ABT Met Season 2024

[Royal Blue]

6 hours ago, Helene said:

I don't think it's a requirement that a dancer likes Swan Lake, the ballet or the music.  Or any other ballet or work for that matter.   What Brandt was describing in depth was the amount of energy it takes for her and the discomfort she feels to give her best and most convincing performance for her audience.  I don't judge her for the fairy tales in which she believes or doesn't.  There's a, though, a difference between believing in it and understanding it -- which both said they didn't -- and there's a chance that if she did understand it, it wouldn't be such a difficult experience, although that wouldn't give her the physique she thinks is so important for the role.  Or she could understand it more and be appalled.  He has his own backstory that helps him, while she sounded pretty miserable.

I've seen dozens of O/O's, from short to tall, from very flexible to not (based on a ballet scale, of course), and there's been something interesting to learn from nearly all of them.

Some singers don't like La Boheme or Don Giovanni.  Some classical musicians hate to play Beethoven or Chopin.  Some actors wouldn't think of playing Hamlet.   Some people can't stand chocolate.  There's enough to like and get one's arms around without any of them.

 

There was no intention behind my comments about "fairy tales" to specifically imply judgment about either Whiteside or Brandt.

Certainly, no one has to like anything, but the question is how well an artist can perform a work they dislike. Things can get perplexing here. Isn't it at least preferable not to express your dislike publicly at the time you are performing in a ballet?

Whiteside's backstory may help him, but when revealed to the public, it may not be helpful to everyone watching him. As related by the dancer, Kevin McKenzie's "explanation" of Prince Siegfried's behavior in Act III was dubious and simply muddled the situation more. 

Things really get fascinating when one broaches the subject of a work's meaning. Spectators may either love or hate a work and interpret it differently, even if they share the same sentiment about it. There are innumerable comments and opinions expressed about Swan Lake performances on this forum from many knowledgeable and experienced viewers of the ballet. Who can tell, however, which are buttressed by a persuasive and profound theory about its "meaning"? No one, obviously, has to explain anything either. My reasoning behind calling the ballet "emblematic of the art form" is firm, but I have no inclination to discuss it here. 

Does a performer have to understand a role (or a work) in order to offer a solid interpretation of it? Only to some extent, I believe. All the preparation a dancer cast as Princess Aurora, for example, or the young woman in Afternoon of a Faun, has to undertake to effectively portray the part every moment she is onstage gives her an insight into the character most onlookers in the audience cannot possibly have. On the other hand, an observer in the auditorium may delight in a comprehension of the character or story the dancer cannot possibly possess. This is extremely beautiful as well as touching, and it should lead both the committed artist and reflective spectator to a better grasp of things.

[volcanohunter]

I have heard more than one ballerina state that they do not understand Manon Lescaut. I don't understand the character either, and the novel is no help, because it isn't written from her point of view. I honestly wonder how many interpreters of Manon actually have a plausible explanation for her behavior. Lots of ballerinas perform the role nevertheless. 

(What I find truly implausible about the novel is that somehow the Chevalier des Grieux is able to persuade people to help him with his insane schemes.)

[vipa]

Dancers and other performers may let us know, in interviews, their thoughts and feelings about a character or role, but it doesn’t matter to me what they feel (I can’t truly know that). What matters to me is what they make me feel.

t 

[ABT Fan]

James Whiteside’s latest episode on his Stage Rightwide with James Whiteside, he interviews Chloe Misseldine. She talks about her promotion, dream roles, her upbringing. They both say (Whiteside emphasized) that they know Jaffe wants to bring back the full length Bayadere someday.

The most surprising thing Whiteside said, is when he was offered a job at ABT, McKenzie first offered him a soloist contract but then quickly called him back and said actually I’m offering you a corps contract. Whiteside said no way (he was currently a principal at Boston). Then McKenzie hung up and quickly called him back again saying fine, soloist, which we know he accepted. A year after being a soloist he was promoted to principal. I was surprised James called him out on his podcast like that, but hey he’s no longer the AD. I didn’t think I could dislike McKenzie more. 

[NinaFan]

2 hours ago, ABT Fan said:

The most surprising thing Whiteside said, is when he was offered a job at ABT, McKenzie first offered him a soloist contract but then quickly called him back and said actually I’m offering you a corps contract. Whiteside said no way (he was currently a principal at Boston). Then McKenzie hung up and quickly called him back again saying fine, soloist, which we know he accepted. A year after being a soloist he was promoted to principal. I was surprised James called him out on his podcast like that, but hey he’s no longer the AD. I didn’t think I could dislike McKenzie more. 

I agree. That was a disgusting thing to do to any potential employee.  It must have been difficult for Whiteside to go into his new company knowing firsthand what his new boss was like even before working for him. 

[Shanie]

On 6/12/2024 at 2:54 PM, cobweb said:

It's interesting that you mention the program guide, stuben, because I think the problem is not just with programming, but also the marketing. I don't always love NYCB's marketing, for various reasons, but it does look modern and up-to-date... especially as compared with ABT's marketing. I get served lots of ABT ads on Facebook and other platforms, and it is full of swoony music, poses meant to look passionate, and close-ups of dramatic facial expressions -- to me, it all looks painfully hokey and outdated. To the new or casual balletgoer, NYCB's marketing probably looks a lot more fresh and modern, even though a good portion of that repertory is easily 50-100 years old. The marketing does it. 

Personally, I like ABT’s promo videos better than NYCB’s, but the two companies have very different styles, so I don’t think NYCB’s marketing style would fit ABT. I think ABT’s short promo clips on YouTube are beautifully shot, and I also like the short films by Ezra Hurwitz on ABT. In my opinion, the bigger marketing issue for ABT is the dearth of any full-length performance videos since Swan Lake with Gillian Murphy and Angela Corella. That was over 20 years ago. They need to have some performance videos of their current generation of dancers. Profiles of or interviews with their principals would be interesting also. In short, they need other content on their YouTube channel besides short rehearsal clips captured on someone’s iPhone, Studio Company videos, and “Behind the Ballet” videos (which could be so much more interesting if they showed some excerpts of each ballet with actual music from the ballet, but end up looking like Zoom calls). Bottom line: If ABT had some recent performance videos to showcase the current company, they would have many more fans around the world.