Old Fashioned

The dancer roster on the website has been updated, leaving out dancers who will not be returning next year, although new dancers or dancers who have been moved up through the ranks have not been added yet. As expected, Broomhead, Gumbinner, D. Walsh, and Priolo have been left off. Other dancers not present on the roster are Naomi Glass, Sharon Teague, Anne Harshbarger, Amanda Jarman, Arkadiy Orohovsky, Jessica Pohorilla, and Ingrid Zweifel. These do not include apprentices. I'm quite disappointed that Glass will not be returning. I had been looking forward to her return since she was absent the majority of this past season due to a pregnancy. Teague and a number of amazing corps members will also be missed.

In the links for Monday, June 28th is an article on the 3rd Shanghai International Ballet Competition which features a picture of Bridgett Zehr and Connor Walsh (the first image). Here's a direct link to the article: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-06/...ent_1551393.htm

Thanks to the person who pointed it out to me.

That's the problem I have with their rush program- it's like they purposely have the discount on days they know most people our age wouldn't be able to make it to. Funny how I never have this problem with HGO... Yes, the telemarketers are pushy, but I'm not going to subscribe to a season when half the stuff doesn't interest me.

Take your boyfriend to see Sandpaper Ballet. From most reviews I've read it's a fun piece of "fluff" and supposed to be pretty witty. As for Kudelka's Firebird that is on the same program, it seems the consensus on that is the choreography isn't top-notch but the production and design are beautiful.

Do you know about the student rush ticket prices? One ticket is $11.50 for designated areas, which is a good deal, although I know Houston Ballet can be stingy and ungenerous about giving them out sometimes...

If you were to choose between Firebird and R&J, I would suggest the Firebird program only because Morris's Sandpaper Ballet is being shown with it. I've never seen Stevenson's version of R&J, but I'm familiar with MacMillan's and can't say it's on my list of favorite ballets. I'm also suggesting the gala performance although it will probably be difficult to obtain tickets to that.

Hmm, never heard of this before. It's certainly interesting. I love the idea of two companies in one area (heck, bring Mejia's company to Houston- there's certainly enough room), but for them to be in the same theater is a bit strange.

I logged on, Old Fashioned, with the intent of adding Jose Carreno

I knew you would chime in for him, Carbro.

I've always thought Jock Soto was good looking.

Simon Ball, very handsome and princely.

Unbelievable no one has mentioned Jose Manuel Carreno.

It does seem to me that on the whole the professional (i.e. newspaper) critics admired 'Musagete'; it was only on this site that one read the fiercely resistant stuff.

It makes no difference whether the viewer is a "professional" writer or not; it depends on how much they know about their subject to make a credible judgement, and I would be hard pressed to find a group of people like the ones here on this board who know about ballet as much as they do. Some of them also happen to be "professional critics," so I don't really understand the point you are trying to make. I've also come to realize a few big name critics don't have any idea of how to review dance or too biased towards certain companies/dancers/directors/etc. to make any reviews overly negative (and vice versa).

Now I'm going to go because I feel a bit nauseous from reading the reports on Musagete. :green:

Hehehe, ditto.

Sigh. Well, if anyone has been keeping up with what's going on in the Houston Ballet forum, y'all should know I'm dreading just about the entire new season.

Thanks, Joseph, I'm definitely looking forward to Giselle. I've read good things about Maina's staging.

Yep, I listened to a radio interview with Broomhead that he is retiring. It's certainly a gain for the artistic staff; he has been doing a lot of coaching this season, and I hear he's a great teacher.

Aaagh, I've been out of town this entire past week which means I missed practically the whole run of La Fille, but if anyone has seen it, please report!

The dancers, in my opinion, have danced remarkably well this past year, and I hate the thought of no one going to see them simply because the ballets being danced are not of interest.

You read my thoughts exactly, Pugbee. I'm only truly interested in seeing Giselle and the Lifar piece.

It was published in the Chronicle that Julie Gumbinner and Lucas Priolo will be leaving for Texas Ballet Theatre, and I do know of a few others who are also leaving, although it hasn't been let out to the public yet.

I wasn't expecting a carbon copy, but I was hoping for a season that more closely resembled the one they pulled together this year. I am not liking the line-up for the upcoming season, which has been said to be an indication of what his plans are for the company and the first time Welch really makes his mark (or something along those lines). Well, it HAS been a year. Welch is still young and I am still waiting to see how successful the company will become under his direction, but for now, I'm going to be a bit pessimistic. The trend seems to be a leaning towards a more contemporary and experimental-focused company, which may or may not be a good thing. Telling from some of the stuff I've seen this year, I can't say I'm particularly fond of this trend. Also, the Houston audience does tend to be on the conservative side, favoring well-established ballets over contemporary ones, and this may not go over well for them, although it would be great if it could bring in new viewers.

I'm sure there will be changes of some sort, but from reports and interviews published so far, and the statements of the Houston board, the reason they chose Welch is so that there would NOT be changes.  They want to continue as things are, apparently -- keep Stevenson's ballets in repertory, and continue a commitment to full-length story ballets.  I'm sure there will be differences, but it sounds as though the intention is to retain the framework.

I was browsing through old threads on Houston Ballet and came upon this one again. All I can say to that now is this: Ha. I wish.

Oh, and regarding Zehr, it's no secret that she's a favorite of Welch. I don't think anyone was really truly suprised that she was given that role. Even Molly Glentzer mentions in her review that she's a "shooting star from the apprentice ranks." Also, both of the female apprentices, both of whom are staying with the company next season, were given principal roles for this program. Perhaps they're just being "tested"...? :shrug:

Thanks for the report, Pugbee! Ditto on the corps. :yes:

Saturday, May 29th performance:

The program started out with La Valse. Apprentice Erin Patak took the central role of the girl in white. I don’t know if this was her major role debut or not, but she seemed more seasoned and more comfortable dancing than one would expect from an apprentice. She danced opposite Andrew Murphy and Nicholas Leschke (“death”), both of whom aptly conveyed the pathos their roles required. I would really like to see Murphy cast as the “dark prince.” This would also be the first time in a long time I’ve seen Phillip Broomhead doing something other than mime. It’s sad to see a dancer of his caliber have his technique dwindle away. I wish I could have seen this from the grand tier or balcony- I was but a few rows away from the stage and off to the side where many times the heads in front of me obstructed my view and left me unable to see the a full view of the beautiful patterns being created, but I'm okay with it since my tickets were free. :rolleyes:

Next was Apollo, which included the birth scene at the beginning. Zdenek Konvalina had the look, the musicality, the lyricism and fluidity of his dancing, and his polished technique, all of which made for an incredible Apollo. He danced with a trio of blondes (whoever said they are a rare existence in ballet hasn’t seen HB)- Laura Richards (Calliope), Sara Webb (Polyhymnia), and Barbara Bears (Terpsichore). Like someone else mentioned on another thread, Bears is indeed in top form and for me was the standout of the three muses (not to mention she towered over the other two height-wise!). Well, I suppose Terpsichore generally is supposed to be the standout muse, but with Bears in the role, it made it all the better. It was interesting to see the three do a simple first position arabesque one by one, and the most senior of the dancers would give the next most classical line. That is, Richards was the most hyperextended, next Webb wasn’t as stretched out as Richards but still reached beyond what some would consider to be a classical line, and last Bears had her leg at a perfect 90 degree angle (at least that’s what it looked like from where I was sitting).

Not much to say about T&V except that I always enjoy watching Simon Ball and Leticia Oliveira. I can’t get over how different Oliveira’s body was compared to the other girls. She was much shorter than the rest and her legs more muscular and built. I thought for a second that she looked like a dancer out of Joffrey, and then I remember that she used to dance in that company before she came here. T&V was the perfect close for the evening.

Seeing Balanchine’s choreography felt like a breath of fresh air after witnessing so much mediocrity in comparison. I'm such a biased individual...

The link to the video preview of La Fille: http://www.houstonballet.org/gen/MKTLaFilleMPEGPreview.asp

Shown are Sara Webb, Dominic Walsh, and Phillip Broomhead (as the mother).

I think what Juliet meant was that you made an attack on nationality and not just certain individuals' opinions. If you meant it to be an attack on nationality, then therefore it really is irrelevant to the topic and unnecessary. In the posts before you, people only criticized the dancer, not what others think about her. There is a difference between saying the Russians have different views from the British and Americans and saying Americans don't have taste (or something to that effect).

"well, if from this thread people get to know and appreciate Mezentseva, I will be very happy"

I don't know if that was somewhat directed toward me because of my comment on her and never having actually seen her dance, but that was directed towards her thinness and how I feel about that body type. I really dislike seeing dancers that skeletal-looking (boney and angular, therefore appearing "brittle"), unless it's Wendy Whelan. Who knows, I may like the way Mezentseva dances, I'll just have to find out.

brittleness

Juicy thread. Never having seen or even heard of this Mezentseva until now, I can't comment much, but this word came to mind when I searched for pictures of her.

Read in the paper the other day that the two will be leaving Houston Ballet after this season and joining Stevenson's Texas Ballet Theatre in Fort Worth.

Now that school will be out by the time they start running this program, I'll probably be able to go to more than one performance of this and La Fille. :bouncing: Here's the casting:

LA VALSE

May 27, June 5

I.

"Valses Nobles et Sentimentales"

Waltz 1 Overture

Waltz 2 Susan Bryant, Tyann Clement, Kim Wagman

Waltz 3 Sharon Teague, Dominic Walsh

Waltz 4 Mireille Hassenboehler, Andrew Murphy

Waltz 5 Julie Gumbinner, Simon Ball

Waltz 6 Simon Ball

Waltz 7 Simon Ball, Susan Bryant, Tyann Clement, Kim Wagman

Waltz 8 Barbara Bears, Zdenek Konvalina

II.

"La Valse"

BARBARA BEARS ZDENEK KONVALINA

PHILLIP BROOMHEAD

SHARON TEAGUE &

DOMINIC WALSH MIREILLE HASSENBOEHLER & ANDREW MURPHY

JULIE GUMBINNER & SIMON BALL

Susan Bryant, Tyann Clement, Kim Wagman, Michelle Carpenter, Jaquel Charlesworth, Bridgett Zehr, Kelly Myernick, Clare Miklaunus, Kristina Harper, Anne Harshbarger, Pamela Lane, Frances Perez-Ball,

Laura Richards, Cleopatra Williams, Ingrid Zweifel, Lisa Kaczmarek, Carl Coomer, Peter Gleeson, James Gotesky, Oliver Halkowich, Chavo Killingsworth, Caleb Mitchell, Arkadiy Orohovsky, Travis Bradley

LA VALSE

May 29, June 4

I.

"Valses Nobles et Sentimentales"

Waltz 1 Overture

Waltz 2 Susan Bryant, Tyann Clement, Bridgett Zehr

Waltz 3 Leticia Oliveira, Randy Herrera

Waltz 4 Kelly Myernick, Caleb Mitchell

Waltz 5 Kim Wagman, Phillip Broomhead

Waltz 6 Phillip Broomhead

Waltz 7 Phillip Broomhead, Susan Bryant, Tyann Clement, Bridgett Zehr

Waltz 8 Erin Patak, Andrew Murphy

II.

"La Valse"

ERIN PATAK ANDREW MURPHY

NICHOLAS LESCHKE

LETICIA OLIVEIRA &

RANDY HERRERA KELLY MYERNICK &

CALEB MITCHELL

KIM WAGMAN & PHILLIP BROOMHEAD

Susan Bryant, Tyann Clement, Bridgett Zehr, Lisa Kaczmarek, Michelle Carpenter, Jaquel Charlesworth, Kristina Harper, Clare Miklaunus, Jessica Collado, Anne Harshbarger, Pamela Lane, Frances Perez-Ball,

Laura Richards, Cleopatra Williams, Ingrid Zweifel, Sadie Black, Carl Coomer, Peter Gleeson, James Gotesky, Oliver Halkowich, Chavo Killingsworth, Barry Kerollis, Arkadiy Orohovsky, Travis Bradley

LA VALSE

May 30, June 6

I.

"Valses Nobles et Sentimentales"

Waltz 1 Overture

Waltz 2 Susan Bryant, Bridgett Zehr, Kelly Myernick

Waltz 3 Sharon Teague, Carl Coomer

Waltz 4 Jaquel Charlesworth, Lucas Priolo

Waltz 5 Tyann Clement, Nicholas Leschke

Waltz 6 Nicholas Leschke

Waltz 7 Nicholas Leschke, Susan Bryant, Bridgett Zehr, Kelly Myernick

Waltz 8 Kim Wagman, Ian Casady

II.

"La Valse"

KIM WAGMAN IAN CASADY

CALEB MITCHELL

SHARON TEAGUE &

CARL COOMER JAQUEL CHARLESWORTH &

LUCAS PRIOLO

TYANN CLEMENT & NICHOLAS LESCHKE

Susan Bryant, Bridgett Zehr, Kelly Myernick, Lisa Kaczmarek, Michelle Carpenter, Erin Patak, Kristina Harper, Clare Miklaunus, Jessica Collado, Anne Harshbarger, Pamela Lane, Frances Perez-Ball,

Laura Richards, Cleopatra Williams, Ingrid Zweifel, Sadie BlackPeter Gleeson, James Gotesky, Oliver Halkowich, Chavo Killingsworth, Barry Kerollis, Arkadiy Orohovsky, Travis Bradley, Alexander Pandiscio

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

APOLLO

May 27, June 30

Apollo Andrew Murphy

Terpsichore Mireille Hassenboehler

Polyhymnia Kelly Myernick

Calliope Bridgett Zehr

Leto Susan Bryant

Nymphs Clare Miklaunus

Michelle Carpenter

APOLLO

May 29, June 4

Apollo Zdenek Konvalina

Terpsichore Barbara Bears

Polyhymnia Sara Webb

Calliope Laura Richards

Leto Erin Patak

Nymphs Clare Miklaunus

Michelle Carpenter

APOLLO

June 5, June 6

Apollo Simon Ball

Terpsichore Barbara Bears

Polyhymnia Julie Gumbinner

Calliope Kim Wagman

Leto Susan Bryant

Nymphs Clare Miklaunus

Michelle Carpenter

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

THEME AND VARIATIONS

May 27, 29

LETICIA OLIVEIRA SIMON BALL

Tyann Clement, Sharon Teague, Kim Wagman, Michelle Carpenter

Ian Casady, Randy Herrera, Nicholas Leschke, Lucas Priolo

Susan Bryant, Britain Werkheiser, Kristina Harper, Anne Harshbarger,

Pamela Lane, Cleopatra Williams, Ingrid Zweifel, Erin Patak,

Carl Coomer, Peter Gleeson, James Gotesky, Oliver Halkowich,

Caleb Mitchell, Arkadiy Orohovsky, Travis Bradley, Barry Kerollis

THEME AND VARIATIONS

May 30, June 5

SARA WEBB ZDENEK KONVALINA

Jaquel Charlesworth, Kristina Harper, Lisa Kaczmarek, Bridgett Zehr

Ian Casady, Randy Herrera, Nicholas Leschke, Lucas Priolo

Anne Harshbarger, Clare Miklaunus, Kelly Myernick, Frances Perez-Ball,

Laura Richards, Cleopatra Williams, Ingrid Zweifel, Erin Patak,

Carl Coomer, Peter Gleeson, James Gotesky, Oliver Halkowich,

Caleb Mitchell, Arkadiy Orohovsky, Travis Bradley, Alexander Pandiscio

THEME AND VARIATIONS

June 4, June 6

MIREILLE HASSENBOEHLER ANDREW MURPHY

Tyann Clement, Sharon Teague, Kim Wagman, Michelle Carpenter

Ian Casady, Randy Herrera, Nicholas Leschke, Lucas Priolo

Susan Bryant, Britain Werkheiser, Kristina Harper, Anne Harshbarger,

Pamela Lane, Cleopatra Williams, Ingrid Zweifel, Erin Patak,

Carl Coomer, Peter Gleeson, James Gotesky, Oliver Halkowich,

Caleb Mitchell, Arkadiy Orohovsky, Travis Bradley, Alexander Pandiscio

Should be interesting to see Konvalina as Apollo and Zehr as one of the muses.

Heard about Saturday night. How exciting for the audience and what a fairy tale proposal; wish I could have been there. Congratulations to the two newly engaged couple.

If I remember correctly, there was quite a bit of dragging towards the end of Julia Adam's Ketubah, and it did NOT look like it was in context. Does anyone know if being dragged around on the ground has anything to do with Jewish weddings?

Anyone catch one of the free performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre? Or been to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion performance? I might be able to go tomorrow night. I'm crossing my fingers.