Josette

I am happy for Ed Liang that The Infinite Ocean got chosen and not surprised about the works by Peck, Pita, and Ochoa not being encored. The Wheeldon, Dawson, and Marston choices were solidly constructed and beautifully danced and were a given. I did love the Rhoden, Welch, and McIntyre ballets most of all, with honorable mentions for the performances we got from Van Patten, Birkkjaer, and Froustey in Marston's Snowblind.

Three new promotions from corps de ballet to soloist were announced today. Congratulations to Elizabeth (Lizzy) Powell, Wona Park, and Henry Sidford!

Thanks for providing the casting. This is an easy decision for me.

Aaron Robison danced with SFB for 2016 (mostly Nutcracker) - 2017 (January through May). Onegin was at the end of the 2016 spring season at the opera house and Aaron had not yet joined.

And he was superb.

Thanks, Dirac. All this is about is my wishing that I had seen Astaire on stage, as various of my relatives and their colleagues did in London and New York, including Adele. I don't know why I can't have my thoughts based on what I have been told from first-hand spectators in and out of theatrical business and what I have read, without being chastised! But more power to you! I will respectfully no longer participate.

I have read that too and I don't take it seriously! Astaire also would say that Adele was younger than he. I have no concept of "most raw talent" or what might have been had she not married. I have also read from his contemporaries that he was a major, esteemed star on his own and not at all secondary when working with Adele in London and New York. Who can say whether Adele had his musicality or could compose as he did or play the piano as well as he (see "I Don't Dance, Don't Ask Me" from Roberta) or choreograph or had his work ethic? Keine Ahnung! All I know is what I see Astaire do. Love him!

Well, that's quite true, pherank, about Adele! I was watching "I'm Old Fashioned" from You Were Never Lovelier, when I realized Astaire was at the untouchable top of my list of dancers. I think I would prefer to see him dance solo. Actually, I would be happy just to have seen him walk across the stage.

atm711 - I'd love to hear your thoughts on Maria Tallchief!

Dores Andre danced a perfectly beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker in December. Her carriage and port de bras were very ballerina-like, her dancing musical and precise. I was more than pleasantly surprised, as I can't recall that I have seen her in a tutu since she was promoted to soloist.

Great photos! Thank you, cubanmiamiboy! (I love Stravinsky, by the way.)

I have only seen The Cage in the taped version shown on TV some time ago with Heather Watts and Bart Cook, and found it compelling and brilliantly executed. Loved the music. I also am looking forward to seeing it on stage as danced by SFB in March.

atm711 - Thanks so much for your insightful description of Marie-Jeanne.

Fred Astaire

Maria Tallchief most of all but followed closely by Alicia Markova, who I am certain would have become my idolized favorite.

I saw Kirkland dance an exquisite, uniquely waiflike Giselle with Baryshnikov and, several years later and before she went to the Royal Ballet, a pathetically executed solo in The River by Alvin Ailey (maybe she was just miscast), and in Tudor's The Leaves are Fading, where she was not dancing well at all in a role in which she should have been breathtaking. After reading her first book, I figured these two disappointing performances were during her period of addiction. [As to a different acclaimed ballerina, I saw too many performances by Alessandra Ferri where she was ill-at-ease on-stage and attempting choreography beyond her technical capability. Dancers can have off-nights, presumably, but I saw too many of Ferri's. Fortunately I saw one of her last Juliets before her first retirement (second retirement pending) and could easily understand why she was so loved.]

Congratulations to Jim Sofranko and all the best to him in this exciting new work!

Valentine Colasante was named étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet after a performance of Don Quixote on January 5, 2018! Congratulations to this dynamic ballerina on her promotion!

You don't need to have litigation for a liability issue to arise: should SAB be on notice, i.e., have knowledge of a teacher's or director's having or suggesting sexual relations with a minor student or some form of inappropriate behavior, a liability issue for SAB could arise; a lawsuit is not required to put SAB on notice. [I am not stating here that Martins was doing anything inappropriate as I have no first-hand information on that matter.]

Thank you, Helene - I just saw your Christmas greetings as well. Love the pointe-shoe wreath! Wishing you and all Balletalerters all the best in this new year.

This is such joyous news! So happy for Vanessa and Davit!

I lived in Paris during a period where I was transitioning from my dance career into another profession and fell in love with POB with its emphasis on pure, non-cheating technique and elegance.

Yes, I remember Dores in Scotch Symphony as well! I've been going to SFB consistently for ten years now and it has been so thrilling to watch the growth of dancers such as Dores, Sasha de Sola, and Frances Chung. So many POB dancers have the delightful ability to step onto pointe and hover in space. They are so sure-footed in their pointe and bas de jambe technique. Dorothee Gilbert in Giselle was amazing.

That's how Mathilde Froustey looked - meaning the prancing deer on the beach in her Instagram - which, curiously, was a clip that I posted on my facebook page a short while ago and which makes the FB rounds from time to time. She danced with an effortless technical command and was obviously enjoying performing again, which is always a joy to watch. In the past I felt she would occasionally get stuck in a balance and relish it a bit too much and then get off the music - none of which happened last week. A bit more on Dores Andre: the first time I ever noticed her was before she was promoted to soloist and it was as a demi-soloist in the second movement of Symphony in C, when she bourree-ed out from upstage right, looking gorgeous in the tutu with ballerina-like positioning of her head, neck, and upper back. I don't think I have seen her in a tutu since then until last week. I was happily impressed with the precision and lightness in her pointe work as the Sugar Plum Fairy as well as her musical phrasing, which I have seen several dancers fail to make effective in that role and Tomasson's choreography. I am looking forward to the five performances of The Sleeping Beauty I am attending in a few weeks because classical ballet is of a different standard from the contemporary choreography that the company performs.

I went to five Nutcrackers after Christmas and the company was looking enthusiastic as a whole with excellent performances. Not to discredit any dancer, I nevertheless want to single out a few: Mingxuan Wang as the Snow Cavalier and then in Chinese - what an exceptional dancer he is, on the way, hopefully not too slowly, to becoming a first-rate danseur noble. I saw him about three years ago in the Peasant pas quatre in the SFB Giselle, and have been waiting to see him in more solo roles. Mathilde Froustey in Snow and the Grand pas de deux is dancing better than ever with a less forced radiance and a new serenity that embraces the audience. She looked so happy to be back on stage. I hope to see her Aurora in a few weeks. Ulrik Birkkjaer in the Grand pas de deux - I bought an extra ticket so I could see him. He is a former principal with the Royal Danish Ballet and joined SFB this season. What struck me as unique about him was his mime in the first part of Act II, which was revelatory in its naturalness and projection (years of early training in Denmark in mime). I would love to see him as Albrecht. Dores Andre as the Sugar Plum Fairy (dances Waltz of the Flowers) - I seldom see her in a tutu and was pleased that she looked beautiful and danced with a ballerina's refinement and musicality. She also succeeded in giving meaning to the opening scene of Act II, which we seldom see. Friday night's performance had an utterly exquisite Yuan Yuan Tan with Carlo di Lanno in Snow and a superb Sofiane Sylve with Tiit Helimets in the Grand pas de deux. Lonnie Weeks danced a brilliant Russian, as did Wei Wang in a later performance - but there are no surprises there. Esteban Hernandez also gave his own brilliant all in everything he danced, both in technique and performance values. Both Hernandez and Wei Wang finish their multiple pirouettes up on demi-pointe. Koto Ishihara danced an effortlessly lovely Grand pas de deux, with beautiful line and port de bras. She was scheduled to dance it with Hansuke Yamamoto, but he was replaced in the pas de deux due to injury and so Vitor Luiz stepped in at the last moment and all went well. What I also appreciated about Koto is that her expression changes as she dances and we do not have to look at a monotone smile. Ami Yuki was stunningly beautiful and expressive in Arabian. New corps member Wona Park as the Sugar Plum Fairy danced with pristine classical technique and looked confident on stage. Sean Bennett reminds me of George Chakiris (huge compliment). It was wonderful to see newly promoted soloist Steven Morse dancing with increased presence. And it was a pleasure to see Madison Keesler again, looking radiantly happy to be dancing for us. On to The Sleeping Beauty at the end of the month . . .