Grace8

Thanks seattle_dancer for the opening night report! Disappointed that I won't be able to see Leta Biasucci perform live but will look forward to the digital performance. Appreciate any reports from the Odette/Odile debuts. The Saturday evening performance was also excellent with Angelica Generosa and Jonathan Batista. My impressions: Kuu Sakuragi (Jester) seems to defy gravity! Ryan Cardea gave a good performance without overdoing it as Wolfgang, the tutor. Lots of laughs from the audience. Swan corps looked good; Amanda Morgan and Audrey Malek were lovely demi-soloists Both Angelica Generosa and Jonathan Batista were playing with their music interpretation in the Act III Black Swan coda. He can hold his pirouettes for a long time. Her fouettes: initially she did a couple with multiple pirouettes, switching to single fouettes -- wasn't quite sure if she was going to hold on to the end, but she did. Unfortunately Leah Terada was injured during the Act I pas de trois. I'm not sure what happened, but saw her put a hand down while doing a turning run in the introduction. She was able to finish, but Clara Ruf Maldonado who was one of the guests performed the solo variation. She was also wearing an orange costume, so it may not have been obvious to most of the audience. Amanda Morgan performed the Persian dance in her place. Hope Leah is doing okay.

Sad news. Rico Chiarelli passed away 1/4. Seattle Times article: Randall G. Chiarelli, longtime PNB lighting designer, dies at 74

Interesting tidbit from the recent Seattle Times article "Performing ‘Swan Lake’ is notoriously difficult. PNB dancers explain why" that 8 couples were originally chosen to rehearse with the plan for 5 couples to perform the lead roles. Both Elle Macy and Cecilia Iliesiu learned Odette/Odile for the previous run. Can anyone ID the dancer who I think is performing Siegfried here toward the end of the video?

William Lin-Yee is now a voice actor. He made the pre-performance etiquette announcement (put away phones, etc) for the Midsummer Night's Dream rep, and to also highlight the Second Stage program.

They brought out a birthday cake at the end of the Saturday 4/15 evening performance 😃. Kent Stowell and Francia Russell were there for the performance, along with other PNB alumni. https://www.instagram.com/p/CrGumcVJWen/

Late in replying -- saw the 1st Saturday evening performance and the digital performance. Wonderland (Saunders): I preferred the initial digital performance from earlier in the pandemic, since it was meant to use different viewpoints in the theater. I also wonder how well people could see the dancers in the boxes (Lucien Postlewaite and Mark Cuddihee) from different areas of the theater. Unfortunately there was a problem with the automated strobe lighting for the first section of Black on Black on Black (Cerrudo), so they only performed the last 2 sections. I would need to see it again in-person after watching the digital streaming version to better understand it. I liked Let Me Tears Mingle with Thee (Lang) the most. Particularly enjoyed the different "pictures" made using the long piece of fabric in the earlier sections. Appreciated seeing two different casts between the in-person and digital performances; looking forward to seeing more of Audrey Malek's dancing.

I was wondering if there was going to be a 4th and 5th cast for the leads. I'd like to see Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan as Giselle and Amanda Morgan as Myrtha, but don't think I can get to 2 in-person performances this rep. 🙁

Agree! (I'd also like to see them in Don Quixote whenever it returns.) Recall seeing this PNB YouTube Giselle short in 2020 with Noelani Pantastico and Dylan Wald, back when Zoom was novel 🙄

Anyone with wish lists for casting yet? 😃 Hoping to see Lesley Rausch as Giselle with James Kirby Rogers as Albrecht, Cecilia Iliesiu as Myrtha. Wondering if Leta Biasucci, Dylan Wald or Kyle Davis will be back.

Found a PNB blog post by Leta Biasucci for the Seasons Canon rep: https://www.pnb.org/crystal-pites-the-seasons-canon-by-the-numbers/ She also wrote "A day in the life of a 'Nutcracker' snowflake" from Seattle Times (sponsored content) https://www.seattletimes.com/sponsored/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-nutcracker-snowflake/, profiling Malena Ani. Looking forward to seeing her dance again!

Has anyone else read Turning Pointe? I recently read it and found it very thoughtful with discussions about racism, sexism, gender identity and more. (I checked out the book from the library, so don't have it available to refer to now).

Went to both Saturday evening performances: 4/16 Elizabeth Murphy and Lucien Postlewaite; 4/23 Angelica Generosa and Jonathan Batista. Sat in the first tier on 4/16 and orchestra level 4/23 -- the Jester's choreography made more sense closer up. 😄 Lovely performance by Elizabeth Murphy, especially considering she had a baby last year! Breathtaking Act 2 pas de deux. Black Swan coda: counted 27 single fouettes, finished early. Thought Angelica Generosa and Jonathan Batista's performance was more dynamic. Looking forward to seeing more of his dancing. Counted 27+ fouettes with multiple pirouettes, though not always on the music. Impressed by Kuu Sakuragi's Jester and Abby Jayne DeAngelo in the Act 1 pas de trois. The people sitting next to me commented favorably about the cast diversity, which I was also glad to see. (I just wish they had kept their masks on...) Interesting tidbit: the lobby display had rehearsal photos which included Elle Macy and Christopher D'Ariano in the principal roles. I didn't see Christopher D'Ariano in the listed casting, so hope he is doing okay.

Went to the first weekend Saturday evening performance. I enjoyed "Before I Was" more during the digital performance. Perhaps it's more suited to a smaller venue? Kuu Sakaragi performed "Caught" which I think is best viewed from the orchestra. Felt like I missed some of the nuances sitting higher in the theater. Favorites were "Plot Point" and "The Times are Racing" -- very energetic. If you haven't seen it, YouTube has a NYCB clip of the soft shoe duet by Robbie Fairchild and Justin Peck performed in the NYC subway. 😀

Did anyone see Elizabeth Murphy's debut as Juliette? Decided to brave an in-person performance Saturday 2/5 evening to see Noelani Pantastico before she retired. She was amazing as always. There was a casting change from the website: Cecilia Iliesiu as Lady Capulet and Lily Wills as Rosaline. I think I've finally figured out who is who after seeing it over the years. 😄 Orchestra level looked about 85-90% full, 1st tier less full; didn't make it up to 2nd tier.

Debuts (per my recollection of past performances): Juliet: Elizabeth Murphy Nurse: Leta Biasucci and Angelica Generosa Friar Laurence: Dylan Wald Tybalt: James Kirby Rogers and Jonathan Batista Benvolio: Christian Poppe and Kuu Sakaragi Rosaline: Cecilia Iliesiu and Lily Wills Paris: Luther DeMyer Not sure for Lady Capulet whether Elle Macy and Lesley Rausch previously danced the role? I remember Laura Tisserand during the last run. Interesting that Lesley Rausch isn't performing Juliet this time.