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The Advertiser
4 hours ago
- The Advertiser
US ballerina on pointe to farewell celebrated career
There are plenty of consequential decisions to be made in every career, and they tend to become more consequential as time goes on. So it was when Gillian Murphy, one of the most admired American ballerinas for almost three decades, began contemplating not only when, but how to retire from American Ballet Theatre. She knew she wanted to go out on a high note. Murphy, at 46, is in incredible shape; at a rehearsal earlier in July, she was leaping and twirling like colleagues in their 20s. But in what role should she take her final bow, after 29 years with the company? Should it be as Juliet? As Giselle? The first of these ends up stabbing herself to death. The other goes mad. The best (and most athletic) option, it turned out, was to jump off a cliff. That's what swan queen Odette does at the end of the company's version of Swan Lake - followed in this dramatic leap by the prince who loves her, to be joyfully reunited in the afterlife. (In real life they leap onto a mattress offstage, dust themselves off and clamber back for the finale.) Murphy, who's known for her Odette/Odile - especially those fouettes, Odile's fiendishly hard whiplash turns - retired with Swan Lake on Friday night, ending her career in a blur of bouquets, tears and golden confetti before a sold-out Metropolitan Opera House crowd. Once the ballet finished, Murphy hugged fellow dancers including Misty Copeland, who will retire with fanfare in October. She was also greeted by her husband, former ballet theatre principal dancer Ethan Stiefel, and their six-year-old son, Ax, who'd just watched him mum perform at the opera house for the first time. Murphy was 17 when she joined the ballet theatre. Did she imagine such a long career? "I would have never expected to be dancing this long, honestly," she said. "I think in my mind I always had 40 years old as a time frame. But I didn't expect to feel this good at this point. "I've truly loved my career at ABT, and it's given me the opportunity to dance all over the world. So I'm happy I'm still here." Ballet takes a huge amount of athletic ability - dancers need to be actors, too - and Murphy has developed her abilities as she has aged. "I do feel that life experience really does come out in performances," she says. "And when we're telling these stories about true love and forgiveness and loss, all the dramatic sort of themes that come out in these ballets, it does make a difference when you've experienced those things in your life." While some of the company's dancers have chosen Juliet for their retirement performance, Murphy settled on a much more physically demanding role with Swan Lake. "It doesn't get any easier, yeah," she says, laughing. "I have so many favourite roles, but Swan Lake includes two of my most favourite, Odette and Odile. "It's always been incredibly challenging, but also so fulfilling. When I was a kid, my dream role was the Black Swan (Odile), actually. So just in a full-circle moment, it feels special to finish with this ballet that I dreamed of doing as a kid, and first did as a young soloist with ABT 24 years ago." Murphy is known for Odile's fouettes (32 whiplash turns on one leg that the Black Swan performs) and throwing in double turns. "I used to throw in triples, triple pirouettes in the middle of the fouettes," she says. "But I think I just want to finish strong ... and take risks elsewhere." The decision to retire is a tough call in any career, and no less so for Murphy. "It's never an easy decision for any dancer. It's a calling from a very early age ... but I've always wanted to finish strong and with my own sense of agency," she says. "I really relish when that sense of imagination and life experience and artistry is integrated with the physicality, the athleticism, the technique. And I feel like I'm still in that place where I can do that. So I want to finish with that sense of fullness." Thankfully, Murphy has largely avoided any major injuries or setbacks along her way. "I've been pretty fortunate about bouncing back from muscle strains and things like that," she says. "You know, dancers are not robots. Like an athlete, we can have an off day and (we should) not let that be too discouraging. That's par for the course. "I'd say coming back from pregnancy and an emergency c-section was not easy ... but I was able to get onstage and do a full-length Giselle when my son was eight months old. And then, a couple of weeks after that, the pandemic hit. I had just gotten everything back together." Murphy plans to lean into coaching and staging once she hangs up her pointe shoes, especially choreography. "I also want to take some time to process this huge transition and consider options and think about what I really want to do," she says. "I would be really surprised if it doesn't involve giving back or working in some way in the dance world, because it's so meaningful to me. Clearly, this is a lifetime pursuit." There are plenty of consequential decisions to be made in every career, and they tend to become more consequential as time goes on. So it was when Gillian Murphy, one of the most admired American ballerinas for almost three decades, began contemplating not only when, but how to retire from American Ballet Theatre. She knew she wanted to go out on a high note. Murphy, at 46, is in incredible shape; at a rehearsal earlier in July, she was leaping and twirling like colleagues in their 20s. But in what role should she take her final bow, after 29 years with the company? Should it be as Juliet? As Giselle? The first of these ends up stabbing herself to death. The other goes mad. The best (and most athletic) option, it turned out, was to jump off a cliff. That's what swan queen Odette does at the end of the company's version of Swan Lake - followed in this dramatic leap by the prince who loves her, to be joyfully reunited in the afterlife. (In real life they leap onto a mattress offstage, dust themselves off and clamber back for the finale.) Murphy, who's known for her Odette/Odile - especially those fouettes, Odile's fiendishly hard whiplash turns - retired with Swan Lake on Friday night, ending her career in a blur of bouquets, tears and golden confetti before a sold-out Metropolitan Opera House crowd. Once the ballet finished, Murphy hugged fellow dancers including Misty Copeland, who will retire with fanfare in October. She was also greeted by her husband, former ballet theatre principal dancer Ethan Stiefel, and their six-year-old son, Ax, who'd just watched him mum perform at the opera house for the first time. Murphy was 17 when she joined the ballet theatre. Did she imagine such a long career? "I would have never expected to be dancing this long, honestly," she said. "I think in my mind I always had 40 years old as a time frame. But I didn't expect to feel this good at this point. "I've truly loved my career at ABT, and it's given me the opportunity to dance all over the world. So I'm happy I'm still here." Ballet takes a huge amount of athletic ability - dancers need to be actors, too - and Murphy has developed her abilities as she has aged. "I do feel that life experience really does come out in performances," she says. "And when we're telling these stories about true love and forgiveness and loss, all the dramatic sort of themes that come out in these ballets, it does make a difference when you've experienced those things in your life." While some of the company's dancers have chosen Juliet for their retirement performance, Murphy settled on a much more physically demanding role with Swan Lake. "It doesn't get any easier, yeah," she says, laughing. "I have so many favourite roles, but Swan Lake includes two of my most favourite, Odette and Odile. "It's always been incredibly challenging, but also so fulfilling. When I was a kid, my dream role was the Black Swan (Odile), actually. So just in a full-circle moment, it feels special to finish with this ballet that I dreamed of doing as a kid, and first did as a young soloist with ABT 24 years ago." Murphy is known for Odile's fouettes (32 whiplash turns on one leg that the Black Swan performs) and throwing in double turns. "I used to throw in triples, triple pirouettes in the middle of the fouettes," she says. "But I think I just want to finish strong ... and take risks elsewhere." The decision to retire is a tough call in any career, and no less so for Murphy. "It's never an easy decision for any dancer. It's a calling from a very early age ... but I've always wanted to finish strong and with my own sense of agency," she says. "I really relish when that sense of imagination and life experience and artistry is integrated with the physicality, the athleticism, the technique. And I feel like I'm still in that place where I can do that. So I want to finish with that sense of fullness." Thankfully, Murphy has largely avoided any major injuries or setbacks along her way. "I've been pretty fortunate about bouncing back from muscle strains and things like that," she says. "You know, dancers are not robots. Like an athlete, we can have an off day and (we should) not let that be too discouraging. That's par for the course. "I'd say coming back from pregnancy and an emergency c-section was not easy ... but I was able to get onstage and do a full-length Giselle when my son was eight months old. And then, a couple of weeks after that, the pandemic hit. I had just gotten everything back together." Murphy plans to lean into coaching and staging once she hangs up her pointe shoes, especially choreography. "I also want to take some time to process this huge transition and consider options and think about what I really want to do," she says. "I would be really surprised if it doesn't involve giving back or working in some way in the dance world, because it's so meaningful to me. Clearly, this is a lifetime pursuit." There are plenty of consequential decisions to be made in every career, and they tend to become more consequential as time goes on. So it was when Gillian Murphy, one of the most admired American ballerinas for almost three decades, began contemplating not only when, but how to retire from American Ballet Theatre. She knew she wanted to go out on a high note. Murphy, at 46, is in incredible shape; at a rehearsal earlier in July, she was leaping and twirling like colleagues in their 20s. But in what role should she take her final bow, after 29 years with the company? Should it be as Juliet? As Giselle? The first of these ends up stabbing herself to death. The other goes mad. The best (and most athletic) option, it turned out, was to jump off a cliff. That's what swan queen Odette does at the end of the company's version of Swan Lake - followed in this dramatic leap by the prince who loves her, to be joyfully reunited in the afterlife. (In real life they leap onto a mattress offstage, dust themselves off and clamber back for the finale.) Murphy, who's known for her Odette/Odile - especially those fouettes, Odile's fiendishly hard whiplash turns - retired with Swan Lake on Friday night, ending her career in a blur of bouquets, tears and golden confetti before a sold-out Metropolitan Opera House crowd. Once the ballet finished, Murphy hugged fellow dancers including Misty Copeland, who will retire with fanfare in October. She was also greeted by her husband, former ballet theatre principal dancer Ethan Stiefel, and their six-year-old son, Ax, who'd just watched him mum perform at the opera house for the first time. Murphy was 17 when she joined the ballet theatre. Did she imagine such a long career? "I would have never expected to be dancing this long, honestly," she said. "I think in my mind I always had 40 years old as a time frame. But I didn't expect to feel this good at this point. "I've truly loved my career at ABT, and it's given me the opportunity to dance all over the world. So I'm happy I'm still here." Ballet takes a huge amount of athletic ability - dancers need to be actors, too - and Murphy has developed her abilities as she has aged. "I do feel that life experience really does come out in performances," she says. "And when we're telling these stories about true love and forgiveness and loss, all the dramatic sort of themes that come out in these ballets, it does make a difference when you've experienced those things in your life." While some of the company's dancers have chosen Juliet for their retirement performance, Murphy settled on a much more physically demanding role with Swan Lake. "It doesn't get any easier, yeah," she says, laughing. "I have so many favourite roles, but Swan Lake includes two of my most favourite, Odette and Odile. "It's always been incredibly challenging, but also so fulfilling. When I was a kid, my dream role was the Black Swan (Odile), actually. So just in a full-circle moment, it feels special to finish with this ballet that I dreamed of doing as a kid, and first did as a young soloist with ABT 24 years ago." Murphy is known for Odile's fouettes (32 whiplash turns on one leg that the Black Swan performs) and throwing in double turns. "I used to throw in triples, triple pirouettes in the middle of the fouettes," she says. "But I think I just want to finish strong ... and take risks elsewhere." The decision to retire is a tough call in any career, and no less so for Murphy. "It's never an easy decision for any dancer. It's a calling from a very early age ... but I've always wanted to finish strong and with my own sense of agency," she says. "I really relish when that sense of imagination and life experience and artistry is integrated with the physicality, the athleticism, the technique. And I feel like I'm still in that place where I can do that. So I want to finish with that sense of fullness." Thankfully, Murphy has largely avoided any major injuries or setbacks along her way. "I've been pretty fortunate about bouncing back from muscle strains and things like that," she says. "You know, dancers are not robots. Like an athlete, we can have an off day and (we should) not let that be too discouraging. That's par for the course. "I'd say coming back from pregnancy and an emergency c-section was not easy ... but I was able to get onstage and do a full-length Giselle when my son was eight months old. And then, a couple of weeks after that, the pandemic hit. I had just gotten everything back together." Murphy plans to lean into coaching and staging once she hangs up her pointe shoes, especially choreography. "I also want to take some time to process this huge transition and consider options and think about what I really want to do," she says. "I would be really surprised if it doesn't involve giving back or working in some way in the dance world, because it's so meaningful to me. Clearly, this is a lifetime pursuit." There are plenty of consequential decisions to be made in every career, and they tend to become more consequential as time goes on. So it was when Gillian Murphy, one of the most admired American ballerinas for almost three decades, began contemplating not only when, but how to retire from American Ballet Theatre. She knew she wanted to go out on a high note. Murphy, at 46, is in incredible shape; at a rehearsal earlier in July, she was leaping and twirling like colleagues in their 20s. But in what role should she take her final bow, after 29 years with the company? Should it be as Juliet? As Giselle? The first of these ends up stabbing herself to death. The other goes mad. The best (and most athletic) option, it turned out, was to jump off a cliff. That's what swan queen Odette does at the end of the company's version of Swan Lake - followed in this dramatic leap by the prince who loves her, to be joyfully reunited in the afterlife. (In real life they leap onto a mattress offstage, dust themselves off and clamber back for the finale.) Murphy, who's known for her Odette/Odile - especially those fouettes, Odile's fiendishly hard whiplash turns - retired with Swan Lake on Friday night, ending her career in a blur of bouquets, tears and golden confetti before a sold-out Metropolitan Opera House crowd. Once the ballet finished, Murphy hugged fellow dancers including Misty Copeland, who will retire with fanfare in October. She was also greeted by her husband, former ballet theatre principal dancer Ethan Stiefel, and their six-year-old son, Ax, who'd just watched him mum perform at the opera house for the first time. Murphy was 17 when she joined the ballet theatre. Did she imagine such a long career? "I would have never expected to be dancing this long, honestly," she said. "I think in my mind I always had 40 years old as a time frame. But I didn't expect to feel this good at this point. "I've truly loved my career at ABT, and it's given me the opportunity to dance all over the world. So I'm happy I'm still here." Ballet takes a huge amount of athletic ability - dancers need to be actors, too - and Murphy has developed her abilities as she has aged. "I do feel that life experience really does come out in performances," she says. "And when we're telling these stories about true love and forgiveness and loss, all the dramatic sort of themes that come out in these ballets, it does make a difference when you've experienced those things in your life." While some of the company's dancers have chosen Juliet for their retirement performance, Murphy settled on a much more physically demanding role with Swan Lake. "It doesn't get any easier, yeah," she says, laughing. "I have so many favourite roles, but Swan Lake includes two of my most favourite, Odette and Odile. "It's always been incredibly challenging, but also so fulfilling. When I was a kid, my dream role was the Black Swan (Odile), actually. So just in a full-circle moment, it feels special to finish with this ballet that I dreamed of doing as a kid, and first did as a young soloist with ABT 24 years ago." Murphy is known for Odile's fouettes (32 whiplash turns on one leg that the Black Swan performs) and throwing in double turns. "I used to throw in triples, triple pirouettes in the middle of the fouettes," she says. "But I think I just want to finish strong ... and take risks elsewhere." The decision to retire is a tough call in any career, and no less so for Murphy. "It's never an easy decision for any dancer. It's a calling from a very early age ... but I've always wanted to finish strong and with my own sense of agency," she says. "I really relish when that sense of imagination and life experience and artistry is integrated with the physicality, the athleticism, the technique. And I feel like I'm still in that place where I can do that. So I want to finish with that sense of fullness." Thankfully, Murphy has largely avoided any major injuries or setbacks along her way. "I've been pretty fortunate about bouncing back from muscle strains and things like that," she says. "You know, dancers are not robots. Like an athlete, we can have an off day and (we should) not let that be too discouraging. That's par for the course. "I'd say coming back from pregnancy and an emergency c-section was not easy ... but I was able to get onstage and do a full-length Giselle when my son was eight months old. And then, a couple of weeks after that, the pandemic hit. I had just gotten everything back together." Murphy plans to lean into coaching and staging once she hangs up her pointe shoes, especially choreography. "I also want to take some time to process this huge transition and consider options and think about what I really want to do," she says. "I would be really surprised if it doesn't involve giving back or working in some way in the dance world, because it's so meaningful to me. Clearly, this is a lifetime pursuit."
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
US ballerina on pointe to farewell celebrated career
There are plenty of consequential decisions to be made in every career, and they tend to become more consequential as time goes on. So it was when Gillian Murphy, one of the most admired American ballerinas for almost three decades, began contemplating not only when, but how to retire from American Ballet Theatre. She knew she wanted to go out on a high note. Murphy, at 46, is in incredible shape; at a rehearsal earlier in July, she was leaping and twirling like colleagues in their 20s. But in what role should she take her final bow, after 29 years with the company? Should it be as Juliet? As Giselle? The first of these ends up stabbing herself to death. The other goes mad. The best (and most athletic) option, it turned out, was to jump off a cliff. That's what swan queen Odette does at the end of the company's version of Swan Lake - followed in this dramatic leap by the prince who loves her, to be joyfully reunited in the afterlife. (In real life they leap onto a mattress offstage, dust themselves off and clamber back for the finale.) Murphy, who's known for her Odette/Odile - especially those fouettes, Odile's fiendishly hard whiplash turns - retired with Swan Lake on Friday night, ending her career in a blur of bouquets, tears and golden confetti before a sold-out Metropolitan Opera House crowd. Once the ballet finished, Murphy hugged fellow dancers including Misty Copeland, who will retire with fanfare in October. She was also greeted by her husband, former ballet theatre principal dancer Ethan Stiefel, and their six-year-old son, Ax, who'd just watched him mum perform at the opera house for the first time. Murphy was 17 when she joined the ballet theatre. Did she imagine such a long career? "I would have never expected to be dancing this long, honestly," she said. "I think in my mind I always had 40 years old as a time frame. But I didn't expect to feel this good at this point. "I've truly loved my career at ABT, and it's given me the opportunity to dance all over the world. So I'm happy I'm still here." Ballet takes a huge amount of athletic ability - dancers need to be actors, too - and Murphy has developed her abilities as she has aged. "I do feel that life experience really does come out in performances," she says. "And when we're telling these stories about true love and forgiveness and loss, all the dramatic sort of themes that come out in these ballets, it does make a difference when you've experienced those things in your life." While some of the company's dancers have chosen Juliet for their retirement performance, Murphy settled on a much more physically demanding role with Swan Lake. "It doesn't get any easier, yeah," she says, laughing. "I have so many favourite roles, but Swan Lake includes two of my most favourite, Odette and Odile. "It's always been incredibly challenging, but also so fulfilling. When I was a kid, my dream role was the Black Swan (Odile), actually. So just in a full-circle moment, it feels special to finish with this ballet that I dreamed of doing as a kid, and first did as a young soloist with ABT 24 years ago." Murphy is known for Odile's fouettes (32 whiplash turns on one leg that the Black Swan performs) and throwing in double turns. "I used to throw in triples, triple pirouettes in the middle of the fouettes," she says. "But I think I just want to finish strong ... and take risks elsewhere." The decision to retire is a tough call in any career, and no less so for Murphy. "It's never an easy decision for any dancer. It's a calling from a very early age ... but I've always wanted to finish strong and with my own sense of agency," she says. "I really relish when that sense of imagination and life experience and artistry is integrated with the physicality, the athleticism, the technique. And I feel like I'm still in that place where I can do that. So I want to finish with that sense of fullness." Thankfully, Murphy has largely avoided any major injuries or setbacks along her way. "I've been pretty fortunate about bouncing back from muscle strains and things like that," she says. "You know, dancers are not robots. Like an athlete, we can have an off day and (we should) not let that be too discouraging. That's par for the course. "I'd say coming back from pregnancy and an emergency c-section was not easy ... but I was able to get onstage and do a full-length Giselle when my son was eight months old. And then, a couple of weeks after that, the pandemic hit. I had just gotten everything back together." Murphy plans to lean into coaching and staging once she hangs up her pointe shoes, especially choreography. "I also want to take some time to process this huge transition and consider options and think about what I really want to do," she says. "I would be really surprised if it doesn't involve giving back or working in some way in the dance world, because it's so meaningful to me. Clearly, this is a lifetime pursuit."
ABC News
14 hours ago
- ABC News
Late-night hosts react to cancellation of Stephen Colbert show as Donald Trump says 'Kimmel is next'
Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has blasted television network CBS for cancelling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, as the US president took to social media to revel in the news and warn, "Kimmel is next". Stephen Colbert announced on Thursday that his late-night show has not been extended beyond the upcoming broadcast season, meaning it will end in May next year. CBS executives released a statement calling the move a "purely financial decision", labelling Colbert "irreplaceable". "[The decision is made] against a challenging backdrop in late night," the statement read. Fellow late-night hosts have reacted with shock and anger, with Kimmel writing on social media: "love you Stephen. F*** you and all your Sheldons CBS". Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show, wrote on social media that he was "just as shocked as everyone". "Stephen is one of the sharpest, funniest hosts to ever do it. I really thought I'd ride this out with him for years to come," he wrote. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump seemed to delight in the announcement, writing on his own social media platform Truth Social, "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired". Mr Trump added: "Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show." US media is reporting that CBS's parent company, Paramount, is seeking approval from the US Federal Communications Commission for a merger with Skydance Media, in a deal worth $US8.4 billion ($12.9 billion). Paramount also agreed this month to settle a lawsuit filed by Mr Trump over an interview with his Democratic challenger in the 2024 presidential race — former vice-president Kamala Harris — that CBS's 60 Minutes program broadcast in October. Critics, including Colbert — who often condemns the president's actions on his show — say the company settled primarily to clear a hurdle to the Skydance sale. In a scathing monologue delivered on Monday, local time, Colbert said he was "offended" by the settlement and joked that the technical name in legal circles for the deal was a "big fat bribe". In its statement, CBS executive said the cancellation of Colbert's show "is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount." To the boos of the audience at the news of the announcement, Colbert said, "Yeah, I share your feelings". "It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end of The Late Show on CBS. I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away." Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, a longtime critic of the US president, joined those calling for more transparency around the show's cancellation. "CBS cancelled Colbert's show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump — a deal that looks like bribery," Senator Warren wrote on social media. Eleven-time Emmy award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus defended the late-night host, writing, "I stand with my friend Stephen Colbert". She then directed a David Graham quote at CBS, Paramount, and chairwoman Shari Redstone. "Institutions that are willing to sacrifice their values for the government's favour are likely to end up with neither," she wrote. A slew of stars commented on an Instagram post shared by The Late Show and Colbert's personal account. "Love you Stephen. This is absolute bulls***," Severance star Adam Scott wrote. "And I for one am looking forward to the next 10 months of shows." Seth Meyers, the host of Late Night, also weighed in on Instagram. "For as great a comedian and host he is, Stephen Colbert is an even better person," he wrote. "I'm going to miss having him on TV every night, but I'm excited he can no longer use the excuse that he's 'too busy to hang out' with me." Colbert took over as host of The Late Show in September 2015, succeeding veteran broadcaster David Letterman, who launched the program in 1993 after Jay Leno was named host of NBC's flagship Tonight Show.
