pbl

speed100 I called and left a voicemail - the ticket is available. Please call back and let me know if you want to pick it up.

I have one ticket to each of these performances. Seat is in the family circle A104 for each performance.

May 30: Coppelia

June 20: Giselle

June 27: Swan Lake

If interested, send me a message, I'll organize to have the ticket left at the door for you.

These were uploaded recently (not by me, I just found them yesterday). Thoughts? Anyone see this live? I saw it via video link.

At the Metropolitan Opera, if you are seated centrally, in the front rows of the orchestra, the conductor's head obscures center stage - so I prefer to sit at least a few seats off center. Please keep the advice coming.

p.s. I am looking for advice re: flying over to see Marianela dance in February - here is the post:

http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/37940-flying-over-to-see-marianela/

Hi everyone-

I am based in Philadelphia, and thinking of flying over to see Marianela Nunez in Giselle on Feb 1 and 5. It's a big deal for me to get time away from three little kids, work, etc. plus the cost of tickets, so I'm wondering if there is anything (public, of course, I don't want to break forum rules) I might need to know before booking tickets and flights which might interfere with seeing her perform. Reply to this or PM both OK and appreciated.

Having never been to the ROH before, please advise if it is important to buy tickets before they go on general sale on October 22 - is it worth me paying the "friend" fee to get better tickets?

I usually prefer to be in the orchestra area slightly off center, please also share any thoughts about where best to get seats. Best to all, Paris.

I don't think that PA Ballet generally publishes their casting decisions in advance. In fact, I'm pretty certain that this show has not even been officially cast yet (although I'm sure Roy Kaiser has thought about it!). My daughter is a student at their school and I may be able to get that information in advance - but probably not much before mid-late September.

My current favorite principals/soloists are Julie Diana, Lauren Fadeley and Gabriella Yudenich. However, I am not familiar enough with the styles of specific dancers to be able to figure out if those dancers would be a good fit for your preferences! Perhaps another reader here can help you further.

I am really looking forward to this show, as well as seeing them do Serenade and Petite Mort in February.

I saw Gabriella Yudenich as Myrtha - she was great. Once you have ten posts and your membership gets upgraded on this forum maybe you could send me a message, I have more things I'd very much like to ask about.

Hi everyone-

I would like to see Jewels at paballet in October, and I'd be very interested to hear opinions on which night to go, which dancers from this company I should try most to see, any thoughts on the principals' styles. I tend to enjoy the more lyrical style - Marianela Nunez at Royal Ballet being a current favorite.

Has PABallet published who will be dancing each night yet?

Best, Paris.

How about ABT?

I just saw the last performance of the season, really enjoyed it. Stella Abrera was sublime. Gomes' stage presence and form were incredible - being in row E, I could appreciate just how deeply he inhabited the role, emphasizing wonder at the vision, the sense of capture, the choice. In the final act, he just glowed - he really seems to enjoy himself out there. Veronika Part wasn't "inconsistent" - the tag she always seems to enjoy. But being up so close I noticed she grimaced briefly in a couple of the unsupported balances, and then once they were out of the way seemed to let go with her lyrical side, especially from the vision scene onwards. BTW, this was my first time seeing ABT SB, it seemed to me that the fairy tale characters' parts where shortened a lot - it that true? Also, I'm wondering which productions include this variation that I saw in the 1964 Kirov film:

Hi Everyone,

For movies, we have imdb.com, for broadway there is ibdb.com . . . is there anywhere online we can look up a comprehensive index of ballet performances with full casts, etc.?

Also, is there anywhere with indexes/scans of playbills?

Thanks, Paris.

McKenzie and Makarova in R&J. Note KM's pants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfNbFm-zwf4

Hey everyone-

I will be at tonight's SB with my five year-old daughter and my mom . . . would be interesting to meet someone from this group offline at intermission. Having only got into this over the past two years, I really enjoy meeting people who are more familiar with the technical points and who are fluent in discussing the artistry. And just talking about performances is fun.

Message me if you'd like to meet. Paris.

It just seems to be a stretch that a family of dancers would coincidentally have a name so close to "little steps"

Did Marius Petipa's family make up the family name as a stage name? It is so close to "little steps" that I can't help but wonder. This must be covered somewhere on the web, but my search hasn't brought up an answer. Thank you.

-Paris.

Hi Everyone-

I have tickets to see the final performance of the season, with Part, Gomes and Abrera. I am a beginner at appreciating ballet - just two years in, but enthusiastic. I would appreciate anything you have to share regarding ABT's production, things to look for an enjoy with the lead dancers' styles, and things you expect might be highlights of the night given the production, the company and the leads involved.

And of course I will read, with interest, comments upon earlier performances.

Best, Paris.

Dear RG-

I am deeply honored to get a personal response from you - I have enjoyed your writing so much. Thank you.

Obviously, as you wrote, any listing of scenes/dances will describe only one production. Hopefully, for a beginner, it will describe something closer to a canonical sequence. What I would enjoy in addition to this plain listing by scene/dance would be emphasis upon which dances, and which moments within those dances, are considered the highlights, plus extremely brief notes on why they are as such. Your book has been invaluable to me as a beginner - but of course there are many ballets not covered. And such brief summaries in bullet or point form, accessible on the web, may be useful to others discovering ballet.

Appreciatively,

Paris.

--------------------------

I'm seeing Swan Lake at ABT tonight, and while I'm familiar with it from several viewings, I realize I don't know all the right names for the various dances which occur through the ballet. Synopses tend to describe narrative action, but never list or discuss things like the Spanish dance, etc. It would be especially valuable to get such a list in order with the right names, and discussion of what to look for in each of these highlights. I can't seem to find these online. Thanks everyone.

How come they couldn't fly Marianela Nunez over ? Does she ever perform in the U.S.?

I have a question . . . I purchased season tickets and was supposed to see Alina Cojocaru in Swan Lake on the 21st of June. Now it looks like she's dropped out, and Maria Kochetkova is taking the part. I'm pretty disappointment, but I guess this is how the cookie crumbles. Anyhow, please offer any advice you have about changing performances. Should we stick with Kochetkova? Switch to Semionova? Part? Boylston? Kent? Thanks for your thoughts. Paris.

p.s. it is possible to start an online petition using a tool such as this. If you get enough signatures I'm sure it will come to Kevin McKenzie's attention.

http://www.change.org/petition

Can anyone point out any online videos of Stella Abrera dancing? I can only find very sketchy video or stills. Thanks.

It was wonderful. I thought it was really suited to Vishneva's style and presence. Isabella Boylston was a real treat too.

I was at the Saturday Osipova-Vasiliev performance and was absolutely blown away. But I am a newcomer to appreciating ballet, and am eager to hear thoughts from others more steeped in the art who were there. Osipova has that firecracker stage presence, they had an obvious joy in being on the stage, and being there together. I noticed when she made the diagonal in front of the bullfighters the tempo was much quicker than other stagings I've seen and she just smoked it. When she was doing the fouettes in the third act it seemed as though she was doing double turns. More than anything, I noticed how she seems to have, all in one, lightness, crispness, alacrity. He seemed much stronger than the prior performance of his that I'd seen, and was adding a little something to most of his leaps and turns. I loved Isabella Boylston too, BTW. But anyway, these are my highly appreciative rantings, I'm eager to hear from others . . .

Wow - just looked at the video Jayne posted. I'm keeping my booking to see Denis!