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California

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Posts posted by California

  1. Studio 5: Celebrating Arthur Mitchell

    Free on YouTube: Wednesday, March 27 - 6:30 pm EDT

    https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2023-2024/studio-5/

    Free on-demand through April 9

    Join Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) Artistic Director Robert Garland and New York City Ballet (NYCB) Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan in a celebration of the legacy of iconic dancer and choreographer Arthur Mitchell, who would have turned 90 on March 27. Mitchell was the first Black principal at NYCB under George Balanchine, and Mitchell went on to found DTH in 1969, in the height of the Civil Rights Movement and as a response to the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the year prior. The evening will feature performances by DTH and NYCB as well as conversations about the Black aesthetic and its impact on Balanchine's ballets. 

     
  2. 2 hours ago, theo said:

    I totally agree. I saw him dance with Chloe for her debut in Swan Lake and he is the whole package.  He doesn't seem to have a high profile though. Not sure why that is. 

    Bell was featured in galas last year in Japan, Australia, and the Hamptons. He'll be featured at Vail in August. He danced with Boylston last weekend in Connecticut in Cinderella. He did Other Dances in August at the outdoor festival at Lincoln Center. But it was a mystery why he danced so little at the fall ABT season. He was listed for several things and then several of those disappeared. No hint ever of injury, fatigue, exhaustion.  I do wish we had more opportunities to see him. 

  3. I saw the eighth and final performance of Coppelia by Colorado Ballet this afternoon. It is a very nice production, with well-played comedy touches and pleasant dancing by all. It's not really fair to single out just a handful of dancers, as I didn't see the other casts, but two stand out:

    • Liam Hogan was the lead in the Mazurka (partnering Sara Thomas). He is a new corps member from 2020 and I hadn't noticed him before.  I have now! Presence up the gazoo! Very strong technique, commanding presence. I will be watching for him in the final program, a mixed bill, next month. https://coloradoballet.org/Liam-Hogan
    • Principal Jennifer Grace was Swanhilda. She admirably knocked off several technical feats: Italian fouettes, turns a la seconde, super-fast chaines, more. She had a little trouble on those difficult turning balances at the opening of the wedding PdD, but got through them. She was partnered by principal Chris Moulton, a late sub for Mario Labrador. He has a strong presence and impressive technique, but seemed a bit tired, having danced this role just last night! https://coloradoballet.org/Jennifer-Grace
  4. I'm a four-hour plane ride away, but plan to go to La Sylphide/Etudes and maybe Swan Lake. Alas, I have an impossible schedule conflict with Corsaire, or I would go to that, too.

    Casting hint for Swan Lake: Yuka Iseda. I saw her debut in the role when she was a soloist. Blew me away. Can't wait to see her again. https://philadelphiaballet.org/dancers/yuka-iseda/

    EDITED TO ADD: I just found what I wrote about Iseda's SL in March 2018. She was in the corps!! Johnson has now retired, of course.

    Saturday night was Yuka Iseda (a corps member!) with Jermel Johnson (the only African-American member of the company and a long-time principal). What a knock-out performance - truly memorable. Johnson has the stage presence and experience to exude confidence, command, and calm. His technique was a cut above the others. Iseda was a wonder and I hope to see her again some day in another lead role. Every detail was extended, pushed, held, faster, higher, you name it. The white swan PdD was breathtaking -- it was like seeing it fresh all over again. Her Odile was the same - higher, faster, longer, crisper. Oh my. Just gorgeous. And her acting was spot on throughout -- haunted, almost trance-like as Odette, with a sinister, smirking Odile. But she also let us know that Odile was also under Rothbart's spell with furtive glances ("Am I doing what you want?"). 

  5. This new production of Sleeping Beauty sounds VERY interesting, especially the involvement of dance historian Doug Fullington. I saw the reconstruction by Ratmansky for ABT (as I'm sure many on this site did). But this one doesn't seem to claim to be "authentic," given the setting in the Pacific Northwest. Something PNB does very well is offering additional events (rehearsals, lectures, etc.) to complement the actual production. I wonder if they'll offer a digital alternative for those who can't travel easily in January.

  6. Philadelphia Ballet just announced their 2024-2025 season on Instagram and the web.

    https://philadelphiaballet.org/24-25-season/

    2024/2025 Season:⁠
    Le Corsaire ⁠October 18-26
    George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®⁠ December 6-29
    Swan Lake : March 6-16
    Boléro with Dance Card & World Premiere by Stanton Welch AM⁠ March 20-23
    La Sylphide with Etudes ⁠May 8-11

    https://www.instagram.com/p/C4arL7Gvcc_/

    I saw their Corsaire a few years pre-COVID and recommend it highly. Back then, their only concession to contemporary sensibilities was renaming Aili as a servant, rather than a slave. I have no idea if they'll make additional modifications, of course.

    I've already marked my calendar to see what they do with Etudes in May. Another Roxander and several very athletic principals should make that very exciting!

  7. SAB just announced the program for the 2024 Workshop Performances: https://sab.org/2024-workshop-performance-program-member-preview/

    2024 WORKSHOP PERFORMANCES

    Serenade
    Music by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
    Choreography by George Balanchine
    New Lauren Lovette Ballet
    (Benefit night only)
    Choreography by Lauren Lovette
    Scènes de Ballet
    Music by Igor Stravinsky
    Choreography by Christopher Wheeldon
    Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2
    (3rd Movement only)
    Music by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky
    Choreography by George Balanchine
     

    DATE AND TIME

    Workshop Performances will take place at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Lincoln Center:
    Saturday, June 8 at 2 pm & 8 pm
    Tuesday, June 11 at 7 pm (Benefit Performance)

  8. Miami City  Ballet has announced their 2024-2025 season: https://www.miamicityballet.org/2425season

    Interesting that Pictures at an Exhibition is being shown in both Miami and Salt Lake City next year!

    24-25-Midsummer-home.jpg

    A Midsummer Night’s Dream

    Oct 18 – Nov 3, 2024

    A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Balanchine/Mendelssohn)

    24-25-Winter-Mix-home.jpg

    Winter Mix

    Feb 14 – Mar 9, 2025

    Walpurgisnacht Ballet (Balanchine/Gounod)
    **World Premiere (Tanowitz/Montgomery)
    La Valse (Balanchine/Ravel)

    24-25-Spring-Mix-home.jpg

    Spring Mix

    Mar 28 – Apr 13, 2025

    *Pictures at an Exhibition (Ratmansky/Mussorgsky)
    *Chaconne (Limón/Bach)
    Glass Pieces (Robbins/Glass)

    24-25-Carmen-home.jpg

    Carmen

    April 25 – May 4, 2025

    Carmen (Lopez Ochoa/Schedrin & Acosta)

    24-25-Nutcracker-home.jpg

    George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®

    Dec 13 – 24, 2024

    George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky)

    *Company Premiere
    **World Premiere

  9. 5 hours ago, Buddy said:

    Chloe Misseldine at 21 has authority and presence beyond her years: ...

     

    Thanks for this. Very smart of Jaffe to pair Misseldine (now 22) with Aran Bell (now 25) for her first Swan Lake. I'm thinking this could be a partnership for a generation, rather than having her learn this with someone on the verge of retirement. 

  10. Ballet West has just announced an impressive 2024-2025 season: https://www.balletwest.org/events/season-subscriptions/2024-25-season/

    The company has 38 dancers, plus a second company.

    Jekyll and Hyde Event Title.png

    The season opens with the Utah premiere of Jekyll & Hyde from Oct. 25 – Nov. 2an edgy adult psychological thriller based on the 19th-century story by Robert Louis Stevenson. Following the smash success of last year’s Dracula, this horror classic arrives just in time for Halloween as Val Caniparoli’s dramatic and intense new full-length ballet explores the dark side of the human psyche.

     

    Pictures Event Title.pngPictures at an Exhibition is a trio of ballets featuring George Balanchine’s heart-melting Serenade, two major Utah premieres; Alexei Ratmansky’s intimate suite of dances to Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and Tony-Award winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s Vivaldi-inspired Within the Golden Hour, running Nov. 8 – 16.

    Nutcracker Event Title.pngThe Nutcracker returns Dec. 6 – 28, celebrating 80 years of America’s first Nutcracker. Ballet West’s holiday classic by founder Willam Christensen remains just a fresh and joyous as its premiere in 1944. In 2023, more than 50,000 experienced this beloved production and most performances were sold out. Prior to the traditional Salt Lake City run of performances, Ballet West will take The Nutcracker to Ogden, Utah Nov. 29 – 30.  

    Cinderella Event Title.pngFull of comedy, romance, and magic is the return of Cinderella Feb. 7 – 15. Sir Frederick Ashton’s world-renowned production is a lavish and extravagant telling of the classic fairytale, with comedic twists and turns. This production is a treat for the entire family featuring new sets and costumes from London’s Royal Ballet, never before seen in Utah.

    Rite Event Title.pngApril 4 – 12, the company presents The Rite of Spring, an evening of music by Stravinsky. From the elegant purity of Balanchine’s 1928 ballet of a young God of age in Apollo, to the Utah premiere of Jiří Kylián’s emotional Symphony of Psalms, which takes us on a spiritual journey with a full chorus of singers and orchestra, to a primal exploration of life, death, and rebirth in the popular return of Nicolo Fonte’s The Rite of Spring. Explore Stravinsky’s extraordinary range of evocative music that breathes life into captivating dance narratives.

  11. Altitude: Denver is 5430 feet. Vail is 8239. Altitude is a real thing so be cautious, although it hits people differently. Drink lots of water. Easy on the alcohol. Take it easy. They sell individually sized oxygen at the airport that is worth the money if this is new to you. They keep oxygen tanks in the wings for the dancers. You won't fully acclimate in a few days.

    https://www.denver.org/listing/boost-oxygen-llc/35558/

    Airport: The take-offs and landings at Denver airport are usually turbulent. Something about winds off the mountains to the west, plains to the east. Trust the pilots. They're good at this. But the Vail airport is one of the most dangerous in the country and you might want to avoid it. 

    https://wakeupwyo.com/2-of-the-scariest-airports-in-world-are-in-colorado/

    Ground transportation: Take the light-rail A line from Denver airport to Union Station in downtown Denver ($10). 

    https://www.rtd-denver.com/routes-services/rail

    https://www.rtd-denver.com/routes-services/airport

    From Union Station, take the Bustang to Vail (West line $17). They have been upgrading the buses and routes to get people out of cars on the seriously jammed I-70 into the mountains. 

    https://ridebustang.com/bus-lines-routes-maps/

    https://ridebustang.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CDOT-Bustang_StatewideRouteMap.pdf

  12. 2 hours ago, MJ said:

    I notice the ABT gala will NOT be at the Met.

    it will be at a fancy catering hall on 42nd street.

    The main downside: when it was at the Met, you could buy tickets to performance-only and see the famous people in the orchestra.

  13. 36 minutes ago, ABT Fan said:

    Whiteside is now out with another knee injury (not the knee he injured a few years ago). I hope it’s not serious and he recovers in time for the Met season. But, they really need to get Curley rehearsing Siegfried etc as a possible replacement (he deserves to be cast in any case).

    https://www.instagram.com/p/C3xopOqOu6z/?igsh=c3ZlM3NuMW1nOGVj

    So distressing. It took him a year to recover from the other one and he's now 40! I've come to appreciate him as a partner in recent years. 

  14. Thanks for these reports on Chloe and Aran. I opted for NYCB this week, but hope to see them at the Met this summer. I am struck by the fact that they are performing once this week and won't do this ballet again until July! Meanwhile, NYCB principals are each  performing several times this week, in different ballets. I just have to wonder about how ABT principals feel about such limited opportunities on stage! It must be very frustrating. 

  15. Apologies! Duplicate posting, for unknown reasons. Please remove, if possible.

    As others are noting, terrible program! If Londoners want to see Balanchine at its best, this isn't it! Hard to explain, especially after their visits to Spain and Paris. Are they thinking they want to say: "we can do more than Balanchine," much as Royal Danish seems to say, "we can do more than Bournonville." Fine. Do that at home. The world wants to see the choreography that these companies do better than anybody on the planet -- their schools, their training, their heritage. 

  16. As others are noting, terrible program! If Londoners want to see Balanchine at its best, this isn't it! Hard to explain, especially after their visits to Spain and Paris. Are they thinking they want to say: "we can do more than Balanchine," much as Royal Danish seems to say, "we can do more than Bournonville." Fine. Do that at home. The world wants to see the choreography that these companies do better than anybody on the planet -- their schools, their training, their heritage. 

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