California

So sorry. The article is dated yesterday, June 11. Let me try this one: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/business/judge-rules-for-interns-who-sued-fox-searchlight.html

This has more to do with the use of unpaid interns than "Black Swan," but the interns just won their lawsuit that they should have been paid for the work they did on the film: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/business/judge-rules-for-interns-who-sued-foxsearchlight.html?_r=0 I would guess that dance schools and companies using unpaid interns will be taking a close look at this decision. EDITED: That link apparently expired. Try this one: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/business/judge-rules-for-interns-who-sued-fox-searchlight.html

According to the press release, this was her first time in the role in New York. I have no idea where she performed it before - does anyone know? http://www.abt.org/insideabt/news_display.asp?News_ID=439

Dance magazine just sent out a tweet that Kochetkova is also replacing Cojocaru in SB: I don't see this yet on the ABT site.

Interesting! The "dead body hoist" from the floor occurs at the 0:47 mark. Is this the lift that others thought was off that night? I think they ordinarily do that move twice, and I don't know if this was the first or the second.

I wonder when those clips were filmed...I haven't noticed filming during a performance, but perhaps they were on that occasion. Or perhaps it was an earlier rehearsal for the opening night cast. I was struck by the "dead body" hoist that's shown in the clip where Gomes lifts her off the floor in the tomb. Someone here thought that it was awkward during performance. It did seem different from the way others do it, but okay.

This video on NCB-New York has some brief clips of Vishneva and Gomes. I'm guessing they were taken at the dress rehearsal Monday afternoon: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/video/#!/entertainment/the-scene/Congresswoman-Appears-With-American-Ballet-Theatre/210947441

The Ardani web site is just a little out of date. They list him for two Swan Lakes (presumably as Aristocratic/Purple Rothbart) on June 18 & 22, but the ABT site lists him for a third, on June 20. I'm not seeing the Sleeping Beauties this year, but I think he'd be fascinating as BlueBird. And I'm glad to see him as what appears to be a "team player" in roles other than the most prominent principal roles. http://www.ardani.com/tours-vasiliev.php

In recent years, the spring Met season has been announced in mid-October, complete with principal casting! I suppose that could get pushed back this fall until after the fall season in NYC (October 30-November 10).

I got that impression too. During the balcony scene he danced very small and cautiously in his own solos. His partnering and acting were excellent, but I felt that his technique was significantly diminished compared to his prior performances of Romeo. Oh no...I wish he should have not dance Ali in Le Corsaire. I might be reading too much into those YouTubes of the curtain calls, but he did not seem as beaming and joyful as he usually does. We know he has had injuries in the past (he talks about them in some interviews). He has a lot of work ahead in the rest of this season -- three Swans (one with a new partner, Hee Seo, and one as purple Rothbart), two Sylvias, one Sleeping Beauty. Perhaps he's thinking ahead and trying not to exacerbate whatever the issue is now so he doesn't have to cancel.

But San Francisco Ballet co-produced it and will be performing it in SF in April 2014, so they won't want the competition. ABT definitely doesn't play cities like Peoria, but Chicago is a pretty sophisticated dance city now with visits from major companies. Isn't one big problem with the Trilogy its reliance on so many principal dancers? So few of the "guest artist" principals join that tour, it might be difficult to cast. I'm betting they'll show it at Met 2014 to get a little more mileage.

I always wonder why the first person in proximity to the item on the floor doesn't just swoop down and pick it up. These things are always a distraction for the audience, worrying about somebody slipping and falling, so it's just better to get rid of it. I noticed that Vasiliev kicked something onto the outer edge of the stage that had been sitting on the floor for some time (was that at Don Q or Corsaire - can't remember at the moment). It seemed long overdue and the right thing to do for the safety of the dancers.

LaKarsavina just posted three YouTubes of the curtain calls:

The ABT web site calendar has not yet been updated for this. Does the posted casting sheet say anything about Cojocaru's Sleeping Beauty on July 3? That would be her only performance of the season if she makes it.

I saw both Vasiliev and Simkin last week as Ali, and was stunned at their bag of tricks. But they are both in their early 20s and Gomes is in his early 30s. I wonder if we're seeing the athleticism bar move to ever more demanding "tricks" in that particular role as younger dancers come along. I heard Peter Martins say at a panel discussion last February, after they showed some clips of Baryshnikov, that we need to remember that he was the only dancer doing many of those steps in the seventies, but now his male dancers at NYCB see them as starting points for their own virtuosity. (We can see the same thing in gymnastics today compared with the daring "tricks" from just a few decades ago that are now considered routine.) Still, don't we wish that Vasiliev and Simkin would take some cues from Gomes on style, form, elegance, and, most especially, partnering?

The play closes this Sunday, June 16. I saw it once while in New York and would strongly recommend that Balanchine lovers see it. It was delightful to see some actual dancing from Orpheus during the play. I also learned a lot about the fears of the Russian emigres post-World War II (that the U.S. government worried that some were really Soviet spies, e.g.) that I was not aware of before. The theater is very intimate and deeply raked -- there doesn't appear to be a bad seat in the house. I rarely go to live theater, so I'm not a great judge of performances, but was impressed. The playwright claims to aim for historical accuracy as much as possible (with some noted license, e.g., the location where Balanchine first showed Stravinsky his choreography). I hope that's true, as there are fascinating tidbits - e.g., Stravinsky tinkering with passages of music to better fit the choreography. http://www.lct.org/showMain.htm?id=216 After one of the matinees, four of the actors held an open discussion about the play. The audio recording is here: http://www.lct.org/content/platform/NIKOLAIANDTHEOTHER.cast.Platform.mov Unfortunately, there are no plans to tour this play or produce it elsewhere. An archival tape of the recording has been made and we learned at the panel discussion that it will be available at the Dance Collection of the New York Public Library, Library for the Performing Arts. In an interesting bit of trivia: John Glover, who plays Stravinsky, played the American embassy worker with the crewcut in White Nights who helped the Baryshnikov character escape. In the panel discussion, he admits to knowing little about classical music or dance.

ABT has a photo display of the backdrops and costumes for the Trilogy on their web site: http://www.abt.org/gallery/detail.asp?Gallery_ID=143

I'm not sure if the multiple casting of Cornejo, Vasiliev and Simkin would clearly prove that. Surely she does sell tickets, but maybe the fact that there was the opportunity to see these three on various dates (inlcuding the Wed matinee which had no Osipova according to the ABT performance calendar and still was well attended) also played a role in this. There was no urge to buy tickets for one special performance to see either of these dancers and it would seem natural that in such a case, people choose to buy tickets for performances with dancers they find exciting in the rest of the cast. Of course I don't really know how many people go to multiple performances or rather choose one performance per ballet, so it's all just guesses. I didn't mean to suggest that Osipova is the only factor in deciding when to go. As others discuss here, there are so many factors involved, we can't get scientific results. I didn't check to see what NYCB was performing, but that could have been a factor, too. Still, it was a striking contrast in the two nights. And, as noted, it was impressive that three principal men of significance danced two nights in a row, in quite demanding roles. (I suppose with a fair number of injuries at this point in the season, we'll see more of that.) Those Wednesday matinees are a puzzle. I have sometimes seen several busses and vans from senior centers lined up near the theater and wonder if that accounts for some of the good attendance. Ticket prices are a tad cheaper, but not that much. For at least some of us visiting New York from some distance, we try to cram as many performances as possible into a few days, even if it means seeing some casts we're not thrilled about. New Yorkers have the luxury of scattering their attendance more selectively.

Mikhail - I haven't noticed that much on this site (although perhaps it has slipped in now and then). I think the press is influenced by the "Brangelina" thing. We have another habit that some find annoying: referring to much-loved dancers by their first names only: Marcelo, Gillian, Gelsey, Misha...it suggests a cliquish "in-group" discussion that non-balletomanes don't grasp. Another practice annoying to many: referring to grown men and women (especially in the corps) as "boys" and "girls."

I saw both performances on Wednesday. Gillian and Marcelo were their usual elegant thrilling selves. Whiteside was a competent slave, but in contrast with Simkin on Tuesday night and Vasiliev on Wednesday night, he seemed a little boring. I was struck that Cornejo, Simkin, and Vasiliev were all cast both Tuesday and Wednesday nights, although in different roles, and all with plenty of fireworks, no matter the role. I wonder if Vasiliev is showing that he is a "team player" after being passed over by Royal Ballet. Audiences were a little surprising. It seemed almost sold out at the opening Tuesday night. The Wednesday matinee was pretty healthy, perhaps 80-85%. But Wednesday night was the least attended, maybe 70-75%. No crush to get in. Short lines at the ladies' rooms. The missing ingredient Wednesday night was Osipova, of course. (Reyes was Medora.) So if management was looking for confirmation that she's the one who sells tickets (not Vasiliev, Simkin, or Cornejo), they got it. Both Simkin and Vasiliev do that turn where one leg flips over the other in the air. Is there a name for that? Is that the new "thing" that others now feel obliged to try? Simkin actually did four in a row for one entry Tuesday night. Vasiliev did two in a row Wednesday night. It seems for the women that simply doing 32 fouettes is no longer good enough. They have to throw in doubles and triples with arm over the head for some. The super-athletic bar keeps moving for all of them, for better or worse!

I'm surprised no one has started a thread on this, so I will... I saw the Tuesday night season premiere with Osipova, Vasiliev, Simkin, Cornejo, et al. The house appeared almost full, even the top balcony. I put this ballet in the category of "guilty pleasures" -- plenty of virtuoso dancing, bizarre story. That cast was their usual over-the-top selves and the audience loved it all. I do find the ending of this ballet peculiar. Green puffy scenery (scrims?) are apparently waves engulfing the boat. They go on a long time - too long, actually - with the briefest appearance at the last moment of Medora and Conrad. We need a few more minutes to take them in and they could be doing something - anything. I couldn't help thinking of the bizarre twist in Game of Thrones in Act III -- At the Friends dress rehearsal Tuesday afternoon, Gillian was rehearsing with Marcelo, so she seems to be well enough to perform again. I gather Marcelo was doing to do the slave Wednesday, but now he's back as Conrad. I do love to see the two of them together and his partnering is such a joy to see, but it would have been fun to see him in the other role.

I wonder how much Kobborg had to do with the departure. When he was in New Zealand staging their new Giselle, he and Steifel gave some interviews. Apparently, Kobburg had applied for the director's job and asked Steifel for a reference. Steifel got the job in the end, of course, and they essentially said "no hard feelings." So I wonder if he couldn't get opportunities for staging or dancing with RB that he sought at this stage of his career. Any information along those lines?

I saw the Monday night performances. Shevchenko again subbed for the injured Murphy. Thanks to Ratmansky for picking these two corps members for such important roles. They got the loudest applause at the end and both seemed to thrive with this great opportunity in such difficult roles. I hope McKenzie gives them more opportunities in the future. The second cast in Symphony #9 was a big disappointment, as it had been last fall, and there were no calls in front of the curtain. Lots of detail disappears in their portrayals, especially Bolle and Part in the lead roles. I suppose they all looked worse after seeing the possibilities from the first cast. E.g., toward the end, Gomes holds Seminova high overhead in a one-armed lift, while she is in a backbend draped over his head, while he turns smoothly around in circles. Bolle used both hands to hold Part overhead and jerked in quarter turns to get around. I noticed the same difference last fall and wondered if I just remembered it wrong (which wouldn't be the first time), but it happened again. E.g., Jared Matthews is capable, but nothing can compete with the amazing Cornejo, especially in the entrechat sideways exit. E.g., In the first cast, Craig Salstein throws himself with abandon near the opening into a sideways catch by the men. Sascha Radetsky barely left the ground and seemed nervous about being caught. The set in Piano Concerto (all those red pieces on strings) seem to move up and down at random. I caught a hammer-and-sickle at one point, but that doesn't seem to be the intent. Overall, much less interesting (and less distracting) than the detailed backdrop in Symphony. Peter Martins was in the audience (orchestra, about the tenth row, on the aisle) for all three pieces.

Thanks - I was looking in the wrong place. BTW -- if you look at that pdf flyer, there's a picture of the previous Symphony #9 costumes with the cream-colored splotches.

Or the change to a new director, Kevin O'Hare? Didn't we see reports earlier that his predecessor resisted hiring Osipova as a regular principal?