Dave

Speaking as a fan, not as a PNB employee (I work for the school, not the company, so I don't pretend to have any inside knowledge not available to the general public), I fear you may be missing the subtle distinction between "happy for her" and "happy she's leaving."

Seattle designer Luly Yang has used PNB dancers and Professional Division students to model her bridal and evening gowns, both in print and on the runway. There are a few pictures of them here.

Other than the obvious (Patricia Barker), the first one who comes to mind right now without going home and scrolling through the movie credits is Natalie Ryder, who went on to perform professionally in musical theatre. (I met her when we were both attending the University of Washington.) I'm sure there are a few others. I'll see what I can come up with. Can anyone else think of any?

As many of you know, our Nutcracker (with choreography by Kent Stowell and costumes and sets designed by Maurice Sendak) was one of the productions that signalled PNB's arrival on the national ballet scene in 1983, some five years into what will be Mr. Stowell and Ms. Russell's 28-year tenure as Artistic Directors. At the final curtain of last night's performance, the dancers brought Mr. Stowell onstage to take a bow at his last Nutcracker as PNB's co-artistic director. He, in turn, brought Francia Russell onstage, along with all the unsung heroes who make Nutcracker a success: the production crew, stagehands, volunteer coordinator, volunteers, and security officers who keep all the young dancers safe as they enter and leave the theatre each night. It was a poignant reminder of how much colossal effort from so many dedicated people goes into every one of the 40 performances we staged this year (and it brought tears to my eyes, but I'm sappy that way).

Bravo! Thanks, Helene, for a wonderful review and summary of the Q&A. I haven't seen Noe and Le in these roles (other than peeking at rehearsals), but after reading your review I feel almost as though I did. I did see Patricia Barker/Jeff Stanton on opening night and Kaori Nakamura/Olivier Wevers last night and they were all marvelous.

I was intrigued to read the complete version of the story, because at the Valentine's Day evening Q&A, Francia told the story but declined to name the principal dancer in question. B) My mom, who was with me that night, and I were quite intrigued. (The story didn't come up at the earlier Q&A I attended.) Oh...and I agree with Leigh about Nadeau. :yes:

I agree with Leigh and would certainly hope that no-one misinterprets Alexandra as asking Ballet Talkers never to post anything negative. Her point, I think, was that criticism should be constructive and should take into consideration that dancers do have feelings and do read these posts. I, for one, come to these forums to see how others respond to performances I've enjoyed and would hate to think people were stifling their true responses for fear of offending. While I share soloistmom's opinion that PNB is a fantastic, world-class company, that the Balanchine Centenary was incredible, and that our dancers are amazing, I don't think they have quite achieved perfection yet. In fact, I don't think ANY human endeavor has. While I myself would not post anything negative about any dancer's performance (both because my technical knowledge of ballet is very limited and because I am, admittedly, biased), I always appreciate reading others' comments on the company, both positive and negative. These are very different from personal attacks, and often give me a deeper understanding and appreciation of what I've seen. Everyone's response is unique. What one audience member might see as an incredible, technically flawless performance might be seen by another as lacking emotion. Both might be correct. It is these differing points of view which make for interesting discussion in forums such as this. The worst thing that could happen would be for all of us to post nothing more thoughtful than "I loved it! It was perfect!"

Wow, thanks so much for your hard work transcribing all your notes! What an enjoyable read. I was also at the Q&A when Kent said "It paid the down payment on our house," but I cannot for the life of me recall what "it" was.

I just received the following information in an e-mail from PNB lecturer Doug Fullington: Dear friends, I want to bring to your attention an important documentary program about George Balanchine that will air on public television. This 2-hour documentary was made shortly after Balanchine's death in 1983 and features many excerpts from his ballets and other footage relating to his life and career. It is broadcast again nationally in observance of Balanchine's centenary, with thanks in part to Barbara Horgan, Balanchine's long-time personal assistant and now Trustee of The George Balanchine Trust. The following information is from The George Balanchine Foundation website at www.balanchine.org. You can view local [seattle] airing details at http://www.kcts.org/SeriesSchedule.asp?N1=AMMS&ch=9. * * * * * George Balanchine Television Documentary – American Masters Balanchine American Masters is produced for PBS by Thirteen/WNET New York - Airing January 14, 2004 (The documentary was aired originally in 1984 on PBS, and on BBC (Europe) in 1985). A two-part documentary, made soon after Balanchine’s death, focusing on his life and work. Included is extensive footage of Balanchine and generous excerpts from many of his ballets. Further information: Lance Spirto – 212-560-2986 SpiroL@thirteen.org

I'd suggest getting the best available seats in the Orchestra section, but not rows A-G. Those first six or seven rows aren't raked very steeply so it can be hard to see footwork, especially if you're short like me. Left-to-right, there are no bad sightlines in the Orchestra section. Next best, if you want to spend a little less, would be First Tier Center. The first tier is still quite low, height-wise, and feels remarkably close to the stage.

I should clarify: they're free to kids on the two promotional nights mentioned, but we also have them for sale, so please don't mug anyone. And I just sold two more, which is what reminded me to see how this thread is progressing.

Laugh if you must, but somewhat to my surprise the Nutcracker bobbleheads were a HUGE success and sold out last year, which was when they made their "debut." They are already selling well this year; even before Thanksgiving, I had already sold quite a few at our Eastside school location where I work. And, as we all know, every dollar counts these days, whether it's at the box office or the gift shop. :shrug:

As one of the administrative employees to whom Alexandra refers, I'll respond to her query. For me, self-preservation plays into this situation. I generally avoid saying a lot here simply because I am not always 100% certain how much of what I hear at PNB is public knowledge, and I prefer to err on the side of caution. Since our Olivier is a frequent poster here and has firsthand knowledge of what company news is for the public ear, I leave it to him to post what is appropriate. I'll also add, as a humorous aside, that I frequently see information posted to various sites by members of the public which causes PNB administration to ask "How do they KNOW this stuff?" [ 07-03-2001: Message edited by: Dave ]