Hallberg Out For ABT Met Season
ABT announced today that David Hallberg is injured and will not dance in the Met season starting in May. The press release said that the withdrawal allows him “…to focus on his recovery from recent injuries” mentioning his August foot surgery. At the time, he said that he planned to return a few months after surgery, which seemed ambitious. From the press release: “It is with great regret that I must cancel the ABT Spring season, but my complete recovery is of utmost importance,” said Hallberg. “I greatly look forward to when I am back on stage and ready to dance with ABT once again.”
He had a heavy schedule planned, with 13 performances. Mariinsky Principal Dancer Vladimir Shklyarov will replace David in Giselle while Mikhailovsky Principal Dancer Leonid Sarafanov will replace David in La Bayadère and Sleeping Beauty.
Ballet San Jose May Close
Sarah Kaufman of the Washington Post reports that Ballet San Jose, led by former ABT Principal Dancer José Manuel Carreño, may shut down due to financial problems. José, who took over as Artistic Director in September 2013, announced that the company will fold if it doesn’t raise $550,000 by March 14.
CEO Alan Hineline, who was hired in 2014, said he and Carreno inherited a “wrecking ball” of debt. Carreno said he knew the troupe had money problems, but grooming dancers and designing imaginative ways to reach the audience was a great draw.
“I always considered it would be a challenge, but was a great opportunity,” Carreno said in a telephone interview from San Jose. “I love the dancers. That’s why I haven’t given up. It’s a joy. I really enjoy what I’m doing, planning programs, rehearsing, teaching, coaching. I feel almost like I’ve still continued dancing.”
Sarah has interesting comments on the situation from Michael Kaiser, the former Kennedy Center president who directs the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland.