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The last independent Russian news outlet, TV Rain, has been shut down, and so in their final broadcast they showed the Dance of the Little Swans from Swan Lake: "Swan Lake was a symbolic choice for the network, and has been historically used by Russian networks to signify turmoil and political unrest. As NPR reported last year, the ballet was shown on a loop by Soviet state television in 1991, when the failed coup of Mikhail Gorbachev spurred the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union." --People.com It's not all bad news - the RT America News program has been closed down. That was always cringe-worthy.

A couple of Russia/Ukraine and the Arts-related NY Times articles... Too Close to Putin? Institutions Vet Artists, Uncomfortably. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led arts organizations to reconsider who performs, forcing them to confront questions about free speech and policing political views. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/arts/music/russian-artists-putin.html To Boycott Russians, or Not? In Film and Beyond, That’s the Question. A Russian moviemaker with Ukrainian roots and relatives in Kyiv denounced the war. The Glasgow Film Festival dropped his film anyway. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/movies/film-boycott-russia-ukraine.html

Yes, it's a real shame. Fingers crossed that it is only a minor physical issue. "Times of change" create a lot of stress, and injuries start to mount. I don't think it's a coincidence that various SFB dancers are missing in action right now. And every time I hear of someone's dancing being described as uncharacteristically "stiff", I just think "Oh no! Not another injury!" Does anyone know specifically what's going on with Frances Chung?

Very unfortunate. I really hope this is not Robison's old injury returned.

Excellent, thank you.

I have a question about available paid streaming by ballet companies - does anyone know of a listing that shows which companies are streaming performances this year? Might merit another thread.

That part sounds very Balanchine, actually - the de-emphasis on posing, 'tricks' and milking the applause. Btw, a very nice commentary, Cubanmiamiboy - thanks for taking the time.

This tweet reminded me about the NY Times article criticizing the US Army for dragging it's feet on creating a Monuments Men group, à la WWII: Ukraine War Bares U.S. Army Delay in Creating New ‘Monuments Officers’ Civilian specialists are tracking the threat to landmarks in Ukraine as the U.S. Army struggles after more than two years to appoint new cultural heritage preservation specialists modeled after the “Monuments Men.” https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/25/arts/ukraine-cultural-sites-art.html But it all sounded like a lot of presumptuous and wishful thinking when I first read the piece. How is it exactly that the Russian army is going to let US military members into Ukraine to 'fix' cultural sites? There's going to be martial law for a good long time while Russia reconstitutes the Ukrainian government, and likely the police and security forces, etc, to their own liking. While the Russians are busy punishing Ukraine into an obedient third world nation, Americans will be allowed exactly no access to the region.

Change certainly needs to happen at the school level, as well as with the performing companies. And the big schools have struggled, or been lackadaisical, about bringing in minority students. But until the schools become a real melting pot of race, creed and cultures, the companies will continue to be stuck with few choices, and far too much competition. There may not be an official "quota" at North American companies, but they are certainly now under constant pressure to find dancers of color to pull into their ranks. That's a good thing overall for the ballet culture, imo, but it's going to be a long messy process.

Rest in peace, Mr. Crisp.

This is a good article about various Russian artists and their attempts to balance patriotism and artistry: Putin’s Maestro, and the Limits of Cultural Exchange in Wartime The Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and the diva Anna Netrebko have lost engagements because of their ties to Putin, as geopolitics and music collide once again. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/02/arts/music/ukraine-putin-valery-gergiev-anna-netrebko.html

I should mention that Keesler danced at ENB for a while - and then left. Does she feel that she's not a good fit with Rojo leading? Or is it just a case of "been there, done that"?

I could feel this coming, but it's still very sad for me as I watch the end of an era. Tan will likely follow soon. The coming Rojo era will definitely have a completely different chemistry to it. The announcement doesn't give details about what comes next for SVP, but she seemed to be very pleased with her Tahoe Dance Camp initiative, so I assume that will continue - now with her full-time focus.

The New York Times released an article about Ratmansky leaving Moscow: Alexei Ratmansky, With Family in Kyiv, Leaves His Ballet in Moscow The New York-based choreographer, who was working on a new ballet for the Bolshoi, said he doubted he would return to Russia to work “if Putin is still president.” https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/27/arts/dance/alexei-ratmansky-leaves-bolshoi-ballet.html

Despised persons are always welcome at Facebook. ;)

Yes, Scheller went to Ukraine to submerge herself in the "classic" repertoire. I won't hazard a guess on what "recovery" will look like in that region. I expect things to get much worse before they get better. Europe in general will be on edge for a while.

I don't see Ratmansky letting anything get in the way of his creative pursuits. And running a company definitely gets in the way. Balanchine was a rarity. Or another way to look at it would be that he was so obsessive that every aspect of his "vision" had to be personally nurtured and controlled by Mr. B. 😉

Ana Sophia Scheller has been a principal with the National Ballet of Ukraine the last few years, but recent political events have put the company's future on hold. Currently, martial law is in place over the whole of Ukraine. Scheller recently posted some photos on Instagram from friends in Kiev who are essentially sheltering in place: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cab5qM8s0mI/ National Opera Ukraine announcement: "Dear viewers, attention! !️ In connection with the introduction by the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 64/2022 on the entire territory of Ukraine of the martial law regime from 24.02.2022, we temporarily stop showing performances. After the termination or cancellation of martial law, the theater will resume its work in full. We will inform you about the refund for previously purchased tickets separately." https://www.instagram.com/p/CaXBdrquU2y/

Either ballet could be read as political commentary; however, both are favorites with conservatives and non-conservatives alike. And the dancers likely know these roles in their sleep. I think I'll skip it. 😉

Completely agree. Abstract responses work best in these situations - showing an image of the Ukrainian flag says nothing specific, and that's likely to be best for Ratmansky when dealing with Russian companies, and authorities. It's always been hard to tell how much Gergiev actually agrees with the party line, but he's definitely caught between a rock and a hard place. If he falls out of favor with Mr. P. then his career will sink like a stone in a Siberian pond.

Performance Prep with Kathryn Morgan and Maria Khoreva: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfOmfdRUjAI HOW TO stay in BALLET SHAPE with Maria Khoreva & Kathryn Morgan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye_8f9fuZ50 Ballet Pirouettes with Kathryn Morgan & Maria Khoreva ~ Balanchine vs Vaganova Technique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujOXQByolP4

SFB has posted a number of "Pointes of View" and "Talking Dance" videos for the 2022 season on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/sfballet/videos

Some good news regarding Nikisha Fogo: "Recovery update: Grinding in PT to get back to the dance studio one day at a time ! Thankfully I have @thegarage2955 @activecaresf and the whole team helping me get back on track and even stronger than I was before 💪🏾🙏🏾✨ slowly coming out of the boot and started some light weight baring relevés on the shuttle and a little bit of “barre” work ! We’ve been focusing a lot on strengthening and loosening up my hips so I have the range and strength to better turn out from the hips rather than only from the knees and ankles. I’ll be back soon❤️🧚🏽‍♀️🙏🏾✨ For those wondering what my injury is : I had a FHL tenonitis and a big ganglion cyst on the tendon which was affecting my Achilles’ tendon, and because of draining the cyst I got some Nerve problems💉 to put it in simple terms.❤️grateful to be able to walk without pain now" 🙏🏾 https://www.instagram.com/p/CaSfxF9JA5i/

Yes of course you are right, Volcanohunter, the Brits would be mainly interested in Clegg as a once powerful politician (perhaps may still have some influence).

The Times of London posted a short article on Isaac Hernandez - Isaac Hernández: Why I’m leaving English National Ballet The Mexican star never expected to stay in London, find fame and start a family 'Hernández repeats how lucky they are to be making the move as a family. When Rojo was interviewing for the new role he auditioned, having previously danced for the company from 2008 to 2012 under its outgoing director Helgi Tómasson. “It was a gamble because we were not sure if Tamara would get the position, but we wanted to be as transparent as possible.”' This part was funny: "Rojo is worried Mateo will have an American accent and they plan to keep their home in London, but Hernández is looking forward to being closer to his family in Mexico. His brother also dances with San Francisco Ballet and their friends in California include Miriam and Nick Clegg." Good luck with that accent thing. I'm not sure it matters that they are friends with Facebook executive Nick Clegg (or, Sir Nicholas Clegg). But I guess that's supposed to demonstrate that Rojo and Hernandez are in with the movers and shakers of the Bay Area, and London. For some reason that makes me feel more queasy than hopeful, but there you have it, folks.