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Saratoga July 2010


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The programming for the NYCB visit to Saratoga in July 2010 was posted today in the Calendar section of the SPAC web site:

http://www.spac.org/calendar.php

Also, if you click "Ballet" in the middle left of the home page by "2009 Events" it is showing the 2010 programming.

http://www.spac.org/

Thanks for posting this, California!. I did see the calendar a few days ago but didn't notice the actual program.

To be honest, I'm not a fan of SPAC (too hot, too many insects,inattentive audience members, a lot of screaming kids etc.)

That said, I will go back again this year (I've been going for many years) for a few performances (staying overnight). It's just a three hour drive from NYC (not bad).

Plus Saratoga itself is gorgeous! I stay at the Saratoga Arms -- a wonderful, if pricey B&B.

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Splendid programs!!!!!!!!!!

I love SPAC, actually.........seeing Midsummer while the skies get blue and then darken, and the fireflies mirror the ones onstage.........pure magic! One can walk around the park if there is a ballet one wishes to miss, or go to the Hall of Springs and get a cocktail or soda, or have a picnic beforehand......

I am not bothered by the insects (one either wraps up or uses repellant) and feel grateful to the dancers who have to contend with them far more than I do!

Although I will give the American Girl Night a pass, and perhaps the gala.........

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Splendid programs!!!!!!!!!!

I love SPAC, actually.........seeing Midsummer while the skies get blue and then darken, and the fireflies mirror the ones onstage.........pure magic! One can walk around the park if there is a ballet one wishes to miss, or go to the Hall of Springs and get a cocktail or soda, or have a picnic beforehand......

I am not bothered by the insects (one either wraps up or uses repellant) and feel grateful to the dancers who have to contend with them far more than I do!

Although I will give the American Girl Night a pass, and perhaps the gala.........

That's the main problem with SPAC (in my opinion) -- there's a whole lot of drinking going on. People are not supposed to take their drinks to their seats (or maybe they allow it. Not sure), but they do. Plus they drink right outside the theatre and make a lot of noise. Last year the police had to break up a fight (people were drinking too much). I attended the Gala two years ago and it was all about socializing (few even came in to watch the performance) -- loudly.

Sorry to sound like a curmudgeon, but SPAC does have its problems. People also tend to talk during the performance and don't care when you

ask them to stop talking.

As for insects -- I always attend drenched in bug spray and creams. That doesn't help. This year I intend to wear long sleeves (hopefully it won't be 90 degrees!). SPAC itself (the park) is pretty run down these days. I remember it from 20 years ago -- it was gorgeous then.

Despite all of this, I plan on going to three programs (and will stay overnight). I am devoted to NYCB and want to support them by seeing them at their summer home (plus I alway feel so sad when the season ends in NYC. It's a bonus to know that I'll soon be seeing them again). I've also figured out which performances are attended by people who actually want to see the ballet/dancers. And Saratoga itself is beautiful! I adore seeing all the lovingly restored building there.

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:wink: I know scientists have said it isn't so, but my personal experience with gnats (but not mosquitoes) taught me that when I eat sweet foods, I become an enticing banquet. When I eat garlicky or peppery foods, or onions, I'm not so appetizing. Also, go for dark colors or earth tones over brights, so they don't mistake you for a flower. Less comfy in warm and humid weather, but you accept a few sweaty hours in exchange for several itchy days.
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Splendid programs!!!!!!!!!!

I love SPAC, actually.........seeing Midsummer while the skies get blue and then darken, and the fireflies mirror the ones onstage.........pure magic! One can walk around the park if there is a ballet one wishes to miss, or go to the Hall of Springs and get a cocktail or soda, or have a picnic beforehand......

Juliet, Arlene Croce once wrote, memorably, that in an evening performance of Emeralds on a clear Saratoga night there is always a moment when the green in the sky matches the costumes and decor onstage. it's true.

that was a lovely observation about fireflies onstage. magic indeed.

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This is a very petty complaint (just a warning!). But it isn't smart that you can't buy tickets to NYCB until May. The box office doesn't open until then. This is true even for members (I buy my tickets as soon as I get the brochure). Those of us that trek up there want to book our hotel way in advance (so it's not sold out). I just don't get why they can't

sell tickets now. It makes planning to attend very difficult.

That said, I've never had a problem getting tickets to the performances that I've wanted to attend (the facility is huge), but I have had problems booking my hotel. Why not make it easier for people who want to go to SPAC?

I'm guessing that it's a money issue (i.e. no staff during the year before May) but still...

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Thanks to NYCB for a wonderful Midsummer Night's Dream yesterday, led by Sara Mearns and Abi Stafford's lovely performances. I sat very close to the stage this time so I was able to appreciate how much emotion and expression Sara puts into her dancing.

The divertissement is my favorite part of this ballet and Abi, paired with Sébastien Marcovici, was just perfect and such a pleasure to watch.

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They do indeed allow people to take drinks back to their seats now, as they are doing at many regional theaters (for example, the Asolo Theater in Sarasota recently made that change). Many venues see it as a way to make extra revenue, and I for one am grateful not to have to throw back my glass of wine in five minutes (takes ten to get it, particularly at Saratoga). I'm sorry, Deborah, that you have had such a bad experience there. I've been going to SPAC since I was a child, and always found the audiences to be fairly courteous and wildly appreciative. It's actually one of my favorite places to see NYCB; there's something almost primeval about watching dancers dance under the sky as the sun sets.

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I've been to several performances in the last week and a half, and thought I'd share a few impressions while they're still fresh in my mind. Attendance looks to be good -- and considering the heat, that's relatively amazing. Last week was especially brutal, and I give the dancers huge props for getting out there and giving it their all. In the past few years, we've seen a lot of rain, but I can't remember heat like this in forever.

There truly is something special about seeing Midsummer here. I was at the Wednesday evening show and enjoyed everything about it. Joaquin De Luz and Maria Kowroski were terrific -- Maria's one of my favorites, and I love how she's able to project majesty and comedy here. Tess Reichlen and Erica Pereira, along with Henry Seth, were also stand-outs, as were the assorted little creatures of the forest. What a wonderful opportunity for these young "bugs!"

I also enjoyed the two new premiers on gala night. Having read reviews, etc., I was prepared for the length of Namouna and really quite loved it. (My husband, on the other hand, just hung his head when the stage turned still and blue leading up to the pas, and I told him "It's not over yet...!) I thought the score was beautiful and many combinations for the corps were absolutely breathtaking. It's been great to see Sara Mearns again, as she didn't perform here last year -- she and Robert Fairchild have such vibrant stage personalities. It's a real pleasure seeing what an assured partner he has become. The sections for Abi Stafford, Megan Fairchild and Daniel Ulbricht were intricate, difficult and exceedingly well-danced. Estancia was fun, concise and accessible. The two Ty(i)lers were perfectly cast as the leads, but those wild horses stole the show!

Last night, there was an especially appreciative house. Marcia White, SPAC's president came before the curtain as she always does, but was shortly joined by Peter Martins to honor the retirees of the spring season. Albert Evans, Yvonne Borree, Philip Neal and Maurice Kaplow each received bouquets, and Martins comically conducted the orchestra in a "drumroll" for the maestro, who in turn led one for the dancers. A standing ovation ensued. Lovely performances of La Source, After the Rain, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto followed. Wendy Whelan and Craig Hall were stunning in the pas and completely deserving of the standing ovation which followed. The 6 dancers all came out for an extra curtain call -- something rarely seen at SPAC. Wendy truly is in her element in this choreography! I'm always so amazed at how current -- or perhaps I should say timeless -- Balanchine's black and whites can look. The Stravinsky was in top form and earned a standing ovation from the very satisfied audience.

Has everything been perfect? Of course not, but with only 2 weeks of performances, we're a rather forgiving lot here and dwell mostly on the positive. Thankfully, there's plenty of that. I know that there is hard-core lobbying for a 3-week season next year. Fingers crossed we'll get there!

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