CDM

There are several American and Canadian dancers in the Stuttgart Ballet so it is not out of the question getting a contract there. There are also several Americans in the Cranko School currently. CDM

I cannot take exception with Leigh Witchel's comments except to say that things moved quite smoothly for our daughter. She studied for four years at the KAB in Washington and then was invited (during an SI in Vail) by Peter Pestov to train at the Cranko School in Stuttgart. She studied for two years there beginning at age 16 and then went straight into the Stuttgart Ballet. She had little difficulty in entering Germany or staying there except for the usual visa pains. She is now considered a "permanent resident" of Germany which means she does not have to renew her visa each year. I cannot speak to her income (not appropriate here) but the Stuttgart Ballet performs all year except for approx four weeks off in August. That is to say the season is longer than most, if not all, U.S. companies. I can say that she does not need a side job to make ends meet. One other note...she has many friends from the KAB who seem to move at will between U.S. and European companies. There seem to be no particular barriers to such movement from one company to another.

Oh nuts....I too wish you could have seen her Florine. She originally performed that when she was at the Kirov Academy some years ago. She and Anna have been friends since their Cranko School days. Both went to Lausanne together and have been promoted together. I think Liz did the fairy as a stand in...she was not scheduled to dance that night. We are hoping (and planning) to get to Germany to see Onegin in January. Not sure what she will be doing as casts have not been posted yet. Perhaps we might meet up then. Regards...Doug.

I do not know exact numbers but I suspect there are 4 to 6 Americans and several Canadians. Many countries are represented in the Stuttgart Ballet. With all the ethnic diversity, they are a very tight knit group. Little if any carping or back-biting. Lots of internal support for each other. ...Doug.

cadancelover...well, so is mine although she has been there for several years. . Wish we could get more info from Stuttgart. There are several people who report from time to time but they have not posted yet this year. How is your dd doing in her new environs? Well I would hope. My dd loves Stuttgart. Regards...Doug.

cadancelover....I too would like to get review(s) on the performances. If I may ask, is the "ca" in cadancelover for California or Canada? Regards...Doug.

Sonja...I have no casting details at present. In a more general sense, the Balanchine performance will look, cast wise, much like last year because of complexity and short time until first performance. I will try to get whatever details I can tomorrow afternoon. It is wonderful to be hearing from Germany so soon in the year and hope to see your posts as often as circumstance allows. I do wish the Stuttgart Ballet would stay a bit more current as regards their web site content though. The site has collected some dust I am afraid. Regards...Doug.

Sonja, Thanks much for the info. "Demanding" was the sentiment of at least one of the performers also made especially so by the relatively short prep time. She said it was a great deal of fun as well. Thanks again...Doug.

Did anyone see the "Celebrate Balanchine" performance this past weekend? Would like very much to see any comments or review thereof. Thanks much in advance. Regards..Doug.

Alicia has just been moved to another place in the schedule. There are no injuries or other calamities involved. Regards...Doug M.

Reinhard, Liz was one of the three 2nd act Lulus (if I understood her correctly). She really enjoyed Lulu but now its on to Gizelle. But from what I am gathering, Lulu was quite a success by any measure. Am not sure what she will be doing in Endstation Sehnsucht. Regards from Oklahoma...Doug.

Friederike, Another voice from Stuttgart !! Welcome to balletalert and I hope we get to hear a great deal more from you as time goes on. Regards...Doug.

Reinhard, Greatly appreciate your effort re the review of Lulu. DD said it was lots of work but great fun. Eager to hear your review when you are able to attend. Warm regards...Doug.

Reinhard, Here's hoping you feel better very soon. The translated review would be greatly appreciated so long as it is not too much trouble for you. Regards...Doug.

Anyone out there going to the Stuttgart premiere of Lulu this evening? Would appreciate any feedback or reviews. Regards...Doug.

Reinhard, Have spoken only briefly with her since they returned from Cairo. She and Marijn Rademaker went to Holland for a gala the day following their return from Cairo. The main point of our discussion was their health given that they had picked up some sort of upsets while on the road. Have been unable to reach her since they arrived in Holland so am crossing my fingers and trusting in good news yet to come. We saw her many times in performances when she was a young student at the Kirov Academy in Wash DC and we saw her perform with the Stuttgart Ballet when they toured the U.S. last year. We look forward with great anticipation to returning to Stuttgart (I visited once while she was in the Cranko School) to see her and all the other wonderful men and women of the Stuttgart Ballet. Will pass on any info I am able to shake out of her regarding Cairo but she is very brief in her descriptions of performances....her self-evaluations usually range from "ok" to "good" to "terrible" etc....you get the idea. Her "terribles" look to the biased and untrained eye to be pretty good. Thanks for the communications from Germany...Doug.

Jasper, You must have a good eye...that is almost exactly what Semenov and Kolpakova said about her when she was about eight or nine years old. What they saw, of course, were the physical, mental, and artistic tools that the Russians look for when searching for potential. She was otherwise not unlike any other little girl in her age group. She has been very fortunate in many ways...but enough from a proud dad. Thanks again for your kind words. Regards...Doug.

Jasper, Thanks so very much for the kind words. She is much more natural at the classical than the modern although she enjoys both. She and Marijn Rademaker are off to Holland today to perform the balcony scene from R&J at a gala there this Wednesday. We are hoping to get to Germany to see the Stuttgart perform Giselle in February. Thanks again...Doug.

Reinhard, Daughter is Elizabeth Mason. Regards...Doug.

Reinhard, Sorry about that...means dancing daughter. Regards...Doug.

Reinhard, I live in Oklahoma, USA, and have not been able to see the Stuttgart since their tour of the U.S. last year. My interest in the Stuttgart is that my dd dances in the Corps there and I am always interested in any knowledgable feedback I can get. My dd has told me that Friedemann Vogel and his partner looked wonderful "as usual". The one thing that I learned from her in a conversation this morning is just how very young Friedemann is for a principal dancer. He must be quite special to achieve that level at so young an age. The majority of the company is preparing to leave for Cairo tomorrow morning. She will go to Cairo then to Holland for a gala performance with Marijn Rademaker. They will perform the pdd from the first act of Romeo and Juliet. Appreciate hearing from you and warmest regards...Doug.

Reinhard...sorry to hear but I will look forward to other news/reviews you are able to post. Regards...Doug.

Reinhard....will you be in attendance this Friday at the season opening performance of Swan Lake? Also, it appears that Mr Reilly is doing quite well for himself as a new principal. Regards...Doug.

Reinhard, thanks much for the news. Always most interested to hear any info from the Stuttgart Ballet. Look forward to hearing more from you as time goes on. Regards...Doug.

As quoted from the earlier translation of the articla from the Stuttgarter Zeitung: "Until now, the company’s tour, which was due to last seven weeks, was very successful. The performances of John Cranks “Romeo and Juliet” attracted a lot of people and some performances were even sold out." I am not familiar with the practice of frezing the box office that you refer to but that could easily be attributed to my ignorance of that sort of thing. But that would not explain the lack of any comps (or at least I would not think so). Are there other public statements that contradict the above? Also, it should be noted that the turnout in St Louis was quite good for both evenings. Regards...CDM