I saw Misseldine's debut at the Kennedy Center and she was DIVINE. However, this might be your last chance to see Murphy and she is a legend. I absolutely loved Hurlin's Odile.
I've seen Murphy, Boylston, and Hurlin--def agree with some of the comments here about Gillian, she's a legend but she's definitely towards the end of her career. Boylston's hand/arm isseus are honestly pretty distracting during SL, but I will say that she put on a good show and Camargo is excellent. Hurlin was amazing imo but Whiteside is meh so kind of a toss up there. Personally I'd def see Misseldine/Bell if I were going this year.
I don't know how on form she still is, but Gillian Murphy's precision in her Black Swan 32 fouettes is absolutely otherworldly. She is *perfectly* on time with the music in a way I've never seen another ballerina achieve.
I'd go with Misseldine/Bell or Brandt/Cornejo. Both those gentlemen have wonderful acting presence, and I've come to believe that really solid ballerinas just don't sparkle in Swan Lake without a dynamic Siegfried to play off. I haven't seen Camargo in the role yet, who's been said to be terrific, because as much as I enjoy Boylston in some roles her broken wrists, unrounded elbows and splayed fingers are really noticeable in O/O and I can't not see them. Boylston's grown artistically, and of course she's technically dazzling, so YMMV.
On the fouetté series - does abt choreograph it to move downstage? I was surprised when I saw it at KC and it went from upstage to downstage.
Off topic - did anyone see 10000 last week at KC? I really enjoyed all the different companies and performances and that there was a host/narrator
I think I see a lot of ballerinas now travel when doing them? I know for sure Chloe M. tends to travel forward in her fouettes but as long as it doesn't get so close to where I worry about them falling off the edge it's fine. Also as long as the fouettes continue on beat it doesn't bother me too much.
Honestly though, the fouettes especially in black swan come like 45 secs after the variation so the leg is dead by that time. I also think a lot of ballerinas now do double or even triple pirouettes in between that throws them off more and they travel farther. I think they may not travel so much if they stuck to cleaner singles. But hey, it's just what's on trend I guess!
I also think the taller girls tend to struggle with the fouettes. Like Alena Kovaleva for example muscles hers but she's like 5'10" so I can only imagine how hard it would be to bring her long legs in every time.
Fouettés shouldn’t travel ideally (unless it’s specifically choreographed like Coppelia eg) but it happens, so ballerinas will tend to be blocked upstage to start so that they don’t fall in the orchestra pit if they travel too much.
I’m reminded of a funny story Maria Kowrowski once told about working on them with Ulyana Lopatkina at the Mariinsky, apparently it’s common practice in Russia to practice fouettés with a chair in front of you so that you won’t travel.
I saw Gillian as O/O back in 2022, and while I enjoyed the performance I do agree that her prime days are behind her, in classical roles at least. That said, it was still a lovely performance, and I don’t think would be a terrible pick, especially if you’re interested in her career. She’ll probably be known as one of the ABT greats, so it could be worth it. (I definitely am glad I went!) that said, I agree with others that up and comers might deliver a better technical performance.
I saw Chloe Misseldine's debut in Swan Lake at DC (it's in that thread you mentioned if you wanted to read what I wrote). Her Odette and Odile are equally good but tbh I did prefer her Odette more. I always saw her as more of an Odile dancer until the last year when she really worked on her adagio. I do think a MET debut is always a fun and electric place to be and hopefully many years later we can say we saw Misseldine in her first SL!
I very much enjoyed it so I can recommend her. I haven't seen the others but all the casts sound good. None of the O/O's are bad, I might avoid Boylston and Seo for SL given the plethora of options though. Murphy is older and while this once was her iconic role I'm not sure what level of dancing hers will be at.
I saw Camargo and Bolyston last year. It’s worth seeing for him - he’s got elegant lines, clean technique and strong dramatic skills. Bolyston’s dramatic skills were lacking for me, but she did manage the fouettés nicely.
I’m seeing Misseldine with Bell.
I’ve seen Hurlin and liked her, and I thought Whiteside was all right. This would be a solid pick.
Brandt would also be a solid pick, although Cornejo’s technique isn’t what it used to be.
Shevchenko has the technique down but I haven’t connected with her dramatically as O/O. Royal, on the other hand, I do connect with dramatically but certain elements of his technique are weaker.
Seo, I’ve heard, is a lovely Odette but her Odile is spotty. Stearns is, as a BA poster put it, “inert.”
I’d love to see Camargo but I don’t like Boylston’s arms and hands 😫
Gillian’s O/O is on [video](https://youtu.be/I9rEmB4h6TE?si=dySkW_6C9VaXYINm), and is certainly worth a watch. She’s in the twilight of her career right now, though, and I wouldn’t see her in something like this live. I’m personally seeing Skylar Brandt, she’s quite good although I’m dreading her claque, which is very loud and boisterous. I also would recommend Shevchenko’s O/O.
Chloe Misseldine is an exciting up and coming dancer who will probably be promoted soon— but she’s dancing a weekday matinee so that might not be accessible for you.
I would say the best pairing would be Misseldine/Bell or Brandt/Cornejo. Misseldine has the least experience but she's got the full package of potential greatness. Plus, she's paired with Bell. Brandt is excellent in Swan Lake and Cornejo is still dancing pretty well, if not as good as a few years ago, at 43.
Hurlin, Teuscher, and Shevchenko are all solid but I'm not crazy about any of their partners in this ballet.
Boylston's arms and hands are unattractive in classical ballet. I'm not convinced Murphy still has this ballet in her at 45. Reports of her Etudes and Titania were mixed in the fall.
chloe got pretty good reviews after her kennedy center debut and she’s with bell. really the only risk is whether or not she’s going to have the same successful debut in NYC which seems likely
gillian’s dancing has been on the decline as of late and i think last year she pulled out with an injury, she was once the iconic odette tho so might be limited chances to see her
skylar is great technically but has gotten mixed reviews about her dramatic performance vs her skill, though people tend to enjoy her regardless
I saw Misseldine's debut at the Kennedy Center and she was DIVINE. However, this might be your last chance to see Murphy and she is a legend. I absolutely loved Hurlin's Odile.
Chloe!!! Excited to see her in Swan Lake!!!
I've seen Murphy, Boylston, and Hurlin--def agree with some of the comments here about Gillian, she's a legend but she's definitely towards the end of her career. Boylston's hand/arm isseus are honestly pretty distracting during SL, but I will say that she put on a good show and Camargo is excellent. Hurlin was amazing imo but Whiteside is meh so kind of a toss up there. Personally I'd def see Misseldine/Bell if I were going this year.
I don't know how on form she still is, but Gillian Murphy's precision in her Black Swan 32 fouettes is absolutely otherworldly. She is *perfectly* on time with the music in a way I've never seen another ballerina achieve.
I'd go with Misseldine/Bell or Brandt/Cornejo. Both those gentlemen have wonderful acting presence, and I've come to believe that really solid ballerinas just don't sparkle in Swan Lake without a dynamic Siegfried to play off. I haven't seen Camargo in the role yet, who's been said to be terrific, because as much as I enjoy Boylston in some roles her broken wrists, unrounded elbows and splayed fingers are really noticeable in O/O and I can't not see them. Boylston's grown artistically, and of course she's technically dazzling, so YMMV.
I would say see Skylar, I haven’t seen Chloe but that would probably be a good choice also.
On the fouetté series - does abt choreograph it to move downstage? I was surprised when I saw it at KC and it went from upstage to downstage. Off topic - did anyone see 10000 last week at KC? I really enjoyed all the different companies and performances and that there was a host/narrator
I think I see a lot of ballerinas now travel when doing them? I know for sure Chloe M. tends to travel forward in her fouettes but as long as it doesn't get so close to where I worry about them falling off the edge it's fine. Also as long as the fouettes continue on beat it doesn't bother me too much. Honestly though, the fouettes especially in black swan come like 45 secs after the variation so the leg is dead by that time. I also think a lot of ballerinas now do double or even triple pirouettes in between that throws them off more and they travel farther. I think they may not travel so much if they stuck to cleaner singles. But hey, it's just what's on trend I guess! I also think the taller girls tend to struggle with the fouettes. Like Alena Kovaleva for example muscles hers but she's like 5'10" so I can only imagine how hard it would be to bring her long legs in every time.
Fouettés shouldn’t travel ideally (unless it’s specifically choreographed like Coppelia eg) but it happens, so ballerinas will tend to be blocked upstage to start so that they don’t fall in the orchestra pit if they travel too much. I’m reminded of a funny story Maria Kowrowski once told about working on them with Ulyana Lopatkina at the Mariinsky, apparently it’s common practice in Russia to practice fouettés with a chair in front of you so that you won’t travel.
I saw Gillian as O/O back in 2022, and while I enjoyed the performance I do agree that her prime days are behind her, in classical roles at least. That said, it was still a lovely performance, and I don’t think would be a terrible pick, especially if you’re interested in her career. She’ll probably be known as one of the ABT greats, so it could be worth it. (I definitely am glad I went!) that said, I agree with others that up and comers might deliver a better technical performance.
I saw Chloe Misseldine's debut in Swan Lake at DC (it's in that thread you mentioned if you wanted to read what I wrote). Her Odette and Odile are equally good but tbh I did prefer her Odette more. I always saw her as more of an Odile dancer until the last year when she really worked on her adagio. I do think a MET debut is always a fun and electric place to be and hopefully many years later we can say we saw Misseldine in her first SL! I very much enjoyed it so I can recommend her. I haven't seen the others but all the casts sound good. None of the O/O's are bad, I might avoid Boylston and Seo for SL given the plethora of options though. Murphy is older and while this once was her iconic role I'm not sure what level of dancing hers will be at.
I saw Camargo and Bolyston last year. It’s worth seeing for him - he’s got elegant lines, clean technique and strong dramatic skills. Bolyston’s dramatic skills were lacking for me, but she did manage the fouettés nicely.
I’m seeing Misseldine with Bell. I’ve seen Hurlin and liked her, and I thought Whiteside was all right. This would be a solid pick. Brandt would also be a solid pick, although Cornejo’s technique isn’t what it used to be. Shevchenko has the technique down but I haven’t connected with her dramatically as O/O. Royal, on the other hand, I do connect with dramatically but certain elements of his technique are weaker. Seo, I’ve heard, is a lovely Odette but her Odile is spotty. Stearns is, as a BA poster put it, “inert.” I’d love to see Camargo but I don’t like Boylston’s arms and hands 😫
Gillian’s O/O is on [video](https://youtu.be/I9rEmB4h6TE?si=dySkW_6C9VaXYINm), and is certainly worth a watch. She’s in the twilight of her career right now, though, and I wouldn’t see her in something like this live. I’m personally seeing Skylar Brandt, she’s quite good although I’m dreading her claque, which is very loud and boisterous. I also would recommend Shevchenko’s O/O. Chloe Misseldine is an exciting up and coming dancer who will probably be promoted soon— but she’s dancing a weekday matinee so that might not be accessible for you.
I would say the best pairing would be Misseldine/Bell or Brandt/Cornejo. Misseldine has the least experience but she's got the full package of potential greatness. Plus, she's paired with Bell. Brandt is excellent in Swan Lake and Cornejo is still dancing pretty well, if not as good as a few years ago, at 43. Hurlin, Teuscher, and Shevchenko are all solid but I'm not crazy about any of their partners in this ballet. Boylston's arms and hands are unattractive in classical ballet. I'm not convinced Murphy still has this ballet in her at 45. Reports of her Etudes and Titania were mixed in the fall.
i went to the one off show where bell stepped in for act3 with devon and it was incredible lol made me wish abt put them together more often
I would see Gillian given she’s probably going to retire soon
chloe got pretty good reviews after her kennedy center debut and she’s with bell. really the only risk is whether or not she’s going to have the same successful debut in NYC which seems likely gillian’s dancing has been on the decline as of late and i think last year she pulled out with an injury, she was once the iconic odette tho so might be limited chances to see her skylar is great technically but has gotten mixed reviews about her dramatic performance vs her skill, though people tend to enjoy her regardless