California

I, too, am very grateful that I saw the Ratmansky reconstruction of Swan Lake in Milan several years ago and I'm sorry I couldn't get to Miami to see them restage it. But note that La Scala has now returned to Nureyev's version: https://www.teatroallascala.org/en/season/2022-2023/ballet/swan-lake.html I'm pretty sure that Bolle never performed the Ratmansky reconstruction. And I don't think Zurich (which co-produced with La Scala) has done the Ratmansky again. If theater performances are off the table, I wish Ratmansky would release a stream to Medici or Marquee so others could see it. I'm guessing there might be problems with the unions involved, but I would hate to see it lost forever - again! I sat through Martins' version once right before the COVID lock-down and don't care to see it again. Others here are more familiar with it and perhaps rethinking sets/costumes would help, as some suggest.

An all-Tharp program would be very welcome in 2025: https://www.abt.org/people/twyla-tharp/?type=archive I vote for In the Upper Room and Bach Partita. Deuce Coupe was a great success a few years ago, too. I suppose we are long past the possibility of a revival of Push Comes to Shove, although I long thought Daniil Simkin would have been great. Kimin Kim did it at the Mariinsky some years ago (presumably with Tharp's approval), but I've never seen notice of any other revivals.

Ashley Bouder just posted on Instagram Stories. As those can't be linked and are only available for 24 hours, I'll just post the text of one slide: "Normalize ending friendships with people who still support people who have hurt you." Make of it what you will. I don't have a clue who/what she's talking about and really don't care.

Jared Matthews went to Houston as a principal, then to Estonia as an assistant director. https://our2ndhome.org/episode-17-dancing-curiously-living-generously-with-jared-matthews/ I'm glad that Bell will have one performance as Lensky, with Hurlin as Olga. That will be Misseldine's debut as Tatiana. Too bad they'll only have that one performance, when all the other casts have two.

They have only announced the first two weeks so far. When they send more, I'll post here.

ABT just sent Friends expanded casting for Onegin and Woolf Works

Hard to imagine they'd bring back Lane. I think Misseldine and Brandt would be likely as Nikiya. In 2020, they had planned Hurlin as Gamzatti and Bell as Solor.

Yes - but what an interesting choice of old videos! Was 2018 the last time ABT did Shades? They had been rehearsing it for 2020 but that was cancelled. Forsythe was a corps member then. Perhaps a hint to her new artistic director?? https://www.abt.org/people/scout-forsythe/?type=performer

Zimmi9 just reposted Scout's Story rehearsing Shades! Unfortunately, the stories are only up for 24 hours and links don't work. If Jaffe is planning Kingdom of the Shades for Fall, she will win a lot of friends here!

I remember those Osipova cancellations with ABT. I said then that she wasn't yet in Gelsey territory, but close! So glad I didn't make plans to fly to San Francisco, and I feel badly for those who did. She is so rarely on the west coast.

I'm only in town for a few days but saw the mixed bill Tuesday. I was intrigued that moments in the third movement of Bourree Fantasque reminded me of La Valse, including bits of the music, the sense of celebration before doom, and the large double circle at one point. Curious, I looked up La Valse on the Balanchine Trust and they note some interesting connections: "Emmanuel Chabrier’s Trois Valses Romantiques was another inspiration for Ravel. (In 1932 Balanchine had used Chabrier’s music for Cotillion, a thematic predecessor of La Valse, with its flirtations, underlying hints of doom, and demonic circle of dancers at the end.) " https://www.balanchine.com/Ballet/la-valse Did others notice that occasional feeling of familiarity? (Like others here, I wouldn't go out of my way to see this again, but it's interesting to consider its place in Balanchine history.)

The Royal Ballet just announced their 2024-2025 season. Wondering if Wayne McGregor's new ballet "Maddadam" or Wheeldon's "Ballet to Broadway" will turn up at ABT in a couple of years. https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events?event-type=ballet-and-dance&booking-season=winter-2425,autumn-2425,spring-2425,summer-2425 ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND 28 SEPTEMBER 2024–6 JULY 2025 Tumble down the rabbit hole in this ballet adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s famous family story. ENCOUNTERS: FOUR CONTEMPORARY BALLETS 22 OCTOBER–16 NOVEMBER 2024 Four 21st-century choreographers. Four bold explorations of movement. LEGACY 29–31 OCTOBER 2024 A celebration of Black and Brown excellence in ballet. BALLET BLACK: HEROES 7–10 NOVEMBER 2024 A dynamic mixed programme by a company at the forefront of change. MADDADDAM 14–30 NOVEMBER 2024 Margaret Atwood’s dystopian epic of annihilation and survival is transformed into a visionary new ballet by Wayne McGregor. RUINATION 2 DECEMBER 2024–4 JANUARY 2025 Dance theatre company Lost Dog reimagines the Greek myth of Medea. CINDERELLA 3 DECEMBER 2024–25 JANUARY 2025 This Christmas, be transported into an ethereal world where a sprinkling of fairy dust makes dreams come true. ONEGIN 22 JANUARY–12 JUNE 2025 A bittersweet ballet of first love and regret. THREE SHORT BALLETS 28–31 JANUARY 2025 Dip your toes into three short works by Northern Ballet. PHAEDRA + MINOTAUR 6–11 FEBRUARY 2025 The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet join forces to present two mythic tales. FOLCLOR 15–20 FEBRUARY 2025 Acosta Danza brings the infectious energy of Cuba in their return to the Linbury Theatre. LIGHT OF PASSAGE 20 FEBRUARY–12 MARCH 2025 A ballet that cuts to the heart of the human condition. ROMEO AND JULIET 4 MARCH–26 MAY 2025 The greatest love story ever told – through ballet. BALANCHINE: THREE SIGNATURE WORKS 28 MARCH–8 APRIL 2025 Sensuous and shimmering beauty in three works by the man who defined American ballet. BALLET TO BROADWAY: WHEELDON WORKS 9–27 MAY 2025 Sensuous contemporary ballet meets the energy of musical theatre in four distinctive short works.

I just renewed my Royal Ballet streaming subscription for another year. Many classics and some special treats -- e.g., three performances of Giselle, three of Sleeping Beauty, two of R&J - typically over several years. Fun to see different casts. I don't think they sell a subscription for an entire season digitally, but actually haven't compared theatre and streaming offerings. And I do plan to buy the PNB digital subscription this fall. Disappointed you can't buy individual programs, but I assume the record-keeping for that approach wasn't cost-effective.

Your comment about Ulbricht's limited casting reminded me of the comment by the late David Wall that Mayerling shortened his career by five years: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/arts/dance/david-wall-a-prince-among-dancers-is-dead-at-67.html "No full-length male role had featured so much acrobatic partnering or psychological intensity as this; Mr. Wall, who danced the role on tour in the United States in 1978 and in New York in 1983, once remarked that it had shortened his career by five years."

I'm not seeing PNB on the schedule. Birmingham is June 4-8, 2025. Is PNB part of an unannounced festival? https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/season-announcement/dance/

Is the one Fairchild posted today the exit throw earlier in the ballet? Looks like she'll be doing it again on Wednesday.

Several of you have reported on this "blooper" with Megan Fairchild. Today she posted one of those "throws" on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6Q98tnu78n/

It appears there is inconsistent Act numbering for Bayadere. Boston is calling Kingdom of the Shades Act 3. Makarova calls it Act 2. https://www.abt.org/ballet/la-bayadere/ Makarova's Act III at the Temple is omitted from some versions at other companies. Boston does have some explanation on their web site for why they are only doing that one act: https://www.bostonballet.org/performances/carmen/ I could watch it all day. Some might remember David Gordon's take on Act II. He loved the repetition. He found it fascinating that he loved it and so did classical dance lovers. There was a PBS show about 1980 on Postmoderns that included some of this.

I'd be happy with Kingdom of the Shades. Interestingly, on the ABT site, they list Makarova's full-length Bayadere, which premiered in 1980. No mention of Act II alone. I'm sure I saw that at ABT in the 70s. And note that the opening scene of Turning Point (filmed in fall 1976) is the Shades entrance. https://www.abt.org/ballet/la-bayadere/ According to this Post review, Makarova staged Kingdom of the Shades for ABT in 1974. That explains why they could include it in Turning Point. But I wonder if Makarova would agree to that. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/12/20/spectacular-skimpy-la-bayadere/40f0ca8e-638e-49fa-9854-35645ad963cb/

Very interesting! Their Swan Lake is by Mikko Nissinen, their artistic director. https://www.bostonballet.org/performances/swan-lake/

People might remember that La Bayadere was scheduled for 2020 by ABT, but was a victim of COVID cancellations. So much has changed since then. Olga Smirnova and Kimmin Kim were going to be brought in as guests. I think the cultural objections to the ballet hadn't yet surfaced. I'd be happy to see Kingdom of the Shades as a stand-alone now. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/how-natalia-makarova-changed-the-ballet-world-with-this-landmark-production/2020/05/26/f708f3ba-9a07-11ea-89fd-28fb313d1886_story.html Hurlin and Bell were going to debut in Bayadere. Brief rehearsal clips in "Debut Deferred" on the ABT site: https://www.abt.org/event_dates/debut-deferred-5-20-20/

I've been to Philadelphia and the Academy/Doubletree many times in recent years (conferences and ballets). To your questions: (1) 30th street station: always a long line of taxis waiting. No problem getting one. They all take credit cards. (2) Academy of Music/Doubletree: I don't actually remember seeing taxis after a performance and there's no official queue. But Uber drivers hover all around Center City as there are so many hotels. I'd suggest calling one from inside the Academy/Doubletree after the performance. On a recent trip, I got one at 6 am at the Doubletree for the trip back to the airport and many were in the neighborhood. (3) Suburban station: don't be tempted to continue over to Suburban Station by City Hall if you're coming in by train or plane. I made that mistake once - no cabs stop during the day. I ended up wheeling a suitcase over to Broad Street. Ugh! (4) Ground from the airport: I didn't mention this before, but the city has a great Regional Rail Service from the airport to 30th Street Station. Buy the ticket with a credit card ($6.75) before you board. Clearly marked outside the baggage claim area.

Cab fare from 30th Street station to the Academy of Music is about $10, depending on traffic. https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Philadelphia It's possible to do that on the subway, but I wouldn't recommend it. I was at a conference recently at the Doubletree (across the street from the Academy of Music). These were the subway instructions they gave us: From 30th Street Train Station via subway: take the Market-Frankford subway line east to 15th St. Free Transfer to Broad St line south. Exit Walnut/Locust. Hotel is one block south on Broad Street. Fare: $2.50 (cash only-exact fare) https://www.septa.org/maps/

Way back when, there was speculation that R&J was on the schedule again to provide an appropriate vehicle for a Copeland retirement. Let's hope it doesn't come back in 2025 for that reason!

Didn't Jaffe say she was fond of Manon? Haven't done that in a while (2019?).