Liotarded

I attended the Tuesday April 9 and Saturday April 13 evening performances. This was my first Le Corsaire anywhere in person. My wife and I both LOVED IT and for sure would've been happy to go to more than two shows. I have a specific question that places me squarely in the unreliable witness category. For both, Ali's role was played by Kimin Kim. During Saturday night's Act II pas de deux a trois, the last half of the solo, Kimin finishes off diagonally. I'm 100% positive this is what I saw. But during Tuesday's night's show I could have sworn he finished off doing the circular version. And no I'm not mixing it up with the subsequent coda. I still am new to ballet so my grasp of the vocabulary and recognition of steps leaves a lot to be desired, I hope I'm making myself understood. I have a theory that since I've seen Le Corsaire plenty of times on YouTube and it seems to me the majority of uploaded Ali variations finish off circularly, my brain made me see what I wanted to see because that's what I was expecting. There's no way he'd do different choreography, right? 🤔 P.S. Audience went nuts both nights but on Saturday there was the biggest collective audible gasp I've ever heard at the Kennedy Center during the coda.

I’m going Opening Night April 9 and on Saturday night April 13. Can’t wait!

I went tonight (April 3) for the A Program with wife. We loved it! The house seemed very well attended. I’m not familiar with NYCB so can’t compare but def worth it, especially bc tix were only $29 a piece. 🙂

I enjoy reading everyone’s insightful comments on this board — thank you! As mentioned I went Thursday (Kondaurova, Askerov, Batoeva). Loved it. My first time seeing LB and only set in stone prior commitments kept me from going to multiple performances.

But... but... that’s my conversation starter! ;)

I’ll be there tomorrow night Thursday. Wife is working so — again — just me. Orange tie having liquid appetizers at the Roof Terrace Restaurant bar beforehand if anyone wants to say hello or better yet join!

I think it's an absolutely delightful ballet -- my first time seeing it -- and I'd for sure go again. Seated in Orchestra N for last night's performance (Latypov, Popov, Shakirova). I don't come from a background of growing up knowing this fairy tale but within minutes I felt like I did. it's funny and emotional (e.g., Ivan laying down, his head propped on his hand, staring up at that huge orangey moon). As far as the dancing, jeez, to my untrained eye it's all spectacular. The cast deserved the strong applause it received.

Holy rock bottom prices, Imspear, thanks! Going tomorrow night with the missus.

I'm here too. Gray suit, orange tie. Wife taller than me!

Hello all. Opening night tickets are secured, attending other performances TBD. I can't wait and reading everyone's comments just adds to the build-up. It'll be me plus new-to-ballet wife and we look forward to drinks with anyone who'd care to meet up.

Great to meet you and muchas gracias again! Review in the Bolshoi section.

True to my name I completely slept on getting a seat before the sell-out so MASSIVE thanks to fellow member volcanohunter for feeling under the weather, I snagged her ticket and went in her place! My vantage point for the May 22 show was 2nd tier, row A, seat 211 which is dead solid center with a cushion in front the ushers caution against putting anything on. Cast: Gis - Sveta, Albrecht - David, Myrtha - Maria Allash, Hans - Vitaly Biktimirov. Giselle gets to me like no other ballet. Pre-performance at one of the Grand Foyer bars I went on and on to anyone who'd listen how proud I was to see David Hallberg yet at the same time with vitriol said I despise Albrecht for how he treats our peasant girl. In all the Giselles I've seen, this is the first time I 99% felt Albrecht isn't an @ssshole. That title went to Hans tonight. Something clicked that were it not for his buttinsky-ness everything would have turned out alright or at least free of drama. You could TASTE Vitaly's portrayal of the gamekeeper as the lightbulb of screwing things up lit up over his head. This was the first of many outbursts I had. I say 99% because when Gis pleads with Albrecht and Albrecht ballslessly turns away from her, my disgust with him came back. But he makes up for it in Act II by being convincingly sorry and not just because he'll be danced to death. Svetlana Zakharova. She's perfect. How old is ballet, like four centuries? In each of her movements I get the elation it's the culmination of all those years. She is astounding and my evening was made watching her dance, even if all else would have gone pear-shaped. But it didn't! David Hallberg, in addition to making me not hate Albrecht, is superb. I wanted to shout "You earn those American pancakes!" (those of you who follow his Twitter will know what I'm talking about). Admittedly I'm usually lushed by Act II. I'm emotionally spent after Gis' death so I typically hit the intermission bar with a vengeance but I've got a heavy day of work tomorrow so I took it easy so much so I paid way more attention to the second half. Good lord it's wonderful! The audience gave a huge applause to the corps and from my non-orchestra perch my appreciation ballooned. I'm usually way too close to get the whole picture, literally and figuratively. Packed house, pretty enthusiastic. The lady sitting next to me told me "You seem knowledgable" to which I responded "No, I'm just addicted."

I can't see how to send you a message. Maybe it's because I've only got 7 posts to my name. If the ticket is still available please contact me: julio.alberto.morales@hotmail.com thank you!!!

...so imagine when Mme would still dare to die onstage...! I still remember...it used to be pandemonium...so magical... The and screaming start around 5:25 all the way to 6:43... This video (the Alicia Alonso one) is exactly what popped into my head when I read the title of this thread. If I'm ever lucky enough to be in a situation where stellar dancers inspire my fellow audience members to go nuts like this and I'm feeling it too, I will enthusiastically join in, even shaking my fist at Albrecht for doing Gis wrong. This clip gets me every time. Please believe it wasn't my intention -- it's not a competition or anything -- but on one occasion so far, I'm 100% sure I started the clapping. Kind of a cool feeling.

Exactly. For example I'm a seasoned four-star party general (though in my old age recovery takes longer) and I thought the scene where Nina and Lily are dancing with those two guys brilliantly captures the moment of full-on clubbing. Much more so than many movies "about" clubbing. I'm relatively new to the world of ballet and since "a little learning is a dangerous thing," I'm deadly. So watch out here come my comments. I watched Black Swan three times. When done well, I enjoy being bombarded with lots of stuff going on at once and in my opinion BS nails that, not only visually but in underlying story. The pre-ballet me says thumbs up, solid film. The beginner ballet enthusiast me is bipolar though. When I first heard about this Darren Aronovsky project, I was excited. What a happy coincidence now that my interest in ballet is sparked, a talented director is taking on the subject. Disappointment followed when I heard Nat Portman was the lead. "She doesn't even LOOK like a ballerina!" I sulked. All interest was zapped out of me when I saw the trailer, it just hit me the complete wrong way. But I gave in and saw it. I was thrilled. Now after discovering this forum and reading comments from a slew of folks much more ballet knowledgeable than I am, it's even more thrilling to discuss. Does BS Accurately Depict The Ballet World No clue, I have zilch personal experience with the ballet world other than attending an adult intro course. But from reading autobiographies and biographies and watching documentaries plus witnessing the way some dancers behave in the wings, I wager at the elite level ballet is definitely competitive and demanding. What a great environment for self-doubt, anxiety and resentment which are key components of BS. N.B., of course there's more to it but those things are present. The filmmakers did their homework. Way too many instances of things found in ballet lore are present: the company members at rehearsal frantically removing all warm up clothes when Thomas enters; a quick Bolshoi reference right at the beginning; lugging a practice tutu like a post-battle Spartan. Did Nat Portman Train Hard We've all heard Mary Helen Bowers praise Nat Portman for putting in the hours. And we've watched the brief "making of" footage. I don't think we'll see more of Nat Portman's actual training regimen until the DVD extra features are available. I for one don't feel bamboozled Nat's head is stuck on a real dancer's body. Not once did anything in BS look fake to my untrained eye. If the training Nat did at least contributed to CGI being that much more seamless, mission accomplished. Physically she was believable too, at least enough to shut me up about that. Is BS Good For Ballet I'd say yes or at least it isn't bad for it. No existing or budding ballet enthusiasts are going to be put off by the movie to stop liking ballet. But if it attracts folks to ballet, whether in a small or big way, great. My concern is watching interviews where the interviewer obviously is on the hunt to get the guest to say the worst possible thing about ballet (e.g., Oprah looking mortified as she asks Jenifer Ringer about the shocking practice of point shoe destruction). Does A Movie About Ballet Need Gimmicks To Be Appealing To A Wide Audience A poster here mentioned this and I think it's fascinating. After watching Nina twirl and whirl and transform into a winged, feathered black swan, might someone who is amazed be bored with the real-life production? That makes me cringe but part of me recognizes why someone would think so. In closing, I'm glad this movie was made, I'm glad I saw it and I'll be buying the DVD. But guess what, if I really feel like watching a movie about ballet I'll do what another poster here wrote and Netflix The Turning Point.