ABT City Center (and Bard) Casting - thoughts?

So the bulk of the American Ballet Theatre fall season casting for City Center just went up online.  Thoughts? Gripes? Cheers?  

Here it is:

Don't let Aspen Santa Fe get lost in your October plans

There are a lot of great dance and classical music events happening the week of October 16th-21st in New York City, including the pitifully short ABT fall "season" at City Center.  

Nevertheless, please don't let that week go by without catching Aspen Santa Fe Ballet at the Joyce Theater.  The last time they were in town, they knocked me out with their athletic grace, strong technique and confidence - and presented some of the most interesting contemporary ballet choreography and clean execution I had seen in quite a while.  

Some overdue (sigh) and under-elaborated applause

So I totally fell down on the job blogging during ABT Met season...and pretty much about everything fun I've done since.  Lots of notes, thoughts, floating around in my brain that still need to get put down on "paper"...hopefully I'll be struck with some inspiration soon.  Sometimes I have a nagging feeling that blogging about life takes the life out of my experiences, and I just don't want to share.  I'll be seeing every ABT performance at City Center in October (I got a little swept up in the moment when my friend suggested that insanity) - so I'm hoping to be back up and running before then.

A few under-elaborated thoughts to tide you over - 10+ positive things that have stayed with me now almost 8 weeks removed from ABT Met season 2012:

It's about damn time.

Curtain Call for Seo/Hammoudi
Romeo and Juliet, June 2012

American Ballet Theatre has FINALLY promoted Alex Hammoudi to soloist, and as long-expected, Hee Seo to principal.

Congratulations to both!

Here's the link to the official announcement.

Hammoudi's Romeo debut earlier this season was really touching - he'll need to clean up a few of the steps, but his acting far exceeded expectations and was one of the most honest and romantic performances I've seen in a long time.  So proud of him!

I'll keep my thoughts on ABT's chronic highway robbery of Stella Abrera (mostly) to myself.

Way to bury the lead....

Yes, I have been quite delinquent in blogging about the American Ballet Theatre performances I've seen the past few weeks.  I'll get there - still forming my thoughts a bit.  

HOWEVER, in case anyone missed it buried at the end of the exciting Ratmansky/ShostakovichABT news item today (3 new 1-act ballets), ABT's NY City Center "season" has been reduced from the shameful six days last fall to now only FIVE days this year (October 16th-20th).  And, it's the same week the wonderful Aspen Santa Fe Ballet is coming to the Joyce Theater.

How I miss the 2-3 week fall seasons that ABT used to do when I first moved to NYC not that long ago.  That's where so many of ABT's non-principal, non-guest artists have their chance to shine - and where ABT gets to show off its contemporary strengths.  Is Kevin McKenzie just not a fan of this genre of ballet?  Because without it, in my opinion ABT's relevance is greatly weakened, and so many of its dancers wasted.

City Center is where I first came to love dancers like Stella Abrera, Marian Butler, Alex Hammoudi, Nicole Graniero, Skylar Brandt, Kristi Boone, and so many more.  City Center is where I fully appreciate the talents of Gillian Murphy, and further fall in love with Marcelo Gomes, Julie Kent, Simone Messmer, Misty Copeland and Herman Cornejo.  

I understand that City Center is an expensive theater for ABT - but there have to be better solutions than limiting the run to 5 days.  

Well, just another reason ABT is making me sad in 2012, I guess.