California

I used "fourth-string" because Ryshkina was cast only after the cancellations of Alexandrova and Zakharova, leaving only Osipova of the originally announced Kitri's. Yes, there were positive comments about Ryshkina and some preferred her more restrained approach. Dazzling pyrotechnics were missing in the Saturday evening performance I saw. It was great fun to see Osipova push the envelope on the technical possibilities, but not everyone shares that view.

Dance Channel TV just posted a nice segment on the FBT's Don Quixote. It includes interviews and brief performance clips by Gomes and Murphy: http://www.dancechanneltv.com/video?v=QgtHpwxMhy96u

Baryshnikov will perform in Israel (reportedly for the first time ever) on June 26, 28, & 29, 2010. This is the same program he toured with Ana Laguna last fall in the U.S. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1160332.html http://www.midnighteast.com/mag/?p=4175 "Mikhail Baryshnikov, the dancer who stirred the imagination of the world, will arrive in Israel for the first time in June, for three performances with dancer/choreographer Ana Laguna. The Suzanne Dellal Centre, recent recipient of the Israel Prize, will host the virtuoso dancers on June 26 and they will perform at the Herzliya Performing Arts Center on June 28 & 29. The exciting evening of dance, “Three Solos and a Duet” will feature the works of contemporary choreographers Mats Ek, Alexei Ratmansky and Benjamin Millepied: Valse-Fantasie, Music by Glinka, Choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky Solo for Two, Music by Arvo Part, Choreographed by Mats Ek Years later, Music by Philip Glass, Choreographed by Benjamin Millepied Place, Music by Flaskkvartetten, Choreography by Mats Ek"

For what it's worth, on the repertory page of NYCB, they list the 1967 version with a hypen (Valse-Fantaisie) http://www.nycballet.com/company/rep.html?rep=211 and the 1953 version without (Valse Fantaisie). http://www.nycballet.com/company/rep.html?rep=210 This difference is consistent with the master list of repertory: http://www.nycballet.com/company/rep.html Now, we just have to wonder if the person who typed up the SAB program was aware of this differentiation! I don't see anything like a news release from SAB that might say more, but presumably that's forthcoming soon.

The program for the 2010 School of American Ballet Workshop Performances has been announced: http://www.sab.org/news/workshop_performan...information.php SCÈNES DE BALLET Music by Igor Stravinsky Choreography by Christopher Wheeldon VALSE FANTAISIE Music by Mikhail Glinka Choreography by George Balanchine BOURRÉE FANTASQUE Music by Emmanuel Chabrier Choreography by George Balanchine Performances: Saturday, June 5: 2:00 & 8:00 p.m. ($45) Tuesday, June 8: 7:00 p.m. (benefit performance and dinner/dance) Tickets go on sale on-line on April 15. http://www.sab.org/news/workshop_performan...ase_tickets.php

If you go to the Calendar page on the ABT site and select June, you will see Cojocaru listed for the SB matinee, even though it's still TBA on the ticket ordering page: http://www.abt.org/performances/default.asp And note that Osipova's only SB is that evening. If you search on YouTube, you can find quite a few excerpts of Cojocaru's SB.

The George Balanchine Foundation has several projects to make works available for educational and research purposes. Of special note: MediaText: a project to make original materials available via digital technology: http://www.balanchine.org/balanchine/03/mediatext.html archive videos: http://www.balanchine.org/balanchine/03/gb...ves_videos.html libraries holding these videos: http://www.balanchine.org/balanchine/03/gb..._libraries.html

I agree. One striking thing about the Osipova Saturday matinee at OCPAC last month was the presence of so many Russian-speaking audience members anywhere you walked in the lobbies and their enthusiastic unison clapping during the performance. They were missing at the evening performance with the fourth-string leads. Word seemed to be out among the Russian immigrant community in LA (which is huge) that Osipova was the one to see. Nobody should be surprised to see the same phenomenon in New York. I see this morning on the ABT/Met site that tickets for the Osipova performances are still available, although they're not particularly good ones.

Bringing Back Balanchine has brief excerpts of the works NYCB showed on its St. Petersburg visit, but no complete ballets: Serenade, Sympony in 3 Movements, Symphony in C, Glass Pieces, Hallelujah Junction, Western Symphony. The Serenade segment runs seven minutes. It includes the opening, the closing, and snippets from the middle, all intercut with a lot of backstage shots of dancers and others watching the stage. I've never found a complete Serenade on VHS or DVD. The Symphony in 3 Movements clip is 4 minutes, again, the opening, the closing, and some snippets in the middle. I've never found a complete version on TV or VHS/DVD. A quick check of www.kultur.com and Amazon.com doesn't turn anything up.

It just took me one full hour to buy single tickets on-line. I kept getting messages about very heavy volume on the website. (It's now 1:00 pm EDT, an hour after sales opened for single tickets.) I've seen other sites use the system of assigning you a seat and putting it in your shopping cart. But it's not really a problem. Go back and pick again and it will add a second seat to your cart. You can then choose which to remove. Or you can pick another section and see what shows up. You need to print out their seating charts first to see what you're getting. And you only have 15 minutes to complete the purchase or it releases the seats in your cart. I was worried about getting good seats for the two Osipova Don Q's (June 1 and 3), but I got great ones. Having seen her at OCPAC last month, let me urge everybody who hasn't seen her to grab seats for her performances.

The French website Arte.tv has had some live streaming dance events, like the New Year's eve program at the Maryiinsky: http://www.arte.tv/fr/70.html

The press release is describing it as a "company premiere": "Boston Ballet will present the Florence Clerc staging with vivid, new costumes and the enchanting scenery that are cornerstones of this classic." http://www.bostonballet.org/Press_Releases..._THE_STAGE.html She was a principal with Paris Opera Ballet, so we might wonder if she performed in Nureyev's Bayadere: http://www.cmi.univ-mrs.fr/~esouche/dance/POBetoiles.html

I can't find any information about staging on their web site: "Join the dancers of The Washington Ballet for this swashbuckling adventure of pirates, pashas, and the slave girls who love them in this thrilling, new production of the 19th century classic by Marius Petipa. The story of lovers Conrad and Medora, the evil Seid Pasha, and company of corsairs enchants and excites. Don’t miss this adventuresome company premiere!" http://www.washingtonballet.org/_webapp_2902533/Le_Corsaire This write-up in the Washington Post doesn't say either: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...0022802808.html It's interesting that this will be at the Eisenhower Theatre at the Kennedy Center the same week (April 5-10, 2011) that NYCB will be doing three Balanchine programs at the Opera house. This might make a trip to DC worth the visit! http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/ind...amp;event=BLBSG

Here's the write-up on their website: "Septime Webre closes the 2010.2011 season with his smoldering Carmen. This passion-filled portrayal of the feisty title character, set to Georges Bizet’s spirited score, is complimented by Pablo Picasso-inspired sets. This program also features riveting world premieres by TWB Associate Artistic Director David Palmer and Edwaard Liange, whose Wunderland captivated DC audiences." http://www.washingtonballet.org/_webapp_2902534/Carmen

The Washington Ballet's 2010-11 season has been announced: http://www.washingtonballet.org/performanc...next-season.htm Romeo and Juliet November 3-7, 2010 John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Eisenhower Theater The Nutcracker December 2-26, 2010 Warner Theatre Rock & Roll February 16-20, 2011 Harman Center for the Arts Sidney Harman Hall Rock & Roll: Kids! Sunday, February 20, 2011 Harman Center for the Arts Sidney Harman Hall Le Corsaire April 6 -10, 2011 John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Eisenhower Theatre The Sleeping Beauty Suite April 16-17, 2011 The Washington Ballet Carmen May 18-22, 2011 Harman Center for the Arts Sidney Harman Hall inthewings - bardandballet Monday, October 18, 2010 at 6:30pm The Washington Ballet England Studio Theater inthewings - Rock, Roll and Ballet Monday, January 31, 2011 at 6:30pm The Washington Ballet England Studio Theater inthewings - Inside a World Premiere Monday, May 2, 2011 at 6:30pm The Washington Ballet England Studio Theater

The Boston Ballet's 2010-11 season has been announced: http://www.bostonballet.org/tickets/2010-2011.html The press release has more detail about the mixed bills: http://www.bostonballet.org/Press_Releases..._THE_STAGE.html Night of Stars – ONE NIGHT ONLY October 30, 2010, 7:00pm La Bayadère – COMPANY PREMIERE November 4 – 14, 2010 Music: Ludwig Minkus Choreography: Florence Clerc after Marius Petipa The Nutcracker November 26 – December 31, 2010 Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Choreography: Mikko Nissinen Elo Experience March 24 – April 3, 2011 Music: Various Choreography: Jorma Elo A Midsummer Night’s Dream April 7 – 17, 2011 Music: Felix Mendelssohn Choreography: George Balanchine Bella Figura April 28 – May 8, 2011 The Second Detail – COMPANY PREMIERE Music: Thom Willems Choreography: William Forsythe Pärt I, II and III – FEATURING WORLD PREMIERE WORKS Music: Arvo Pärt Choreography: Helen Pickett Bella Figura – COMPANY PREMIERE Music: Lukas Foss, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Allessandro Marcello, Antonio Vivaldi, and Giuseppe Torelli Choreography: Jiří Kylián Balanchine/Robbins May 12 – 22, 2011 Divertimento No. 15 Music: Wolfgang Mozart Choreography: George Balanchine Afternoon of a Faun – COMPANY PREMIERE Music: Claude Debussy Choreography: Jerome Robbins Antique Epigraphs – COMPANY PREMIERE Music: Claude Debussy Choreography: Jerome Robbins Symphony in Three Movements Music: Igor Stravinsky Choreography: George Balanchine

What happened? This Dance in America program is in all the TV listings for KCET/LA for 8 pm March 24, including KCET's own web site. Instead they are showing a Pavarotti special. Was it bumped in other cities, too? Has anybody heard if/when it will be rebroadcast?

The Denver Post review: http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_14734416 "If you want to see what our biggest ballet company is capable of, this is the program to watch. This year's installment, which continues through Sunday, is titled "3motions" and brings together a well-balanced, stylistically mixed trio of works from the past 50 years featuring light romance, human tragedy and frothy exuberance."

If you saw Ryzhkina and Lobukhin, I can see why you prefer Murphy and Gomes -- so would I. I saw R&L at the Saturday evening Bolshoi after the Osipova/Vasiliev matinee. Very disappointing. They seemed miscast and uncomfortable in the challenging technique. Something special about Murphy is the incredibly long length of her poses in various positions -- quite amazing. The one-arm lifts in the first scene were also exceptional - they just went on and on and on. And she really threw herself across the stage on the flying fishdives. She seemed to trust him as a partner. I agree that the character dances were wonderful -- nothing at all amateurish. Indeed, Gamache added more flare and technique to his bits than I can remember seeing elsewhere. And the use of children (young teens?) in the village scene and the dream sequence was well-done. They filled out the stage nicely and weren't asked to do anything beyond their abilities.

The Denver Daily News posts this review: http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=7748

I saw the Sunday matinee. The overall production was very impressive, with many strong soloists. Murphy and Gomes were quite wonderful, but I wouldn't put them in a league with Osipova and Vasiliev with the Bolshoi last month. (Sorry!) Murphy had exceptional balances throughout, her fouettes were sprinkled with triples (!), and the partnering was very impressive. They did seem cramped by the stage at the UCI Barclay Theatre (not their fault, of course). But with a great seat in the front row of the balcony for only $20, I can't complain. It looks like Murphy will be dancing Don Q with Stiefel in New York May 29 and June 2. He will be in the Alonso birthday Gala with Herrera June 3. But they don't seem paired in Don Q.

A review of the mixed bill in Opus Colorado: http://opuscolorado.com/2010/03/20/the-col...with-3emotions/ The same review appeared in INDenver Times: http://www.indenvertimes.com/the-colorado-...with-3emotions/ "This is going to be a very enjoyable review to write. Enjoyable, because of the remarkable performance given on opening night by the Colorado Ballet Friday, March 19." I haven't seen any reviews yet in the Denver Post - perhaps tomorrow.

Casting has been announced for ABT's Sleeping Beauty July 15-18, 2010 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemon...ing-beauty.html July 15: Gillian Murphy and Jose Manuel Carreño July 16: Paloma Herrera and David Hallberg July 17 matinee: Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky July 17 evening: Xiomara Reyes and Herman Cornejo July 18: Veronika Part and Marcelo Gomes

The Denver Post has a story about their production of Tudor's Echoing of Trumpets: http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_14658156

They'll perform two nights (July 31 & August 1) at the Vail Dance Festival this summer: http://www.vaildance.org/vaildance/info/sc...t-a-glance.aspx (Interestingly, MCB was there last summer.) I wish PNB would perform at OCPAC. San Francisco Ballet was there two years ago and it seemed very successful. LA Ballet only performs in LA County (at least, so far) and OCPAC draws from northern San Diego as well as Orange Counties. OCPAC's dance series for 2010-11 has not yet been announced, so perhaps that's still a possibility.