zerbinetta

In fact, recently while I was enthousiastically "standing up" at a performance (together with about 1/3 of the remaining audience) I was asked by an irate lady behind me (neither old nor disabled) to sit down so that she could see the curtain calls. She seemed unaware that her request was anything but perfectly just and reasonable.

Don't keep us in suspense, Ostrich. Did you enlighten the lady?

It seems to me that SOs have become more than de rigueur of late, more like knee jerk reactions to any performance of any standard.

I am often forced into standing for an ovation, however, in order to be able to see.

The Joyce has not yet posted its fall offerings.

I do know that the James Sewell Ballet will be at the Joyce beginning Oct. 15 through the weekend.

Thank you, Mikhail. This post was a labor of love and totally fascinating.

I think some of those Times reviews may have been multiples, aurora. I seem to remember one, Dunning, I think, that covered three casts of .. something.

The Times used to also do capsule reviews of later casts - briefies which just covered the new dancers.

I seem to remember something about Martins doing a full length ballet to something composed by Bright Sheng in 2008.

Ooh noooo .. say it isn't so!!!

I suppose the Martins/Sheng combination is inevitable, considering Sheng is the Composer-in-Residence but this is not something to look forward to in one act much less three .. or two longies.

RE: debuts. I was surprised none of the papers did a review of Bouder's debut in Rubies. (Macaulay mentioned it in his season wrap but it's not the same).

And did I miss it or was there no review of Vishneva's Swan?

And so much for Jonathan Cope's retirement as well. It will be good to see him again, even if it is just as porteur to Bussell.

I voted #3, which isn't exactly how I feel but the closest choice to "ambivalent", which is.

The first season I didn't like the block programming, primarily because I had to exchange so many subscription tickets at the box office; I had fewer exchanges second season. CB makes it very difficult for subscribers to exchange for comparable seats as they don't mail out the tickets until just before the box office opens. This past season 2 subscription sets arrived the day before the box office opened and the third the day after. I did my exchanges on the fifth day and got horrible options.

Midway through season II of block programming, I decided the company was looking so fine there must be something in this idea. Most ballets looked well rehearsed and most were very well performed.

Dybbuk we were not looking forward to, having seen it perhaps 20 years ago with no fond memories. This time around we were astounded to find it absorbing and well performed. I do love Orpheus but was not looking forward to another Nilas rendition. We saw the Orpheus after the one so trashed by Macaulay and I thought "wow, Nilas has finally gotten it!". So both dreadeds turned out quite positive.

So .. a) I hate the necessity of schlepping to the box office and getting inferior seats but b) the company looked great and I had a chance to re-visit some oldies I hadn't previously enjoyed.

Ambivalent ...

anin, do you also object to Spartacus?

A half gram of cocaine is the equivalent of about half a packet of Sweet 'n Low. The idea of anyone in possession of that small amount with intent to sell is ludicrous.

There were two people in the car. Down the line it may (or may not) become clear who was the owner of the packet. But, under New York State's Nelson Rockefeller era laws, that doesn't matter. It is the owner of the "property" (in this case the vehicle) who is held responsible.

I wonder if we might get to see Hubbe in London?

I believe Spring 2008 is when Hubbe officially takes over the Royal in Copenhagen.

But it's only an hour flight away, right? You could get lucky.

Godunov had no wife (Brodsky)? So who was that woman on the plane sitting on the JFK tarmac for what seemed an interminable time?

Oh alright, carbro. I'll bite.

Saw it Tuesday with Murphy/Hallberg. It's even worse than I remembered. Murphy danced strongly and vibrantly. She's fun to watch but she has no fragility, vulnerability, pathos in her. She was a remarkable Juliet in that she made her strength, independence and feistiness work in that role, but this production has zero choreographic inspiration for her to work with; lyric passages are constantly interrupted by vulgar comic shtick; the Fairy Godmother has no magic and neither does the production. The only almost-magical moment is Cinderella arriving at the ball, being lowered in that beautiful pumpkin coach in a divine coat. But even that entrance is preceded by such stage busy-ness that it's anti-climactic.

Last year I saw Kent, Murphy and Reyes. The only one who made the dreary thing work was Reyes, with her sweetness, gentleness and purity, plus all those qualities listed which Murphy's Cinderella lacked. The Wicked Stepmother needs van Hamel's ditsy diva quality; the "falling down" stepsister needs Erica Cornejo's exuberant and zany performance. Without them the "comedy" is distasteful.

But then there was David Hallberg. What can one say? He's worth the trip. His line, his legs, his feet, his arms, his turns, his jumps, his beats, his nobility, his musicality, his charm, his wit - what a dancer! He is now a full-grown artist.

What a pleasure to have followed his career from the corps to now. It doesn't always turn out so well. So gloriously.

.....i'm feeling very low-brow today....

http://img309.imageshack.us/img309/3554/lo...ed20hare9qo.jpg

A great left hand on the conductor! So important for expression.

If it is ended and the reserve is still not met, it didn't sell .. on eBay.

The book hasn't sold yet. They reduced the reserve but it still hasn't been met.

I do not know the name of the wood but I had extensive conversations with my Russian language teacher about the floors because they were different from any I had seen. They were of course, unwaxed, but they were very rough, unfinished wood. I would not describe them as gooved however.

Doesn't this make multiple floor turns more difficult?

Wow, thanks for all this, zerbinetta. Maybe "they" should let Nilas program/cast November's opening night NYCB gala!

Not a bad idea, really. He has a wonderful eye for dancers & casting.

Anyone going? I hope we get a few reports.

Nysusan: I forgot to thank you for posting this. You spared me an even ruder shock had we gone today.

The single positive here is that it would have been worse to get up early, travel to the Met, go through the gates & see that ominous standing board announcing this expletive expletive change.

This is really too bad. To these eyes, Reyes was the only ballerina that made that silly ballet work last year. She & Cote were absolutely wonderful.

"a veritable tsunami of gush" (dirac); "somova/allova" (Mel).

The funniest & wittiest writers seem to be at bt.

Okeedokee, here's official program and casting for Lake Placid:

July 2 @ 7:30 PM, Lake Placid Center for the Arts

The Nilas Martins Dance Company

Valse Fantaisie (Balanchine)

Ashley Bouder and Amar Ramasar

Alina Dronova, Glenn Keenan, Ashley Laracey, Kathryn Morgan

Edge (world premiere) (Stephen Pier)

Sara Mearns and Ask la Cour

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (Balanchine)

Ana Sophia Scheller and Seth Orza

La Sylphide pas de deux

Kathryn Morgan and Joaquin De Luz

Agon pas de deux (Balanchine)

Megan LeCrone and Nilas Martins

Carrie Okay (world premiere)

(Nilas Martins and John Selya)

Georgina Pazcoquin, Tyler Angle, Ask la Cour, Amar Ramasar

I've noticed a few inverted tutus, too, too recently (although in which ballets -- or even whether ABT or NYCB [or both?] I can't quite recall), and not even in full penchees. You'd think the costume shops could tack some of the layers so that they'd retain their intended shape. Unnecessarily unflattering to both dancer and costume.

This is a very persistent post. Keeps cropping up in my New Posts.