California

I'm so glad to hear about this. I guess my class back in January was the prototype for a very successful format for the Company. Let's hope they expand the schedule for 2015-16! The best part for me was learning a few steps from a Balanchine ballet and then "performing" it with the class accompanied by a real rehearsal accompanist on a grand piano - and doing all of this in such hallowed ground.

I don't see this posted anywhere...English National Ballet just sent out an e-mail with some news, including Vitor Luiz' debut with ENB. He doesn't have a bio page on the ENB web site and is not listed as a guest artist on their roster. He's still listed on the SFB site, so perhaps this is a one-time appearance. http://www.sfballet.org/company/dancers/principals/Vitor_Luiz

David Hallberg seems annoyed about the non-transmission to the US, too:

I got a big yellow exclamation point and some French that seemed to be roughly that it wasn't available due to restrictions of French television. Too bad!

I have what was apparently her only DVD (at least, released in the West): her 1978 Don Quixote with Gordeev at the Bolshoi. It's still available and I would recommend it highly. It also includes some 1964 bonus scenes with Plisetskaya. http://www.amazon.com/Bolshoi-Ballet-Quixote-Nadezhda-Pavolva/dp/B000O78KX8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1412367718&sr=8-2&keywords=nadezhda+pavlova A funny memory about her: When I heard a news flash in 1979 that a Bolshoi dancer had just defected in New York, my first thought was that I hoped it was her. I hadn't seen her, of course, but had read that she was the great new sensation. It turned out to be Godunov, of course.

The current roster lists quite a few guests, including Acosta: http://www.roh.org.uk/about/the-royal-ballet/artists It's possible the ENB anonymous donor is also a major supporter of the Royal Ballet or perhaps doesn't want lesser companies asking him/her to chip in on their guests. We'll never know, I guess.

Look at the published donor lists for all sorts of cultural and educational non-profits in the US and you routinely find "Anonymous" on the lists. Some people do not want to be identified publicly for all sorts of legitimate reasons. When you appear on those lists (especially with high dollar amounts) you are opening yourself up to more solicitations from other groups that perhaps are unwelcome. Or perhaps you don't want a competitor you support to know that you are also donating to other groups. The reasons don't matter. I don't have a problem with this practice, especially if it encourages more donations than would otherwise be received.

Do we even know dates for Royal in NYC? Their London season closes June 4. They're at Kennedy Center June 9-14 and Chicago June 18-21. NYC in late June seems likely. Any hints of whether Lincoln Summer Festival is bringing a major company?

That article also says their spring gala will be May 18 -- isn't that usually a "sampler" of the season to come? That seems late to me. If they do an 8-week season, that takes them to July 11. I would have guessed that May 18 was the start of the second week.

I'm wondering who will partner each of them in their retirement performances. I'm guessing Kent will want either Bolles or Gomes. It would be great to see Cornejo in Giselle with Reyes and give HIM an opportunity to shine after last spring's assorted cancellations. SB is a killer ballet and it's interesting that Herrera is learning the new version, only to retire; who could partner her?

As I doubt many have seen this production and would want to discuss this separately, I'll post this here...the Denver Post's "Fine Arts Critic" just posted his review. I don't disagree with anything he says, but it's odd that he reviewed the Saturday matinee and then just listed some cast names from that performance toward the end. I know that many dancers say they never read reviews (I've never believed that), but given the paucity of serious dance criticism nowadays, it's too bad that they won't get published commentary on their performances. When a paper uses just one critic to cover the entire spectrum of the Fine Arts, that's what happens. http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_26628653/colorado-ballets-midsummer-nights-dream-an-ensemble-dance

Daniel - it's not a real class...it's more a demo-follow-along thing. When I went to this last spring, Daniel Ulbricht and a corps member demonstrated things, to show us some differences in Balanchine and traditional technique (e.g., the preparation for a pirouette). He taught us the opening steps from Concerto Barocco and an excerpt from Who Cares. The room was too crowded for us to even line up at the barre for warm-up, so we did a few very simple things in the center. The room is filled with klutzy non-dancers, and nobody feels out of place. Great fun, and I've recommended it before on this site.

I'm so pleased to see that Daniel Ulbricht has been appointed creative director of the Family Saturdays program. I attended his program last spring (discussed on another thread) and he is a master teacher and communicator. If you want to see how to interest young children in the ballet, take somebody (the younger the better) or just go yourself. He's terrific. I'm also pleased to see that the Adult Movement Workshop on October 4 is already sold out, even thought they raised the price from $15 to $22. I believe some BAers are attending. Please tell us about it, especially the choreography from the repertory that they teach you. It's great fun, and let's hope this is another revenue enhancement to the NYCB budget.

(Apologies for this lengthy posting, but I hope others have seen the ballet and will add to the discussion.) Colorado Ballet just finished its first of two weekends of its production of Wheeldon’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I went to all four performances, especially to see the different casts and to try to understand the production, which I had never seen. This was his first full-length ballet; kudos to the Colorado Ballet for giving him his first major commission when he was only 23, in 1997. For anybody within driving distance of Denver, do take a look next weekend. It’s a wonderful production, beautifully performed. I was curious about how it compared with Balanchine’s 1962 production, in which Wheeldon danced when at NYCB. I assume he also had seen Ashton’s 1964 The Dream by the time he did his own version. I’ve seen both many times, and just took another look at the Balanchine DVD to refresh my memory. One major difference from Balanchine is Wheeldon’s focus on weaving a coherent narrative throughout. For all its glorious choreography, Balanchine’s version is a little odd with those “wedding divertissements” making up most of Act II. The performers of the central PdD that everyone loves (including me) are not real characters in the story and don’t even have names. The ensemble numbers in Balanchine’s second act, entrancing as they are, just emerge from nowhere and have only the tenuous connection of “wedding party” with the rest of the ballet. In the printed NYCB program from June 2014, they don’t include any story notes; perhaps they just figure everybody already knows the story or will learn what they need from seeing the ballet. For Wheeldon, we get detailed program notes telling the story. (I don’t know if that was Wheeldon’s plan or if they were added later.) Perhaps more significantly, Wheeldon opens with several small vignettes with the characters of Helena, Demetrius, Hermia, Lysander, and Egeus. These appear behind a scrim on a dark stage with a spotlight on each brief introduction. Throughout the production, the focus stays on telling a coherent narrative of a rather complicated cast of characters. The final PdD, the most glorious of Act II, is for Titania and Oberon, not nameless dancers. Another huge difference is Wheeldon’s use of extensive comedic bits throughout. Balanchine has a few that get some laughs (e.g., when the ass does a double-take when looking down at Titania’s breasts). Wheeldon extensively draws out the comic potential of the mixed-up couples in both acts. E.g., when Demetrius rejects Helena, she hangs onto his leg as he drags her across the floor trying to escape. Lysander receives a well-placed kick from Helena at one point and he leaves the stage in obvious agony. The comedy is constant and clear; I suppose some would say it was over the top. But the hearty laughter from the audience throughout reminded us that this is not a Shakespearean tragedy, although the same story elements from Balanchine often feel like that. For ballet novices, I’m sure it was a pleasant surprise to see how much fun it can be. Another big difference: the production elements and Wheeldon’s interest in spectacle. You can see early signs of the ambitious production Wheeldon set in the new A Winter’s Tale in April 2014 in London, although not to such extremes. E.g., the set has two levels, with the back level elevated to provide a place for races, entrances, hiding, flying, etc., and to visually enhance the overall spectacle. Wheeldon also makes extensive use of flying wires, mostly for Puck, who appeared at the beginning and end sailing over the entire scene, and often appearing in unlikely places near the top of the stage. Even Oberon is briefly flown out of one scene on wires. Balanchine has Puck pulled high on “vines” at the close of the ballet, but that’s it for flying. Wheeldon puts together all sorts of risky, complicated lifts and partnering, sometimes for groups of 3 or even 4. He likes putting a character onto another’s shoulders. Puck is on Oberon’s shoulder as they decide which of the Rustics to turn into an ass and Puck puts on the head from his high perch. At the end, Oberon sweeps up the tiny Changeling onto his shoulders and the two of them partner Titania briefly, with Changeling holding up her arms and Oberon balancing her at the waist. Wheeldon’s choreography for the men and the male ensembles was thrilling, with Puck interacting with some of the variations. High-flying split jumps, revoltades, high-speed manege - all showed off their athleticism admirably. Apparently Tulsa Ballet and Atlanta Ballet both perform the Wheeldon version. As far as I can determine, this was his only ballet of a Shakespearean story until the new Winter’s Tale 17 years later. (Please correct me if I'm mistaken on that.) For anyone interested in studying Wheeldon’s development as a choreographer (and certainly his future biographers), this early ballet is essential viewing.

Odd about Messmer. That page with her pix showed up on a Google search. Perhaps SFB just forgot to take it off-line? Nothing else is turning up on Google that would let us know where she ended up.,

She is still on the soloists page. When does their new contract year start at SFB? Any casting info yet for the new season? http://www.sfballet.org/company/dancers/soloists/Simone_Messmer

Fingers crossed for the NYC engagement in November! Goodness! Zakharova also pulled out and Vasiliev is in the hospital, supposedly due to illness. According to tweets today from La Scala, Tamara Rojo had to cancel her Don Q on the 24th due to "unforeseen circumstances in London." So now Osipova is doing the 24th, 25th, and 27th! Let's hope she survives healthy and well for New York!

La Scala sent out a tweet a few hours ago that Osipova has cancelled her Don Q tonight. Fingers crossed for the NYC engagement in November!

Royal Ballet has just posted a very nice web page explaining the four central PdD in Manon, along with clips with three different couples: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/manon-dance-highlights-four-extended-pas-de-deux PS: Royal is doing Manon this month. La Scala is doing it in November 2015. I am so hoping ABT does it again next Met season.

A nice story about the new building in today's Sunday Denver Post: http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_26561709/colorado-ballets-new-home-sunny-and-full-possibilities

California, am I right that you must have a gmail account in order to subscribe to a youtube channel? I've not been able to sign in using my email address which is not from google. Thanks! Gosh -- I honestly don't know. But Google e-mail is free and you could set up an account and never use it.

On the home page of the ABT channel, look to the far right under the image from Swan Lake. There's a little grayish box you click to subscribe or unsubscribe. Easy to miss. When you go to YouTube, it usually shows you newly loaded videos from all your subscriptions on the first page. One puzzle: This channel has been on line for three months and I subscribed back then, so I'm not clear on why they are just now sending out a press release. Maybe they wanted to wait until they had several videos to choose from?

I just got a phone call from the Koch box office. They told me that opening night is at 7:30 and they are mailing out a substitute ticket. However, if the substitute doesn't arrive, they will honor the original one. The tickets I have do have a bar code, so if they scan those, they'll avoid duplicate ticket issues.

ENB has just announced its 2014-15 season. http://blog.ballet.org.uk/201415-season-announcement/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=201415-season-announcement They also just announced casting for their Swan Lake. Of special interest at the Coliseum in London: Cojocaru and Vasiliev (in his debut in the role): January 7, 11, 13, 16 Rojo and Lendorf: January 8, 14, 17 http://www.ballet.org.uk/whats-on/swan-lake/

I bought mine many months ago, too. My ticket for Tuesday, 10/11 says 8:00 pm and for Saturday, 11/15 says 7:30! I think I'll just assume every performance is 7:30 and get there in plenty of time. But I wonder what the ushers will do about late-seating, which could be a serious issue for opening night.