seattle_dancer

Rows B - F are the cheapest orchestra seats because there is no rise in the floor, but if you're tall you might be fine. I also like to sit close for the same reasons as you. For this production you will miss out on some interesting lighting on the floor and the white moving panels block a lot of the starry nighttime sky toward the end, not anything major. But due to the acting and emotional nuances and a lot of details, if you only see one show I would sit close. An alternative to those orchestra seats are Gallery. You can't tell on the seating chart, but they are raised, like stadium seating. Row H or J and below are Lower Gallery and are cheaper, however the angle to center more severe. I personally like J - M as you are above the stage but close enough to see faces well. For this production I only recommend Gallery 5, or audience left. You will miss a bit of the beginning of the funeral procession, in the upstage right corner, but will have a clear shot of major action that happens stage left. Happy to answer more questions if you have them. Are you coming from NYC? I think I usually see you post in those forums.

Last night at the post-performance chat Peter Boal said Karel is out due to injury.

I attended both shows last Saturday, At the matinee subs were announced for Maria due to illness. So it sounds like she was falling ill on Wednesday, The evening announcement also said she would be replaced, but she actually did dance after all, in Pas/Parts. I was really glad, since I have never seen her in such a modern piece. I thought she was fantastic. Funny thing though, she was smiling the whole time, while everyone else had a serious demeanor. Thoughts on Friday Program 2: Loved the black background, really sets of the red well. Taras seemed lackluster to me. Sofiane and Vanessa really outshone him, not sure if he had an off night. I'm used to seeing that role done in a more playful way. Drink to Me: someone said they didn't like the women's costumes and I agree, but it was made in the '80s when dolman sleeves were popular, kind of like how we have to deal with In the Upper Room costumes. I loved the music, choreography, and costumes of Fearful Symmetries. It was very intense, especially Jahna Frantziskonis in her mini solo. Don't judge her by her size - she dances BIG and can transmit energy beyond her own body. She also has a special way of using her eyes. Somebody said something about twitching, I'd call it isolations and I think it's a good change for the dancers and helps them to understand their bodies better. Many different groups one after another, then all come together at the end. I liked it so much I pushed my flight back on Sunday so I could see it again, and so I could see Jahna in Drink To Me, The part I didn't like is the dark lighting with really bright lights above the dancers. I think the lights are distracting and make the area below seem even darker; it brought back bad memories of Caprice. The costumes are incredible - lots of asymmetry, individuality, and use of leather - very edgy. Will have to make it back for Frankenstein next year...

Is Bold out with injury? I will miss him as Tybalt.

I was able to watch from my iPhone5 no problems. A friend just outside of Seattle and one in San Fran also viewed no problems. What kind of equipment, OS, etc were you using? I knew Bernice Coppetiers is a goddess of a dancer, I have DVDs of her and have seen her in class at Steps but I was so impressed by her coaching - she can really convey (and demonstrate!) what she wants. She is so expressive with each little gesture and I loved the dramatic accents. I also learned that she is very witty and funny. Thank you PNB - it was an incredible evening, can't wait for opening night!

Wow I loved Jahna in Fearful Symmetries - so fierce, sassy, edgy like I've never seen her before. So cool she had a little solo! I wish she was in Sunday's cast but look forward to seeing her in Drink to Me with Thine Eyes (and assuming she is in Rubies also).

Thanks for the update Volcanohunter! The comment on the site from Rob G cracks me up - whining about Osipova in so many DVDs. Guess he doesn't realize they want to generate as many revenues as possible. I, for one, am very happy!

Thanks to this thread I am extending my stay for the NYC/Pacific Northwest Ballet tour to attend the Sunday show at BAM, which will be a great prescursor to my Russia trip in May. I couldn't find a thread on this topic, does anyone know where the mezzanine overhangs the orchestra? Deciding between Mezz and Orch. BTW Saturday the 27th at City Center, PNB will perform Emergence (Crystal Pite) and A Million Kisses to my Skin (David Dawson), both NY premieres and not widely performed in the U.S. Also Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (Forsythe) which everyone in the U.S. presented last year.

Meant for my reply to go with Sandik'squote. After I read it I checked the theater I used for RB screenings and it belongs to Regal, and thus has switched to the Lincoln Center series. Sigh. Does anyone know if a DVD will be released? Otherwise I am going to take the afternoon off at work and drive almost two hours one way to Bellingham. I really want to see Osipova and McRae in Rhapsody.

Same for me, and Rhapsody uses my favorite music of all time. It's odd the usual cinemas in Seattle who show RB are not, not even a theater in Portland. Small towns like Bellingham, WA and Florence and Medford, OR are showing it. So weird. Does anyone know why? I certainly hope this instance is not the start of a trend.

Wow Jahna Frantziskonis joined the company in July and she is already cast as SPF! That says a lot. We were so sad to see her leave Seattle/PNB. She is a small/delicate dancer but very strong physically and technically and is an absolute performer. Have you seen her ham it up on her Instagram account? You will not be disappointed if you see her - she dances huge, and is a joy on stage!!! Maybe if you are lucky you will get to see her the lead in Rubies, like we did last year.

I bought a ticket to last night's show with the Black Friday deal, motivated by Noe's debut as Dewdrop. After the show I ran into some friends and her amazing performance was all we could talk about. Sure she has all the technique - turns, jumps, balance, but she seemed to put her own spin on the role and make it really special. I'm not exactly sure how to describe - phrasing, use of head, and her wrists/hands are more beautiful than I remember. So today we bought tickets to see her as Sugar Plum Fairy next Sunday, even though I'm going to the matinee that day as well. Angelica and Noe as SPFs that day - can't wait!

Maria was fantastic in all roles the second weekend of Rep 2. The press release makes it sound as if those were her last performances. It's not clear (to me) whether she is finishing the season. She is not listed anywhere for Nutcracker opening weekend casting.

Wow, thanks for pointing out that photo Helene. Look how high Elle is, almost to Jerome's shoulder! (dancers were named under the photo) The lighting was perfect to show off the musculature in her legs. Now I'm curious how that step was done. Can't wait to see Signature again during the second weekend. Also looking forward to seeing the second cast.

I saw Leta in the orchestra level at dress rehearsal and didn't see any crutches or boot or brace or anything of the like. Hope to see her second weekend, she was amazing in the Emergence Prologue at the studio rehearsal. Also at the dress rehearsal (lecture) Peter Boal mentioned James Moore had an issue with his neck. So Thursday evening Price danced the Bee Man solo as well as opening night. He was great! What a huge evening for Price! His world premiere Signature was very well received and many rose to their feet when he came out for his bow. The after talk produced some very nice comments from the audience regarding the music composed by Barret Anspach.

ITM, assuming you're referring to Emergence. PNB is taking it to NYC at the end of its tour, Feb 26 and 27th. It's paired with another rare piece A Million Kisses to My Skin (David Dawson) and Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (Forsythe). It is preceded by an all Balanchine program. @ City Center. Details are posted on the Touring section of the PNB website.

Wow, Midsummer really exceeded my expectations last night. The dancers are very high caliber, Olivier's choreography showed them off so well. The production is really unique, gorgeous lighting, super creative use of sets and props. Loved the costumes as well. I thought the tickets were kind of expensive but now I think they are an awesome deal. If you are in the Seattle area, I highly recommend you go. Also the theater is so much smaller than McCaw Hall, you have a much more intimate experience seeing the dancers up close.

Casting is online for first weekend. Quite a few new roles, will be fun to see!

If you missed the Prodigal Son coaching session on Tuesday, Peter Boal said he wanted to show the newbies to the roles. We saw Ben Griffiths, Matt Renko, Lesley Rausch and Emma Love Suddarth. Wow I had never seen this piece so close, it was such a treat. Peter shared some great stories, he was very eloquent and funny. He said there are 3.5 casts now (didn't name them), and I believe he said Laura Tisserand and Jonathan Porretta are the only returning dancers in lead roles.

I see a couple more new corps members on the PNB website: Guillaume Basso and Miles Pertl.

I attended the Sat eve show. Infra would be better without the digital media. I found it softer than Chroma, which I found kind of harsh. It was neat to see RB dancers in a completely different genre; Osipova even more extreme than in her Solo for Two choreography, and fun to compare after seeing her dance Titiana in The Dream. I also liked Aeternum best of the Divertissments, and would like to see more. Funny, I had same thoughts on Anxiety as the two posts above. Reminded me of Fancy Free, but for me not as musicial so it was way too long. I really enjoyed Steven McRae's dancing and seeing Laura Morera (after seeing her in Song of Earth Thursday) in a completely different role.

I see she's still listed to dance Kitri tomorrow in Chicago so I'm taking that as a positive sign. I'm hoping to see her in NYC but I saw her fall in Giselle, so I'll understand if she has to be replaced. Fingers crossed!

My understanding is that when you exchange subscription seats you pay the original price at the beginning of the season. Hopefully you can get a credit for the difference. Maybe someone at ABT Subscriptions can help. Surely they don't want to lose a subscriber.

Thank you Birdwatcher, for putting the piece in perspective. I don't know a ton about Wolftrap, but I thought the objective was to showcase our national parks. That said, I don't believe you should just focus on Dirty Goods' choreography separate from the video. I actually found myself focusing on the video, maybe because it was new to me, and maybe because I had seen a couple of studio rehearsals. I believe the simplicity of the white costumes also help put the focus on the park scenery. Maybe the video didn't translate well on the live stream, but it looked great in the house, despite some bright lighting probably for the filming. Andrew Bartee oversaw everything, and he had never attempted this type of project before. I loved the video and thought he represented the Pacific Northwest very well. Additionally, even though the dancers had to endure extreme winter weather for the filming (it was sunny on the beach but actually a cold April day, also a blizzard in the mountains) they said they had fun and enjoyed the experience. At the demo last summer, I noticed Elle Macy, something interesting about her in this piece. Later in the year, that experience furthered by her performance in the Forsythe pas de deux and In The Middle. I'm looking forward to more from her next year.