of them have met a fair share of half-empty houses. Filling the season with war horses, commissioning expensive Ratmansky premieres including the divisive reconstructions, and now trying more contemporary works tied to literature. I agree that Bayadere and Corsaire, though I would love to see them again, are not really box-office hits. And if they were, I'm fairly confident they would still be performed despite the "issues." (Note how Madama Butterfly remains an opera mainstay -- it was revived this year at the Met and sold very well.)

Jaffe's main obstacle is that ballet simply isn't mainstream-popular anymore even in NYC, and only the most familiar titles like Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty or Romeo and Juliet, or celebrity names like Misty Copeland, will get the "masses" to show up. Not sure what the solution is but I admire Jaffe for at least trying new things. Although I share the lack of interest here in much of the upcoming season and don't feel too excited about Crime and Punishment either.

I worry that cutting the summer season so short was the start of a death spiral. Fewer performances = less relevance, less excitement for the existing audiences, less opportunity to attract new audiences, and less opportunities for the dancers and therefore an obstacle in attracting top talent. 

I also don't think Trenary will ever get a Swan Lake. Not only does she not fit the usual physical mold, but she currently struggles with highly classical choreography. Misseldine, a soloist in her early 20s, got the role before her. Park could be next. 

Edited April 25 by matilda

[NinaFan]

17 hours ago, California said:

Cab fare from 30th Street station to the Academy of Music is about $10, depending on traffic.  https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Philadelphia

It's possible to do that on the subway, but I wouldn't recommend it. I was at a conference recently at the Doubletree (across the street from the Academy of Music). These were the subway instructions they gave us:

• From 30th Street Train Station via subway: take the Market-Frankford subway line east to 15th St. Free Transfer to Broad St line south. Exit Walnut/Locust. Hotel is one block south on Broad Street. Fare: $2.50 (cash only-exact fare) https://www.septa.org/maps/

 

17 hours ago, cobweb said:

Yes, it’s a short Lyft ride. I also wanted to mention that there are some very inexpensive bus options (megabus, Peter Pan/greyhound) for travel between NY and Philly. It tends to take a little longer than the train and is prone to getting caught up in traffic. But if you leave yourself ample time to account for that, you can save a bundle over Amtrak. 

Thank you so much California and cobweb. I'd prefer to do a cab each way. I assume it's easy enough to find a cab at the train station, but my biggest concern is getting a cab back to the station. Do they have a organized queue at the theater at the end of the performance? 

Last time we went to KC we stayed overnight (to maximize performances of course) and left for home directly from the matinee and there was a problem with little to no cabs showing up in the KC queue. There might have been something going on in DC that day as there weren't even any cabs by the Watergate where we've found them before.  Anyway, we took the metro which requires one change and just made our train.  I'm hoping it's easier in Philly.