Departures from ABT...

So ABT finally updated its website and along with a few previously-known departures there are some other faces missing today:

Principals

Irina Dvorovenko - retired in June, still gorgeous and a wonderful actress.  Here's hoping she keeps popping up on the New York stage.

Natalia Osipova - not sure what the official story is here, but I for one thank the Royal Ballet for spiriting her across the pond.  It's probably too much to hope for that she won't be guesting next season and real opportunities will finally go to Stella, Sarah and Yuriko, but I'll keep my fingers crossed anyway.  

Soloists

Simone Messmer - we knew it was coming, but it doesn't make her understandable move to San Francisco any less sad for New York audiences.  I suspect she will be especially missed during the fall repertory season.

Corps

Roddy Doble - don't have any official word on this but a while back I'd heard he was off to the Boston Ballet for better growth opportunities. 

Mikhail Ilyin

Vitali Krauchenka

Renata Pavam

Anyone know anything about these departures?  Vitali in particular I thought was dancing quite well this Met season....

Let him lead.

Working 15 hour days doesn't leave much room for ballet blogging. But Jared Matthews was such a wonderful leading man in his debut Aminta in ABT's Sylvia Wednesday night, I'd be remiss if I didn't shout it to the blogosphere before his newly scheduled second performance at the Saturday matinee with Gillian Murphy.  

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet at the Joyce (Friday, May 10, 2013)

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet is one of my favorite companies around.  They are consistently the most rehearsed, most athletic, committed and talented crews I have the pleasure of watching.  The majority of their pieces are well costumed and expertly lit, and always have a loud signature.

Dance Theatre of Harlem in NY this week

So with all the focus on ABT going to the Kennedy Center this week I totally forgot that Dance Theatre of Harlem is performing at the Rose Theatre (Jazz at Lincoln Center) starting tonight in NYC.  Well luckily that pesky facebook feed reminded me and I'm definitely going to check it out this weekend.  You should too!

http://dthny.businesscatalyst.com/company/ny-season

And the open spots go to....Denis Matvienko

When Haglund reported last week that David Hallberg had been pulled from a few spots opposite Gillian Murphy in Don Quixote and Le Corsaire at ABT's met season, I had a strong feeling that McKenzie was making room for last year's guest partner for Murphy - Denis Matvienko.  And when news broke this morning that  he got "fired in Kiev", I was sure.  And yes, he's now in fact showing up in the ABT calendar in all three spots, with the open DonQ with Semionova going to the odder choice of Cory Stearns.  Oh well, I guess home-town soloist Sascha Radetsky was too much to hope for.  At least I liked Matvienko with Murphy last year - here's hoping he brings a little more oomph to New York this time around.

Some relieving ABT updated Met season casting

In the wake of the news earlier this week that a number of the open principal roles for American Ballet Theatre's spring season at the Met went to visiting male dancers from the Royal Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet, as wonderful as they may prove to be, I was getting less and less optimistic about the future of some of ABT's homegrown dancers.  However, in some happy turn of events some additional casting went up on the website today that made me take a big sigh of relief: