sandik

Well, I'm going to miss Pankevitch as Wolfgang and Kitchens as the Persian Girl. I'm seeing five performances -- how can I still miss these things? /grumble

The last time he played Seattle, he brought, Uccello, a cello ensemble that includes him and his students from McGill University. It was a fantastic night of music. Lucky you -- I missed it and have been kicking myself ever since.

You mention Petrushka -- Donald Byrd has made a new version of the work set in an S&M environment that is most certainly designed to unsettle the audience. He showed it this last autumn on a bill with a new production of Miraculous Mandarin, another sexually violent work, and they were both quite disturbing. (interestingly, though, programming them back to back seemed to take a bit of the sting out of them)

I'm finding the discussions of his work fascinating right now, especially in light of the note by Bob Yesselman about the difference in aesthetics between American and European dance. I've always thought of Tetley as someone who bridged continents and styles -- a kind of precursor to cross-over or fusion choreography.

One example of this, that I imagine most readers here already know, is cellist Matt Haimovitz, who has toured with the Bach unaccompanied, playing bars and clubs as well as more traditional venues. He's performed here in Seattle at the Tractor Tavern, which has regular music programming of a fairly eclectic variety, but is usually not classically based. Tractor Tavern

This is just fascinating -- I have to think about it before I have something cogent to add. Many thanks for posting this here.

Damn.

As I remember it, you're right about the amount of performance footage, but I think it's a fascinating look at the collision of marketing cultures -- this comes at the end of a period when you could just mention that the Bolshoi or the Kirov would be making an appearance and you'd fill the house. The companies were touring themselves endlessly, making Western dollars, and their reputations were very powerful. The film might not be much as a record of their dancing, but it's a record of the time.

Always a good idea, even if the work is in English, IMO. I saw a screening of the Taymor Magic Flute here in Seattle last night, and agree about the subtitles -- the production is in English, but the titles were a great help during some of the more showy phrases (more about vocal excitement than diction per se) We had a great time in the theater -- I was so glad they arranged to screen it here at last!

That's certainly a journey! The Talking Heads, the Clash and U2 are on my list as well, but I add X and the Ramones to it -- I love the energy of punk.

A link to the Academy's list oscar nominations

In my world, this is called displacement activity. I like your phrase too.

What a fun thread! In no particular order, and certainly not comprehensive. Music that makes me gag from over-exposure - Pachelbel’s canon Music that never fails to make me cry - Dello Joio scores for There is a Time and Diversion of Angels Music I adore - Hindemith's Four Temperaments and Fritz Cohen's The Green Table, Balanchine's compilation of Faure for Emeralds. Stravinsky's Sacre (heard the 4-hand piano arrangement again last week and loved it too) And music I washed the dishes to last night - Till You Come Back to Me, sung by Aretha Franklin (with me as a backup)

Here is the casting for the first week click here Some random observations: Carrie Imler is not dancing O/O this time around. Olivier Wevers is not dancing Siegfried. Christophe Maraval is performing Von Rothbart. Oleg Gorboulev and Anton Pankevitch are performing Wolfgang (the tutor), which used to be Flemming Halby's role.

I was having a conversation with my son about Harrison Ford and the proposed new film in the Indiana Jones series last week -- we were talking about how a film franchise sometimes lasts longer than the youth of its originators, and that sometimes the actor will continue in a role despite his age (like the Rocky films) and sometimes the role will go to a new actor (see new Bond), so I've been mulling over this topic lately. And so I was primed to notice this comment in the preview of the San Francisco Ballet gala (see links for 1/22) "when another ancient-but-still-handsome city native, Clint Eastwood, was already 3 years old" Ancient?

A little more information on casting: Fri 2/2 and Sun 2/11 (evening) Noelani Pantastico and Le Yin Thur 2/8 and Sun 2/11 (matinee) Carla Körbes and Casey Herd Full casting (at least for the first week) should be online sometime tomorrow.

That is a very good capsule description -- one of the (many!) things I love about this ballet is the way it opens up the space (literally -- the side curtains are drawn way back so that it's a much wider stage than usual) and the interlocking images in the corps. In some ways it reminds me of a ballet mechanique, combined with a Busby Berkely number (the long diagonal lines or the corps in sequential action are thrilling). The 'second' couple has a great entrance (zooming out of the wings and into the air) -- Carrie Imler and Jonathon Poretta have done it here at Pacific Northwest Ballet and they just knocked us all out. Have a great time in the theater, and come back to tell all!

Oh, thank you -- I need to learn more about this!

Oh, this is one of my favorite works, and I'm very pleased that it's coming to Seattle next year. In general, Tharp's work is dense and exhilarating, intensely musical, and full of hidden surprises, off-beat references, complicated structure and powerful kinesthetic moments. I think Carbro puts a finger right on it above -- we're not necessarily supposed to see everything on a first (or sometimes a twentyfirst!) viewing. (I think that she's, if not directly influenced, then walking in the same pathway as Merce Cunningham in this) There are several layers involved in most of it, as well multiple focal points on stage and a tricky combination of complicated choreographic structures and a loose-jointed movement vocabulary. (can you tell I like it?) For me, Upper Room is the culmination of her work with ABT, and really shows where she makes connections between classical and modern dance techniques, vocabularies and conventions. The stage picture certainly enhances the edgy, aggressive aspects of the work, but even without the actual smoke and metaphoric mirrors, it is just a stunner. Having said that, I don't think it's the hardest (most physically challenging) dance in her repertory -- of the stuff I've seen, I think I'd vote for Surfer at the River Styx (another piece with a driving, percussion heavy score, this time by Donald Knaack) -- I was just gobsmacked. On the other topic (current 'shopping' patterns in the Tharp rep), I've certainly noticed that particular works seem to be quite popular -- whether this is a function of the work itself and what the company hopes to achieve with it, or is instead a result of what the Tharp organization is interested in selling at the time is beyond my knowledge. Their website has a pretty thorough list of who's doing what, and this is what I found there. Nine Sinatra Songs and/or Sinatra is in the rep of 21 companies (since March 2004). In the Upper Room is performed by 9 companies (since March 2005) The Golden Section/Suite from Catherine Wheel (another intense Tharp ensemble work) 4 companies (November 2006) It's pretty clear that Sinatra is a very, very popular work, for many reasons. I find it interesting, though, that it has been staged so widely in the last few years when other pieces of hers that are similar (popular music, social dance references, medium/small cast) have not had anywhere near the exposure. If part of the desire of the organization is to get the work into active repertories, spread the awareness of Tharp as a choreographer, and keep the dances alive, they might want to consider more diversification. But that's just my opinion. From the Tharp website Tharp rep in current performance Nine Sinatra Songs/Sinatra Suite 2008 February: Nine Sinatra Songs: Nevada Ballet, NV. April: Nine Sinatra Songs: Ballet West, Salt Lake City, UT. 2007 March: Nine Sinatra Songs: Tulsa Ballet Nine Sinatra Songs: Sacramento Ballet Sinatra Suite: Friends University, Wichita,KS June: Nine Sinatra Songs: NBA Ballet Co., Japan September: Nine Sinatra Songs: North Carolina Dance Theatre, Charlotte, NC. 2006 February: Nine Sinatra Songs: Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle, WA. March: Nine Sinatra Songs: Colorado Ballet Nine Sinatra Songs: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre June: Nine Sinatra Songs: Birmingham Royal Ballet October: Sinatra Suite: American Ballet Theatre November: Nine Sinatra Songs: Louisville Ballet Sinatra Suite: Harvard Dance 2005 February: Nine Sinatra Songs: Pennsylvania Ballet Nine Sinatra Songs: Ballet British Columbia Sinatra Suite: Ballet Arizona Sinatra Suite: Virginia Ballet Theatre March: Sinatra Suite: The Joyce by Aspen/Santa Fe Dance Company September: Nine Sinatra Songs: Kansas City Ballet will appear at the Joyce Downtown Festival in New York City November: Nine Sinatra Songs: Washington Ballet at The Kennedy Center. 2004 March Nine Sinatra Songs: Miami City Ballet May Nine Sinatra Songs: Kansas City Ballet July Nine Sinatra Songs: Ballet Argentino in Buenos Aires Sinatra Suite: Aspen/Santa Fe In the Upper Room 2008 November: In the Upper Room: National Ballet of Canada 2007 January: In the Upper Room: Miami City Ballet, Miami, FL February: In the Upper Room: Bolshoi Ballet April: In the Upper Room: Pennsylvania Ballet, PA. November: In the Upper Room: Louisville Ballet In the Upper Room: Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle, WA 2006 October: In the Upper Room: Washington Ballet In the Upper Room: American Ballet Theatre 2005 March: In the Upper Room: Birmingham Royal Ballet October: In the Upper Room: American Ballet Theatre Catherine Wheel/The Golden Section 2007 February: The Golden Section: Ballet Austin, Austin, TX. 2006 May: The Catherine Wheel Suite: Kansas City Ballet September: The Golden Section: Miami City Ballet The Catherine Wheel Suite/ The Golden Section: Kansas City Ballet/Joyce Soho November: The Golden Section: Alvin Ailey Company Sorry for the lengthy post -- this has been of interest to me for awhile now.

The press release just came to my inbox, with the usual caveats about material being subject to change. Here it is. PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET PREVIEW PERFORMANCE ~ Saturday, September 15, 2007 with BACKSTAGE GALA SUPPER & PARTY ~ 6:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. Pacific Northwest Ballet invites its audiences to enjoy an evening of exhilaration and elegance as we present a 2007–2008 Season preview with a magnificent performance featuring the first movement of George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial, Ulysses Dove’s Vespers, David Parsons’ Caught, the “Balcony pas de deux” from Jean Christophe-Maillot’s Romeo et Juliette, and Jerome Robbins’ The Concert. An enticing array of dining options and an on-stage dance party follow the performance. Tickets for PNB’s Gala preview performance are priced at $75 and include a champagne reception at intermission. Performance tickets paired with a post-performance party range from $120 to $1500. For further information, please email: <mailto:events@pnb.org>events@pnb.org REP I: ALL BALANCHINE ~ September 20 – 22 & 27 – 30, 2007 (8 performances) Square Dance Music: Antonio Vivaldi and Arcangelo Corelli Choreography: George Balanchine Staging: Peter Boal Prodigal Son Music: Sergei Prokofiev Libretto: Boris Kochno Choreography: George Balanchine Staging: Richard Tanner Ballet Imperial Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Choreography: George Balanchine Staging: Francia Russell PNB opens the 2007-2008 Season with three masterworks by George Balanchine. Square Dance (1957), choreographed to music by Antonio Vivaldi and Arcangelo Corelli and staged by PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal, received its PNB premiere in 1981 and was last performed by the Company in April 1985. Balanchine’s Prodigal Son (1929), set to Sergei Prokofiev’s Op. 46, with libretto by Boris Kochno and staged for PNB by Richard Tanner, received its PNB premiere in 1984 and was last performed by the Company in November 2004. Ballet Imperial (1941), set to P.I. Tchaikovsy’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major, Op. 44 (1879), staged by Founding Artistic Director Francia Russell, with scenic design by Edith Whitsett and costume design by Martin Pakledinaz, received its PNB premiere in 1997 and was last performed by the Company in February 2000. REP II: November 1 – 3 and 8 – 11, 2007 (8 performances) Agon Music: Igor Stravinsky Choreography: George Balanchine Staging: Francia Russell Kiss Music: Arvo Pärt Choreography: Susan Marshall Staging: Kristen Hollinsworth and Luke Miller Caught « PNB Premiere Music: Robert Fripp Choreography: David Parsons Staging: Elizabeth Koeppen In the Upper Room « PNB Premiere Music: Philip Glass, arranged by Kurt Munkacsi Choreography: Twyla Tharp Staging: Stacy Cadell November’s mixed repertory program features works by three master choreographers familiar to PNB audiences and introduces an exciting PNB newcomer – David Parsons. George Balanchine’s timeless Agon (1957), set to a score by Igor Stravinsky and staged for PNB by Francia Russell, received its PNB premiere in 1993 and was last performed by the Company in February 2004. Susan Marshall’s achingly beautiful aerial pas de deux Kiss, set to Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten and staged for PNB by Kristen Hollinsworth and Luke Miller was given its PNB premiere in February 2006. PNB introduces choreographer David Parsons to Seattle audiences with his signature piece, Caught (1982), an ingenious 6-minute solo set to music by Robert Fripp and staged for its PNB premiere by Elizabeth Koeppen, Associate Artistic Director of Parsons Dance Company. “Radiant with a circus-like thrill, Caught wows an audience,” raved the Chicago Tribune. “The dancer is caught in mid-air in Peter Pan-like poses that embody the magic essence of dance itself, the quixotic desire to defy gravity and yet exude grace and joy at the same time.” Twyla Tharp’s tour de force, In the Upper Room (1986), set to the driving pulse of Philip Glass’s music, mixes Norma Kamali’s vibrant black-and-white striped costumes with their blood-red accents, dramatic scenic design by Santo Loquasto, and an innovative lighting plot by Jennifer Tipton to create a many-layered work that alternately advances, recedes, explodes and implodes in an “escalating display of prowess as heroism.” (The Village Voice) “In the Upper Room is a 40-minute unfolding of energy, of pulsating rhythm, of dance ideas. Not for one second does Tharp let the physical prowess of her dancers substitute for a complicated, dense dance vocabulary. Yet never is the sheer exuberance of motion beclouded by choreography.” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) The PNB premiere of In the Upper Room is staged by Stacy Cadell, former soloist with New York City Ballet and Twyla Tharp Dance Company. NUTCRACKER ~ November 23 – December 29, 2007 (40 public performances + 3 student matinees) PNB’s Nutcracker dazzles Northwest audiences each holiday season. The production’s brilliant blend of costumes, sets, and choreography is unique to Seattle and creates a magical world enjoyed by children and adults alike. Founding Artistic Director and choreographer Kent Stowell collaborated with acclaimed children’s author and illustrator Maurice Sendak to create Nutcracker in 1983. The entire company of professional dancers and over 200 students from PNB School will dance in 43 performances of Nutcracker during the 2007 holiday season. Audiences are sure to enjoy PNB’s 27-foot mouse king, the splendid Christmas tree that grows from 14 to 28 feet tall, the land of snow, and all the magical characters in this special adaptation of a classic story. 2007-2008 season subscribers may purchase 2007 Nutcracker tickets now. Single tickets will be available to the general public in July 2007. REP III: Roméo et Juliette ~ January 31 – February 2 and 7 – 10, 2008 (8 performances) Music: Sergei Prokofiev Choreography: Jean Christophe-Maillot Scenic Design: Ernest Pignon-Ernest Costume Design: Jérôme Kaplan Lighting Design: Dominique Drillot PNB’s winter season opens with the PNB premiere of Roméo et Juliette, choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot to Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet score. The three-act production received its premiere by Les Ballets de Monte Carlo in 1996, where Maillot is resident choreographer and artistic director. His contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare’s drama has been hailed by the press throughout the world: “one of the most beautiful ballets adapted from Shakespeare's masterpiece that can be seen today.” (Scènes Magazine) “Jean-Christophe Maillot has wisely chosen to update a classic, choreographing with a lucidity that is hard to find. He serves up a psychological reading through a progression of emblematic scenes … assisted by an intelligent scenic mechanism designed by visual artist Ernest Pignon-Ernest, costumes by Jérôme Kaplan and lighting by Dominique Drillot, Maillot makes room for some fine scenes of individual expression, alternating them with magnificent ensembles.” (Le Provence) “Just like Molière back in his day, [Maillot] fosters diversion and enchantment in order to bring a certain rest to the soul. His highly unique style – perpetually tinged with controversy – takes techniques from classical dance and gives itself over to a resolutely contemporary art of movement that is extremely vivacious. It seduces the audience…” (Author’s text by Michael Temman, recorded during Les Ballets de Monte Carlo’s China Tour, 2004) "… a work that transcends all the genres and leads us directly to the heart of emotion.” (Matins d'ici, Ottawa, Radio) REP IV: March 13 – 15 & 20 – 23, 2008 (8 performances) Vespers « PNB Premiere Music: Mikel Rouse Choreography: Ulysses Dove Staging: Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson Für Alina « PNB Premiere Music: Arvo Pärt Choreography: Edwaard Liang Sense of Doubt Music: Philip Glass Choreography: Paul Gibson One Flat Thing Reproduced « PNB Premiere Music: Thom Willems Choreography: William Forsythe The March mixed repertory program features three PNB premieres — Ulysses Dove’s Vespers (1986), a tightly-structured work for six women set to music by Mikel Rouse and staged for PNB by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson; Edwaard Liang’s atmospheric pas de deux, Für Alina (2006), set to a piano score by Arvo Pärt, with costumes by Mark Zappone; and William Forsythe’s One Flat Thing Reproduced (2000), a work for 14 dancers “[who] rampage precisely on, under, and around a squad of 20 tables” (The Village Voice), set to music by Thom Willems. The program also includes Paul Gibson’s Sense of Doubt, set to music by Philip Glass, which premieres at PNB’s April 2007 Celebrate Seattle Festival. SPRING DANCE FESTIVAL «Celebrate Seattle « April 5 – 20, 2008 Featuring three weeks of alternating programs ~ including works with a comedic twist REP V: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM ~ April 3 – 5 & 10 – 13, 2008 (WEEKS 1 & 2) Music: Felix Mendelssohn Choreography: George Balanchine Direction & Staging: Francia Russell Set & Costume Design: Martin Pakledinaz Lighting: Randall G. Chiarelli A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1962), presented during the first two weeks of PNB’s Spring Dance Festival, transforms our stage into Shakespeare’s enchanted landscape for lovers. Misunderstandings and mayhem weave tangled paths through the opulent layers of Martin Pakledinaz’s designs and George Balanchine’s partnerings. All ends well in Act II’s wedding festivities with the recognition of ideal love tenderly portrayed in the exquisite Divertissement Pas de Deux. SPRING DANCE FESTIVAL ~ April 17 – 20, 2008 (6 performances) (WEEK 3) Program A: Thursday, April 17, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 19, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The Envelope « PNB Premiere Music: Gioacchino Rossini, arranged by Charles Grouse Choreography: David Parsons Staging: Elizabeth Koeppen Millennium Skiva « PNB Premiere Music: Brainbug Choreography: Moses Pendleton Variations Sérieuses « PNB Premiere Music: Felix Mendelssohn, adapted and orchestrated by Mack Schlefer Choreography: Christopher Wheeldon Staging: Ben Huys Program A of the Festival’s third week features three PNB premieres. David Parsons’ popular The Envelope (1986), set to a collage of Gioacchino Rossini Overtures, is a farcical and hysterical romp where the dancers are pitted against a renegade piece of stationary. Millennium Skiva (1999), set to music by Brainbug, is choreographed by Moses Pendleton, one of the founding members of Pilobolus Dance Theater and founding artistic director of Momix. “In Millennium Skiva … Mr. Pendleton explores the possibilities for motion when one’s feet are encased in boots attached to skis … The great pleasure of [the work] was its distillation of a central precept of dance: that the physically impossible is achievable. (The New York Times). Christopher Wheeldon’s delightful depiction of life backstage, Variations Sérieuses (2001), is set to a score by Felix Mendelssohn, adapted and orchestrated by Mack Schlefer. “Ian Falconer's ingenious set is integral to Mr. Wheeldon's Variations Sérieuses … a crowd-pleaser, a pièce d'occasion…” (The New York Times) Program B: Friday, April 18, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, April 20, 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. The Lost Language of the Flight Attendant « PNB Premiere Music: Wolfgang Amadeaus Mozart Choreography: Brian Reeder World Premiere Choreography: Olivier Wevers Ordinary Festivals « PNB Premiere Music: Italian folk music Choreography: Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig The Concert (or, The Perils of Everybody) « PNB Premiere Music: Frederic Chopin, orchestrated by Clare Grundman Choreography: Jerome Robbins Program B features a World Premiere — by PNB principal dancer and choreographer Olivier Wevers — along with three PNB premieres. Brian Reeder’s The Lost Language of the Flight Attendant (2002), a humorous look at the typical day of a flight attendant, is set to excerpts from Wolfgang Amadeaus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 and Piano Concerto No. 27. “With his witty and enchanting premiere for ABT Studio Company, Lost Language of The Flight Attendant, Reeder presented his calling card as a seemingly lost breed: an inspired balletmaker who can bring his own time to ballet's timeless art.” (Dance Magazine) Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig’s Ordinary Festivals (1995), a dancetheater piece for 300 oranges, 6-16 performers, and 2 knives “pushes the rituals of a traditional community over the edge into mysterious, subversive, and often funny acts.” (The Village Voice) Set to the enchanting folk music of pre-war Italy, the 55-minute work explodes with images which are wildly kinetic, deeply moving, and delightfully odd. Jerome Robbins’1956 masterpiece, The Concert (or, The Perils of Everybody), is a hilarious spoof of a classical music concert, set to incidental music by Frederic Chopin and orchestrated by Hershy Kay. PLUS! Ø CHOREOGRAPHERS’ SHOWCASE COMEDY TONIGHT ~ Tuesday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. REP VI: ALL ROBBINS ~ May 29 – 31 & June 5 – 8, 2008 (8 performances) In the Night Music: Frederic Chopin Choreography: Jerome Robbins Staging: Christine Redpath Opus 19/The Dreamer « PNB Premiere Music: Sergei Prokofiev Choreography: Jerome Robbins Staging: Peter Boal and Susan Hendl Fancy Free Music: Leonard Bernstein Choreography: Jerome Robbins Staging: Judith Fugate Jerome Robbins’ romantic ballet, In the Night (1970), set to a selection of Frederic Chopin nocturnes, received its highly praised PNB premiere in September 2005. “Olivier Wevers and Noelani Pantastico danced with such limpid beauty and flowing line, one could visualize the music,” wrote R.M. Campbell in his review for The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “The second couple is different: more remote, formal, restrained. Even adult. Jeffrey Stanton and Patricia Barker captured the quiet bravura and rhythmic impulse of the movement. The last couple is the most agitated and least idealized, which Louise Nadeau and Christophe Maravel illuminated with clarity and passion.” Robbins’ haunting Opus 19/The Dreamer, created in 1979 for New York City Ballet, is set to Sergei Prokofiev’s lyrical Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major (also referred to as Opus 19) and is staged for PNB’s premiere by Peter Boal and Susan Hendl. Mr. Boal chose Opus 19/The Dreamer for his final performance with New York City Ballet in June 2005. Fancy Free (1944), with music by Leonard Bernstein and staged for PNB by Judith Fugate received its PNB premiere in September 2006. A special 2007-2008 Season Encore Performance is scheduled for the evening of Sunday, June 8.

Oh, I will be very interested in seeing what he does with this!

I'm glad you knew his work -- he had a long career in Seattle, so we got to see him evolve from leading man to character roles, alongside his teaching and coaching. Currently, I've been enjoying Olivier Wevers' acting and dancing at PNB -- he's still performing principal roles with great skill and elan, but he's taken on several character parts as well. His Carabosse does indeed go over the top, but within that category he takes great pains with characterization and timing -- there's a wealth of detail in what he does that is, unfortunately, becoming unusual in these roles. It has been several years, but I still remember his Gamache in Don Quixote as a high point in the run.

We must have just missed each other -- I was one of Eve Green's students around the middle 70s.

A couple of comments -- as far as husband/wife directorships are concerned, their success depends entirely on what skills they bring and what tasks the company needs filled. Stowell and Russell at PNB filled a variety of roles that a young and growing company had need of near the beginning of its life. Stowell contributed a significant amount of choreography that was tailored to the abilities of the dancers (both highlighting their particular skills and helping to groom them as performers), as well as working within budget constraints. At the beginning, Russell closely supervised the development of the school curriculum and the selection of its teachers, as well as nurturing performers. Her credibility as a Balanchine stager meant that the company had access to a significant repertory, constantly maintained, without needing to spend great sums on outside stagers or coaches. As a couple they created a very supportive environment for dancers in the company -- their particular skill set and the needs of that ensemble meshed extremely well. Russell didn't have the title of co-director until later in her tenure with the company, but in fact she acted as one for most of her time there. This doesn't mean that all husband and wife teams bring the same attributes, nor does it mean that every company has the same job description for their artistic director. NYCB is a very different institution, with specific needs. It has been run by choreographers for its entire life -- I would suggest that, whatever you think of Martins as a dancemaker, that perspective is very different than a caretaker/curator director. I don't know if Woetzel thinks of himself as a choreographer, but at this point I believe that Boal does not. It's very interesting to see the transition here in Seattle from a director who makes dances to a director who commissions/buys them -- I'm not sure if that's a path that NYCB wants to travel.

Perhaps I am hallucinating, but to my eye he looks a bit like the actor Willem Dafoe.