California

I'm disappointed, too, as I had been tentatively planning to visit NYC for this one. I'm wondering though: any chance Houston might bring their Mayerling as a substitute? That would be a treat I'd welcome.

When Works and Process posted this event on Facebook, I wrote a comment that I hoped they would find a way to reprint the book and sell by mail through their bookstore. Somebody from Guggenheim (?) responded that they were still trying to trace the ownership rights and hoped to do that. The problem of "orphan copyrights" was never solved by Congress. I hope they figure it out.

So were the first four last weekend. I had never seen it before and found it interesting and worthwhile: very theatrical, lots of special effects, lavish sets and costumes, and challenging choreography. This version goes back almost two decades and is performed by a lot of regional companies. If it means the company ends the year in the black, I'm good with it! When people complain about Dracula, I wonder how they felt about the Royal Ballet's expensive Frankenstein last year with decidedly mixed reviews, co-produced with San Francisco Ballet. I didn't bother seeing that one.

Not a good sign -- I just got this e-mail for $20 off on opening night. I don't see any restrictions to subscribers or Friends so I'll paste it in below. I actually would enjoy this production (and would have enjoyed Washington Ballet's last weekend), but you can't get to everything and the Mariinsky next week was my choice for this month's travel: ========================== See The Sleeping Beauty on Opening Night this Thursday and Save $20! Enjoy this glorious world of enchantment, magic, tragedy and true love – where everyone really does live happily ever after. Tchaikovsky’s beautiful and familiar score will enhance your enjoyment of this classical ballet for all ages. Today and tomorrow only, use the button below or promo code BEAUTY20 for $20 off seats to the 10/12 performance.* Experience this enchanting story told through the amazing artistry of Pennsylvania Ballet, with live music from the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra. Hurry, this is our one-and-only discount for Opening Night. The sale ends Tuesday at midnight!

I have "Google Alerts" set up for a wide variety of names and companies. For unknown reasons, I'm getting a steady stream of Playbill articles from 2005. I wonder if somebody just dumped old materials into their on-line database and Google Alert is picking it up. Very strange...

"Equality" can mean "identical," as in "identical twins" or it can mean "comparable worth." I guess I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in his use of English, his second language. This debate about the meaning of "equality" has tripped up plenty of specialists in law and ethics.

Thanks for this report! I saw her Giselle at the Met with ABT, partnered by McRae, a few years ago (the performance where she took a bad fall near the end). But, as you note, she's high-risk and I've endured quite a few cancellations along the way, too. Good for Germany in subsidizing prices as much as they do. That's becoming increasingly rare!

According to this new story, they are interviewing finalists: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/arts/pennsylvania-ballets-angel-corella-is-either-a-hero-or-a-villain-depending-who-you-ask-we-asked-him-20171005.html "Finalists have been interviewed for the executive director job now held by interim leader Elizabeth Warshawer."

Sleeping Beauty is on for two weekends. Looks like Harry Potter is only the second, so you could still catch the first one: DATES 7:30 PM | Thursday, October 12 7:30 PM | Friday, October 13 2:00 PM | Saturday, October 14 7:00 PM | Saturday, October 14 2:00 PM | Sunday, October 15 7:30 PM | Friday, October 20 12:00 PM | Saturday, October 21 5:00 PM | Saturday, October 21 2:00 PM | Sunday, October 22

But let's hope Guggenheim takes the hint! I'd order it, for sure.

I'm not finding the information on how to order the reprint. It's not yet on Amazon. Is Guggenheim selling them?

Plan to arrive an hour early -- they have a great pre-performance talk before every performance for ticket holders. Corella himself does some of them. I saw their Don Q and Corsaire (several performances) in the last two years. It's a bit of a crap shoot with so many new principals and soloists. But it's worth the trip, especially if you can see several performances. Seating suggestions: Avoid the first several rows of orchestra - you'll have trouble seeing the feet I like side orchestra, on the aisle, but only from about row 8 back I also like their first tier - what they call parquet, but only in first couple of rows Lots of pillar obstructions to watch for Avoid sides of the tiers - partial views, as you get in traditional opera houses I like to take a hard look at images on Google for Academy of Music seating, e.g.:

Ah, yes -- the 70s, when serious people who should have known better argued that equal pay for equal work was unwarranted as only men had families to support...

I remember that scene -- but I thought she said "we" are only being paid by the performance. It wasn't just Freddie! And this was in the mid-70s.

The "studio companies" I see at many companies play this role, too, especially in big productions. But we also seem to like it when schools (from the Mariinsky to School of American Ballet to the JKO school, etc., etc.) find ways to give their students serious performing experience while they are students. It's an uncomfortable reality in countries without state-subsidized schools to use younger dancers on stage while expecting them to pay for the privilege of this training. I suppose the only consolation is a substantial scholarship program so students not from wealthy families can participate both in the school and in these trainee roles on stage.

He also did Matthew Bourne's all-male Swan Lake in recent years, so he's given it a lot of thought.

These pre-professional programs are popping up all over the country at smaller company academies. Tuition is steep, although I see scholarship offers that probably help. One thing that seems to make them easier to set up is the proliferation of charter schools and on-line academies. Colorado now has an entirely on-line high school that students in their pre-pro program can enroll in to complete their education. As a retired educator, I'm not sure I'm crazy about these, but I guess there's no turning back at this point. I have no sense of how many of these students will really make it as professionals, but they're getting an early taste of the profession and perhaps at least some will realize they need to explore other opportunities, including college dance programs.

That passage in the film reminded me of the comments by Emily in the 1977 The Turning Point, who said essentially the same thing and felt pity for the over-the-hill dancer Emma (Anne Bancroft). Wendy's comment seemed like it was from that different era, 40 years ago!

Septime Webre is also choreographing a new ballet, The Wizard of Oz. It's a co-production of Kansas City Ballet, Colorado Ballet, and Royal Winnepeg: https://ticketing.kcballet.org/single/PSDetail.aspx?psn=11221&_ga=2.32884985.650607374.1506627980-1779684648.1506627980 He choreographed the Alice (in Wonderland) which has been performed by several regional companies. I confess that I loved it when Colorado Ballet did this a couple of years ago. Lots of fun choreography for soloists and principals, lots of children used in clever ways. My sister's grandchildren adored it and it was an easy sell-out. This is the kind of ballet that keeps regional companies in the black. Kansas City is doing it next May and I hope Colorado gets it next.

Many similarities to Merrill Ashley's "retirement" documentary, The Dance Goodbye: https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Goodbye-Merrill-Ashley/dp/B00U1U2SL8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506611744&sr=8-1&keywords=the+dance+goodbye She now seems to be busy as a Balanchine stager, but she expresses much the same sentiment about a feeling of death when they have to retire. I hope younger dancers are better prepared for this transition, which is inevitable for all of them.

I love her caption -- especially the very touching allusions to her personal life. I'm very glad she was able to triumph and wish I could have seen her. She's always been one of my favorites.

I've been so pleased to see these programs emerging all over the country. Colorado Ballet dancers do a fund-raiser concert at the black box theater at the end of the season for their transition funding program. One of the soloists just finished a B.A. in political science at University of Colorado, Denver, which is about a mile from the ballet studios. As these become more widespread, the younger dancers realize: there is life after ballet and I should start thinking about my own transition. San Francisco has a cooperative program in the bay area for dancers to earn college degrees. I suspect there are many more around the country.

I've been impressed that younger dancers are thinking ahead to their second career. Tiler Peck, Megan Fairchild, and probably others at NYCB completed Bachelor's degrees at Fordham and elsewhere, so they're looking forward to...college teaching? arts administration? lots of opportunities if they can get that formal degree. There are possibilities for retired dancers who never went to college to get faculty appointments at colleges and universities (the late Rebecca Wright comes to mind), but it isn't easy for most. I'd guess that this forward-thinking makes it easier to face reality when they can no longer dance at their best.

Thanks for the tip! I have a subscription to Netflix and didn't realize it was on. Best in the documentary: the final performance, choreographed just for her farewell, by Ratmansky and Whelan. She wanted something new that would never be performed again. As far as I can tell (not having seen it in the theater), we got to see the entire thing on tape, along with some of the final flowers and bows. I also appreciated the numerous short clips of her many roles sprinkled throughout. I wasn't enthusiastic about the lengthy segments at the doctor's office and the physical therapist. I suppose dancers relate to the endless commentaries about how hard it was to retire, but it got a little tedious for us mortals.

Fingers crossed! Any announcements of rep by the POB?