14 replies to this topic

[dirac]

A report on seeing New York City Ballet'sNutcracker at the movies by Anastasia Tsioulcas for National Public Radio. The item also contains a link to a discussion about the trend toward live broadcasting in cinemas.

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Still, we missed a lot about the live experience. The energy was all one-sided. The interaction performers thrive on (and that dancers talked about in on-screen interviews before the show and at intermission) went totally missing. And some of the close-ups were crazily plotted. As my husband observed, he didn't want to watch Clara/Marie's reaction to her little prince's big solo in Act 2; he just wanted to see the kid dance.

[dirac]

How Cincinnati Ballet funded its new Nutcracker.

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Nearly every part of the new production is sponsored, and audiences will see exactly how in the programs, which list detailed sponsor credits. Companies, foundations and individuals from around the region sponsored show curtains, entire scenes and characters ranging from the Mouse King and the Sugar Plum Fairy to dancing cupcakes and bumblebees. Banners in the lobby of the Aronoff will thank companies, foundations and individuals who gave anywhere from $5,000 to more than $600,000 (title sponsor Frisch's).

Related.

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Eubanks, who’s spent years with Houston Ballet and in theater, says this production is the largest he’s ever worked on in terms of scale, cost and ambition.“This Nutcracker is full-size,” he says. “It’s just jam-packed. There’s all kinds of effects, from flying to confetti cannons and magical tricks … not to mention the huge orchestra presence.”

Sixty members of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra will play the classic Tchaikovsky score in the pit, which has been expanded for the first time in the Aronoff Center’s history.

[dirac]

St. Petersburg City Ballet will close its doors.

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Collins and the committee said they are very disappointed the ballet is shutting down for many reasons, but mostly because it had such great potential.

The organization had an amazing “artistic vision for the St. Pete City Ballet as it became from the Florida West Ballet,” Collins said.

[dirac]

Ballet San Jose will carry on despite reports of conflict between Dennis Nahat and the board, the company says.

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Despite a lengthy delay in announcing its 2011-12 season and resulting rumors about possible cancellation, a spokesman for Ballet San Jose said Tuesday the organization will mount a 12-show season starting March 2.

[dirac]

Ryan Gosling's ballet instructor shares a few tidbits.

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However Behtan has said that his basketball has improved as a result: "His turns have improved and he's a really good jumper."

[dirac]

New Haven Balletpresents its Nutcracker.

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In December 2010, Jared Redick, a former soloist with Boston Ballet and principal of Boston Ballet’s South Shore School, was named Artistic Director. Under Mr. Redick, NHB is poised to meet the challenges that come with success: maintaining a topnotch dance program that supports students at all levels, from beginner to pre-professional; and continuing to develop community ties within Greater New Haven and southern Connecticut.

[dirac]

A profile of Emily Kikta of New York City Ballet.

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As hard and exhausting as professional dancing is, Emily said it’s even more rewarding. She enjoys bringing joy and excitement to the audience; being involved in a variety of dance projects with talented dancers, choreographers and musicians; and learning on a daily basis.

On the academic front, Emily continues to learn as a part-time student at Fordham University.

[dirac]

A review of the cinema broadcast of New York City Ballet's Nutcracker by Alastair Macaulay in The New York Times.

When Act II arrived, however, the HD often seemed far from H when it came to the dancing. Though the camera tried to fill the frame with choreography, its real focus was on the set, so that the dancers in the foreground — particularly in the larger divertissement dances — often seemed not quite distinct. In nonballet scenes there were too many cuts from one camera to another. Oughtn’t the Nutcracker Prince’s mime scene be the simplest thing in the translation from stage to screen? This version switched at least 12 times among different views of the boy’s narration and interrupted it with reaction shots 3 times (to the faces of the heroine Marie and the Sugar Plum Fairy).   

[dirac]

Metropolitan Classical Balletwill present its Nutcracker despite financial problems.

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“We had set up the season tickets, and were moving forward, when we got word from the chairman of the board for Metropolitan Classical Ballet that they were not planning to perform a season in North Texas,” said John Toohey, president and executive director of ARTS San Antonio.

Toohey got in touch with the ballet company's co-director, Paul Mejia, who wanted to honor the commitment. He talked to the ballet company's board and got the OK to use sets, costumes, dancers and the MCB name; the choreography remains largely the same, too, with the exception of the Kingdom of the Dolls becoming the Kingdom of Sweets.

[dirac]

Ballet Magnificat! presents "Snow Queen."

Kathy Thibodeaux freezes into a stone cold title villainess for Snow Queen, Ballet Magnificat!'s newest work that premieres in Jackson Friday night and celebrates the company's 25th year.

Inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen classic, the story ballet is Ballet Magnificat!'s most ambitious to date.

[dirac]

Another item on the troubles at San Jose Ballet.

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The ballet decided to not have a fall program this year and has been unusually late in announcing its season lineup. That has prompted reports of internal discord and financial difficulties, including reports that Artistic Director Dennis Nahat could be pushed out.

Kopp said the ballet company preferred not "to discuss internal operations with the media" at this point.

[dirac]

A list of ten novelties in Cincinnati Ballet'srevamped Nutcracker.

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8. New Characters.

The enormous Mother Ginger and her children have been replaced by a Mother Hen and dancing chicks that remind Ezell of Marshmallow Peeps; Robbins called the scene “screamingly funny.”

[dirac]

A review of San Francisco Ballet'sNutcracker by Rita Felciano for danceviewtimes.

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The divertissements were well danced though of middling interest. I still miss the old production's baby angels but fluttering butterflies, crawling ladybugs and jeteing dragonflies will do nicely for the time being. The 'Arabian' (Elana Altman both sensual and self-involved) always looks like one of classical ballet's basic precepts: the man's primary job, here Anthony Spaulding and Quinn Wharton, is that of presenting the woman. The 'French' (Mirliton's) variation almost never works, perhaps because the music is just unspired; Kristina Lind, Mariellen Olson and Jennifer Stahl did what can be done with a ribbon dance. The Waltzing Flowers choreography remains too thin, too scattered, too much like Busby Berkeley.

[dirac]

A compare-and-contrast of the Balanchine and Ratmansky Nutcrackersby Tom Phillips for danceviewtimes.

Basically there are two kinds of Nutcrackers. In form, Balanchine's is an old-fashioned "suite ballet," a string of set pieces attached to a story that's not taken too seriously, and never resolved. It ends with the heroine still dreaming. Ratmansky's is more of a symphonic drama -- the story of a girl's awakening to romance and sexuality, with all its anxiety and danger. Here the story never goes away, and it ends in a literal awakening, back to adolescent angst and anticipation.

[dirac]

A review of San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker by Geri Jeter for the California Literary Review.

In this version of Nutcracker, some of the first act music has been cut in the interest of tightening up the story. While a justifiable structuring, it unfortunately has the effect of limiting any sort of character development. The maids are reduced to furniture, the grandparents have become cutout figures, the interaction between the boys and girls is minimized, and when the Mouse King comes on, he’s dispatched rapidly, quickly disappearing down a hole in the stage floor. In some ways, the Party Scene used to be a children’s event that grownups supervised; now, with the cuts, it seems more of an adult event with a bunch of kids hanging around. Still pleasant, but different.