Birdsall

Absolutely right, California! I just rewatched the first act of Ratmansky's SL at La Scala and the wall is how you describe with a lake showing behind a wrought iron gate that connects two sides of the wall. Maybe it was improved upon in Milan. Maybe people complained in Zurich so it was made more beautiful. But you are absolutely right in what you personally saw in Milan.

I agree. Although I enjoy nice sets and costumes the most important reason to watch ballet is to see the choreography. Same with opera. I have gone to operas "in concert" without sets and costumes, because the singing was the most important element.

I think I am in the minority on BA, but I find the double suicide and Siegfried and Odette reunited in Heaven a happy one, not a tragic one, and I also find the Soviet one where they defeat Rothbart and are together on Earth a happy one. I see hardly any difference, especially since there is really no ballet choreography. The ABT double suicide and apotheosis of Odette and Siegfried together in Heaven is indeed beautiful in a more spiritual way, but that's about the only beauty I find in that very kitschy, very Disney World-ish, very American (in the negative sense meaning pop trash culture) production of Swan Lake. For me the Mariinsky's Sergeyev version has the most beautiful and sophisticated and gorgeous atmosphere throughout the entire ballet, so I can be okay with a "happy ending" (although it is very unrealistic since it is Hell on Earth right now in 2018, so there is no happiness possible on Earth). I will take a beautiful "take your breath away" production all night throughout the ballet with an adjusted ending (that involves no change in the choreography) over a very kitschy Disney production that has one beautiful moment at the very end.

No one cares more about Chase Johnsey than his family or friends probably. Those are the people who need to worry about his health (physical mostly, in my opinion). We can't do anything about it. I have helped my mother go from 67 lbs. to 84 lbs. (she is 5'1") and just took her to the doctor and got him to convince her that my concerns are valid (she thought she was getting fat). So even a family member who LOVES you can't necessarily fix an eating disorder. So BA members aren't going to have much of an effect on Chase Johnsey at all IF he has an eating disorder, and we don't even know if he does. As for mental health, I think we should all look at ourselves and all visit counselors before we point any fingers.

I believe that the American Psychiatric Association does not think that gender nonconformity/gender dysphoria is a mental disorder by itself. It is not a situation where psychiatrists say, "Oh, you are a physical male and want to be a woman so you have a mental disorder!" The situation of gender dysphoria causes distress, because it is a situation that the majority of society does not understand or want to understand. Even the person experiencing gender dysphoria may not understand the physical element to it all. The distress is probably due to people's judgments and they are not walking in the person's shoes, and when you are not walking in the person's shoes no one should judge, in my opinion. Chase Johnsey may or may not want a physical transition, but that is up to him. It is up to a ballet company to decide if he is a good ballerina who they want to hire as a ballerina. Years ago when I was bringing up LGBT issues to the school board I worked for by taking harassed, beat up gay and lesbian students to the school board to tell their stories (way before this was popular to do), and these stories involved beat up kids where administrators did nothing because the student was acting too effeminate or too butch (for a girl)......I was very ignorant about transgender issues and did not want transgender students included in my quest to get a Southern school board to understand that children are getting beat up. My attitude was, "We will be lucky to help gay and lesbian kids from getting beat up and including transgender kids as a protected class is going too far!" When I said that in a planning meeting I noticed a hush in the room of various LGBT community leaders. The transgender woman at the meeting lowered her eyes and her body melted into her chair. I felt the feeling that I had hushed the room and hurt someone deeply. I knew I had let her down, and I do not like hurting people, so I wondered if I should learn more about her, to hear her side of what life is like for her. I invited her to another meeting and she discussed medical issues that I had never heard about. She said there are babies born all the time who have atypical genitalia and they are assigned a sex (male or female) at least in the past without the doctor being 100% sure what the actual genitalia was (an enlarged clitoris or small penis). She won me over, and I always included the T in LGBT after listening to her experiences and fears. Even when we don't fully understand another person's situation and we don't stand in their shoes, our compassion for them as human beings must come out. This is why I love Wagner's Parsifal. Compassion is an element of both Christianity and Buddhism (both mixed in the opera) and instead of demanding our view of the world, we need to simply have compassion toward each other, because life is hard for all of us. I just felt the need to say all that. Not sure why.

Life on Earth is hell and anyone who can find a way to be who he or she wants to be to get through life gets my applause!

In Europe audience members bring flowers, and the prima ballerina on some nights gets nothing while a soloist from the corps can get a huge bouquet because someone is a fan. It is up to the audience. I think some American companies buy their own ballerinas bouquets (equal size and for each soloist) for Opening Night..... But I think it tends to mainly be up to audience members.

The Cuban version has a lot of small differences that are fun to see though.

Oh, btw, I also meant to mention how the Willis are much more aggressive and threatening in the Cuban version. I wasn't used to that, but it is a legitimate interpretation that makes sense. Afterall, they want to kill men who betrayed them.

I saw the Tampa performance of the National Ballet of Cuba's Giselle last night (May 23). It is the one and only Florida appearance in this tour. A Chicago friend said a local orchestra performed with the company in their Chicago performances the other week, and I hear that the Kennedy Center Orchestra will play for their DC performances. Unfortunately, in Tampa there was no orchestra, so they danced to a recording. Sadaise Arencibia danced the title role, and she did a good job. Her looks reminded me of Alicia Alonso (nose, eyes) that I have seen in pictures and video. There was nothing wrong with her performance, but I am used to more ethereal Giselles. Arencibia was much more earthy. The ballones or hops on pointe were the ones where the ballerina hops and then the working leg is moved toward the body and then more regular hops and then the leg is moved toward the body again, etc. (so sort of like an about face) showing off control and balance. That caused her to only move 8 feet or so. I have to admit I love how the Russians cross the entire stage (at least Somova and Tereshkina do, and the others go pretty far). This sort of summed up my experience. I enjoyed the performance very much, and I knew I was seeing a great company, and the dancers and corps were great, but I think I prefer the Russian style and the attempt by Western companies to create a more ethereal Giselle. For me this Giselle was very grounded and earthy, and that worked in the first act, but I felt the second act of this Giselle was too human and less like a spirit. However, I can't say I disliked Arencibia's Giselle. It had great moments. An interesting tidbit is that Giselle does not throw the flowers behind her like in Giselles we are used to....she holds the flowers and Albrecht comes jumping behind her and grabs each one. Raul Abreu was fabulous as Albrecht gaining strength and excitement as the performance progressed. He proved that the National Ballet of Cuba continues to produce amazing male dancers with strength and bravura dancing. Great leaps and acting. I wouldn't mind seeing him again, although I probably never will unless he defects or if the company starts to tour more often. Claudia Garcia as Myrtha had such smooth bourrees as she entered. Like butter. These are the type of bourrees I like. The second of the two soloist Willis showed off amazing renverses that had the leg circling around very high all the way through. This is how I love the renverses, and I have to say I rarely see them done this way. I think that was Barbara Fabelo. Basically, this is a company with a great reputation and well deserved. However, there are differences in style compared to Western and Russian companies, and that is not a criticism. I wouldn't mind seeing the company again and getting used to this more earthy style. The Tampa audience applauded every little thing that isn't normally applauded. I suspect many were not ballet lovers, rather there to see the Cuban ballet and feel proud (many Cubans live in Tampa). According to news articles it was a huge effort to make it happen in Tampa (many trips to Cuba and lots of red tape).

.....and if it is a reference to Nazi Germany maybe it is a "Never Forget" moment. I feel many fringe people in America and even the world have forgotten and need to be shown how horrifying it was.

My only problem is if this ballet condoned or made gassing a child humorous. I have not seen it, so I should not comment, but I wonder if it was trying to show that we have not changed since primitive times. Children continue to be the victims in our world (Syria, for example). Maybe the overall message was, "Let's wake up! It's still happening! We think only primitive people killed off children! Have we really changed? Are we any different?" If that is how this ballet can be interpreted I would actually be inclined to go see it one day. If the ballet means to show the image as truly horrifying and not something to take lightly, then I think it might have a good underlying meaning. Often shocking images will cause us to want to change.

I saw the Sarasota Ballet's final program of the season last night. It was called "Great masters of Dance" and included Balanchine (Tarantella, Bugaku), Tudor (The Leaves are Fading), and Ashton (Marguerite and Armand). Kate Honea and Logan Learned were terrific in Tarantella mastering all the fancy footwork as well as balances, turning attitudes, etc. This piece was added to the other 3 ballets about a month or so ago due to Logan Learned's decision to retire from ballet and study at a university in San Francisco, according to an article. He is young and petite. He delighted Sarasota audiences for 10 years in many roles. His small stature was probably an obstacle to securing a position at a larger company (I am just guessing), because to me his Blue Boy in Les Patineurs, Alain in La Fille Mal Garde and other shows he participated in showed a huge talent. He seemed to love what he was doing and gave his all. At the end of Tarantella during curtain calls Kate Honea hugged him, and it looked like tears came to his eyes. He will be missed in this little gem of a company!!!! I had never seen The Leaves Are Fading and may need to revisit it. I closed my eyes and dozed several times. Maybe I was still tired with jet lag (I was in Berlin for an opera trip and to see the Berlin Philharmonic) and then drove down to Sarasota yesterday. So the warm Sarasota Opera House, Dvorak's calm music, and the subtle choreography (from what I did see) put me to sleep. Bugaku was great fun with Ryoko Sadoshima and Lucas Erni in the female and male leads. It actually helped to buy into Balanchine's take on Japan's Imperial Court arts that a Japanese dancer was in the lead role. Ryoko was beautiful and delicate in the role. Slight wobbles on the difficult balances on one leg as the other leg changed position and went into other steps, but that was a small quibble. Even the very best international dancers might wobble during some of these moments. I do feel that Balanchine did this ballet as an homage to Japan and not to make fun. I think there is an element of respect and awe to the ballet. The various steps of ballet were at times re-imagined so that the Russian attitudes were more bent and squared, more entrechats that landed on one foot (the various numbers that I could not count because they were fast), etc. Lucas Erni was a very handsome lead male, and the entire "ceremony" was dramatic and beautiful. The audience loved it. The final ballet was Marguerite and Armand, and, in the past, I have considered Sarasota Ballet best at Ashton. However, I felt last night's performance was slightly off from their normal level. Victoria Hulland was a gorgeous Marguerite and acted very well. I had no issues with her. However, I found Ricardo Garziano, who I thought was excellent in other shows in the past, a bit subdued compared to Shklyarov who I have seen in this role. A big whoops moment happened when David Tlaiye (as Armand's father) was dragging Hulland and somehow tripped falling down under her and dropped her at the same time. However, she was being dragged, so it didn't look like she was hurt at all, but he might have hurt himself the way he fell. Some audience members gasped. They recovered as quickly as they could which showed great professionalism. The main problem in the scenery/costumes was that I felt some of the supporting cast looked way too young to have the fake beards and wigs, or else the wigs and beards needed to be improved upon. Not sure, but it did not help you forget it was theatre. I believe Xander Parish was originally scheduled to dance Armand, but he must have cancelled long ago, because there was no mention of that on the website for months. Overall, the entire evening was a very nice evening. I think I enjoyed Bugaku and Tarantella the most. There is a restaurant called Mozaic around the corner from Sarasota's opera house which I love. Tiny hole in the wall but great food. Just threw that in for those of you who decide to visit Sarasota.

Last time MCB did Apollo it was without the birth and the climbing the stairs at the end. Interesting that Lourdes Lopez went back to the original.

I have been saying for a long time that the performing arts, especially in the 19th century, were a living thing. I know in opera, composers would often rewrite an aria or compose a new one for a new singer. Both the composer and the singer wanted a success. Things would be changed for a different singer, different theatre, or country (the french were used to 5 act operas that included a ballet). There was less, "It must be exactly what I created" concept in the 19th century. In some ways each new production was a new work b/c you had new stars and a new format at times. I think reconstructions are very interesting, and it is worthwhile to stage them, so that maybe we get a glimpse of what the style MIGHT have been, but I think a rigid adherence to what "should be" is foolhardy. I also suspect that if we could go back in time we would all be disappointed with Giuditta Pasta's Norma (Callas changed it forever, in my opinion) or Kschessinskaya's fouettes. Technique in both opera and ballet has evolved/changed......what we are used to is different. That is normal in the performing arts, in my opinion.

https://www.sarasotaballet.org/sarasota-ballet-announces-2018-2019-season

I love the photos from Andris Liepa's FB page!

If that article is accurate what a creepy psycho he must be, and it sounds like he messed up people’s lives!

By the way, apparently Xander Parish will guest in Marguerite and Armand in April.

I drove down to Sarasota this past Friday to catch Sarasota Ballet's The Dream. It is fun that a small company in Florida has become an Ashton company, so I have seen a lot more Ashton than I normally ever could. The company did great in The Dream. Beautiful sets and costumes. Great dancing! Friedemann Vogel from Stuttgart Ballet guested as Oberon. He was terrific even with slight veil and crown mishaps and so much mist or dry ice at one point that he bumped into part of the set as he exited the stage. None of these tiny costume and scenery mishaps were his fault though. Victoria Hulland was a lovely Titania. Her use of her arms seemed to fit Ashton's (and my) love of flowing arms. Ivan Duarte was an energetic and exciting Puck. The audience loved him. I have a hard time deciding which version of Midsummer Night's Dream that I like better. Balanchine or Ashton? Both have their charms! Another ballet friend feels the same way. I guess we should be glad there are two versions. The Dream was paired with David Bintley's "Still Life" at the Penguin Cafe. I love the idea of focusing on animals and then giving it an emotional element by dealing with how they are going extinct. However, I feel it sort of hit us over the head with this idea near the end. The zebra getting shot sent the message but then we see the impact on humans and their child and it continues to make the point and starts to become a big heavy handed and monotonous. Like I said, I do like the concept. I sometimes longed for more exciting choreography. I really wanted to like this ballet, but I respect the idea more than I actually liked it. I meant to post earlier but was busy also seeing Sarasota Opera's Norma and then driving across the state to catch Miami City Ballet's program. Sorry so short, but I have to get ready for work.

I saw today's matinee of MCB's Program 3. Katia Carranza and Renato Penteado were the leads in Theme and Variations, and, although they did not exhibit the speed of New York City Ballet dancers in their turns I thought they did wonderfully. Carranza managed the gargoulliades well. Penteado was energetic and a great partner. I wish I could have seen the other cast (Lauren and Rebello), but I was on the other coast until this morning seeing Sarasota Ballet's The Dream and "Still Life" at the Penguin Cafe as well as Sarasota Opera's Norma. The second item was Brian Brooks' One Line Drawn. They start in a line, do their own freestyle variations and then start in small groups and then as a whole always returning to a line. I am not sure what it all meant but it seemed to say that each individual makes up part of a whole. However, the music (reminding me of Phillip Glass) by Michael Gordon was sort of a humming drone that got old and the same with the choreography. I give Miami City Ballet kudos for trying something new, but I heard lots of complaining during intermission. I think most people did not like it. I liked it for about 10 minutes and then I grew tired of it. Last was The Concert, and I was happy to see Emily Bromberg in yet another main role. A friend's son danced with her. She is lovely. However, I fail to find The Concert humorous no matter who is dancing. The audience laughed out loud just like the other times I have seen this, but to me it seems like slapstick which I never find funny. There are a couple of moments that made me smile, but overall it is a work I respect but do not really "get." For me this was a weak program, and I just went for Theme and Variations mainly. I spent the weekend in Sarasota and decided to try to drive across the state and attend the matinee of this plus visit a friend. More later.....the friend is picking me up for dinner......

Mekhmeneh Bahnu is the more dramatic role. She sacrifices her beauty to save her sister from death, she falls in love with Ferkhad but knows he would never love her, she becomes extremely jealous of the love between Ferkhad and her sister, and then she instigates Ferkhad's eventual saving of their people. I feel like Shyrin is simply a young girl in love and doesn't have quite the range of emotions that the tormented Mekhmeneh Bahnu has. Basically, the drama and the dramatic solos probably make prima ballerinas want to try it. Shyrin seems almost like a "soubrette" type role......just happy, innocent, pretty.......plus, Mekhmeneh Bahnu feels like the longer role. To me it is in the same tradition as how there is Nikiya and Gamzatti, Medora and Gulnare, Giselle and Myrtha, Aurora and the Lilac Fairy. One is the prima ballerina role that is coveted while the other is more like a seconda donna role. All of those "seconda donna" roles are great roles, but I suspect almost every ballerina wants to dance the "prima donna" one day. That is my take on it.

Very true. However, even though I agree with most of what you say especially because the Met has to look at a legal angle, if what happened...happened just as the Times described, it does seem like an overreaction by the Met, so I guess I am looking for a hidden issue (that may or may not exist) to explain it in my mind. I don't think anyone should have to tolerate a hostile environment, but I think the majority of people would have laughed at the comment if made toward them, or, if offended, would have expressed their unhappiness right then or afterward and asked for an apology. Of course, nobody has to act or react in the way I would act or react, but I have to admit that I find that the Met overreacted, but, like I said, I don't have all the facts and wasn't in the room, so maybe I would feel differently if I had been there. The Met is probably in its legal right (and probably has a legal obligation if facing a lawsuit) to solve the situation as it did. However, the punishment doesn't seem to fit the crime, in my personal opinion. But you mentioned it might be the Met trying to show that it now takes sexual issues VERY seriously after the Levine scandal. That would help to explain it.

In the end, without having been there we really don't know what exactly happened. If we had been in the room and heard tone and the exact words and mood of the room, maybe we would understand all this much more. Or maybe we would sympathize with Copley. I don't think we should rush to judgment about the chorister or Copley, unless we actually witnessed what exactly happened. It probably is a case of the Met trying to now show it no longer tolerates any hint of sexual harassment after years of ignoring Levine's behavior......those rumors dogged Levine and were discussed among opera lovers ever since I started listening to opera and probably longer, so the Met as an organization has reason to make a big show of drawing a line in the sand and showing it now finally means business. I also wonder if there was some personal conflict between Copley and administration that we don't know about. Samuel Ramey wrote that Gelb is as conservative as they come. Of course, that is an opinion. Maybe Gelb already disliked Copley, and he simply needed an excuse to get rid of him. I have no idea. Just throwing out how anything is possible. Sometimes the facts do not actually tell the whole story.

Buddy, I looked at the Mariinsky website, and it appears that the two SB performances at the historic theatre are going to be the reconstruction that they have not staged for a long while! You are lucky!