California

In comparing the most recent print program with the current web site, there have been several changes: http://www.coloradoballet.org/company/dancers Dana Benton and Domenico Luciano have been promoted from soloist to principal. Two soloists are missing from the roster entirely: Adam Still and Caitlin Valentine-Elllis Corps members missing from the roster: Lesley Allred, Christopher Ellis, Charlotte Lanning, Kelsie Nobriga That's only 24 listed at this point, but I suppose there could still be additions before the company returns in August.

They're also going to be guest teachers at the Summer Intensive of the Colorado Ballet Academy (presumably in July after the ABT season): http://www.coloradoballet.org/academy/summer Tudor's Pillar of Fire has been announced for the March 2015 ABT visit to the Kennedy Center. With luck, they'll also include that in the fall 2014 season in NYC. Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner have been staging Tudor works in the past, so perhaps there is some connection there.

Ironically, the Royal Ballet is performing in Moscow in July 2014, although I haven't seen exact dates. If she cancels Segerstrom due to injury, it will be interesting to see where she turns up next. You have to think she'd love to return triumphantly to the home of the Bolshoi Ballet. And it would be fun if Vasiliev turned up in New York in July to perform with the Bolshoi.

A press release with the casting for the first two weeks has been posted on the ABT site: http://www.abt.org/insideabt/news_display.asp?News_ID=476

Baryshnikov has said this was the most difficult choreography he ever performed. When it was over, he felt like his "legs would fall off."

Gomes partnered Semionova in the Ratmansky Symphony No. 9, which included a spectacular one-armed lift, although she was in a deep backbend over his head. Bolle needed both hands for that one. Still, that's a heavy-duty schedule for him in the first week of the season and I, too, hope he isn't injured.

I found a source (there might be others, too): Arlene Croce's "Balanchine's Girls: The Making of a Style" (April 1971). It's reprinted in AfterImages, pp. 416-427. Here's the quote:

I can't remember the source off-hand, but I read that he was influenced by the physical therapy exercises she was getting for the polio and used some of that in Agon. Have others heard that? I assume everybody knows that the DVD is available for pre-order on Amazon, with release on June 24: http://www.amazon.com/Afternoon-Faun-Nancy-Buirski/dp/B00JAGF9Y2/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1398087525&sr=1-1&keywords=afternoon+of+a+faun+tanaquil+leclercq

Indeed! You can get a brief glimpse of them in Don Q in this clip about their guest appearance a few years ago with Festival Ballet in southern California. He mentions in an interview that he doesn't do this role very much at ABT: At the Alonso birthday celebration in 2010, he did the first act, but I can't remember who his partner was for that. (They had different principals for each act.)

Vol. I and II are available for pre-order on Amazon at $31.46. If you pre-order both, then you get free shipping (all orders over $35). Be sure to use the Amazon order box on this site so a sliver goes to support Ballet Alert.

In the latest round of grant awards, the National Endowment for the Arts has made 66 grants, totaling $1,375,000, to dance organizations. Ballet awardees include Ballet Arizona, Ballet Tech, George Balanchine Foundation, Sarasota Ballet, School of American Ballet, and several others. For the complete list for dance, see pp. 23-35 in this announcement: http://arts.gov/sites/default/files/spring-2014-grants-discipline-listings.pdf

The program has been announced for the 2014 SAB Workshop performances: http://www.sab.org/news_events/workshop_performances/program_information.php Serenade, Swan Lake (excerpts), Coppelia (excerpts), Western Symphony (4th movement) Interesting that it's an all-Balanchine program, which hasn't been the norm in recent years. Dates: Saturday, May 31 (2 & 8 pm), Tuesday, June 3 (7 pm)

As I remember, NYCB last year announced the entire next season about May 1 and subscription renewals started right away, for a season that opens in September. Colorado Ballet announced the new season in February at their last big program at the Opera House (the final program is at the University of Denver in late March) and subscriptions were available for renewal at that point, with a deadline of July 1 to keep your seats. Singles will go on sale in mid-July for a season that starts in late September. RE: another issue on this thread: I read that telemarketers in the US do the solicitations for donations and also subscriptions and keep a big % of the revenue. I always deal directly with companies (via their web sites), so all the money goes to the company. I don't know if that's true in Canada.

I just got a "Google Alert" that Macaulay's review has been posted: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/12/arts/dance/a-new-winters-tale-for-royal-ballet.html?hpw&rref=arts This is not the right place to discuss published criticism, but let me note that the Bohemian scene he discusses first is Act II. Seems we both like that one best. It certainly has the most interesting dancing, both for the large ensemble and the lead couple. I wonder if the cinema broadcast was cancelled because the lighting and special effects are so complex that they might not translate to a cinema screen. And that might also make it very difficult to tour. I believe this is a co-production with National Ballet of Canada, so eventually it will be seen in North America.

I saw the premiere of Wheeldon's The Winter's Tale Thursday night. So much to discuss - I hope others see it. For now, just some highlights. This is an extremely ambitious production. The sets include all sorts of high-tech projections, silk drops and lighting effects to create a sense of boats at sea in a few places. I noticed a lighting tech and panel on the balcony-right level that wasn't there for Sleeping Beauty. I was reminded of the high-tech lighting and simulations used at the opening ceremony for the Sochi Olympics, although I don't know if that was the same technology used in the Opera House. The physical scenery is strangely simple, almost minimalist. Some very tall pillars, several classical statues on large bases, some flights of stairs, and ramps onto boats, e.g., were moved into different locations for different scenes to accomplish set changes. In several scenes, a large square painting would be lowered to center back - a very abstract way of adding a set, but the actual paintings reminded me of Thomas Kinkaide. Throughout, they seemed to want to avoid anything traditional or standard in the way of set design. I'm not familiar with the play, but the synopsis in the print cast list was sufficient to grasp the complicated story. For such an ambitious undertaking, a big question for me (after absorbing the physical details of the production) is whether I'd want to see it again for the choreography and performance. For this one, I'd say, yes. There are several extraordinary PdD for different couples in several acts worth seeing again -- original, complex, and interesting, apparently challenging to the dancers. I also loved the festival dances for the ensemble in Act II. The commissioned score by Joby Talbot was fine -- contemporary but not post-modern, it sometimes felt like a movie score, but it was appropriate for the movement. I only get to see this one more time, Saturday night, with the same cast. Now that I know what to expect, it's easier to grasp the structure and better understand some repetitive movement details. E.g., why do the lead women keep bending their feet at the ankles? It seems gimmicky in isolation, but perhaps that's some kind of theme or linkage between the mother and daughter. I don't know, but want to watch for that. It's now pretty clear why the open rehearsal for Thursday afternoon was cancelled. It's not just the very complicated sets and effects. That rehearsal was for the second cast, which was originally to perform Saturday night but has now been postponed to next week. No hint in the announcement as to why -- injury? struggles mastering the work? I have no idea. The audience was very enthusiastic and Wheeldon seemed to be on Cloud Nine during the bows. I have not yet seen any published reviews, but ROH invited comments on Twitter and they are (predictably) enthusiastic.

The very prestigious Guggenheim Fellowships for 2014-15 were announced today. Five choreographers received Fellowships: Ivy Baldwin, Andrea Miller, Rashaun Mitchell, Dean Moss, Kate Weare. I confess that I don't recognize those names. Are any considered classical choreographers? Here's the complete list of awards: http://www.gf.org/news-events/2014-Fellows-by-Field-in-the-United-States-and-Canada/

Marcelo Gomes studied dance in his native Brazil before entering the Harid Conservatory in Florida. I'm not sure how people are defining "home grown" - whether that refers only to native-born Americans or dancers who received all of their training in the U.S., even if born elsewhere or just anybody who received substantial training in the U.S. If what matters in this discussion is people who spent most or all of their career at ABT, then Marcelo counts, of course. He started in the corps and worked his way up. I'm always touched by his generosity during bows of looking back to the corps and saluting them with a grand gesture of his arms to thank them for their contribution to the performance. http://www.abt.org/dancers/detail.asp?Dancer_ID=26

Some brief comments on the final two Sleeping Beauty performances: I was disappointed by Roberta Marquez' Aurora on Tuesday, April 8. She certainly performed all the steps, but I didn't see anything special. It was disappointing that her balances were so uneven -- she faltered/shortened many in the Rose Adagio and would then show off an unusually long balance, as if to say: I can do this! Am I missing something others see in her? Ryoichi Hirano substituted for Nehemiah Kish as Marquez' Prince Florimund. I felt badly for him at his entrance in Act II, which seems designed to give the audience applause time to acknowledge his presence for the first time -- dead silence. Very awkward! I was impressed that in his many double turns and multiple entrechats, his landings seemed so secure -- none of the little baubles and shakiness that are so common, especially with soloists. (I noticed the same thing the next night when he was the Lilac Fairy's Cavalier in the Prologue.) I have no idea what experience he has in this role or partnering Marquez, but the partnering seemed solid. During the bows, she seemed especially gracious, giving him a flower with genuine warmth. In the final performance April 9, Yuhui Choe was quite special. She has an elegant, silken movement quality that is never rushed, never seems like she's just anxious to get something over with. I've been struggling with metaphors to describe it -- pulled taffy, perhaps? Everything is drawn out, appreciated to the fullest. The partnering was fine this time and she was more gracious to Golding during the bows -- giving him a flower, e.g., which she skipped Saturday night. I think it's odd at both Royal and ENB that the corps members are not named in the cast list distributed before the program, just "Artists of the Royal Ballet." I suppose that makes it easier when subs are necessary, but it's too bad they don't get even that named acknowledgement. I also appreciate the absence of crying babies and late seating, but was surprised at two flash pictures taken during the performance Wednesday from a side box in the balcony. I assumed an usher would scurry over after the first one; apparently not.

I saw the matinee Sunday afternoon, April 6 and would urge anybody in shouting distance of London to see the program before it closes next Saturday, April 12. As has been reported in reviews, this consists of four new ballets in honor of the centenary of World War I. I can't imagine a program like this being presented in the U.S., where most people know almost nothing about that war. That's a shame, because the ballets are magnificent and it would be wonderful to see an American company stage at least one of them. My favorite was "No Man's Land" by Liam Scarlett to Liszt piano music, orchestrated for this piece by Gavin Sutherland. It ended with a stunning pas de deux for Tamara Rojo (now company director) and Esteban Berlanga, but several earlier pas de deux for other couples were also impressive. I don't recall seeing Scarlett's choreography before, but I'd like to see more of it now! The partnering featured extraordinarily complicated lifts that were original, creative, stunning, but never once felt gimmicky or merely novelty-for-its-own-sake, one of my pet peeves in so much contemporary classical choreography. Alas, the piece wouldn't translate to the U.S. without some serious dramatic modifications. The men go off to war while the women work at a munitions plant, then welcome their battered men home. Those distinctive WWI hats, the munitions, the hint of trenches would make no sense outside of countries that don't remember let alone understand the significance of "The Great War." I'd be happy to be proven wrong! The Scarlett used women on pointe, while "Second Breath" (Russell Maliphant) and "Dust" (Akram Khan) had all the dancers in bare feet. Both used the dancers in groups to create amazing human sculptures in patterns, waves, and visual designs that evoked war, tragedy, death in the trenches, etc. Scores by Andy Cowton and Jocelyn Pook, respectively, wove in all sorts of War-specific sounds -- audio recordings from the Imperial War Museum Archive, narration recorded in 1916, poetry by Dylan Thomas, etc. All three ballets had eerie lighting, fog, sets evoking the notorious trenches, etc.With the intense presentation in so many dimensions, this native-born American (and history buff) was emotionallty exhausted from it all; I would imagine it was much more intense for those who grew up understanding and respecting this part of their history. The three hour program (with two intervals) also included George Williamson's recent take on "Firebird." The program notes tried to rationalize including it in this program, even though the music was written years before the War - essentially, foolish men go off and do stupid, foolish things -- but it was too much of a stretch. Still, it was nice to see a cleaned-up, more minimalist version after the Ratmansky version for ABT of a few years ago. The other three would have made for a very full program without this oddity stuck in the middle. I was struck at how many more younger people (20-40) were in this audience, compared with American audiences. The house seemed full to me, although I have no idea if they push tickets through student rush, subsidized tickets for seniors, etc. I also thought the orchestra placement in that theater is bizarre -- totally under the stage, almost invisible. The huge speakers at either side of the stage sounded so raspy that at first I thought they were using recorded music.

I just saw the second performance of Choe and Golding in Sleeping Beauty. I'm tired (and still jet-lagged), so let me just say briefly that it was a real treat. She has the gift of "long balances," and I wonder if that's part of why they selected her as a replacement for Osipova. We didn't see any extensions-to-the-ear, but that would have been so out-of-place in this production anyway. He has a calm elegance in his dancing that seems perfect for this company, with impressive height and presence in his turns and leaps. Their partnering seemed fine, except for one near-catastrophe on the third fish dive in the wedding PdD. It happened so fast, it's hard to know how it went awry, but he had to step forward a couple of steps to keep her in position. It reminded me that these two couldn't have had a lot of preparation time for such demanding partnering. He knew the role, of course, as he was scheduled to dance with Osipova. But where/when did she learn it? Had she been in line as the understudy all along? And Osipova's injury was just a week ago, so how much time did they have to work together? The audience was exceptionally appreciative of both, but they seemed genuinely to be applauding their performances, not just sympathy applause.

Osipova has now cancelled her third and final performance of Sleeping Beauty, to be replaced again by Choe: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/cast-change-yuhui-choe-to-dance-in-the-sleeping-beauty-on-27-march-2014 One thing odd in the official announcements: they said she suffered soft tissue injury, but no broken bones, but not a hint of how this happened. As it was in a rehearsal (unlike the concussion she sustained during a performance earlier in the season), no one really knows, except those in the room. If anyone sees published press reports, please share the link Another disappointment: the Friends' open rehearsal for the day of the Winter's Tale premiere has also been cancelled. The "scale and complexity" of the production is the stated reason in the e-mail they sent out today:

I thought the McGregor Woolf Works looked interesting, although I can't find any information about the Richter score they are using. Amy Seiwert used it for Travelling Alone, a 20-minute (or so) piece she did for Colorado Ballet in 2012, repeated last weekend. I love that music -- very postmodern, with some hints of Glass. But I'm not sure about a full-evening of that or whether it's a new/commissioned score or several existing pieces. When Robbins did Glass Pieces, he picked out some of the most danceable excerpts from existing Glass scores, so perhaps that's what McGregor is doing. It would be even better if the new McGregor overlapped another piece (like the La Fille) to make a trip from the US especially worthwhile. My mistake -- McGregor is using a commissioned score by Richter:

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty will be aired April 25 on PBS' Great Performances. http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwdance/article/Matthew-Bournes-Re-Imagining-of-Ballet-Classic-SLEEPING-BEAUTY-to-Air-on-THIRTEENs-Great-Performances-425-20140328#.UzlnbmFOXIW

The 2014-15 season has just been announced: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/ballet-and-dance-201415

Yuhui Choi was the replacement. Here's the official announcement: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/cast-change-yuhui-choe-to-dance-in-the-sleeping-beauty-on-27-march-2014 According to the print "Magazine" (p. 31) published by the ROH, March 27 was Osipova's debut in the role (with Royal). Ouch! It will be interesting to hear what the injury was and whether she'll perform at her remaining performances April 5 & 9.