Swan Lake Samba Girl - Latest Comments in NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

freyja chicken — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:46:58 -0000

i am happy to tell you all that ashley had her third surgery just last wednesday. I know because i am her studat. she teaches at bridge for dance. if ashley comments soon : hi ashley! hopeyou can make it to our concert. we all miss you so much! love from, ckicken, ms. couch, blaber mouth, and havana. aka freyja shoshi tessa and havana. hope u get better!

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

ashlee knapp — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:24:01 -0000

I do indeed remeber you.. I have trying to heal my body and my mind from what has happened.. even though doctors didnt believe that i would be able to dance anymore.. This week I put on my pointe shoes on for the first time in 10 months.. I feel really proud of my determination and hope to return in the nycb in the near future!! I am also teaching alot in and around nyc.. It has been a wonderful and healing thing for me.. to bring joy to young students and to find happiness in something that gave me so much pain.. thank you for praying for me.. and i will keep everyone updated in my progress..

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

Fred — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 12:33:28 -0000

I met Ashlee when she was 12. She (and her mom) sat next to my wife and me during an open NYCB rehearsal. Ashlee was *so* enthusiastic. She gasped with awe when she saw company solists enter the stage. We talked to her and she promosed that she *was going to be in the Company*. We followed her every year after that, and saw her a few years later (and spoke to her) when she was an SAB student. (One year she was an usher at the SAB graduation. The next year she was performing at the graduation.) Then she got tapped to enter the NYCB early!

I often wondered why she performed so rarely in recent years. I didn't know about her injury history until we read her Oct 31 post.

I hope she will recover and be able to resume her dance career; if not, I do pray for her (as she asked) that she will find something else that gives her as much joy and fulfillment. And if she should read this, I wonder if she remembers us -- the couple she spoke to at that rehearsal many years ago.

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

Philip — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 19:20:39 -0000

Dear Ashlee,

I am so sorry to read about your injuries, and I sincerely hope that you will recover and we will see you dancing again. I very well remember your first appearance at NYCB dancing bare-footed with James Fayette in HARMONIELEHRE. I realized you had been injured but I was not aware of the severity or the complications. It was so nice seeing you in NUTCRACKER last Winter and feeling that you were on a comeback. Dancing is such a hazardous profession: that has become so clear to me over the years. I don't think people appreciate the risks involved. I will be thinking of you and sending mental energy your way...

Philip aka Oberon

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

tonya — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:51:57 -0000

Oh no, Ashlee, that sounds horrible. I will definitely keep you in my thoughts, as I'm sure will all NYCB fans. Get better and I hope to see you back in the company soon!

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

Ashlee Knapp — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:29:06 -0000

I have left due to I devistating injury.. I had a Dr do a wrong surgery on my ankle and then was told to be on bed rest.. Every doctor told me they had fixed the problem and that I was making it up.. 9 months went by (still in bed) and even though every doc I met with told me I was crazy I asked to have exploritory surgery.. They basicly opened up my whole leg up to find that my tendon was completely shreaded in two places and there was no blood flow going through it there for it was decomposing in my body(age 18).. I struggled for 2 painful years (after the second surgery) and I was almost back.. So proud at all that I had accoplished and.. As fate would have it.. as Romeo and Juliet was getting started.. I took a devistating fall in class that has left me with very few ligaments in tact and I am not sure if I will ever be able to dance professionally again.. I was taken off the roster though Mr Martins told me if I make it back he will be honored to have me back in the company once again.. Please pray for me!!!

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

Bob — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 00:27:26 -0000

Philip,

Ashlee Knapp is not listed in my subscription brochure. Are there two different brochures floating around out there?

And JLynn, we all love and admire Peter Boal and there is no doubt that he has the potential to become a great artistic director, but to suggest that he has already made PNB a better company for dancing Balanchine than NYCB is a bit of a stretch.

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

Philip — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 11:21:28 -0000

Is Ashlee Knapp leaving? She is still listed on the website and in the subscription brochure.

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

tonya — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 20:19:15 -0000

There does seem to be this pattern of dancers leaving NYCB for PNB right... I hope to see them perform Balanchine sometime, JLynn. I loved Ashley in Rubies.

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

JLynn — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 10:05:44 -0000

Sad for us on the east coast, but in all truth, PNB is a better company for dancing Balanchine. Of course, it seems NYCB has been on the upswing over the past season, with all the praise Ashley Boulder has received.

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

Bob — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:46:50 -0000

Be tough, Tonya! If I could survive the loss of Alexandra Ansanelli and Carla Korbes in recent seasons, you can deal with the loss of Seth Orza. All things considered, to have only two dancers depart (Orza and corps dancer Ashlee Knapp) after the Spring season - out of a company of almost 100 dancers - is not bad. And don't worry about Kathryn Morgan - she is so good that she will click with almost any of the guys in the company (many of whom, I am sure, are fighting to become her new main partner). But don't think I have no feeling for your pain - if Ashley Bouder or Maria Kowroski or the aforementioned Kathryn Morgan were to leave NYCB, I would have to go into immediate heavy therapy.

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

Melinda — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 22:34:05 -0000

Uh-oh.

Re: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! at Swan Lake Samba Girl

jennifer — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:13:54 -0000

feel free to join us on the west coast, tonya :)

seth's brother sean orza is in sf ballet so glad to see the brothers can be closer. so who's next to leave nycb for pnb??