When one is happily moseying down the LIE on cruise control toward vacation, one still has to look out for those occasional pits in the road and speeders who are impatient to get to their destinations and think that swerving back & forth, changing lanes, and horn honking will get them there more quickly than the putt-putts in the right lane. Haglund is a putt-putt — always has been, always will be. Putt putt putt the old car down the slow lane at 55 mph. No need to pass anyone.
The slow lane was the best lane during ABT’s just concluded Summer Season. The productions that did not try to swerve around classicism and fancy-drive themselves to celebrated success drove the audience to its greatest Happy Place.
It has been a long, long time since ABT had so many principal ballerinas who can justifiably claim to be world classicists in our most important ballets. This past season saw astonishing artistry from Devon Teuscher in Swan Lake and Giselle. Her Odette had so many new points of interest that at times it looked like she was dancing someone else’s production. The simple details like her look at Siegfried when she pushed his bow off its aim at Von Rothbart in Act II, and her balances of stark stillness that spoke so eloquently throughout the ballet gave her performance unusual depth. Teuscher is in the sweet spot of her career where technique and artistry are at their pinnacles. The temptation is to say that she is in a class by herself, but the truth is, at ABT she’s not. Skylar Brandt also stands atop a world peak, and Chloe Misseldine pushes her zenith to a new mark with every performance. Her Giselle and Odette/Odile were heart-shattering and spell-binding. Haglund had to laugh at how after nearly every high-profile Misseldine performance, autopsies by Balletical Examiners sprung up online where dull knives clumsily eviscerated the subject in an effort to carve out the heart and declare an official cause of disappointment. At the end of Misseldine’s Giselle and Swan Lake performances, Haglund wanted nothing more than what he had just experienced over the preceding two hours. Nothing.
Aran Bell, Jake Roxander, and newly appointed soloist Takumi Miyake have led ABT’s men to a new level of respect. Bell’s grasp on the theatrical aspect of his dancing has developed almost magically in the past couple of years. His Albrecht this year was one of the finest, most complete portrayals that Haglund has seen. Miyake’s squeaky-clean performances were so vibrant and unapologetically flashy that it was like watching a cleaned & pressed 20-year-old Corella. When ABT announced that the March 2026 fall season would include The Kingdom of the Shades, Haglund’s first thought was how incredible it would be if the Bronze Idol section featuring Miyake could be appended to it. Well, why not?
So let’s talk about the upcoming Fall and Spring Seasons at the Koch Theater. First, congratulations to ABT for pulling through with an extra 17 performances in March. The spring schedule is a little heavy on Othello and Firebird unless there is going to be a spectacular variety in casting. The March calendar needs a little oomph from something like Allegro Brillante or Sylvia Pas de Deux, and we’re not all that excited about Raymonda (except for the costumes). But it’s still early and things may yet gel to make a great season. One of the Fall Season highlights should be finally getting Jarod Curley back in the lineup. A full Act III of Sleeping Beauty on a bill with Kingdom of the Shades will be a sure house sell-out.
Now off to the beach. Putt putt putt.
12 responses to “observations 7/28”
Haglund, thank you for the charming wrap up and your earlier coverage of the summer ABT season. We saw everything except “Woolf Works” and the level of the dancing was indeed impressive. Your idea to append “The Bronze Idol” to one of the programs is a splendid idea! I hope that the powers at ABT read your column. Have a grand time at the beach!
Haglund, thank you for the charming wrap up and your earlier coverage of the summer ABT season. We saw everything except “Woolf Works” and the level of the dancing was indeed impressive. Your idea to append “The Bronze Idol” to one of the programs is a splendid idea! I hope that the powers at ABT read your column. Have a grand time at the beach!
Thanks, Eulalia.
I leave you with Angel Corella’s Bronze Idol. I’ve never seen anyone approach what he did with the variation, not even Makarova’s original cast, Johan Renvall. This performance was not a fluke. I saw Corella perform this role brilliantly multiple times including when he was not as light weight as he is in the clip. He so completely understood who & what he was and what he needed to convey. Just brilliant. Miyake could have a shot at performing with this degree of clarity at this speed. Now — not in three years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLMGgnBttGc
Thanks, Eulalia.
I leave you with Angel Corella’s Bronze Idol. I’ve never seen anyone approach what he did with the variation, not even Makarova’s original cast, Johan Renvall. This performance was not a fluke. I saw Corella perform this role brilliantly multiple times including when he was not as light weight as he is in the clip. He so completely understood who & what he was and what he needed to convey. Just brilliant. Miyake could have a shot at performing with this degree of clarity at this speed. Now — not in three years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLMGgnBttGc
Hanglund, I have been following ABT for 15 or so years. I have gone to at least 2 performances in every season. I am always hearing about the glory days before that. But I am glad you point out that ABT now has 3 and potentially 4 star-quality ballerinas for the classics, each with their own unique strengths. I agree with the three you mentioned; perhaps you could add Ms. Hurlin, but I think Messeldine has stolen some of Hurlin’s thunder. Messeldine has been getting favored and careful casting. She is a beautiful and tall dancer; her lines for SL are exquisite. I was so glad you mentioned Skylar Brandt because initially not getting the headlines, she has really racked up the solid performances and has taken on the load for the Company on the most technical and demanding pieces from Sleeping Beauty to Golden Cockerel to subbing in to debut several classics before making principal. She is technically brilliant, works extremely hard to always improve, and it is clear that in addition to Herman until he retires, she will be matched with Roxander, who is potentially a star as well. I think this bodes well for the Company and I like the increased performances and Susan Jaffe’s programming. I also feel that Bell, Roxander and Miyake (hope I spelled his name right) are very good signs on the men’s side of things. Love your take on things. You have been more kind and gentle to the dancers over the years, your are becoming a mush!
Hanglund, I have been following ABT for 15 or so years. I have gone to at least 2 performances in every season. I am always hearing about the glory days before that. But I am glad you point out that ABT now has 3 and potentially 4 star-quality ballerinas for the classics, each with their own unique strengths. I agree with the three you mentioned; perhaps you could add Ms. Hurlin, but I think Messeldine has stolen some of Hurlin’s thunder. Messeldine has been getting favored and careful casting. She is a beautiful and tall dancer; her lines for SL are exquisite. I was so glad you mentioned Skylar Brandt because initially not getting the headlines, she has really racked up the solid performances and has taken on the load for the Company on the most technical and demanding pieces from Sleeping Beauty to Golden Cockerel to subbing in to debut several classics before making principal. She is technically brilliant, works extremely hard to always improve, and it is clear that in addition to Herman until he retires, she will be matched with Roxander, who is potentially a star as well. I think this bodes well for the Company and I like the increased performances and Susan Jaffe’s programming. I also feel that Bell, Roxander and Miyake (hope I spelled his name right) are very good signs on the men’s side of things. Love your take on things. You have been more kind and gentle to the dancers over the years, your are becoming a mush!
Thanks, Jon Michaels. I agree that Hurlin is quite incredible. She’s apparently dealing with a nagging injury. Hopefully, that will sort itself out soon.
Lol, rest assured that ole Hag hasn’t become a “mush”. These days he tends to just avoid the ABT performances of those dancers who make him grumpy.
Thanks, Jon Michaels. I agree that Hurlin is quite incredible. She’s apparently dealing with a nagging injury. Hopefully, that will sort itself out soon.
Lol, rest assured that ole Hag hasn’t become a “mush”. These days he tends to just avoid the ABT performances of those dancers who make him grumpy.
Many thanks for reminding me of that superb clip of the (er) Golden Idol. Only Teddy Kumakawa was Angel’s equal in this variation.
But… no mention of Gillian?
Many thanks for reminding me of that superb clip of the (er) Golden Idol. Only Teddy Kumakawa was Angel’s equal in this variation.
But… no mention of Gillian?
Never saw Kumakawa live on stage; so, maybe he danced a better variation than the YouTube clips suggest. In those clips, he doesn’t even come close to Corella. What made AC’s Bronze Idol spectacular was the velocity and precision. There are phrases where he is so fast that one barely sees any transitional movement between the positions. He just somehow gets there in less than a blink of the eye. I would sit in the Met side tiers close to the stage during many of his signature solos. His face and eyes were remarkable in that they showed he went to another place in the universe when he danced at that level.
Never saw Kumakawa live on stage; so, maybe he danced a better variation than the YouTube clips suggest. In those clips, he doesn’t even come close to Corella. What made AC’s Bronze Idol spectacular was the velocity and precision. There are phrases where he is so fast that one barely sees any transitional movement between the positions. He just somehow gets there in less than a blink of the eye. I would sit in the Met side tiers close to the stage during many of his signature solos. His face and eyes were remarkable in that they showed he went to another place in the universe when he danced at that level.