NYT reports that David Hallberg will join the Bolshoi while continuing to perform with ABT and other companies on a limited basis.
Meanwhile, down under, Ethan Stiefel and Gillian Murphy have given a few recent interviews (here and here) from which the following information was taken:
Gillian will dance with ABT at the Met, but spend most of her time in New Zealand where next year she will dance the title role of Giselle in the new Stiefel/Kobberg version and Cinderella.
Stiefel's first programming choices for the Royal New Zealand Ballet include works by Larry Keigwin and Benjamin Millepied, and he hopes to build the company's talent, repertory, and capacity to enable more international touring - including a visit to the U.S.
Where are those ABT internal promotions to principal? We need to see no fewer than SIX.
Would those six include maybe Stella, Sascha, Jared, Sarah and...?? Hammoudi is dancing more principal parts than Sasha these days, since he's tall enough for Veronika...
Posted by: Rachelmarch | September 20, 2011 at 12:50 PM
Add Maria Riccetto and Simkin to your list. Oh, and I forgot – we need a new AD and a new marketing executive.
The ABT ship is taking on water and sinking while McKenzie is busy mopping up water instead of trying to plug the leaky hole and fix the ship. He's got to go.
Posted by: Haglund | September 20, 2011 at 12:59 PM
I didn't want to sound like a broken record on the McKenzie front. My only reason for not wanting Maria is I'd like Jared to get to dance with someone else sometimes and I fear if they go up together that's never going to happen. But she's lovely.
Posted by: Rachelmarch | September 20, 2011 at 01:07 PM
Jared looked fab with Vishneva a couple of seasons back in the Ashton. He looked great with Stella when they did Espada & Mercedes, and of course in the grand pdd on SYTYCD with Yuriko. A new director would immediately see his wide-ranging skills, but with the current situation . . . I don't know.
Posted by: Haglund | September 20, 2011 at 01:18 PM
What????? How can I follow ABT anymore??????
Posted by: Julie | September 20, 2011 at 01:35 PM
You should have seen Jared and Yuriko's white swan pdd at that little event I went to. Glorious (though her arms are still a little scary skinny). I like him with Vishneva too - and I think he and Marcelo are really the only ones who can handle her. LOVE him as Espada with Stella too. How about a Stella/Jared evening performance Giselle this year!!
Posted by: Rachelmarch | September 20, 2011 at 01:40 PM
A Stella/Jared Giselle would be great! You can bet that he'd make those iconic lifts. Do you remember how he pressed Vishneva over his head?!
Posted by: Haglund | September 20, 2011 at 01:47 PM
Julie, that's a good question for ABT Chairman Donald Kramer. I don't know his address, and I suspect that if you send it to ABT it will get intercepted. But anyway, it's a good question.
Posted by: Haglund | September 20, 2011 at 01:50 PM
Don't forget Misty Copeland. She'll be one of the women dancing the lead in Ratmansky's "Firebird." And nobody has worked harder to build her fan base and expose new audiences to ballet. Nobody.
Actually, I think a case can be made for promoting just about all the soloists.
Posted by: Port City Lady | September 20, 2011 at 09:15 PM
Gillian Murphy as Giselle?? I'm all for artistic growth and opportunities...but I have a hard time envisioning this one.
On another note: I wonder how Fateev at the Mariinsky feels about this; he had clearly been courting Hallberg for something as well, what with bringing him to London on tour this summer. Another male dancer lost by the Mariinsky to the Bolshoi. ABT ain't the only company with roster problems!
Posted by: K | September 20, 2011 at 09:40 PM
Hi PCL. Misty is indeed working very hard and let's hope that the "Firebird" is her breakthrough and that ABT does not permit the "O" factor to Overshadow Misty and Isabella during the premiere week in Orange County.
Posted by: Haglund | September 20, 2011 at 10:18 PM
Hi K. Maybe if Gillian has an opportunity to work on Giselle at a thoughtful pace with a good coach, away from the glaring spotlight of NYC, she might well surprise everyone.
Yeah, it was a surprise that Hallberg went to the Bolshoi instead of the Mariinsky. I think it's inevitable that he'll do a stint there as well and probably at the Royal Ballet. I hope he gets the artistic guidance that he is obviously searching for.
Posted by: Haglund | September 20, 2011 at 10:27 PM
And I guess that answers your question as to why Hallberg wasn't in the brochure for the Fall season.
Posted by: BananaFeet | September 21, 2011 at 12:17 AM
Yep, and we'll soon see to what extent he is in the spring Met Season brochure.
Posted by: Haglund | September 21, 2011 at 08:12 AM