seattle_dancer

Yes it is and you will probably need to see it at least a second time. It isn’t exactly dance, it’s more like structured movement so I do know one person who dislikes it for that reason. But I think it’s fascinating and I could see it over and over! It should go over well with New Yorkers since they see a lot of theater. Somewhere I read almost 70% of the tickets are $40 for the Joyce’s 40th anniversary and $50 for PNB’s upcoming 50th anniversary.

Saturday my plane landed 12:15, I took BART, dropped off bag at Inn at Opera, and went to the carriage side entrance. The vaccine check took a long time. People were not prepared and the couple in front of me walked away saying "That was a waste of $500." I sat in my seat and literally the house lights dimmed. So I would have like to have been better rested for the Chung/Walsh show. I hoped they would have been the evening show, after I could check in and get a little rest at the Inn, but it didn't work out that way. In between shows, I had outdoor meals and saw friends, some I hadn't seen in a two years. So by the time I did my write-up, I could only provide the highlights at the top of my memory as the trip was a whirlwind and a bit uncomfortable as it was my first overnight flying trip since Covid and I always wear N95 inside. I noticed noone was posting any post-show comments so I figured something was better than nothing. I thought all the partnering was really solid, especially when I sat in the orchestra on Saturday and was close. I admire De Sola's and Cauthorn's dancing very much, I'm sorry I couldn't rearrange my trip last minute to see them. I am eager to hear about them. The rehearsal clip on IG was beautiful and it was nice to hear from them in the POV recording. I'm also writing right now because last night I started watching the PNB Swan Lake digital stream (still available https://order.pnb.org/22-digital/swan-lake/ $35 unlimited viewing through Monday midnight PDT). PNB in person run ended two weeks before I went to SFO, then I had closing weekend at SFB, now I'm watching PNB digital. I only got through Act I last night and it really struck me the difference in the size of the companies. We have 46 dancers and I think my friend told me SFB has 80? It was funny, I was watching the corp dances, and I thought, wow there's not nearly as many dancers on stage. But, I do have to say, the costumes are a lot brighter and the silks are lighter and move so beautifully, I really recommend a viewing. Lesley Rausch is the O/O and it is her 4th run at it. I saw her last show in person and thought you would never know the partnership with James Kirby Rogers (Siegfried) is new, they had great chemistry. Also, James Yoichi Moore, a principal dancer from SFO and SFB/SAB trained, plays Wolfgang in Act I. It is not a huge dancing part, Wolfgang is actually Siegfried's friend who gets tipsy and has a featured short tipsy dance toward the end of the act. However, in June, for PNB's last program Moore will reprise his role as the main character in Twyla Tharp's Waiting at the Station (also available digitally). It will also make its NY premiere at Lincoln Center June and CA premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in July. @pherank Thanks for coming up to Seattle to see PNB. Glad you saw another Orza!

Yes! I saw all three of the aforementioned casts. Some general impressions on the coaching/dancing: All the leading ladies had beautiful swan arms and bird-like head/neck movements. At the first Siegfried/Odette encounter they all had very quick, tight bourres to show as if they were frightened. The men all danced well in their solos, I called out the choreo at the end of Act I earlier, it's so slow with such big jumps, it looks so hard and the music is so quiet so if they land loud it is really loud. All the partnering looked good to me, all the ladies looked confident and comfortable (maybe the Chung/Walsh partnership is new here and only their second show?). Wei Wang is the one Siegfried who stood out to me in Act III. In his solo he started to look a little tired, then he started to do some jumps with beats, which piqued my interest. I can't recall the exact jumps, but they were not straight up and down, he was in a diagonol position (harder IMO). And from there into the coda it seemed like he dug deep and the energy into the end just exploded. I don't see SFB as often as I would like but I think recall Wei in a Men in White solo from Swimmer when he was in the Corp and I was immediately his fan. I had not seen him in a full length classical role so wasn't sure, but I thought he was great. I just wish they didn't have him wear the period ponytail. Before the O/Os I also want to mention the men in the pas de trois are outstanding! Cavan Conley double tour straight into double pirouettes and a huge menage of coupe jetes and other jumps that was just really powerful almost like Seth Orza (yes Seth not Sean). I noticed last year in the digital, and this year in person, particularly for the first female soloist, the arms are very light and cheerful which suits the music very well. Kudos to the coaching here. However, for that dancer's last solo, there is a windup that all the dancers seemed to not like, which leads into arabesque turns then fouette turns. I wish the choreo was changed; I don't like it when I see three out of three dancers look uncomfortable with the choreo. So I do have a few "roses" to hand out for each of the O/Os: Chung: I was so excited to finally see her in a full length! I cannot believe this was only her second run. She looked like a veteran. What struck me most is her Act II Odette. She has a way of tilting her spine, especially the upper part and making herself multi-dimensional. I am not able to explain it very well. But for example at the very end of the act, there is the very quick footwork of entrechats, passes, etc. where the lower body needs to be straight up on down on their legs, but she actually had her shoulders and upper body and head moving around. Really amazing! Park: Wona did great, I know this is her debut year. She is physically and technically very strong and as I covered in my general comments above, has all the swan foundation elements down. She will grow into the role nicely. She reminds me of Angelica Generosa at PNB in one respect. These two ladies you never have to worry about finishing all those fouette turns. Wona even put her arms up over her head a few times. It might have been just one of her arms (can anyone else confirm/deny?) which is harder IMO. Kuranaga: From what I've read Misa danced O/O three times in Boston, so this is overall her fourth O/O. Again, it was only my third SFB Swan Lake (albeit in quick succession), but her Act II seemed quite different to me because of tempos. When Odette and Siegfried met, the tempo seemed much faster than both Saturday shows. Then during the adagio pdd, it was really slow. But Misa did not show it at all and I give her major kudos for that level of control. Her Odile stood out - not only did she have some very quick and sharp movements, they were alternated with some very slow movements as well, so there was this wonderful quick/slow, quick/slow pattern. There is an arabesque balance after the beginning waltz and when the music is quiet and seductive (SFB coaching seems to emphasize this as I saw all the O/Os make the effort). Misa must have held it for at least eight counts, for which she rightfully received a round of applause. During her fouette turns she also raised one of her arms up a few times, and finished up in fifth en pointe. I just remembered one more item: ABT/McKenzie is the version I am most familiar with where the couple kill themselves and the set up there the dancers can take a pretty big jump (Marcelo Gomes was the best!) . It looks like the SFB setup does not allow for such a big jump? But I want to give Angelo Greco a rose for his jump. He raised one arm and did some sort of spiral, kind of like a diver. Very dramatic! Well, that's all I can remember right now. It was a bit of a whirlwind weekend and a lot to take in since it was my first time seeing this production and had not have seen the company live since February 2020. And I did enjoy the new seats in WMOH very much (Orchestra Rows R, F and Dress Circle A)! From the Dress Circle I could see the ramp in the big stone and the stairs at the top, so that was fun.

Today in the SFB Swan Lake thread Helene mentioned the PNB Princess contenders in Act III and even posted a video from Instagram. I remembered something from the last weekend of shows. Have any of you ever watched these princesses when Odile crashes the party? I honestly never have over the past almost twenty years but I finally did. Oh my gosh, their faces and reactions are hysterical! I hope in the digital version the filming is wide enough so we can see it!!!

Following up on Grace8's post... I saw Angelica Generosa & Jonathan Batista's debut and 4/23 shows. Both of them I noticed the overall momentum grew and grew with each act. I have seen each production of Swan Lake since this one started when McCaw opened and I don't feel like any other pair of leads produced this kind of momentum. Usually the big fireworks are in Act III, then Act IV is more subdued. There was a lot of these two on social media leading up to their debut and they did not disappoint. Angelica is becoming quite the storyteller with her fantastic facial expressions on top of outstanding technique. Jonathon displays a beautiful spirit especially in his jumps and his turns have a level of control we have not seen since maybe Karel Cruz (being able to slowly come to a stop, he even hopped a little and then completed multiple pirouttes). Kuu Sakuragi also stood out as the Jester. It has been a long time since we had one with so much freedome and energy; he reminds me of when Jonathon Poretta started in the role, I believe as a Corp member way back when. I also saw Kuu in Neopolitan in one of my shows, and he also had a delightfully light and energetic presence. He accented different parts of the music which made the divertissement interesting, since I was seeing multiple shows. The second Saturday show evening aside from the leads (and I think Kuu was Jester) also had a lot of diversity in the cygnets. Ashton Edwards and a professional division student Destiny Wimpye both were featured here, as well as they danced in the swan corp. The digital program was just released. I am looking forward to seeing Lesley Rausch & James Kirby Rogers as the leads again, and in the pas de trois I believe it should be Angelica Generosa, Leta Biassuci, and Kyle Davis. If you don't have it as part of your subscription, you can buy it for $35 and receive unlimited viewing through Monday 5/16 midnight PDT.

I finally saw SFB's Swan Lake for the first time this past weekend. In 2017 I had tickets to see it, even a ticket to see YY, but sadly I had to cancel last minute due to a family emergency. Overall impressions on the production first: It is the shortest production at just over two hours, which is kind of nice since I saw both shows on Saturday and flew in earlier in the day. The prologue is nice for those unfamiliar with the story. Act I ends with a slow solo for Siegfried with a lot of big jumps, and the music is very quiet, so I give the dancer a lot of kudos there. Hard stuff. Act II pretty traditional. Act III is very short and arranged abruptly for me (national dances then right into black swan pdd, no anticipation). I also think it is strange to have Siegfried choose a potential bride from the national dancers (usually there for entertainment). I really like how involved Von Rothbart is throughout Act III and all his costumes throughout the show. Act IV musically arranged and interpreted differently, I'm not sure I like how Helgi used the "Hollywood moment" music for Siegfied's entrance, as he searches for Odette. I've seen maybe eight or so other productions and never one with and ending where you see the spirits come together in the end so that makes this production unique. I love the set and the distinction between the palace grounds, lakeside (that huge rock looks so real), and the ballroom. The crew is able to change it very quickly. The digital of the princess turning into the swan in the prologue is very unique. The end of Act I is so pretty with the sky changing and the palace grounds dusky and the oversized lights coming on. That elevating trap door in the rock is fun for Von Rothbart's first entrance, Odette in Act III, and the couple in the end. As for the costumes, I always thought the feathered caps were a bit not to my taste but I'm sorry I didn't see them. I could see how they would go with the set and the simplified bodice on the tutus. The colors in Act I for the aristocrats and peasants I felt were a little dark, I'm used to a brighter palette in PNB's production, which I see the most. I saw the gold Odile tiara on social media before my trip and thought it looked bad, but it was fine in person. Again, I really loved all of Von Rothbart's costumes throughout the show. I think they elevate his importance as a character, plus his dancing - jumping, overhead lifting Odette, fighting with Siegfried. All weekend there were a lot of people who don't regularly attend the ballet. I could tell in the vaccination check line as well as those sitting around me. This is a good production for those new to ballet, you know the first one after Nutcracker, maybe that's why Helgi kept it shorter. I can also see that the coaching/dancing is very serious and this production of Swan Lake serves serious ballet lovers as well. More on the dancing and specific casts in a separate post...

Re: Inn at the Opera Update I forgot to mention there is a sign that the restaurant space is available for lease. Fingers crossed! I never knew Sage, but around the corner on Gough, is my go-to, Dragon Eats. It’s quick Vietnamese with banh mi, salads, bowls and rolls. https://dragoneats.com/ There is also a new Whole Foods near the Civic Center BART station.

Quick update on Inn at the Opera. My first stay in over two years. The restaurant Plaj, permanently closed four months ago. There is no breakfast provided. The room kitchenette has the same amenities although there is now a 10 cup Cuisinart coffee maker and Lavazza vacuum sealed ground coffee provided. No creamer, sugars or stirrers anymore though. They also give you a tall pitcher which you can take to the ground floor and fill with filtered water near the restrooms. There is a fancy toaster with bagel, defrost and numbered toast settings. The front door entry is now locked down. One needs to buzz for entry. I lucked out and found a non refundable rate two weeks before my trip. The hotel is clean, quiet and very convenient if you have a lot of shows at WMOH. I am happy with my stay.

I will miss Sarah, Josh and Guillaume but it is so wonderful they are all staying in town, have started their new paths, AND that they all contribute to the Seattle community! This program looks like a nice blend of featuring departing dancers and gearing up for the upcoming NY and LA tours. I look forward to the show, and am glad PNB is keeping the Covid vaccination and mask requirements. Last I heard the Seattle area theaters were keeping them through May 31, but I didn't know what would happen after that date.

Yesterday PNB posted on Instagram it will be Lesley Rausch and James Kirby Rogers from opening night. I went to their final show on Saturday, assuming it will be Lesley's final O/O. Before they announced casting, I wasn't sure she was dancing the role(s). We hadn't seen much of her during the digital season and the first weekend of the recent Romeo and Juliet run Peter Boal said she had a back injury at one of the post-performance talks, and I don't believe she ever debuted as Lady Capulet the second weekend. Well she looked exactly the same as two years ago, meaning no diminished skill/ability, which is totally amazing as she is now 40, per Marcie Sillman's blog. On top of aging two years, factor in almost two years of abnormal class and rehearsal conditions. It is really something special to see a ballerina in her forties, they have a certain confidence and carry themselves with such sense of knowing. But her strength, control, flexibility, all totally there. And she had fantastic chemistry with her new partner James Kirby Rogers. I saw other casts, other leads are pretty new to O/O and Lesley definitely shows her stuff as the veteran ballerina in terms of her Act II Odette with extra articulation and nuance in her arms. neck and head. My guess is this is her fourth time in the role, and so she has a lot of experience and probably coaching from difference sources over the years. James did a fine job partnering Lesley, they did not look like a new partnership at all. During Act III multiple pirouettes into her back bend they were so on the music the audience applauded - and this was not a subscription show. All his solos were clean and precise - really nice jumps and turns. Sincere acting. I noticed he had timing a little bit different, maybe he started a tad later but finished within the phrases. It actually made his solos fun and interesting as I was seeing multiple shows. Also after Lesley finished her fouette turns he did some crazy turning combination that included a turn in au second with five or six revolutions! Has anybody else seen any shows? C'mon we had such good dialogue from the Plot Points rep!?!

Take Two - I wrote this post earlier thinking I was signed in and then it disappeared because I wasn't! Like SandyMcKean I attended the second Saturday and Sunday matinee. I wasn't feeling particularly well and Saturday tried an experimental seat so unfortunately my enjoyment of the program was diminished. I very much liked the concept of "Before I Was" and the use of the children. Clara Ruf Maldonado can do no wrong in my eyes and it was easier to see her as a child's grown up self with her smaller stature. In both shows I also thought the "Pebble" solo was by far the most interesting part of this piece. In "Caught" I thought Melisa was good but Elle really showed her confidence and brought her A-game right out of the gate before she even started jumping. Her straddle jumps were also beyond 180, in a slight V, I've never seen a woman do that before! Plot Point was fascinating as always, I wish I was feeling better and my view was not obscured. I was impressed by Liz Murphy as Mrs. Jones, especially in the birthday cake scene. I don't remember seeing her last time. She was very dramatic, I am realizing how much range she has in her acting now. It was also great to see James Yoichi Moore as Fernando. I was sad he did not get to dance the solo in Ghost Variations last November due to injury, and he also danced in the Peck piece Sunday. Lucien Postelwaite I had trouble with "The Times are Racing". I found the music and costumes inaccessible and too loud. Noah did do a great job on Sunday. There are a number of really talented apprentices and new corp dancers, I'm not sure if it's the traning or if it's becuase many of them have varied backgrounds (multiple dance genres, competitions, etc). It was good to see Ashton dance a featured role, although I thought the pairing with Luther was a bit unbalanced size wise. I enjoyed hearing Ashton speak at the post performance Q&A. It was a little awkward how there was media there when usually there is not. At the end someone had commented how Elle Macy had been Snow White in the school production back in the day and wondered if the trend might continue. Peter Boal responded by saying apprentices next year are the two dancers who played Belle and the two who were Gaston (plus one other I couldn't make out) in Beauty and the Beast.

Yes I saw it in the theater when it was first released and Tiler Peck was in Seattle to promote it even! I think it was back in 2018 or 2017? I learned a lot about Peck and thought it was entertaining. Afterwards Michelle Dorrance’s company was all over the place, it even toured to Seattle. And I want to say I saw Bill Irwin somewhere else, maybe Vail, but that doesn’t seem right.

Thanks for the write up Sandi! I was bummed to miss opening weekend. I enjoyed reading about the Q/A and especially the very end! I was hoping Leta would be a new Odette/Odile and also wondering who her partner would be. I also would love for Kyle to be a Siegfried. I can't wait to see them together! I will post my thoughts after I see the shows second weekend...

Last night was opening night. I'm not able to attend this weekend but I looked at casting. Elle Macy danced Caught last night. This afternoon it will be apprentice Melisa Guilliams, and this evening it will be Kuu Sakuragi. I can't remember the last time PNB presented Caught, but it's been a long time. Before I recall all men cast, except Noelani Pantastico. I'm curious who else might get a shot next week. I'm not familiar with The Times Are Racing, but between that piece and Plot Point, quite a few dancers are being used, that's great to see. BTW, I noticed Caught will not be part of the digital viewing.

The Times are Racing PNB Premiere | Justin Peck Before I Was World Premiere | Robyn Mineko Williams Plot Point Crystal Pite Caught David Parsons

Ever so grateful, The Classical Girl! Thank you for helping to keep so many of us connected and learning from each other!!!

I didn't get to see Murphy's as Juliette but I heard she was amazing. I still can't believe she just had a baby last May or June on top of not dancing regularly during the pandemic and now she just carried a full length story ballet!?! Opening night there was a Lady Capulet casting change, Elle Macy debuted instead of Lesley Rausch. At the post performance Q&A Peter Boal said Rausch had a back injury and hoped she would be back for the second weekend, but I don't believe she did. I believe this injury created the domino effect for the Saturday performances Lady Capulet and Rosaline. Kyle Davis was supposed to debut as Mercutio first weelemd. I didn't see his name on the casting second weekend and don't know if he every danced first weekend or not. On Thursday I was looking forward to seeing Dylan Wald as Friar Laurence but on his Instragram he posted about a tibia stress fracture and Miles Pyrtl was down for all the second weekend shows. I actually see Wald as the Friar rather than Romeo so I was disappointed I didn't get to see it. However, I did get to see Cecilia Iliesiu as Lady Capulet and as I expected, she was dynamite. She ran the gamut of emotions and displayed nuances and details I don't believe I've seen before. And of course the pairing of Noe and Lucien was just so special. The whole show was so emotional. I saw James and Noe twice. It is incredible for them to dance at their level in the forties after the lengthy pandemic. Sunday's show finally I felt like the tempo for the balcony scene was slow enough. I just wanted to savor those moments for as long as I could. I guess I felt like that the whole show. But the beautiful music played on, and hopefully you all saw the farewell on the digital broadcast, it seemed so heartfelt, it was perfect!

Casting up on PNB website: https://www.pnb.org/season/romeo-et-juliette/ Title roles only for second weekend so far. Note the Thursday show is unique as it has Noelani Pantastico and Lucien Postelwaite paired. Some exciting debuts this year!

So far this season, the first two digital programs for Reps 1 and 2 have been recordings of opening nights. As for Nutcracker, Peter Boal said the digital version would be a recording of the opening show (at Beyond Ballet post performance Q&A).

Here & Now, Season 3, Seattle Dance Collective, Noelani Pantastico & James Yoichi Moore, Artistic Directors Seattle Dance Collective presents three world premieres by critically-acclaimed choreographers Juliano Nunes, FLOCK and Robyn Mineko Williams. Tickets are $20 for unlimited viewing during the streaming period (November 11-21). Link to buy tickets below: https://www.seattledancecollective.org/herenow-tickets?utm_campaign=837a6f00-a82f-430f-a131-6464db937337&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail_lp&cid=cdeeee6f-b73d-4611-ad96-58f8b19f8790

I'm getting really excited for opening night! I just discovered the website has been updated to name the dancers for the Meet the Artist post-performance discussions. I don't recall seeing this information posted on the website before. Usually you have to wait until inside the theater and look at that particular evening's program. Also, I see the piano soloists for Ghost Variations named here. https://www.pnb.org/season/casting/

Well it's now been 5 days since my last PNB show and I'm feeling just fine. I had bought N95 masks online just for the shows and potential flights in 2022. They are the foldable version, fit well and are actually very comfortable. The area near McCaw Hall has changed a lot and my favorite pre-theater dinner place has changed locations to a much smaller venue with no outdoor space. I was able to find another place who takes reservations for outdoor seating so that was a huge win. I wore something colorful and festive and was glad I did that as I saw and waved to a few dancers on their way to the theater. I'm sure they knew I was there for the show; I hope it added to their excitement to return to a live audience! My friend and I planned to arrive at McCaw Hall early as we anticipated long lines to enter with the checking of vaccination and ID cards but it was actually quite short. There was really good coverage of seats in the orchestra and galleries, since the box office put empty seats in between parties. And by the way, I did not see anyone wearing their masks improperly as Moira MacDonald reported in the Seattle Times. Opening night was probably the most special opening night ever. There was a lot of excitement in the audience. The evening started with brief remarks by Peter Boal then Silent Ghost. It was so great to see the dancers again but SG is darkly lit, or maybe because of lighting from above it's hard to see faces. It was especially nice to see Lesley Rausch, I read this was her first sock ballet, and we didn't see much of her at the end of last season. I wish I had brought my opera glasses to see the dancers faces better. I could tell some of them had tears of joy when taking their bows. Next was this short video while the stage crew set up for the next piece: The One Thousand Pieces excerpt is the first piece that premiered digitally and in my opinion that format just didn't do it justice. Having the immense size of the stage and backdrop is really such a sight for the eyes, and you can hear the water/fog misting in the background and well as the dancers splashing on the floor. It was a totally different experience! I hope the entire piece will be back next season. The piece opened with a duet by relatively new corp members Yuki Takahashi and Luther DeMyer stage right and then veterans Angelica Generosa and Kyle Davis (stage left) before water. Liz Murphy danced in the water scenes and she just had a baby in June! Chris D'Ariano has been doing some really nice dancing lately, he showed off his partnering chops with Leah Terada. The one and only intermission was 25 minutes long. It was interesting to see people I haven't seen in over 18 months! Little Mortal Jump was the closing piece, and it's been a while so everyone really enjoyed it. James Moore really stood out to me in the Pablo role. If he's done it before, I didn't see him that night. He has such a special and unique movement quality. The closing duet I feel like Dylan Wald's partner has always been Liz Murphy and this time it was Elle Macy. She contracts her upper body very effectively and makes gorgeous shapes. Everyone in the audience rose to their feet. Concertmaster Michael Jinsoo Lim and the rest of the string quartet took to the stage and joined the dancers for bows. It was interesting and heartening to ackwnowledge everyone for the last 18 months. I think they all knew. In summary I felt like I watched with much more intensity than I ever did. If it was a sentence, I hung on every word. I studied every movement, every transition. The music seemed brighter and more colorful. So even though the evening was shorter than normal, it seemed like a full evening out to me. Oh and I almost forgot, there was a post-performance Q&A. Opening night it featured Elle Macy & Dylan Wald. It was very well attended. Saturday night it was Clara Ruf Maldonado and Jonathon Batista, who were so fluid and smooth in One Thousand Pieces. They both started out in theater, by the way. I'm looking foward to seeing more from the two of them. The weekend also was a farewell to Emma Love Suddarth. Saturday evening she danced in Silent Ghost as well as the Jessica role in Little Mortal Jump. It was so nice to see her and Price (Pablo role) dance together one last time.

Tonight is opening night of PNB's 2021-22 season! It's the company's official return to McCaw Hall since February 2020, although there was a First Look gala on Wednesday for an intimate audience (pre-show cocktails, appetizers and post-show champage toast with artists outside). This rep features all works of resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo: Silent Ghost, One Thousand Pieces (excerpt), Little Mortal Jump. Details of the show, including a Ballet Talk normally provided before the show by Doug Fullington, and casting can be found here: https://www.pnb.org/season/singularly-cerrudo/ The live show is only available to full season subscribers and they are performing one weekend instead of two, or four shows instead of seven. However, there is a full season digital subscription available for $249. There is also an option to buy this Rep 1 show for $35 - it starts streaming Oct 7 and is available for unlimited viewing for 5 days.

MCB has welcomed Steven this week as a new Principal dancer! Congratulations to Steven!!! I will miss his dancing so much - he had so many different sides to his dancing, including hoofing, drama and comedy! I am so looking forward to his Encore performance since we didn’t see him featured hardly at all this season.

PNB posted on Instagram that Benjamin Griffiths will dance opposite Leta Biasucci in the role of Franz. I’m so happy I was hoping to see this cast I’ve missed this partnership so much! And with his retirement announced last season we didn’t get to see too much of Ben before he left PNB, so I’m perfectly happy to see an archived performance of Coppelia from 2016. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNsexTEAVYp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link