California

It's probably smart to avoid controversy of this sort in her first seasons. Bayadere and Corsaire have both triggered serious outcries elsewhere. On a related note, I saw Pennsylvania Ballet's Corsaire in March 2017. I noticed that Aili was called "servant" instead of "slave" in the printed program and asked about that at the Q&A before one performance. Corella was there, but the marketing manager said it was his idea to make the change. Interesting that the slave status of the women was unchanged, however.

I have wondered if Rojo might bring Raymonda to San Francisco in 2024. It got mixed reviews in London and I have no idea who owns the production, but she seemed to be very involved in it. In earlier reports, Jaffe loves Onegin and Manon seems to be popular with ABT audiences, too.

I was curious if Putin's black list includes prominent Russian artists, now US citizens, who have spoken out against the Ukraine invasion, e.g. Ratmansky and Baryshnikov. Not yet. Perhaps in the next expansion of the list. So far it's mainly political figures. Here's the list: https://www.mid.ru/ru/maps/us/1814243/

Amar Ramasar just posted that he has a partial tear in a tendon, but hopes to recover sufficiently for his retirement performance. I'll paste in his comment by the photo: With only 8 days till my farewell performance at @nycballet , this is one of the hardest posts for me to share. I sustained a partial tear in my quadricep tendon during Wednesday night’s “Four Seasons”. I’m heartbroken to miss tonight’s Midsummer Nights Dream, and on May 25th. With all of the support I’m receiving from my amazing medical team, I remain optimistic for my final performance on May 29th with @shyltin . Thank you to @jovani.furlan for filling in, and Merde for your debut in this special pas de deux. I know you will be glorious. Also, thanks to all my colleagues, friends, and family for the prayers and love. I believe all of this love will give me the strength to keep pushing for this moment of appreciation and gratitude https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd0nGMbOVhl/

Coincidentally, ABT Studio just posted a clip on Facebook of Jake Roxander doing turns in second and - wait for it - a jump off the floor with each one. I guess this is the new challenge for male dancers:

There is another astonishing move that Baryshnikov did in the final movement of Push Comes to Shove: fouette, then multiple pirouettes with turning leg lifted up. It's at 6:17 in this clip. It's been a very long time (44 years!), but I thought Baryshnikov did this in his variation in the original Robbins' Four Seasons. No tape available that I can find on YouTube. In the first performances, Baryshnikov and Martins had different variations, but apparently Robbins modified that in later productions so they were more similar. Anybody else old enough to have seen this? PS. Note that Susan Jaffe is in this recording, in the role originated by Martine van Hamel. I always hoped that ABT might revive this with the right dancer -- Daniil Simkin? Aran Bell? I assume Tharp would have to approve. Mariinsky did this with Kimin Kim a few years ago. Oh, how I wish there were tape of that!

So sorry I won't see his retirement performance, which I was unable to schedule for myself.

Your description of this reminded me of a move by Baryshnikov in the Dance in America recording of Tchaikovsky Pas de deux. In the liner notes for the DVD, Balanchine reportedly asked Baryshnikov if he could add those. He does four of those turns with a hop at 6:34. Is this what Mejia did?

The National Endowment for the Arts has just announced grants for May 2022. To see the list by discipline, including 114 grants totalling $2,164,000 to dance organizatios: https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/Spring2022-Discipline-List-Report.pdf For the general news release on all grants this cycle: https://www.arts.gov/news/press-releases/2022/national-endowment-arts-announces-second-round-grants-fy-2022 If you have personally benefitted in any way from any of those grants, please send a letter to your member of Congress and Senators to let them know how important this funding is.

No Balanchine, Peck, Ratmansky, Robbins...they have gems from all in their repertoire. Disappointing.

Here's the 2023 schedule. Nothing in May-June. Does anybody know the explanation? Nothing by Peck or Ratmansky. https://www.sfballet.org/tickets/2023-season/ Program A: Jan 20-Feb 11 Program B: Jan 21-Feb 8 ProgramC: Jan 25-Feb 7 Giselle: Feb 24-March 5 Program 5: March 14-19 (Tomasson, Thatcher, Forsythe) Cinderella: March 31-April 8 (Wheeldon) Romeo & Juliet: April 21-30 (Tomasson)

I thought I saw an announcement that the 2023 season would be announced today. Not finding much on the web site. If anybody found a link, please post. I did try going to "calendar" in far upper-right corner. Lists the 9-choreographer festival in January-February, Giselle in February-March, mixed bill in March, Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella in April, nothing for May-June. UPDATE: links now available: https://www.sfballet.org/tickets/2023-season/

I saw Bright Stream at few times at the Met long ago, but it's not the sort of ballet that makes you yearn to see it again and again. Interesting, cute, historically significant because of its creation in the 1930s with a Shostakovich score. I have Bolt on a DVD, but can't imagine a western company wanting to stage it. Historically interesting, but something of an oddity. I wonder who owns the rights to the Giselle restoration, which I would love to see staged by a western company. But most already have their own Giselle, so even if Ratmansky has rights to it, who would stage it? I saw the "live" stream in January 2020 and wish Bolshoi had released it on DVD or streaming, but that never happened. Olga Smirnova was Giselle in the broadcast and she has now defected to the Netherlands. Perhaps they could stage it? That would be worth a plane ticket, for sure! Flames of Paris is another historically interesting piece from the 30s, made in response to Stalin's request to show the decadence of the west, and I suspect Bolshoi will continue to show it. It also is chock full of flashy choreography and bits of it keep showing up in gala shows in the west. It will survive for that reason alone, if not others. This might be a nice time to revive Ratmansky's Trilogy -- either ABT or San Francisco, as it was a co-production. So much history there with Shostakovich, the trauma of growing up in the USSR, etc., etc. And great ballets choreographically. I would love to see all three again.

Boston Ballet has just announced its 2022-23 season: https://www.bostonballet.org/Home/Tickets-Performances October 6-16: Allegro Brillante, Apollo, Pickett, Gallows November 3-13: Forsythe November 25-December 31: Nutcracker March 16-26: Nureyev's Don Quixote April 6-16: Linning + Peck May 25-June 4: Sleeping Beauty

Booking now available for Nureyev: Legend and Legacy for five performances on September 5, 6, and 12, with tickets starting at 25 GBP. Still not clear what funds are being raised for, other than (possibly) the Nureyev Foundation. https://booking.lwtheatres.co.uk/event/f8045eba-58cc-ec11-8396-a2de2f294bbc/#_ga=2.151894138.255075581.1652282580-744035630.1652282580

An interesting program in early September on Nureyev: Legend and Legacy at Theatre Royal Drury Lane: https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/nureyev-legend-and-legacy/ Not clear if this is a fundraiser for something (what?) or whether ordinary tickets will be available along with the very expensive VIP tickets. Anybody know what this is about?

I don't know why I got this email from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. (I'm not a subscriber or friend to this company.) It's too bad it arrived today, a full day after the ABT announcement: An Important Update from PBT Dear Friends of PBT: I am writing to let you know that I will be stepping down as Artistic Director of PBT in November of 2022 to become the Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre. This position was not something I actively sought out, but instead one that came to me. When the opportunity presented itself, I simply couldn't pass it up. Not only is ABT the top classical ballet company in the U.S., but it is also my first home. I spent 32 years working in different capacities there, so really it is a homecoming for me. I am so grateful for my experience at PBT, my first role as an artistic director. What we have accomplished together over the last two years is nothing short of remarkable, and each and every one of you who may have contributed to our success by sharing in our love for ballet and arts. When traditional theater performances were not an option, you helped to keep us dancing in innovative ways, including on our mobile stage at Open Air and through digital programming. I have so enjoyed my time at PBT and will feel a deep sadness in my heart when I depart, but I know the organization will continue to accomplish great things with PBT's next artistic director. With deep sincerity and gratitude, Susan Jaffe

Let me put in a plug for Maison Danel, which I discovered on a recent trip to SF Ballet: https://www.maisondanel.com/ Open for brunch, lunch, tea, but not dinner.

The review of her Swan Lake is interesting: https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/theater-dance/2022/05/04/pittsburgh-ballet-theatre-2021-22-season-closing-swan-lake-susan-jaffe/stories/202204290080

My main response is relief! She's a known quantity wearing many hats as a performer, administrator, and choreographer. I would guess that dancers also feel some relief, at least for now, that she's somebody who is poised to move the company forward without going off a high-risk cliff!

I hope Royal Ballet can figure out how to stream this as a fund-raiser for Ukraine. It looks like great fun!

The National Ballet of Canada has announced their 2022-2023 season: https://national.ballet.ca/Tickets/Next-Season

Casting has not yet been announced for Theme and Variations at the Met in June: https://aesthetics-online.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1611686&group= But on their Instagram Stories, Cornejo and Brandt are rehearsing T&V, along with Swan Lake.

For a regional company (about 37 dancers), that's an impressively rich schedule! I wish they'd scheduled the Nijinska with some other works. (I'm not keen on the rest of that program.) And this seems to be the only Onegin in North America next year. For all the talk in recent years about giving female choreographers an opportunity, I've been hoping somebody would take note of Nijinska!

Just announced: PNB will perform at the Koch Theatre, sponsored by the Joyce Theater Foundation, June 22-26. It will be competing with Ratmansky's Love and Rage at the Met. I'm not seeing any announcements elsewhere concerning the works included on the two mixed bills. If anybody else sees that, please post the link. https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/The-Joyce-at-Lincoln-Center-to-Present-Pacific-Northwest-Ballet-20220425