observation 11/1

Leo from LA alerted us to the fact that the Met Opera's website is showing Olga Smirnova for Gulnare on June 12 & 15 and Lescaut's Mistress on the 17th and the 20th. See below. Hopefully, this is an error. We'd hate to see Stella's dwindling performances gutted even more.

 

 

Comments

[Ballet Fan]

Didn’t Stella pull out of her shows the second week at State Theatre, and post something about being injured? Is it possible that her injury is more serious than she initially thought, and she is choosing not to perform in the Met season? I don’t think it serves any purpose to assume KM replaced her for no good reason.

[Melponeme_k]

I've just heard about the MET scheduling. The one thing that gives me pause is that, quite frequently, the MET website drops very real casting info. Why just gut Abrera's performances? Why not equalize the sacrifice? No one would weep at Boylston, Copeland or Seo losing a performance.

As far as Smirnova, for a well regarded dancer, getting just Gulnare and Lescaut's Mistress seems odd. Personally, I find her dancing elegant but her mannerisms sometimes reminds me of Norma Desmond asking DeMille for her closeup.

[Haglund]

It's got to be one of two things: Either it's a mistake by the Met or ABT intentionally lied to everyone when they made their season announcement. I don't see how it could possibly be anything but one of those.

[Haglund]

ABT may be in particularly serious disarray. They are pretending that no one knows that they have lost three weeks of their spring season at Met and either don't have alternative plans in place or are not confident about making those plans public. Now this casting mess. Is this Met website information wrong or did ABT flat out lie to everyone in their season announcement?

[Ballet Fan]

The Met season won’t be changed until 2021. It will will be 8 weeks, as usual, this year and next.

[Anna]

Haglund, Stella is not listed on any performances in the spring season. But she is still clearly a principal dancer, so short of a planned absense this does not make sense.

[Elizabeth]

This pretty awesome - ABT website lists Sarah Lane and Herman Cornejo performing the lead roles in Manon together!!!

[Elizabeth]

Hello Anna - on the ABT website she is listed in performances for this spring.

[LLF]

Maybe somebody at the Met spiked their Webmaster's Halloween cider - they've got Skylar Brandt tagged as a Principal dancer, as well as listing Stella Abrera's professional date history under Skylar's photo - "Joined ABT 1996, Principal since 2015."

[Haglund]

So pathetic. So inexcusable.

The reason that people have been alarmed is that ABT has a history and reputation of not being forthright with their casting and engaging in bait & switch.

[Melponeme_k]

The MET website is FUBAR! Lane is now listed as a soloist and it states no appearances for the Spring season.

On the ABT calendar, I see Lane only given 1 Harlequinade. And why wasn't Simkin given to her as a partner? They are a known team and ABT should be building on their Giselle afterglow. Especially since Simkin is now only a step away from a guest dancer.

I just don't understand this company.

[Melponeme_k]

Correction:

Lane was only given 1 Harlequinade at Kennedy Center in DC in February 2019.

[Haglund]

Melponeme_k, Sarah's original partner in Harlequinade was Cirio while Simkin danced with Skylar. Why break up Simkin/Skylar in the production?

[Melponeme_k]

I'm just frustrated because I want to see known star couples. That was the way ABT used to grow partnerships. That is how other companies still work. ABT consistently matches dancers up but then immediately lets them fall apart after successful performances. It is just disappointing to me.

The only dancers they try to brand are the ones ballet fans avoid.

[Solor]

Looks like the MET has made a partial fix to their ABT casting - Smirnova is gone.

[Haglund]

[gone] for now...

[Jennifer]

The MET website gets stranger and stranger. Now, they have Gabe Stone Shayer appearing as Pierette on May 14 - 17. Not sure whether he can rock those bright blue pointe shoes!

[Haglund]

The Met's website manager can only post what ABT tells him to post. The mgr could take down all of the names until the matter gets straightened out as most website managers would do, rather than intentionally trying to make it look more ridiculous. But we're talking about ABT which has a history of promoting disinformation and bait & switch tactics.

[Rachel Perez]

Gillian Murphy has announced she is expecting her first child. I wonder if this will open up the spring season to any new debuts. I'm thrilled for her, but will be sad to miss her this season!

[Haglund]

Wonderful news for her and Ethan. What an exciting time for the both of them!
‭
Even though Gillian waited until now to make her announcement, it is unlikely that ABT wasn't fully aware that she would not be dancing in the spring season when they announced spring casting and distributed brochures.

Imagine ticketbuyers' severe morning sickness if they wake up one morning to find that Gillian's name in the Swan Lake cast with Hallberg has been changed to Copeland. But this is the kind of crap that people should expect from ABT. It never ends.

[Haglund]

I guess I kinda called that one, didn't I? Zofran anyone?

[Rachel Perez]

OMG, Haglund. She's also been given her Manons (or at least one of them). Not sure David can sell Sigfried's enchantment with 13 fouttees and poorly executed menage. Would require Streep level ACTing.

I seek out Gillian's performances, and avoid certain others. So glad I have not yet purchased any tickets for this season.

[Haglund]

Anyone care for a Zofran?

Look at how the season is falling apart already. With all the opportunities McMoron has had to bring talented dancers forward in important roles, e.g., Forster, Hoven, Lane, Brandt, Trenary, Klein, McBride, Ogawa, Whiteley, he sticks with the mediocrity of Copeland and the odd & never-appearing Lendorf year after year. I really wonder what Copeland's agent has promised McMoron in the long run -- a book deal, perhaps, or promises to stay quiet about something. Copeland clearly is the least talented and least accomplished dancer among ALL the dancers in the principal and soloist ranks, and yet, as unqualified as she is, she's handed role after role after opportunity after opportunity which she NEVER lives up to.

Shoehorning Copeland into a Swan Lake with Hallberg is nothing other than her demand to put another notch in her belt. What a shame that Hallberg's respect for his work has declined to the point where he would pander to Copeland's identity politics.

Maybe Copeland can easily pull off the spoiled, selfish whore aspects of Manon. The actual dancing will be another matter. What stupidity reigns at ABT that they would not cast Brandt as Manon after everyone in the world just saw on television what she could do in the role of Marguerite? How effing stupid...

[Rachel Perez]

Skylar would make a lovely Manon, and it's definitely time for Cassandra to be given a new principal role, or for them to start given fresh roles to the new soloists. There's simply no sense of future planning with this company, or having dancers with diverse reps under their belts for the future.

Who would you most like to see debut O/O from the current ranks? With Gillian out, they are down to two worthwhile women in that role, and one of Devon's is a matinee