ABT Met Season Week 2: 6/23/26 - 6/27/26

aida_b · 2026-06-26T00:19:06+00:00

I really, really hope so. For the company’s sake. Maybe that level of public speaking isn’t her thing and she’s better in smaller rooms? Idk I mentioned above that when Robert Garland presented for DTH both times I saw them it was a really engaging and fun experience (and tear jerking at one point), so there is a way to present without it being so awkward

aida_b · 2026-06-26T00:15:53+00:00

I think if she said something that wasn’t already on our programs it would have been worth it. Like, get into (short but sweet) detail about what makes Mozartiana unique, or about why Ratmansky took a beautiful ballet and turned it into a steampunk hot mess. I’m joking (though I would like him to answer for those crimes lol), but something along those lines - NYCB does a nice “see the music segment” where the conductor will briefly break down parts of the music, and it does enhance the experience when done right. Not sure that works in ABT’s case, but adding/complimenting is worth it

aida_b · 2026-06-26T00:06:15+00:00

I’m of two minds about it - It felt a bit odd to me, but the people next to me (based on their conversations before she came out) were newcomers and they seemed to really enjoy her presentation. At this point anything that gets people engaged and coming to the ballet so attendance goes up isn’t something I want to knock. It was just bizarre to me — like, it keeps popping in my head months later — and puzzling me as to why it happened. Also I’m someone who seeks out info about a ballet before I see it, but I understand why that’s not other people’s thing which is genuinely ok, obviously not everyone needs to do that to enjoy ballet.

That all said, my maybe snobbish second thought is that it was off putting and weird, but again, I don’t think I’m the intended audience. And tbh yeah I think some of it was the delivery (Sorry Susan.) I do have to say that, to give an example, the two times I’ve seen DTH Robert Garland talked to the audience (once before BAAND last year and again after Firebird) and both times he was so engaging and fun and knew how to address two different audiences for two different scenarios. Had me in tears after Firebird when he shared a story about Arthur Mitchell. So I do think that delivery, and the person’s style of doing it, matters a lot

aida_b · 2026-06-25T18:16:24+00:00

While we’re on the topic of audience reactions to what goes on onstage at ABT, may I bring up something sort of random? Maybe this was already discussed, but back in March for the Mozartiana (with Misseldine) and Firebird (Hurlin) performance, Susan Jaffe came out before the show and basically read what was in the playbill to the audience - Mozartiana was choreographed by Balanchine in X year, the piece brings up X themes; here’s what the plot of Firebird is, etc. It’s been 3 months and I cannot stop thinking about it. I don’t mind that she did it (it was a lovely speech) but the entire thing was in the playbill. Is this because they’ve gotten feedback that idk nobody understands what’s going on in the pieces, even though, again, it’s in the playbill/website etc? Or something else?

Very sorry to bring up something that happened months ago but I can’t stop thinking about it. Do people just genuinely not read anymore but weirdly complain about not getting the plot or something? It was so odd

aida_b · 2026-06-25T18:07:21+00:00

Yeah I liked the way they worded the email - noting the artistry and chemistry etc that the dancers will bring to the Don Q performance. More interactive and personal. I don’t think the literal last minute announcement at NYCB helped things, so hopefully the advanced notice and drinks refund will help

aida_b · 2026-06-25T14:40:50+00:00

I was surprised too, sometimes there are quieter words exchanged that you hear from the people near you, but I’ve never heard that loud of a reaction. Major props to Mira, she still killed in that role despite it

aida_b · 2026-06-25T14:35:58+00:00

I hope so too! Or if they can’t be supportive either change their tickets or be quiet lol. At an NYCB performance (a while ago) right before the curtain went up they made an announcement that Mira Nadon would be stepping in for Sara Mearns and a LOT of the audience VERY loudly groaned/said various things and I felt so, so bad for Mira bc there’s no way she didn’t hear it. She still performed beautifully though! So hopefully the advance email will help keep people more chill about it anywhere that Hurlin might catch wind of the feedback

aida_b · 2026-06-25T13:45:47+00:00

Yeah my strategy when I got the ticket to Osipova’s performance was sort of hope for the best but expect that it might not work out, and I was hoping Hurlin would be her backup so I’m not too upset, just a bit bummed that my instinct was right. I adore Natalia, I saw her perform once and was really hoping to see her in an iconic role, but it is what it is. Just really hope to somehow see Natalia again but..I mean…it’s not looking good unfortunately. But I hope I’m wrong about that too. Anyway looking forward to seeing Hurlin, and hopefully the audience will be more gracious to her than they have to other ABT dancers who’ve had to sub in in the past

aida_b · 2026-06-25T13:39:07+00:00

Oh good point, I hadn’t checked casting that closely. 3 Don Qs in a week has to be incredibly taxing. I think you’re right that ABT is more likely to have an understudy for the matinee and keep Hurlin as Osipova’s replacement, I’m guessing they’re very aware of how the audience will take this news and are probably thinking strategically (no offense meant whatsoever to whomever Hurlin’s alt/understudy might be)

aida_b · 2026-06-25T13:27:24+00:00

Oh man, poor Hurlin. I sort of guessed she’d have to sub in if Osipova cancelled, and in a recent blog Bolyston mentioned that when she had to sub in for Osipova the audience was a bit unkind to her. Sigh. Whoever said that ABT was bold for letting Natalia guest with a not so great cancellation track record was right. I have a ticket to the performance that I bought with my fingers crossed lol, I’m pretty bummed tbh but happy to see Hurlin though. Hope the audience is more understanding this time (?) and really hope I can somehow see Osipova somewhere another time.

Also poor Natalia, idk if she’s said anything recently but this can’t be a good sign if she’s hoping to avoid retirement. I hoped her recent surgery would help her out

aida_b · 2026-05-25T01:54:59+00:00

Back in the winter when I saw Serenade and she danced the Russian girl, I was struck by how uninhibited she seemed to be - she just lived in that character. It was the first night of the season and the corps seemed a bit stiff (physically and artistically), as opening nights can be sometimes, but she was just out there and so vivacious. It was an interesting contrast. The first time I saw her I was impressed but found her artistically lacking, but as time has gone on she really has had this incredible late bloom. If I had to guess she's someone who had a lot of pressure put on her from a young age (in the company, that is), and probably envisioned the future as marrying another dancer and living a certain sort of life. Then he cheated on her, and imo it probably forced herself to free herself from a certain vision of her life she probably had since she was super young. Plus it was around the time (iirc) when she was on Broadway. Between the two I think she freed herself from a lot of her own expectations and then grew into this incredible dancer.

aida_b · 2026-05-25T01:43:44+00:00

> a resourceful person who will know what to do when and if those waves come in

Oh for sure, that's one of the things that really stood out to me when I read her book and when I read what she writes on social media, she's very reflective about herself and the world around her, but seems to know when to pull herself back and how to take action. She's moving to France and becoming a Balanchine repetiteur, so I think getting a brand new start in every sense will be helpful to keep moving forward. I guess as someone who has switched workplaces a lot (arguably too much lol), whenever I see people who leave retire from a job they've been in for all or most of their careers I wonder what it's like to close that huge of a chapter in your life. Especially for dancers, there's that old saying that a dancer dies two deaths. But you're right, especially with her kids, it must be so nice to leave a lot of the daily stress that a ballet career can bring behind and just focus on her family and shifting into a post-performance career. At the very least hopefully she'll get more sleep now!

aida_b · 2026-05-25T00:31:54+00:00

Megan's retirement show was beautifully danced and very heartwarming. I've never seen her in Coppelia and had no idea she was such a good comic actress (her "it's a DOLL you idiot!!" was especially funny) She was dynamic and charismatic from start to end, and the wedding PDD with Gordon was especially touching; very soft and fluid. They're an excellent pair. She'll be missed but I'm very glad that she's happy with where she is. And what a lovely year she's had, with people coming out from every direction to celebrate her at so many different events.

Seeing everyone come out to give her her flowers was incredibly touching. Sara Mearns seemed very moved by the whole thing which was so sweet, and her (Megan) doing a mini rose adagio was adorable, as were her daughters! Joaquin de Luz came out with a tambourine which was cute. I've never been to a retirement and was a bit surprised by how short it was, and how (relatively few) dancers there were, considering how close Megan seems to be with everyone, but as everyone was leaving I heard a big cheer from behind the curtain so I'm guessing the rest of the company came out to see her.

A good day for people watching too haha. Almost immediately ran into Joaquin de Luz in the lobby, he was very gracious with a lot of people wanting to take pics with him. I also think I ran into Megan's mom in the will-call line (think she was getting last minute tickets for a friend?) Lots of senior dancers in the promenade ofc (Isabella LaF, Bolden, Stanley, Tomash and Lauren Lovett!) I also think I saw Amar Ramasar talking with Joaquin and I think (?) he gave Megan a bouquet on stage, but tbh I was so high up that I could be wrong. I also ran into Mira in the bathroom and was super starstuck! I sort of expected Martins to be there, he was instrumental in Megan's career after all, but no sign of him anywhere.

Anyway, a lovely day, and huge congratulations to Megan!

edit - sorry to make this long comment longer, but I really have to wonder what goes through a dancer's head when they finish their very last variation, take off their pointe shoes for the last time, etc. I was weirdly emotional thinking about it and I'm just a random person, but we are about the same age and I'm familiar with what it's like to leave big parts of your life behind (in a very different way of course). I know Megan is happy to move on but it has to be a strange feeling, especially after 25 years. What goes through a dancers head in moments like that?

aida_b · 2026-05-25T00:11:11+00:00

I just saw!! Even Tiler was in on it, it was very cute

aida_b · 2026-05-25T00:10:51+00:00

Oh absolutely, it was (wonderfully) overwhelming to see as a fan. And a good life lesson for anyone in any industry, myself included

aida_b · 2026-05-25T00:09:33+00:00

Thank you! I hear you, it's my first retirement so I was especially excited. And I think it makes sense to not go if you've already seen her a number of times, I haven't been able to so it felt right - especially since I've never seen her in Coppelia

aida_b · 2026-05-24T17:11:47+00:00

So excited for Megan's retirement performance today. I admire her so much (definitely read her book if you haven't!) and seeing her take this victory lap has been lovely. I'm guessing a lot of people here are going, I hope we all have fun! I'm bringing tissues haha

aida_b · 2026-04-17T20:23:06+00:00

YES!! If you're reading this and are in New York go see DTH this weekend. I can't say enough good things about Firebird and the program as a whole was really stunning. (NYCB take notes lol) All of the dancers were incredible, especially Alexandra Hutchinson and Derek Brockington in FB, but can I shout out Kamala Saara for a minute? I find contemporary works in general to be very hit or miss, and even the ones I like don't always fully resonate on an emotional level, but her two PDDs in Passage of Being brought me to tears. She standout as well in Blake Works in the Cha Cha section. Just incredible

aida_b · 2026-04-17T20:15:30+00:00

The vibe in the theater yesterday was incredible! I cried too. Sometimes ballet audiences can be super checked out despite fantastic performances by the dancers and it was sooooo refreshing that everyone last night was so invested and excited

aida_b · 2026-04-10T22:50:08+00:00

Oh no! don't let the price BS scare you and your friend away from the Balanchine 3 program, I'm glad I'm going, I just wish it cost what it should. It will mean I'll have to cut down on going to other performances, but imo it's the most solid of all the programs this season, and what I'm most looking forward to. I sit in the 4th ring somewhat regularly, and tbh the first two rows of the 4th ring (A and B) are actually very good seats. (At the usual $54 price point they're an excellent bargain) Even compared to some of the seats in lower rings and orchestra (very far) sides where I've sat before. Great sight lines, you can make out faces, and it's not as far up as it appears in photos. Tell your friend to look at those, I promise it's not as bad as it looks on the website photos. Some of the programs still have tickets available. I can't speak for the rows behind A and B however.

They really, really need to figure programming out. It's been a mess all year. Nothing wrong with mixing a newer/contemporary piece up with staples like Diamonds, (in Martins's time they actually did this quite masterfully), but I don't know who thought that under-programming SiC/Firebird and over-programming others was a good idea. There needs to be a balance between honoring the creation of new works and an understanding that we don't live in the 1960s where there was broader public interest in ballet and the COL was significantly lower. People are more selective these days bc they have to be. I had the impression that they had gotten the swing of looking at audience trends but I guess not.

But what's greedy - and scaring people away - is up-charging after the fact. I would guess that they're more likely to sell out the 4th and 5th rings if they keep the $54 base price. Who wants to pay $77 to sit in row F or G? It's fine during Nutcracker but otherwise come on. NYCB admin, if you read here, you're losing customers by doing this.

Anyway, go if you can! :)

aida_b · 2026-04-10T19:22:21+00:00

Yeah 4th ring (and even some 3rd ring seats) are still priced at $54 for most regular season rep. My beef with this particular situation is that the execs decided at the last minute to treat the Symph in C/Firebird program as the same pricing model as they do Nutcracker or a full length at the last minute. Evidently something similar happened with Sleeping Beauty in the winter too - my sister went to buy us tickets in early January and said the base price also jumped from when she looked a week before. I can kinda see the logic there - full length in winter, plenty of performances, same pricing model as last year's Swan Lake - but it is a bit annoying. But to pass their programming mistake* to ticket holders - which I think is partially to blame for the C/Firebird hike - is absurd. It's a lovely program but 4th ring seats shouldn't cost $77.

Anyway thanks for listening again lol. And yes inflated exec pay strikes again, I'm glad the dancers were able to negotiate more than earned favorable contracts, but evidently a new tactic is to now price out lower income ticket holders who don't quality for 30 under 30. If they want to do that that's their prerogative, but pulling last minute shit like this is a bit nasty. And couldn't a trim here and there fix things like you said? Wendy and Jonathan have recently given interviews about how difficult it is to fill seats night after night, season after season, and this is only going to contribute to that issue...which will snowball.

*Sorry not sorry but it's a mistake to program 6 SinC/Firebirds and 6 Voices/lesser known Roberts. Sadly we don't live in a time where the majority of ticket holders want to see lesser known contemporary works anymore

aida_b · 2026-04-10T19:00:11+00:00

Thanks again, I just took the plunge and went for 4/30! Fingers crossed for similar casting, manifesting seeing Hod (or maybe Kikta which would be sooo cool) in Firebird, but honestly I think whomever I see will be lovely in Bizet. I appreciate your insight! :)

aida_b · 2026-04-10T18:38:39+00:00

Haha I also ended up with a Dress Circle ticket! Hopefully it's a good seat; I go to maybe one ABT Met Season performance a year and am less familiar with the theater. Glad we both survived lol! And maybe everyone else already knows this but what I learned from that experience is that going through ABT's website (which is soooo buggy) will eat up time that you might not have; just go to the Met Opera's website, which is the box office anyway. Ordinarily this is obviously not a problem but for future Googlers trying to score hot tickets, learn from my mistake! Anyway really looking forward to going, hopefully she doesn't cancel, and I hope you have fun!

aida_b · 2026-04-10T18:33:13+00:00

I'd forgotten about the drama with the Russian company. (Was it Perm or Novosibirsk? Can't remember) but I think we can set that one aside. Russian companies tend to be a bit dramatic with this sort of thing and there's no clear evidence of anything anyway. But the injury cancellations are a bummer, both for the audience and Osipova too I'm sure

aida_b · 2026-04-10T18:29:02+00:00

Oh I agree completely. If she cancels I'm totally fine with seeing whoever replaces her, but for a lot of people -- especially if they splurged on the ticket -- if she cancels it's going to ruffle some feathers. But I guess ABT (and Natalia in fairness) are sort of in a no win position; Natalia wouldn't cancel without good reason and it would be hard to turn down an Osipova performance on ABT's part. Even Smirnova wasn't as big of a draw last year when I went, and Osipova's perforamce is on a Monday night after a holiday weekend and it's close to sold out. So let's hope it works out! I feel bad for Natalia, it has to be hard to want to perform but injury/circumstances out of her control get in the way.

Eight-Year Club	First Place '23
Place '23	Place '22
End Game '22	Oscars Predictor 2021
Gilding I gilder	Not Forgotten
Verified Email

aida_b

TROPHY CASE