According to Kennedy Center website, ABT is doing the company premiere of Balanchine's Allegro Brillante in Feb,2009 as part of a mix bill. I guess this will be part of an all Tchaikoysky evening that Carbro mentioned in a previous post.This will be another challenge for the ABT ballerinas.Gillian will probably be ideal in the main role . Any other ideas?

I guess I could also see Michele Wiles as the principal woman. I think it was this ballet that Balanchine was quoted in saying "The ballet contains everything I know about classical ballet in 13 minutes." Perhaps it wont be so hard for ABT after all, but most likely not the caliber of other companies...

I think there's different ways to perform the ballerina role in Allegro Brillante. I think even Croce wrote about this, saying it took Farrell to show that AB could be performed as an adagio role. I guess I'd like to see Murphy in it. Wiles will certainly be cast. I only hope they don't dance it so up and down. This role features a lot of tilted, on the edge of a cliff moves. If they look too straight and safe, it's no fun.

I saw Morphoses do AB in London last year. Now that was an interesting performance. Fun? Maybe, but there were also several times I wondered who was going to smack whom (however inadvertantly) during some of that quick partnering. So maybe not as fun for them?

Does anyone know who is staging it? That could be a big factor.

Here is the official announcement:

ALEXEI RATMANSKY TO STAGE ALL-NEW PRODUCTION OF
ON THE DNIEPER FOR AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
2009 SPRING SEASON AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE,
MAY 18-JULY 11, 2009

BALANCHINE/TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR AND
ALL-PROKOFIEV CELEBRATION TO
HIGHLIGHT EIGHT-WEEK SEASON

NINA ANANIASHVILI TO GIVE FINAL PERFORMANCE ON JUNE 27

7:30 P.M. Curtain Time for Monday through Thursday Performances to Begin



American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House, May 18-July 11, was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. Highlighting the engagement will be the World Premiere of an all-new staging of On the Dnieper by Alexei Ratmansky, ABT’s Artist-in-Residence.

Principal Dancers for the engagement will include Nina Ananiashvili, Maxim Beloserkovsky, Roberto Bolle, Jose Manuel Carreño, Angel Corella, Herman Cornejo, Irina Dvorovenko, Marcelo Gomes, David Hallberg, Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy, Xiomara Reyes, Ethan Stiefel, Diana Vishneva and Michele Wiles. Natalia Osipova, a leading soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet, will perform as a guest artist for the Spring season.

Superfund Asset Management, Inc. is the sponsor of American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Metropolitan Opera House season. Saks Fifth Avenue is the Leading Corporate Sponsor of the Costume Fund. J.P. Morgan is the Official Sponsor of Make a Ballet. American Airlines is ABT’s Official Airline. Northern Trust is the Official Sponsor of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. The 2009 Metropolitan Opera House Season is also made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

The 2009 Spring Season will open with a Gala performance featuring ABT’s Principal Dancers on Monday, May 18 at 6:30 P.M. For information on ABT’s Spring Gala, please call the Special Events Office at 212-477-3030, ext. 3239. ABT’s Spring Gala is sponsored Carolina Herrera, Ltd. and Graff.



World Premiere and All-Prokofiev Evening

Alexei Ratmansky, American Ballet Theatre’s Artist-in-Residence, will choreograph an all-new production of Sergei Prokofiev’s On the Dnieper which will receive its World Premiere on Monday evening, June 1 as part of ABT’’s All-Prokofiev Celebration. On the Dnieper will feature sets by Simon Pastukh, costumes by Galina Solovyeva and lighting by Brad Fields. Prokofiev’s score for On the Dnieper was originally commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev and the ballet received its World Premiere in 1932 by the Paris Opera Ballet.

The All-Prokofiev Celebration will also include the Company Premiere of James Kudelka’s Désir and the Revival Premiere of George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son. ABT’s All-Prokofiev Celebration will have eight performances through June 6. Kudelka’s Désir, set to Prokofiev’s Cinderella (Op. 87) and the Waltz Suite (Op. 110), features a scenic concept and lighting by Robert Thomson. The ballet, which will be staged for ABT by Gerard Charles, received its World Premiere on January 31, 1991 by Les Grand Ballets Canadiens.

George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, based on the Biblical parable, will have its Revival Premiere on Monday, June 1, with Ethan Stiefel as The Son and Michele Wiles as The Siren. The ballet premiered as Le Fils Prodigue at the Paris Theatre by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes on May 21, 1929 and was first performed by American Ballet Theatre in 1980. Prodigal Son features a libretto by Boris Kochino, scenery and costumes by Georges Rouault and lighting by Gil Wechsler. The ballet will be staged for ABT by Richard Tanner.

All-Balanchine/Tchaikovsky Evening

George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante will have its first performance of the season on Tuesday evening, May 19 led by Gillian Murphy as part of American Ballet Theatre’s All-Balanchine/Tchaikovsky Spectacular. The program, which will have eight performances through Monday evening, May 25, will also include Balanchine’s Tchiakovsky Pas de Deux, Mozartiana and Theme and Variations.

Allegro Brillante, set to music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 75), received its World Premiere by New York City Ballet on March 1, 1956. Allegro Brillante willl be staged for ABT by Judith Fugate. The ballet will be given its ABT Company on February 17, 2009 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Paloma Herrera and Marcelo Gomes will dance the season’s first performance of Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux on Monday evening, May 19. Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux uses music the composer originally intended for the pas de deux in Act III of Swan Lake and features costumes by Karinska. The ballet was given its World Premiere by New York City Ballet at the City Center of Music and Drama in 1960 and entered the repertoire of American Ballet Theatre in 1979.

The season’s first performance of Balanchine’s Mozartiana, set to Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 4, will be led by Veronika Part and Maxim Beloserkovsky on Tuesday evening, May 19. Staged for ABT by Maria Calegari, Mozartiana features costumes by Rouben Ter-Arutunian and lighting by Mark Stanley. The ballet was given its World Premiere by Les Ballets 1933 at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris on June 7, 1933. Mozartiana received its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House on May 24, 2004.

ABT’s production of Theme and Variations, staged by Kirk Peterson, is set to Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 3 for Orchestra and features costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge and lighting by David K. H. Elliott. Theme and Variations received its World Premiere at New York City Center on November 26, 1947. Peterson’s staging of the ballet received its ABT Company Premiere at City Center, New York on October 22, 2003. Michele Wiles and David Hallberg will lead the cast of Theme and Variations on Tuesday evening, May 19.



Revival Premieres

The 2009 season will include the Revival Premieres of Paul Taylor’s Airs and August Bournonville’s La Sylphide on Monday, June 15. The ballets will be given eight performances through Saturday evening, June 20.

Set to a score by Hermann von Lovenskjold, La Sylphide (The Sylph of the Highlands) is a ballet in two acts and features scenery and costumes by Desmond Heeley and lighting by David K.H. Elliott. The World Premiere of La Sylphide (known as Sylphiden) was given by the Royal Danish Ballet at the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen on November 28, 1836 with Lucile Grahn and August Bournonville. Last performed by ABT in 2000, the ballet received its ABT premiere in 1964 with choreography by Harald Lander, from the original by Bournonville. ABT’s second production of La Sylphide, with choreography by Bournonville, restaged by Erik Bruhn, was given its first performance in July, 1971. Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo will lead the cast of the Revival Premiere of La Sylphide.

Paul Taylor’s Airs, set to music by George Frederic Handel (Concerto Grossi in G, Op. 3), features designs by Gene Moore and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. Airs received its World Premiere by the Paul Taylor Dance Company in 1978 and its ABT Company Premiere in 1981. Airs, last performed by ABT in 1999, will be staged by Susan McGuire.



Full-Length Ballets

American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 season will include performances of five full-length ballets beginning with Le Corsaire on Tuesday evening, May 26.

With choreography by Konstantin Sergeyev after Marius Petipa, and staging by Anna-Marie Holmes after Petipa and Sergeyev, Le Corsaire features music by Adolphe Adam, Cesare Pugni, Léo Delibes, Riccardo Drigo and Prince Oldenbourg. Based on the Lord Byron poem “The Corsair” (1814), the ballet has sets and costumes by Irina Tibilova with additional costume designs by Robert Perdziola. Paloma Herrera and David Hallberg will lead the seasons first performance of Le Corsaire. The ballet will be given seven performances through Saturday evening, May 30.

Eight performances of Giselle will he performed beginning Monday, June 8 with Julie Kent in the title role dancing opposite Marcelo Gomes as Albrecht. Set to music by Adolphe Adam and orchestrated by John Lanchbery, Giselle is staged by Kevin McKenzie with choreography after Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa. The two-act ballet features scenery by Gianni Quaranta and costumes by Anna Anni. This production, with scenery by Quaranta and costumes by Anni, was created for the film Dancers in 1987.

Eight performances of Swan Lake, choreographed by Kevin McKenzie after Marius Petipa, will be given beginning Monday, June 22 with Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky leading the opening night cast. Swan Lake is set to the score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and features scenery and costumes by Zack Brown and lighting by Duane Schuler. This production of Swan Lake premiered on March 24, 2000 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Nina Ananiashvili will give her final performance with American Ballet Theatre in the role of Odette/Odile opposite Angel Corella as Prince Siegfried on Saturday evening, June 27.

Sir Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia, will be given seven performances, June 29 through July 4. Gillian Murphy and Maxim Beloserkovsky will dance the leading roles at the season’s first performance. A ballet in three acts, Sylvia is set to music by Léo Delibes and features costumes and scenery after original designs by Robin and Christopher Ironside. Additional designs for the revival of Sylvia are by Peter Farmer and lighting is by Mark Jonathan.

The World Premiere of the original production of Sylvia was given by The Royal Ballet on September 3, 1952 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, danced by Margot Fonteyn (Sylvia), Michael Somes (Aminta), John Hart (Orion) and Alexander Grant (Eros). The United States Premiere of this original production was given by the Sadler’s Wells (now The Royal Ballet) on September 29, 1953 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Sylvia received its American Ballet Theatre Company Premiere at

the Metropolitan Opera House, New York on June 3, 2005, danced by Gillian Murphy (Sylvia), Maxim Beloserkovsky (Aminta), Herman Cornejo (Eros) and Marcelo Gomes (Orion). The ballet is staged for ABT by Christopher Newton.

The final week of American Ballet Theatre’s eight week season at the Metropolitan Opera House will feature eight performances of Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet beginning Monday evening, July 6 with Diana Vishneva in the title role of Juliet. Set to the music of Sergei Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet features scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis and lighting by Thomas Skelton. The ballet received its World Premiere by The Royal Ballet in London on February 9, 1965 and was given its ABT Company Premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House on April 22, 1985.



ABTKids

ABTKids, American Ballet Theatre’s annual one-hour introduction to ballet, is scheduled for Saturday matinee, May 30 at 11:30am. All tickets for ABTKids are $25. The ABTKids performance is generously supported through an endowed gift from Thomas and Lydia West, in loving memory of Vivian B. West.



ABTKids Workshop Series

ABTKids Workshop Series, activity-based programs led by ABT Teaching Artists, are available to ABTKids ticket holders only on Saturday, May 30 (9:30 am) and to matinee ticket holders on Saturday, June 30 (11:00 am). Saturday workshops will be held in the rehearsal studios of the Metropolitan Opera House. Tickets to the workshops are $20 per person. For tickets and more information on ABTKids Workshop series, please call 212-419-4321.

Subscriptions for American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House are on sale now by phone at 212-362-6000, or online at ABT’s website www.abt.org <http://www.abt.org> .



The Balanchine-Tchaikovsky Spectacular is generously sponsored through an endowed gift from Monica, Stefano, Cosima and Tassilo Corsi. Theme and Variations is generously underwritten through an endowed gift from Mr. and Mrs. John C. Sites, Jr.

The World Premiere of On the Dneiper is made possible by the generous support of The Ross Stretton Choreography Workshop Fund.

ABT’s performances of Le Corsaire are generously sponsored through an endowed gift from Irene and Fred Shen.

Giselle is generously supported through an endowed gift from Anka K. Palitz, in memory of Clarence Y. Palitz, Jr.

Sylvia is generously sponsored through an endowed gift from Ruth and Harold Newman. The ballet is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.

Swan Lake is generously underwritten by The Rosh Foundation.

ABT’s production of Romeo and Juliet is generously underwritten through an endowed gift from Ali and Monica Wambold.

CA, Inc. is a Sponsor of ABT’s Family Initiatives.

I noticed that in Giselle this year, Julie Kent is dancing with Marcelo Gomes. I'm looking forward to this one. Last year Marcelo was partnered w. Paloma, which was less than ideal. I guess Swan Lake must be a real cash cow, since ABT has performed it every year at the MET for at least the last 10 years.

Some casting suggestions for the TBA slots in the calendar: Veronika Part as the Siren in "Prodigal Son" - not much allegro as I remember, I think this could work for her. The other suggestion: Maria Bystrova as Myrtha in "Giselle".

great casting... veronika part and roberto bolle!

Siren would be an interesting role for Dvorovenko. She actually did this role a few years ago (with Jose Carreno, I think) when ABT did Prodigal at City Center, but I missed it. The cast I saw had Paloma as the Siren (and Angel as a very good Prodigal Son). In my opinion, that role did not suit Paloma. Siren would also be a good role for Stella.

I see from the (almost complete Spring) casting on ABT's site (early this year!!!) that Osipova's Giselle is with Stiefel and her two Sylphides are with Hallberg. Very good choices by Mr. McKenzie.

Thanks drb. I didn't realize that virtually all the casting was up on the website.

A lot of interesting casting! Herrera/Hellberg for Corsaire. Part/Bolle in Swan Lake!!!! Vishneva (debuting?) in Sylvia. And, whoa, Cory Stearns making his debut as Romeo opposite Irina! Seems he's being given a lot to do next spring...

Part/Bolle may be one of the most, if not the most, beautiful couples dancing SL nowadays !!!
gorgeous, cant wait for this !!!

I really hope Osipova is given the empty spot in Le Corsaire.
Too bad we cant see her Kitri, so it would be nice to see her doing medora.

I'd love to see a Part/Gomes R&J.

Part/Gomes just might be a cast to get me in to a MacM R&J. Just might.

Actually Medora was one of Part's last new assignments at the Mariinsky. Now Kevin would never give her anything but the Third Odalisque but I bet if she can handle Odile respectably then "Corsaire" wouldn't faze her in the Pas de Trois.

I, too, would love to see a Part-Gomes or Part-Bolle R&J. However, since there are a lot of overhead lifts, I think that works against casting very tall women like Part in this ballet.

The other factor is that Part is a woman, Juliet is a teenaged girl who becomes a woman overnight. Part could never convince as a teenager. Melissa Thomas as Juliet perhaps or Melanie Hamrick? Zhong-Jing Fang! With Corey Stearns or Alexandre Hammoudi as Romeo.

Part/Gomes would be a superb cast for R&J as well as "Le Corsaire"
I would love to see them in giselle.
Many people wonder why isnt she getting any opportunities with ABT.
True she is had some in the past, but not the proper ones and also they have been very few.
its very sad....

according to irina and max's site, irina's dancing two r&j's with bolle instead of julie kent, plus one performance together in los angeles. i wonder if julie's not dancing r&j at all... really disappointed not to see her.

I recently checked Diana Vishneva's website. She has listed her upcoming performances. w. ABT at the Met's Spring Season. The dates seemed to be in agreement with the info published on ABT's own calendar. The only additional info. is that Vishneva lists an appearance at the Opening Night Gala, and also on the June 1 program. Since she and Ratmansky are friendly, she will probably be in his new ballet for ABT.

Hi. There is some new casting info on the ABT website for the Spring Met season. Among the things I noticed are that Veronika is doing 2 perf. of La Sylphide (w. Cory as her partner), Hee Seo is doing Juliet w. Cory, and Xiomara and Genadi are listed as the leads for one Corsaire. Kristi Boone is doing Siren. Nina is doing Giselle w. Gomes. Irina is doing R&J w. Bolle- 2 perf. Also, Gillian and David are getting 2 perf. of R&J. I'm surprised that Sarah Lane isn't listed for any leading roles. Just one or two T&V in the beginning of the season. Vishneva's partner for R&J is Gomes. Looks like Corella is heading out of town after his Swan Lake w. Nina. His involvement w. ABT seems to diminish every year.

GREAT for Hee Seo. Totally deserving. Hip-hip Hooray!

A Hee Seo Juliet is tempting, and a Part La Sylphide is unmissable. I hope she does a Shandorf type not-quite-so innocent interpretation.

Also noticed that Copeland and Matthews are down for 2 Tchai Pas, on the same days as the first 2 Lane/Cornejo performances of T&V. And a favorite corpsman of mine, Alexandre Hammoudi is now listed as Orion in the Hererra/Gomes cast of Sylvia.

Oh, my aching wallet!!!

Also noticeable is that Herman Cornejo seems to be Ali in the Xiomara/Gennadi "Le Corsaire" - the listing of the many bravura male supporting roles can be confusing but he seems to be in the Ali spot there.

That second Lane/Cornejo T&V is now Kajiya/Stearns (seems like Cory will be partnering everyone in the spring); Sarah and Herman will do the last performance of T&V.

Now this is a performance I got to SEE!!
Have those two every danced together in a large scale ballet like Giselle or Swan Lake before?? I've always felt they would be a perfect match



Yes I've noticed that as well. :

Carreno's schedule shows only three performances: two Corsaires and one Giselle.

While I'm thrilled that McKenzie is bringing back a full-length Ashton ballet...why did it have to be Sylvia??

I'll be honest I simply don't care for the ballet. For me it's so boring and uninteresting. It feels like a patch-work that was never fully completed nor realized. If ABT was going to bring back Ashton...then why not bring back his sublime La Fille Mal Gardee?? What a beautifully charming ballet. The staging was wonderful. The critics like it. If I remember correctly it was a favorite with the audience. And it was pretty clear the dancers simply enjoyed performing it. And when the dancers are seen to be enjoying themselves...it makes the ballet experience just that much more exciting.

Currently ABT has a truck load of dancers who could bring magic to the roles of Colas and Lise. I would love to see Corella and Reyes once again dancing those parts. Love to see Herman Cornejo and Sarah Lane. Oh there is just so many dancer partners to pick from!!

Maybe next season!

Nina and Gomes did Swan Lake together last year; Nina replaced an injured Vishneva.

Why does ABT keep casting Kajiya in things like Ballo & T&V? In my opinion her Ballo was a total misrepresentation of the ballet and her Y&V was not very good. I like her in other roles but am puzzled by continued casting in these roles. These ballets deserve better!

My thoughts exactly. She is a lovely romantic dancer and there are many roles in the ABT rep that I'd like to see her attempt - but she is definitely NOT an allegro ballerina and she doesn't have the manner needed for T&V - she trivializes t. I will never figure out ABT's casting policies...

I can't understand why P. Herrera isn't doing T&V. She has done T&V in prior years, so the role is not new to her. Regarding the post above concerning the reduction in Carreno's performances, I would guess that since he is now in his mid forties (I think), he simply cannot perform as much as he used to. In fact, I'm a little surprised he has not yet retired. With Corella, he has reduced his appearances with ABT because he has other engagements and priorities (his own company). Nevertheless, I'm still very happy we can see him here in NYC, even if his number of appearances here has diminished.

according to wikipedia, he is not yet 40.

I think wikipedia may be wrong. In an article in the NY Times dated May 21, 2006, John Rockwell stated that Jose Carrreno was turning 39 that week. If my math is correct he will turn 42 in May 2009. My bad. I should have said early 40s instead of mid 40s.

and of course that would be if rockwell were correct at the time!

It now appears that Natalia Osipova’s performances with ABT this spring may be jeopardized by the powers that be at her home company. The Bolshoi has just released its Kennedy Center schedule listing Osipova for two evening performance of “Corsaire”, on June 17th and 20th. Her dates for ABT’s “La Sylphide” are June 17 and 19 (also evening), and these have been set since September. So appearances in New York and D.C. would seem to be mutually exclusive. According to Osipova’s interview with Moscow critic Tatiana Kuznetsova (given at the end of October and published on balletfriends.ru http://forum.balletfriends.ru/viewtopic.php?p=67756#67756 on Jan 29, 2009) both the outgoing and the incoming Bolshoi administrations (Ratmansky and Burlaka) were aware of and had expressly approved her ABT engagement, so is this simply a casting oversight or something else? Can anyone shed light on this situation?

It may look that way, but technically not; Corella is doing the same amount of performances during the Met season as he's done for the last three years, but not the same variety of roles. It all has to do with scheduling his time between his company in Spain, and the demands of ABT. His guest appearances with ABT in London this month and next (but not elsewhere with ABT) are probably for the same reason: London's proximity to Spain and his company. BTW: It would have been VERY tight for him to do that R&J with Vishneva on the 6th, and then get back to Spain for his company's second major debut in La Bayadere at Barcelona's Liceu Theatre July 9-11. I saw how involved he was with their rehearsals last August before the Madrid debut, and am sure it's the same now. (And I believe he's scheduled to dance Solor opening night.)

I've got my fingers cross that if she's dancing in DC on the 17th that she can take the Metroliner to NYC for the performance on the 19th, and then return to DC on the 20th for the "Corsaire". It's not a very long train ride.

Funny thing about T&V--which was originally created for Alonso, who was, indeed a great Romantic dancer and also classicist. T&V in 1947, when it was created, had a much softer look (something that was missing with Kirkland). It was years before I saw that look again in a performance by Asylmuratova. I did see Kajiya's T&V and I am looking forward to seeing her again this season in the role, and watching her develop. I hope she doesn't loose the softness; the 'manner' will come with maturity.

I've never seen Alonso live but videos show a very accomplished technician. Her Black Swan variation was pretty flashy for the day. I've studied with teachers who danced with Alonso, and they admired her ability to be classical & romantic but also her technique. Yes T&V is about style, and presentation but it is also about using the choreography to express that style and presentation. Kajiya fell short as did A Stafford in NYCB in presenting the ballet. Cynthia Gregory did a wonderful T&V with a softer quality, Kirkland had more attack, but both did the choreography. Frankly I am not looking for an improved "manner" with Kajiya, I am looking for the steps.

I looked at the brochure that ABT mailed out a few months ago. The ABT brochure had listed Osipova for Sylphide on Sat June 20 at 8PM. On the ABT website she is presently listed for Sylphide on Fri June 19 (as well as June 17). Based on her conflicting June 17 dates, it appears there will be even more Osipova casting changes.

I would imagine that Osipova is contractually obligated to fulfill her ABT dates, since unlike the Bolshoi they are not in the habit and probably can't afford to make principal casting changes unless an injury forces them to (as was the case with Vishneva's appearances last spring). As Helene pointed out, it's feasible for Osipova to dance Corsaire in D.C. on the 20th, although 3 full-lengths in 4 days is really tough going...

As far as I know, when in September Osipova received Ratmansky’s permission to accept ABT's offer, she was told that Bolshoi would probably need her for one or two last Le Corsaires and kindly asked ABT to move her La Sylphide from June 20 to June 19 to make it possibile to join the Bolshoi in Washington.

I would love to see Misty Copeland do Tchai Pas! It needs a little firecracker like her!

Well, the Osipova casting difficulty seems to be ever-changing, but still has not been solved. The Bolshoi website eliminated the originally posted Kennedy Center casting a few days ago. Now, the new casting on the Bolshoi website lists Osipova performing in Le Corsaire on June 19 and June 21. As noted above, on ABT's website, Osipova is still listed for Sylphide on June 17 and June 19. Thus, unless Osipova is planning on cloning herself, the Bolshoi's new casting does not solve the problem. Why is this so difficult for them!?

I agree, it's frustrating – especially because ABT's subscriber priority exchange week ends on Saturday. However since the Bolshoi went so far as to take down the old casting and replace it with a new schedule this time the fault may not lie with them. They now have Osipova performing with them on the 19th and 21st so it's possible that ABT will reschedule her 6/19 performance for one earlier in the week. If that's the case I just wish ABT would straighten it out on their calendar so I can make my last ticket exchange!

By the way, I thought the lines for ticket exchange were considerably shorter than they've been in the past and I was able to get good seats for everything I wanted. Mostly performances that feature Osipova, Nina, Vishneva or Part. That doesn't bode well for the box office - I remember being frustrated at not having good seats available for Nina and Vishneva in recent seasons.

Hi NY Susan. Not only does subscriber priority end on Saturday, but according to the subscription materials, subscribers are not permitted to exchange any tickets from April 5 through April 11. Single ticket sales only during that week. By the way, I checked Osipova's website, and she lhas the same dates for ABT that ABT's own website indicate (June 13 (Giselle) and June 17, 19 (Sylphide). See you soon at the ballet!

It seems very possible that "La Sylphide" of June 19 may be cancelled. But since ABT is on tour in London the information is just being late.