Is there any promotions coming? NYCB seems more generous with promoting dancers than ABT. Was it 2 or 3 years ago when the last group of corp members were promoted?

ABT's pattern has been to promote (and announce) over the course of the year, one at a time. I don't think there's any fixed date.

Cabro, I think that is true in general, but if I remember correctly, a group of corps people became soloists in Aug. 2007 - Boone, Lane, Copeland, Kajiya and maybe some others.

My feeling is that NYCB can carry a principal heavy company more easily than ABT because of their respective reps. NYCB can have a number of principal roles every evening. ABT because of the number of full length ballets, has fewer principal roles in general. Even now they end up with principals getting 1 or 2 shots at say Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty in NY.

I wouldn't think anybody is being promoted to principal before 2011 (that's not a suggestion that anybody would be in 2011). I think Hee Seo will be promoted to soloist in the first half of 2010. Simone Mesmer wants to be promoted, but I think Hee Seo will surely be promoted before, or concurrently with, her (not that I think Mesmer will be promoted).

Apart from the case of Hallberg, whom to bypass would be like not being able to see Mt. Rainier when the sun is out, I wouldn't bet the mortgage on what Mr. Mackenzie is thinking at any time.

I think Cory Stearns will be the next soloist to be promoted to principal. He is carrying the workload of a principal.