Jayne

Oops my bad, I ran a search on “ABT” and “Promotions” and that popped up. I should have looked at the dates!

Three female corps members promoted to soloist: Fang, Hurlin and Williams. https://www.abt.org/2018-promotions-announced-at-abt/

Thanks! Just bought tix on Goldstar, looking forward to seeing Tiler Peck, if nothing else.

They should recruit some of the POB male dancers for 2 year sabbaticals to dance at ABT, who are languishing due to the politics of the Concours interne de Promotion.

Fascinating way they are dealing with the Chinese Tea choreography. I've always felt that they would do better to switch to Chinese animal costumes, and keep the original choreography (red pandas, as an example). We are much more comfortable with anthropormorphism in dances that we would otherwise cringe at.

He lacks the diplomacy filter that most of us have (or learn to have with more time). Sometimes that filter fades as people age. Still no announcement from NYCB for the new AD? Maybe in the new year.

PNB used to perform this version before Kent Stowell created the version with Maurice Sendak's sets and costumes. I do recall it from my childhood, specifically the sleigh, and the multi-hued waltz of flowers. But I was very young, so the memory has a lot of mists of time to occlude the specifics. Not everyone likes the replacement at SFB, the Williamsen version was very close to many hearts, but San Francisco has changed so much, that many of those people have moved away for jobs, affordable housing, etc. Other than 'Filling Station' I wonder what other Christensen gems are out there, in need of revival?

Ballet West also has an orchestra, they are probably the closest in proximity to Ballet Arizona. Perhaps the ED could have phrased her blogpost more precisely and still made the same point - that Arizona is lucky to have an orchestra for it's premier company, and should donate to support it!

Oh Birdsall, I hope you're feeling better today! Were you the BAer who was mugged a few years ago in Saint Petersburg too???

Gaynor Minden started doing this a few years ago, but suddenly Freed does it, and the media goes viral with their "wokeness".

I feel like a dinosaur too! And I'm a GenXer! I wandered into the electronics section of our local emporium to find a new CD player for my mother. Trying to find one amongst all of the "Smart Home" technology, I thought "I don't want a smart home". I am fine with turning on and off my stereo, unwinding the blinds, and flicking off the lights,. Nor do I want to be cut off from the ability to operate them if my wifi fails (which it is prone to do at the occasional inopportune times). And I don't like that the Russian hackers have been happily hacking into smart phones, smart homes, smart security cameras, and various electrical control systems like crazy. When the apocalypse comes, I don't want it to record my house, thank you very much. I like my CD collection (though I might ditch my CD cases for a portfolio finally). I have a smart phone, but I mainly use it for the phone function, texting, facebook, and googling. Outside of the apps that arrived with my phone, I think I downloaded about 5 free ones at the phone store when I first got the phone, none since. I've never purchased an app, or bought music from Apple, I'm weirded out that Siri is listening for me to call upon her at all times. I'm not sure what my password is anymore to do that. I like buying things in person. Will I be able to function in the world in ten more years? Or will there be a turning away from all the "apps" as we try to reconnect as humans? I don't know. But I have hit my limit on technology. I resent that I have to give companies my email, set up a password, and be forced on a list, just to pay a compliment for good service. I've had store managers tell me they are judged on matrix by how many people are willing to give feed back to the website on the receipt, rather than a written thank you card. They have pleaded with me to do it online, so it "counts". Sorry for the rant, one thing I do know: that I'd rather spend my money on extra tickets to see ballets, and other forms of human-made art.

As an American of WASPy heritage, I wonder how it would feel to have another culture create a dance that was supposed to express my own, without much to root it in authentic Americana. Maybe it would be a stereotype of hotdogs and baseball players? Who knows. I feel for Chinese-Americans. I kind of wish PNB would change their Mandarin dance to show Chinese traditional animals instead. Keep Balanchine's steps, but create Panda costumes. Animals seem to get away with silly steps. I have a feeling the Spanish dance isn't terribly Spanish (especially if you're not from one of the southern Spanish provinces). If you think about it, DQ as a ballet is offensive to Catalans and Barcelona, where the Sardana is the local dance. Flamenco and Caracoles are native to Seville and Andalusia. Imagine if the Shanghai Ballet made a production of Western Symphony, and dressed them all as New England clamdiggers.

Fascinating to watch that documentary, despite the sound issues, it is wonderful to see the dancers in roles they created, or soon after creation.

that might win the award for BT "most detailed" review of the year.

Is past prologue? The NYCB Artistic Director will wear many, many hats, and selecting choreographers will be different, just because it's NYCB. Some choreographers will really want to work with them, others won't. But it is a brand name. Based on what I saw of Whelan's staging of Ratmansky's Pictures at an Exhibition in Seattle, I think there was a lot of care and thought put into that assignment. and I think she would put the same qualities into any potential management of NYCB. If, in fact, she is the final choice.