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wallis

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Posts posted by wallis

  1. I agree with this assessment of the corp in Sean Lake that year!

    Went to Dance Masterpieces opening night and it was fantastic! But just a head’s up — make sure to check the casting updates at the door to the left of the merch table before watching the performance. The program casting has inaccuracies.


     

  2. Thank you @California- I too look forward to the 24-25 season, almost as much as the remainder of this season! It is fun to be a fan and go right from Giselle to the Dance Masterpieces this weekend, though it was a long wait from the Nutcracker to this busy March.

    I notice this is now the second season of programming with little to no Balanchine works besides the Nutcracker (and this season's Prodigal Son). I wonder what reasoning guides these decisions.  

     

  3. For shorter stature (like me too) - I recommend aisle seats on the right or left side of the parquet -row G or back because the floor rise starts about there.  Ideal are the box seats either parquet or balcony, because you’d never have to work around a taller head.  I hope this helps!

  4. I too am disappointed to see the limited Balanchine offerings next season. In the past few years, the company has done a huge triple bill of Balanchine. I love it! Though this year the triple bill was the weekend directly following after two weekends of Sleeping Beauty. I wondered if that wouldn't be too much, back to back. I saw opening night of the Balanchine program and all the principal roles were well-cast and beautifully interpreted. It was exciting to see!  I can't help but wonder if doing less Balanchine has as much to do with company facility as it has to do with Corella's background?  Mr. B's dances require a level/type of technical prowess and musicality: both are areas in which the young corps has room to grow. 

    Next season, I see that another huge triple bill follows directly after Giselle! All of which I do look forward to seeing.

  5. Philadelphia Ballet has a busy March. Two weekends of The Sleeping Beauty (March 2-12) followed immediately by one weekend of a Balanchine program.  I can't help but wonder if that is challenging, given The Sleeping Beauty is a huge ballet and this is not a large company. Kudos to them though, and I am excited to see each of the programs. They looked great in their February new works program, the resident choreographer Nunes piece is one I hope to see again in the future.  

    Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on their performance schedule? 

     

  6. from a Pennsylvania Ballet email, regarding performances tonight through Sunday- 

    Given the recent recommendations by Governors Wolf and Murphy to avoid gatherings of more than 250 people, and the City of Philadelphia’s ban on  gatherings over 1,000 attendees to limit community transmission of COVID-19, Pennsylvania Ballet's remaining performances of La Bayadère are cancelled. We are saddened to bring you this news, but the health and safety of our guests, artists, and staff is our top priority.

  7. Thanks for sharing Canbelto.  Do you have any thoughts about this?

    The corps has been consistently impressive in the last few years of big story ballets, and this is where more of the turnover is.  It will be interesting to see what the new rankings and influx of dancers will bring to Don Q, though most of the principals were here and danced the last time.  I wonder if there is even higher expectation for this ballet because it is such a signature performance of Angel Corella's?  Regrettably, I did not get to see the Don Quixote performance of a few years ago, so I am looking forward to it and the rest of the performance season!    

  8. matinee Saturday March 9.  Incredible.  The first act was beautiful and I applaud the company for doing a tremendous job accommodating the conductor. He was off tempo.  Slightly too slow most of the time and too fast when the tempo should speed up.  It’s subtle if you aren’t familiar with the music or the strength and capability of the dancers.  It was noticeable enough to me in that dancers can only hang in the air so long on a jump.  It wasn’t enough of a bother to stop enjoying everything I saw though I imagine the dancers might feel otherwise.  Act 2- divine.  The corps, as usual, was perfect.  Yuka as Giselle was more perfect than I expected her to be.  

    There are a few things I look for as standards in a good company: men who point their feet and a Corps that can be in unity.  Of course, technique and strength and grace I expect!  The men - gorgeous jumps and pointed feet in Act 1.  The corps- perfect in unity.  Seldom did someone leg go above the rest. No one tries to outshine the others.  That’s a testament to the artistic staff and their direction.  It’s even more a testament to a team of dancers who respect each other and understand the value of unity.  Some other companys build unity by putting together a Corps of bodies that are the same.  Not PAB, and the viewing is richer because of it!

    Standing  ovation today.

  9. Hello, I can share my observations- but please understand I am not a dancer and do not have the language so many here do to explain what I see.  I get to see the company perform often, I never tire of watching the different ways the dancers interpret and perform the same roles.  Each of these talented ladies has such a distinct personality on stage, I can understand your dilemma!  I'm a little embarrassed to put myself out there, but here goes.. I'll only share the strengths though....

    If you want to see a dramatic and delicate Giselle, who seems to float through the air - see Maslova.  Her épaulement is absolutely gorgeous, she is extremely flexible, she lives the music, and when she's partnered in lifts- she and her partner are like one (she's so tiny and fearless!)

    DiPiazza- I've loved watching her in Balanchine and princess roles because she excels in the Balanchine style and she looks like a princess. Her Juliet was a lovely surprise because I saw a dramatic, looser (in a good way), and still clean expression in her dancing.  I'm excited to see her romantic Giselle! 

    Iseda, a soloist, is a powerhouse petite dancer whom I have loved in every role. She shows a comfort and wisdom from experience in her dancing.  she is good at everything and, in particular, she seems to come in at the front of the music and hold poses for a long and good time. Does that make sense? It adds excitement when watching.

    Pineiro is a clean and crisp dancer- I've thought her nearly perfect in both classic and neoclassical performances. Like DiPiazza, she's a princess in her comportment. She can turn like no other. I would bet her tragic Giselle would be a force to watch.

    Torriente is an old-school dancer, in a good way. She reminds me of dancers I've seen from a pre-Balanchine era. Her technique is strong, her feet are pretty, she's flexible, she's big when she needs to be. She is tall (for PAB), and Sterling is a really good partner to her.  I think this might be the role that people will say she "owns." 

    Hughes, a soloist, is a technical and intellectual dancer- all in a good way.  She is an artist- she  shares her heart and mind on stage.  She has strengths in her petite allegro (perfect for Giselle). She is lovely.

     

    Good luck, I really hope you have a beautiful night (or matinee) at the ballet!

     

     

     

  10. I saw it last night.  It was practically flawless.  Well, that's my somewhat untrained-for-Balanchine eye.  The corps, as usual this year, were radiant and in tune with each other.  There are a few dancers who wear the Balanchine mantle with aplomb; notably- Lillian DiPiazza, Alexandra Hughes, and corps member Jacqueline Callahan.  Rubies was outstanding, there was so much energy on stage.  I look forward to hearing from more of you who are so knowledgeable in ballet. I do hope you are able to see it.  

    Here's the link to casting:  http://paballet.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Jewels-Performance-Casting_public.pdf

     

  11. Maybe......they are having fun and tricks are easy to post?  Maybe they go for broke in the studio so it's easier to do more modest and clean turns or jumps on stage?  When in class, doing barre or center, everyone is working and they don't have their cell phones out?  Maybe there are restrictions on the choreography that they can post?  I don't know for sure.  However,  I do know this company is full of unique and talented artistic athletes who are bringing some beauty to the world.  I'd rather see them dance than not!

     

     

  12. Don't forget that the Mariinsky version has little to do with Petipa/Ivanov, with the exception of music and general scenario.. This is the 1930s Vasily Vainonen version, which became the 'standard' in the Soviet World, inspiring Grigorovich's own version (which also was replicated throughout the Soviet Orbit). You'll notice that NO CHILDREN are employed in the Vainonen version, which may account for the 'children' looking like miniature adults because that's exactly what you saw. Don't blame that on 3D! The only exception is Flutes Pas de Trois, danced by real children. Ditto Grigorovich - no children (but lots of freaky candelabri).

    There is more Imperial-Era Nutcracker in the versions staged in the West by Russian emigrees, such as Balanchine (Russian 'hoop dance' is straight from the original) and the Royal Ballet (large portions staged via the Sergeev Harvard notes, including Waltz of the Snowflakes).

    The dancers playing children in the party scene were clearly students, not adults. Young teens. Long, very slender young teens.

    Our school, as a Russian emigree-owned school, puts on a Nutcracker that is Petipa-based, explaining the differences with the show I saw last night.

    This is so much fun to learn about, thanks all!

  13. I saw the Mariinsky Nutcracker broadcast last night. A few comments (and I am not a dancer):

    I immensely disliked the 3D presentation. It seemed to distort bodies and perspective on the stage so that dancers in the background looked bigger than dancers in the foreground. Most of the dancers in the foreground looked like those Baroque paintings of children- adults in shrunken skinny distortion. Was that an effect of the 3D?

    The corp were beautifully synchronized as I expect from the Russian companies... though I did notice many women had the hyperextended expression in tendu (am I even framing this correctly?) I expect it from Somova and thought she maintained more control than I've seen of her in the past. My daughters have been studying with Vaganova school-trained teachers and they teach an exquisite port-de-bras that I just did not see last night. Understanding Petipa preceeded Vaganova - were these arms a choice particularly for this choreography, or is this a new thing at the Mariinsky Ballet? If so, I feel like they've lost their heritage.

    I loved the staging, the expressiveness of the children, the dolls, the war scene and the costumes. I loved watching Gergiev conduct the orchestra. However, overall, it felt kinda flat. That could be because Nutcracker is our family's life this time of year.

  14. How important is the color of the dress for the duet Pearls? What about style? I've seen versions performed in classical tutu and other versions in sheaths. Take into consideration that this is to be danced in local competitions and the dancers are not yet teenagers. We want to be faithful to the historical aesthetic, but think a pastel sheath would give it energy without a stage full of scenery and such. Will stand to be corrected!

    Thanks!

  15. Hello,

    At Ballet Alert, I have enjoyed reading about and learning better how to observe and appreciate ballet. As a result of my daughters' dancing- I have embraced ballet as an adult. I am here as a fan, an occasional student, a parent, a teacher at a performing arts high school, and now an administrator at an academy of Russian ballet in my area.

    Thank you!

  16. I wonder if anyone has been to see a live broadcast of ballet through the Emerging Pictures Ballet in Cinema program. The broadcasts feature outstanding European companies. I hope to organize a ballet academy "field trip" of sorts, but given the date of the live Bolshoi performance- the theater is not yet posting the presentation time or ticket prices. I feel silly asking, but is it correct to think the performance would begin around 8pm in Moscow, and I can judge start time here in Minnesota accordingly?

    Thanks!

    The Carmike theater in Champaign-Urbana (schedule here: http://www.carmike.com/ballet.aspx) shows the performances live (with one encore) and has the RB Giselle beginning at 1:30 PM CST and the Bolshoi Don Q at 10 AM EST.

    Thank you! So that means that January 23rd Bolshoi class performance and Giselle will probably start pretty early in the day when live. That will be a nice way to start a day.

  17. I wonder if anyone has been to see a live broadcast of ballet through the Emerging Pictures Ballet in Cinema program. The broadcasts feature outstanding European companies. I hope to organize a ballet academy "field trip" of sorts, but given the date of the live Bolshoi performance- the theater is not yet posting the presentation time or ticket prices. I feel silly asking, but is it correct to think the performance would begin around 8pm in Moscow, and I can judge start time here in Minnesota accordingly?

    Thanks!

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