Tara

I will be seeing tomorrow's matinee and will try and remember to post a first hand review.

Hmm. Interesting and very unusual for her. Thank you for the update. Ah, thanks for the heads up on casting notices. It appear that she is at least making a good enough an impression of the director to receive opportunities. Much appreciate the info/update on her progress.

I am very curious to know how Jillian Barrel seems to be fairing in Boston. She gave up being dancing principle roles here in Arizona to join the corps in Boston and I have been wondering if she is being given any soloist opportunities or not. Having been named a few years ago as an "All American Goddess" ( http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/arts/dance/us-ballerinas-redefine-an-art-but-what-about-history.html?_r=0 ) by the not so easily impressed NYT reviewer, Alastair Macaulay, I was rather surprised she was not given at least the rank of Second Soloist. Is there any news to share on her progress with Boston Ballet?

Just a quick comment in regards to the question of the support of the shoe.... she is wearing Gaynor Minden and they do not break down and lose "support" in the same way that traditional pointe shoes do (this is part of why more and more dancers are choosing them- especially for performances). The box and shank are made of substances that give VERY consistent support to the foot which not only gives security that the shoe won't "die" on a dancer mid performance but also helps to lessen potential injury as well. It is possible ofcourse that something else could have occurred with her shoe (such as the ribbon breaking for example) that might have made doing the historical diagonal unwise but the design of the shoe eliminates the possibility of the problem being with the box or shank. I suspect however it is neither a pointe shoe problem nor a current injury issue but rather her personal preference, for whatever reason, not to risk the overall quality of her performance on that one ( albeit iconic) moment in the ballet.

Glad to know I am not the only one who finds that a bit odd. Visually striking, yes. Conceptually logical...not so much. ps: very much enjoyed your review style and I look forward to more in the future!

Thankyou so very much for this link. I am as intrigued by her offstage as on stage.

Hmm.. interesting....thanks for the info!

Oh this is wonderful and well deserved news! I am so pleased for Miss Adams, who unlike her fellow "American's in Russia" students she stayed completely focused on her training rather than garnering media attention. I am very happy she is being properly rewarded for her efforts. I look forward to watching her career.

Really? Wow, any explanation?

The Chosen One in Rite of Spring.

Sad to report that a favorite of mine and long time Ballet AZ dancer, Beau Campbell is not returning for the 14/15 season. It was announced on her social media sites that Campbell is taking a break from classical ballet. She is guest performing however and was recently featured at the Wanderlust Festival as both dancer and yoga teacher. http://squaw.wanderlustfestival.com/beau-campbell

I am quite curious to see how the company does with this ballet as it is so very stylized. Despite Anderson having the particular background for it... his current roster of dancers with perhaps an exception or two... do not. Though I suspect both Anderson's current favorites (Arianna Martin and Jillian Barrell) will take to it beautifully and I feel Ilir Shtylla's lovely port de bras would shine in Napoli *if* he is given the opportunity. Roman Zavarov's fine footwork will hopefully get him cast well too. I worry however a tad bit about some of the taller and/or more Balanchine-esque dancers such as Magnicaballi and Draxton struggling with the details that make Bournonville so special.

Interesting to see Claudia Dean leaving particularly since she received a Principle part debut in 2013. Does anyone know if she is joining another company?

She would have had in the U.S., not in Russia. Russian society is totally different. I find this confusing as she appears (at least from my perspective) to be much adored in her homeland. Is this not the case?

This is a perfect example of lack of insight on not just artistic but also practical matters by Fateyev's management. Novikova is admittedly a favorite of mine but would be considered splendid (by I think most anyone's standards) and most certainly is a capable , experienced and seems to be particularly consistent ballerina too- something I feel any true Prima should have as a mastered skill.

Indeed a loss for Mariinsky and gain for Bolshoi! I was quite surprised to notice on her Facebook page today that she listed Bolshoi as her employer as like many/most others I thought she would go directly into Mariinsky and on the fast track as well. I suspect Zhiganshina had multiple offers from both inside and outside Russia and am curious as to what played into her decision to join Bolshoi over any and all other offers.

Neater in her technical presentation yes indeed and quite beautiful in her own right but not nearly as exciting nor as musical. What Zhiganshina has can't be taught ...only refined.

Is this correct - a yet-to-graduate Vaganova student will dance the pas de trois with the Mariinsky? She seems like a very nice girl who actually responds in person to comments on the (many) videos her dad posts. I hope she goes on to have a glittering career. I concur completely. She does seem really lovely off stage as well. I am also heartwarmed by what seems to be a beautiful parental relationship between she and her Father. With the combo of her dancing and what bits have been seen of her personality I am already a major fan of this young lady.

I noticed yesterday that he is still doing character roles on stage too! He is far from over the hill afterall. In fact, I think it is rather lovely that Anderson keeps people on stage even after they "officially" retire. For example, it's always fun to see longtime staff member Daniel Baudendistel on stage too. I also really appreciate that Anderson is not nearly as youth obsessed as some others can be in this profession.

A review of yesterday afternoon's performance of Cinderella by Ballet Arizona at Symphony Hall in Phoenix. 11/3/13 Mat. was as follows: Cinderella -- Jillian Barrell Prince -- Nayon Iovino Step Sisters -- Amber Lewis and Paola Hartley Step Mother -- Kenna Draxton Fairy Godmother -- Natalia Magnicaballi Spring -- Kokoro Umemoto and Eric White Summer -- Tzu Chia Huang and Randy Crespo Fall -- Michelle Vagi and Myles Lavallee Winter -- Rochelle Marks and Brian Leonard Act1 scene 1 of BalletAZ's Cinderella is light and entertaining and the roles of the Step-Sisters are the true stars of this section. Both Lewis and Hartley portrayed the humor with great aplomb and apparent affection for the characters. Quite frankly they nearly stole the show but then again I am admittedly rather bias towards Ms. Hartley and relish the chance to see her on stage. I felt strongly that more could have been made of the Step-Mother's role. Especially with the the more than technically capable and wonderfully dramatic Draxton dancing the part. As for Cinderella herself, Ms. Barrell- she was lovely, expressive and technically clean as usual. Her lines are gorgeous more often than not and this ballerina's legs and feet are especially pretty. Her Prince. Mr. Iovino is a bit more "green" than his ballerina and this shows up in the partnering between the two but he himself is rather impressive at times. I remember enjoying him quite alot in last seasons "All Balanchine". Perhaps with more time working together this partnership might develop but as of now it is missing the needed chemistry to make the story not just performed well enough but believable- something really needed in a story ballet.... particularly a Fairy Tale story ballet. The entire Fairy's section was not up to par in my opinion with the exception of Magnicaballi who was magical as Fairy Godmother. Again like the role of Step-Mother I would have liked to see more dancing created for this character. There is a blatantly obvious gap between her ability and presence and those who she shared the scene with on Sunday. Magnicaballi is ultra refined in almost every way. It can be seen even in the placement of her finger tips. She is Ballerina with a capital B while most of her fellow company members are dancers- many of them wonderfully fine dancers, don't get me wrong but.....there IS a difference. Case in point, the selection of Winter Fairy for this run of Cinderella. The quite young/inexperienced and still apprentice contract level, Rochelle Marks. A nice enough addition to the corps but definitely not ready for solo roles. She is tall and long limbed with a particularly swan like neck. This can make for nice lines sometimes but it also makes for some rather awkward movements too. Miss Marks will likely gain control over this with time and attention but center stage, in a soloist character PDD is not the place for her at this point, imho anyway. Especially not when there are other talented and well seasoned ladies who appeared only in corps roles along side senior level academy students. Ok, back to the Season PDD's. Both Spring and Summer Fairy's had new-ish to them partners and it showed. I suspect Tzu Chia Huang (w/ her more regular partner Ilir Shtylla) gave a much stronger performance during their two evening appearances than what I saw during Sunday's matinee. The best of the 4 seasonal pdd offerings for me was Michelle Vagi and Myles Lavallee. I think it is worth noting here that this pair was the only one cast as Autumn and the consistency and familiarity with eachother made for a much smoother and more enjoyable performance than their counter parts. Act2 and Act3 -- The general audience absolutely loved the carriage entrance and small pyrotechnic that proceeded it but the highlight here for me was the "Prince's Companions". I often find myself most enjoying Ib Anderson's choreography for his male dancers. The rest of Act 2 was fairly uneventful but set the scene/told the story well enough. Again in these Acts Jillian Barrell and Nayon Iovino more than hold their own dancing solo and are pleasurable to watch but.... the partnering was lacking comfortably and the all important needed magic. Final analysis.... nice enough but definitely hoping for more from Bayadère in Feb.

New studios and office space is really quite nice indeed. Very state of the art yet also simple and minimalist in style. The location is convenient to downtown and the theater district, major highway ramps and even the international airport but the area is otherwise just so-so. It's in an older part of downtown and is what I would describe as a mostly inactive warehouse and/or industrial area. However it is right on the new-ish metro line and the neighborhood is ripe for revitalization.

Actually he danced in "All Balanchine" and was wonderful. He did receive the customary flowers at the Sun matinee as well. He has also been appearing in media and local news spots for the upcoming Cinderella. He made for a very nice public spokesman so far. Very genuine and natural. I look forward to seeing how he develops with these new responsibilities.

WOW. An open call audition for Mariinsky Now I have seen it all.

Thanks so much for the above video of Lopatkina. Definitely warmer than I had expected and a very endearing kiss at the start. Exactly! It's the more "jazz" hip movements incorporated throughout Rubies that European companies tend to lack. It's also (imho) what makes Rubies so unique and interesting to watch in the first place. Those hips are where the attitude/vibe of the piece live and breathe. No hips equals a very different ballet. It can still be good ofcourse but it loses that sort of primal nature one can see when it is danced by companies that specialize in Mr. B's works.

Nayon Iovino and Jillian Barrell were lovely this afternoon but for me the best part of the Anderson's R & J is in the choreography done for 3 female "Cousins of Juliet". And again (just as I was in this year's Giselle) today I was most drawn to watching little Beau Campbell whenever she is onstage. I hope the company will consider casting her as Juliet next time it is performed. She is perfect for it from what I can tell of her thus far. One quibble. Not enough dancing in this version for me. I also don't feel that Mercutio death scene works...at all. I hope Mr. Andersen will re-do this section at some point. Overall though a nice performance but with room to expand.