Tonya Plank

Author, Dancer and Public Interest Lawyer

VERONIKA PART PROMOTED TO ABT PRINCIPAL!!!!!!!!!!

April 15, 2009

veronika01

This is the day Ms. Part’s many many MANY fans have been waiting for, for a loooong time!

Oh, YAY! Has anyone deserved this more?!

Photo by Jade Young, courtesy of Scott Schlexer.

:D

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Tonya
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    I wrote MCKenzie a year ago asking him why he has not promoted Ms. Part to principal. He never answered me. All I get from ABT is a request for a donation. Needless to say, I turn them down. I sent a 2 liner to McKenzie recently congratulating him on the promotion!!
    In my opinion, Ms. Part is a magnificent ballerina. We have cancelled our subscription but have purchased tickets for all her performances this spring season at the Met.
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    Thank you for commenting, Ben. Brilliantly said! I totally agree. I think it's wonderful that people are so passionate -- either way -- about a dancer, for once. We truly need more of that in the ballet world.
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    I think the news is brilliant. Aside from the fact that I just love watching her, I think Veronika Part's presence is useful to the NY ballet community.

    It's easy for one's palate to become attuned to only a certain type of artistry. New York has long needed someone whose gifts provide a useful counterpoint to the strengths (allegro technique, legs, and abstraction) best cultivated by the Balanchine tradition.

    Part's gifts are in almost exact opposition. It's so good to see a dancer who actually revels in adagio...who has really strong such port de bras and epaulement...who actually remembers that dance is _theatre_.

    I think all the divided commentary over her is great too. After all, too many dancers inspire only polite pleasure ("Very nice, what's next on the program?") or no response at all; when was the last time you saw balletomanes so passionate over something (for or against)?
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    Thank you for finding and commenting on my blog, Martine! How exciting to have a Dutch girl in Russia reading my blog :) I will definitely check out yours!

    Thanks Jolene -- I know, isn't that photo beautiful! She does look so different in all of her photos. I know, you said it, about the rather enormous controversy over her. I've honestly seen fights break out in the City Center mezzanine over whether she should be promoted. She provokes VERY different responses in different people! That's an interesting question about how often people get promoted rather than coming in as a star. I know Marcelo and David went all the way through from corps members to principal, as did Michele, Julie (?), Ethan (?) -- Jose, Alessandra, Roberto, Diana V., Vladimir, definitely all came in as principals. I don't even know off the top of my head about the rest -- like Xiomara and Herman and Paloma. I guess it's about half and half, maybe a little less who get promoted? That's probably not very many within-company promotions for a ballet company. ABT and SFBallet probably hire in more dancers as principals, you think?
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    Oooh, I am very very happy about this! Thanks for sharing. I really love your website, I will read everything :-) best wishes from a Dutch girl in Russia, x Martine

    P.S.
    I also have a website about dance, to be found at www.barokdans.nl :-)
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    Gorgeous photo! I know she provokes different responses in people (and I've never seen her perform), but I think it's uncanny how different she looks in every photo I see of her. Congrats to Veronika! That's an amazing accomplishment.

    Anyways, how often is it, do you think, that dancers are often promoted within the ranks of ABT than being hired from elsewhere, directly to ABT principal? I think some are hired with the intent to promote to principal right away, but I think it's difficult to go from corps to principal in ABT. Perhaps this is true of world-class ballet companies anywhere.
 

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