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[dirac]

The New Orleans Ballet Association announces its 2012-13 season.

The New Orleans Ballet Association announced its 2012-2013 "Season of Dance American Moves" Friday, celebrating American dance pioneers, visionaries, and legends. This season, five powerhouse companies showcase the unique history, diversity, and innovation of dance in America: the breathtaking physicality of Pilobolus; the sexy dancers of Ballet Hispanico, teaming up with the 19-member, Grammy Award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; the beautiful works of Jessica Lang Dance; the sleek and sharp dancers of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet; and the legendary Martha Graham Dance Company.

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Q&A with Svetlana Zakharova.

RBTH: Are you interested in contemporary dance?

S.Z.: Very much, although I haven’t had many opportunities to get into it. It’s my dream to work with choreographers like William Forsythe, for example: I went to see his company last April and was impressed by the totally experimental way he works. He came to see me dance recently at La Scala in Milan, and there was talk that he’d come up with something for me. But there’s nothing definite at the moment. In the meantime, I’ll just keep on looking for choreographers that suit me – ones who can create compositions tailored for me. He recently staged a highly successful pas de deux at the Bolshoi named Distant Cries by the Taiwanese-American Edwaard Liang, to music by Albinoni.

[dirac]

Darcey Bussell is one of the victims of NBC's savage cuts to the Olympics closing ceremony. (Video clips)

This is the closing ceremony's Big Secret, the one that wasn't revealed until the ceremony had started. Prima ballerina Darcy Bussell flies in on a flaming phoenix, and performs a heavy metal ballet performance reminding the audience that while the flame is extinguished, it will rise again. It was many viewers' favorite part of the closing ceremony, and NBC's broadcast once again featured an awkward jump cut from the closing of the games to the extinguishing of the flame. NBC saved themselves four minutes, 23 seconds by not showing it.

Related.

At the end of the ceremony, the Thomas Heatherwick-designed Olympic cauldron, the toast of the opening ceremony two weeks ago, gracefully deconstructed before being extinguished. The cauldron was formed of 204 copper "petals" on tall stems that at the close of the Games opened like a flower before coming to rest as a horizontal ring. The ingenious work was a piece of ephemeral kinetic sculpture. The flames went out accompanied by the British pop group Take That singing "Rule the World" and a dance sequence starring the prima ballerina Darcey Bussell and 300 dancers from the Royal Ballet.

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A review of FringeNYC by Apollinaire Scherr in The Financial Times.

The Covent Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn may have given off a whiff of school recital on opening night, with so many of the performers’ families in the house, but bringing to story ballet the social conscience of modern dance circa the 1920s and ’30s suits the combo-crazy Fringe. A historical fiction of a ballet, Orphan Train was inspired by the thousands of New York urchins sent west from 1853 until 1929 to be adopted by farm families.

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The British poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, writes a ballet based on the story of Rapunzel.

Duffy, renowned for her wry reinterpretations of classical myths and legends – including Mrs Midas, quite glad at her shiny new golden toilet bowl, but terrified of the prospect of a solid gold baby – is returning to the sinister original version of the story by the Brothers Grimm. A couple are forced to give away their longed-for only child to a witch, who locks her in a tower with neither stairs nor door, and a handsome prince who climbs up by her long tresses is blinded for his effrontery.

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Ballet Austin's Fete 2012 will be held next month.

With a limited 220 seats available and the festivities kicking off at 6pm, guests will enjoy Nutcracker-inspired custom cocktails and a signature multi-course themed dinner by The Driskill Hotel, as well as live entertainment and exclusive VIP access to the Ballet Barre & Lounge. Later in the evening at 8pm, fete*ish turns up the volume and turns down the lights with exquisite morsels, Nutcracker-themed photo booths, and dancing with Grammy winner DJ Spinderella of Salt-N-Pepa headlining the event.

[dirac]

Eight new members join the board of Ballet Idaho. Item in brief.

Board members serve three-year terms.

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Jock Soto's book is included on a list of recommended memoirs and biographies in The Advocate.

In Every Step You Take, Soto, now teaching at the School of American Ballet, writes about his career, his creative process, his Native American heritage, and his gay identity. Although he isn’t as talented a writer as he is a dancer, his overreliance on cliches doesn’t prevent this from being an enjoyable and inspirational read.

[dirac]

Kansas Ballet Academy opens next month.

[Stephanie] Heston, who moved to New York City 17 years ago to pursue her dream of becoming a professional ballerina, and Smirnov combined have performed in more than 20 states and 15 countries, and have taught classical ballet throughout the United States.

Kansas Ballet Academy also will be the new home of the Metropolitan Ballet of Topeka, the nonprofit performing company founded by June Landrith more than 30 years ago. Heston is a former student of Landrith’s.