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[dirac]

A review of American Ballet Theatre's gala performance by Alastair Macaulay in The New York Times.

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“Drink to Me Only,” though marvelous, is such a mixture of formality and informality, so open about displaying the nuts and bolts of its movements and its construction, that it makes you ask, “Where’s the theater in this?” In an opposite way, “Rodeo,” with no pointwork and few conventional academic steps, invites you to wonder, “Where’s the ballet in this?” Yet neither disappoints.

[dirac]

Post performance party talk.

Vanity Fair

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“I really loved the last performance,” marveled designer Christian Siriano when VF Dailycaught up to him at the gala dinner at the Pierre later in the evening. “I thought Sascha was so good in it.” (Sascha is Sascha Radetsky, a principal with A.B.T. whom non-ballet experts may remember from the film Center Stage. He played one of two cowboys vying for the heart of a tomboy prairie girl.) “I was wondering how they could dance in the boots!” Siriano added. “What kind of boot was that? I mean, that’s a hard shoe to dance in.”

The New York Observer

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And laughing off colleague Daniil Simkin’s mid-turn tumble during his performance of Stars and Stripes was ballerina Isabella Boylston. “Dancers fall all the time—I once fell on my ass in a tutu at The Kennedy Center—it was so dramatic!” Here’s hoping that the dancers can stay en pointe, rather than on the floor, for the rest of the season.

The Wall Street Journal

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Ms. Brinn received a long round of applause, which at one point she ended by giving the "cut" hand gesture. Applause was also showered on company godfather Mr. Franklin, who had watched "Rodeo" rehearsals and was given the title of Honorary Artistic Chair. At age 98, Mr. Franklin is given a round of applause pretty much anywhere two or more members of the ABT family are gathered—even on the bus from City Center to the Pierre.

[dirac]

A review of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet by Brian Seibert in The New York Times.

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On Tuesday the company, which has 11 members, returned to the Joyce Theater with three New York premieres, all created in the last two years. The first two were disturbingly similar (though not similarly disturbing) works by choreographers unfamiliar to most New York audiences. The final one, by the famous guy, failed the test.

[dirac]

A preview of Lines Ballet by Allan Ulrich in The San Francisco Chronicle.

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To understand what audiences respond to in King's dances leads us to that shadowy entertainment known, for want of a better definition, as modern ballet. The language is not so much a hybrid as an evolved approach to movement. The gulf between ballet and modern dance, unbridgeable a couple of generations ago, narrows with each passing year. But King is indubitably a classicist; he respects the body's architecture (if only to tweak and contort it), and his dancers seem constantly to be reaching upward in defiance of gravity.

[dirac]

The Joffrey Ballet's season gets underway.

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Last June, the company shut down for a week during contract negotiations for dancers. One of the company’s Ballet Masters, Gerrard Charles, says the dancers are all happy to dedicate themselves to making this a great show.

“I think it’s always a relief for any dancer not to have to worry about the business side of things because really, dancers are artists,” he said.

[dirac]

An interview with the Joffrey's music director, Scott Speck.

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"I'm the only one who can see them all," Speck explains, while describing this remarkable process. It begins as soon as the dancers are familiar enough with the choreography to rehearse sections of several minutes. At that stage, they begin rehearsing to extended passages of the music, which in many cases will be a solo piano version of the full score. Even then, Speck begins to sculpt the fine points of the ultimate performance. "Sometimes I'll conduct the piano in rehearsal," he explains, "to make sure that I'm providing the most helpful tempo for the dancers." It's a series of intricate and detailed judgments that he's assembling and rehearsing, because in performance in front of a packed Joffrey house, he will be the focal point of an immense gathering of dancers and musicians, communicating in real time with each of them as they perform.

[dirac]

A preview of Milwaukee Ballet's "La Boheme" by Tom Strini for Third Coast Digest.

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Pink added the scene to clarify the character’s motivations and to round out Mimi. In most opera productions, she’s an innocent little flower cruelly cut down by consumption. Period.

“I think my Mimi is more credible,” Pink said. “We don’t assume that she’s just a victim. She’s not averse to flirting. These are Parisian Bohemians in their 20s. Life wasn’t serious, it was life, liberty and love. They express themselves. They would have been promiscuous, and given to falling in and out of love. Mimi and Rodolfo can’t live together and they can’t live apart.”

[dirac]

Marena Perez and Daniel Ramirez of the Balleteatro Nacional de Puerto Rico will appear in the Midstate Ballet's Nutcracker.

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Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Marena Perez began her ballet training at Ballet de Nana Hudo. Among her teachers while as a student and professional dancer have been Miguel Campaneria, Maria Carrera, Jose Pares, Carlota Carrera, Lourdes Gomez, Joaquin Banegas, Lolita San Miguel, Susan Pilarre, Ray Sullivan, and Nana Hudo.

[dirac]

The National Ballet of Canada performs in Los Angeles.

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The Toronto-based National Ballet has not toured to Los Angeles in 35 years, and it is making the U.S. debut of its new production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, created by British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. His striking version of the children’s classic sold out when it premiered in Toronto in 2011.

[dirac]

Orlando Balletpresents 'Hansel and Gretel.'

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Arcadian Broad and Kate-Lynn Robichaux star as those candy-loving kids. In a fun twist, the Witch is played by Daniel Benavides, who's specializing in magical roles this fall — he's also the Vampire of the Ballet's "Vampire's Ball."

[dirac]

A preview of Alabama Ballet in 'La Sylphide.'

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It is the essence of ballet, “our bread and butter,” said Roger Van Fleteren, Alabama Ballet's associate artistic director. Putting a production together, however, is no easy task, especially because it's a first-time production for the company.

“It's a really hard style,” he said. “It's a combination of petit allegro and big jumps, and you rarely see both together. What's hard is going from fast, little steps to big jumps.”

[dirac]

A New York Social Diary item on the life and career of Agnes de Milleand the ABT gala, with many photos.

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This was a first on the American musical stage. After that came one success after another: “Bloomer Girl,” “Carousel,” “Brigadoon,” “Gentleman Prefer Blondes,” Paint Your Wagon,” and several other stage musicals, the last being “110 In the Shades” in 1963. Ironically, the lady from a film family did not fare so well in Hollywood, choreographing only the film version of "Oklahoma." Nevertheless she revolutionized musical theatre by creating choreography which also enhanced the plot. Her early background on the film sets emphasized acting which played a key role in her works.

[dirac]

Ballet Des Moines performs this weekend.

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The dancers from both coasts and three different countries — Italy, Brazil, Venezula — moved to town a few weeks ago to put the show together, step by graceful step. Here’s a quick look at what to expect: