California

The story I have heard repeated and I wonder if it can be sourced: Cranko went to see the MacMillan with a friend, who said afterward: gee, I would love to see yours, too, some day. Cranko: you just did. Urban legend? Any basis for this report? Here's some documentation: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/mar/30/dance To see Romeo and Juliet, in particular, is to be reminded of the scale of Kenneth MacMillan's debt to Cranko, who was his mentor. MacMillan's 1965 version for the Royal Ballet, the piece that, more than any other, saw his ascent to the choreographic top table, borrows so liberally and unambiguously from Cranko's version that at times the eyes widen in disbelief. At the moment in Act 1 when Juliet discovers she's got breasts, a whisper of recognition ran through the audience on Wednesday's opening night. Gesture for gesture, note for note, the scene is almost identical in both versions. Everybody steals - Cranko's version owes much to Leonid Lavrovsky's 1940 production for the Kirov - but this is more fervent homage than most choreographers permit themselves.

For the truly obsessed (like most of us on this site?) you'll already know a lot of what she talks about. But I did enjoy a lot of tidbits and anecdotes I hadn't heard before.

I just did a quick check of several companies. "Artistic Director" now seems to be preferred, at least at SFB, PNB, ABT, Pennsylvania, Washington, Colorado. As a culture, we go through regular evolution in language. In the 70s and 80s, we were told that "he" referred implicitly to both genders. Then we got people into the habit of using "he" and "she." Now the move seems to be to allow "they" as a singular to avoid even that. There's backlash against it, not unexpectedly, and I don't use it personally. In the mid-70s, I worked at an organization that refused to allow female employees to use Ms. "It's Miss or Mrs. They'll just have to choose!" A few years later, a new director started allowing Ms. The transition can be bumpy, but the intentions of clearing out old biases are good.

I've also noticed a gradual shift away from "master" because of the implications of master-slave/servant! E.g., people who used to be called "web masters" are now more frequently called "web editors."

And my personal favorite: if they do Manon in June, bring in Aaron Robison from SFB! Bolle and Hallberg also do that one.

In the wrap-up email just sent on the 2018 festival, they included the dates for 2019: Join us next year from Friday, July 26 - Saturday, August 10, 2019 for the Vail Dance Festival. I haven't seen any announcement that Woetzel is stepping down, now that he's dean at Julliard, so perhaps he plans to continue?

I don't want to take this off on a tangent, but I'm in the camp that thinks these things should be taught in the way Drew describes. I'd add that teaching about Leni Reifenstahls' films, confederate monuments, death campus, Stalin monuments, etc. are all important. At Auschwitz they prominently display a famous quote from Santayana: Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.

I was hoping to see this in October. The Tony excerpt was fabulous -- and quintessential Justin Peck. Guess that won't happen! Too bad.

I just wanted to acknowledge the late Michael Smuin, who was co-director of the San Francisco Ballet until 1985 and later formed his own company. He died in 2007 and it's good to see that the company is still performing. His departure from SFB was not exactly cordial, as I remember. http://www.smuinballet.org/

Boston Ballet will perform the Ashton Cinderella next year, May 10-June 8, 2019. https://www.bostonballet.org/Home/Tickets-Performances/Performances/Cinderella.aspx This company is nice to out-of-towners by including two programs on the same weekends. Cinderella will be shown with 3 pieces by Yakobson and the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 May 16-June 9, 2019. https://www.bostonballet.org/Home/Tickets-Performances/Performances/Rhapsody.aspx I'm waiting to see what ABT does at the Met next spring, but it might be worth a train ride up to Boston to see these.

I'm wondering who else she is dancing with. She's much too young to phase down toward retirement. Please post if you see something about this.

I don't see this posted anywhere else... The Fall 2018 programs for Guggenheim Works and Process have been posted: https://www.guggenheim.org/event/event_series/works-process Single tickets go on sale August 7.

I'm thinking Bright Stream!

Yes! Partnering Sarah Lane? Boylston?

Very pleased to see that she agreed with the "intentional fallacy." https://www.britannica.com/art/intentional-fallacy