California

Just to voice my agreement. Some of our most respected critics/historians/writers on dance were never dancers -- Robert Gottlieb, Arlene Croce, Selma Jeanne Cohen, many more. Writing is an art form in itself and draws on different skills of observation and articulateness. While some professional dancers do go on to be excellent writers (Deborah Jowitt and Nancy Reynolds come to mind), they seem to be the exception more than the rule.

This just appeared on Facebook: copyright issues over the score. When I looked yesterday, it was still a truncated tape. Let's hope they can repost the entire thing soon. On Sunday August 2nd Ballet Arizona and The Phoenix Symphony showcased the beloved performance of La Sylphide. The music from this ballet was created in 1832, and although The Phoenix Symphony has obtained all the necessary copyright approvals, this performance has been flagged by YouTube. TPS has disputed the licensing concerns and are awaiting a decision from YouTube. We anticipate to have a full video for public viewing in the coming weeks. Our apologies for any inconvenience this has caused.

I have been hoping that companies would try this. I'll be curious to see how much they charge to watch these. From their web site, these are the three programs: PURITY IN MOTION (Program 1) 23 – 25 October 2020 FSU Center for the Performing Arts George Balanchine's Donizetti Variations Ricardo Graziano's Amorosa Paul Taylor's Company B BEYOND EXPRESSION (Program 2) 20 – 21 November 2020 Sarasota Opera House Sir Frederick Ashton's Birthday Offering Sir Frederick Ashton's Dante Sonata Sir David Bintley's The Spider's Feast ROMEO & JULIET (Program 3) 18 – 19 December 2020 Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Sir Frederick Ashton's Romeo & Juliet Composed by Sergei Prokofiev

The NYCB winter schedule opens January 19. An 8-week season would run through March 21. I don't find anything on their web page that it might be longer. What am I overlooking? https://www.nycballet.com/season-and-tickets/

Washington Ballet cancels their Nutcracker and plans "by virtual performances, such as a “create in place” project that will stream online in October. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/washington-ballet-loses-top-executive-cancels-the-nutcracker-and-rest-of-2020-season/2020/07/30/f5b4fbaa-d28b-11ea-8d32-1ebf4e9d8e0d_story.html I'm not aware of any US companies going ahead with Nutcracker. But I'm intrigued with the emergence of digital pursuits this fall from several companies, such as Ballet Arizona and Washington Ballet.

Briefly, for now. I'm a serious Manon fan, having seen all 8 performances by ABT a year ago plus three by Royal Ballet in London, plus several DVDs (Royal, Australia) and the recent ENB stream with Alina Cojocaro. But I didn't see the 2007 performances at the Met. This seems to be the NY Times review of this performance. It notes that this was Bolle's debut with ABT: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/arts/dance/13mano.html The camera work was surprisingly good. I was afraid that an archival tape would be a static shot of the stage, but it is much more sophisticated, focusing on groups, individuals, etc. as appropriate. The credits recognize the Jerome Robbins Video Archive at NYPL and I wonder if they commissioned this recording. The sound was weak. I had trouble getting a decent volume and am not sure why. It appears that Ferri thought this was her last performance of this ballet with ABT, although it was not her official retirement performance. (I believe that was R&J later in the season?) The curtain calls went on forever and she looked almost grief-stricken. She seemed to take many liberties with the choreography, especially in the PdD -- it seemed she was so comfortable, both with the ballet and with Bolle, that she could take some chances. Gillian Murphy as the mistress and Hermann Cornejo as Lescaut were spectacular. His elegant form and gorgeous technique 13 years ago were very nice to see. It was interesting to watch the credits for the corps and see many familiar names -- Copeland, Messmer, Hamrick

Tyler Rhodes, formerly of the Colorado Ballet Corps, announced today that he's going to Cornell Law School.

Ballet Arizona will stream La Sylphide on Sunday, August 2 for 24 hours, starting at 9 am PDT Ballet Arizona | 2835 E. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85034

Ballet Arizona is cancelling its fall season schedule and promising digital offerings: Director’s Choice, Giselle and the beloved annual production of The Nutcracker have been removed from the performance calendar and a more digitally focused fall season is planned. https://balletaz.org/fall-2020-season-announcement/ It's not clear, but I wonder if they are planning new work that is digital, perhaps streamed or taped, and whether they will somehow charge for it. Their press release suggests that they haven't made any decisions about spring 2021 performances at Symphony Hall and the Desert Botanical Garden. https://balletaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Ballet-Arizona-2020-2021-Season-Announcement.pdf

The Colorado Ballet just announced that their 2020 Nutcracker is cancelled. Giselle, originally scheduled for 8 performances in October will replace Ballet Masterworks, scheduled for April. Instead of the five productions originally planned, the season will now consist of three: The Great Gatsby (February 5 –7, 2021), The Wizard of Oz (March 5 –14, 2021) and Giselle (April 9 –18, 2021). https://www.coloradoballet.org/covid19?

I would suggest that people forward their email receipt for the donation to specialevents@abt.org It's supposed to be on-line for a week.

NEH just announced regular grants. Of special interest: Asian Art Museum Foundation Outright: $250,000 [Exhibitions: Implementation] Project Director: Forrest McGill Project Title: Asian Art Museum’s “Dance in the Arts of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayan Region” Exhibition Project Description: Implementation of a traveling exhibition about dance in the arts, culture, and religion of the Indian cultural sphere. Chicago Film Archives, NFP Outright: $10,000 [Preservation Assistance Grants] Project Director: Yasmin Desouki Project Title: Refrigeration for At-Risk Films Project Description: The purchase of a storage freezer for nitrate films and a refrigerator for films suffering from vinegar syndrome. The Chicago Film Archives holds over 160 collections and more than 30,000 film items documenting the Midwest, including documentaries; avant-garde and experimental films; industrial, corporate and advertising films; educational films; and home movies. This project would support some of the most fragile audiovisual assets, including rare nitrate prints of 1929 news films from the Chicago Daily News Television Service, Mayor Edward J. Kelly, the 1933 World’s Fair, dancer Ruth Page, the original Hiawatha pageant performed by an Ojibwa community in Ontario, Canada, and a 1921 film about damage to a cathedral in Rheims, France, sustained during World War I. The complete list by state: https://www.neh.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/NEH July 2020 grants state by state.pdf

She has a web site and seems to do a lot of writing on dance and related topics: https://chloesangyal.com/ Her credentials include: I have a PhD in Arts and Media from the University of New South Wales and a BA in Sociology from Princeton University. My academic work focused on Hollywood romantic comedies; my doctoral thesis was about how the genre depicts gender, sex, and power.

Royal New Zealand Ballet has announced performances starting next month on August 20: http://www.danceaustralia.com.au/news/the-royal-new-zealand-ballet-back-on-stage-with-four-works

La Scala has announced a fall 2020 season: concerts, opera, ballet: https://wcti12.com/news/coronavirus/famed-la-scala-opera-house-announces-fall-season-as-cultural-life-resumes