seattle_dancer

I really enjoyed the show last night. I lucked out and got a front row seat on the side for $71. It was great to be so close so I can see faces clearly. The pit wall is very low, in Seattle I need a cushion to see over it when sitting in Row A. I saw Bespoke during Unbound but I was ill and don’t recall much. I really enjoyed all the choreography. It had a lot of difficult steps and turning sequences. It was a great piece for me to get to know some of the dancers better, who I hadn’t seen featured before. The podcast and program notes were helpful in understanding the narrative, especially the pdd with the woman (Mathilde) who is sad about losing her partner. The other highlight was seeing Yuan Yuan Tan in After the Rain. I’ve seen many dancers perform it, but I enjoyed her unique interpretation. The flexibility in her back really shows during the Titanic pose. Soiree Musicale had some different steps I had not seen before. Misa did a double step up turn right into an attitude turn and at great speed. I would think one would have to know exactly where to shift her upper body to hit that so quickly. There was also a turning sequence she did ending in a pencil turn but leg extended to the back. Angelo Greco is such an amazing jumper, I think he is my favorite danseur in this company. I was glad to see Foreshadow again. The choreography is fresh and a bit edgy. I love costumes and the music. Sandpaper was fun, I love the costumes. The percussionists were right in front of me, it was fun to see all the bells and horse hoof sounds played right before me. I had considered buying a ticket to the matinee but decided to have free time. I was wondering if I would regret it. I would like to see Bespoke again, but was glad to have such a great seat.

I saw Angelica Generosa and Kyle Davis' second show. AG has such a light quality to her dancing this year, it's as if she is weightless. Lots of beautiful details - single attitude turn in Act I (also noted by another in the aftertalk), musical accents, touch of skirt, and run with hand across forehead to name a few. Act II really drew me in. When they met the chemistry was wonderful - shy and unsure, full of curiosity. AG's dancing really grew through the act, as Cinderella became more comfortable and happy with the Prince. KD was his usual self - super precise and effortless in all his solos.

Well darn it looks like I opened my big mouth and jinxed myself. My program 2 day Feb 22 lo and behold, two Helgi filler pieces. At least I have a ticket for the evening show, that looks like the better of the two to me. Let's just hope casting stays the same so I can see YYT. I would really like to see Grand Pas Classique again, and For Pixie, even if that means sitting through 05:49. How is Soirees Musicales? Hoping it's on the better side since it was a gala piece. I do look forward to seeing Misa Kuranaga and Angelo Greco together again (assuming same casting). Oh and credit to PeggyTulle - you called it on Concerto Grosso!

Tonight I reached my seat just as Peter Boal was starting to make the announcement. What a great surprise! I remember years ago Kyle was out with an injury for a long time and was choreographing Sylvia on the professional division students. Well it was worth the wait. Last season his Oberon was so impressive I heard people gasp under their breath. I braved the snowstorm to see his debut as Prince Florimund and it was totally worth the five inches of snow I had to clear off my car. His precision is remarkable and I'm not sure I even know what all he can do. At the recent Immersion Experience he was dancing Jester and I swear he ran and jumped into a straddle leap high above my head as if there was an invisible springboard. Congratulations Kyle!!!

Thanks for the info, I did not receive that email and I even have a ticket for opening night. Incidentally, my friend texted me from the dress rehearsal that Angelica Generosa was dancing Cinderella tonight. I had to work late and was sorry to miss it but I am so happy to hear that she was in the title role tonight. That means there will be more photographs and video material of AG in a lead role of a story ballet. PNB needs more of that material for its diversity initiative and to grow its audience.

I'm going down second weekend of the program 2/3 overlap, and glad I only bought one ticket to program 2 on the 22nd. Sounds like an SFB grab-bag. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the gala pieces again: Foreshadow, For Pixie, pdd from Bells. But I will mind seeing Helgi's "filler" pieces.

I can't recall if this is the first of these new Immersion Experiences for this season but I went last week and so I thought I would provide a quick report: The studio rehearsal was Act II and III. Cinderella was Leta Biasucci and her Prince was Lucien Postelwaite. I thought they looked terrific together, I could watch them forever. The Fairy Godmother was Elle Macy, she was so beautiful and Kyle Davis blew us away as the Jester with his pyrotechnics. Noone introduced what or who we would be seeing. It was pretty obvious they were working hard on rehearsals and just stopped long enough for us to come in. I had never had the pleasure of seeing Kent Stowell working in the studios before, so that was really special. I believe I read he recently turned 80 and wow he doesn't miss anything! The rehearsal took 45 - 50 minutes then we gathered in the board room and were split into two groups. Half went up to the costume shop and half stayed in the board room. In the costume shop, the new manager Christina (sp?) gave a brief talk and then opened it up to Q&A. I believe she said the costumes were circa 1994 so once out of the boxes they find they need a certain amount of repair and of course then they have to fit them to the current dancers. We were then able to walk around and take a look but it is pretty tight space up there. I had totally spaced there was a Q&A, I thought it was just studio rehearsal and costume shop tour. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that Angelica Generosa and Kyle Davis were staying so late, along with Doug Fullington, to chat with out about their Cinderella experience to date and answer any questions we had. By then some people had left so we were down to maybe a dozen or fifteen folks and some people were able to ask multiple and/or follow on questions. There was a common theme of the rehearsal timeline being tight for this show. The leads began learning their roles in early December but everyone else did not start until first week of January. Doug mentioned Kaori Nakamura is helping with the staging. Normally it would have been Paul Gibson but he retired last year. Angelica said Kaori is really helpful with all of the placement of the stage entrances and exits. That is so amazing that Kaori can remember after all these years! Another interesting tidbit is that Kent Stowell does tweak the choreography slightly for different lead couples. This was a really fun event after work. In total it took almost two hours. Any time we are allowed to observe studio rehearsals is so worth the price of admission!!! I look forward to the next one where it involves an orchestra rehearsal in place of the costume shop tour.

California, Drew, for anyone is trying to understand this version's ending, I found this video really useful, starting at 2:18. Thank you again for posting the video EricMontreal! After mulling over our "debate" I still feel she should have been returned to the grave. It's just too nicey-nice to have the forgiveness sandwich as Helene calls it and Giselle is spared from being a Wili. It doesn't feel right to have this ballet tied up with a pretty bow. No, I'm sorry Giselle should be a Wili and Albrecht has to live with that the rest of his life and forever be tempted to go in the forest for a glimpse of see her. His actions must have consequences, I don't see how he should be let off the hook entirely.

Yes! I thought the same about the ending!!! First of all I did not understand what was happening to Giselle downstage left with her grave being on the other side. The final ending was so abrupt. The video EricMontreal posted has captions that explains it nicely - Albrecht did not want her to be cursed in death and Giselle instead becomes part of nature (like composting!). Thank you FauxPas I was wondering what the original notations say because I'm pretty sure the PNB version has Giselle returning to her grave. That makes more sense to me. How many ways does Albrecht get to have his cake and eat it too? On the "live" question, I believe it is "filmed" live but not "broadcast" live. That is, they actually film a live performance, there are no starts and stops. Also it seems the movie start time is the same no matter the time zone. The scooter might have been okay if it was not going 60 mph! The grave elevator would have been better with some dry ice effect or something to soften it. There was some spectacular dancing and it was fun to see and listen to the differences between this version and the PNB version but I was not wow-ed by this screening as with other Bolshoi presentations. There are many similarities between the productions. I really appreciate PNB's Wili costumes being different; they are actually quite sumptuous IMO.

Additional thoughts: Wow, really glad I made the trek for my first SFB gala. A terrific program and a wonderful opportunity to see many of the top dancers in the company. I loved everything about Foreshadow from start to finish and didn't realize it was the Caniparoli piece until later. This work looked unique to my eye, or maybe I just have not seen any of his recent works. The tempo for Swan Lake was too fast and judging by people around me (sighing, sounding bored), it didn't translate well. Jockey Dance was fun and spirited. Normally recorded music is a big turnoff for me, but I also loved everything about For Pixie, the Simone recording, smart choreography, and seeing two of my favorite dancers together made this one a winner. I heard gasps during Angelo Greco's leaps in the Le Corsaire pdd and I was really impressed by Misa Kuranaga's dancing. I had only seen her in Ashton Cinderella and Balanchin'es Apollo and did not know she was capable of these amazing feats and speed! The R&J pdd I had low expectations due to the choreographer but it was actually the best thing I've seen from him by far and I really liked it, Mathilde Froustey and Joe Walsh were very sincere. The second half of the show did not hold up to the first half. Although I like the Thatcher's choreography, I did not enjoy the digital clock, music or the costumes in his piece.. After that we see this huge Grand Pas Classique and I finally see what the hubbub is with Wona Park. Wowwee that girl is strong! Toward the end she did I don't know how many releve passe, releve attitude, releve something elses. I had not really seen Wei Wang partner much, he had a very light touch on Wona during the supported pirouettes and during the promenades she was very stable, no arms wobbling whatsover. He has developed so much since I first spotted him at the premiere of Swimmer. The next piece Hurry Up - IMO that did not belong in the program and was oddly placed. pdd from Bells was another piece I loved everything about, the music, the dancers, their execution and facial expressions, exquisite costumes. Something seemed off with Diamonds, for me I think it was the tempo, it was much faster than I am used to, and those rented costumes from Miami are horrid. Actually the whole evening seemed rushed - Le Corsaire dancers didn't get their proper time to bow since the curtain slammed down on them, YYT and VL running off the stage at blackout, etc., it would have been nice to savor the evening a bit more. There was lots of fantastic people watching opportunities. People make a lot more effort to get dressed up than in Seattle, and it was raining that day (by SF standards)! Now that I know where to stay close for a one night stay I'll have to see another SFB gala. Note: I fixed the "Making of Swan Lake" video in my previous post.

I was line at the airport and gasped out loud when I saw this notification in my email, like a dagger in my heart. I did not see this coming at all! Sigh. I was so enjoying Mullin’s return after her long absence. In the fall I was just talking with my friends how she has so much more maturity and artistry than other dancers with which she shares roles. Don’t get me wrong, I do adore those other dancers, they have wonderful gifts, but they need some time to age like a fine wine. After Mullin leaves there is going to be a gap. Most recently I’ve noticed what depth she has (Hermia in Midsummers) and groundedness (FOIL) but when her star was rising to Soloist I recall how clean and consistent her technique was - I never saw anything funny like shoulders pulled up or stress in fingers or feet not pointed. I wish the press release mentioned some upcoming roles where we can catch her later this season. She doesn’t have any Stowell Cinderella credits listed but there are three Boal Giselle roles, most notable the Peasant pas de deux. I believe there is a You Tube vidéo out there of her rehearsing the Peasant pdd. Oh also, I did see the short version of her documentary that has been released and she and Nel Shelby have done a fine job. There is a lot of historical footage that I was unaware she had obtained. I was living in Manhattan in the eighties and it’s really great that time has been documented and how bravely Horvath approached everything. It was also a great tribute to his family as well.

Will do upon my return after the gala performance. I'll have more info after staying at a new (to me) place. Curious if the post-show shuttle is still running (info is missing from new SFB website) - will confirm.

Ha ha ha, you are a true ballet fan! You are making me rethink my decision to skip Program 5. It just annoys me to have the AD's filler choreography forced on me and I did not hear good things about 7 for 8. I meant to drop a note on your hello/welcome thread. You should come up to Seattle sometime to see PNB. It's an easy train ride and you don't need a car once up here. Feel free to PM me if you decide to and I'll try to get a BA group together before/after a show.

Thanks for posting PeggyR. I hadn't gotten to it, but was going to post this video and say I suspect this Act II pdd will be the one in the gala. I actually lucked out and scored a ticket and am getting excited to attend my first SFB gala performance! This footage was aired during the Royal Ballet World Ballet Day section in 2015 and I was moved to see the whole ballet. You're right, the story is different. No Rothbart and a prominent best friend of Siegfriend. Odette different interpretation as you mentioned. No tutus - Dawson seems to like minimalist costumes. On the Scottish Ballet website there are a lot of nice photos and videos: https://www.scottishballet.co.uk/event/swan-lake. I really want to see it again but can't spare the time; lucky for me SFB has an excerpt in the gala! I do think it will be interesting to see Sofiane in the title role, she is a much taller dancer and of different physique than the two SB dancers I saw dance Odette. They were more petite. But I know Dawson has a long history with Sofiane, there is You Tube footage of her in The Grey Area pdd when she was with NYCB, so I'm sure it's going to be something special.

abatt made me chuckle! I'll give my two cents if that's helpful. Apasionata as you know was made for Paris Opera Ballet so I was hoping it would be better than the works I had seen by BM and it is by far. The only thing I didn't like are the pajama like costumes seen in the photo of Elizabeth Murphy and Karel Cruz dressed in white. I can't recall the other BM pieces (that tells you something) I've seen but they were more contemporary and this one is classical although the costumes are contemporary. I've never seen anything like Plot Point by Pite and I used to live in Manhattan so I've seen a bit of dance and theater. I'd describe it as high dance theater. It is very intriguing, unique and unusual. Crystal Pite is really a genius at how she can portray emotions without words. The movement quality is less dancy for sure. If you go in with those expectations, and not expecting to see Emergence, then you may actually enjoy yourself. I was only able to see it once last time in Seattle and I look forward to it's return because it's really mysterious and there's a lot to sort out (for me at least). Oh, and I hope everyone enjoys the new Diamonds costumes. I think they are so luscious due to the soft blush undertone instead of being just white. It appears that nuance is coming out in the photos on the Joyce site. Thank you Angela Sterling!

First of all let me say I am enamoured with pretty much anything David Dawson creates. But if you have not seen much of Dawson's work then I could see how people (if open to his style) liked Anima Animus a lot. We are spoiled up in Seattle with PNB dancing his Million Kisses to My Skin and Empire Noir, which are light years ahead of Anima Animus, probably because he was time and logistically constrained when working for the Unbound festival. Last summer we also saw Seattle Dance Collective present an excerpt from The Grey Area, which Sofiane originially danced. Having also seen his Swan Lake and Citizen Nowhere I would categorize Anima Animus as "okay". I wasn't feeling well at the Unbound festival, so I don't have a great recollection of particular dancers standing out. I thought about seeing Program 5 but decided Anima Animus and rest of program not worth the draw, so I am doing a day trip from Seattle to see a Program 6 matinee. But then I have seen AA and you have not and you are a big SS fan. As ECat above said, "SF Ballet is always worth the trip". If you have time and money, you should do it! I am going to make an update on the "Places to stay when seeing SFB" thread" soon. If you want to see more of Dawson's work, PNB is presenting Empire Noir in mid March (the program is named after a Cerrudo piece). https://www.pnb.org/season/one-thousand-pieces/ There are some sublime videos of Leta Biasucci in the role made on Michaela DePrince at Dutch National. I went to every show last time, I love it that much! PM me if you want more info. Also Scottish Ballet is bringing back Swan Lake in April. There is rehearsal footage from World Ballet Day 2015 you can see on the SB website. If you go it can be combined with a trip to see Royal Ballet with an easy train ride. For a small donation I was able to watch a SB rehearsal on stage, it was well worth it.

I attended the show on 12/7 when AG subbed for MM and it was the most meticulous SPF performance I have ever seen! She has really stepped it up since the last time I saw her in that role. So many little details, it was really something special. Her partner PS, also, something spectacular in his solo. He ended the turn sequence with four or so pirouettes, with controlled speed and came to a stop in passe releve. It was amazing! I have not seen a PNB danseur do this since Karel Cruz. More please! The prior Saturday evening 11/30 Noelani Pantastico was Dewdrop. I had not seen her in the role since she first returned to PNB. She is such a unique treasure! On the top she has all the artistry and maturity of a veteran ballerina but on the bottom she moves like a young dancer. Her Italian pas de chats are so fast and sharp! I am so glad she is back and I hope she is able to stay healthy. Friday night 12/13 I saw Cecilia Iliesiu's Dewdrop for the first time. I normally think of this role as a smaller, sparkly dancer role so I was interested in seeing her interpretation. She really made it her own, luxuriating in certain places in the music, it was lovely. What I really like about CI is that she uses her head very naturally, something that cannot be taught. I also sense an inner love of dance and happiness that emanates from her. The same evening I saw Liz Murphy SPF for the first time. Hers seemed different in that her arms are more soft and delicate than most. It was a very pretty quality. LM and Steven Loch looked very natural together, he was originally scheduled to partner Margaret Mullin. SL's solo was squeaky clean; his menage again alternated the coupe jete with the double saut de basque and his turn sequence included a triple! One other notable, Sarah Orza as Coffee - I think it was 12/8 evening. She along with Cecilia Iliesiu, IMO, seem to be the most natural in all of the steps. I find SO such an amazing dancer - she has such range. In her Coffee I could also hear a lot of the jingling on her costume - the hips I think (judging from the Elle Macy backstage tour video) and I was sitting a lot farther back than normal. All her hand clinks were clear, loud and even - some other dancer's are variable. Also, the ending - I amazed at how flexible she still is! So there's a few notes for those who cannot attend. I love Nutcracker season because there are so many shows. There are so many opportunities to see different dancers in different roles, it's almost like being in NYC for a few weeks. And the new production is so colorful and bright, it makes the cold, dark weather a bit more bearable.

Thank you Sandik! I was just thinking about Chelsea and wondered what happened to her. There are certain roles that I distinctly remember her in and then I really miss her. Now I hope to see her dance when Les Ballets de Monte Carlo tours just like Noe and Lucien way back when!

Thank you kbarber, I am relieved I can wait until January and make a short drive to see it then. And thank you meunier fan for your warning. Thankfully I will not need to drive three hours to Portland but it is good to have expectations set. I used to travel across the States to see Osipova perform with ABT and don’t see her as often now that she is with the RB. I’m not as fond as her modern work as much as ballet but I am happy to see her in ANYTHING as I feel she is such as amazing artist. 😍

Thank you so much for posting this information!!! Do you have any idea if the January dates and venues would be in totally different cities than the December screenings? Currently I would have to get up early and drive to Portland to see the 11am show since I am seeing HardNut the prior evening. Thanks again!!!

Here is a YouTube video of Russell rehearsing Agon 6 years ago. Nice to see former dancers Brittany Reid, Kylee Kitchens, and Chelsea Adomaitis!

excerpt from Leigh Witchel's post Nov 15, 2007: https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/26005-the-new-york-city-ballet-during-the-1950s/ "One of Sobotka's claims to fame was that she was in the original cast of "Agon." I'd try contacting Francia Russell, who was also one of the four corps women in the ballet. Russell has a very strong recollection of detail. I'd make an interview request through Pacific Northwest Ballet." So it seems she was one of the 4 roles for which pherank did not have names. Tonight Francia Russell was the featured artist at the dress rehearsal lecture. I had to work late due so I could not attend. If anybody did, please share your notes! Thank you! Also second weekend casting is up: https://www.pnb.org/season/carmina-burana-agon/#casting. Cecilia Ilesiu, Angelica Generosa, and Sarah Ricard Orza debut in Agon. All are SAB trained, I'm sure they will all be gorgeous. The only debut in Carmina Burana is Steven Loch in In Taberna; he'll be a fun one in that role.

Yes, I caught two shows. It was such a unique experience and everything was extremely well done. The venue is beautiful and has great acoustics. Even Penny Saunders heard things in the music she hadn't heard before. In addition to the program posted on the SDC website it opened with a short piece "In a Minute" by Penny Saunders, danced by James Yoichi Moore. It's hard to choose a favorite from the program, they were all so different and terrific. For those who know Mopey, Ezra Thomson blew my socks off. He had a very different interpretation, very edgy. It's pretty hard to follow JYM opening night, but he was equally engaging, just in a different way. It's very late and my brain is fried, is there anything specific I can answer for anyone? My one piece of advice for next year is I would not take the latest ferry to theoretically make the show. I took the one before that and it was 15-20 minutes behind schedule. If it was the last ferry, it would have been tight.

Opening night of the debut performances of Seattle Dance Collective (SDC) is Friday, July 12th at the Vashon Center of the Arts, on Vashon Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle. Noelani Pantastico and James Yoichi Moore, both principal dancers at PNB, are the founding artistic directors. Moore mentioned in his post-performance discussion this past season, they have been working hard to curate an eclectic program to be presented this summer. They have carefully selected some pieces which are close to their hearts, some pieces that eluded them, and a choreographer with whom they have not had the chance to work. Op There are 8 PNB dancers and 2 Whim W'him dancers. For more information on the troupe, ticket purchasing, transportation, everything really see: https://www.seattledancecollective.org/ Take a look at the program. Choreographers such as David Dawson, Bruno Roque (Pantatisco's husband), Ivonice Satice (Shogun, a piece San Francisco Ballet hasn't performed in years), Marco Goecke (Mopey, haven't seen at PNB for a while), and Penny Saunders who we've only seen a bit through Whim W'him. Recent press: https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/dance/two-pacific-northwest-ballet-dancers-build-a-dream-on-vashon-island-seattle-dance-,collective/ https://www.thestranger.com/theater/2019/07/03/40643596/pacific-northwest-ballet-dancers-started-a-new-company-and-it-looks-pretty-dreamy I've not been to the venue before but I heard it has 300 seats so this is a great opportunity to see these amazing dancers up close. All seats are sure to be good seats. Four shows Friday July 12th - Sunday July 14th. Casting was posted recently. There are multiple casts for smaller pieces.

What day is she going? Sat/Sun the Signature first cast is dancing. Saturday Angelica Generosa and Kyle Davis are dancing Tarantella. Sunday AG and KD Dance T&V and Leta Biasucci + Price Suddarth dance Tarantella. Those would be my my suggestions for someone new to ballet, but I didn’t know until I saw opening night and second evening. Thursdays the $29 Beer and Ballet tix are always a sweet deal!