vipa Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 1 hour ago, cobweb said: Amen to that! I remember too. Herman Cornejo, Erica Cornejo and Xiomara Reyes Link to comment
California Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 (edited) Aran Bell posted two recordings of his variations from black swan Wednesday. I don't know who made the recordings, but he posted them. Hoping somebody backstage got his swan dive! https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9A_pSZvDni/ https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9A_MWlPY66/ Edited July 4 by California Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 17 minutes ago, vipa said: Herman Cornejo, Erica Cornejo and Xiomara Reyes Thank you! Herman’s elevation back then - wow! Link to comment
stuben Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 42 minutes ago, vipa said: Herman Cornejo, Erica Cornejo and Xiomara Reyes Thank you for finding this, now I take back what I said about Frenette, his elevations weren’t like this and most of all he didn’t lift the ladies has high as Herman did here! I think he’s a good dancer and partner but perhaps needs to do more strengthening workouts. Perhaps he was just as tired like the others since he was also dancing the previous night. I don’t like to discount anyone in the corps for under performing since they do so many roles in one night alone, and most are in all the shows, some back to back so it must be exhausting without much of a break. Link to comment
NinaFan Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 (edited) Thank you for links California and vipa! Edited July 4 by NinaFan Link to comment
ba11et0mane Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 44 minutes ago, California said: Aran Bell posted two recordings of his variations from black swan Wednesday. I don't know who made the recordings, but he posted them. Hoping somebody backstage got his swan dive! https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9A_pSZvDni/ https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9A_MWlPY66/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CfqCfJTMLJ_/?igsh=ZXg3djdhcXZveGFj Swan dive from 2022 Link to comment
MRR Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 (edited) I am definitely in the pro-Misseldine camp: a celestial Odette and mystical Odile, fully deserving of a promotion. Of course there are details that will refine and deepen with experience. She is not perfect nor a fully-fledged artist, yet, but there is not a ballerina in the current ABT I would rather see in the role. She not only met the moment, she transcended a pressure-packed MET debut, and the promotion was the icing on the cake. Never less than fascinating to watch, she made time stop in her best moments. Brava! Hurlin should be pleased with her performance this afternoon. She lacks Misseldine's ability to sustain phrases to infinity, though the faster tempi would obviously be a preference to some. Feral, birdlike as Odette and vigorous as Odile, she was less mannered, stronger technically than her 2022 debut. The Black Swan variation and coda were a highlight: stunning double a la secondes, speedy fouettes with doubles added in the B section(!) and great balances in the diagonal arabesque chugs. Act IV had palpable turmoil and drama from both ladies despite McKenzie's slapdash staging. As for the whole ballet Misseldine was more magical for me; Hurlin more vibrant. Bell was tremendous: a master class of technique, control, proportion. Sensitive in Acts I/II, virtuosic in Act III, and gravity-defying in Act IV (that dive!) I can still see room for growth of projection and command, but his artistry has already improved since last year, and even his technique finds new strides. Whiteside was rather perfunctory today. Handsome, if wooden and stiff-legged, he got the job done and not a whole lot more: watering down technique and acting with integrity but not great depth. He is a stalwart partner, but otherwise not rising to the level of his ballerina, as Bell did with his. Edited July 4 by MRR Link to comment
California Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 26 minutes ago, MRR said: Hurlin should be pleased with her performance this afternoon. She lacks Misseldine's ability to sustain phrases to infinity, though the faster tempi would obviously be a preference to some. Feral, birdlike as Odette and vigorous as Odile, she was less mannered, stronger technically than her 2022 debut. The Black Swan variation and coda were a highlight: stunning double a la secondes, speedy fouettes with doubles added in the B section(!) and great balances in the diagonal arabesque chugs. Act IV had palpable turmoil and drama from both ladies despite McKenzie's slapdash staging. As for the whole ballet Misseldine was more magical for me; Hurlin more vibrant. Bell was tremendous: a master class of technique, control, proportion. Sensitive in Acts I/II, virtuosic in Act III, and gravity-defying in Act IV (that dive!) I can still see room for growth of projection and command, but his artistry has already improved since last year, and even his technique finds new strides. Whiteside was rather perfunctory today. Handsome, if wooden and stiff-legged, he got the job done and not a whole lot more: watering down technique and acting with integrity but not great depth. He is a stalwart partner, but otherwise not rising to the level of his ballerina, as Bell did with his. Agree that Hurlin's black swan was truly amazing, with several things I'd never seen before! Whiteside was a disappointment after his stunning Onegin. For whatever reason, he didn't connect with Hurlin or his character. One thing that bothers me in the Act IV choreography: Siegfried hauls/flies Odette around the stage several times. It always looks awkward and clumsy, no matter who is doing it. Link to comment
California Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 Hurlin posted video of one of her black swan variations: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9BxAvoAlDi/ On IG Stories, you can see the fouettes. Hope that gets posted on regular IG so it can be shared. From the final seconds on these clips, it looks like the tape was made by company dancers watching on a screen somewhere. Link to comment
abatt Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 Maybe I'm alone in feeling this way, but Swan Lake at ABT is too often feeling stale. They have several technically accomplished people dancing the lead roles. However, even though they present it year after year, there is little improvement in artistry of particular performers from year to year. It is also clear that they don't have three casts of high quality performers to fill out the secondary roles. Some of the pas de trois performers are average at best, and terrible at worst. This ballet brings in big bucks but maybe it's time to give it a rest, or pay for some additional, new coaching for these dancers. Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted July 5 Author Share Posted July 5 3 hours ago, California said: Hurlin posted video of one of her black swan variations: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9BxAvoAlDi/ On IG Stories, you can see the fouettes. Hope that gets posted on regular IG so it can be shared. From the final seconds on these clips, it looks like the tape was made by company dancers watching on a screen somewhere. They’re watching from the tv’s down in the dressing room/common areas. Wow - what a black swan! I love the commentary from the dancers watching! 5 minutes ago, abatt said: Maybe I'm alone in feeling this way, but Swan Lake at ABT is too often feeling stale. They have several technically accomplished people dancing the lead roles. However, even though they present it year after year, there is little improvement in artistry of particular performers from year to year. It is also clear that they don't have three casts of high quality performers to fill out the secondary roles. Some of the pas de trois performers are average at best, and terrible at worst. This ballet brings in big bucks but maybe it's time to give it a rest, or pay for some additional, new coaching for these dancers. You’re not alone. I’d be in strong favor of a new production, but one that keeps the traditional elements/choreography (not one of those “modern” versions or a harkening back to the 19th century with low arabesques etc). Link to comment
California Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 12 minutes ago, abatt said: Maybe I'm alone in feeling this way, but Swan Lake at ABT is too often feeling stale. They have several technically accomplished people dancing the lead roles. However, even though they present it year after year, there is little improvement in artistry of particular performers from year to year. It is also clear that they don't have three casts of high quality performers to fill out the secondary roles. Some of the pas de trois performers are average at best, and terrible at worst. This ballet brings in big bucks but maybe it's time to give it a rest, or pay for some additional, new coaching for these dancers. I suspect most serious balletomanes agree with you. But when they can sell out every performance, even with higher prices than the rest of the season, they seem likely to invest their limited funds elsewhere. I haven't seen this SL in many, many years, but with their limited season, this was a way for me to see several favorite dancers. Link to comment
matilda Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 (edited) The McKenzie production is so hokey and looks more so every year. But like the comment above I definitely don't want a "modern" or 19th-century-esque version either. I also wish there was somebody Aran Bell-level for every cast. Seeing his fantastic Siegfried on Wednesday made me almost forget this isn't the current ABT norm. The PdT situation this year has suffered from the absence of Sung Woo Han who is a dependable if not extraordinary Benno. I haven't seen Kento Sumitani much but he was originally supposed to dance on Wednesday. It's generous of Jaffe to disperse the opportunities for this section around the corps, but evidently not everyone is up to the task! Edited July 5 by matilda Link to comment
abatt Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 (edited) I assume that McKenzie continues to coach SL because it is his production. I think some of these lead dancers could benefit from coaching from someone else. Not more coaching, but a different coach. Another complaint - Since Carmago withdrew or was withdrawn from Onegin, his only two classical roles in the Spring are SL and R&J. He is paired with Boylston in both productions. So if I want to see Carmago, who is wonderful, I'm stuck seeing Boylston, who I have never liked in dramatic roles. Edited July 5 by abatt Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted July 5 Author Share Posted July 5 (edited) 23 minutes ago, abatt said: I assume that McKenzie continues to coach SL because it is his production. I think some of these lead dancers could benefit from coaching from someone else. Not more coaching, but a different coach. Julio Bocca has been coaching this season. He was shown on IG coaching Boylston and Murphy, with their partners, in SL. Maybe it’s not enough. It could be too little too late but I think in a few cases the talent is just limited and coaching now (especially towards the end of a career) is not going to produce dramatically different results. I think we’re going to have to wait for turnover in the ranks, which has begun - retirements, contracts not being renewed- for significant change to happen. With so many corps and soloists dancers leaving this year, and the 4 apprentices being bumped up to the corps, I’m hopeful we’ll see some new faces being hired from the outside who have big talent. I honestly wouldn’t mind a male soloist being brought in, one who has definitive potential to become principal in a year (and a principal with Cornejo/Bell/Camargo level of talent). Curley and Roxander alone aren’t enough and the young corps men with talent need a few more years to get there. Edited July 5 by ABT Fan Link to comment
fondoffouettes Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 (edited) I agree with others that I've grown extremely tired of the McKenzie production, though I don't think they'll be replacing it anytime soon. I think they just rebuilt all the costumes a couple years ago, didn't they? So that was a big investment. This week, I was struck by how small-scale the production looks. I realize it needs to work in multiple venues, but it feels very small and storybook-like in the Met. I was planning to skip this ABT season entirely for the first time since I started attending 20 years ago, but I decided relatively last minute to see Misseldine's O/O. I no longer feel I need to revisit most other ABT ballerinas in this role, or to sit through lackluster dancing in the secondary roles. I agree with @abatt that we see little growth from year to year. I was very glad to hear reports of Murphy's strong outing, however, and hope to see her again in the role before she retires. I wonder what Jaffe is thinking about in terms of Sleeping Beauty. Is it simply too costly for the company to revive? The ballet has name recognition and could presumably sell well (it certainly did when NYCB performed it most recently). I know many are not fans of the Ratmansky reconstruction, but that production would make me want to see at least 2-3 different casts. Edited to add: If they can't even cast a credible pas de trois in SL, I can't imagine how they'd cast all the secondary roles in Sleeping Beauty. Or maybe Ratmansky's coaching would have a positive effect on the dancers. Edited July 5 by fondoffouettes Link to comment
abatt Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 40 minutes ago, ABT Fan said: Julio Bocca has been coaching this season. He was shown on IG coaching Boylston and Murphy, with their partners, in SL. Maybe it’s not enough. It could be too little too late but I think in a few cases the talent is just limited and coaching now (especially towards the end of a career) is not going to produce dramatically different results. I think we’re going to have to wait for turnover in the ranks, which has begun - retirements, contracts not being renewed- for significant change to happen. With so many corps and soloists dancers leaving this year, and the 4 apprentices being bumped up to the corps, I’m hopeful we’ll see some new faces being hired from the outside who have big talent. I honestly wouldn’t mind a male soloist being brought in, one who has definitive potential to become principal in a year (and a principal with Cornejo/Bell/Camargo level of talent). Curley and Roxander alone aren’t enough and the young corps men with talent need a few more years to get there. I think the additional coaching of Murphy transformed her performance. She did a great job this year with aspects and details not seen in her prior performances. The extra coaching of Boylston apparently did not make any difference. She is static. Link to comment
Rick Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 36 minutes ago, fondoffouettes said: I agree with others that I've grown extremely tired of the McKenzie production, though I don't think they'll be replacing it anytime soon. I I’m just curious - which current Swan Lake productions are worth seeing (in the US and elsewhere)? My knowledge is limited to McKenzie’s version and the Yulia Makhalina/Igor Zelensky video on YouTube. Link to comment
WLH Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 Similar to what you’re saying @abatt, if I’m going to see R&J (yet again…) I would’ve liked to have seen Seo with Camargo.. but alas. The combination of the short season and lack of exemplary male principals is so frustrating. What cast would you all recommend for R&J? Link to comment
Amy Reusch Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 (edited) On 7/3/2024 at 9:38 PM, stuben said: I also noticed Chloe went off point a bit and did travel quite a lot in her fouettés but otherwise was nicely done. . I noticed the traveling in the fouettes, but noticed it was moving directly in a straight line downstage closer and closer to the audience in what is a very very deep stage… I had no doubt it was intentional… I'd venture a guess that unintentional traveling in fouettes is almost always sideways or backwards. I saw this performance from up in the nosebleeds, and it is the first time I have seen this production on stage (I know I have watched parts of the video with Corella & Murphy, but I don't remember if I watched the entire ballet… I do remember being impressed by Murphy's black swan.) I am sure I missed a lot of nuance in Misseldine's performace, I had not brought opera glasses with me… at first I wasn't in love with the musicality, but by the end of the lake scene, she had won me over My attention was mostly distracted by the staging of this Swan Lake. The unfamiliar music in Act I piqued my curiosity and I was happy to read in Kisselgoff's review of the premiere that my suspicions were correct… but nice as it was to see more dancing from the corps and soloists, it just didn't hold together for me… and seemed to take away from the Prince's choreography… I wasn't a fan of Swamp Thing, and although I laughed at the [now Russian?] von Rothbart's panache in the ballroom, and enjoyed the choreography, I missed the unity of other productions I have seen. Act I was so long, and the court pageantry that power of the state, which Siegfried must abide by choosing a spouse was dininished… the peasant festivites were taken over by the court snd character in the blue dance flirting with Seigfried yet leaving with someone else seemed very odd (Siegfried: “what am I, chopped liver?" floated in my head)… The swans never seemed threatened by Siegried's hunting… dramatic music was given to moving trees,… the stage was so deep that the swans’ floor patterns seemed a little less compelling, (the two “large swans” danced more beautifully than I ever remember in any other production, though the choreography seemed similar (I could not say if it was unchanged, but it looked familiar to me)… The Ballroom scene just didn,t hold together for me… who were these women? It did not seem clearly established that they were traveling with their embassies… there were these random ethic divertissements and then a "princess"[?] would drift through… Instead of the dance to decide among the princesses, they show up with partners and Siegfried is sort of the odd man out… sure he dances with each one, but…. One of the Neapolitan dancers was exciting, the other was also very good, but not quite as dashing… sadly, no way for me to know which of the pair in the program was which. Things just seem kind of random, and not designed to "set off" the principals… the Peasant pas de trois is just one more among many dances. I missed the tutor getting soused and trying to dance with the peasants… the idea that the Prince is coming of age, that his tutor is losing significance, that there is a court entourage, that the peasants are separate and have their own world which he now must stay further away from… he must get serious… We see him reflective, and know he has a decision, but it doesn't seem very significant, just that it's time to choose one from among the various girls. I got excited when I saw the rain in Act 3, thinking maybe we were going to have a reference to Tchaikovsky's flood ending, but should have known I would have heard about that by now… And I'm sorry, those swan dives off the cliff just looked ridiculous to me, not tragic… were they meant to be suicides or just one more ballet step? And I missed there being lightning flashes in that scene. I missed Siegfried searching among the swans for Odette and finally her being revealed… I did enjoy von Rothbart's devilish ballroom character, but I missed the Russian dance. Yes, I love seeng how many strong dancers ABT has these days, but this is a story ballet with a story to tell. It would be nice if families and new ballet goers experimenting with seeing the ballet with the more inexpensive seats didn't have to contend with the low false proscenium… it is sad that they miss Odette pleading during the Ballroom scene. And then it seems like something happens at the end (do Odette & Siegfried rise up to be reuinited in Heaven as in some other productions? One could only see that there had been a lighting change and hear something in the music, but whatever had changed on stage was entirely blocked from view for the families in family circle. Ditto not being anle to see von Rothbart pulling Odette away from Siegfried in Act I, she seems to leave him on her own, dramatic, but unmotivated. I did like hearing the music restored to Act I, but would prefer to see it used in a concert piece… Balanchine did a wonderful thing with his Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, maybe this additional act I choreography could be done seperately as well. Drigo was masterful at arranging Tchaikovsky's "failed" ballet music into the masterpiece it deserved to be… let's not undo his good work. Looking forward to seeing more of Misseldine… she has a beautiful instrument. . Edited July 5 by Amy Reusch Link to comment
matilda Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 Probably Trenary/Cornejo for R&J because you also get Roxander as Mercutio. I saw Teuscher/Bell two years ago and thought they were fantastic. Link to comment
angelica Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 Just to get this out of the way, if I have to watch those national dances in Act III and those swans crossing the stage at the beginning of Act IV one more time, I may have to drown myself in the lake along with the two leads. Please, ABT, get rid of the insufferably boring parts so that we can have a Swan Lake worthy of the new brilliant dancers coming up the ranks! I was thrilled by Misseldine's New York debut, although I would have liked to see a more birdlike preening of feathers at her first entrance and a longer fearful bourree at downstage left in her opening sequence. After that, it was those gorgeous limbs, the secure technique, the swoon-worthy extensions that made me think I was seeing Veronika Part again without having to worry about technique. Some of those arabesques made my heart stop. Misseldine was magnificent and although I will pay the price for this performance over the next few days (back pain), I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I love long limbs in Swan Lake and when they are used to such gorgeous effect as in this performance, it reminds me why I love ballet perhaps more than anything in the world. Link to comment
ABT Fan Posted July 5 Author Share Posted July 5 54 minutes ago, WLH said: Similar to what you’re saying @abatt, if I’m going to see R&J (yet again…) I would’ve liked to have seen Seo with Camargo.. but alas. The combination of the short season and lack of exemplary male principals is so frustrating. What cast would you all recommend for R&J? I was very fortunate to see Seo with Camargo, 2 years ago I think, when Camargo replaced an injured Stearns. Boy, were they fantastic together - what chemistry! I agree with Matilda, Trenary/Cornejo/Roxander is the best pairing to see. I'll have to miss that one, so am going to Seo/Stearns/Roxander. I hope Seo is just as wonderful as before and that Stearns doesn't drag her down. Also, fingers crossed that whatever the issue was with her O/O on Wednesday will be behind her. Link to comment
California Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 10 hours ago, Rick said: I’m just curious - which current Swan Lake productions are worth seeing (in the US and elsewhere)? My knowledge is limited to McKenzie’s version and the Yulia Makhalina/Igor Zelensky video on YouTube. I would recommend Philadelphia Ballet's Swan Lake, which they will be performing again March 6-16, 2025. It would be very interesting to compare the approach of Angel Corella with what we're seeing this week at ABT. I saw it quite a few years ago. My main memory is the debut of then-soloist (or was she in the corps?) Yuka Iseda, who just blew me away. She's now a principal. https://philadelphiaballet.org/24-25-season/swan-lake/ Link to comment
California Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 Just a few quick things on the Friday night performance: Neapolitan was a hit with Miyake and Roxander Joseph Markey was a wonderfully flamboyant Purple Rothbart I heard a theater manager tell somebody that all SLs were sold out. As we have discussed, that doesn't give them much incentive to revitalize/revise a box office winner The celebration of the corps was very nice. After the regular round of bows the curtain came up on the corps again, with confetti and other company members bringing out single roses. Three members of the corps stepped forward for extra bows; I didn't recognize them, but I'm guessing they are retiring. Shevchenko and Royal were okay, although I'm probably getting jaded after some of the really excellent performances earlier in the week. She did have one very visible flub near the end of her last variation in Act II: In the middle of the series of rapid-fire steps/changements, she just shuffled both feet flat on the floor in fifth, then resumed the series. It was akin to falling off point for a few steps, a mistake I haven't seen before. Link to comment
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