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In ballet, injuries have a way of dragging on. David Hallberg, American Ballet Theatre's most princely principal, has announced that he will withdraw from all 13 performances he was scheduled for this spring at the Metropolitan Opera House due to a persistent foot injury. "It is with great regret that I must cancel the ABT spring season, but my complete recovery is of utmost importance," Hallberg says in a statement. "I greatly look forward to when I am back onstage and ready to dance with ABT once again."
Of course, artistic director Kevin McKenzie has turned to Russia for guest artists. Gotta sell those tickets! Vladimir Shklyarov, a principal with the Mariinsky Ballet, will perform on May 23 as Albrecht in Giselle; Leonid Sarafanov, a principal with the Mikhailovsky Ballet, undertakes Solar in La Bayadère on June 3 and 6 and Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty on June 10. The circumstances are unfortunate, but the long-awaited ABT debut of Sarafanov is most welcome: His dancing, his demeanor, his pristine technique add up to loveliness supreme.