Josette

I saw Gillian Murphy in person in Royal New Zealand Ballet's Giselle twice - the second time I was in the front row - and thought she gave a beautiful, feminine, believable performance, not at all harsh or overly strong, and her bravura technique was neither the focal point nor a distraction from her characterization and the beauty of her dancing.

I agree with naomikage- it's been so moving and a deep joy to read the outpouring of affection and support for Stella Abrera posted here. Thank you all.

So thrilled to read this!

Can't wait to hear more!

macnellie: thank you for what will be the best laugh of the day! I wonder what the contractual agreement with Homans was. It was as if they paid her to do something and so couldn't completely cut her - though they should have. Though there were some good moments in the doc, Homans pretty much sabotaged it. I enjoyed seeing all the old clips and photos and trying to recognize the (unidentified) dancers. I was excited to see the black and white clips of The Firebird with what appeared to be Alicia Markova - but I don't think they even identified her and she was one of the great dancers of her time, (I checked the book, "The Making of Markova," by Tina Sutton and learned that Markova did dance The Firebird when Sol Hurok was affiliated with Balllet Theatre.)

Thanks for letting us know, Mussell. I have tickets!

May the glorious Maya Plisetskaya rest in eternal peace. I was fortunate to see her in Swan Lake when my Mom took me as a child to see the Bolshoi, as well as The Dying Swan several memorable times. She was/is unforgettable.

Congratulations to Doris Andre in being cast as Juliet - and good call, PeggyR! I didn't think that SFB cast soloists as leads in full-length ballets. I hope that someone here will see her Juliet and report back. In response to pherank's comment above, I saw Vanessa Zahorian in Chamber Ballet, and she danced with such lyricism and effortlessness such that I could not watch anyone else on stage. I have never seen her rushed, frantic, tense, or unmusical. I was happy to have her back and truly gracing the stage this season.

I've seen Sofiane Sylve as Lady Capulet. I had hoped that Frances Chung would dance Juliet, given that the reports of her Giselle were so excellent.

Dear rkoretzky: Thank for your . . . or maybe not . . . slip. Biggest laugh of the morning!

Thank you, mussel, for a heads-up on the 2017 SFB season. From checking past postings here, the past two years SFB has announced its upcoming season to subscribers on April 1.

At tonight's performance, Taras Domitro started off as the solo figure in Symphony #9 and was brilliant, but halfway through the ballet Francisco Mungamba, who had been one of the eight ensemble men, took over the role to the end and was equally brilliant and charismatic. Mungamba was cast to dance it in another performance.

Grigorovich chose Mathilde Froustey to dance the lead in Ivan the Terrible early on when she joined POB and she danced it also as a guest with the Bolshoi. Grigorovich certainly is a living legend, regardless how you may feel about his choreography.

Oh, my . . . I actually saw Caligula, choreographed by Nicolas LeRiche - not many roles for women. It did have a variation for Caligula's horse, Incitatus, which was beautiful.

I was all excited at chorilamb's brining up Mats Ek's L'Appartement, as I'll buy that Ek is a living legend as much as Neumeier and Forsythe. I was fortunate to be at the POB's premiere of L'Appartement, saw it three times, and found it astonishing, unforgettable, with riveting commitment from the dancers, both casts that I saw. The DVD does not project the power of the live performance (I know, this is always the case). It would be a good work for SFB. However, after a Google search, I discovered that the Bolshoi danced it in 2014. So the guessing game goes on while we wait.

Pacific Northwest Ballet is performing The Danilova/Balanchine Coppelia next season.

William Forsythe could be the living legend. He works with POB and was in San Francisco (and Seattle) this season to oversee The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude.

Mathilde Froustey has danced Kitri to great acclaim at Paris Opera Ballet, as well as Lise in Ashton's La Fille Mal Gardee. I hope Mlle Froustey stays in San Francisco. I'm with PeggyR and would love the story ballet to be The Sleeping Beauty. The only living legend I can think of right now is John Neumeier. I was wondering why we hadn't heard anything yet as to next season, because the past two years they announced it on April 1st. I wish they'd perform Balanchine's Coppelia again. Thanks for the tantalizing update, PeggyR. As for POB, one of Froustey's contemporaries, Laura Hecquet, was named etoile a few weeks ago, and four dancers, including Mlle Hecquet, danced Odette/Odile for the first time in March-April, so that company has dancers moving up the ranks and is not in want of talented dancers. I am anxiously awaiting to hear about next season.

Sofiane Sylve may be dancing the role of Mercedes and/or Queen of the Dryads. In the Ballet Day on October 1, she did the rehearsal as Queen of the Dryads. On a related topic, when National Ballet of Canada Director Karen Kain announced their 2015-2016 season, Karen said that they would be participating again in Ballet Day, so it looks like there is another one planned.

Great news and another HOORAY for Tom Forster's being given Les Sylphides!

The Australian Ballet has announced that Stella Abrera is guesting as Giselle with them on April 13 and 15, 2015, at the Sydney Opera House.

Australian Ballet has announced that Stella Abrera is dancing Giselle with them at the Sydney Opera House on April 13 and 15, 2015.

I have a ticket for the recently added matinee on Saturday, March 28, and will finally get to see Mathilde Froustey in a full-length ballet. I'm also seeing Yuan Yuan Tan and Tiit Helimets guest in a full-length Swan Lake with a local company affiliated with a dance school, Festival Ballet, I believe, in Irvine next weekend.

I don't know where to put this, but the Don Q casting was just posted.

Hasn't Osipova's preferred partner at the Royal Ballet been Matthew Golding? Just a thought.