Birdsall

That is heart warming! Thanks for sharing. I had a humbling experience when I went to my first Jivamukti Yoga class (been doing yoga for years but went to Jivamukti for first time in August). I was worried b/c I heard it was rigorous and thought I might not be able to do some of the poses. Well, there was a woman with only one leg in that class and she has to modify most things and can't do some of the poses at all. I felt so humbled by her courage to do yoga in a full class (and she continues to do so) while I had worried I wouldn't do a perfect downward dog, etc. People with disabilities who do whatever they want are truly inspiring to us. Here we are lucky, yet hold ourselves back while they are fearless! Puts things in perspective!

Bart, According to the Miami Herald's review of Program 2 Patricia Delgado is injured. You might know this. Just read it online. Hope she mends quickly! Other Bart

Catoya, Delgado, Penteado, Cerdeiro, and Bramaz.

Have tickets to tonight's performance which looks like my favorite casting, but I might try to see another performance if I can. Trying to visit friends and parents. Hard to choose another show b/c each cast is slightly different. Hard to tell which would be next best.

bart, Thanks for posting that! It makes me glad I will see Viscera. I was least excited about that piece, but now I can't wait to see all three! Bart (the other Bart)

Just bought a ticket for Les Trocks on Feb. 2 at Kravis also. Might go to multiple MCB performances this weekend if I love Friday's performance.

That would explain it! I hate non-compete contracts. I think it is an attempt to "own" people, which, in my opinion, is ridiculous. I worked part-time years ago for a Pilates studio and was actually certified to teach it, and when the owner decided to make us sign non-compete contracts, I quit. I don't believe in it unless it is the type of job where you have access to top secret info that would totally destroy the business (like being a top dog at Apple or Microsoft) b/c you know all the secrets. Pilates and/or ballet are careers in which anyone can obtain access to the knowledge. No secrets to steal and destroy a company by working elsewhere, so I think non-compete clauses are simply pure greed on company's part. By the way, the owner of the Pilates studio wanted us to sign that we could not work for any direct competitor and included a list of competitors which named every Pilates studio and gym in the entire county. I think that is crazy. So I quit. I bought my own studio reformer for my house and I keep looking at it and wishing I would get back into it, but I like yoga more and do that. Well that's a slightly different situation, no? The knowledge of ballet isn't at question, but the ability to draw people into buying tickets is. ABT presumably booked Osipova and Vasiliev for the MET season under the impression they would exclusively present them for the summer of 2012. Vasiliev and Osipova's move to the Mik changes that--no question. If they are to perform at theaters across the street from each other at the same time it would (presumably) draw audience away from ABT. I would completely understand ABT's position for having a noncompete clause in this situation, but Osipova and Vasiliev's sudden move does put both companies in an awkward position, because the contract at ABT would have been drawn up before the move to the Mik happened. Hopefully ABTs lawyers didn't mess around, as I doubt the Mik wants to do a major tour w/o its newly crowned jewels. I agree that this is different, but I think as long as it is a different ballet I would go to their ABT and their Mik performances, but maybe that's just me. Even if it were the same ballet I would probably go to one of each to compare and contrast them in different productions (sometimes slightly different choreography). But maybe it would dilute the audience (ticket sales). So maybe they do need to have a non-compete. Also, now that I think of it, famous "stars" could hypothetically put on a show of themselves doing different pieces while in NY and that would sell out and people might decide to just see them in that and not go to ABT if the person is less interested in full-length story ballets.

Thanks for the heads up, BB..! .I certainly will be there to meet you both if I can arrange my working schedule accordingly..I will send you my cell phone number via your messenger. Okay, it would be fun to meet!

That would explain it! I hate non-compete contracts. I think it is an attempt to "own" people, which, in my opinion, is ridiculous. I worked part-time years ago for a Pilates studio and was actually certified to teach it, and when the owner decided to make us sign non-compete contracts, I quit. I don't believe in it unless it is the type of job where you have access to top secret info that would totally destroy the business (like being a top dog at Apple or Microsoft) b/c you know all the secrets. Pilates and/or ballet are careers in which anyone can obtain access to the knowledge. No secrets to steal and destroy a company by working elsewhere, so I think non-compete clauses are simply pure greed on company's part. By the way, the owner of the Pilates studio wanted us to sign that we could not work for any direct competitor and included a list of competitors which named every Pilates studio and gym in the entire county. I think that is crazy. So I quit. I bought my own studio reformer for my house and I keep looking at it and wishing I would get back into it, but I like yoga more and do that.

bart, Cristian, and anyone else.......I will be at the Kravis for the Jan. 27 performance in Loge Box 9 Seat 3&4 if you care to meet. We could meet in the lobby also during intermission. I will be with my tiny Asian mother in her 70s. So if you see a tall 40something Half Japanese, Half White guy with a 70ish Japanese woman introduce yourselves!!!

Aran Bell who will be featured in First Position is incredible at such a young age. He knows how to act and command the stage! Just saw him on Sunday in Tampa. Exudes self assurance for one so young!

Imspear, thanks for the info.

Has anyone seen the Shen Yun company? It is billed as Classical Chinese Dance and from pictures and short clips it looks quite interesting, but was wondering if ballet lovers would enjoy it. I might go to the Tampa performance, but I wanted to know if anyone on these boards have seen this company and what they think about it before I buy a ticket.

One of my best nights at the opera was seeing William Christie's company Les Arts Florissants do Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie. I love baroque opera. However, the clips I saw of Enchanted Island and the fact that it is a very contrived pastiche that is no longer a common thing to do in opera in this point in time.....well.....I was worried it would be really contrived and hokey and silly. All that combined with this past Saturday being a beautiful, sunny day in Florida I did not want to spend all day watching "Enchanted Island" but maybe I will go see the encore presentation at night later in February. I am happy to read some of the comments above. Another factor was that I knew I was driving to Tampa the next day to catch "Stars of Today Meet Stars of Tomorrow".....highlights included Joseph Phillips from ABT doing the Bronze/Golden Idol Dance, Jeanette Delgado and Daniel Ulbricht in Tarantella, Lia and Jeffrey Cirio in the Pas de Trois (danced as the Pas de Deux) from Le Corsaire. There were others too and the first half was incredible young kids doing variations. Anyway, knowing I had to drive to another town the next day to catch something I knew I would enjoy kept me from wanting to spend an entire day in the movie theatre watching Enchanted Island. But I hope it was good. On paper it has all the ingredients of a fun show. But not sure what the final outcome was. Btw, during Tarantella I did not know who to watch more: Delgado or Ulbricht. Both are such amazing dancers. The second I was watching one I was missing something the other was doing. This is the second time I have seen Ulbricht in Tarantella. His drive, attack, force, energy, etc. is amazing. Normally, Jeannette Delgado can steal a show with her delicate, yet athletic dancing and big smile, but she couldn't steal it from Ulbricht, and I don't think she was trying to.....she was wonderful all the same. I will run, not walk, to see either Ulbricht or Delgado in almost anything! A little 13 year old Aran Bell from Italy was one of the young competition winners that just blew the audience away. He commands the stage at 13!

I am still learning about the ballet world, but I think Giselle is a cash cow in the ballet world sort of like Carmen is in opera. After 20 years of opera I think attending another Carmen would make me throw up. LOL Seriously, it would take an EXTRAORDINARY mezzo to get me to even cross the street for a Carmen. But regional and international companies program it over and over. La Boheme is similar (cash cow) too, but it is more lovely, so I can tolerate even though I do get tired of it and would much rather see other operas. But these cash cows bring in the crowds. Not sure rare works do even with stars. When I went to NY to see Renee Fleming sing in Il Pirata years ago there were lots of empty seats. Il Pirata is an interesting work and rare for the most part, but it doesn't fill the house. Traviata, Boheme, Carmen, or Rigoletto fill the house, so those are played over and over again. I suspect the ballet world is the same. Balletomanes want to see something like Laurencia for something new, but the general public wants to see Giselle, so Giselle would make a whole lot more money. I suspect that is the case.

I didn't think I would like Sylphides, b/c I thought, "How could an abstract Sylphides be better than the original La Sylphide (different ballet altogether)? Sounds silly!" But then I saw the Nureyev version that I got from Netflix and then two others, and now I LOVE this ballet! It is truly gorgeous. I like it better with the crumbling castle as opposed to a Kirov version with a pastoral scene. Since they are spirits, a nighttime haunted atmosphere seems better.

I love Lopatkina's Raymonda. I think she is the reason I fell in love with the ballet Raymonda. But Helene is right about Pointois. I think she is amazing in the clapping variation.

OH, YES!!! No, that (Pontois) is how a Raymonda commands the clapping Hungarian variation! Pontois' persona is all command! Gorgeous! I love Gilbert as Henriette, but am a surprised I don't like her Raymonda. Maybe as she dances it more often she will iron out the interpretation.

Thanks, Cinnamonswirl!!! I think Gilbert's balance is amazing in whatever she does, but her claps in this version are like sleepy claps! Like she's so tired she doesn't have the energy to clap! LOL I've never seen the move of putting the hand to the forehead like Raymonda has a headache or is swooning around the 1:19 mark (she does this 3 times). I'm not talking about putting the hand to the back of the head and tilting back like you think you're all that. That is part of this variation, but I have never seen the hand placed on the forehead! This is like Raymonda jet lagged! LOL I normally love Gilbert but I find these little details unusual in her interpretation.

I find the manu dance cute but sort of silly at the same time.....but it is fun, so leaving in any extra dances is always a good thing. But I guess I don't miss it that much. On the fence about the character dances. I like the principals' variations and pdd stuff the best usually.

MakarovaFan, if there are tickets still left on April 1st I plan to be at the Vishneva/Osipova Bayadere also! That should be great!!! Vasiliev is Solor the night before. So I am going to get a ticket for that also. I saw a YouTube clip of his Solor, and it is amazing! I think he is more amazing than Hallberg personally, but Hallberg seems more refined, so it is give and take. But Vasiliev has a backbend beyond belief when he goes down on one knee!!!

Is this lovely or what????

I totally agree! Very frustrating! Must be some sort of problem! Maybe they are waiting till 2013 (20 year anniversary of his death) to release it. That's the only thing I can think of why it has not been released yet. I hope you're right, Bart. Have any complete performances been filmed? I seem to recall that a year ago Marie Agnes Gillot starred in a tv broadcast of Raymonda in Europe. She's far from my first choice to dance Ray, but I'll take anything at this point. Yes, I feel the same way. From the Alexandrova YouTube clips either you or someone posted to this forum, I would rather have her in the dvd, but if you google Gillot, in Wikipedia her Raymonda dvd is listed as "in preparation" (in French). Apparently, they were planning to release the telecast as a dvd, but for some reason they have not yet. I have seen her clips and don't think she was bad at all, but her presence is not really what most people have in mind for a Raymonda. I would just like to see a commercial version (clear) of Nureyev's Raymonda come out for compare and contrast with other versions, since his is a famous production. Maybe they were never planning to release it on dvd, and it is just our wishful thinking, although, like I said, in the Wikipedia entry for Gillot it is listed as a forthcoming dvd. Same with Dorothee Gilbert's fan page. They have said things like, "No word on the Raymonda dvd yet...." Dorothee Gilbert is amazing as Raymonda's friend Henriette (or Clemence.....not sure) judging from YouTube clips. I actually wish SHE were the Raymonda, although I love her Henriette variations so much that I want to have a commercial version of that. It does seem strange how some things come out on dvd 6 months after they happen and other things do not come out for years. I wonder why.

I totally agree! Very frustrating! Must be some sort of problem! Maybe they are waiting till 2013 (20 year anniversary of his death) to release it. That's the only thing I can think of why it has not been released yet.

Have they ever sold out entirely on subscriptions and those subscriber exchanges before 4/1? The last two years, I was able to get all sorts of great seats for the most popular performances on April 1 and a few even later than that. Not just a seat, but great seats, with lots to choose from. The Met is such a big house, it seems unlikely things will be different in 2012. (Touch wood!) Thank you, California! That's a relief. I already booked my flight and reserved a hotel and if I don't get tickets to the two Bayaderes I want I wouldn't have even booked all that. I can deal with just getting tickets to one of the performances, but I am hoping to get tickets to both Thursday and Friday nights.