Spring is here!

Without fail, each year the ABT Spring Season single ticket brochure arrives fast behind the Buzzards' Return to Hinckley (that's in Ohio) on March 15th.  Some will try to deny the connection, but it is what it is. 

This year the lovely Veronika Part graces the brochure's cover and very intentionally appears to be sleeping on the job.  Within the pages of the brochure is a beautiful archive photo of Irina Dvorovenko and Max Berloserkovsky in Coppelia.  Irina was a phenomenal Coppelia in this production staged by Frederic Franklin.   However, we won't be seeing Irina in Coppelia this year because 40% of the Coppelia performances have been allocated to a guest artist. 

In the same beautiful photo as Irina and Max is the vibrant Erica Cornejo, a jumper and spinner of talent equal to the above referenced guest artist but someone who also possesses an artistic aesthetic.  Perhaps if she had changed her name to Ireka Cornejkova when she was with ABT, she might have received more opportunities and we might have been seeing her as Coppelia instead of the guest artist.

As with the previous season brochures, there are more photos of Angel Corella than he has actual performances this year.  How sad.  His one performance will be on June 18 when Paloma Herrera celebrates her 20th anniversary with ABT in Coppelia.  Now doesn't that anniversary make us all feel old – yes, old but happy to have been able to see the majority of Paloma's NY performances over the past twenty years. 

The brochure also features a lovely photo of Irina in The Bright Stream.  We won't be seeing Irina in The Bright Stream this year because performances are being allocated to a guest artist.  Nor will we see Isabella Boylston following up on her fantastic and acclaimed debut in The Bright Stream in Washington D.C. because – wait for it – the guest artist gets those performances.

Single tickets go on sale at the Met on April 3rd.  Check the ABT website for casting updates before making the trip to the box office.  Who knows, there might be another guest artist plugged into the line-up, although as yet there aren't any scheduled who can offer anything that the company's own dancers can't offer.