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Looks like an effective recruiting tool for SAB really. But I'm seeing more similarities than differences between cityballet and Breaking Pointe. Fortunately we don't get angsty relationship sub-stories - focus stays mainly on life at the studios. But as others have pointed out, this isn't an opportunity to watch ballet performances.

There's a new promo out for Wheeldon's Cinderella showing the SF Ballet version (co-produced with Het Nationale Ballet): It shows a bit more of the dancing than we usually get to see. As far as I know, the Het Nationale Ballet version that is on iTunes is not available in North America (correct me if I'm wrong).

From Dupont's interview with Gia Kourlas: "Kourlas: How do you prepare for your retirement, as you say, a little bit every day? Aurélie Dupont: One way is to focus on all the people that I see every day—dancers, teachers, the guys who work in the wings, the women who do my costumes. I have small moments with those people, and I just think, live it in a strong way, because one day you won’t have this anymore. One day, you will go back to the stage door and somebody will ask you your name." That's worth adding to Quotable Quotes...

I know from interviews with dancers that the Japanese balletomanes are quite adoring, but respectful - kind of the perfect mix. And I'm reminded that Danilova chose to retire on the road in Tokyo. The Japanese audiences make the dancers feel good about themselves, and at the end, that's what you want. ;) There is of course a 'last performance' at the Palais Garnier, although it may not factually be the last time the dancer performs as an étoile. Experiencing a number of 'last' shows may make it more enjoyable and less heart-breaking.

And here's another take on After the Rain, with Yuan Yuan Tan and Damian Smith (camera views are professionally shot/edited):

"Each art is only powerful in its own domain, and once it seeks to embody the principles of other art it is doomed to failure. The Eclecticism of the later phases of the Ballet is its greatest danger." --Tamara Karsavina

I think people might enjoy this long Polyphonia rehearsal clip with Wheeldon, ballet master Christopher Saunders, and Royal Ballet dancers: I guess one of the obvious points to make about this segment would be that it is really difficult to get a large group of pairs to actually move in unison through a long course of steps. So you get a good sense of what a choreographer is up against in rehearsals.

Also by Benois - Petrushka 'Butter Week Fair' set: http://rptownsend.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/3413-271.jpg

http://sisterwolf.tumblr.com/post/19867047280/colonel-de-basils-original-ballet-russe-season Aside from this being from a Sydney Australia performance, can someone identify the dancer and the ballet?

I believe this scan is of better quality: http://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/features/slideshows/Diaghilev/3413-272_ppt.jpg A great illustration, I agree!

I do wonder how her family coped with these things. The fact that her mother danced probably make it easier to accept the demands of dance training.

I was kind of shocked by this information myself. I've read her bio blurbs before but it's funny how much more interesting things are once you get the details. I didn't realize that when she was at Boston Ballet and Dutch National she really was just a kid. Mainly because she didn't bother with school, at all.

Sarah Van Patten talks about working with Mark Morris, Alexei Ratmansky and Christopher Wheeldon at San Francisco Ballet By Gia Kourlas, 10/3/13 http://www.timeout.com/newyork/dance/sarah-van-patten-talks-about-san-francisco-ballet "My teacher was Jacqueline Cronsberg ... Her daughter, Sandra Jennings, danced with New York City Ballet and is a répétiteur for the Balanchine Trust, and she set many Balanchine ballets on us. So I did Serenade, “Russian girl” when I was 12. I did Concerto Barocco, first violin, when I was 13. I got to do [Le] Baiser de la Fée, the principal. I did Divertimento No. 15. We did Who Cares? So I got to dance a lot when I was quite young, which I think really helped me take on a company when I was really young. I joined the Royal Danish when I was 15. Without all of that experience, I think I would have come in and not really understood how you pick up choreography and do what you need to do."

What's in Your Bag? Pointe Magazine examines the contents of Y Y's ballet bag: http://www.pointemagazine.com/issues/octobernovember-2011/show-and-tell-inside-yuan-yuan-tan%E2%80%99s-dance-bag

Torch Dance, 1909 ‘Exercises’, 1920 - I love the whole look of this film ;)

I'm immediately reminded of the incident when Balanchine happened upon Danilova in Paris, and she informed him that she would be dancing with the De Basil company (of which Balanchine was supposedly the ballet master), and Mr. B informed her, "you are much to old to be my ballerina" (she was then 27). Balanchine had promoted the "baby ballerinas" to star with de Basil's company, and that had proven a great success. Immediately after this exchange, Balanchine contacted de Basil only to find out that they had replaced him with Massine as ballet master (and it was Massine who had hired Danilova). Seems like karma, no? I believe it was Freddie Franklin who had made the statement, "you know, the Russians, they weren't very nice to one another." ;)

Here at the close of the SFB in NYC tour, a couple of nice images: Masha, and then Mathilde Froustey... "With Helgi and Marlene after last Cinderella in NY" Posing with the Statue of Liberty: https://twitter.com/MFroustey/status/394628340419944448/photo/1

I've never gotten the sense, in my readings on the subject/people, that Diana Adams had any romantic interest in Balanchine, and more importantly, was very uncomfortable playing muse, or principal dancer for that matter. By the 1960's she was coming apart from the stress (though much of that may have been imagined, I don't know). Allegra Kent was not much different - she was convinced that she 'couldn't dance and be happy'.

No problem - I don't imagine many people have actually seen it at this point, but we've been reading the reviews from the festival, that's all. I think this is going to be one of those cases where, if they had created the documentary a decade or more earlier, they would have had so many additional people to interview. But Le Clercq's generation has been passing away before our eyes.

Neryssa, did Nancy Reynolds appear in the documentary talking about taking her first ballet lessons from Tanny?

Great question, AM. Somehow this sounds a lot better for the school and its reputation than it sounds for Ulyana.

Sorry if my statement was confusing, Puppytreats - I was just thinking about the people who had left the performance early. I was just throwing it out there as a general question, but I would say that theatre/ballet do involve a certain level of 'participation' by the audience - it's not something you can watch out of the corner of your eye, so to speak. Regardless of the choreography, or level of dancing skills, or level of conductor/musician's skills, it is up to the individual to derive something worthwhile from the experience. Perhaps some people have their list of "must haves" for an event to be worthwhile for them. I'm more of the mind that I look for what is working or worthwhile in the performance/game, whatever it is, and try to come away with something I can use (soemthing to inspire me). Does that make sense? "the newspaper and blog reviews seem more positive than negative" - you may be right, but in my reading of the reviews there's been a general feeling of disappointment with the choreography. I remember a couple of critics liking the Mark Morris piece, and another being disappointed by it. So it is hard to get a consensus.

Yes thanks for the link. I haven't watched everything, but I thought "Ssss" was quite interesting, and was reminded of the recent statement by Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn, "a choreographer should never have dancers get down on the floor without a very good plan to get them back up again, preferably with grace". And this piece plays with that notion quite a bit, and I think successfully.

"On Saturday night, the theatre was packed, but a lot of people left early. I rushed out right after the at the end of the third act, because I feared problems getting out of the congested parking lot, but it was half empty when I got there, and the attendant confirmed that many people left early" > This strikes me as a 'New York thing' as I just don't see this behavior at West Coast performances - even if the program proves to be less than inspiring, you won't see droves heading for the exists. There isn't a reaction of "I have better things to do than be at this theatre!". "Wendy Whelan was in the audience, on crutches. I guess that is why she did not dance this Fall." > I have been wondering if any of the NYC dancers had been showing up to any of the perfromances (and if they have time off for such things right now). It would seem that a certain (large?) proportion of the audience doesn't think much of the choreography they are seeing. I'm trying to think of the last time I read reviews of a new ballet that made me think: this may prove to be a new masterwork. To take as an example from this tour, Ewaard Liang's Symphonic Dances - Is the ballet less finely crafted than ballets of say, 50 years ago? Or are we too used to the particular movement language being used? Is it the ballet's lack of depth? Or the audience's lack of commitment and involvement with what is going on before them?

Not to digress too much, but I thought this photo of 'Cinderella with the golden slipper' was funny (I believe in the Wheeldon version they are gold): Maria Kochetkova in her warm-up booties at State Theatre.