California

The link above goes to a Slovak Facebook page. For an English-language page from the new opera house, including the Eifman listings: http://www.snd.sk/?program-8&mesiac=2 For anybody attending the Eifman, let me suggest going to Bratislava a day early to see the Slovak Ballet's La Sylphide at the Historic Opera House a few blocks away. Tickets for that are only 6-16 Euros. I saw Adrian Ducin as James a few years ago and he's worth the trip: http://www.snd.sk/?detail-7&meno=ducin-adrian http://www.snd.sk/?ballet&predstavenie=65_sylfida&termin=6909

I think they are keenly aware of this. Ballet companies (and art museums) around the country all seem to be starting groups for the under-40 set. Along with performances, they have various social activities at local restaurants and bars that sound like mixers. I don't know how successful any of them are, but the companies are certainly trying.

Nobody has mentioned Calvin Royal in this discussion, although many of us have singled him out in the past. It's refreshing to read here that he is using some of his Annenberg grant for private coaching from Stiefel. But his planned visits to companies in Europe and Russia make me nervous -- somebody will snatch him! http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/calvin-royal-man-to-man

The Ric Burns documentary on the occasion of ABT's 75th anniversary will be broadcast on PBS on Friday, May 15. As usual, I assume, check your local listings. http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Thirteen-to-Present-New-Ric-Burns-Documentary-AMERICAN-BALLET-THEATRE-AT-75-515-20150114 In the list of people featured in the film, I found it interesting that Baryshnikov's name is missing. Certainly his presence as a dancer at ABT from 1974-78 and as Artistic Director from 1980-89 was hugely influential, both in bringing in audiences and in shaping the company for a time. It's possible he will be in the film -- just found it interesting that he's not mentioned in this promo.

Those of you with a philosophical interest in dance might appreciate a brand-new article on "The Philosophy of Dance," just published in the on-line Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/dance/ SEP is a very well-respected source in philosophical circles. It began with a major grant from NEH and continues with a panel of editors who conduct serious peer review of submissions. This is the first time SEP has published an article specifically on dance. The author studied classical ballet at the LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts before deciding to pursue a more traditional academic education in philosophy. She is currently a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Dayton.

Funny...the most expensive parterre box in the center at the Met is also way too far back for me. Ditto the President's box at the Kennedy Center Opera House. A funny story they told on the backstage tour of Covent Garden: the Royal Box over on stage left is so far forward they have a seriously obstructed view of much of the stage and use the box mainly only for official appearances. When Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother (reportedly, serious ballet fans) wanted to actually see a performance, they sat elsewhere.

Two very minor details: (1) The use of music in Act I for a male variation that is familiar from contemporary productions of Don Quixote. I'll have to check DQ programs to see if it is credited. (Both scores are by Minkus, of course, so it works in both.) (2) The crying baby late in Act II to a quiet variation. I was surprised it (and its caretaker) did not quickly exit the theater but hung around for quite some time! I guess these disruptions are not unique to U.S. theaters.

Oh, please tell us. And is it really called "Tsar's Box"? I would have guessed "Emperor's Box," as a remnant of the old Austro-Hungarian empire. I don't believe Vienna was ever ruled by the Tsars, was it? Or was this a courtesy box for when he visited? (And thanks for your detailed reports on companies not many in the US have seen.)

My stream is working perfectly in Denver. It's worth tuning in early. They are testing camera angles in the beautiful theater. And a few dancers in practice clothes have been warming up on-stage.

I'm curious how she felt about Jooss' The Green Table. I found two brief mentions, both written in the late 70s, calling it a "propaganda piece" and "evocative of its time and place." Have others found more on that ballet? If she doesn't like ballets about wars, this should be near the top of her hit list.

Yes, and to the Trust I repeat my plea: please find a way to release these treasures on DVD (or streaming video) so we can study them. How about a DVD with a recent NYCB performance of Symphony in C and a recent POB performance of Palais. We understand that obtaining releases on old videos is prohibitively expensive, but isn't there a way to do this with current performers and musicians? This ballet requires a large, well-trained company, so there aren't many opportunities to see it in the US, let alone elsewhere.

He's only 26 - two years younger than Osipova. But his high velocity technique could also be taking a toll.

Thanks so much for these clips. Symphony in C is bread and water for Balanchine lovers. You don't mention Nancy Goldner's More Balanchine Variations. She speculates briefly on differences between the two (pp. 18-19), e.g., adding more pirouettes for Tallchief. It's not clear if long balances were shortened so Le Clercq could handle them, after Toumanova had trouble in Paris, which Goldner also discusses. I'm puzzled by Taras' comment that more changes were made after Balanchine's death. It was fine for him to make changes himself, but after that? I didn't think that was tolerated by the Trust.

I think some people in those comments (and it's only a few, by no means the majority) are annoyed at the ROH for not announcing the replacement earlier, so they could exchange tickets or cancel travel plans. But it must have been a real challenge to find somebody on short notice, who knows the ballet, and could dance with Golding. Going back to a partner he danced with in 2010 makes sense for the ROH, even if it's a disappointment from some of the Osipova fans.

The Royal Ballet just sent out a Tweet that Anna Tsygankova from the Dutch National Ballet will replace Osipova at the January 5 DQ. Many angry comments (not all, though) at the end of this announcement page. Perhaps American audiences should warn them that she seems to be injury/illness prone (at least, somewhat more than others). http://www.roh.org.uk/news/cast-change-marianela-nunez-and-thiago-soares-to-dance-in-don-quixote-on-29-december-2014

As another out-of-towner, I agree completely. Although we know the schedule and principal casting in October (which is helpful when planning trips for the Met season), they are very late in letting us know the schedule for donor events, especially open rehearsals, which are a major incentive for contributing to Friends. Pennsylvania Ballet announced their schedule of Friends events, including rehearsals, back in October. NYCB has the advantage of having their own theater, of course, so they can easily make available Tues-Friday rehearsals whenever they are in residence. I understand that ABT doesn't have that advantage, but if they know the schedule of performances, couldn't they figure out the open rehearsals far in advance, too? Ditto for the fall season at State theater. As we discussed a few months ago, ABT also increased their prices for different levels of Friends. I understand their need for funds, but adding some perks that people could take advantage of would be nice.

As I remember from assorted "Google Alerts" and Tweets when the show was taped, Baryshnikov was in London for the opening of his photography exhibit. But he is on the selection committee for dance and no doubt was happy to endorse her.

The Royal Ballet just sent out a Tweet that Osipova is also cancelling her January 5 DQ. No replacement named yet. http://www.roh.org.uk/news/cast-change-marianela-nunez-and-thiago-soares-to-dance-in-don-quixote-on-29-december-2014

Marcelo Gomes just sent out a Tweet with a link to an Instagram showing Ethan Stiefel teaching the men's company class at ABT. How long before audiences start noticing improvements? I like Marcelo's #inspiration in his message. http://instagram.com/p/xKaETsiuVJ/ Stiefel is also now listed on the ABT "company teachers" list, although I don't know when that was posted. Marcelo has been sending a lot of holiday Tweets from Brazil and was in Russia before that, so it's hard to guess when that photo was taken. http://www.abt.org/insideabt/staff.asp

Those of us who donated money back in 2013 to support this film are supposed to get a DVD of this eventually. Last June I wrote to the producer to ask when we could expect this and was told that DVDs would not be distributed until they have completed the showings in theaters and on television, sometime in 2015. Now that I see the theatrical schedule, it appears it could be a while! (Still, this is a little better than the Marcelo Gomes documentary, which raised money through Kickstarter in 2012 and now hopes for a 2015 premiere. I hope we don't have to wait until they have exhausted their theatrical and television showings before getting our DVDs!)

The UK Independent just posted a report on this. She finished the First Act after the fall, but no indication of how serious the injury is. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/don-quixote-royal-opera-house-london-review-akane-takada-dazzles-as-natalia-osipova-suffers-onstage-fall-9939671.html

St. Mary's in LA has done a great job developing programs for "adult learners" who can only attend class on weekends or are trying to finish a degree with credits collected elsewhere. This program for dancers is in that vein. The common core looks like the kind of General Education package you'd see at most colleges nowadays. I see they will also give you academic credit for courses you test out of in dance, which is somewhat like the credit sometimes given in adult programs for work experiences. The use of "cohorts" you stay with through the program is another good technique you see in these adult programs, to give them the sense of community they miss by not being traditional day students. The availability of some on-line courses is also becoming common nationwide. I thought it was interesting that they're getting a BA with a major in performing arts, not a BFA. That will give the dancers more flexibility to go on for an MA program in many fields. If they go on for an MA in Teaching or an MFA in dance, they could qualify for post-secondary teaching at community colleges and most 4-year schools in full-time positions.

I thought she was making a different point to the PBS audience not very familiar with ballet or Balanchine, viz.: You know about Tchaikovsky's big-three (Nutcracker, SL and SB), which are all narrative. Serenade is different, as it's set to Tchaikovsky, but it's not a narrative.

She's also doing the Nutcracker with the New Haven Ballet Dec. 19-21: http://newhavenballet.org/

My copy of Bolt includes a nice booklet, with color photographs, the Smirnov libretto, and a lengthy (5 pages) report on the history of the ballet (by Simon Morrison), in French, English, and German. For anyone curious about Ratmansky's interest in Shostakovich, this is worth getting. I can't imagine it will ever be shown in North America, but it tells us a lot about the arts in the Soviet Union. http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Bolt-Anastasia-Yatsenko/dp/B000NVL4MY/