Good to see that the Kennedy Center casting is up already — kind of unusual to see it this early, but no one's complaining.
For the opening night of The Moor's Pavane, Stella Abrera joins the cast of Gomes, Stearns, and Kent while Veronika opens Ratmansky's Symphony #9 cast with Bolle. The following night Kristi Boone and Alex Hammoudi join the Symphony #9 cast of Abrera, Jared Matthews, and Sascha Radetsky.
No Symphony in C casting yet and that is where the peril will be. Hopefully, we will see Veronika in the Second Movement for either or BOTH nights with Stella and Gillian Murphy – who returns for this tour – in the First Movement. The last thing anyone needs in Symphony in C are dancers who can't make it work with other dancers in an ensemble — which is exactly why Hee Seo and Isabella Boylston need to sit on the bench for this ballet. It doesn't matter what a dancer accomplishes in her individual movement, if she messes up the last 90 seconds of the final ensemble movement, the whole work is a bust, and those two dancers need a wake-up call in their ensemble work. Nor does anyone need to see the tempi slowed for Osipova and Vasiliev
to try to turn the Third Movement into an anti-Balanchine trampoline circus act.
Haglund strongly recommends that everyone see NYCB dance Symphony in C (Feb. 7,8,9,10) this winter so that everyone knows what it should look like before seeing any of ABT's schmimports hack 'n jack through it.
Opening night of Le Corsaire includes Herman Cornejo as Ali plus Herrera, Gomes, Abrera, Radetsky, and Salstein. Veronika dances Medora the following night with Stearns.
Luis Ribagorda dances the Saturday matinee Birbanto, AND (trumpets, please), Joe Phillips will be Ali on Saturday night in the cast with Murphy, Gomes, and Radetsky. Joe Phillips, folks. Haglund hopes for a fast, Corella-type tempo for Joe. We really need to bring that excitement back to Ali.
Tickets go on sale Feb. 6th.
34 responses to “ABT – Wash DC casting”
ABT is restaging or re-choreographing corsaire, right? I am confused as to why there are 6 principal roles for the dc casting but only 5 for the MET. Is birbanto not a principal role in the new production? Are they doing the current version in dc??
And if herman is dancing ali can someone please sneak video for me & post it on youtube 😉 unless he ends up getting one here in which case i shall just go to it.
ABT is restaging or re-choreographing corsaire, right? I am confused as to why there are 6 principal roles for the dc casting but only 5 for the MET. Is birbanto not a principal role in the new production? Are they doing the current version in dc??
And if herman is dancing ali can someone please sneak video for me & post it on youtube 😉 unless he ends up getting one here in which case i shall just go to it.
What about the announcement that ABT, RB, and RDB will have artist guesting exchanges? ABT sends Cory Stearns to RB while RB sends ABT Steven McRae to guest in Corsaire. Then Boylston will go to RDB late this year.
What about the announcement that ABT, RB, and RDB will have artist guesting exchanges? ABT sends Cory Stearns to RB while RB sends ABT Steven McRae to guest in Corsaire. Then Boylston will go to RDB late this year.
Robin, Birbanto is usually listed on the ABT calendar and is usually considered a principal casting. Don’t know why it isn’t listed for the Met season with a name or TBA.
Robin, Birbanto is usually listed on the ABT calendar and is usually considered a principal casting. Don’t know why it isn’t listed for the Met season with a name or TBA.
Hi Genna. That “artist exchange” is just a way of trying to sanitize the imports for the Met Season. Please note that neither the Royal Ballet nor the Royal Danish Ballet are woo-hooing about the fact that Stearns and Boylston are coming their way.
Boylston is seemingly way, way down on the list for potential SPF/Clara in Ratmansky’s production. So it isn’t likely that she’d do it next December at ABT, if in fact ABT even continues its BAM run due to the dismal ticket sales. Her dancing is an inelegant mess from the waist up, but that isn’t likely to stop McKenzie from promoting this most unclassical dancer to principal this year. Then, wouldn’t it look odd in December to make her a Nutcracker Sister? The only way she’ll get SPF/Clara on her resume is to go somewhere else.
Stearns has a training connection to RB, but still it will be controversial to see him step in the way of an actual RB dancer because he is quite un-spectacular. HOWEVER, I have always strongly believed that if he were working for any number of artistic directors other than McKenzie, he would be a much, much better dancer.
In sum, the exchange is an effort to sanitize the import business and is another sad, sad example of McKenzie not developing the enormous talent within the ranks of ABT — talent which the audience would rather see on stage than a bunch of strangers who truly aren’t any better than what is already here.
Hi Genna. That “artist exchange” is just a way of trying to sanitize the imports for the Met Season. Please note that neither the Royal Ballet nor the Royal Danish Ballet are woo-hooing about the fact that Stearns and Boylston are coming their way.
Boylston is seemingly way, way down on the list for potential SPF/Clara in Ratmansky’s production. So it isn’t likely that she’d do it next December at ABT, if in fact ABT even continues its BAM run due to the dismal ticket sales. Her dancing is an inelegant mess from the waist up, but that isn’t likely to stop McKenzie from promoting this most unclassical dancer to principal this year. Then, wouldn’t it look odd in December to make her a Nutcracker Sister? The only way she’ll get SPF/Clara on her resume is to go somewhere else.
Stearns has a training connection to RB, but still it will be controversial to see him step in the way of an actual RB dancer because he is quite un-spectacular. HOWEVER, I have always strongly believed that if he were working for any number of artistic directors other than McKenzie, he would be a much, much better dancer.
In sum, the exchange is an effort to sanitize the import business and is another sad, sad example of McKenzie not developing the enormous talent within the ranks of ABT — talent which the audience would rather see on stage than a bunch of strangers who truly aren’t any better than what is already here.
Robin – you can take the bus down to DC and get a good seat at KC for less money than at the MET. And for a dance teacher, I would presume that it’s all tax deductible.
Robin – you can take the bus down to DC and get a good seat at KC for less money than at the MET. And for a dance teacher, I would presume that it’s all tax deductible.
Hmmm….something to look into for sure!
Hmmm….something to look into for sure!
Uh, maybe not tax deductible, but certainly cheaper. (Got a lot of govt-employed readers of this blog.:)
Uh, maybe not tax deductible, but certainly cheaper. (Got a lot of govt-employed readers of this blog.:)
Haha, well whatever- i’ll check regardless!
Haha, well whatever- i’ll check regardless!
I wonder if some coaching sessions with Jonathan Cope while he’s guesting will help amp up Stearns?
DC casting looks good; I keep hoping we get the same triple here in LA this summer. I want to see the Ratmansky but I don’t want to see the evening length version INSTEAD of getting a shot at seeing the Moor’s Pavane with the great casts they’ve been fielding (though I believe we get Vasiliev as Ali for 3 of 4 performances, which is disappointing. I want Joe! And Herman!).
I wonder if some coaching sessions with Jonathan Cope while he’s guesting will help amp up Stearns?
DC casting looks good; I keep hoping we get the same triple here in LA this summer. I want to see the Ratmansky but I don’t want to see the evening length version INSTEAD of getting a shot at seeing the Moor’s Pavane with the great casts they’ve been fielding (though I believe we get Vasiliev as Ali for 3 of 4 performances, which is disappointing. I want Joe! And Herman!).
Hi K. It may be that the primary reason for Stearns’ visit to the UK is training. The RB might be a better fit for him than ABT.
That’s a shame if ABT tries to load up the LA performances with Vasiliev. Although, I did notice that the source of that information (the Ardani website) has pulled the casting info pages for Vasiliev, Osipova and Semionova – probably at ABT’s request. But they are still firmly planted in Google’s cache.
At least you will be spared Osipova who will be off to La Scala with her Lucille Ball-inspired Odette.
Hi K. It may be that the primary reason for Stearns’ visit to the UK is training. The RB might be a better fit for him than ABT.
That’s a shame if ABT tries to load up the LA performances with Vasiliev. Although, I did notice that the source of that information (the Ardani website) has pulled the casting info pages for Vasiliev, Osipova and Semionova – probably at ABT’s request. But they are still firmly planted in Google’s cache.
At least you will be spared Osipova who will be off to La Scala with her Lucille Ball-inspired Odette.
Yes- I went looking for that on their website and couldn’t find it yesterday (maybe some sense got knocked into Kevin?). I’m just holding my breath for an Abrera Gamzatti and a Part Medora.
The RB has a couple tall guys in the line of Stearns–Pennefather and Kish–and neither seem very popular but are tall, good looking, and good partners, keeping them in the casting rotation often. I wonder if Kevin O’Hare wants another one.
Yes- I went looking for that on their website and couldn’t find it yesterday (maybe some sense got knocked into Kevin?). I’m just holding my breath for an Abrera Gamzatti and a Part Medora.
The RB has a couple tall guys in the line of Stearns–Pennefather and Kish–and neither seem very popular but are tall, good looking, and good partners, keeping them in the casting rotation often. I wonder if Kevin O’Hare wants another one.
Hi K. The RB also signed on Matthew Golding for the year. Maybe that will work into something permanent. Wow, has he ever done well since deciding it was time to stop standing in the back while holding the spear for Kevin McKenzie. Hopefully, Gorak and Tamm will get the message.
If you get an Abrera/Part/Gomes cast, I may well venture out to see it.
Hi K. The RB also signed on Matthew Golding for the year. Maybe that will work into something permanent. Wow, has he ever done well since deciding it was time to stop standing in the back while holding the spear for Kevin McKenzie. Hopefully, Gorak and Tamm will get the message.
If you get an Abrera/Part/Gomes cast, I may well venture out to see it.
Wow, this is such exciting news! The April 11th performance will be my first time seeing ABT live and I get to see three of the dancers I most hoped for: Marcelo Gomes, Stella Abrera, and Herman Cornejo! The ballet gods have smiled upon me.
Wow, this is such exciting news! The April 11th performance will be my first time seeing ABT live and I get to see three of the dancers I most hoped for: Marcelo Gomes, Stella Abrera, and Herman Cornejo! The ballet gods have smiled upon me.
Hi Kit from Colorado! Yes, it seems that you have struck gold.
Hi Kit from Colorado! Yes, it seems that you have struck gold.
Stearns could have also been talking to ex-ABT background artist and rising RB star Meaghan Grace Hinkis who seems to be doing very well for herself since hopping the pond.
I do hope that O’Hare isn’t going to keep importing people a la McKenzie. It would put a damper on his very interesting directorship so far (from an observer’s viewpoint at least).
Stearns could have also been talking to ex-ABT background artist and rising RB star Meaghan Grace Hinkis who seems to be doing very well for herself since hopping the pond.
I do hope that O’Hare isn’t going to keep importing people a la McKenzie. It would put a damper on his very interesting directorship so far (from an observer’s viewpoint at least).
I don’t know why I said Gamzatti in that first post–obviously I meant Gulnare, though perhaps my subconscious was letting it slip that I do also wish for a Part Nikiya/Abrera Gamzatti at some point in the future 🙂
I don’t know why I said Gamzatti in that first post–obviously I meant Gulnare, though perhaps my subconscious was letting it slip that I do also wish for a Part Nikiya/Abrera Gamzatti at some point in the future 🙂
K, I’ve made that subconscious slip on more than one occasion.
K, I’ve made that subconscious slip on more than one occasion.