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During layoffs, my cat Sabrina would watch me do a barre at home- with the most astonishing look of disapproval on her face. As though to say - you are not turning out enough or your port de bras is incorrect. I'll never forget it.
- Today
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Wow that hasn't been my experience. They've always been extremely accommodating and friendly. There have been a couple times when Life Happened At the Last Minute and I couldn't use my tickets and they've always been great about finding a new date to exchange. Now the Met box office needs a lesson in manners and etiquette.
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Are there any great Classicists today?
cubanmiamiboy replied to CharlieH's topic in Aesthetic Issues
Where did I read that Spessivtzeva had to had someone on the wings clapping to keep her on tempo, given that she had a tendency to get off it quite easy...? -
About a month ago I received a call from an NYCB sales rep asking me to renew my subscription. I couldn’t commit then, but on receiving a follow up email from her a couple of weeks later I called her and ordered a flex subscription of 3 performances of my choosing. Tonight I received an email from her giving me my seat assignments. Luckily I was able to be seated in the section of the orchestra I requested. It was worth it to spend upwards of half an hour with the rep when I ordered. She was attentive and pleasant and noted my specific seating request on the order. I was very satisfied with the experience. Tickets will be mailed in August. Very excited about the fall season!
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Vogue Russia did a public event/interview with David Hallberg and it's now up online: https://www.vogue.ru/video/public-talk-devida-kholberga-v-sankt-peterburge/
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Thanks Drew. Yes Semenyaka was fantastic. Her bourrees were just breathtakingly smooth and beautiful. Also almost noiseless.
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Can you advise me some DVDs of classical repertoire ballets?
Marta replied to Mariangela's topic in DVD/VHS/Downloads
I second that enthusiastically. I also like the Makarova/Nagy earlier performance although Nagy is danced out by this point. -
Virginia joined the community
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Welcome to Balletalert KathyKat. (Semenyaka was one of my favorite Bolshoi ballerinas! Lovely that you got to see her in Romeo and Juliet....)
- Yesterday
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I'm totally obsessed with Cornejo's soccer jersey-wearing kitty. She's one of my favorite things on instagram!
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Isabella Boylston talks about the Ballet Sun Valley festival.
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"He likes my new sugarplum tutu but likes the box it came in more." Definitely a cat.
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But I was following YOU! A conversation very familiar among (conductorless) chamber musicians. In performances that require collaboration, an excess of deference can be a real problem. There are various techniques we use to speed up or slow down to get back to the agreed-upon tempo, but in the heat of the moment those attempts can be unsuccessful. Some people have a rock-solid absolute sense of tempo (most conductors, obviously), but to many musicians it's quite relative and we have to guard against being led astray by our perceptions in the moment. I imagine it's the same for dancers.
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An interview with dancers who will be appearing at the Yokohama Ballet Festival.
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Five dancers and their felines: 3. New York City Ballet principal Lauren Lovette and Boon Lovette rescued her adorable feline friend last year, and has since urged others to do the same. From snuggles with tutu boxes to snuggles with pointe shoes, Boon now lives vicariously through Lovette and her incredible dance career.
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A look at the ballet world in the aftermath of #MeToo by Judith Mackrell in The Guardian.
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A review of the Barak Ballet by Barnett Serchuk for Broadway World.
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Hirings and promotions at Oklahoma City Ballet.
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It's great to hear all these glowing reports of Shevchenko. Up until last season, it was clear she was gifted technically, based on her Kitri and Medora, but this year she's really shown what a great artist she is. I was very impressed with the depth of her characterization as O/O but sadly missed her Gamzatti during the Met season. Maybe she should be given a go at Juliet, in addition to Lane, of course.
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I feel the same way, Dreamer. There are a handful of ballet artists that excite me enough that I would make special trips or reroute existing ones to see. For the moment some of these would be the Bolshoi’s Olga Smirnova and very young Alyona Kovalyova and former ABT ballerinas Veronika Part (New Zealand Royal Ballet) and Simone Messmer (Miami City Ballet). Of this group I would most closely relate Olga Smirnova and Simone Messmer to Christine Shevchenko. In regard to comparably outstanding Gamzatti performances I would chose that of Simone Messmer and now add Gillian Murphy’s. Thanks also, Josette and Mombink, for your enthusiastic thoughts, which I agree with completely. What could I try to add ? First, I must say that she has to be seen. I find her to be fascinating as well as extremely talented. Her portrayals (yes, plural) were of the highest theatrical standard. She would probably have an outstanding career as an actress. But this is ballet and her ability to infuse this into the highest standards of artistic dance makes it all the more special. When I say “portrayals,” plural, I mean that she creates a multidimensional character. There is nothing simple at all about her Gamzatti. She’s complex and, even more, she’s constantly changing because of what she’s confronted with. The choices that Christine Shevchenko makes are fascinating, at times highly individual, yet completely consistent with the storyline. She can make these choices swiftly, multidirectionally and definitively, which adds wonderful excitement. In addition, she at times seems to create her own situations and realities with interpretations that I’ve not seen before which are totally believable and appropriate. And, as I’ve mentioned, she can express this through pure motion as well as I’ve ever seen. I could go on and on. She’s Remarkable ! For a moment, I would like to get back to Devon Teuscher’s very fine performance as Nikiya. What she did would stand very well on its own. Yet, here she was in the company of an artistic ‘megaforce,’ Christine Shevchenko, and she’s supposed to be, more or less, the star. So how not to get overwhelmed ? She did this by being herself. She didn’t need or attempt to compensate. Her portrayal was compelling and sympathetic. Her dancing was lovely and like Gillian Murphy she showed that she was also capable of considerable dance prowess as she shot across the stage with a final series of speed of light turns. Above all, her own artistic surety, honesty and inner soulfulness made her well worthy of her place on this stage.
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Are there any great Classicists today?
volcanohunter replied to CharlieH's topic in Aesthetic Issues
Sometimes this turns into a vicious circle. I once talked with a Swan Queen after a performance in which the lakeside scenes had been painfully slow and asked about it, because it was atypical for her. It turns out that she, too, had asked the conductor why he had been conducting so slowly. "I was following you," he answered, to which she replied, "But I was following you!" And so the music kept getting slower and slower... -
I was there Sunday and it was a packed house. I concur with Buddy-Shevchenko was absolutely beautiful! She has this presence and commanded that stage like no other. I was enthralled. ABT has a special artist here. Devon was gorgeous. Joo Won shows promise. I hope he gets promoted in the near future. Another standout was Skylar Brandt as the 1st Shade. She made that variation look like a walk in the park . The audience roared after she finished. What an exciting afternoon! ABT needs to tour more in LA. It was evident with the 3 sold out shows they are loved out here.
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Dreamer, I had exactly the same thought regarding Shevchenko and Alexandrova. Shevchenko looked and danced like a prima ballerina. She was dazzling.
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Watching Christine Shevchenko made me think of a young Maria Alexandrova. Shevchenko has similar quality of drawing all the attention to her character and displaying a commanding stage presence. She is becoming an artist whom I would travel a distance to watch.
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I will try! The world Ballet Festival is a 3 week long feast of stars but what's best is seeing someone special in a full length piece.
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I'm so glad you got to see this in the theater -- I was impressed with several parts of the work, especially for the ensemble. There are so many different versions of this ballet, and it's so fun to compare and contrast.
