observations 8/1

As expected, ABT ripped Irina Dvorovenko's bio and picture from the website this morning.  In a lovely turn of events, they also ripped Natalia Osipova from the website as well.  Vasiliev is still there, but it seems as though Miss This-Met-Stage-Isn't-Big-Enough-For-Me will have to be a guest artist if she performs here at all. 

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Matthew Golding will be dancing a ton of performances in Le Corsaire opposite Tamara Rojo this fall at the English National Ballet.  Not to belabor the point, but Golding, who is an in-demand dancer in Europe (Dutch National Ballet, Mariinsky, Royal Ballet, and now English National Ballet) was viewed by McKenzie as only ABT corps material.

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Here is a photo by Ari Dunski of Maria Riccetto and Ciro Tamayo rehearsing the White Swan PdD at Ballet Nacional del Sodre in Uruguay.  They debut in one week:

Comments

[Genna]

Good riddance! Get rid of the other one too while they're at it, who is he going to partner, that can match his tackiness now that she's tackying it up at Royal Ballet? Honestly, missing out on this sort of gorgeous dancing? Well I can live without it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnJBlQ2jEFw

[Haglund]

Hi Genna. I couldn't watch that entire clip. It's too painful to witness what Nacho Duato has done to Sleeping Beauty. There should be laws against it and there should be punishment.

[Genna]

Haglund, sorry to offend your eyes and sensibilities with that link, it's just so bad that it deserves to be seen. Yes that video is a double whammy of unholy ballet forces: Duarto's crime against Petipa (which should be punishable as a capital offense) and also the very un-royal couple as prince and princess.

[rachelmarch]

Did you notice the corps names that disappeared today too? Doble I had heard about but curious as to the others. My guess is at least two were retirements? Thoughts?http://rachelmarch.blogspot.com/2013/08/departures-from-abt.html

[Haglund]

Your guess is probably right. Krauchenka and Ilyin both had careers with other companies before joining ABT; so they've been dancing a long time. Renata Pavam has a blossoming photography career whereas her ABT career was stalled. There are a few other dancers who I thought might/should be pruned from the corps, but an 8 percent cut is substantial.

[J]

That video is hard to get through. For someone with a virtuoso technique, Osipova carries a lot of strain in her fingers, neck, shoulders, and face. On another topic, I will miss seeing Vitali Krauchenka on stage.

[Haglund]

True J. I watched the Swan Lake trailer that La Scala posted on its website and was amazed at how much it looked like Osipova doing a caricature of Osipova. Either she doesn't listen to what directors tell her or they don't tell her anything and let her do what ever she damn well pleases.

[Maria]

Wow I had no idea Matthew Golding was only a corps dancer at ABT! I've had the absolute pleasure of watching him in Don Quixote opposite Anna Tsygankova.
I'm very sad that Irina has now officially left. I'm also sad about Osipova- I was such a fan of hers at the Bolshoi, but now she seems to have no appreciation for style. I cannot imagine two more stylistically different companies than the Bolshoi and the Royal Ballet. Mukhamedov did of course dance with the RB, but he worked hard to learn the English style.
I have a feeling Osipova is just going to power jump through Ashtons steps and then hop on a plane to dance in some hideous Mikhailovsky production. I'm so glad someone else mentioned that Sleeping Beauty video where Nacho Duato dismisses some of the greatest choreography in history in favor of having Vasiliev and Osipova jump and turn as if they were circus ponies.