KarenAG

Also, NYCB box office was very helpful and considerate when I first became a subscriber and allowed me to choose a variety of seats, rather than being assigned my seats.

Referencing post #85 as the quoting function doesn't work on my tablet, heaven only knows why.

I tried to exchange tickets to one of my ABT three performances, explaining I travel 160 miles from Albany, but they (ticket agent and a manager) were inflexible. I made it clear how I felt about the inflexible policy. It is my experience that if you buy 3 open tickets to NYCB, they categorize it as a subscription. Now that may be because I already was a subscriber the previous year; I don't know, but it seems to me that if the company has the tickets available, they should allow exchanges. Also, when I purchased my ABT tickets, the agent advised me to NOT subscribe, as single tickets were at the time just made available for purchase, citing that I could choose my seats. I enjoy the benefits of subscribing, but it was important to me to be able to choose my seats, so I took her advice. Subsequently, I discovered a conflict, but, as I note, the box office would not allow me to exchange.

On another note, With these 3 performances, I'll know what I like for seating and will be able to choose a subscription package in the future, if I want, based on my experience at the Met this season.

The family circle feels like it's a million miles from the stage, so I would avoid that section. I would also avoid the side boxes on all levels.

Hi Abatt,

Are you referring to the side Parterre? Someone else on the forum, nysusan, I think, indicated these weren't great seats. I have a side parterre tkt for Giselle next week. If these seats are not good, why then are they so expensive? I paid $115, I think, for this ticket. For R&J I am in the side rear balance or something like that and for La Bayadere, I chose dress circle. I know nysusan said if someone is tall in front of you in the side parterre, viewing can be troublesome. But that's true everywhere, at least that's my experience at the State Theatre (Koch).

Welcome to Ballet Alert!, Alexandra. There are wonderful threads on this forum - enjoy!

I'm going to start individual ballet threads for reviews, leaving this one for the general discussion.

This is a very good idea, Helene, thank you. I hope to comment on the three ballets I'm seeing this season: Giselle, R&J and Bayadere.

Karen, ABT may have had the recording already, but the expense was not the cost of the making the recording but rather of clearing the rights to broadcast and sell that recording.... a very different thing.

I still prefer to see the dance to the music.

Thanks for the clarification, Amy .

Thank you to everyone who dedicates so much of their time to keep this site thriving.

Most grateful - thank you!!

I wondered if the lack of music from the ballets being shown was a budget issue. Then again, it was of a piece with the slow motion which tended to homogenize everything into a single look, even when the documentary was talking about a variety of styles.

I, too, feel I could listen to Ratmansky all day.

Hi Drew, Yes, very true! The footage they were showing had to have music; also, it was ABT's footage, so I'm not sure including the music with the footage could have been that expensive. Just to be clear, I do not have any experience producing film or TV docs, so I don't know what expenses they had, but this repeated slo-mo was so much filler - didn't they have anything better to say for a 75th anniversary celebration? I'm sure this was a decently financed doc.

Even though this was the 75th anniversary - one thing has not changed.

Best dressed - Dvorovenko

Worst dressed - Vishneva.

Diana is my favorite dancer but her stylist - eek!!

Well, Irina is gorgeous but discovering her gown is Reem Acra, all I can say is, of course! I love, love, love Reem Acra! That couture is just scrumptious.

What fun! I mentioned this in another thread, but I have a pair of pointe shoes worn by Faye Arthurs that I purchased at SPAC. I chose them out of the 'stinky box' of ballet shoes because they are almost unworn and in beautiful shape and condition. Her feet are tiny!! I want to make some kind of sculpture out of them when I have the time and this Vogue article gives me heart to tackle the project someday!

This is so irritating about Seo dancing all those roles and Sarah Lane none of them! I haven't read every post here but from some of the concerns, complaints and comments, perhaps ABT needs a new AD. Bad decisions being made at this company. I'm seeing Bayadere June 6 and I'm disappointed, but will keep an open mind and give Seo a chance.

I watched it twice and I agree with many of the criticisms posted here. It was very unfocused and did not provide a coherent narrative of ABT's history. As most here complained, that slow motion stuff got on my nerves. And some of the background music! Ugh! If they wanted to demonstrate the excellence of the current crop of dancers, why not show it in real time and with the music they're dancing to? It drove me crazy seeing Gillian Murphy dancing black swan, for example, and none of the great and flirtatious music with it! If the aim was to appeal to the general public, the public would have been better served to see the examples as they are. And I wasn't happy with so much Homans. I could, however, listen to Ratmansky all day! All in all, very disappointing.

That obituary is here.

Thank you, kfw

Masculine power but with a flirty feminine style. Ditto her Laurencia. Not just the technique but such a Spanish señorita in nuances and the rest...Ole! It's no wonder that Spanish dance fans took to her and she to them, with dual Spanish and Russian citizenship.

Yes! And I love Ms.Maya's Laurencia! Many wonderful comments and accolades coming in. Please see Washington Post obituary - I read it today and I think it's a better obituary than the NYT. .

Also Kitri, Cygnet. Plisetskaya absolutely revolutionized the role of Kitri with the high stag jetes with foot touching back of head in the A1 solo and other now-standard tricks. See films of Lepeshinskaya, Caralli and other Bolshoi primas dancing this in 20s/30s/40s...Kitri was a different gal before Maya.

Thank you, Natalia, for the suggestions and I agree - Maya was so incredible as Kitri! Her dancing is very masculine and those jetes! Just thrilling.

I've been so sad all day over the passing of Maya Plisetskaya, keeping her in my thoughts and close to my heart. My husband just played this for me and I would like to share it with you all. Mstislav Rostropovich would play this Bach Sarabande for friends and other folk to comfort them and give them solace in times of sorrow.

https://youtu.be/ZXnujMPt30Q

Just read it...I learned some things about her I didn't know, but it was still a disappointing--that is, I think, an inadequate--obituary. No mention of any of her major roles -- the ones she danced at the height of her career. (Okay Carmen got mentioned, but only because it fit the 'political' theme of the article); no attempt to try to describe her (unique) qualities as a dancer or her influence on the art form.

(I don't know when this was written, but it might also have been updated to note that she played an acknowledged part in the career of today's leading (or "one of today's leading...") ballet choreographers, Alexei Ratmansky. Still, I allow that's not a major part of her career--Kitri on the other hand...)

Dirac, on 03 May 2015 - 08:42 AM, said:

Not much of an obit. Nothing but political point-making. Not that politics are irrelevant to her career, quite the contrary, but for people who may not read anything about Plisetskaya beyond this piece, it would have been nice to talk more about the artist.

Drew and Dirac,

I completely agree - as an obituary for an artist like Maya, it's rather lacking. I was truly disappointed in the obit.

Thank you, Birdsall. It will be a great pleasure to see this company, I'm sure, and also quite educational, because I've never seen an Ashton ballet. In fact, this summer will be a summer of firsts, as I will see NYCB perform La Sylphide and Bournonville Divertissements, too, at Saratoga. I've never seen any Bournonville, either. I'm blessed.

A strong woman, indeed. And practically ageless. Canbelto, I couldn't agree more. In tribute, I'm spending today with Maya as I go about my day's business, thinking about her and watching her marvelous videos.

And I plan on seeing Sarasota at the Pillow!

Greetings, Birdsall,

Thank for this post -I would have loved to see this program. Sarasota Ballet will perform at Jacob's Pillow this summer August12-16 and will perform Ashton's Monotones I and II, Wheeldon's The American, and a world première by company member Ricardo Graziano.

I saw AIP last weekend and enjoyed it very much but it didn't blow me away. I agree with some of the comments here about the leads' acting and singing, the choreography in general and the arrangements of Gershwin's tunes: overall, different shades of good. I did like the AIP ballet, but it didn't seem to reference the theme or Paris much. It will probably be excerpted as a stand-alone ballet later on. It was a pleasant experience, I'm not sorry I saw it. And it should win some of the categories for which it was nominated, but probably not the two leads; they're up against some serious competition.

And astonishingly influential. From the NYT obit posted by KarenAG:

Thank you for posting this, KarenAG. So pleased that he was able to live such a long and rich life.

You are most welcome, Dirac. And contributes to making our own lives rich and hopefully, long. God bless the arts... and sanity.

I can't believe it. I'm crying as I write this. I was just talking about Maya today with my husband after doing some internet research, saw her Wikipedia article (which wasn't updated yet), and I made a mental note to watch some of her videos soon. I was saying she'll be 90 in Nov of this year! I'm speechless and my heart is broken. There was really no one like Maya - her thrilling dancing, her charm, her charisma and that wonderful, wonderful defiance. My condolences to Mr. Shchedrin. Rest in Peace, dear Maya. We all love you so and we will miss you so much.

Thank you, Amy and volcanohunter, for these videos.