The DC performance was exquisite.

Since Coffee, Tea, and Cocao are featured so strongly in Whipped Cream, I'd like to see Ratmansky do a 3 act follow-up called Caffeine, set in a specialty shops, say a 1950's Greenwich Village coffee house, an imaginary Russian Tea Room with dancing samovars, and a chocolate act set in a gourmet shop or the Hershey's factory.  It could be an abstract work.   A Jewels for foodies.

I look forward to reading the posts from anyone who gets a chance to see them in DC week.

They've got a picture of the ABT corps in Swan Lake posted with the article now.

Me too.

Galina Ulanova or Allegra Kent in anything.

5 hours ago, On Pointe said:

Harvey Weinstein's sexual assaults were not public knowledge until recently.  Everybody knew about Martins and Watts and Kistler,  including the board members at NYCB.  And I disagree with you about a mother's responsibility.  Parents should protect their underage daughters.  They could have demanded an end to the cohabitation and bundled the girls back to the dormitory where they belonged.   They could have brought charges against Martins or "persuaded" him to leave their daughters alone by more forceful traditional means.  They could have blasted him in the press.  But they didn't.

Per the SAB website there were no dormitories until the Rose building opened in 1991.  https://sab.org/school/history/the_1990s.php

There was zero formal supervision when Watts and Kistler were 16.  

Often, dancers who were underage became emancipated minors so that they could sign leases and contracts.  They could also board with local families or mom could move cross-country to set up housekeeping with the dancing teen.

I have vague memories of reading a few articles that looked at how child labor laws affected ballet companies and theater in general.   Ballet seemed to receive some kind of pass due to tradition and mystique, avoiding criticism or changes that would prevent underage dancers from being treated any differently than their legally adult colleagues.  

 Scheherazade

I guess this would count as collateral damage: Martins set the example for young dancers in the company and the children in the school of how to treat people who report to you. It will be buried somewhere in their memories that it is acceptable to bully and throw tantrums. 

Interesting article, same topic but the players are judges and their staffs.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/12/judge_alex_kozinski_made_us_all_victims_and_accomplices.html?utm_content=buffer4a46b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

The cases of alleged physical assault and coercion being discussed in this case and the others made public in recent weeks are over 25 years old, which does not lessen the yuck factor.  How do we create an environment where young people can feel safe and confident enough to stand up for themselves before decades have gone by.  As a child you're taught to be on guard around strangers not those you come into contact with during your regular daily activities (i.e. relatives, clergy, teachers, coaches, doctors).  In an ideal world we would be able to identify and oust the predators before they reach the overripe dirty old goat stage of their lives.

Discounted tix available for tonight and both shows on Saturday!!!

They want bodies in the seats.

The Kennedy Center is offering tickets at the special price of $25.00 for all remaining orchestra seats for the performances of  Suzanne Farrell Ballet on Thursday, December, 7, 2017 at 7:30pm and Saturday, December 9, 2017 at 1:30pm & 7:30pm in the Opera House Theater.

You can click the link below and your discount will appear automatically. If you call or stop by the Box Office for the discount, be sure to mention Offer Number "280398." Suzanne Farrell Ballet Discount
 

Forever Balanchine: Farewell Performances

Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. & Dec. 9 at 1:30 p.m.  (Program Timing: Approximately 2 hours, including two 20-minute intermissions.) 
Chaconne (Gluck/Balanchine)
Tzigane (Ravel/Balanchine)
Meditation (Tchaikovsky/Balanchine)
Gounod Symphony (Gounod/Balanchine) 
Special treat for Thursday, Dec. 7 attendees: Ms. Farrell will be presented with the Pola Narenska Award for Lifetime Achievement in Dance. 

Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m.  (Program Timing: Approximately 2 hours, including two 20-minute intermissions.)
Gounod Symphony (Gounod/Balanchine) 
Tzigane (Ravel/Balanchine)
Meditation (Tchaikovsky/Balanchine)
Serenade (Tchaikovsky/Balanchine)

Program subject to change.

"The wit is Balanchine's, but still nobody communicates it better than Ms. Farrell… she understands rare secrets of time and space."--The New York Times
 
This season, we celebrate the culmination of our own ballet company led by the beloved muse of choreographer George Balanchine. Throughout her career as a dancer, Suzanne Farrell created and redefined many of the great roles of the Balanchine canon. Since 2001, her company has revealed unique insights into "Mr. B's" works, drawing out their musicality and nuance as no one else can.
 
The farewell program is a pageant of favorites, all handpicked for their special meaning to Ms. Farrell. Staged last year by the company with new costumes to accentuate the revelatory choreography, Gounod Symphony intertwines one delightful pattern after another. Two short works on the program were specifically created for Ms. Farrell: the pas de deux Meditation, the first ballet Balanchine made on her; and the gypsy fantasy Tzigane, which begins with a mesmerizing five-minute solo.
 
Finally, two large-scale ballets will alternate programs, showcasing the range of Ms. Farrell's deep connection to Balanchine's ballets. The 27-dancer Chaconne is a sublime suite of dances from his stagings of Orfeo ed Euridice, featuring an expansive main ballerina role that was created for her. And the seminal 26-dancer Serenade is the first ballet Balanchine made in America, which includes the "Dark Angel" role that, years later, became Ms. Farrell's first solo as a dancer.
 up..  
 

TO RECEIVE YOUR DISCOUNT BY PHONE OR IN PERSON AT THE BOX OFFICE, MENTION OFFER NUMBER “280398”
(202) 467-4600 | Toll-free (800) 444-1324 TTY (202) 416-8524 |

I think Justin Peck has potential as AD (but he still seems soooo young).  I like the way he's been portrayed in profiles and interviews over the last few years and the current company members appear to trust and have confidence in him.

1 hour ago, sandik said:

My response to this is pretty much the same as it's been to most of the other revelations -- I'm sad, but not surprised.

For me there has been a dark cloud  hanging over Martin since the dropped domestic violence charges early in the Martins-Kistler marriage. No judgments or proof of anything, just a sense  of foreboding for years.

One of the free daily performances that is livestreamed.

Honors Tribute: Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet

11/29/2017 at 6:00 PM

Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet is a celebrated leader in the world of dance education, honors past Kennedy Center honoreeGeorge Balanchine with a performance from some of his most famous ballets. Excerpts include Who Cares?, Western Symphony, and dances from George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®.

Featured Artist(s)
Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet

http://www.kennedy-center.org/video/performance/64245

I just came across this review of Gregory Maguire's new novel, Hiddensee, a backstory for Drosselmeyer.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/if-you-liked-wicked-youll-be-enchanted-by-hiddensee/2017/10/30/cfad3890-bd6d-11e7-97d9-bdab5a0ab381_story.html?utm_term=.3b516d0927d6

18 hours ago, Fleurfairy said:

So no Swan Lake for Lane. I'm even sadder now that I missed her one performance this past spring. 

I would rather see one Minkus ballet (Don Q or Bayadere or Corsair) per Met season and have them fill the opened dates with more Swan Lakes or Giselles so that each cast can have more than one performance.  The audience could have a better chance of seeing the casts they want and the dancers would have a chance to grow in their roles.

I would  love to see a book.

19 hours ago, Kathleen O'Connell said:

Mime isn't strictly necessary, but when it's done well (and when you've learned even a little bit of the language) it can be absolutely beautiful. A few years ago, The Dutch National Ballet produced a lovely mime "explainer" to accompany its new production of Sleeping Beauty and it was a real eye opener for me, at least. Alas, it doesn't appear to be available online (it's on the DVD).  PNB has a nice subtitled excerpt from Giselle. And this is just plain fun.

 

What I've finally wrapped my head around is the fact that an evening-length story ballet needs the changes in texture that mime, divertissements, and pageantry all offer. 

I've sometimes wondered why we haven't seen a production of one of the classics with supertitles that could explain the mime sequences in detail.  Hardcore balletomanes would object of course, but I think novice audiences would find the addition an ehancement.  You wouldn't have to explain to your friends ever again that Odette told Sigfried the story of the curse that she's under. 

Carmen de Lavallade has announced that she will skip the White House reception.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/17/arts/kennedy-center-honors-trump.html

If he's accepted the award he'll be at the theater.  The White House portion of the event is a small reception with the honorees and their personal guests, mainly a photo-op.  The big social event of the weekend is a banquet at the State Department.

They haven't gotten around to Mark Morris, Bernadette Peters, Emmanuel Ax, Frank Langella, Cynthia Gregory . . . I could go on ad nauseum.  

Here's the link to past Honors web site

https://www.kennedy-center.org/pages/specialevents/honors/

You can find the list of honorees by selecting "History" from the drop down menu in the upper right-hand corner.  I'm looking at this on my phone and it may display differently on other devices.

Throwback to last year.

http://courtney-lavine-avons-new-fragrance-2412905089.amp.html

There might be potential for a thread on ballet and perfume/cosmetics/fashion.  

11 hours ago, Jayne said:

For her own future employment (in or out of ballet) I think she needs to take down the vlog.  And maybe take a year off dance.  

Ditto.  One  trait of hers that has bothered me since her student days, is a lack of gratitude or even recognition of the role others had in nurturing her talent. According to Joy, her teachers all recognized a remarkable talent and loved her, but were in no way responsible for her achievements.  But I don't recall seeing any quotes from professionals in the field, including her teachers, that confirmed these claims. This is the impression I formed from the coverage of her time at the Bolshoi Academy.  She projected a sense of entitlement beyond reason.  As the years have gone by and prima ballerina status has eluded her it actually seems she was delusional.  As a professional dancer it's obvious that she hasn't learned how to play well with others. 

I witnessed one case of good natured booing recently; it was a tribute to the effectiveness of the characterization rather than a comment on the quality of the performance.  It was at a Washington National Opera showing of Madame Butterfly and Pinkerton was such a cad that at the curtain call booing was very clearly heard mixed in with the applause.   Luckily the tenor got it and played along with the crowd and it felt very appropriate for the old fashioned melodrama.