I'm probably in the minority here, but I don't think Francesca merits the Alina comparisons yet. They have a similar stature and elegance, but where Francessca is delightful and naturalistic, Alina is subtle and layered. Francessca is a delight to watch but her performances don't stay with me after they way Alina's does. I prefer Yasmine, who usually gives a powerful emotional performance that is technically flawless but doesn't feel technical, much like Alina. Really happy to see her promotion, hope they make her principal one day! As for Akane, her performances leave me cold. Beautiful technique, and utterly boring! Giselle is my favorite ballet and I was unmoved by her performance, I was bored. Her technique was faultless but I felt like I was watching ballet exercises. Reminds me of the time I saw Polina Semionova do Swan Lake at the ABT, beautiful arabesques and flawless fouettes, but I checked out by the second half and didn't care what happened to her Odette.
I feel sorry for Yuhui. I wonder why she didn't leave earlier. She could easily make principal at another established company in Europe. She trained in Paris, and maybe she should have pursued her career with the Paris Opera, a very traditional and classical company that puts more emphasis on elegance than dramatic talent.
First time posting but long time ballet enthusiast