Choose carefully.

ABT's single ticket sales begin this Sunday.  The company opens tomorrow night in Orange County with its new Firebird.  Apparently Natalia Osipova is not the draw that she is elsewhere since as of the day before her much hyped performance there are still many, many hundreds of tickets unsold.  It looks like it'll be free ballet for a lot of people.  Maybe that rehearsal photo in the LA Times with Natalia in such admirable balletic form wasn't exactly the audience turn-on that ABT expected.  You know, if someone choreographed a ballet based on the movie, The Exorcist, and cast Natalia in Linda Blair's role, it might be worth seeing. 

When you go to buy your tickets for ABT's Met Season, take a moment to think about the message which your dollars will send.  Do you want to send a message that you'd rather see guest artists or would you rather see ABT's home grown dancers who at this time are not getting the opportunities to dance which they deserve. 

Choose carefully.

Comments

[little ballet junkie]

The debut of Misty I found actually stirs up a lot more excitement and curiosity. Just saying...

[Haglund]

Yep, you're right. Can't wait to see her in Firebird!

[Rachelmarch]

Agreed! I've so far chosen so carefully I'm even seeing a whole lot of gillian murphy performances and usually she's not my cup of tea. That's how adamant I am about these guest performances (plus two of them I bought to see Simone and Misty as Gamzatti and Firebird, respectively, not Gillian, and one was of course Stiefel's retirement.) So far my only Osipova sighting will be the unavoidable Gomes and Matthews Onegin cast - which for those two reasons just cannot be missed! Still have to find a way to see Stella's Myrtha - hopefully I can get out of work in time to see the Herrera/Bolle Giselle!

[Haglund]

It's tough, but I'm prepared to skip all or almost all of the performances with guest artists. The only problem for me is Corella's Albrecht. However, if he dances with Sarah Lane in S.L. with Barcelona Ballet in Detroit, I'll go to that and then not feel so bad about skipping his Albrecht. Since they haven't posted the muse casting for Apollo, that's still a question mark. (Why is that so hard to do?) But I won't stay for a guest dancer's Firebird. I'm glad that NYCB has a strong spring season coming up, and grateful that POB is bringing their Giselle. And I'm interested to see what the Australian Ballet brings - right in the middle of ABT's season.

[K]

Well I'll be at ABT this week for the Thursday night cast and also very happily to see Misty's cast. I am unable to make it to the Saturday matinee, which is the only outing for Isabella's cast, though maybe things will change with my schedule. Looking, um, forward (?) to see what transpires onstage with Osipova. The audience generally eats her up here, regardless, as she's been shoved down our throats with each successive Ardani extravaganza but I think the tide may be turning after the disaster that was Reflections and the fact that she and Vasiliev bailed on a gala at the last minute, last year.

[Haglund]

I'm sure that there will be more things to enjoy about the opening night Firebird than not. You'll have to give us a few comments. I'm so happy for Misty, and I hope she really takes ownership of the role and opportunity.

[K]

Indeed! I am very exited to see Simone Messmer. I don't think I've seen her in much recently and I've always enjoyed her. Plus Gomes, Hallberg, the cast of Thirteen Diversions AND finding out who the mystery dancers will be in Duets (is ABT bringing a secret coterie of principals and listing them ironically as 'Company'--I know Kent, Part, and Herrera were cast in the CC run). Much to find excellence in.

[Rachelmarch]

I think Xiomara Reyes (with Arron Scott) may be in one cast of duets performing in CA - but she's not ideal for the style. I wish they'd have cast Stearns in either duet with Herrera or Part instead of Murphy - could have been really powerful.