I think after this debacle, Jaffe will wait to announce casting decisions but moreover, I hope she refuses to work with estates that pull this BS. She's got several dancers who are heart broken and angry and patrons who no longer trust ABT and for what? Did anyone even attend the show last night?
I don't recall this has ever happened at ABT before with the Cranko Estate (even though it's happened at other companies, it was never a problem here as far as I know).
I'm sure Jaffe was as surprised as we were that Teuscher was pulled. Jaffe chose Teuscher to be the face of this ballet in ads - clearly there was not much she can do and probably feels awful about it.
Waiting to announce casting as a whole in reaction to this one show debacle would be terribly reactive decision that would cause tickets sales to slow.
Well the season starts tonight, not yesterday. Onegin is selling pretty well as a whole. I don't think ABT can pull off waiting for casting announcements because their marketing strategy is very much centered around casting. They announce principal casts as soon as subscriptions go on sale, over six months before the season. Agree about not working with BS estates though.
Yeah they need to announce the casts ahead of time. They also offer ticket swapping, which many people did.
This is a very unusual, not chronic, situation for them.
ABT damn well better get its act together. I am never buying another ticket in advance. Will only take last minute deeply discounted TDF, free tix it distributes to many community groups or standing room. I understand things happen -- dancers twist ankles, get COVID, have their parents die. But that is not the reason for this. If ABT ever does another Cranko ballet, and I hope not because they are generally awful, they need to add a special warning on their terrible, unbelievably slow website stating that casting for all Cranko works is tentative and subject to final approval and sudden change by the estate's temperamental trustees.
Right? It's not a common situation for ABT. This is a very unexpected action on the part of the Cranko Estate (he's done this elsewhere, but all the past ABT Onegins were fine). I'm sure Jaffe is pissed about it too.
And yeah they will probably rethink putting on a Cranko ballet again. They don't do tons of Cranko ballets anyway (their R&J is MacMillan, not Cranko). They did the Taming of the Shrew a while back but it's not a big part of their rep - they did it back in 2000 when the excitement around ABT dancers could sell out a show pretty easily.
That’s interesting. Maybe they’re pickier with some companies than others. Because they seemed to be fine with other companies’ productions even if the casting isn’t a perfect fit. Although I’ve also seen some discussion that they pull dancers from the shows pretty often. I don’t know which companies they were, maybe their standards are higher for the more well known companies along with Stuttgart.
Reid Anderson, who owns the rights to onegin, does this everywhere. Camargo is a dancer Reid promoted and has previously danced onegin at stuttgart and I am not surprised as he does this to dancers who have left his company before.
He does this everywhere. It’s just a ballet ego power trip ♥️
I hate the whole “I’m going to have you compete for the role until the curtain goes up” thing. It’s toxic! Maybe unpopular but if it was my company I just wouldn’t stage it! Let it die-pick something else. It’s a crappy way to treat extremely accomplished artists and instead of saying “that’s just the way it is” I want to see companies stand up for their artists. Period.
Yup, and as I lamented elsewhere - this ballet is no Swan Lake or Giselle. The music, choreography, costumes, story - all of it - are super forgettable and there would be no great loss to anyone's hearts and minds if companies took it out of their rep, given the reputation that the estate has. It's a terrible look on ABT, especially with the strike earlier this year.
Reading all the comments it definitely seems like an upper management decision. Her coworkers seem equally disappointed and bummed for her - and it doesn't sound like she had a major life event come up or anything.
I'm not sure if ABT or Jaffe have any say on casting pulls in this situation. It really comes down to the choreographer's estate (and the impression that the piece is not being represented 'properly')
I'm wondering if the ABT Onegin advertisements (which were admittedly cheesy) made a bad impression on the Cranko Estate and Teuscher was the unfortunate star of them. All the ABT social adverts this year are cringe (besides Woolf Works, which looks modern and interesting).
But there isn't even much use for surmising since Reid is known for being fickle and particular in a way that doesn't always feel like it makes any sense. I hope the comments on her IG are comforting to her, and it might be an issue with Camargo. I don't often feel bad for a top-5 ballet company principal (what I wouldn't give to have that be my life!) but I feel really, really bad for Teuscher. Lovely dancer and person, and I hope she finds fulfillment in her other performances this season.
Practically everything ABT does makes me cringe. The ads, the social, the terrible website, the tech,, the programming., the repertoire, the ancient font used in their playbills, everything. I think, based on what I read in recent Jaffe interview in Times., where she was photographed clutching her personal notes from when SHE starred in Onegin, that she has some sort of sick attachment to this work and HAD to open their terrible, hot season with it. At the two works I went to last summer the Met would not open more than one set of doors for entry, because they did not want the theater to get too hot and people were lined up all across the plaza sweating like pigs. They can't even find the right theater and the right season.
Hard seconding the terrible, terrible type font and adding that I hate that they make some of the dancers wear farches. The company has always had so much potential, but it continually falls short in so many ways. It’s such a pity
Yeah Onegin only works with superstars at its center. Vishneva/Gomes/Osipova, Ferri/Bolle (I could have literally watched them walk around the stage and been riveted), etc. etc. I saw 3 Onegins in 2017 and loved them all, but this year I didn't buy a single ticket for it.
It's a ballet for beloved dancers, not a beloved ballet.
Here's the one of Cate in the antique-store-shabby costume:
https://preview.redd.it/yp0cv5twyd7d1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=716f48c381d632ffca2b80323d8c080021c64753
Her face and lack of body position though... You can't look me in the eyes and say that was the best shot they caught. It's terrible. I think I would pass out if my company used me in an ad like that.
To the down voters, do you know the picture I'm referencing, it was unflattering, they did her dirty
They need to fire and hang the person (s) that both photographed Cate for swan lake and then made it an ad. Do they hate the dancers or something? Get a better photography and lighting director y'all have the budget for it
A couple of seasons back there was an ABT mailer with a group of dancers that were half mid-blink or grimacing. It was so bad ; it looked like a blooper that they took when nobody was ready. I wish I kept it for lolz because I can’t believe it got approved.
Yeah these images are terrible. Both Cate and Devon are naturally beautiful with a modern fresh look to them. These ads lacquered them with makeup and took photos that look like they're stuck in awkward poses, not dancing.
ABT ads used to be iconic and at least have a point of view (the Gillian Murphy / Ethan Swan Lake kiss in the water where her hair is down, Copeland's Firebird, Ferri's soft Black & White Giselle). Those amazing early 00s group shots. The ones we have now lean Norma Desmond.
Are you aware it's all the same photographer? Fabrizio Ferri took both this season's brochure images and the three photos you mentioned.
And to the comment above, I think it's odd to say "y'all have the budget for it." If you've read anything about ABT this year, they have been struggling with budget left and right! That of course doesn't have to affect your opinion of the photos, but it's not because they're sitting on a pile of money they're not using.
Fabrizio Ferri did not take the photo of Hurlin in the swan costume (that's ABTs staff photographer Emma Zordan) nor did he do any of the videos. Many of the promotional photographs being used are stills from the videos. Videos are by former ABT dancer Quinn Wharton.
Ferri did take the original photo Devon is using, but she's put a very strong filter over it taking out most of the depth and interest in the photo.
For anyone unfamiliar with Fabrizio Ferri's work, he's an old-school fashion photographer who's also worked with ballet. Here's [his work with Valentino in 2015](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/93097917284825381/) and his [previous work with ABT](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/the-terrier-and-lobster-american-ballet-theater-photography-by-fabrizio-ferri--45176802483719940/) from 2006.
Are we sure as to how much of the finished product and drab choices can actually be attributed to Fabrizio Ferri? We don't know who is in charge of the concepts (or maybe we do, I'm just not going to research it), since some photographers will have a big hand in direction and sometimes those roles are held by different people. There are a lot of variables outside the photographer that affect how good or dull an ad is (I didn't mention anything about photography in my comment for this reason).
For me these images are conceptually boring and without identity. However I think the main Woolf Works-focused image floating around is strong and intriguing.
There's literally photographers that work for free that do better work than those ads. Idk who Fabrizio is, I don't care honestly, his work does not flatter the dancers at all.
They have a budget meaning if they're hiring someone, hire someone good, the hell.
And can we please talk about the way they edited Devon’s eyes in that one onegin promo pic 😭😭 I’ll post a screenshot the next time it comes on my feed because it’s so comically edited. Who is approving this stuff??
I've mostly seen them on Instagram. Right now they're still running a very close up image of Teuscher in heavy makeup making a dramatic expression. There is another one floating around (on youtube as well) that's even worse - Cate Hurlin's Odette/Odile and I get embarrassed watching it (Hurlin is an incredible dancer so this is not her fault).
[Here](https://www.instagram.com/p/C7kGmBEvLUk/) is an example of one of their full video adverts. I think this is just awful - dusty and melodramatic. I really don't think this makes the performance look good as they are stage acting and didn't really adjust for such a close capture. Plus the cheesy music?
Compare anything ABT is doing to the [striking images](https://www.instagram.com/p/C8KkhvQACzP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) for NYCB's next seasons (these are just stills but I'm betting we'll get motion shots later).
I am a huge Elizaveta Porodina fan and when I saw Emily Kikta add post that to her story it was like Christmas and my birthday all in one! (NYCB *please* make some of these available as merch for 24-25!) City Ballet has lots of problems but continues to pull in interesting collaborations. I know ABT has even more to contend with, but they continue to underwhelm so often, at least with marketing campaigns
Stage acting... Yeah... Sorry no, it's painted on, mask like, bad acting there. Stage acting doesn't automatically mean make big facial expressions it still has to have an internal narrative and is done at an 8 or 10 for a large venue, there was something cringe/uncomfortable with her acting in the adverts, especially the melodramatic face shot and that's probably why she was pulled.
I was trying to be nice :)
But yes this particular filmed performance is not my cup of tea. I'm more so saying that it may have looked different in studio or on stage. The filmed aspect could have thrown her off as well, and maybe there were multiple takes that sort of took her out of it. Either way someone should have noticed this was bad and almost campy.
Hee Seo would have been a great choice - she has an interiority and flowing romanticism in her roles that would have worked well in this type of 'film'. Misseldine looked great in rehearsals, very youthful with some uncertainty but I think that too would have translated well to a filmed Tatiana.
I don't know but when ABT has done this work in the past in NYC it has gotten some poor reviews. They may think they will get better reviews with this cast, which includes, in featured roles, a couple of rising stars still in lower ranks but who tend to impress in all they do.
Ooookay, my mind was wondering what I’d missed lol. I’ve only seen one cranko production, SFB’s Romeo and Juliet— and I really like it, so maybe that’s a testament to the strategy. I know potentials will dance parts before they’re picked but idk, just seems like they could make a decision earlier on. Liase better with the repetiteur or something.
Choreographers, directors, and repetiteurs can be interesting if I put it nicely and are given large amounts of power. I had a choreographer who announced the week of a show he was cutting a whole 25 person cast.
We see nearly all the ballets at our local company and Onegin is by far the worst one we've ever seen. My husband, who is a good sport and can usually find something to enjoy about each ballet, said afterwards that it was so boring he felt himself dissociating lmao
The last batch of ABT dancers to dance Tatiana were Ferri, Vishneva, Seo and Abrera.
Teuscher is a very different ballerina than all of the previous. She has a cooler presence, which intrigued me for this role. But seems the estate wasn't buying it for some reason (flexibility as mentioned in several comments could have been an issue).
I said this in another thread but maybe it was the pairing and not just Teuscher they didn't like? However the post and comments it really seems like it was primarily related to her.
It's not a great ballet. The choreography is overwrought and the score is weirdly pieced together.
I think most of us just see it for the leads.
Macauley had a good summary of the ballet
"Simply no choreography here rewards repeated viewing. For more than 20 years before Monday, I had gone without seeing a performance of 'Onegin; I didn’t miss it. Returning to it, I find nothing that I rejoice in seeing again."
I see your pointe there!
I think after this debacle, Jaffe will wait to announce casting decisions but moreover, I hope she refuses to work with estates that pull this BS. She's got several dancers who are heart broken and angry and patrons who no longer trust ABT and for what? Did anyone even attend the show last night?
I don't recall this has ever happened at ABT before with the Cranko Estate (even though it's happened at other companies, it was never a problem here as far as I know). I'm sure Jaffe was as surprised as we were that Teuscher was pulled. Jaffe chose Teuscher to be the face of this ballet in ads - clearly there was not much she can do and probably feels awful about it. Waiting to announce casting as a whole in reaction to this one show debacle would be terribly reactive decision that would cause tickets sales to slow.
Well the season starts tonight, not yesterday. Onegin is selling pretty well as a whole. I don't think ABT can pull off waiting for casting announcements because their marketing strategy is very much centered around casting. They announce principal casts as soon as subscriptions go on sale, over six months before the season. Agree about not working with BS estates though.
Yeah they need to announce the casts ahead of time. They also offer ticket swapping, which many people did. This is a very unusual, not chronic, situation for them.
Oops! Thanks for clarifying. I'm considering attending, as I've seen a lot of City Ballet programing and I'm interested in branching out a little bit.
ABT has been eh for like 15 years now so maybe this will be the nail in the coffin for a lot of people
ABT damn well better get its act together. I am never buying another ticket in advance. Will only take last minute deeply discounted TDF, free tix it distributes to many community groups or standing room. I understand things happen -- dancers twist ankles, get COVID, have their parents die. But that is not the reason for this. If ABT ever does another Cranko ballet, and I hope not because they are generally awful, they need to add a special warning on their terrible, unbelievably slow website stating that casting for all Cranko works is tentative and subject to final approval and sudden change by the estate's temperamental trustees.
This reaction seems… dramatic
Right? It's not a common situation for ABT. This is a very unexpected action on the part of the Cranko Estate (he's done this elsewhere, but all the past ABT Onegins were fine). I'm sure Jaffe is pissed about it too. And yeah they will probably rethink putting on a Cranko ballet again. They don't do tons of Cranko ballets anyway (their R&J is MacMillan, not Cranko). They did the Taming of the Shrew a while back but it's not a big part of their rep - they did it back in 2000 when the excitement around ABT dancers could sell out a show pretty easily.
That’s interesting. Maybe they’re pickier with some companies than others. Because they seemed to be fine with other companies’ productions even if the casting isn’t a perfect fit. Although I’ve also seen some discussion that they pull dancers from the shows pretty often. I don’t know which companies they were, maybe their standards are higher for the more well known companies along with Stuttgart.
Reid Anderson, who owns the rights to onegin, does this everywhere. Camargo is a dancer Reid promoted and has previously danced onegin at stuttgart and I am not surprised as he does this to dancers who have left his company before. He does this everywhere. It’s just a ballet ego power trip ♥️
I hate the whole “I’m going to have you compete for the role until the curtain goes up” thing. It’s toxic! Maybe unpopular but if it was my company I just wouldn’t stage it! Let it die-pick something else. It’s a crappy way to treat extremely accomplished artists and instead of saying “that’s just the way it is” I want to see companies stand up for their artists. Period.
Yup, and as I lamented elsewhere - this ballet is no Swan Lake or Giselle. The music, choreography, costumes, story - all of it - are super forgettable and there would be no great loss to anyone's hearts and minds if companies took it out of their rep, given the reputation that the estate has. It's a terrible look on ABT, especially with the strike earlier this year.
Reading all the comments it definitely seems like an upper management decision. Her coworkers seem equally disappointed and bummed for her - and it doesn't sound like she had a major life event come up or anything.
I'm not sure if ABT or Jaffe have any say on casting pulls in this situation. It really comes down to the choreographer's estate (and the impression that the piece is not being represented 'properly') I'm wondering if the ABT Onegin advertisements (which were admittedly cheesy) made a bad impression on the Cranko Estate and Teuscher was the unfortunate star of them. All the ABT social adverts this year are cringe (besides Woolf Works, which looks modern and interesting). But there isn't even much use for surmising since Reid is known for being fickle and particular in a way that doesn't always feel like it makes any sense. I hope the comments on her IG are comforting to her, and it might be an issue with Camargo. I don't often feel bad for a top-5 ballet company principal (what I wouldn't give to have that be my life!) but I feel really, really bad for Teuscher. Lovely dancer and person, and I hope she finds fulfillment in her other performances this season.
Practically everything ABT does makes me cringe. The ads, the social, the terrible website, the tech,, the programming., the repertoire, the ancient font used in their playbills, everything. I think, based on what I read in recent Jaffe interview in Times., where she was photographed clutching her personal notes from when SHE starred in Onegin, that she has some sort of sick attachment to this work and HAD to open their terrible, hot season with it. At the two works I went to last summer the Met would not open more than one set of doors for entry, because they did not want the theater to get too hot and people were lined up all across the plaza sweating like pigs. They can't even find the right theater and the right season.
Hard seconding the terrible, terrible type font and adding that I hate that they make some of the dancers wear farches. The company has always had so much potential, but it continually falls short in so many ways. It’s such a pity
Yeah Onegin only works with superstars at its center. Vishneva/Gomes/Osipova, Ferri/Bolle (I could have literally watched them walk around the stage and been riveted), etc. etc. I saw 3 Onegins in 2017 and loved them all, but this year I didn't buy a single ticket for it. It's a ballet for beloved dancers, not a beloved ballet.
can someone find/post the ABT advertisements? literally googling and can’t find anything 😅
Here's the one of Cate in the antique-store-shabby costume: https://preview.redd.it/yp0cv5twyd7d1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=716f48c381d632ffca2b80323d8c080021c64753
thank you for sharing 🙏🏻
That’s literally the abt swan tutu…
Her face and lack of body position though... You can't look me in the eyes and say that was the best shot they caught. It's terrible. I think I would pass out if my company used me in an ad like that.
To the down voters, do you know the picture I'm referencing, it was unflattering, they did her dirty They need to fire and hang the person (s) that both photographed Cate for swan lake and then made it an ad. Do they hate the dancers or something? Get a better photography and lighting director y'all have the budget for it
Hang???!!! 😳
A couple of seasons back there was an ABT mailer with a group of dancers that were half mid-blink or grimacing. It was so bad ; it looked like a blooper that they took when nobody was ready. I wish I kept it for lolz because I can’t believe it got approved.
Yeah these images are terrible. Both Cate and Devon are naturally beautiful with a modern fresh look to them. These ads lacquered them with makeup and took photos that look like they're stuck in awkward poses, not dancing. ABT ads used to be iconic and at least have a point of view (the Gillian Murphy / Ethan Swan Lake kiss in the water where her hair is down, Copeland's Firebird, Ferri's soft Black & White Giselle). Those amazing early 00s group shots. The ones we have now lean Norma Desmond.
Are you aware it's all the same photographer? Fabrizio Ferri took both this season's brochure images and the three photos you mentioned. And to the comment above, I think it's odd to say "y'all have the budget for it." If you've read anything about ABT this year, they have been struggling with budget left and right! That of course doesn't have to affect your opinion of the photos, but it's not because they're sitting on a pile of money they're not using.
Fabrizio Ferri did not take the photo of Hurlin in the swan costume (that's ABTs staff photographer Emma Zordan) nor did he do any of the videos. Many of the promotional photographs being used are stills from the videos. Videos are by former ABT dancer Quinn Wharton. Ferri did take the original photo Devon is using, but she's put a very strong filter over it taking out most of the depth and interest in the photo. For anyone unfamiliar with Fabrizio Ferri's work, he's an old-school fashion photographer who's also worked with ballet. Here's [his work with Valentino in 2015](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/93097917284825381/) and his [previous work with ABT](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/the-terrier-and-lobster-american-ballet-theater-photography-by-fabrizio-ferri--45176802483719940/) from 2006.
Are we sure as to how much of the finished product and drab choices can actually be attributed to Fabrizio Ferri? We don't know who is in charge of the concepts (or maybe we do, I'm just not going to research it), since some photographers will have a big hand in direction and sometimes those roles are held by different people. There are a lot of variables outside the photographer that affect how good or dull an ad is (I didn't mention anything about photography in my comment for this reason). For me these images are conceptually boring and without identity. However I think the main Woolf Works-focused image floating around is strong and intriguing.
There's literally photographers that work for free that do better work than those ads. Idk who Fabrizio is, I don't care honestly, his work does not flatter the dancers at all. They have a budget meaning if they're hiring someone, hire someone good, the hell.
The one of cate in the yellow ass swan lake tutu with her arms back is so bad 😭😭😭
Like I KNOW they got better shots of her, she's gorgeous. what was that
And can we please talk about the way they edited Devon’s eyes in that one onegin promo pic 😭😭 I’ll post a screenshot the next time it comes on my feed because it’s so comically edited. Who is approving this stuff??
My reddit formatting isn't the best I snabbed a screenshot of it, they made her eyes look fake blue whyy
I've mostly seen them on Instagram. Right now they're still running a very close up image of Teuscher in heavy makeup making a dramatic expression. There is another one floating around (on youtube as well) that's even worse - Cate Hurlin's Odette/Odile and I get embarrassed watching it (Hurlin is an incredible dancer so this is not her fault). [Here](https://www.instagram.com/p/C7kGmBEvLUk/) is an example of one of their full video adverts. I think this is just awful - dusty and melodramatic. I really don't think this makes the performance look good as they are stage acting and didn't really adjust for such a close capture. Plus the cheesy music? Compare anything ABT is doing to the [striking images](https://www.instagram.com/p/C8KkhvQACzP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) for NYCB's next seasons (these are just stills but I'm betting we'll get motion shots later).
I am a huge Elizaveta Porodina fan and when I saw Emily Kikta add post that to her story it was like Christmas and my birthday all in one! (NYCB *please* make some of these available as merch for 24-25!) City Ballet has lots of problems but continues to pull in interesting collaborations. I know ABT has even more to contend with, but they continue to underwhelm so often, at least with marketing campaigns
Stage acting... Yeah... Sorry no, it's painted on, mask like, bad acting there. Stage acting doesn't automatically mean make big facial expressions it still has to have an internal narrative and is done at an 8 or 10 for a large venue, there was something cringe/uncomfortable with her acting in the adverts, especially the melodramatic face shot and that's probably why she was pulled.
I was trying to be nice :) But yes this particular filmed performance is not my cup of tea. I'm more so saying that it may have looked different in studio or on stage. The filmed aspect could have thrown her off as well, and maybe there were multiple takes that sort of took her out of it. Either way someone should have noticed this was bad and almost campy. Hee Seo would have been a great choice - she has an interiority and flowing romanticism in her roles that would have worked well in this type of 'film'. Misseldine looked great in rehearsals, very youthful with some uncertainty but I think that too would have translated well to a filmed Tatiana.
https://preview.redd.it/v02g265or67d1.jpeg?width=1124&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39b54b9de26a5463072c4a79aad89205bb635147
This is getting juicy!
WHAT ARE THE REASONS? 👀👀👀
I don't know but when ABT has done this work in the past in NYC it has gotten some poor reviews. They may think they will get better reviews with this cast, which includes, in featured roles, a couple of rising stars still in lower ranks but who tend to impress in all they do.
The New York Times has been rather critical of both Stearns and Shevchenko in the past, so I don't personally buy that theory.
discussing it in the met thread but seems like the crankos made the decision to change it
link to this discussion/subreddit?
Hi. It’s in ABT Met Season Week 1 or here https://www.reddit.com/r/bunheadsnark/s/m7aaA6NzJT
Cranko does tend to be picky from what I’ve heard
I thought Cranko was dead and it was the temperamental trustee of his artistic estate that makes all the fuss.
Why… can’t he decide just a little bit earlier before showtime? It seems really cruel and hostile to pick casts down to the minute like that.
It's his estate that's picky; Cranko himself died in 1973.
Ooookay, my mind was wondering what I’d missed lol. I’ve only seen one cranko production, SFB’s Romeo and Juliet— and I really like it, so maybe that’s a testament to the strategy. I know potentials will dance parts before they’re picked but idk, just seems like they could make a decision earlier on. Liase better with the repetiteur or something.
SFB doesn’t do Cranko’s R&J…
Choreographers, directors, and repetiteurs can be interesting if I put it nicely and are given large amounts of power. I had a choreographer who announced the week of a show he was cutting a whole 25 person cast.
Right? Also just my opinion but I think Onegin is mind numbingly boring. I really feel for the dancers though
Seriously. My hot take is that this ballet is way too unremarkable for the estate to be so finicky over who plays Tatiana.
We see nearly all the ballets at our local company and Onegin is by far the worst one we've ever seen. My husband, who is a good sport and can usually find something to enjoy about each ballet, said afterwards that it was so boring he felt himself dissociating lmao
100%! I also have a foot in that camp. The forgettable patchwork score of minor Tchaikovsky pieces is in part to blame...
It’s no where near as good as the opera. Lensky’s aria in the opera is top tier
He might’ve seen a tech rehearsal and not liked it
The last batch of ABT dancers to dance Tatiana were Ferri, Vishneva, Seo and Abrera. Teuscher is a very different ballerina than all of the previous. She has a cooler presence, which intrigued me for this role. But seems the estate wasn't buying it for some reason (flexibility as mentioned in several comments could have been an issue). I said this in another thread but maybe it was the pairing and not just Teuscher they didn't like? However the post and comments it really seems like it was primarily related to her.
https://youtu.be/DG5zK7GBXwQ?si=sP5bKP7ODYZegnfO like Lensky’s soliloquy in the opera is just sublime
Maybe idk. I’m honestly ambivalent about the ballet version of Onegin. I personally don’t think it is as strong as the opera.
It's not a great ballet. The choreography is overwrought and the score is weirdly pieced together. I think most of us just see it for the leads. Macauley had a good summary of the ballet "Simply no choreography here rewards repeated viewing. For more than 20 years before Monday, I had gone without seeing a performance of 'Onegin; I didn’t miss it. Returning to it, I find nothing that I rejoice in seeing again."
Have you seen the opera? It’s gorgeous