The Symphony in C and Ratmansky premiere casting for the Met Season have appeared on the ABT website. It's going to be wonderful to see Veronika Part in the second movement, but the long and the short of it is that the finale with Paloma Herrera, Veronika Part, Xiomara Reyes, and Sarah Lane all trying to execute simultaneously has <2% chance of succeeding. The second cast with the Schmimports augmented with Misty Copeland and Simone Messmer has less. Simone will be fabulous. The first movement will be a big challenge for Misty. Hopefully she has had an opportunity to see Ana Sophia Scheller at NYCB in the role or perhaps will have the opportunity if Ana dances "C" in February. Misty has gotten a little off-track over the past couple of years. Instead of working hard to transform the upper body and port de bras into a more classical form, she seems to have signed on to imitate some of the more gross aspects of Osipova and Semionova with misplaced legs to the ear and over-split jumps that result in a dropped crotch look. A lot of people are praying that she gets back on track. Really praying.
It is astonishing to see that both Gillian Murphy and Stella Abrera have been locked out of Symphony in C when they along with Part and Messmer would have been a gold first cast that could deliver a first rate finale in addition to fabulous individual movements. Three of the four of these dancers could knock out any one of the four movements with extraordinary results.
The Kennedy Center Symphony in C casting hasn't appeared yet; so, maybe there's hope that McKenzie will get at least one right. But given his track record so far, nobody should hold their breath. In fact, there are even more ways it could get worse given what McKenzie has been promoting lately.
NYCB dances Symphony in C on February 7, 8, 9 (mat), and 10. Don't miss it. On February 8th, you can get Ratmansky's Concerto DSCH, too.
The importation of foreign guest dancers for principal opportunities continues unabated. Now, McKenzie is trying to sanitize his import business by calling it an exchange. The dancer he has imported from the Royal Danish Ballet, while expectedly wonderful in Bournonville, is nothing special in Petipa. There's enough video on YouTube to see that. The guy has major problems with floppy arms and wrists and is an inconsistent and unspectacular turner. The dancer who McKenzie has imported from the Royal Ballet is a smallish, clean technician who is deserving of the high respect that he gets from his home audience. But he's not any better than ABT's own Joe Gorak who McKenzie thinks he's doing a favor by holding back.
The Royal Ballet dancer comes with a Genée Gold Medal, the prestigious RAD prize. That's great. But how does ABT treat its own one and only Genée Gold Medal Winner? Like crap. Stella Abrera, who is ABT's only Genée gold medalist, hasn't been given the opportunity to develop any leading principal classical roles. In fact, she hasn't been allowed to dance one, single, solitary leading principal role in a classical full length ballet in her entire career. Not one. In fact, and this is particularly sad, McKenzie won't even allow her ABT biography to state that she has performed arguably the most difficult classical role of Aurora in Sleeping Beauty with another company to international rave reviews. She is one of the top classicists in the company right now, and McKenzie is just wasting her career, and CHEATING the audience out of opportunities to see her dance year after year after year while he imports garbage and tries to find the next "IT Girl" who the media will pick up on. It's disgusting. It's disgusting to see honest classicism replaced with pandering.
ABT claims now to be a presenter of the greatest dancers in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. The greatest interpreters of Balanchine are at NYCB. The greatest interpreters of Petipa are at the Mariinsky and Paris Opera Ballet. The Schmimports that McKenzie buys on sale aren't the best at anything — not a damn thing. And yet, he bases entire seasons on them. It's disgusting.
People are paying a lot of attention to Matthew Golding who McKenzie made waste and wilt in the corps. Golding saw the writing on the wall and bolted. In the few years since leaving ABT, Golding has excelled internationally. He made great strides in his short time at the Corella Ballet, quickly rose to principal at Dutch National Ballet, has been honored to dance at the Mariinsky, and is a guest principal at the Royal Ballet where he also trained. This guy has always been fantastic, and yet for some reason, McKenzie couldn't make it work. Right now, he's repeating the same damn mistakes with Joe Gorak, Eric Tamm, Luis Ribagorda, Joe Phillips, and Roddy Doble.
When is ABT's Board going to wake up? People are tired of being CHEATED out of seeing ABT's own world class dancers.
28 responses to “Cheated”
As always I agree with you about Stella. I’m presuming her absence from Symphony in C is because she’s cast in a Month in the Country? But it doesn’t make it better.
At least Yuriko got cast. Which these days seems to be a minor miracle.
As always I agree with you about Stella. I’m presuming her absence from Symphony in C is because she’s cast in a Month in the Country? But it doesn’t make it better.
At least Yuriko got cast. Which these days seems to be a minor miracle.
(I meant in the 2nd Ratmansky). I was also surprised that Stella stayed in the second cast for Symphony #9. I was hoping that they’d pull her for a first cast of one of the two newer pieces, since that role Simone originated wasn’t as showy for Stella. Would’ve liked to see her switched out for someone sassy like Skylar and Stella given more to do in one of the other pieces. Sigh.
(I meant in the 2nd Ratmansky). I was also surprised that Stella stayed in the second cast for Symphony #9. I was hoping that they’d pull her for a first cast of one of the two newer pieces, since that role Simone originated wasn’t as showy for Stella. Would’ve liked to see her switched out for someone sassy like Skylar and Stella given more to do in one of the other pieces. Sigh.
How shocking that two of the dancers who are attempting to rectify their situations at ABT are locked out of Symphony in C! (Not.) I actually am surprised surprised about Gillian. She has been first cast in most Balanchine ballets in the last few years. Glad to see some of our favorite soloists get an opportunity though.
Interesting casting of Calvin Royal in the import heavy weight division of Ratmansky’s new ballet.
Further confusing is Seo’s casting in A Month…Irina would be excellent in it, or Veronika, of course (though I am assume it’s either/or on the triple to spread the wealth). It needs a much more mature dancer, imo.
How shocking that two of the dancers who are attempting to rectify their situations at ABT are locked out of Symphony in C! (Not.) I actually am surprised surprised about Gillian. She has been first cast in most Balanchine ballets in the last few years. Glad to see some of our favorite soloists get an opportunity though.
Interesting casting of Calvin Royal in the import heavy weight division of Ratmansky’s new ballet.
Further confusing is Seo’s casting in A Month…Irina would be excellent in it, or Veronika, of course (though I am assume it’s either/or on the triple to spread the wealth). It needs a much more mature dancer, imo.
Rachel, I’m glad that Yuriko got something, too. It is awful that she didn’t get Don Q. She and Simkin look age-appropriate in that role and are a good physical match. Having him dance with someone who is neither delicate nor fine-boned makes him look all the more so.
Rachel, I’m glad that Yuriko got something, too. It is awful that she didn’t get Don Q. She and Simkin look age-appropriate in that role and are a good physical match. Having him dance with someone who is neither delicate nor fine-boned makes him look all the more so.
LOL, K. You had me going on your first sentence. I was thinking to myself: What is she saying?!
True about the casting in A Month… Wow, what a performance we would get from Irina. Wow wow wow. Yes, it needs a mature dancer, but someone who still has fast feet. Julie hasn’t ever really had great articulation of the feet at high speed. I’m probably one of the few people left who saw her do the lead in Theme & Variations – oy! We’ll probably see a watered down version of A Month… for both dancers.
LOL, K. You had me going on your first sentence. I was thinking to myself: What is she saying?!
True about the casting in A Month… Wow, what a performance we would get from Irina. Wow wow wow. Yes, it needs a mature dancer, but someone who still has fast feet. Julie hasn’t ever really had great articulation of the feet at high speed. I’m probably one of the few people left who saw her do the lead in Theme & Variations – oy! We’ll probably see a watered down version of A Month… for both dancers.
Haglund,
Amen! Your perspective is crystal, your focus razor sharp. I am so happy that someone in the world is actually saying what so many seem determined to ignore or at most, whisper in the shadows. No wonder so many other media giants reference and cite your writing. Thank you for your continued coverage.
-Juan Michael Porter II
Haglund,
Amen! Your perspective is crystal, your focus razor sharp. I am so happy that someone in the world is actually saying what so many seem determined to ignore or at most, whisper in the shadows. No wonder so many other media giants reference and cite your writing. Thank you for your continued coverage.
-Juan Michael Porter II
Thanks Juan. In fairness, though, I should have added to my last comment that “there are still roles that Julie does exceptionally well, e.g., Tatiana in Onegin, Lady of the Camellias, and Act II of Giselle.”
Thanks Juan. In fairness, though, I should have added to my last comment that “there are still roles that Julie does exceptionally well, e.g., Tatiana in Onegin, Lady of the Camellias, and Act II of Giselle.”
I wish you were around in my ABT days (’81-’92). I guess you were around, it just that the Internet wasn’t around!
Diito what JMP II says above. I love your writing. Thank you!!
I wish you were around in my ABT days (’81-’92). I guess you were around, it just that the Internet wasn’t around!
Diito what JMP II says above. I love your writing. Thank you!!
Thanks much, FrmrDancer!
Thanks much, FrmrDancer!
Not sure of Stella, but Gillian is probably not cast in Symphony in C because the company is rehearsing that now with performances in DC in the next few weeks. That piece needs to be ready now and the company will not revisit it in a major way before the Met. I don’t think Gillian is with ABT through their Asia tour. (She obviously can do SiC; she danced last time SiC was around, and Kevin does like to cast people who will need minimal coaching.)
Not sure of Stella, but Gillian is probably not cast in Symphony in C because the company is rehearsing that now with performances in DC in the next few weeks. That piece needs to be ready now and the company will not revisit it in a major way before the Met. I don’t think Gillian is with ABT through their Asia tour. (She obviously can do SiC; she danced last time SiC was around, and Kevin does like to cast people who will need minimal coaching.)
Thanks, Silk. True, Gillian is busy preparing down in NZ and it wouldn’t seem likely that she’d go to Hong Kong to dance one movement of Symphony in C. But, who knows? If the trip meant that she could also dance it in Wash. DC, she might do it. That would be great.
Thanks, Silk. True, Gillian is busy preparing down in NZ and it wouldn’t seem likely that she’d go to Hong Kong to dance one movement of Symphony in C. But, who knows? If the trip meant that she could also dance it in Wash. DC, she might do it. That would be great.
Interesting that McKenzie thinks changing the wording of importing guest stars will make it seem different. Just a word about the Royal Ballet guest, Steven McRae. Before I moved to London and started watching the company regularly, I was of your opinion. But he’s a true artist- the best and most vulnerable Des Grieux I’ve seen since Marcelo Gomes. Too bad the New York audiences will only see him in Le Corsaire. And, having finally seen A Month in the Country last year, I would make a trip back to New York to see Stella and Veronika dance Natalia Petrovna.
Interesting that McKenzie thinks changing the wording of importing guest stars will make it seem different. Just a word about the Royal Ballet guest, Steven McRae. Before I moved to London and started watching the company regularly, I was of your opinion. But he’s a true artist- the best and most vulnerable Des Grieux I’ve seen since Marcelo Gomes. Too bad the New York audiences will only see him in Le Corsaire. And, having finally seen A Month in the Country last year, I would make a trip back to New York to see Stella and Veronika dance Natalia Petrovna.
Thanks Rachel. If I were in London like you, I would definitely seek out his performances. But here in New York, we need to see our own dancers, not guest artists. The casual ticket buying public now thinks that ABT is only as good as its guest artists — which is terribly, terribly sad and unfair to the artists of the company.
Thanks Rachel. If I were in London like you, I would definitely seek out his performances. But here in New York, we need to see our own dancers, not guest artists. The casual ticket buying public now thinks that ABT is only as good as its guest artists — which is terribly, terribly sad and unfair to the artists of the company.
There’s a way to balance guest artists alongside nourishing the talented artists within the company. Kevin McKenize, for whatever reason, has opted to not go that route. ABT desperately needs new artistic leadership New York audiences (and I still consider myself a New Yorker despite the London move) deserve to see the best- from within the company and around the world.
There’s a way to balance guest artists alongside nourishing the talented artists within the company. Kevin McKenize, for whatever reason, has opted to not go that route. ABT desperately needs new artistic leadership New York audiences (and I still consider myself a New Yorker despite the London move) deserve to see the best- from within the company and around the world.