Jayne

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??? 

On ‎11‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 7:54 AM, Tapfan said:

You know ballet is stuck in a self-reverential time warp when the big news is that Freed of London is  now making brown and bronze-colored pointe shoes. 

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.   

2 hours ago, canbelto said:

I attended the first three performances. Here's what I thought. I disagree by the way about Scotch Symphony. I thought it was wonderfully charming and can't fathom why this is considered "minor Balanchine":

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2018/11/international-festival-of-balanchine.html

Sometimes I find my own mood going into the night very much affects how I see and hear the performance.  Also where I am sitting.  But that Sanguinic review, goodness!  A smiling Sanguinic???   The best version I saw was Ariana Lallone,  no smile during those performances!  Here is a short clip of her describing the role from 8 years ago:

Let ABT hire Huffalt!  

Wow, four performances each for the first cast!

WB has done Le Corsaire and La Bayadere, so I do think they try to cover the "classics" as well as Webre's "showman" aesthetic.  

Maybe this is an indication of a changing population in the greater DC area?  It has become uber-expensive, and as the Capital City, the population is always moving in and out (political and military types).  The traveling troupes do well because Russians living in the greater DC area come to see Russians perform, New York transplants come to see NYCB, ABT attracts various nationalities to see their "stars" (Argentine, Russian, etc), African Americans are going to turn out to see DTOH and Ailey, etc.  The same population is going to look down its nose at WB, so they cultivated a different audience altogether.  

EDIT  to add:  Maybe Brooklyn Mack should be the new AD? 

I watched the RB Jewels in Cinema and I didn't think their corps or their tall girl danced Rubies to convince me they were at the same level of neo classical finesse as NYCB, PNB, MCB or AZB.   Of all the European companies, I would expect the Brits to be the best at ballets that are close to musical theatre, but it wasn't the case.  I also think their stage is too small for Diamonds.  But I also thought they danced the most evocative Emeralds that I've ever seen.  

That said, I don't think NYCB dancers would pick up Ashton works tomorrow and be adept at the style 10 weeks later.  Viva la difference!

I'm glad to see that she is growing, and with growth comes some emotional turbulence. 

You know, if he had simply stuck to posting videos with the occasional anecdotes, we would all sing his praises for providing this valuable contribution to the public's video library on youtube.  He would continue to book staging contracts, and might even be invited by the current or newly appointed NYCB AD(s) to help stage, or as a featured speaker.  But with these posts, I think he has hung himself by his own petard.  My goodness, social media can really kill careers. 

American politics was already making my heart very heavy this Friday night, this just weighs it down further.  I hope both victims (and any others out there) find solace in the growing support of the #metoo movement.  

I've always wondered if "Auntie Mame" would work just fine if the Ito character would give his lines in a deadpan serious tone, still with occasional English grammar mistakes, but adjusting the character to be more like the maid in "Boeing Boeing".  

What is missing is an acceptable path towards healing.  The Catholic Church requires confession and penance prior to reconciliation and forgiveness.  I'm not sure they really live that, given the child abuse they are still coming to terms with.  But for a case like Louis CK, where he was awful towards women in his professional life, is there ia path back?  I felt like his initial statement was looking towards that.  But his recent appearances in comedy clubs didn't really show the steps that would lead toward genuine repentance.  Can all three ex-NYCB dancers forge a path towards rehabilitation and reconciliation?  What does that look like?  

I think you have to frame this correctly in your brain.  There is so much on YouTube now that shows Symphony in C and Diamonds danced by different companies.  But non-neo-classical companies often dance both at a turgid pace, to give their dancers the time to line up perfectly.  Balanchine intended his dancers to look like starlings during a murmuring on the stage.  Fleet of foot, fast turners, quick turns, sprightly jumpers - and length, always long and lean,  those are all part of the Balanchine style.