Here's hoping as many of you as possible will post your impressions of Corsaire. Details, please!

I attended Tues. evening's performance. It was wonderful. Paloma and David Hallberg were excellent together. Her spins and jumps were fantastic, but we all knew that already. Her line and extension was gorgeous in the Act II pdd with Hallberg. Hallberg was wonderful, with gorgeous lines and feet. Angel gave his usual bravura account of Ali the Slave. Simkin was outstanding as the bazaar owner Lakadem ( I'm sure I didn't spell that right). His leaps were extraordinary, and he landed so quietly. I can't wait to see him in ohter roles. Yuriko as Gulnare had a beautiful line. However, I thought her turns were a bit out of control. Carlos Lopez was dazzling as the lead pirate. Stella was an odalisque. I guess she is trying to return slowly. I was happy to see her back. Ricetto was another odalisque. (I forgot who was the third.) Victor Barbee's mustache kept falling off. Lots of fun. The balcony was well sold. It looked like there were lots of empty seats in the orchestra.

Isabella Boylston was the 3rd Odalisque

I am so happy to hear that Stella is performing again. Although she was taken out of Giselle again this year, presumably because of her injury, perhaps we can look forward to seeing her dance the title role next year! I've bought tickets for her debut for the last two years!
Angelica

I too have bought tickets for her Giselle debut the last two years, ultimately exchanging them once I became aware she would not be dancing.

I know this may be wishful thinking, but is there anywhere online one can go and see a full cast listing? Even if not in advance, for ticket buying purposes, I'd like to be able to check out what dancers get cast in various roles.

We are birds of a feather. I did the same thing with my Giselle/Stella tickets!
angelica

I'm with you, vipa! I wish we could know casting for these demi-soloist roles... and Isabella Boylston is someone I'd go see, if only I knew!

Just got back from the Wednesday night "Le Corsaire". Everyone was in fine form and this was the "mature" cast. Nina was a radiant, buoyant Medora. No obvious problems but if one remembered her a decade ago in the role then you could tell she had to think about steps and combinations that back then were tossed off with reckless abandon. So there was no loss of form or ability only less bravura and more calculation. Her pirouettes and fouettes were once higher, tighter and faster but they were still clean and fast but you could tell that she had to think about how to sustain them and finish them cleanly instead of just tossing them off.

The other ageless miracle was José Manuel Carreno as Ali who got screaming ovations from the crowd. I only noticed a little less elevation in the jetés but other than that, man for a guy in his early forties he looks and moves like someone a decade younger. He can still do his "slow down/speed up" pirouettes and was fast in his tours a la seconde. Marcelo Gomes had trouble keeping up with him and equaling his bravura and Marcelo is a decade younger! Marcelo not only impressed in his solos but his partnering of Nina in the second act PDD with all the one handed lifts and fish dives and hanging the ballerina over the shoulder head down, etc. - Nina could hurl herself into the acrobatics because of his security, reliability and strength.

Down the line: lovely debut by Sarah Lane as Gulnare with exquisite footwork (little turning jumps on flexed pointes etc. were immaculate) and gorgeous arabesques. Needs to work a little bit on the acting but dancewise close to perfect. Gennadi Saveliev is a great villain and he did his usual revoltades in his Act I solo. Not as high and tight as they were a few years ago but still drew gasps from the crowd. (No one seems to be doing the jumps into deep plié that Vladimir Malakhov used to do, too dangerous?) Lots of Bolshoi bravura and hissable hamming - appropriate here. Craig Salstein went from happy go lucky puckish comedian to snarling villainy as Birbanto. He danced very well with a lot of speed and was quite theatrical and believable. The three Odalisques were Kristi Boone, Simone Messmer and Renata Pavam. Pavam was the Third Odalisque with the solo with the multiple unsupported pirouettes. Pavam just spun like a top and did some the best dancing of the night.

Nice addition to the "Jardin Animé": now that ABT has a school they have little girls and boys for these big numbers like the Kirov has. They added eight little girls with garlands in the front and have four little boys as well. Very nice. Hope they get added to the "Sleeping Beauty" (Hopefully in a new totally restaged version after the original Petipa of 1890).

Little girls and boys were part of Jardin Anime in this production for a long time, if not always..

I just got back from Wednesday night's "Le Corsaire" too.

I was *very* impressed with all those who were featured in leading parts tonight. My favorite of the night, besides Carreno and Lane, was Craig Salstein who was so unbelievably strong, charming in his acting and just astonishing in his brilliant technique. As the 2nd lead pirate, in black tights, Craig's wit, tongue-in-cheek approach to some of the real silliness of this ballet could not have been done better. I usually feel sorry for this pirate role, such a thank-less part.... but not tonight.

Carreno was so damn sexy, sensual, and meaty in his dancing of the slave, it was hard to take your eyes off of him. Carreno has also become one of the very best turners I've ever seen!

Sarah Lane danced the big, 2nd ballerina part. I had forgotten how much beautiful dancing there is for Gulnare. I thought Sarah was completely comfortable with the demands of this role, and Nina, and the guys, all seemed to love having her there with lots of excellent chemistry and acting between them. Saveliev and Gomes were fantastic partners to their respective lead ballerinas.

Nina was as always such fun to watch. It wasn't about polish and perfection at this point in her career, but it was so joyfully contagious to watch her throw herself into steps and partnering moves (and jumps!) that seemed beyond her reach. Nina had such a warm, radiant presence and complete confidence in taking her many risks.

A big thank you also goes to the conductor, David LaMarche, who made the evening so enjoyable.

Just came back from tonight's performance (Wed)

Nina A was in good shape, although you can tell that she is far from where she was a few years ago (which is natural).
Very impressive to see her dancing these pretty tough ballets a her age that well.
A wonderful way to say good bye to her fans in NY after so many years. Brava !

J.M Carreno danced the best Ali I have seen him dacing in the last 3-4 years.
This is another one who seems not to age at all, unbelievable speed in his turns, perfection...just as if he were still in his 20s.

Sarah Lane was just beautiful. Crystal clear dancing, loved her line and her elegant dacing. Wonderful debut. What a bright future does this girl has !!!
Savaliev did a great job and his usual pyrotechniques in this role (not as big as a few years ago, but still pretty impressive as well).

The 3 Odalisques were awasome too.
K Boone looked gorgeous, loved her beautiful legs.
R Pavam stole the show with a serie of multiplte turns (triple), ending the variation with 4 or 5 pirouettes (pretty spectacular !!!!)

Marcelo was as magnificent as he always is.
amazing jumps, acting, and the way he partnered Nina A in their pdd was just incredible.
He held her over his head with just one hand. Her dives were pretty spectacular as well.
She looked real real secure in his hands.

Over all, although i am not big fan of this ballet, it was a beautiful show.

Hi Faux Pas. Danil Simkin did the jumps into deep plie on Tues evening. It reminded me of Malakhov.

Excellent, he's listed in the cast I'm going to see on Sat night!

Hi NYSusan. I'll be there too on Sat evening. Looking forward to seeing you.

I was there on Tuesday night when she danced the third odalisque, and it was nice to see her in the role. She did several beautiful double pirouettes(?), but then she started to look shaky and nervous in the ones towards the end. It almost seemed as if the applause from the audience acted as a distraction and threw her off--I suppose that can happen? In any case, it was nice to see her dancing boldly and taking risks! I must admit I am growing a little tired of Riccetto. I think she's very musical, crisp, and technically gifted, but somehow her performances are starting to seem a bit severe.

I really enjoy the three Odalisques, but I was thinking the other night that I've never really seen a trio in which all three dancers look comfortable and/or cohesive as a group. I wonder why that is the case with these variations??

Also, I am really starting to warm up to Paloma so far this season...her dancing was so radiant and plush in the Tchai pas de deux and she really was lovely in Corsaire--very warm and emotive. I've often found it difficult to connect with her in the past, so this has been a nice surprise.

I attended Thurs night. Steifel was replaced by Angel Corella. Makes you wonder what's up with Steifel, and whether he will make it to Prodigal on Mon. Gillian managed two quadruple turns in her Act II pas de trois. Gillian danced beautifully throughout. I liked Ricetto as Gulnare. Mostly repeat performers from Tues (Simkin, Corella, Hallberg, Lopez). The odalisques were Copeland, Lane and Kajiya. Each danced well, but Copeland and Lane slightly crashed into one another. Attendance was sparse.

I also went to May 27th evening performance.

Just want to add that Graig Salstein was not only great technically, but also very natural, believable Birbanto. What an actor!!

Tempo of the music was notably fast, especially during Pas de Deux a Trois..

During Grotto scene Nina was wearing unusual black-and-fuchsia costume, which I I thought balanced well with colors of the Grotto.

I too attended last night's performance and I very much enjoyed it. I always love David and he was his gorgeous self last night! Daniil was very good, he has some amazing tricks up his sleeve and he turns amazingly. My only problem with him is he looks so small next to everyone else and he was a little weak in the partnering of Gulnare. Riccetto was delightful, such a gorgeous dancer. It made me really want to see her as Medora. Gillian was also very nice, she's not my favorite dancer, but she was very clear and clean and was very lively last night. The odelesque's were very good, I was very impressed with Lane's crispness. Misty and Yuriko held there own, couldn't tell who's fault the messing up of the weave was but both Misty and Yuriko smiled when it happened! A very good performance last night!

Thanks for posting abatt. I had heard something earlier and wondered. I hope Ethan Steifel recovers, I've not seen him dance a full length in a long time. Does anyone know if Herman danced ok on Friday (5/29)?

Yes Herman danced and more than okay. Luckily, Ali really only is dancing in the 2nd act pas de trois, but Herman was wonderful there. Particularly noticeable is the height of his jumps with very little running preparation. Most dancers have to do a big run up to the jeté but Herman rose up shockingly high with almost no prep. Herman did lots of little extra flourishes and his lightness is an asset in this role.

Another returnee from the injured list was Stella Abrera as the second Odalisque. I should have guessed she was dancing since her handsome husband, Sascha Radetsky was in the audience. Stella looked lovely and any rumors as to premature retirement can be laid to rest. The other two odalisques were Maria Riccetto (fine) and Isabella Boylston in the killer third variation with the multiple turns. Boylston did the first two pirouettes fine but seemed not to know how to complete the third, she either couldn't decide whether to do a double or push for a triple and basically seemed to fall out of it awkwardly somewhere in the middle. However she recovered quickly and well.

Xiomara Reyes was a charming Medora who though physically small, danced large and with generous spirit. Xiomara is a very good actress and the enterprising, adventurous Medora was a good fit for her spunky stage persona. Xiomara who has had some injuries in the last couple of season looked as if she was back in top technical shape with only one shaky turn. The rest was scintillating. Misty Copeland also had one off center pirouette but otherwise was charming and delightful as Gulnare. Gennadi's rather Soviet bravura style of dancing and macho, edgy stage personality were a good fit for the character and choreography of Conrad. He added his usual revoltades and other flashy tricks which worked well in this role. Strong partnering skills were also evident. Jared Matthews had a solid outing as Lankendem (he tried a jeté with a split but kind of chickened out of it but did do the jumps into deep plié). Craig Salstein repeated his strongly danced and vivid Birbanto.

I thought I was getting tired of "Le Corsaire" but with this level of dancing it is a fine summer entertainment.

I saw Tuesday and Friday's performances. Jared Matthews did the jumps into deep plié Friday evening, and Herman Cornejo has done them in the past.

David Hallberg danced beautifully Tuesday evening. I enjoyed Paloma Herrara and Yuriko Kajiya's dancing too. As others have pointed out, Daniil Simkin was very impressive as Lankendem.

The corps in the jardin animé was sloppy. The jardin animé was better Friday night, but everyone's shoes were so loud that you could hear, as well as see, that they were not dancing together.

Craig Salstein was wonderful as Birbanto. Gennadi Saveliev danced well too, but when Craig and he danced side by side in the first act, I noticed how little elevation Gennadi has on the smaller jumps. Craig really seems to push off and point his toes on all his jumps while Gennadi does not, which I found puzzling because he has no trouble with elevation in the big jumps.

Craig's acting, as always, only added to his vivid portrayal. His dancing was great throughout.

I enjoyed Xiomara Reyes' performance--her pirouettes were very impressive. She stayed in place for the majority of them, only traveling downstage towards the end.

I need to go to sleep. I'm having trouble putting sentences together.

I attended Thursday night's performance with two friends who are even newer to ballet than me, and we all had a fabulous time!

It was worrisome to hear that Ethan Stiefel is injured, but I have to admit that I was excited to be able to see Angel play the slave again. Angel and Daniil! What a treat!

I agree with Danseur85 that Daniil did look petite (but he had a big personality and stunning tricks!), and I was also struck by how small Lopez looked when standing next to David. But then again, it did make it easy to believe that the rest of the pirate crew would be intimidated by Conrad.

Gillian was solid and very clean and pulled off some amazing fouttes as abatt mentioned, and I enjoyed Maria as Gulnare.

Aside from the small mishap in the weave, did anyone else notice one of the women in yellow in the jardin animé scene step out/fall out on one of the turns and put a hand down? It was very quick and the dancer recovered rapidly--I gasped but my friend didn't notice.

All in all, 'Le Corsaire' may not be one of my favorites, but I agree with FauxPas that it is fine summer entertainment!

The updated casting list for Mon June 1 indicates that Steifel and Wiles are replaced in Prodigal by Corella/Boone. Steifel/Wiles are still listed for Wed evening and Sat matinee for Prodigal.

Thank for the update. I based my Sat. Mat ticket purchase on Steifel in Prodigal -- fingers crossed.

I went last night and had a great time. This will never be my favorite ballet but with ABT's roster of male stars it can be great fun, and last night it was.

First the ballerinas. I've never been a big fan of Maria Riccetto, and last year I was very disappointed in Nina's performances in DQ and SL so I was a little nervous sbout this casting. Riccetto was fine - her dancing lovely as always but as Gulnare she also had a personality and was fun to watch. As others pointed out, Nina was not the Nina of old, but I thought she was lovely as Medora. What a wonderful artist she is, totally believeable and charismatic. Her technique was more than good enough, but then she was partnered with Gomes and what ballerina wouldn't be at her best with him?

The men dazzled - Gomes made something special of Conrad, which can be a thankless role and it was a pleasure to watch him interact with Siimkin, Lopes and Carenno. Carenno has lost a step by now, but was there ever anyone who danced a more virile, less campy Ali? He was wonderful, and Simkin was a wonderful surprise. The youtube clips and gala perfomances made it obvious that he was a phenomenal technician, but it was great to see what a natural, commited actor he is - this guy has the whole package. He also seems to be a decent partner. I didn't feel the nervousness that I usually do when dancers like Cornejo or the young Sarafanov dance a pas de deux. Sarafanov manged to overcome his strength issues and while Siimkin's small stature means that there will always be partnering challenges to overcome he seems to take these responsibilities seriously and IMO is well on his way to becoming a solid partner for ABTs smallest ballerinas.

The Odalesques were Lane, Copeland and Kajiya and all 3 were lovely.

I agree NYSusan - I was there yesterday evening too and what a fun early summer experience. Plus the weather was glorious! We enjoyed a cocktail and some people watching before the performance at the newly revamped Alice Tully Hall. It's a great place to see pre performance or post rehearsal dancers. Saw A. Corella pass by talking on his cell as well as other little bunheads already made up perhaps for the Jardin Anime. As to the performance - yes, LOTS of virility on stage between Carenno and Gomes. And I loved the touches Nina added to her fouettes like the attitude en devant and the girlish holding of the edge of her tutu. Who cares about triples when you have artistry! She seems like a genuinely lovely lady and her warm personality came through during the curtain calls. I really felt as if she was saying goodbye to the NY audience even if this wasn't her final performance of the season.

I was there Saturday night too. Daniil Simkin was a complete joy to watch in every way, and I can't wait to see more of him.

I attended Wed night (Nina A), Friday (Reyes) and Sat Matinee.

The 3 casting were superb.
I already wrote about the Wed night performance so I will go straight to Friday/Sat matinee.

Reyes was a huge surprise for me. I like her because of her musicality and consitency as well as for being quite expressive but she kind of always run short for my taste. Well, not this time.
Her techique was very very sharp with one of the faster and shaper turns i ve seen, clean and perfectly executed.
She did give to the whole ballet a complete different meaning, astonishing beautiful pdd in the second act after the fireworks with Cornejo (despite the fact that Savaliev didnt do a decent job at partnering her, i just dont like him as a partner). Herman was so clean and perfect, it just cant get better than that, cant say enough about him.
I didnt particularly like M. Cooperland, I dont see her dance elegant and classical at all. She always looks fabulous in modern/contemporaty dance but i just dont see her dancing "tutu ballets".

On Saturday matinee, Irina D. just blew me away.
She is so damn talented !! I am really thrilled to see her again in such an amazing shape, havent seen her dancing like this for 2-3 years. Boy, her jetes and extensions were literally Svetlana Zk-like, her technique all over the ballet was top of the line, not to mention the italian fouettes that she executed perfectly and so high in the 3rd act.
She ended them up with a huge balance in a la second which she held for a few seconds, amazing.
In the pas de trois she nailed all the step with perfection and cleaness. She held a few balances in arabesque (real high too). In the pdd, she and Cory looked terrific.
Cory impressed me very very much. His line is so beautiful and his jumps are to die for.
He looked very well in command and secure, partnering Irina perfectly.
Corrella did an amazing Ali, much better and clean than the one he did in the opening night gala.

Irina seems to be back in great shape and decided to dance with such an energy. She also seems to finally be going for that extra in every performance, which in my opinion, is whats been keeping her from the great ones. She def has it all to be there.

Overall, I am quite impressed with the improvement in the dancing, especially the females principals.
I think it may probably be too fast to assume this is due to the arrival of Ratmansky or is it ?

I also attended the Saturday matinee, and I agree with what Classic Ballet has already said. With all the casting changes, I ended up seeing the same "Le Corsaire" cast I saw last year. All the principals (except Jared Matthews) are even better than they were last year. Irina Dvorovenko did have a little bit of trouble during her fouettes. She must have overrotated a bit, and during the first half of the coda, she was wandering all over the place. At one point her head was facing backwards, which I had never seen before during fouettes. But then Irina got herself in gear, and the rest of her fouettes were perfection.

I was really hoping see Herman Cornejo in the role of the bazaar owener, but again I saw Jared Matthews. He was okay, but only just okay. He didn't make any obvious mistakes in his dancing, but he wasn't very exciting. His acting was considerably better than his dancing. Mikhail Ilyin was wonderful, both in his acting and his dancing. He has great leaps and turns, and was a very menancing Birbanto. I really think he should be promoted. Yuriko Kajiya was a really lovely Gulnare. She has wonderful extension, and the best use of her hands I've seen in quite a while. Yuriko was somewhat off in the solo sections of her pas de deux with Lankendem last year, and I am very impressed with her improvement.

Cory Stearns is making great strides forward in the role of Conrad. I also knew he was a good partner, but his solo dancing is getting much stronger. Stearns has great elevation with light soft landings. And he's really having fun with the role of the pirate leader. Last year, he was undoubably nervous, and had to mainly concentrate on his dancing. This year he was a very convincing Conrad, especially when he was letting the other pirates know he was the boss, not Birbanto. And Stearns has obvious chemistry with his partner, Irina Dvorovenko. To me Stearns is too tall for Sarah Lane, and too short for Michele Wiles, but just right for Dvorovenko.

But the highlight of the ballet (as always, for me anyway) was Angel Corella as Ali during the famous slave pas de trois. This is the fifth time I've seen Corella dance the role of Ali. But I think Corella just owns this part. It doesn't seem humanly possible, but Corella just gets better in this part every time I see him dance it. It's not just his scissors leaps, his incredibly fast pirouettes, and especialy those amazing turns a la seconde where he bends his supporitng leg while keeping time to the music. It's the incredible energy and joy of dancing Corella's every step shows. And he did this all while staying in character as Ali the slave.

I got the impression that Dvorovenko's fouettes facing different parts of the stage were intentional--I saw her turn 1 1/4 times until she faced the front again and then she did them straight on. I thought it showed astounding control--a circus, but a tremendous one. Mary

that was on purpose!

If there is one ballet in which it is ok to do 1 1/4 fouettés, I'd say "Le Corsaire" is it.

I didnt talk about Irina's fouettes since I wasnt sure if she did that on purpose or if it was that she had gone off in the middle of them. What really impressed me a lot was how she went back to her initial spot, then did the 1 1/4 turn to face the audience and then how she finished them so strong.
It seemed to me that she was in control about was was going on all the time, she didnt travel the stage or anything, it was a straight move to her right side, then back to initial position.
I thought that even if it wasnt on purpose, just the way she came back was pretty amazing.

Dvorovenko is such a strong ballerina that maybe she did perform the fouettes intentionally. And if it was a mistake, I agree that it was amazing that she got back on track. I don't think the fouettes took away at all from Irina's wonderful performance. I just have never seen fouettes performed that way (and I've been attending the ballet regularly since 1980), so I thought I'd comment on them.