Please take a moment to read Rachel March's thoughtful blog entry regarding the promotion of Daniil Simkin to principal at ABT. A few of her pointed comments:
[Simkin] borders on unwatchable in anything other than a gala solo, and even then I wouldn't pay just to see it.
…
He frustrates me more for his bravado and lack of respect for his
ballerinas than for his dancing itself, though to quote a knowledgeable
balletomane friend of mine, this promotion is "really rather
disgusting. Especially after City Center, where he killed Stars &
Stripes, and not in a good way."…
Ironically, this promotion was announced minutes after ABT called me to
request my annual donation. Luckily, I had put them off for now, and
unless something drastically wonderful happens with the empty casting
spots for Met season, they won't be getting any money out of me this
donation season. And by wonderful I mean meaty principal casting for
Stella Abrera, Yuriko Kajiya, Misty Copeland, Jared Matthews and Joey
Gorak.
You can catch up with Rachel on Twitter at twitter.com/rachelmarch which Haglund reads frequently even though he doesn't officially indulge in Twittzling himself.