California

Nureyev reportedly disliked those modesty shorts and refused to wear them, to better show off his line. Two of many sources: https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/nureyev-collection/fwISGAyB_7ISIQ Rudolf Nureyev attached great importance to his own costumes and those of his productions. On stage he sought to put his body to best advantage without hampering his movement. In order to lengthen his line, he abandoned the short pants worn for modesty's sake, and wore only tights, which showed off his legwork to better advantage. Then, to free his movement even more, he shortened the line of the doublets to just above the waist. Little by little, the characteristics of his costume became clearer, and by the 1960s a model for a doublet evolved which would be the base for all his future costumes, no matter what the style of the production. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/10/08/wild-thing-2 Once, when he was dancing “Don Quixote,” the intermission was extended to almost an hour as Nureyev sat in his dressing room, refusing to put on the trunks that, for modesty, Russian male dancers wore in those days. He wanted to perform in tights (again, standard practice today), and he finally won, at which point all the other young men also insisted on discarding the trunks.

The San Francisco Ballet is adopting the same policies we're seeing in New York: proof of vaccination + masking: https://www.sfballet.org/tickets/plan-your-visit/safety/ As a visitor to NYC this week, I love the rules for entry to theaters, museums, and restaurants. Nobody is perfectly safe, but all these measures do encourage tourism. On a side note: I have gotten phone calls this week from two convention bureaus in Florida looking for business from a small professional society I am affiliated with. I lectured them on the difference between NYC and what I see in the news about Florida and COVID and urged them to talk with their legislators and the Governor's office. Florida just named a Surgeon General who is an anti-vaxxer/anti-masker! Yes, all these new rules are a nuisance, but I think this is what it takes to bring back tourists with money to spend. EDITED TO ADD: Colorado Ballet has announced the same policies: https://coloradoballet.org/covidpolicy HEALTH & SAFETY POLICIES Updated 9/22: To attend a performance or event at the War Memorial Opera H ouse, all patrons aged 12 and over must present proof of full vaccination status alongside a matching photo ID. Children under 12 years of age who are not yet eligible for vaccination must present a negative COVID-19 test result (either PCR or antigen test) taken within 72 hours of the start time of the performance they are attending. Masks are required for everyone at all times, regardless of vaccination status, while inside the War Memorial Opera House.

I assume everybody knows that Serenade was Balanchine's first ballet in the US. There might be a few who do not know that Symphony in C was on the first-ever program for NYCB on October 11, 1948, along with Concerto Barocco and Orpheus. Balanchine actually made S in C for the Paris Opera Ballet the year before, under the name Palais de Cristal. That bit of history helps explain the programming choice. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100232629

I follow Megan on Instagram and she has overcome so much, but she was clearly struggling! She is in Serenade later in the week and should shine. Anyone who gets COVID (I believe hers was pre-vaccine?) has to worry about long-haul effects and she seems to determined to overcome.

Agree on Gordon! I really noticed him a few years ago when he did Coppelia with Bouder (still as a soloist) and at Vail in 2019. Very glad I got to see him again.

I went to the opening night. It seemed historic and I'm glad I was there. They sold out all five rings. Lines to get in were divided with the NY Excelsior pass and Clear moving very fast. The others needed to show another proof of vaccination and photo ID. They were selling beverages in the main area before the performance and plenty seemed to be buying. Impossible to distance! A private reception was held on the terrace off the 1st ring - presumably the big donors. People seemed quite obedient with masks throughout the performances, although it was dark. The program started 15 minutes late, although the orchestra was seated right on time at 7:30. When the announcer came on to say "Welcome to the New York City Ballet," the audience broke out with clapping and cheers. When the curtain went up on Serenade, clapping and cheers so loud you couldn't hear the music for a time! 5 minute pauses. I didn't see people rushing to get out, although that was possible. Kowroski and la Cour followed with After the Rain, a very appropriate rep choice. After the next 5 minute pause, Whelan and Stafford came out before the curtain to thank everybody. Then they said the orchestra had a surprise: a performance of Waltz of the Flowers from Nutcracker. That would not have been my first choice for an extra, if they felt they needed that, but okay. The finale was Symphony in C. As others have noted, it seemed odd to put this on the program, the only performance all year. But it was a chance to show us that many of our favorite principals are back and in good form: Fairchild-Gordon, Mearns-Angle, Woodward-Ball, King-Scordato. (We saw Bouder, Hyltin and LeCrone in Serenade.) At the end, loud cheers, as twinkle snow dropped from the ceiling. We left the theater in an unexpected rain storm. A detail perhaps others noticed: Angle looked like he had on a skullcap from Prodigal Son! Did he shave his head? Has it all turned light gray? Jarring.

Tickets went on sale today (Sunday, 9/19) for Fall for Dance Festival. I have never been to this Festival before, but coincidentally will be in town for one performance, so I thought I'd try. Logged on the minute they opened (11 am EDT) and was in the waiting room for an hour. But I'm surprised at how good the seat is. I am a Friend at the lowest level and have no idea if that might have anything to do with it. No seat selection, but okay.

I have gotten unusual voice mails and emails in recent days from ABT fund-raisers. They are asking people to renew early and perhaps upgrade their memberships now, as "We have the daunting task of raising $2 million for our Koch season." I'm guessing that they are renting the Koch and are not being co-sponsored by Lincoln Center. I wonder how bad things are for them financially!

"In Balanchine's Classroom" is also available on Amazon for $19.95, but they are temporarily out-of-stock: https://www.amazon.com/In-Balanchines-Classroom/dp/B09FC9J3L7/

I just heard back from the NYCB Membership office that they expect to restart Friends rehearsals in October. You should be getting some kind of notice if you are eligible.

The print-at-home tickets still say "skip the lines at intermission" and order drinks ahead. Of course, that could have slipped through before they thought about it. I had been thinking perhaps the pause could be really long for a bathroom break but skip food lines by keeping refreshments closed. I can't find anything on the web site about forms for refreshment options. I assume they're working everything out on a day-to-day basis.

This is on another topic on this site:

Here's the link to Week 1 casting: https://res.cloudinary.com/new-york-city-ballet/image/upload/v1631547974/Press-Releases/Fall-2021-Casting-PDF/NYCB-Casting_September-21-26-2021_lobby-20210913 NEW YORK CITY BALLET PRINCIPAL CASTING FOR SEPTEMBER 21-26, 2021 TUESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 21, 7:30PM (Conductor: Litton) SERENADE: Hyltin, Bouder, LeCrone, *Danchig-Waring, Sanz pause AFTER THE RAIN PAS DE DEUX: Kowroski, la Cour [Solo Piano: McDill, Solo Violin: Nikkanen] pause SYMPHONY IN C M. Fairchild, Gordon, Mearns, T. Angle, Woodward, Ball, King, Schumacher WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 22, 7:30PM (Conductor: Sill) OPUS 19/THE DREAMER: T. Peck, Garcia [Solo Violin: Nikkanen] pause NEW BIGONZETTI – WORLD PREMIERE: *Kowroski, *Ramasar [Solo Piano: Baldwin] pause RUSSIAN SEASONS: Phelan, Pazcoguin, M. Fairchild, King, Segin, Anderson, *Danchig-Waring, *Sanz, *Walker, *Alberda, *Coll, *Hoxha [Solo Violin: Nikkanen] THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 23, 7:30PM (Conductor: Otranto) SERENADE: Hyltin, Bouder, LeCrone, Danchig-Waring, Sanz pause PULCINELLA VARIATIONS: Kretzschmar, Mearns, T. Peck, Gerrity, Woodward, Janzen, Scordato, Garcia, Huxley pause GLASS PIECES: Hod, Applebaum, Adams, Walker, *Dutton-O’Hara, *Alberda, *Phelan, Ramasar FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 24, 8:00PM (Conductor: Otranto) SERENADE: Hyltin, Bouder, LeCrone, Danchig-Waring, Sanz pause PULCINELLA VARIATIONS: Kretzschmar, Mearns, T. Peck, Gerrity, Woodward, Janzen, Scordato, Garcia, Huxley pause GLASS PIECES: Hod, Applebaum, Adams, Walker, Dutton-O’Hara, Alberda, Phelan, Ramasar SATURDAY MATINEE, SEPTEMBER 25, 2:00PM (Conductor: Otranto) SERENADE: Mearns, M. Fairchild, Gerrity, la Cour, Chamblee pause PULCINELLA VARIATIONS: *Adams, M. Miller, Phelan, Hod, *E. Von Enck, *Chan, Applebaum, Coll, *Takahashi pause GLASS PIECES: *Nadon, *Sanz, *LaFreniere, *Riccardo, Habony, Chamblee, Reichlen, Janzen SATURDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 25, 8:00PM (Conductor: Sill) OPUS 19/THE DREAMER: T. Peck, Garcia [Solo Violin: Nikkanen] pause NEW BIGONZETTI: Kowroski, Ramasar [Solo Piano: Baldwin] pause RUSSIAN SEASONS: *Hyltin, Mearns, *Laracey, Woodward, Maxwell, *Habony, Stanley, Veyette, *Gordon, *Zuniga, *Villarini-Velez, *Fahoury [Solo Violin: Nikkanen] SUNDAY MATINEE, SEPTEMBER 26, 3:00PM ABI STAFFORD FAREWELL (Conductor: Sill) OPUS 19/THE DREAMER: Hyltin, *Gordon [Solo Violin: Nikkanen] pause NEW BIGONZETTI: Kowroski, Ramasar [Solo Piano: Baldwin] pause RUSSIAN SEASONS: Phelan, Pazcoguin, A. Stafford, King, Segin, Anderson, Danchig-Waring, Sanz, Walker, Alberda, Coll, Hoxha [Solo Violin: Nikkanen] * First Time in Role PROGRAM AND CASTING SUBJECT TO CHANGE (09/13/21)

Sarasota Ballet has the unfortunate reality of being in Florida. They have come up with a policy that admittance requires EITHER a negative test or proof of vaccine. Masks required for all. That might be the best they can do, given their governor. Updates to The Sarasota Ballet's COVID-19 Safety Protocol Dear Sarasota Ballet Family, As we prepare to reopen for our 2021 - 2022 Season, the performing arts are once again facing challenges. In light of the recent COVID-19 Delta variant-based resurgence, many patrons have requested stronger COVID protocols be established as a prerequisite for attending performances. We have communicated with other major performing arts organizations in the Sarasota community, and have collectively agreed upon several protective measures in order to uphold vigilant health and safety protocols for the well-being of our dancers, staff, and patrons. Effective September 26th, 2021, we will uniformly implement the following policy: all patrons aged 12 and older must show either: a negative PCR COVID-19 test administered by a medical provider or official testing center no earlier than 72 hours before the time of our performance, or a negative rapid antigen COVID-19 test administered by a medical professional or official testing center no earlier than 24 hours prior to the time of our performance. Home testing kit results will not be accepted for entry. If patrons prefer, CDC or an other official vaccination record showing patrons are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (at least 14 days since the final dose) may be voluntarily presented at the door as an acceptable alternative to negative COVID-19 test results. Both physical and electronic presentation of documents will be accepted. Photo identification must accompany the presentation of all documents. All patrons over age 5, regardless of vaccination or testing status, must wear masks over their nose and mouth at all times while inside the venue Details may be revised based on CDC guidance and the evolving circumstances of the pandemic. Click Here for the Full Joint Statement With this policy established, we are happy to announce that single tickets to our 2021 - 2022 Season will be available for purchase shortly; when this occurs, we will distribute another communication to remind you. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Many thanks, The Sarasota Ballet

Has anybody here been to the NYC Film Forum? I was going to buy a seat for an upcoming NYC visit, but can't get a good sense of seating with Google images. Is there a good slope in the theater seating? Are the front few rows actually too close to the screen to see without having to strain to look upwards? Daytime seats seem to be plentiful (at least for now).

I'm glad to see this. Thanks for posting. Nothing yet on the web sites for ABT or Segerstrom, but I assume that will appear soon. It looks like the spring seasons will be repeats of the NYC fall programs, at least this first year, but okay. Very glad to see a continued commitment to the Ratmansky Nutcracker. I only saw it over one weekend a few years ago at Segerstrom, but it's such a fresh approach and a great opportunity to see rising stars in challenging roles that I look forward to seeing it again this year, if the dates work out for my schedule. I am curious if Segerstrom will bring in any other companies. No ballet series announced yet. And nothing yet from LA Dorothy Chandler, but I assume the international negotiations are holding this up.

I don't doubt this at all. The bigger issue is how they will be admitted to the US in the first place if they don't have acceptable vaccination -- which does not include the Russian or Chinese ones. It's interesting that Segerstrom and LA Music Center haven't announced anything past September. Both typically host many Russian and European countries and I'm guessing they are struggling with these issues. They have announced admission for audiences but how do the foreign companies even get into the US? https://www.musiccenter.org/tickets/events-by-the-music-center/glorya-kaufman-dance/

New York City Ballet announced Thursday it would limit its cast to performers 12 and older as part of safety protocols for its 47-show run of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker,” which opens the day after Thanksgiving and ends in January. Children under 12 will still be allowed in the audience, though they will have to provide negative virus test results.

In an Instagram posting today, Kochetkova mentions that she had COVID. Recently, she talked about quarantine in London before starting with ENB. I hope she has recovered fully but I suppose dancers (like everybody) have to worry about long-term effects, especially in breathing: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTcBIjDFquH/

I read this. I feel so sorry for the dancers who were told to sign one-year leases at a pricey new apartment complex but were let go long before those expired. And missed the next audition season just in time for COVID!

I wonder about the Russian vaccine. For trips to Canada this fall, it's not accepted: o Accepted Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, tozinameran, BNT162b2) Moderna (mRNA-1273) AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1-S, Vaxzevria, AZD1222) Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (Ad26.COV2.S) o Not accepted Bharat Biotech (Covaxin, BBV152 A, B, C) Cansino (Convidecia, Ad5-nCoV) Gamalaya (Sputnik V, Gam-Covid-Vac) Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV, Sinopharm-Wuhan) Sinovac (CoronaVac, PiCoVacc) Vector Institute (EpiVacCorona) I wonder if the Mariinsky might work something out with regular testing and mandatory quarantines.

The program for Fall for Dance Festival at City Center has been announced: https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/FallforDance/ Tickets go on sale September 19. Proof of vaccination required for everybody, "Masks may be required in accordance with local government guidelines." Program 1 | Wed Oct 13 & Thu Oct 14 8pm STREB EXTREME ACTION Molinette, Add, and Air Choreography by Elizabeth Streb A.I.M by Kyle Abraham From A Heart Still Beating | NY Premiere Choreography by Kyle Abraham in collaboration with A.I.M The Verdon Fosse Legacy Sweet Gwen Suite | New York City Center Commission Choreography by Bob Fosse & Gwen Verdon Additional choreography by Linda Haberman Program 2 | Fri Oct 15 & Sat Oct 16 8pm Stephen Petronio Company American Landscapes Choreography by Stephen Petronio Houston Ballet Sons de L’âme excerpts | NY Premiere Choreography by Stanton Welch AM Ephrat Asherie Dance ODEON:Redux Choreography by Ephrat Asherie Program 3 | Tue Oct 19 & Wed Oct 20 8pm Philadelphia Ballet Connection | NY Premiere Choreography by Juliano Nunes Micaela Taylor’s The TL Collective Drift | NY Premiere Choreography by Micaela Taylor STEP AFRIKA! The Movement | NY Premiere Choreography by Conrad Kelly II Program 4 | Thu Oct 21 & Fri Oct 22 8pm Lar Lubovitch Dance Company with Guest Artists Adrian Danchig-Waring & Joseph Gordon To Each in His Own Time, New York City Center Commission | World Premiere Choreography by Lar Lubovitch Lil Buck 38109, Co-presented with Damian Woetzel’s Vail Dance Festival | NY Premiere Choreography by Lil Buck BalletX Mapping Out A Sky | NY Premiere Choreography by Matthew Neenan Program 5 | Sat Oct 23 8pm & Sun Oct 24 3pm Roman Mejia Fandango, Co-presented with Damian Woetzel’s Vail Dance Festival Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky Tiler Peck & Herman Cornejo Bloom, Co-commission with Damian Woetzel’s Vail Dance Festival | NY Premiere Choreography by Justin Peck Ayodele Casel New York City Center Commission| World Premiere Choreography by Ayodele Casel

Boston Ballet just announced their requirements: vaccination and masks. For under 12, proof of negative test. Note if you scroll down that all dancers must be vaccinated and wear masks in rehearsal studios. https://www.bostonballet.org/Home/Tickets-Performances/Footer/Press-Room/boston-ballet-covid-19-health-and-safety

Have NYCB or ABT said anything about masking the dancers? ABT had performances at City Center without masking a few months ago. This seems to be a function of testing, vaccination, isolation, etc. When the Denver Performing Arts Center announced their rules for the audience, a local news reporter said performers will NOT be masked. But I haven't seen/heard announcements for theaters this fall elsewhere. Companies could do mandatory testing on a regular basis before performances, in addition to proof of vaccination and I would hope that's enough.

Washington Ballet has just announced their COVID policies - very similar to what we're seeing elsewhere. Proof of vaccination AND masks for everybody. https://www.washingtonballet.org/covid-19-updates-information/