61 replies to this topic

[abatt]

PNB will return to New York in Feb. 2013  (See link below)

http://www.thefaster...rthwest-ballet/

They are bringing an All Balanchine program (Concerto B., Agon, Apollo) and Romeo and Juliet.

Overall, the dance offerings are pretty sparse.  I was hoping for a New York visit from San Fran. ballet, since they will be in the Northeast (D.C.).

[SandyMcKean]

I presume you mean Feb 2013.

And it must be Maillot's R&J (Prokofiev)......probably balcony scene, or are they doing 2 separate evenings: 1. Mr B, and 2. R&J (full length)?

[abatt]

Yes, I meant 2013. Thanks. I corrected my typo.  Yes, it is the Maillot R&J, according to the above link.  The R&J is a separate program from the All Balanchine.  They are doing the R&J in its entirety.

[Jayne]

If you need to brush up on your Agon, here are Allegra Kent and Arthur Mitchell in practice, on a German language documentary:



My german is a little rusty, but I'll try to translate later tonight.

[Jayne]

I put the Agon clip up for the NYC audiences

[Helene]

It's a good one for the Seattle audiences (and the Victoria audiences), too.

[Helene]

Today I received the press release for the New York performances, which include casting!

Casting Announced for Pacific Northwest Ballet at New York City Center, February 13-16

First Full-Company NY Performances Since 1996

New York, NY, January 28, 2013 -- New York City Center will present Pacific Northwest Ballet in its first full-company performance in NYC since 1996, February 13-16, 2013. PNB, celebrating its 40th Anniversary season, will present two programs featuring a mixed repertoire of Balanchine ballets and Jean-Christophe Maillot's full-length Roméo et Juliette. The troupe will be accompanied by the PNB Orchestra, led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Emil de Cou.  

Balanchine Mixed Bill
Wednesday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m.

The works of George Balanchine are central to the history of Pacific Northwest Ballet, which has 38 of his ballets in its repertory. The three works selected for City Center span the first 30 years of Balanchine's choreography: Concerto Barocco (1941) and Agon (1957) staged by PNB Founding Artistic Director Francia Russell, and Apollo (1928) staged by PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal.

Ms. Russell worked closely with Balanchine as a dancer in numerous works, including Concerto Barocco and Agon, the latter in which she was a member of the original corps de ballet and later performed in the First Pas de Trois, re-choreographed for her by Balanchine. Ms. Russell's staging of Agon is unique in that it predates later changes Balanchine made to the ballet. She also worked as a ballet master for Balanchine. Mr. Boal first performed Apollo with New York City Ballet in 1989 and later danced it for his retirement performance in 2005.

Concerto Barocco
Choreography: George Balanchine © New York City Ballet
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach
(Double Violin Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043)
Staging: Francia Russell
Conductor: Allan Dameron

• Laura Gilbreath - Lindsi Dec
  
• Karel Cruz
  
• Chelsea Adomaitis - Jessika Anspach - Amanda Clark - Emma Love - Elle Macy - Margaret Mullin - Elizabeth Murphy - Leah O'Connor

Apollo
Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust.
Music: Igor Stravinsky
Apollon Musagete, 1927-1928)
Staging: Peter Boal
Conductor  Emil de Cou

Apollo: Seth Orza
Terpsichore:  Carla Körbes
Calliope:  Maria Chapman   
Polyhymnia:  Lesley Rausch

Agon
Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust.
Music: Igor Stravinsky (1953-1956)
Staging: Francia Russell
Conductor  Emil de Cou

• Lesley Rausch - Batkhurel Bold
  
• Kylee Kitchens - Elizabeth Murphy - Jonathan Porretta
  
• Andrew Bartee - Maria Chapman - Jerome Tisserand
  
• Chelsea Adomaitis - Jessika Anspach - Emma Love - Leah O'Connor

Roméo et Juliette
Friday, February 15 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 16 at 2 & 8 p.m.

Roméo et Juliette
Pacific Northwest Ballet was the first American ballet company to perform choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot's contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare's great love story. In an unconventional version of the classic tragedy, Maillot (artistic director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo) has taken inspiration from Prokofiev's classic score, structuring the action in a manner akin to cinematic narrative.

Roméo et Juliette
Music: Sergei Prokofiev (Op. 64, 1935-1936)
Choreography: Jean-Christophe Maillot
Staging: Gaby Baars, Bernice Coppieters, and Giovanna Lorenzoni
Conductor:  Emil de Cou

Juliet:  Carla Körbes (Feb. 15, 16 eve), Kaori Nakamura (Feb. 16 mat)
Roméo:  Seth Orza (Feb. 15, 16 eve), James Moore (Feb. 16 mat)
Friar Laurence: Karel Cruz
Mercutio: Jonathan Porretta (Feb. 15, 16 eve), Ezra Thomson (Feb. 16 mat)
Tybalt:  Batkhurel Bold
Lady Capulet:  Laura Gilbreath  (Feb. 15 eve), Maria Chapman (Feb. 16 mat), Lindsi Dec (Feb. 16 eve)

The Nurse:  Rachel Foster (Feb. 15, 16 mat), Carrie Imler (Feb. 16 eve)
Benvolio :  Benjamin Griffiths (Feb. 15, 16 eve), Kyle Davis (Feb. 16 mat)
Paris:  Joshua Grant (Feb. 15, 16 eve), William Lin-Yee (Feb. 16 mat)
Rosaline: Maria Chapman (Feb 15), Kylee Kitchens (Feb. 16 mat), Lesley Rausch (Feb. 16 eve)

Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States, was founded in 1972. In July 2005, Peter Boal became artistic director, succeeding Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, artistic directors since 1977. The company of nearly 50 dancers presents more than 100 performances each year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets in Seattle and on tour. The company has toured to Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and throughout the United States, with celebrated appearances in New York City and Washington, D.C. www.pnb.org

Pacific Northwest Ballet's appearance at New York City Center is made possible, in part, by New York City Center Dance Season Sponsor Frederic and Robin Seegal. Raisbeck Engineering is Principal Sponsor of PNB's 2013 New York City Center tour.

[Helene]

As always, casting is subject to change.

There is plenty of superb casting to go around, and New York audiences are in for a treat.  Interest in former NYCB dancers, especially Carla Körbes and Seth Orza, who perform Roméo and Juliette on Friday and Saturday nights as Apollo and Terpsichore in the Balanchine program is high and understandable, but I would also urge people to see the Kaori Nakamura/James Moore cast at the Saturday matinee.  For those planning to see two, a Saturday double-header will let you see the most combinations of casting.

Seth Orza's Apollos in Seattle were superb.

Laura Gilbreath and Lindsi Dec, who are paired in "Concerto Barocco,"  are two tall dancers with beautifully articulate legs and feet, and as a bonus, Karel Cruz will give a partnering workshop in it.   Lesley Rausch and Maria Chapman are strikingly different dancers, but they will make a lovely pairing as Polyhymnia and Calliope.   I wish there was more Jerome Tisserand than in the second "Agon Pas de Trois," but it's a short tour.

[vipa]

I don't see C. Imler's name.  She is a dancer I've been waiting to see live for years.

[Helene]

Imler is dancing the Nurse in the Saturday evening performance.  In this production, Nurse is a bigger role than usual, and Friar Laurence is huge, because he's the frame of the story:  his madness and guilt about having engineered the pairing.

It's a shame you won't get to see her dance Balanchine.

[Jayne]

Carrie Imler is woefully underutilized in NYC.  It may just be the nature of casting dancers.  Someone is always underutilized.  But her jumps and articulation are amazing to behold.  Nurse is a comic role and she will do it justice (she has flair in all her roles), but it's a shame she's not in Concerto Barocco or Agon.  

Some day I'd love to see her perform Cortege Hongrois, which was made for another technical powerhouse: Melissa Hayden.

[sandik]

Jayne, on 28 January 2013 - 09:00 PM, said:

Some day I'd love to see her perform Cortege Hongrois, which was made for another technical powerhouse: Melissa Hayden.

Now I hadn't thought of that one -- I'll have to add it to the list in my head!

[Jayne]

We should start a petition for Peter Boal and try to get it added to the 2013-2014 program.  

[Jayne]

Helene, on 28 January 2013 - 07:15 PM, said:

Seth Orza's Apollos in Seattle were superb.

Based on recent complaints about the dearth of tall partners for tall ballerinas at NYCB, I'm worried Peter Martins is going to offer Seth a generous contract to return to NYCB as a principal starting February 17!

[Helene]

James Moore, who will dance Romeo to Kaori Nakamura's Juliette at City Center at the Saturday, 16 February matinee, was just promoted to Principal Dancer tonight.  Since the promotion machine at PNB is about a decade behind, you can be sure that this is well-deserved and in the "It's about time, already" category, and he's brilliant in the role and Nakamura's a divine Juliette.  So go see them.