What we missed.

The Santa Fe National UFO Center was in a whirl of activity on Saturday night as a ghostly light of overwhelming brightness shimmered and hovered in the skies over the city. Scientists ran outside hoping to catch traces of the long, wispy angel hair that has been known to fall from the skies after such sightings. Truth be told, the brilliant star was Stella Abrera as Giselle dancing the famous PdD opposite Sascha Radetsky as part of a performance by the Stars of American Ballet – a group conceived, produced, and directed by NYCB's Daniel Ulbricht. Those of us most wanting to see this dancer in the role that we have always known would catapult her career missed it all. But we can be grateful that there was a bonefide eyewitness who has filed reports with H.H. and on Twitter.

Click on the image to enlarge and clarify.

Why oh why oh why don't the best artists at ABT get to perform on stage in the roles they were destined to dance?  Abrera = the lilies, we all know that. ABT should clean out that tired, coasting Giselle crew and give us the company's own wonderful artists:  Abrera, Kajiya, Lane, Murphy, and Part.

We are grateful to Daniel Ulbricht for putting these opportunities together for all of the fine dancers in his group. Reports are that the Santa Fe crowd understood and appreciated all that they saw over the weekend including a fine NYCB/ABT combined cast for Robbins' Fancy Free. Wouldn't New York love to see more inter-company casts of Fancy Free?  Why is that so hard to arrange?

NYCB's fall season opens September 17th. Don't miss the Black & White programs, Prodigal Son, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, and all that the season offers.

 

Comments

[angelica]

You're so right, Haglund, the current Giselle casts have ossified. We really need to have new blood in those roles. I would go to see all five of the Giselles you propose. So whom would we have? Abrera and Radetsky; Kajiya and Matthews; Lane and Gorak (please, not Simkin); Murphy and Tamm; Part and Gomes. I could not bear to see the male dancer who is missing from this list.

[Haglund]

Hi Angelica. That's a very good listing of pairs. There are also intriguing but less likely possibilities, such as Tom Forster on the tall side and Craig Salstein on the not-so-tall side. At some point in the near future, (I'm basing this on what I saw last year in Onegin) Stearns and Gemma Bond would pair up nicely as Albrecht and Giselle. And some of your suggested pairings are interchangeable. Tamm would work well with Abrera; Radetsky would work well with Murphy; Gorak would work with Kajiya and Matthews would work with Lane.

I, too, shudder at the thought of Whiteside showing up with any of those women. Besides being such an ordinary dancer, so much of his off-stage but very public online behavior is troublesome - like a page out of the DSM's HPD chapter.

[angelica]

I love it, Haglund, musical partnerships! As for Whiteside, definitely HPD. Also NPD. And probably a few other disorders thrown in for good measure, including one with which I won't sully your blog.

[robin]

Ha- i did not expect to see my twitter on your blog! What a great line up of dancers tho, would have loved to see the whole program.

[Haglund]

Hi Robin. Yes, Daniel Ulbricht puts together great programs. Nearing only 30, he's already accomplished as a presenter, teacher, speaker, and of course a dancer. This interview was made when Ulbricht was guest teaching at Indy Ballet. He's a very focused, articulate, and impressive man - an excellent communicator. http://vimeo.com/65984769 He'll be directing a permanent company before long - maybe a really, really, really big company.

[angelica]

I would love to see an Exodus of ABT's undervalued dancers into a major company headed by Daniel Ulbricht, leaving the remaining dancers, warts and all, to Kevin McKenzie and the ABT Board.

[robin]

Agree ulbricht is very articulate, intellegent, charming & magnetic. And while i wish no harm or warts on ABT or mckenzie i'd certainly be interested in seeing anything daniel puts together : )