Jayne

opera divas are not necessarily the people on the stage.

I think this is the same ankle he injured playing Caribosse in an ABT Sleeping Beauty about 6 months ago. Then he injured it in his second go at Prince Desire in the Bolshoi SB, and now a 3rd time in DC. I am not a medical professional, but I sincerely hope he's treating this aggressively and takes as much time as he needs to fully heal.

I would qualify a Ratmansky dancer (male or female) as someone who can make the dance look completely organic, spontaneous, and loose. Acting ability, specifically comedy, is also required (not everyone has the chops for comedy, witness all the film actors with awards for drama who fail at comedy).

I liked her, and felt her interpretation was to make the fairy more flighty, rather like tinkerbell's quick movements.

I concede your point, the long skirts, made of tulle and chiffon (apparently), are constructed to swing with the choreography, and they look light and fluffy and a pleasure to wear. And they make the dancers' waists look tiny. I think it's the Alexander McQueen effect.

Act 3 - there are 3 fairies in addition to Lilac (instead of 11,000 in Bolshoi), and Mikh has some very good dancers, because they make the choreo look as easy as walking in the park. Then we have a man in brown, I couldn't figure out who he was supposed to be, sometimes he partnered the fairies. Puss N Boots came out in very modern looking costumes, no tails, but caps with ears, and choreo that emphasized sensual cat movements. But it wasn't comical or hyper cute, as in other versions. Bluebird ppd was very traditional steps, and the costumes were conservative, a saturated blue, perhaps a darker blue than usual. Little Red Riding hood came out with a small red riding cap, white skirt, brown dirndl, and white bicycle shorts to her knees, bare legs below, and a grey basket. The wolf followed, with a very animalistic costume. They mostly chased each other around the stage, lots of traveling, with minimal dancing. Wedding ppd is very traditional, the steps all looked old school to me, everyone in the court including bride and groom is wearing white with gold trim. but it works. Sveta doesn't relate to this Prince Desire much either. BTW, Sarafanov looks much younger than Zhakarova. No one wears wigs in this production (hardly any feathers for that matter), but Sarafanov's baby face really contrasts with Z. I kept thinking Ashton Kutcher / Demi Moore, but it makes sense since Aurora has been sleeping for 100 years, so she's about 116 years old. Sarafanov's solo again is traditional, he gets lovely ballon and has good lines, although a final spin is a little off center. Sveta's solo gets big applause, traditional steps, sky high extensions (no surprise there), and technically she's brilliant. The scene ends with a long wedding veil brought out by the court, arms raised so it skims over Aurora's head, and finally Lilac and the King afix the narrow part of the veil to her crown. She takes Desire's hand and walks up the steps (veil trailing), they stop at the top, framed by the gigantic oval picture frame set, and kiss. Curtain lowers. The End. Crowd hoots and hollers its approval, and Duato steps out at last for a bow. Flowers all around. IMHO, this is a charming production, the producers tried to chip off all the ossification to Sleeping Beauty, but keep the basics intact. In the process, I think they chipped away too much on realistic set design. But the costumes were lovely, the choreo was interesting, and the dancers were beautiful. I think the direction is away from Bolshoi's "ta-da" moments and milking applause, instead the path goes towards more organic choreo. My one big complaint is that they should have cast a Mikh prima for the broadcast.

Act 2 - hunting scene - all in jewel tones except the prince - who wears light blue (v. traditional). But the women's dresses are really silk breeches, with skirt overlays. Hard to describe this costume. I don't see a major style change that indicates 100 years have passed. The scenery is very clearly a forest, with a backdrop of a painted lake on a cloudy day (an improvement over Act 1). Peasant ppt looks very Russian, rather than French. Sarafanov has lovely arms, and jumps with natural spring as Desire. Vision scene is similar to Rose Adagio - the steps are still there, but much has been altered too. The corps lacks the unity of Bolshoi, etc, but again this is brand new choreo - when they come to London, they may look better. Sveta is very effective in the Vision scene, more so than the first act. And the Lilac Fairy's boat looks far more effective gliding along with the lake behind her! Trees cross the stage in front of the boat, making it look as if it is progressing down a river, with trees on either side. Carabosse appears, sorry didn't mention him in the 1st act (yes, a "him"), his costume looks like "Black Swan" with longer skirts. Ekatarina Borchenko is a very authoritative Lilac, with long sweeping arms. Bravo! Aurora is revealed on a bed surrounded by giant hanging tendrils of roses framing her bed - enormously effective. You can see the set in the first photo at this webpage, which also shows the cast list. She is alone in this scene, no sleeping family nearby. She looks away in fright at first, but then turns to Desire and realizes that he is not a danger but her savior. But the audience reaction when she is kissed and wakes up is tepid at best. now to the second shorter intermission, with scenes of the theater itself, which is very pretty. A word about the orchestrations - the dancers do not always end "on the beat", and I cannot decide if this is Duato's choreo, the fact that it's new choreo, dancers not being "on the time", or the conductor not tailoring the band to match the dancer. But it's a little "off".

watching online now, and posting after each act. I can do this because I'm on PST and don't have to be at work until later in the afternoon. The costumes are beautiful, very light in movement, and sets are restrained, rather like reliefs on a Wedgwood vase, and the dancers are lovely. The backdrop scenery is blue sky and some bushes, rather bland. But the sets (lining the stage, etc) are nice, very Georgian (not the nation-state, but the 18th century style). The various fairies have fun choreo, it's charming and different than you'd expect, more natural to the social scene of a royal court, if that makes sense. Just finished the Rose Adagio, it's the same - but different. More intricate in some ways, many same steps but with some twists (and short lifts), but the final balance is the same. Still it comes across as lovely, but not the powerhouse fireworks display of technical brilliance that the original steps provided. Audience reaction was not as passionate when she was done, because she didn't do as many (obvious) firework balances. Overall, I would describe the choreo (which is really charming) as traditional, with some surprising off balance steps. It's not Nacho Duato doing "modern" at all, but rather a thoughtful revision of SB. I am surprised they chose Svetlana Zhakarova for the broadcast, since she just did this a month ago at the Bolshoi. I thought we'd get a Mikhailovsky prima, such as Perrin. More later...

In Seattle they showed "Jackie Evancho in concert" (sp?) for the umpteen millionth time. BUT I re-checked my TV listings for KCTS9 and it will show Tuesday 20.December at 8:00pm, and repeats later at 2:00am (technically Wednesday morning of the 21st)

I watched it last night, a tour de force for Yuan Yuan Tan, and the Sea Witch, and not much dance content for anyone else.

The Kelly Ripa backstage bits are now on youtube. An example is here:

yes, but if you review the schedule - it comes on 4 more times this December!

I only caught the final 40 minutes tonight, the program was Berlin State Opera Ballet's version. The hosts announced it beautiful dancing, sets and choreo, but the storyline was too difficult to understand. My mom saw the entire thing and agreed. The Nut will show nightly (various versions) from now until Dec.24 (viewers can vote to choose their favorite to show on Christmas Eve night). Also a Nut marathon all day Saturday 17.Dec. http://ovationtv.com/schedules?date=2011-12-12&genre=genres Maryiinsky Theatre (Mikhail Chemiakinâs version) Saturday 17.Dec 5:45pm Thursday 22.Dec 11:00am, 1:15pm, 3:30pm, 5:45pm Royal Ballet (2009 version, Miyako Yoshida as Sugar Plum) Saturday 17.Dec 3:00pm Wednesday 21.Dec 9:00am, 11:45am, 2:30pm, 5:15pm Berlin State Ballet (Patrice Bart version, here is the the official synopsis for a strange take on the ballet: young Marie is abducted by Russian Revolutionaries and forced to live with the cruel Drosselmeyer. Once her beloved Nutcracker comes to life, the hope that she may be reunited with her mother is rekindled.) Sunday 18.Dec. 12:30pm Monday 19.Dec. 9:00am, 11:45am, 2:30pm, 5:15pm Sunday 25.Dec 12:30pm Bolshoi Theatre (Starring Natalya Arkhipova and Irek Mukhamedov. Choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich, of course!) Thursday 15.Dec. 8:00pm & 10:30pm Friday 16.Dec. 1:00am Saturday 17.Dec. 12:30pm Sunday 18.Dec. 5:30pm Friday 23.Dec. 10:00am, 12:30pm, 3:00pm, 5:30pm Sunday 25 Dec. 3:15pm Monday 26 Dec. 1:00am Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker! (From a hilariously bleak Christmas Eve at Dr. Drossâ Orphanage, to the spectacular candy folk of Sweetieland, Claraâs journey passes through Oliver Twist, the Icecapades and the kaleidoscopic fantasy of Busby Berkeley musicals.) Friday 16.Dec. 8:00pm, 10:15pm Sunday 18.Dec. 3:15pm Tuesday 20.Dec. 11:00am, 1:15pm, 3:30pm, 5:45pm

FYI, it did not play at all in Seattle on KCTS9 or the alternate KBTC12 in Tacoma. Fortunately for my mom (who searched in vain), The Ovation Cable Channel is showing their Nutcracker / night, and you can vote for the final one for Christmas Eve. I will post more in the appropriate section. If anyone can find out when Seattle will show this performance, please post!

My review: I saw the show at an excellent theater with surround sound, there were perhaps 30 people in the audience, the majority had grey hair, there were perhaps 5 tween age children, no young ones. Everyone was well behaved (no talkers during the performance!) Kelly Ripa came on backstage with a clear appeal to children in her tone and presentation. It was a complete change from the sophistication of the MC of the Bolshoi broadcasts (can't recall her name at this hour). Claude Otranto led an able orchestra, though I quibbled with the woodwinds section, which seemed weak. Onto the show: first impression was that the stage seemed claustrophobic, really small. Second impression was that the kids seemed really young, a lot of baby faces, but they certainly could dance. I admire Karinska for all of her work on this production. The costumes are a feast for the eyes, and a few show their 1950's influence (cotton balls dangling from skirts, the dew drop's straight-out-of-disney-tinkerbell-dress). The party itself was clearly aimed at the smaller children in the audience. This was something I had to reconcile - other versions of Nut try to entertain both adults and children, but Balanchine went purely for the kids in 1954, and the first act party is all about them. The tree's growth, battle scene, and mice (rats?) were a lot of fun to watch. I really enjoyed the chaos of it all and everyone around me was also fully paying attention. I enjoyed the soldier's dance, and the columbine duo (both women, which surprised me), but the snow scene was the one pure technical ballet moment and it was pure Balanchine. During snow, the neo-classical style really showed through - the port de bras, the lightning speed, and consequent lack of unison. In addition to (an already mentioned) dropped snowball branch, there was a slight bump in the 3rd row (stage back) between two dancers, but they quickly recovered. I enjoyed the scenery of the snow scene, and unlike other productions, it never dragged. But the Marie & Nephew characterizations began to get on my nerves, for the cloying cuteness. This too is clearly a 1950's leftover. Kelly Ripa had more fun during the intermission, both in live interviews with Megan Fairchild (Sugar Plum), Daniel Ulbricht (Candy Cane), and the young Maria & Newphew (who were real sports). The best part, however, was Kelly's pre-taped session of ballet, going under the Mother Ginger skirt, and crowded by the young dancers, piping up with information. Then we were on to Act II. And I nearly went into diabetic shock. I saw this production about 20 years ago, and have seen many others since, both in Seattle, San Francisco and other places. I forgot how super sweet and child oriented the 2nd Act really is. The scenery is a 1950's doily candy wrapper, literally. First of all, the two protagonists sit at a table weighed down by sweet treats. Many of the dancers are sweets related. All are sweet in their dancing. There is no shading, no story line, no danger, no interaction in the 2nd Act. It's just a divertissement festival. But only a few of the dancers get to show their chops. Before I forget, I worried about Marie's crown falling off in hte 1st Act, and didn't understand why she wore a 1st communion veil in the 2nd Act? Can someone enlighten me? Megan Fairchild was crystalline as Sugar Plum and it was a pleasure to watch her solo. During her ppd with Joachim, I noticed that her smile was through pursed lips - was she in pain? Joachim de Luz looked smiley and relaxed, he had a beautiful spin series that was well centered and controlled, but while Ms. Fairchild's dancing was technically excellent, her facial expression seemed wan. Ashley Bouder was everything everyone says she is, and more as Dewdrop. A winning smile was icing on the cake. I could watch her solos over and over and never get bored. She made that role the principal for Nut rather than Sugar Plum - in other words, I thought she stole the whole show. Granted - Mr B gives this role the most technically to work with, but Ashley made it look 2nd nature. The Flowers just faded around her bright star. Theresa Reichlen was bendy and sultry as Coffee, but I felt the bells and hair piece distracted from her performance. Tyler Peck & Corps made Marzipan fun, and Karinska's tutus are a technical feat. But I didn't think the steps really showed Ms. Peck to her greatest advantage. Daniel Ulbricht seemed to have fun with Candy Cane, it doesn't seem to be the hardest of roles, and the crowd loved his back up dancers. I'm missing a few other performances, but by the end, I felt like I was craving something savory instead of sweet - more adult fare, or at least a storyline to follow. After all these years, what entertained me as a child, sends me into diabetic shock as an adult. I may need listen to a good honkey tonk show to bring my sugar levels down. Unfortunately I agree with NYT's Alastair Macauley's comment a year ago - Mr. B's Nutcracker is not one of his best works, or the best Nut out there. I'd like more dance content for the adult roles and more light and shade for the story line. But for that, I may have to one day venture out on my own Nutcracker marathon.

the man has divorce lawyers to pay!

Christian, you should write a novel (or at least a book) about your experience of art in Cuba, and your journey to Florida.

Here she is; http://twitter.com/#!/KMorganNYCB

Wow, board supervision of artistic matters is a recipe for failure. The founder of Fry's Electronics may be a gifted business owner, but I do not think he should supervise casting decisions, or has the ability to judge taste in the types of ballets to acquire for the company, or judge which dancers deserve promotions.

Oh to be a fly on the wall for union contract negotiations. Look at how little the Players Association got out of the NBA negotiations, the players now have a curtailed season, with less pay, revenue sharing dropped from 57% to 50%, among other things. I wonder if the "higher ups" in the stageworker unions have outsized ideas of how much money they should make from broadcasts? NYCB has a big deficit to pay off, despite the extra money reaped from the McCartney ballet. I doubt they are willing to give up much $$$ to stage workers. I wonder who handles the union negotiations, if they hire an outside professional negotiator(s)?

And JR wins - good to see Karina so excited!

I went a second time this evening, a few follow up comments: First, this was a different cinema, we didn't have surround sound, and I arrived 10 minutes early to be *sure* I got to see the pre-show interviews and tour of the theater. But the projector operator cued up DirecTV and fast forwarded up to the start of the ballet - despite my loud protests! I will pick the first theater for the next trip, with surround sound and the full show. We really ought to organize ourselves into a guerilla campaign for these events. I signed up for a site called MeetUp online in their Cultural Arts section, but it's really for people who are already aware of these events. Facebook, and other social networking sites are going to be the best strategy, along with old fashioned personal networking. Tonight I got my mom and sister to come with me. So that's 2 more people, and both are interested in going again! I used to do some networking at work, so let me think about which strategies could work for Ballet in Cinema. My mom and sister both agreed that the production lacked the Lilac and her sisters putting everyone to sleep, and later waking everyone up (covered in vines). In some productions, a net of vines rises into the rafters, signifying the awakening. I didn't have problems with her performance, but I had problems with her character, which I think is Grigorovich's choice. Then again, in other SB's I never thought the Lilac was the strongest character in the story. It's hard to be dreamy and authoritative at the same time. Plus in this version, there are soooooo many fairies that Lilac doesn't really stand out. Haha! Every Russian or Ukranian I've ever met dressed up to take the garbage out the house. A trip to the ballet means putting on your best jewels, furs, and sequins. Yes, after 2 viewings, I think I have a dancecrush on him. His lines are just so gorgeous. Yes, I am thinking of writing a formal thank you letter to the manager of the theaters that showed the production (despite the projector operator). If many people send / drop off thank you cards, I think they will continue to show quality productions.

Having Kelly Ripa host is an excellent idea. She can promote the broadcast on her daily show, and hopefully will have a few of the dancers on in advance of the broadcast to inspire people to come to the cinema.

Lady Gaga's design "elves" created this year's Barney's showcases. They're pretty spectacular. Someday I think her costumes are going to end up in the Smithsonian. http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/11/22/lady-gagas-workshop-barneys/

I didn't post last week, but I watched last night.... Rob Kardashian / Cheryl Burke turned in two strong performances with a lot of technique. I am most impressed by the improvement of Rob's arms. However, most improved doesn't not necessarily mean the best. Despite his sisters' networking, not sure he can win it. But I liked his free dance the most. Cheryl was correct that Rob excels in the slow dances, and going retro looked very good for him, especially the zoot suit! Riki Lake / Derek Hough had the most underwhelming performances, she looked tight (not in a good way) while Derek was selling the choreo hard. They relaxed a bit for the free dance, but I felt the free tried to do too many things: multiple styles of dance, multiple complicated lifts, and flash. Bad song choices for both numbers. JR Martinez / Karina Smirnoff had a nice cha-cha that didn't deserve 7's, but still got them. He also seemed a little nervous. But they picked an excellent free dance song to do some interesting lifts (I didn't like the danger factor, he could have done safer lifts and I would have liked them if they were smooth). He really is the best dancer on the floor of the contestants, and is at a higher level of dancing in the finals than Riki. I felt like Riki peaked a couple of weeks ago, JR peaked last week, and Rob peaked this week. JR for the win, for sentimental war hero status combined with strong season-long dancing skills, and sentimental desire for Karina to finally win (she's come soooooo close!)