California

Everybody seems to do that torch lift with two arms. But take a look at Skylar Brandt's Instagram stories today. Cornejo lets go with the left arm ever so briefly. The only one-armed version I've seen with this company. PS. And Francisco Estevez (formerly with Colorado Ballet and sorely missed) again did one-armed torch lifts this year with the Rocky Mountain Ballet Academy, the school of Alexei Tyukov (also formerly with Colorado Ballet and also sorely missed). https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl-ji0ojPdq/

English National Ballet just announced casting for their Swan Lake in January at the London Coliseum: https://www.ballet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Swan-Lake-principal-casting-letterhead.pdf? Of special interest: Iana Salenko January 15, 18, 22 and Brooklyn Mack January 19 and 21. https://www.ballet.org.uk/production/swan-lake/

Guggenheim Works & Process has announced their schedule for spring 2023: https://www.guggenheim.org/event/event_series/works-process Of special interest: Sunday March 263 pm EDT & 7:30 pm EDT Works & Process: Ballet West: Les Noces by Bronislava Nijinska Works & Process: Ballet West: Les Noces by Bronislava Nijinska April 2023 Sunday 2 7:30 pm EDT Works & Process: Miami City Ballet: Square Dance by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust Monday 3 7:30 pm EDT Works & Process: Miami City Ballet: Square Dance by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust Sunday 23 7:30 pm EDT Works & Process: New York City Ballet: Keerati Jinakunwiphat and Alysa Pires

Do you have an Instagram address for her? I'm not seeing this under @liza_on_stage I wonder where they plan to perform this. I haven't seen announcements of further engagements other than the Kennedy Center in February.

Thanks so much for this lovely video. What a treat to be able to see this. I wonder if a certain aging principal noticed what it's like to retire at the top of your game, surrounded by colleagues who love you. Was she there?

Thank you for this very informative and interesting review of Ballet Chicago's Nutcracker. In early 2021, during the worst days of the COVID shut-down, they showed (free!) the Balanchine Swan Lake. I remember thinking I would really like to see this company if I have a reason to get to Chicago some day. I'm wondering how successful the school's graduates are in finding professional employment in other companies. Do you know?

Casting for the second weekend of the Colorado Ballet's Nutcracker has been posted: https://coloradoballet.org/files/galleries/Nutcracker_Cast_Insert_WEEK_2_FINAL.pdf (There is a big parade downtown Saturday night, which is why there is no performance.) It looks like all of these performances, as well as most of the remaining ones this month, are sold out.

Devastating news! Sarah Kaufman laid off by the Washington Post. I assume they'll rely on some free-lancers receiving token compensation, but still... https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/12/01/sarah-kaufman-laid-off/

Colorado Ballet opens their Nutcracker this weekend and runs through December 24. Sales seem to be doing very well. The on-line program: https://issuu.com/pubhouse/docs/cb_hol_22_issuu Casting for the first weekend: https://coloradoballet.org/files/galleries/2022_Nutcracker_Cast_Insert_WEEK_1_FOR_WEB.pdf

Disney+ just debuted their 45-minute "Hip Hop Nutcracker." Tiler Peck is the toy doll and does a mix of classical steps and hip hop. Baryshnikov has a brief duet with a female Drosselmeyer throwing snow on the young Marie and her prince. I don't follow Hip Hop, but it has overall extremely energized and interesting choreography if that's your thing. If you only want to see the cameo's, Peck is at 9:25 and Baryshnikov is at 25:24. If you can't bear the thought of hearing Tchaikovsky set to a hip hop beat, best to mute the sound. As Baryshnikov has explained in recent interviews, his hair is dyed white for his current play, The Orchard.

Wonderful! One of the few positive things to emerge from the COVID lock-down: artists learned how to communicate with social media, passing along performances, jointly performing at great distances, etc. Nice to see them continuing this "tradition."

Casting is on p. 11 of the brochure: https://www.abt.org/wp-content/uploads/Performances/Summer-Season/ABT-2023-Met-Subscription-Brochure.pdf Casting is also on the calendar on the ABT web page: https://www.abt.org/performances/summer-season/

Ha! Thanks. (I have a relative named Leanne - must have been thinking about her!)

I remember going to see this in the late 70s. I have to agree with the NY Times critic: The original production did not delight The New York Times critic at the time, Richard Eder, who could not accept the lack of a plot, writing, “it is like the frosting declaring its independence from the cake.” Let me add: although it was a long time ago (and I had just seen Chorus Line) I remember thinking it was less like a mixed bill at the ballet and more like an advanced school recital. Still, it would be interesting to take another look at his dance vocabulary. Fosse's Chicago is still playing on Broadway and is worth seeing. I saw that with TKTS and Leanne d'Amboise as Roxie. (Yes - THAT d'Amboise) https://chicagothemusical.com/cast/

Thanks for the reminder! Very enjoyable. If Cornejo is contemplating a retirement performance next June, any of those noted so far work (SL, Giselle, R&J), although he is in such good shape, I wonder if he'll hang on a little longer. (And I assume Gillian will retire in a Swan Lake, although she's done the other roles.)

Wow - this is such great news. All the more so, as we keep seeing the daily destruction of Ukraine. A very good way for American philanthropists to use their money!

I attended the three weekend performances of ABT. Not much to add - just a few points: After The Dream on Sunday, principals took bows before the curtain (which nobody did on Saturday), a la NYCB. I wondered if this was a little extra tribute to Cornejo and Murphy, who almost certainly won't be doing those roles again. I didn't see the Cornejo performances 20 years ago, as many did. Yes, spectacular, but the Saturday evening Puck (Elwince Magbitang) was even more astonishing, especially in the chaines across the front of the stage. At the company class on stage for Friends Saturday morning, Jaffe taught the class. I have no idea how often she's doing that or if she's been hanging around for the entire season. But she's getting a good idea of the current capabilities of her dancers. (I hope that means we'll be getting news about the Met season soon!) Sinfonietta just blows me away - gorgeous music, windswept choreography. I saw it in the early 80s at the Kennedy Center with Kylian's company and watch for it. It's also available on Medici for subscribers. Through a happy coincidence, Colorado Ballet is doing it next April. The contrast of Sinfonietta made The Seasons less interesting to me -- the latter has such frenetic choreography. "What can we do to make this harder, if not necessarily more interesting to see?" A real contrast with Kylian's approach. I saw Seasons once pre-pandemic and again last spring at San Francisco Ballet (it was a co-production). Although I'm usually fascinated with Ratmansky's innovations, it wore me out this weekend. And those hideous dance recital costumes, as somebody else noted! Yuk!

There is a documentary about Osipova, "Force of Nature," which is available on Marquee. I have no idea what program is planned for City Center, but it seems possible some of this material will be included. Here's a trailer for the documentary: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10308160/

Here's the Instagram posting: January 21 at City Center: "Force of Nature" with Osipova https://www.instagram.com/p/CiNgTfEIb4Q/

Let me add to the collection: Sinatra singing on stage while Baryshnikov danced "One for My Baby." I don't know when or where this was performed, but I think it might have been Reagan's second inauguration:

Just announced: Announcing Julie Kent's Farewell Season Legendary Artistic Director's Tenure to Conclude at the end of 2022–2023 Season After seven seasons, Artistic Director Julie Kent will conclude her tenure at the end of the 2022–2023 season. Ms. Kent has accepted a new leadership role as Co-Artistic Director of Houston Ballet, effective July 2023. "Our dancers are reaching new artistic peaks, our School and Community programs continue to grow in all corners of the city, and our company is authentically, intentionally building an organizational culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. I feel tremendous gratitude to my Washington Ballet family, and hopeful for all that lies ahead.” - Julie Kent Throughout her decorated career, Julie Kent has showcased her dedication not only to the mastery of ballet, creativity, and expression but also to propelling ballet forward into the 21st century and redefining the image of the American Ballerina. Ms. Kent joined The Washington Ballet in July 2016, becoming only its third Artistic Director in the company’s 46-year history. She has introduced important classical and contemporary masterworks into TWB’s repertoire including 26 world premieres by 17 unique choreographers in addition to her and Associate Artistic Director Victor Barbee’s own critically acclaimed stagings of The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, and Swan Lake. “Julie’s leadership of The Washington Ballet has been nothing short of transformational. As Julie takes this next professional step, we offer our deepest thanks and full support. Together, we can move forward with confidence, knowing that our company is as strong as it has ever been.” - Jean-Marie Fernandez, TWB Board Chair Ms. Kent and her partner, TWB Associate Artistic Director Victor Barbee, will remain in their active leadership roles in Washington, D.C., through the remainder of TWB’s 2022–2023 season. Performances will include the upcoming production of The Nutcracker, an all-Balanchine program, a revival of Kent & Barbee's own critically acclaimed staging of The Sleeping Beauty at the Kennedy Center, and family performances at Capital One Hall, Tyson’s Corner, VA. "It is precisely because of how far we have all come in the last seven years, that I know this is the right moment for me, and for the Company, to look towards the future." - Julie Kent Brava, Julie Kent!

The World Ballet Series performed Swan Lake in Denver October 2 at the University of Denver in a theater with no orchestra pit. The ads made no mention of live music nor did they name any dancers. I didn't bother. I don't recognize a single name of the dancers on the World Ballet web site. If this provides some paid compensation to dancers who would otherwise be unemployed, well, okay. But I hope this isn't the only experience of live performance that these audiences have. They seem to travel to a lot of smaller cities without regular access to live performance. https://www.denver-theater.com/theaters/gates-concert-hall/world-ballet-series-swan-lake.php

I wish I could see this! I hope this is a good omen for the Met season in June-July. I'd love to see him again in NYC.

Indeed! For those who didn't see the Bolshoi stream in 2020, Smirnova was Giselle in that. Oh my -- what a treat that would be! And she apparently has friends in the Netherlands, which has provided refuge to the Ukrainian dancers.

Shevchenko has trained and worked in the US since she was young, so presumably she is either a US Citizen or has a green card. But visas will be needed for the others to come to the US to work. Presumably the Kennedy Center and State Department are expediting those. And the Ukrainian government has to give permission for the men to leave Ukraine, which I assume they will do. That's what I mean by a lot of contingencies. Frankly, I'll be happy with anybody they present. And for anybody who missed the Bolshoi theater stream of Ratmansky's reconstruction in January 2020, this is essentially what they are presenting. Ratmansky was in London for the entire 5-day run there and I would be shocked if he's not at the Kennedy Center engagement. It also seems likely that ambassadors from the many countries that have taken in Ukrainian refugees and provided arms will be in attendance. Should be a major event, not to be missed, for all kinds of reasons. http://christineshevchenko.com/