Busy week for New York studio and student companies, with performances from Gelsey Kirkland Ballet, Ellison Ballet, and Ballet Academy East. I’ve attended performances from all three companies/schools and think they are great, with many talented young dancers. Ballet fans that …
Month: May 2016
ABT Sylvia 5/12, 5/14
Multiple Cast Treat
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) opened its Spring Met season with Sylvia, a delightful Frederick Ashton 1952 work created as a star vehicle for Margot Fonteyn. Léo Delibes’ score is beautiful, a masterpiece of 19th-century ballet music. Tchaikovsky was so impressed with …
Three Casts in ABT Sylvia
Interesting casting for the ABT Sylvia Thursday night. Gillian Murphy was injured, replaced by not one dancer but three separate casts: Isabella Boylston and Marcelo Gomes as Sylvia and Aminta, respectively in Act I; Maria Kochetkova in Act II; and …
New Baryshnikov Videos
I posted new videos on my YouTube channel focusing on Mikhail Baryshnikov. From the start of his career in the late 1960s at the Kirov Ballet until the 1980s at American Ballet Theatre, Baryshnikov has thrilled crowds in classical ballet roles …
Semionova Out of Met Season;
Center Stage Sequel
Semionova Withdraws from Met Season ABT announced that Polina Semionova has withdrawn from performances at the upcoming ABT Spring Met Season due to a “medical leave.” Sorry to hear the news as Polina is one of my favorites. She was also injured …
Korean Dancers Excel in
VKIBC Competition
South Korean dancers dominated the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition (VKIBC), winning 13 of the 26 awards in the Classical Competition and five of the 20 prizes in the Contemporary Competition (see results on the VKIBC website). I photographed the finals of …