Maxi3D

So ends a short and sad life of once Ballet Pacifica. RIP

Here is a recent article from New York Times about Ms. Ansanlli in the Royal Ballet. The comparison between Ms. Ansanlli and Ms. Kirkland in the article was interesting. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/17/arts/dan...rts&oref=slogin Edit: Sorry, didn't noticed that this link was already mentioned in another thread. Please delete.

Don't you know? Ballet is dead in southern California. Ballet Pacifica went from a mid-level ballet company with a dream of a world class ballet company to now a lowly regional ballet company all within one year. This is what ballet in southern California is like.

According to PlaybillArts.com Ms. Murphy is taking a year leave to dance with Ballet Pacifica in its 2006-2007 season with Ethan Stiefel at the helm Isn't that just wonderful or what! Not only that, the article also said that ABT artistic director Kevin McKenzie was supportive of her dancing in the west coast. In the same article, it also mentioned that Ballet Pacifica is looking to break out of its Orange County's confine and heads toward the L.A. area, specifically in the Music Center direction. Further more, Mr. Stiefel is trying to get the rights to Balanchine’s version of The Nutcracker just in time for December of 2006 at OCPAC Not only that, but Mr. Stiefel would like to take the company on tour. All this sounds great but not a done deal yet, and all depends if Mr. Stiefel could raise the money or not. Sources: Playbill.com's article Ocean County Register's article

Thus ends a wonderful two weeks of NYCB season in Southern California. Now I have to wait another four years for the company to come back again.

On Saturday evening's ballet preview talk Christopher Wheeldon was at the Music Center along with Zippora Karz. I was only able to catch the tail end of the lecture

Sure Carbro I will amplify it for you Sorry about being thin on the details, it was very late last night when I wrote it. Ms. Karz talked about how she started ballet when her mother took her sister and her to a ballet school in the valley. At first, she didn't understand ballet and had only saw ballet performance once on T.V. and was bored by it. In ballet school she had to played catch up with her sister. Ms. Karz's ballet teacher encouraged her to audition for the major companies around the country, especially SAB. She was accepted into the SAB in 1980 at an age of fifteen. Ms. Karz join the NYCB in 1983, the year when Mr. Balanchine passed away. She was greatly sadden by Mr. B's death but also felt excited to be dancing for the ballet company of her dream. Ms. Karz's first major role was to dance Sugar Plum(sp?) fairy while she was with the corps. She also told us that while at the age of 21 she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetic. She said it was great honor to be able to dance Mr. Balanchine's ballets and also to pass the ballets on to other ballet companies around the world as a repetiteur for the Balanchine's trust. Of the ballets that were performed on Wedensday and Thursday Ms. Karz told us on how to watch out on how the dancers move, especially at the beganning and at the end of a movement. For example, on how the emphasises were placed on how dancer brings her leg up and lower her leg to the floor so as not to plunk her feet. Ms. Karz also told us to watch out for on how the dancer's port-de-bras, she wanted us to see how the dancers hold their hands and other small but yet improtant details. This is as about as much as amplification as I can do and thank you Oberon for the John Adams info.

Does anyone know the names of both the music and the composer that were performed for Hallelujah Junction? The dueling pianists performances were outstanding, they almost overshadowed the dancers on stage. Also I would highly recommend everyone who are going to the L.A's performances to attend the ballet preview talk before the performance. Former NYCB soloist Zippora Karz was at the Music Center on Wednesday and Thursday, she shared with us about her experiences dancing with the NYCB, she also went into detail on the finer points of apperciating Balanchine's choreographs.

I will be at OCPAC on opening DAY!!! Thursday and Sunday evening performance WOOHOO I will also do the same at their L.A. performances also. I want to catch as many performances as I can, god knows when will NYCB will come back again.

Oh my gosh! Angelina Ballerina with ABT! my dream has come true

Yes, Bolshoi will be very nice, but it's next summer As ABT financial woes continues, I have a feeling that it will be more of a "stay at home" kind of ballet company. NYCB in September is the only thing that I can look forward to, but after that then what? Not even a Nutcracker, Nothing until Bolshoi gets here. Until then I will be suffering from major ballet withdraw

Just found out that ABT has cancelled its November tour in Orange Country ABT claim lack of funds was the cause. It's the first time that ABT has cancelled its tour in So. Cal. as far as I can remember. I hope it does not become a habit of ABT to treat its L.A. fans this way

I agree with you on Ms. Cojocaru's Giselle Art076. I always thought that she makes a great Giselle. I even go so far as to say that she was born for the role. Her physique and her talent just make her for a perfect Giselle. I wanted to go to her perfromance but I have to work early the next day :angry: Now I have to wait until the Royal Ballet comes around next time, hopfully, sooner than seven years

I was just looking over the sport section of the LA times and continuing to marvel the post mortem of the once great NBA Lakers and the exodus of its players. I was wondering if the Lakers franchise was able to assemble such a great team that the money can buy, then if you on the board of the directors for a ballet company with tons of money and esteems, which dancers and AD would you bring into your company in today's ballet world to assemble a great ballet dynasty?

Same Here art076, won't that be just wonderful! B) pipe dream. SIGH.