sandik

"A choreography"? I suppose a student wrote that, but it still amazes me. The word "choreography" is used correctly on the mailer in reference to Giselle. Actually, the use of "choreography" interchangeably with "work," "piece," "dancework," "ballet," or other nouns that describe a singular work seems to be standard in some Eastern European contexts. I know many ethnic/world dance artists who use the term in that way. It still feels awkward to me, but then so does the verb usage of "gift."

This is a tricky one, since there are several different versions depending on the production you see. Here at PNB she walks in quickly just in time for her first pose, but I've always regretted not seeing the entrance that went with the Oliver Messell set for the post WWII Royal Ballet. Every review or commentary about that production that I've read talks about how Aurora is framed for a moment in an opening in the set, and then enters fully in time for her first actual step. I agree, though, that the score builds anticipation masterfully -- you'd really have to be a dud to not make an impression with musical support like that!

Indeed. I still wish it were the Hodson reconstruction in the Joffrey production, but I have a very soft spot for Sacre and always want to see what different choreographers have done with it.

"elementary, basic, fact-checking...so how could anything else written be taken as educated and respectable?" It's highly likely that someone else (not the critic) wrote the photo caption -- I don't see the cut lines (photo captions) or the headlines for the stuff I write until they're published. Which does occasionally lead to some errors, as you've pointed out.

I could not hear her well; I missed much of what she said. So she did eventually ask a question then. Do you remember what her actual question was? My bad -- it wasn't so much a question as looking for agreement with her point of view. The rising inflection at the end of a sentence that is so popular now makes everything sound like a question even when it is not.

Well, not what we had speculated, but another version of Sacre to add to the list. (from the people at VAI) 4516 PETRUSHKA / THE RITE OF SPRING (Stravinsky) Two twentieth-century ballet masterpieces performed by major Russian ballet troupes. Petrushka is a live 1992 performance by the Bolshoi Ballet, with choreography based on the original Fokine. The Rite of Spring is a filmed 1990 studio production by the Moscow Classical Ballet starring Ilgiz Galimullin and Valeria Tsoi. 76 minutes, Color, $34.95. PETRUSHKA Music by Igor Stravinsky Choreography by Mikhail Fokine Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre Pavel Sorokin, conductor Petrushka: Irek Mukhamedov The Ballerina: Ludmila Semenyaka The Moor: Vyacheslav Elagin The Charlatan: Yuri Vetrov Production of the Bolshoi Ballet Live Performance, 1992 THE RITE OF SPRING (Le sacre du printemps) Music by Igor Stravinsky Scenario and Choreography by Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilev Leader: Ilgiz Galimullin The Chosen One: Valeria Tsoy The Dark Spirit: Vera Timashova The Wise Elder: Sergei Vanaev Moscow Classical Ballet Produced for Russian Television, 1990

Hi Lisa, and thanks for the link to the DCA study! Lisa has pretty much summed it up -- there are very few critics working in the US today who are making even a significant percentage of their living from their dance writing. Almost all of us learned "on the job," pulling together a collection of workshops, related writing courses, discussion with colleagues and extensive self-education. Although the DCA does offer a few professional development programs we are primarily about networking among peers. I clicked around on the Broad Street website and learned that the author of the review in question used to be a lecturer in philosophy, which may explain some of his references. And I have to admit that, of all the Balanchine I've seen and thought about, 4 Ts tends to generate the most abstract thinking and speculating among my colleagues. Including me!

A colleague of mine said that the woman in the back of the Agon rehearsal photo is likely Francia Russell, who was involved throughout the process. There are a couple of other photos of her at that same period that look very similar.

Mother Goose? I can make a case for almost all of them, but Mother Goose?

My understanding is that Korbes had been ill and didn't feel ready to perform on opening night, but was back in form for Friday. I was afraid that she might have been injured (there's always a sinking feeling when the PA system starts up with "ladies and gentlemen" right before a dance is supposed to start). I was seated a little closer to the woman with the lengthy question on Friday night during the Q/A, and I think I understood the gist of her concern. She is assuming that Quijada's work is based on contact improvisation, a dance practice that puts an incredible emphasis on the egalitarian quality of partnerships, almost to the exclusion of a presentational aspect, and she felt that the dancers didn't fulfill those expectations. I think, though I do not know, that she wasn't really aware that the fusion is between ballet and breaking, which is very presentational, indeed, almost confrontational. I can certainly see how she might miss that distinction, since many of the gymnastics skills that we saw in the work are shared by both styles, but she was right in saying that if this was a contact work, it would not be an especially successful one.

Well, I called VAI to ask and was told that I just missed the guy whose project this is -- I emailed him and hope he'll get back to me on Monday. Let speculation rage for the weekend!!

It better be at the Phelps Center -- I can't afford to fly to NYC! It was listed on the back of my program last night (the insert with the casting) and says it's a "Seattle viewing." Try calling the box office (206-441-2424) and see what they say. This could be a really recent decision, and so the web isn't updated yet...

Doug Fullington is taking his "Balanchine's Petipa" lecture-demonstration to the Guggenheim's Works and Process series in NYC this spring, and PNB is presenting a kind of dress rehearsal on Tuesday, May 11. I saw this last year and was totally gobsmacked -- the comparisons between the work that Balanchine saw and danced as a young man in St. P, and the work that he later created as a choreographer were so illuminating. There aren't a lot of seats in the big studio for these events, so get a ticket now.

They did, on the Dance in America series. It included interviews with Millicent Hodson talking about her process retrieving information about the work and the process of recreating it on the Joffrey company. Dance in America also ran a program about the Joffrey that included a performance of Petrushka with Nureyev as you know who. That was back in the 70s, if I remember correctly. I imagine that this may be either the Paris Opera Ballet or the Maryinsky, who both perform the Hodson reconstruction of Sacre and have Petrushka in their reps. Let's see what we can find out...

Contracts are due at the end of March, so this is the time of year we learn who won't be returning next season. Jordan Pacitti is leaving after the June Encore program, to pursue his work in the fragrance industry. Here's the press release. FOR FRAGRANCE SAMPLES, CONTACT: Jordan Pacitti, Jordan Samuel Fragrances, 206.240.3249, jordan@jordansamuel.net, www.jordansamuel.net Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Jordan Pacitti Announces Departure to Further Pursue Fragrance Career Seattle, WA – Pacific Northwest Ballet corps de ballet member Jordan Pacitti – currently gracing the cover of PNB’s playbill for the company’s run of 3 by Dove – has announced that he will be retiring from the company at the end of this season, to further pursue his career in the fragrance industry; In 2007, Pacitti launched Jordan Samuel Fragrances, creating and selling room fragrance diffusers, bath and body oils, candles, and fragrances. In September 2010, when his colleagues at the ballet are preparing for the new season of performances, Pacitti will be entering the esthetics program at the Gary Manual Aveda Institute in Seattle. "The past eleven years with Pacific Northwest Ballet have been extremely rewarding,” said Pacitti in announcing his decision. “I have learned so much and have become the adult I am today. Though I am sad to leave, the time has come to move on. I am emotionally ready and everything is lined up. Thanks to PNB's Second Stage program, I have been able to start and grow my company Jordan Samuel Fragrances.” (Second Stage is PNB’s career-transition program, created to support its dancers in achieving their goals following a career in dance. Second Stage resources allow dancers to take classes, access mentors and career counseling, and receive grants.) Pacitti continued, “PNB’s support has been invaluable and I thank them immensely. I look forward to my next year and all the opportunities it brings. I thank everyone who has ever supported my dancing, I will miss you greatly." PNB Founding Artistic Directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, who first hired Pacitti as an apprentice in 1999, said “It is impossible for us to imagine PNB without Jordan. We have vivid memories of him in dozens and dozens of roles, many demonstrating his great versatility and all performed with his blazing energy and absolute integrity. Jordan has been a beautiful dancer, a remarkable actor and a truly beloved colleague. As both a performer and a friend, he created his own unique place within the Company and will be sorely missed. The wonderful consolation is that he is the perfect example of the retiring dancer who is fully prepared for his transition and as passionate about his second career as he has always been about dance.” Added PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal: “Jordan is so loved by so many. For eleven years, he has served PNB in corps de ballet, soloist, and principal roles with reliability, talent, and charisma. He is dearly appreciated by audiences, co-workers, and his director. He may be retiring, but he’s got an invitation to return next December as Drosselmeier [in PNB’s Stowell/Sendak Nutcracker]. We can’t imagine PNB without him, so we won’t.” Jordan Pacitti is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He trained at the School of Cleveland Ballet and on scholarship at the School of American Ballet. He was a recipient of a Royal Danish Ballet Exchange Program award in 1998, allowing him to study in Copenhagen. He joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 1999 and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2000. Leading roles include George Balanchine's Agon, Concerto Barocco, Divertimento No. 15, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Puck, Lysander, Bottom), Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, and Symphony in Three Movements; Todd Bolender's Souvenirs; Val Caniparoli's The Bridge, Lambarena, and Torque; Merce Cunningham's Inlets 2; Ulysses Dove's Red Angels; Nacho Duato's Jardí Tancat; Dominique Dumais' Scripted in the Body; Nicolo Fonte's Within/Without; William Forsythe's One Flat Thing, reproduced; Paul Gibson's The Piano Dance, Rush, and Sense of Doubt; Ronald Hynd's The Sleeping Beauty (Gold and Silver pas de trois); Mark Morris' A Garden; Jerome Robbins' The Concert, Dances at a Gathering, and Fancy Free; Kent Stowell's Carmina Burana, Delicate Balance, Nutcracker (Herr Drosselmeier), and Silver Lining; Lynne Taylor-Corbett's Mercury, and Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room and Nine Sinatra Songs. Pacitti originated leading roles in Kiyon Gaines' Interrupted Pri'si'zhen and M-Pulse and Susan Stroman's TAKE FIVE … More or Less and danced featured roles in George Balanchine's Diamonds, Prodigal Son, Symphony in C, and Theme and Variations; Val Caniparoli's Torque; Peter Martins' Fearful Symmetries; Kirk Peterson's Amazed in Burning Dreams; Kent Stowell's Carmina Burana, Cinderella, Hail to the Conquering Hero, Poème St. Saëns, and Swan Lake; and Richard Tanner's Ancient Airs and Dances. # # # If you are interested in fragrance samples or pursuing a story on Jordan Samuel Fragrances, please contact: Jordan Pacitti, Jordan Samuel Fragrances 206.240.3249 jordan@jordansamuel.net www.jordansamuel.net

Great news! Thanks for that report, abatt. I love that kind of tribute (i.e., when there's a real body of work, as well as a remarkable artist, being celebrated.) So many people on that stage have reasons to be grateful to Sondheim. (my bold) Tangentially, I had a similar moment during the recent Oscars telecast, looking at the crowd of actors who came to pay tribute to John Hughes. Even though I just missed his demographic when he first started making films, I always thought he really got to the gist of being a teenager. I was pleased and surprised at the number of actors who worked with him.

Oooh, in the same theater complex -- that's a good one! Don't feel beleagured, though -- dance companies up here in Seattle are constantly programming of top of each other, no matter how often we all complain about it. If they're smart, they'll try to take advantage of this overlap by cross-promoting their events.

I'm not sure what's up with with the company. James Canfield was up here in Seattle in the autumn, setting a new work on a local group, but haven't heard a peep since.

And there was an experiment swapping with San Francisco as well -- again, can't remember the exact date, but SFB came up here with some Lew Christensen and Balanchine. At the time the exchange felt a little out of balance -- SFB was older and much more established -- but that's no longer an issue really.

I think it was still in the 1980s (before the symphony had moved out of the Opera House and freed up those additional dates for the ballet and the opera) that the company was really motivated to find outside opportunities. At one point they were going to take their Nutcracker to Minneapolis (Minnesota Dance Theater, which used to perform a very distinctive Nut by Loyce Holton, had recently folded) -- if I remember correctly they got as far as having a replica of their Sendak set built that would fit in Northup Auditorium. I cannot remember what squashed that idea. Then, even more interestingly, they were going to enter into a consortium with Boston Ballet and Houston Ballet, to circulate between the three cities. This is closer to the Miami City Ballet model, except that each city already had a ballet company, and they would all tour amongst each other. The project was the brainchild of Jane Andrews, who used to work in the administration here at PNB, and was called Ballet America. Pragmatically, it was a doomed idea to start with, local dance politics being what it is, but I was thrilled at the time -- to get a chance to see other companies without having to schlep myself across the country...

Oh, you have no idea how ticklish this question is! Russell and Stowell pursued just about every local/regional touring opportunity they could think of during their tenure, only to have them fall through. At one point or another, they were in negotiations with presenters or other groups in Bellingham, Spokane, the Tri-Cities, Portland, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Boston and Houston, and those are just the ones I know. They were insistent that the company travel as a unit -- if anyone went, they all went -- but they weren't able to craft any long-term relationships. Boal is more flexible about that element, but hasn't to my knowledge pursued anything that would extend the regular programming. They have been doing out of town gigs, but these aren't repeats of entire programs.

I don't either. But in a three hour movie, I found it hard to ignore. I noticed this as well, though it did not really surprise me. Sandy McK's comment reminded me that Wiseman does act as a witness in his documentary work, as far as that is possible for a human being. I was taken with your idea of a behind-the-scenes documentary of MGM during the high days of the studio system. While I understand your point that the work is sometimes its own best explanation, I would love to have a "fly on the wall" view on the process that got us all there!

I think Company is a great example of its time, both in its topic and in its structure. It felt a bit dated to me for awhile (in the same way that we discussed about Dances at a Gathering) but I'm always happy to hear the score and glad to know of another production. I agree with papeetepatrick that the underlying premise of Sweeny Todd is indeed creepy, but then so is Dracula, and I love that too. The origins of A Little Night Music make the work seem a bit smarty pants (look what we can do!) but I think it's a beautiful score and am so appreciative of the wide range of ages for the women.

I went last night, and was pleased to see Le Yin in a very clean performance. I'm not sure if he's pursuing any other performing at this point, or if he's transitioned into teaching/coaching, but he made a very believable Basilio. Vinson seemed to be enjoying herself as Kitri, in the solo stuff as well as the ensemble material. She's still finding a way to be quick and snappy rather than just fast, so that occasionally the stereotypical "Spanish" moments could have been more brilliant, but altogether, it was a nice chamber-sized Don Q.

Glad to see Gary here -- he's been working extra time on all of this hullabaloo. Here's the release that came out today Pacific Northwest Ballet announces 2010-2011 season line-up. --Plus-- Reduction in performances per program. Thank you, economy! PNB 2010-2011 Season Line-Up Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal has unveiled his proposed line-up for the company’s 2010-2011 season. Highlights include the return of Jiri Kylian’s Petite Mort paired with the PNB premiere of Six Dances, both from Kylian’s “Black and White” series; company premieres of works by Jerome Robbins and Alexei Ratmansky, an all-Tharp program; a world premiere by Mopey choreographer Marco Goecke; Kent Stowell’s magical Cinderella; and the return of PNB’s renowned production of George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 2010-2011 SUBSCRIPTION SEASON LINE-UP* Rep 1 – DIRECTOR’S CHOICE September 24 – October 3, 2010 Six Dances – PNB Premiere Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Choreography: Jiri Kylian Staging: Roslyn Anderson Petite Mort Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Choreography: Jiri Kylian Staging: Roslyn Anderson Jardí Tancat Music: Maria del Mar Bonet Choreography: Nacho Duato Staging: Hilde Koch Glass Pieces – PNB Premiere Music: Philip Glass Choreography: Jerome Robbins Rep 2 – ALL THARP November 5 – 14, 2010 Opus 111 Music: Johannes Brahms Choreography: Twyla Tharp Afternoon Ball Music: Vladimir Martynov Choreography: Twyla Tharp Waterbaby Bagatelles Music: 20th-century bagatelles (Anton Webern, Kevin Volans, John Lurie, David Lang, Astor Piazzolla, Mickey Hart, John Adams) Choreography: Twyla Tharp Staging: Shelley Washington Rep 3 – CINDERELLA February 4 – 13, 2011 Music: Sergei Prokofiev Choreography: Kent Stowell Staging: Kent Stowell and Francia Russell Scenic Design: Tony Straiges Costume Design: Martin Pakledinaz Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli Rep 4 – ANCIENT AIRS/MODERN DANCES March 18 – 27, 2011 Ancient Airs and Dances Music: Ottorino Respighi Choreography: Richard Tanner World Premiere Choreography: Marco Goecke Pacific Music: Lou Harrison Choreography: Mark Morris Staging: Tina Fehlandt The Piano Dance Music: John Cage, Frederic Chopin, Alberto Ginastera, Bela Bartok, Gyorgy Ligeti Choreography: Paul Gibson Rep 5 – A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM April 8 - 17, 2011 Music: Felix Mendelssohn Choreography: George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust Staging: Francia Russell Scenic and Costume Design: Martin Pakledinaz Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli REP 6 June 3 – 12, 2011 A ballet to be announced, and Concerto DSCH – PNB Premiere Music: Dmitri Shostakovich Choreography: Alexei Ratmansky And don’t forget: Stowell/Sendak NUTCRACKER November 26 – December 27, 2010 Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Choreography: Kent Stowell Scenic & Costume Design: Maurice Sendak Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli *Schedule and All Programming Subject to Change. AND NOW, SOME NEWS ABOUT BELT-TIGHTENING As you know, the performing arts community has been hit hard by the recent economic recession. While our loyal patrons continue to attend Pacific Northwest Ballet performances, ticket sales and donations have suffered significantly during this downturn. In response, we have already enacted numerous measures to lessen the impact of the downturn – administrative staff furloughs, careful reduction in expenses, contract renegotiations with artists, among others. When exploring ways to save, we always look first at what will not have an impact on the artistic integrity of our performances and school. That’s why we continue to perform to live music, commission new works, and retain the highest quality of dancers. In addition to implementing the aforementioned measures to continue to present outstanding ballet performances with fewer resources, PNB has concluded that we need to reduce the number of subscriber performances per program from eight to seven, beginning with the first program in the 2010-2011 Season. Starting in September, we will eliminate the first Thursday performance and move opening night to Friday. The first Thursday performance is one of our least-subscribed series, with the highest number of no-shows and exchange-outs, so the fewest subscribers possible are impacted by this decision. PNB generally sells more tickets during the second week of a production, so it was important to retain the second Thursday in order to maximize ticket sales, and the second Thursday performance has good availability into which we can move first-Thursday subscribers. For our subscribers currently attending Thursday or Friday of opening week, we are offering several options, including moving dates, seats, or switching to another series. In all scenarios, our box office staff will make every effort to place them in their same seats, or as close as possible to the seating location of their choice. Affected subscribers should call the PNB box office at 206.441.2424. We deeply appreciate the loyalty of our PNB subscribers. We strive to make their experience with us as rewarding as possible, and we will make every effort to continue to present the standard of excellence that our audiences have come to expect from their ballet company. --------------------- My understanding is that the dancers and the musicians agreed to keep their same pay rates for next season, and since they had forgone a raise for this year as well that's an extra notch in the belt.