pherank

OK, now I understand. ;) $30,000. Goes to show these "Free" livestreams are only free to us! Yes, this type of media presentation does cost a hefty amount, so it makes sense that SFB would not have an existing budget to cover such things. NYCB may have a separate media budget, given all the videos they produce, but SFB has been struggling to get in the game lately.

Well how cool is that? Hopefully the scheduling will be figured out in the next couple of weeks so the audience can make plans too. I'm guessing we would need to hop back and forth between web pages/streams.

I don't think there's anything in the Queen Anne neighborhood proper (but Helene and Sandik would probably know for sure). I think you would have to be willing to stay in a different part of town and take the taxi (not necessaribly a bad thing, just something to keep in mind). There seem to be many B&Bs in and about Seattle.

Don't wait too long. ;)

I sat near the front, inside wall of section 5 one night, but I found the view to be a bit skewed for my taste. And I sat in section Y in the first row (which was great). You would of course be looking up to some degree sitting in the front row, and you might also be distracted by the conductor's head. ;)

Like you, I prefer to have my own breakfast foods on hand. Both the Mediterranean and MarQueen are quite close to the 24 hour market (and drug store upstairs), so you can pop in at any time to get fresh fruit, natural foods, as well as cooked foods. I've also heard good things about the Sheraton Four Points and Maxwell Hotel, but I've not stayed at either and back when I was researching these things, I couldn't figure out if there were any markets/drugstores nearbye to those places. Others will have chime in here. I was able to get a front row, center seat a year ago, and it really didn't cost any exorbitant amount (certainly better than San Francisco prices). And the seating is more comfortable than what I'm used to at the old War Memorial in SF. Here's a map of the area if that helps: And the interactive version on Google.

Hmmmmmm, Villella will host and Mearns will dance.

SFB has released an 'Artist Spotlight' video for Mathilde Froustey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK6vvAhaPCk

Yes, wooden floors, and I think a rug beneath the bed. But the room I had was very spacious (and I didn't pay extra for that). Every room may be somewhat different from the others. It is an old-fashioned/funky/quaint building. Here are some images of MarQueen rooms - http://i0.bookcdn.com/data/Photos/OriginalPhoto/513/51336/51336052/Marqueen-photos-Room.JPEG http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g60878-d100540-i22534609-MarQueen_Hotel-Seattle_Washington.html#19804808 http://cdn1.buuteeq.com/upload/1753/img-15751-5.jpg.1360x678_default.jpg The Mediterranean Inn room style - https://cdn2.gbot.me/photos/O9/tc/1289235910/Guest_Room-Mediterranean_Inn-20000000001222617-500x375.jpg The Mediterranean was clean and cozy, or 'very cozy' meaning a tight squeeze between each piece of furniture. There is a computer room in the lobby that makes printing boarding passes and such easy. And the one real standout: the rooftop observation deck that has a great view of the city and Space Needle.

Always bring earplugs. Always. ;) I didn't have noise issues with either The MarQueen or the Mediterranean Inn. But the MarQueen is probably more likely to have some noise since it is an old building, and the old wooden floors creak. But I didn't notice much noise from the sides or from above. The rooms are quite large, and they have their own kitchens. And given that a great 24 hour market is on the other side of the block (a 3 minute walk), you can save some money by buying yourself some groceries. The Mediterranean is a modern boutique hotel - small rooms, but I recall that they have microwaves and small refrigerators (the MarQueen has full-sized refrigerators, at least in most rooms). Both of these places can be considered within walking distance of the ballet.

Thanks for the links DB - it's a shame the video quality is so bad (perhaps beyond digitial cleanup capabilities). But it is still fun to watch. For those who still haven't seen it: the Suzanne Farrell Ballet does a couple of excerpts form Episodes (in HD) and the video stream is still available online: http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=M5627 [starts at about the 10:00 mark] Looking at the YouTube video now, I'm realizing this is from that same German TV series that had Concerto Barocco, and I believe other works (?), so there must be a better copy in the hands of the German broadcast company. To quote RG on this forum:

Nice. Seeing early versions of Ivesiana and The 4 T's will definitely be exciting. Liebeslieder may still appear in a Vol. 5. I myself wish there had been a broadcast of Episodes...

I've never walked out as a 'protest' myself. I tend to feel I should see all of what I freely paid money for - How can one effectively criticize a play that you've seen 5 or 10 minutes of anyway? But then I tend to research things in advance to get a better idea if the piece has something worthwhile about it.

Always a fun topic: to walk out or not to walk out? http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/29/arts/spectators-walk-out-of-a-show-for-many-reasons.html 'Sex was rarely given as a reason for leaving, although Leah Settle, a homemaker in Little Rock, watched an entire audience vote with its feet in College Station, Tex., when Ryan Gosling’s head nestled between Michelle Williams’s thighs in “Blue Valentine.” “Literally every single person walked out of the theater except my boyfriend and me and one other couple,” Ms. Settle said. Urbanites who are tempted to scoff at Oklahoma folkways should pause. It was just a few years ago that New York audiences were fleeing the Cort Theater when the projected image of a large penis appeared behind Will Ferrell during “You’re Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush.”'

Thanks for the heads up - I would especially like to watch the défilé. ;)

That's what I was wondering - definitely a shame as there aren't many chances to see these dancers outside of Russia. "Big Red" does a better job with Balanchine than many of her cohorts, imo.

A recent email from PNB states, "PNB dancers Laura Tisserand and Karel Cruz, along with Peter Boal, traveled to Washington DC where Laura and Karel were coached by Suzanne Farrell in Diamonds. Laura, who first met Ms. Farrell as a 14-year-old ballet student, reflects on the experience on the PNB Blog. Read it here!"

Sorry to jump in the middle of the discussion, but did Kondaurova dance Midsummer Night’s Dream on this tour, or was there a substitution?

It's interesting to me that she has a need to declare an 'official' retirement. I rather thought she would dance intermittently, for however long she could still move about effectively - much like Plisetskaya. These days it seems everyone wants a farewell in Tokyo.

That is a good picture. ;) Sasha De Sola has posted one as well: http://instagram.com/p/rfBAcTQOLH/?modal=true

OK, I stand corrected - Yuan Yuan is today in Mexico, participating in the Gala Despertares, along with Kochetkova, Gennadi Nedvingin, Elizabeth Powell, Gennadi Nedvingin, Esteban Hernandez, Esteban Hernández and perhaps others…

This one is a bit 'under the radar': members of SFB and Hamburg Ballet are appearing together at an event named, "International Ballet Gala 2014: World Ballet Superstars", in Kuala Lumpur. The list of participants is interesting: "The artistes picked for this event are San Francisco Ballet’s Damian Smith, Taras Domitro, Sasha de Sola, Simone Messmer, Daniel Deivison-Oliveira and Carlos Quenedit, Adiarys Almeida (guest principal dancer, US), alongside Hamburg Ballet’s Aleix Martinez and Xue Lin." Messmer is apparently still a part of things. I would have expected Yuan Yuan Tan to appear with Smith in an Asian event (as she likes to promote ballet in that part of the world), but I believe she is in St. Tropez instead. ;) http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Entertainment/Arts/On-Stage/2014/07/07/Stars-of-ballet-in-KL/

Thanks for the reminder Dale. ;) Has anyone heard what VAI's Volume 4 of the series will contain?

Probably not - I was just day dreaming. ;) I recall reading a listing of the various CBS broadcasts of ballet, but I've forgotten where I found that. The NYCB website mentions things like, "Balanchine's new version of La Valse appears on television, in CBS' first commercial color telecast". And "Balanchine stages a special television version of The Nutcracker for CBS-TV's Playhouse 90 in which he performs the role of Herr Drosselmeyer." But whether any of these tapes survived is unclear. I get the feeling that only the Montreal performances were preserved.

Yes, too bad there wasn't footage of Loring's Billy the Kid, or an Antony Tudor ballet, if they're going to add something 'historic' and non-Balanchine.