Josette

How was Shevchenko’s performance?

Thank you, volcanohunter, that was wonderful!

I watched it yesterday and particularly liked Remez’s comments, approach, and enthusiasm. California, I am intrigued with your calling the overhead press a “table top lift.” Is that something of yours or have you heard it used elsewhere? I am so looking forward to Friday night.

How beautiful. And not the first time, as when Dupond was the POB director, he had done the same thing with (retired) étoiles entering the stage for a bow after the then-current étoiles had all made their own appearances in the Grand Défilé. There is a 13-minute video of it floating about online. At that time, the (retired) étoiles sweeping onstage with incredible grace and aplomb included luminaries (not a full list) Dominique Khalfouni, Claude Bessy, Michel Renaud, Christiane Vaussard, Nina Vyroubova, Ghislaine Thesmar, Jean-Pierre Bonnefous (later Bonnefoux), Cyril Atanassoff, Jean Babilée, Lycette Darsonval, Liane Daydé, Josette Amiel, Carolyn Carlson, Noëlla Pontois, Patrice Bart, Michaël Denard, and Yvette Chauviré.

At your request, Drew.

I find her to be one of the most musical dancers I’ve seen and what a nuanced and profound actress she is! I have a front row ticket for her last Cinderella this spring - dancing with Matthew Ball - a role she should have been given earlier, and I am so grateful that I will see her as Ashton’s Cinderella.

Fabulous news! OBT must be thrilled!

It was a special event on February 9, 2023, for mostly donors of the Music Center Dance Association, and I attended as I am a donor. It took place at Colburn School of Arts. Six principal dancers danced (Luke, Sasha, Misa, Angelo, Nikisha, and Joe) three pas de deux, interspersed with an excellent interview of Tamara Rojo by Music Center CEO Rachel Moore. There was a reception afterwards.

Tiit Helimets certainly deserves being celebrated! And MADCAP is an amazing production.

pherank, if you mean Lizzy Powell, she is not injured, as I saw her featured in two of the new works this past weekend. I will see De Sola's premiere on February 24 as Giselle, and am mostly looking forward to seeing the outstanding Aaron Robison as Albrecht. She will be in good hands. On World Ballet Day, there was a rehearsal with Helgi Tomasson coaching new SFB soloist Katherine Barkman and Esteban Hernandez in Act I of Giselle. Behind them in the rehearsal room were Jasmine Jimison and Mingxuan Wang, obviously understudies at the time. Barkman is injured and did not dance in the Gala or in any of the new works, so it looks like the lovely and talented Jimison is being given the opportunity.

He was and no doubt still is a dancer of great intensity with superb concentration. I was fortunate to see him in Wheeldon's The Winter's Tale and as Diaghilev in Neumeier's Nijinski.

I stayed at Inn at the Opera Royal after Christmas, so it is open and I return in eight days. It has been renovated or is undergoing renovation. There is still no restaurant since the excellent Swedish restaurant closed.

But Sasha Mukhamedov is scheduled to dance at the Gala, and Sheehan is not a soloist. I agree with PeggyTulle that it's the Hernandez Brothers' show even though I do like Esteban very, very much. (I've only seen Isaac once live since he left SFB, when he danced in Akram Khan's Giselle in 2019 with ENB, and everyone was outshone by the extraordinary Jeffrey Cirio.) The Gala casting is very different from what Helgi Tomasson arranged each year.

I recall that in previous Galas, each principal and soloist was featured in some way, and I see several of my favorites not listed as performing and then, additionally, one new female soloist featured twice, and four male principals featured twice each, including the two Hernandez brothers and with Esteban Hernandez with Katherine Barkman twice. Katherine Barkman is lovely, but where are the equally talented and beloved Julia Rowe and Isabella DeVivo and David Morse and Lonnie Weeks and Cavan Conley and Diego Cruz and Lucas Erni and Ellen Rose Hummel and Norika Matsuyama and Elizabeth Powell and Myles Thatcher?

I attended the general rehearsal in London for Like Water for Chocolate and saw four performances, all three casts. I loved it. Some will love it, some will not. It was a huge success in London with the superb dance-actors of The Royal Ballet. At Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts FB, you can see two of the protagonists, as posted on January 8, 2023. 665

He has been first-rate in everything and is much-loved. I would think that he would be Cinderella's Father in the coming season. I remember a beautiful performance of Cinderella where he was the Prince to Sarah Van Patten and then his richly-developed performance of the Father in February 2020. I am so relieved that we will continue to see him performing as a Principal Character Dancer.

How wonderful for them!

I recall two obvious baubles in the partnering, yet Forster got her fully up in a good position on the torch lift, which two others did not accomplish over the weekend. Forster has been an excellent partner in other performances. I recall one bauble with Aran Bell this weekend, after which he miraculously recovered Hurlin in the nick of time. It is a pas de deux with potential pitfall after pitfall, and the choreography does have off-balance, fluid elements. I recall an incident with marvelous Marcelo Gomes in the pas de deux coda where a falling-on-her-face-ballerina disaster was averted. Such is live performance. Shevchenko is an absolute gem, my favorite, and I love that you appreciate her so much. And I agree about Zimmi Coker always standing out and hope she gets a featured role in Like Water for Chocolate.

I can't wait to see Nikisha Fogo and Aaron Robison next week!

I attended the four weekend performances on Dec. 10 and 11. All the men (Whiteside, Bell, Royal, Forster) were excellent, and it was wonderful to see James Whiteside on Saturday afternoon, dancing strongly and being cheered by the audience, many of whom obviously had been at the performance when he was injured onstage last year. The Sunday performances of Trenary/Royal and Shevchenko/Forster were particularly beautiful. Trenary and Royal gave an amazing performance - premieres for both of them. Trenary melted all hearts with her beautiful presence and danced with a melting quality as if in a reverie during her solo, and Royal was joyous and danced and partnered with mastery. Shevchenko and Forster, who were not new to me in their roles, were brilliant and danced with exceptional musical phrasing.

Like Water for Chocolate was a hit for the Royal Ballet in London last June. I saw the general rehearsal and four performances (all casts) and enjoyed the Royal Ballet dancers and the production tremendously. Of course, much depends on casting and the Royal Ballet has superb dance-actors. I will see performances when ABT premieres it in O.C. in March.

She was beautiful in the role. I saw her dance it two days ago. She has a strong stage presence

Hohyun Kang is currently dancing Mary Vetsera in Mayerling at the Palais Garnier.

Abatt, you are recommending Farruquito?

I think some of the problem in programming is that the larger companies are programmed three to five years out. At the reception for Pacific Northwest Ballet two weeks ago at the Music Center, Peter Boal said that he had received a call about a year ago asking about PNB's availability when another company had cancelled. At an online reception for the 2022 season at the Music Center, it came up that the Joffrey Ballet was booked at least three years in advance. When Aurelie Dupont's resignation from the Paris Opera Ballet was announced, I read an interview with her where she stated that the next five seasons were programmed (though I suspect much of this programming is for new productions). I also suspect that L.A.'s having the superb Hamburg Ballet this past season was something planned several years ago, because it involved L.A. Opera. The Los Angeles Music Center will not announce its program for next season until this fall. Having said all this, we know that ABT has a relationship with Segerstom due in no small part to the Gillespie Ballet Academy (or whatever the exact name is), so it's a no-brainer that O.C. gets ABT for Nutcracker and another engagement involving some type of premiere that seems to occur in March (since this arrangement, L.A. has not seen ABT). Though we would not expect the Bolshoi or Maryinsky any time soon, we hopefully will get, in a year or two, another major ballet company in O.C. again. I am not complaining about seeing Wheeldon's Like Water for Chocolate danced by ABT in March, as it's a terrific ballet that the Royal Ballet dancers obviously relished performing, and it the type of ballet that will be loved by Los Angeles audiences. I created my own subscription for the O.C. series and am looking forward to seeing smaller companies, especially Alonzo King's company again. And, of course, there is the brilliant San Francisco Ballet, which is always worth a weekend trip.