ABT Kennedy Center casting in March

The temptation is to say that ABT could hardly beg more for empty seats than with this casting, but we know they, somehow, always surprise us with their ability to do worse.

Comments

[Kallima]

At least there is Lane/Cornejo and Reyes/Cornejo or Murphy in Pillar of Fire, but then again, it's only half of the performances for the respective ballet and one sure knows that these things happened very likely only due to the absence of guest artists for this particular "season".

Most disappointing in my eyes clearly Cinderella. Reyes/Gorak and that's the Sat matinee; and too bad that Murphy/Whiteside and Kent/Gomes won't be switched so at least there would have been one additional appealing casting (plus one to be completely avoided...ahem).

P.S. Looking forward to next week's stream of "Paquita". Any chance for you to watch it?

[angelica]

Well said, Haglund, well said.

[Haglund]

But Kallima, what you suggested makes too much sense for ABT to do. Honestly, Hagar isn't enough for Julie Kent for KC; she has to grab one last Cinderella? I guess it doesn't matter that it would have helped Stella a lot to get one Cinderella under her belt before she had to dance it at the Met and that the audience would have appreciated an opportunity to see her.

McKenzie is in complete denial about how totally unappealing so many of his principals are these days. He just keeps trying to shove them down our throats like he thinks we'll get over the fact that they're not worth our money.

I can't help but notice and applaud how the NY Jets fired the Head Coach and Head Office Guy today - because it had to be done. Regardless of how nice the guys being booted are, they still got booted for failing to do the job.

Yes, I'll try to watch that Paquita live stream on Sunday Jan. 11th. I'll put a reminder on the blog soon. Thanks, Kallima.

[Haglund]

Thank you, Angelica. I was practicing restraint.

[Haglund]

Already a change to the DC casting on the KC website. Stearns is out of Rodeo and Salstein is in. However, that might have originally just been ABT's typo.

[Snake Plissken]

Poor Gorak. They keep pairing a potential star with inferior dancers. I don't know why they don't just pair him with Sarah Lane and encourage a partnership there. They dance really great together. ABT has become so strange in the last decade I've stopped trying to make sense of it.

And bless the poor souls that buy tickets to see James Whiteside. His poaching and subsequent promotion is still the most baffling above all others.

[Ken]

I can definitely skip T&V with Simkin. It's not his fault, but he's just too small for the danseur noble roles.

On the other hand, while I haven't seen Gorak dance, I've loved Reyes the few times I've seen her. Does she lack the chops for Cinderella?

[Haglund]

Hi Snake & Ken!

Reyes is the best of the Cinderellas that we've seen at ABT so far, IMO. She absolutely does have the technical chops, the theatrical skill, the Ashton style, and her own charm that makes this a perfect role for her. She managed Gorak's debut in this production last year as expertly as she managed Cornejo's debut in Giselle a few years ago. She also managed Radetsky's debut in the Kudelka Cinderella a few years ago.

I would definitely choose the Reyes/Gorak Cinderella cast in DC and only that cast.

[cat]

Out of curiosity, did you catch the tribute to Patricia McBride on the Kennedy Center Honors? As I've said, dance is not my strength and my opinions are more based on instinct than any formal knowledge but even I could see the flaws in Misty Copeland's dancing. I also finally got what you meant about how she points her legs/toes. It's such an odd angle.

[CMM]

Haglund, when you get a chance could you please post the info for Sunday's Paquita live stream mentioned above? Thanks!

Also, I'd be curious to read your thoughts on ABT's announcement today about the Mariinsky's Kimin Kim as a guest artist during the Met season....