Terez

Does anyone know if Misty Copeland actually said "Start unknown, finish unforgettable" and if a verifiable source exists? I've got a writer buddy who's searching for the original attribute (beyond "Brainy Quotes") but can't find it, in spite of extensive hours (more like days/weeks) of research. It's for a book soon to be published, so she can't use the quote simply under the assumption that Misty actually said it. Thanks for your help on this curious question!!

Well, I'm always sorry to see good dancers go, and I have great fondness for more than one of the departing dancers. Wishing them the best. A few of the promotions have me scratching my head -- some of the males promoted to demi-soloist seem ... green. (Not Alexis Francisco Valdes - he's on fire). And I don't even know who Seojeong Yun is or if I've seen her dance. I found Jacey Galliard to be an exciting dancer all season long. (Jihyun Choi, too.) Several on this new roster I feel are deserving, so kudos to them! Wow, how does one interpret the status of "Guest Principal Dancer"? And four new "never heard of 'em" dancers joining the company as soloist/principal. Would have liked to have seen more promoting from within. It's going to quickly feel like a company I don't know, alas! (Hope I'm wrong and I love them all.)

I enjoyed seeing this production a second time around more than I'd expected! I took a pass on seeing its repeat in 2018, but there's something about eight years passing (and boy, talk about some eventful years!) that makes you see a production with new eyes. Nice to see Joseph Walsh in a lead role again -- it seems I'm never there when he's onstage. He and Frances were a delight in their pas de deux, particularly the first one. The tricky thing about their ensuing dances together is that the story requires them to be responding to his anguish, his remorse over his creation and fear of the consequences, and so they must grow more distant as they dance. By the wedding scene, they seemed deflated, but not because they were tired. How does a performer keep up "performance" energy while displaying "emotional lagging" energy, after all? Meanwhile, Wei Wang was such a knockout. I was impressed the first time around, and just dazzled this time. HERE is the link to my Bachtrack review, BTW.

Oops, there's an error for opening night; it should read Joseph Walsh/Frances Chung/Wei Wang I'm reviewing Thursday's performance for Bachtrack; will return with a link and personal comments once I've written/uploaded the review.

Loved reading this review - thanks so much for posting it!

I was scratching my head over Sister Clemence initially, not having seen a program during the first viewing (it was a final dress rehearsal and not a performance), but reading the program the next day cleared up the issue: "Raymonda has two close friends: the free-spirited Henriette and Sister Clemence, a nurse who belongs to an order of nuns and has a strong sense of duty."

I absolutely love everything you wrote! So much of it reflects my own thoughts and feelings (but when the review I wrote hit 1500 words I realized I had to pare it way down, boo hoo). Thrilled to hear about how Joshua Jack Price did -- I'd put money on a promotion in his future. (I felt the same way about Alexis Francisco Valdez in his role as part of the Hungarian couple in Act III. He's consistently excellent. I felt like Esteban Hernández's Abdur was sensational and show-stealing, much in the way you described Price. I think the role has MUCH more potential than the role of John de Bryan. Wei Wang is always amazing to watch, so it was strange to get the sense by the ballet's end, the second time viewing, I wasn't interested in him. I was so much more drawn to Abdur's brooding presence. It was one of the reasons I felt like Act III made the ballet seem overlong (even though each act contributes to its length, of course, particularly an Act I close to an hour). Thanks again, cygnus_olor for your detailed analysis. I look forward to re-reading and re-re-reading it!

Excellent, thanks! And I am so enjoying all these comments. Thank you, all!

Thank you for the interesting factoid, volcanohunter, and now I'm curious WHY he removed the White Lady from this iteration. It seems so hyper-masculine and helpless-female in this production, I rolled my eyes as Jean swept in and pulled Raymonda free. Having never seen other productions, I assumed this was a Petipa decision to do it that way (would have made plenty of sense in 1898). I love the White Lady idea. It's kind of funny that my research is producing such inconsistencies. There's a narrator (a very American voice) who does a voice-over for the above linked performance, and she's the one I got the "Medieval Hungary" setting from. I'm guessing she's the one who got it wrong; she never mentioned the stager's name and she didn't know how to pronounce Marius Petipa (she did better in her second "Petipa" reference). I'm assuming the Paris Opera Ballet sets theirs in France? Has anyone seen this staging available online?

Ooh, thank you, cubanmiamiboy - I look forward to watching this! Do you -- or anyone else -- know precisely whose staging this Bolshoi production is? I'm thinking it's the Grigorovich, but I know The Bolshoi has done several. This one uses the "Medieval Hungary" setting and The White Lady is not used. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaN-HWjRh4M

Oops, didn't read your previous message correctly on the Saturday matinee you plan to see - I was loopy from spending too much time on that review. I'm amazed at the wealth of various Raymondas you've been able to see. I would love to pick your brain to find out how each one differs. I went on YouTube and watched the Bolshoi one, but I'm still not sure whether it was the Grigorovich staging from 1984, or one that is more contemporary (maybe there was a new staging in the early 2000s?). Do any stagings still use "the white lady" who warns Raymonda about Abderakhman? I'm very much enjoying reading everyone's comments! This is/was a brand new ballet for me.

Josette, do you mean the Sunday matinee? (I was at the Saturday matinee, which was actually a final dress rehearsal for Cast 2.) If you were there on Sunday matinee, so was I, and I would love to hear your comments! I myself reviewed that performance at The Classical Girl. Helene says I can post a link, so here you go! https://wp.me/p3k7ov-1Cd

You know, I thought the same, and was afraid it was going to be a mishmash of something akin to activism, but it was still a Romanic story in the end (the capitalization was there on purpose) and I quite enjoyed it. Whew. (Because I was reviewing it and was afraid I wouldn't like it.) Bizarrely, I just read that the original Petipa libretto was set in Hungary, not Russia. Which explains the Hungarian influence. This re-staging has it too, but it's a greater (even silly) stretch, the Hungarian connection.

Ooh, good to know that you are there on Saturday nights and I can find you and say hi. I saw and reviewed Sunday's performance. I will look for a thread that you started, where I'll comment. Your job sounds wonderful, BTW!

I so enjoyed reading all your comments. I had to miss this program. Wow, you got to see A LOT of performances! Will you (or anyone reading this) be attending Raymonda? I'll be attending and reviewing Sunday afternoon's performance.