California

I saw the debuts of Aran Bell and Catherine Hurlin at the Saturday afternoon performance of Don Quixote. A few observations: Bell is the real deal. Superb technique and presence, wonderful technical mastery, great comedic and dramatic flare. Best: he's only 23 years old! So we can look forward to another 15-20 years of continued growth as an artist. The one-armed lifts in the first act were solid and he walked quite a distance in the second. Hurlin is nicknamed "Hurricane," as I understand. She has a sparkling interpretation of Kitri, but some unfortunate technical limitations. She is not able to hold unsupported balances, even briefly, a weakness made more glaring by comparison with Boylan and Brandt in the preceding two performances. Her hops on point in the dream sequence were painful to watch. The conductor noticeably sped up the tempo just for those--to get them over with as fast as possible? She barely travelled a few feet while others covered most of the stage on the diagonal. She was fine in the fouettes, starting with a few doubles, then solid singles, which seems to be the pattern with all the Kitri's. Blaine Hoven's height and size made for a commanding presence as Espada. Zhong-Jing Fang was a wonderfully sassy and flirtatious Mercedes and nailed the Queen of the Dryads. Chloe Misseldine, in her debut as a Bridesmaid, exuded the confidence and aplomb of a seasoned veteran. (Someone asked me to take note of her and I confess I don't usually pay much attention to the lesser roles. Bridesmaid in this production is a very challenging role in all three acts and a nice opportunity for a young corps member to shine.) Clinton Luckett, Associate Artistic Director, gave the opening tribute to Ukraine.

Thanks for bringing up the original by Baryshnikov from 1978. (Coincidentally, the world premiere was in March 1978 at the Kennedy Center, with President Carter in the audience. Except perhaps for a few character dancers, none of the current dancers was even born yet! They've no doubt seen the 1983 DVD of Baryshnikov with Cynthia Harvey.) In the original, Gelsey wore a longer purple dress. I don't know when that was changed to the red-orange version more familiar from other companies. Most of today's costumes seem to be new, although in the same style as the 1978 original. Another missing element: Baryshnikov's cups variation. As Kurt Fromann has noted, it's not included in all productions:

I was at the Cornejo-Brandt Don Quixote Friday night. A few highlights: Dedication to Ukraine: Christine Shevchenko came out before the curtain with a mike to dedicate the performance to Ukraine. She noted that she is from Odessa and was warmly received. The orchestra played the Ukraine national anthem. (I see many orchestras on social media playing this. Often the musicians whose instruments permit stand while playing, out of respect. This orchestra didn't stand, but perhaps they are so crowded in this orchestra pit that it wasn't an option.) Herman Cornejo: Just superb. I've seen interviews with dancers who say this is a young man's role, and he didn't show the kind of embellishments and flourishes that Simkin did Thursday, but he is still in fine form, with plenty of energy and excitement. His dramatic and comic talents are much in evidence. Skylar Brandt: Her debut in the role, she can be very pleased with her performance. If you follow her on Instagram (worth doing), she is coached by Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovky and the attention to dramatic and comic detail shows. Queen of the long balances, she had plenty of opportunities to show off, especially in the Act II Dream sequence, where she also knocked off super-fast chaine turns and solid hops on pointe. Fouettes in Act III started with a few doubles, and finished with clean singles. At the bows, when a large bouquet of red roses was presented, she immediately handed them all to Cornejo and knelt down. (Gelsey did that early in her partnership with Baryshnikov.) Gabe Stone Shayer (with blackened hair) made his debut as Espada. He seemed more confident in the second act tavern scene, with welcome exuberance that was missing in Act I. Cassie Trenary in her debut as Mercedes was wonderfully sassy and flirtatious. As Queen of the Dryads in Act II she knocked out solid Italian fouettes (did I count seven?). Kanon Kimura as Cupid suffered the only visible mishap of the evening, when she slipped and fell hard near the end of the Dream sequence, but she got up immediately, to reassuring applause from the audience, and finished without problem.

Excellent point! I remember Cornejo posting last fall that he would not be able to see fans after performances for precisely this reason. Although Kennedy Center requires masks and vaccination proof inside the theaters, the masks seem to come off as people are leaving. At the rehearsal Thursday afternoon, most of the staff and crew between acts were masked. I didn't wait around to see Simkin leaving and I wonder how he handled it. He's scheduled with the Martha Graham company next week in NYC. https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2021-2022/city-center-dance-festival/ Martha Graham Dance Company’s programs include Chronicle, a 1936 response to the global rise of fascism; a world premiere from Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter featuring guest star Daniil Simkin. . .

You're probably right. Still...I stood outside that same stage door in 1976 to get Baryshnikov's autograph on the Push Comes to Shove program. I keep it in a gorgeous frame and in low light so it doesn't fade. It's not worth anything financially, as I'm sure he gave out thousands of autographs, but still...

A huge crowd was waiting outside the stage door Thursday night, presumably for Simkin. Without printed programs, I wonder what he signed?

Colorado Ballet does the Bruch every few years. It's wonderful! Wasn't there a thread here a few years ago about some personal issues between the stager and ABT? Whatever - ABT's loss.

I just got back from the Simkin-Boylston Don Quixote at the Kennedy Center. He is so on top of his game. What a joy to see after so long. A few observations: The program opened with MacKenzie stepping in front of the curtain to dedicate the performance to Ukraine, followed by the orchestra's playing of the Ukraine national anthem. I don't know if they are doing that every night. Ominous weather forecasts all day -- severe thunderstorms, tornados. But no rain before and it was dry after the performance. Near the beginning of the second act, telephone alarms started going off all over the theater. Even when you silence your phone, the alarms break through apparently. No print programs. They have those QR codes all over the lobbies. Many of us stood there trying to get it to work and gave up. Fortunately, the program is also available on their web site: https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/explore-by-genre/ballet/2021-2022/american-ballet-theatre/program?performanceId=73832 I've been a Simkin fan for a long time and he didn't disappoint. He added his many embellishments and flourishes throughout the evening. In one variation, he did three of his trademarked revoltade 540s across the front of the stage. He's such a natural for this role and his comedic touches were a delight. Boylston was workmanlike and mostly solid, with several long balances, but she doesn't impress me by pushing the envelope beyond what you expect from a principal. She had one slight slip in the first act during the landing from a minor lift, when she fell forward on her hands and knees very briefly, but she got up right away and seemed okay. I'm always a little nervous about the two one-armed lifts in Act I, but they were spectacular and went on forever. At the end of the second one, he raised up on the balls of both feet, which you don't see very often. (I saw some truly scary one-armed overhead lifts in the latest round of pairs figure skating; those seem so dangerous I'm surprised they haven't been banned.) I didn't see much else that impressed me. Forster as Espada and Teuscher as Mercedes were okay, but nothing special. I don't remember three very young girls as servants in the first act, one of them African-American. They were not joyful peasant children, but workers hauling baskets of fruit, moving furniture, etc. Just seemed odd. When did those get added to the production?

I decided long ago to skip the opening programs and just see the Don Qs. They performed the Ratmansky during lock-down on-line and I did enjoy it. I think it was a stream from City Center? Nice but not worth an extra trip to the theater. Wasn't ZigZag performed at the fall season? Saw clips on-line and decided to skip that, too. It would be nice to see the King some day.

Life is short and it's a long trip for me. I can't think of anything I'd rather do in DC right now. Also looking forward to Bell, Simkin, Ahn, and Shevchenko. I have a sad feeling this will be the last season of Don Q for Cornejo.

I'm seeing the KenCen performances. The ballet is a real "upper" for me and I get to see five different casts -- all quite wonderful. Trying to make up for lost time during COVID!

It looks like Ratmansky was in Munich for the premiere of his Pictures at an Exhibition. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbj2icIgt93/

I've been wondering about Grishko's, which at least some Russians in the west prefer. They have four factories in Russia and apparently nowhere else. Hopefully, stores and people with this preference have laid in a big supply. https://grishko.ca/about/ No way to know if Grishko relies on supplies from countries now boycotting.

I wish they would all explore streaming-for-a-fee for those of us who can't attend in person but would happily pay to help the charities and see these performances. That Swan Lake with four O/Os looks really enticing! But the San Carlo and London galas also seem worth the money.

Here's the link to their web site for PNB's new season; https://www.pnb.org/season/#new Rep 1 looks really interesting! Do we know anything about the new Ratmansky? music? theme?

Yes, Van Patten and Birkkjaer were cast opening night. He was excellent and I was surprised there was little extra applause until the end for him.

Kennedy Center hasn't announced their 2022-23 season yet. Assuming Mariinsky and Bolshoi remain off-limits for the foreseeable future, it would be great if they brought in the Dutch Company!

I just got back from opening night for Program 4. I saw Ratmansky's The Seasons just once in NYC in May 2019, thinking I should plan to see it again. Who knew it would be three years before it got to San Francisco Ballet, which co-produced it with ABT. It really is great fun -- plenty of challenging choreography and risky partnering. Ratmansky himself came out for the bows carrying a Ukrainian flag and the place erupted. I couldn't get excited about their La Sylphide. After a gorgeous streaming production last year (was that Norway?), it was hard to get engaged with it. To me, it's one of these oddities that is mainly interesting for its place in history. Nothing wrong with this version, just not very interesting or visually attractive.

Alas, looks like Aaron Robison hasn't returned!

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has announced its 2022-2023 season: https://www.pbt.org/performance-category/2022-2023-season/ Storytelling In Motion Date: Oct 6 - Oct 9, 2022 Venue: August Wilson African American Cultural Center Choreography: Nacho Duato, Helen Pickett and Goyo Montero | Music: Claude Debussy, John Corigliano, Joacquin … READ MORE The Nutcracker Date: Dec 9 - Dec 28, 2022 Venue: Benedum Center Choreography and Concept: Terrence S. Orr | Music: Pyotr Tchaikovsky In this distinctly Pittsburgh production … READ MORE Dracula Date: Feb 10 - Feb 12, 2023 Venue: Benedum Center Choreography: Michael Pink | Music: Philip Feeney Fall under the spell of one of literature’s … READ MORE The Masters Program with the PBT Orchestra Date: Apr 14 - Apr 16, 2023 Venue: Benedum Center Choreography: Christopher Wheeldon, Jorma Elo and George Balanchine | Music: György Ligeti, Jean Sibelius, Pyotr … READ MORE The Sleeping Beauty with the PBT Orchestra Date: May 19 - May 21, 2023 Venue: Benedum Center Choreography: Ronald Hynd | Music: Pyotr Tchaikovsky Drama and romance are palpable in this modernized … IA ROOM

Did anyone on this site get email notification that the program book was available? I'm a ticket holder, subscriber, and Friend! You'd think one of those would count.

Here we go again -- I have tickets to two of those performance, but no notice was sent to us via email. I learned the program book is available here. They don't really take good care of their ticket buyers!

I wish they could figure out how to do a live stream of this fund-raising gala -- they could raise a LOT more money.

A lovely feature on NBC about Ukraine dancers fighting in the war:

Philadelphia Ballet just announced their 2022-2023 season on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca2Gze2t-cG/ Here it is on their web site: https://philadelphiaballet.org/2022-2023-season/ Cinderella October 13-23, 2022 Set to Sergei Prokofiev’s passionate and expansive score, Ben Stevenson’s version of Cinderella has captivated audiences with its emotionally compelling portrayal of this cherished ballet. LEARN MORE George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker December 9-28, 2022 Let yourself be captivated by the grand spectacle of George Balanchine’s enduringly beloved ballet, The Nutcracker®. LEARN MORE New Works February 3-11, 2023 In the continuation of our highly-popular New Works series, three renowned choreographers have been commissioned to conceptualize new works for the stage. LEARN MORE The Sleeping Beauty March 2-12, 2023 Set to a gloriously grandiose score by Tchaikovsky with choreography by Artistic Director Angel Corella, this production is a testament to the enduring brilliance of classical ballet. LEARN MORE Balanchine March 16-19, 2023 Set to Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous Piano Concerto No. 2, Ballet Imperial evokes images of Russia’s bygone era with a technically demanding display of classical technique. LEARN MORE Coppélia May 11-14, 2023 Based on a celebrated story by E.T.A Hoffmann, the fantasy, wit, and laugh-out-loud antics of Coppélia are sure to entice the entire family. LEARN MORE