carbro

Welcome, Diablo! It sounds like the company is in high gear with a lot of outreach. I know that the company's gone through some very rocky times. It's probably, like so many these days, drawing on every resource to strengthen its relationship with its audience and nurture new audiences. I wish you all an exciting and gratifying 2011-2012 season!

I know that box offices in New York City are licensed and regulated by the Department of Consumer Affairs. I don't know whether this includes discounters, such as the one in the Atrium or TkTS at Duffy Square, but you could call Consumer Affairs through the City's 3-1-1 system, if it's important enough to you. If you do -- or if someone else does -- please let us know what response you get. Meanwhile, there's still no diagram with ticket prices for the various seat locations for NYCB. There's probably something wrong with that.

What a lovely memory, Stage Right! I'm sure you'll treasure it forever. I saw Karin von Aroldingen on a panel about 12 (?) years ago (I have a very bad sense of time for almost everything that happened after I left high school ) She said she and Balanchine became friends after she invited him for dinner shortly after she joined NYCB. He liked her cooking, and as an accomplished cook himself, the two bonded over their kitchen skills. You never knew which dancers would show up in the Empire Coffee Shop, just around the corner from New York State Theater. I never had the pleasure of running into Balanchine there, but I saw many lesser lights. It was quite an institution, as was Charlie, the waiter. Sadly, nothing has replaced it. Those were different times.

Smileys make me happy, too. It's a wise dancer who wants to know things from the audience's viewpoint, but it's more important that when a dancer performs, s/he does it mainly for her/himself. Just my opinion. You'll probably have a few opinions to offer as you browse through our forums. Please feel free to contribute them. So, welcome to BA, Incarnat. You are a lovely flower!

I first encountered that same variation in the Jardin Anime scene of LeCorsaire, danced by Medora.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 26, 2011 BALLET NY presents the Company Premiere of a duet from Agnes de Mille's The Other as part of the company's 2011 Season November 18-20, 2011 The Ailey Citigroup Theater PLEASE JOIN US: Friday, November 18, 2011 at 7:30pm Ballet NY presents its 2011 Season, including the Company Premiere of a duet from Agnes de Mille's The Other and the World Premiere of Artistic Director Medhi Bahiri's In Twilight, from November 18-20, 2011 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 West 55th Street, NYC (at Ninth Avenue). Performances: Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 7:30pm, Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $26 ($15 for students and seniors) and are available at www.smarttix.com or by phone at 212-868-4444. The Company Premiere of a duet from Agnes de Mille's The Other , set to music by Franz Schubert, was originally created for American Ballet Theater in 1992. The ballet is about the play of oppositional forces--life and death, light and shadow--which are the mysteries of experience. "The Maiden" and "The Lover" are allegorical figures representing vitality, love and youth. The World Premiere of In Twilight is a duet choreographed by Mr. Bahiri and set to the music of the final song in Richard Strauss' "Four Last Songs." Also included on the program are two ballets created in 2010 by Mr. Bahiri. Concerto, for three couples and set to music by J.S. Bach, is a contemporary work that merges the classical and the quirky. Edge, set to music by Enigma, is a fun, entertaining ballet with music that leads to a marriage of different movements and captures the audience with its rhythm. Dancers: Josh Christopher, Jace Coronado, Madeline Deavenport, Katie Gibson, Erin Ginn, Jennifer Goodman, Virginia Horne, Luke Manley, John-Mark Owen, Brent Whitney. Founded in 1997 by former New York City Ballet Principal Ballerina Judith Fugate and International Guest Artist Medhi Bahiri, Ballet NY is a company of accomplished principal and soloist dancers, whose mission is to offer emerging choreographers the opportunity to create new works on those dancers. The Company is committed to keeping ticket prices affordable in an effort to attract, cultivate and educate new audiences for dance. The Company has performed in New York City at The Joyce Theater, Symphony Space, the Ailey Citigroup Theater, and around the country. For more information, visit www.balletny.org. Medhi Bahiri (Co-Artistic Director, Ballet NY) brings a wide and diverse background in dance to his position. He was Principal Dancer with Ballet West and Boston Ballet, and a member of Maurice Bejart's Twentieth Century Ballet. As Principal Guest Artist, he has appeared with Ballet National de Mexico, Ballet de Santiago, Chile, Universal Ballet of Korea, Ballet du Louvre, Tulsa Ballet, and Ballet Philippines. Touring in the United States and Europe, his partners have included: Cynthia Gregory, Ann Marie DeAngelo, Valentina Kozlova, Cheryl Yeager, Evelyn Cisneros, Marie-Christine Mouis, Christine Spizzo, Christina Fagundes and Laura Young, among others. Mr. Bahiri won the First Prize of the Prix de Lausanne dance competition, and was recognized for his outstanding artistic achievement and original style at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. As a noncompetitor, he was distinguished as Best Partner at the Jackson and Tokyo ballet competitions. Judith Fugate (Co-Artistic Director, Ballet NY), former Principal Ballerina with the New York City Ballet, danced roles in virtually every ballet in the NYCB repertoire, counting among her partners Peter Martins, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Helgi Tomasson. During her career she toured extensively with groups led by renowned artists such as Mr. Baryshnikov, Cynthia Gregory and Mr. Martins. Miss Fugate appeared on "Live from Lincoln Center" with Ray Charles in Peter Martins' A Fool for You. In the Metropolitan Opera's production of La Traviata, conducted by Placido Domingo, she was partnered by Fernando Bujones and Peter Boal. She left the company in 1997 to pursue a career as freelance Guest Artist and Co-Artistic Director of Ballet NY. Miss Fugate works as repetiteur for the George Balanchine Trust and the Jerome Robbins Rights Trust, staging these renowned choreographers' works worldwide. Sponsors and Underwriters for Ballet NY's 2011 Season include: Hospital for Special Surgery/Louis Shapiro, CEO The Gerald and Daphna Cramer Family Foundation, Inc.

Interesting, old Peter Martins quote from when he was a baby ballet-master-in-chief. Perhaps Ocean's Kingdom gets a pass, since its score is a serious composition. http://www.nytimes.c...t-s-daddy.html? Apologies to those who are not paying to subscribe and cannot access NYTimes.com's archive. For clarification, the text in the quote box is Kisselgoff's. Within the quote marks " " are Martins' words.

Hi, AjkunBT! Happy to have you here at BalletAlert! We are a discussion board -- perhaps not the kind of network you have in mind -- for the ballet audience. You'll see, as you browse the forums, the variety of topics that concern us. Among our members are some who bring their art to the stage, but mostly we just bring tickets to the theater. If you see any topic that grabs your interest, please don't hesitate to post a reaction. Perhaps you'd like to visit our companion board, BalletTalk for Dancers, and see if it interests you. You can think of the difference between the sites according to which side of the footlights its members can be found. We are for viewers, BT4D is for doers. It is dominated by topics related to training classical dancers, but you may find some more creative types to exchange ideas with. Have fun in either or both places!

I must have dozed off. I dreamed I heard that David Hallberg joined the Bolshoi and will, from here on out, give only a limited number of performances with ABT. What? It wasn't a dream? At the moment I begrudge both David and the Bolshoi their mutual good fortune. In time, I'll get over it and will wish them both well.

Forgive my cynicism, but I'm looking at this whole undertaking from a whole new angle. Whether or not it ends up a great artistic success (miracles happen -- who knows?), it will prove, for at least a few seasons, to be a popular curiosity, likely to sell lots of tickets. Even beyond that, Peter Martins has formed a relationship with a very wealthy potential benefactor. Every penny counts these days. I hope Sir Paul has a new passion for ballet and a burning desire to support it.

Apparently, balletmor, ABT has not announced anything about a 2011 Innovation Initiative. Not yet, at least. http://abt.org/insideabt/news.asp I'm sure Dale will post as soon as they do.

Without a Mearns O/O, I opted to avoid this production this year, but that won't stop me from voicing opinions about some to these comments. Sometimes, perhaps, but I don't think he succeeded here. For one thing, he seems to have been unable to decide whether he wanted to stress the narrative or to make it an abstract ballet. The costumes (which are not as important as the choreography, but they give clues as to what we are seeing) of Act I tell us, "These dancers in (ugly) 20th or 21st Century dance costumes are not in some distant time and place." But the inclusion of a jester argues, "This is a ballet about Medieval royals." Obviously, any four-act staging of Swan Lake will have some story, but I would suggest to Mr. Martins to decide, before he starts to stage his next story ballet, he make a firm decision about whether he wants to tell the story or just gloss over it in favor of eloquent choreography for choreography's sake. Well, it may be too late for his next story ballet, as that one opens next week. Maybe the one after that. Bouder did an amazing Vision Scene in Sleeping Beauty a couple of years ago, where she seemed to dematerialize in front of us. If ever there was a dancer unlikely to dematerialize, it might be Bouder, but she did it, giving a very moving and lyrical reading of the choreography. I remember an early O/O she did -- perhaps her first or second in this production -- and she was a very affecting Odette. The role is not beyond her. But tonight she debuted in the Choleric variation of The Four Temperaments, and from what I gather from what I've heard about her Tuesday night performance, Choleric may have just taken over her body a few days before schedule.

to a watchful friend who wrote: Turner Classic Movies (tcm.com) is showing a number of ballet movies next Mon 9-19 evening, including that movie of Walter Slezak as Dr Coppelius, plus Invitation to the Dance, Red Shoes, Unfinished Dance (Margaret O'Brien and Cyd Charisse), and Ballerina (Yvette Chauvire, Mia Slavenska)! For details, check TCM's website starting here, and you can click through the menu on the right side of the screen. Happy watching, ballet lovers!

I so agree! Yes to Tommason and Woetzel. Martins had a magnificent technique, but his dancing wasn't dancing , IMO. It was mechanical. I wouldn't blame Igor. I think he was undermined by a sluggish tempo. Of this group, I liked him best, in spite of the music. First runner-up: Radetsky.Angel Corella has given some thrilling readings of this, and I'd also add Herman Cornejo as a great interpreter of this variation.

From the Joyce's website:

You can get to the official trailer, which is different from the video MRR posted (thank you!), through the film's homepage, here. I hope First Position will keep us posted on cities and dates as the film goes into theatrical release. I, too, am very eager to see it, especially since I recognize some familiar faces.

From the publicist: SATELLITE BALLET presents the world premiere of a new trilogy PROGRESS: COSMONAUT: EPISTASIS A strong statement of direction for classical dance in a multimedia age October 14, 2011 Baryshnikov Arts Center Jerome Robbins Theater featuring New York City Ballet dancers Teresa Reichlen, Chase Finlay, Ashley Laracey, Marika Anderson, Daniel Applebaum, Samuel Greenberg and Lauren King Friday, October 14, 2011 at 8 pm Baryshnikov Arts Center Jerome Robbins Theater, 450 W 37th Street, New York Tickets are $25; $10 for students available at SatelliteBallet.org Satellite Ballet presents its NYC premiere, a full evening's work featuring the choreography of Troy Schumacher, dancers of the New York City Ballet, original music performed live by Nick Jaina and ensemble, and multimedia projections by Kevin Draper, the trilogy PROGRESS: COSMONAUT: EPISTASIS Satellite Ballet is a new face in contemporary dance - a collaboration of emerging New York City choreographer Troy Schumacher, established composers from the American Northwest indie scene, and new artists working with experimental video and photography. Satellite Ballet is premiering a new trilogy of two ballets and a song cycle that make a strong statement about the direction of classical dance in a multimedia age. High intensity graphics, fiery musical performance and athletic, highly musical choreography are the signatures of the Satellite Ballet. This new trilogy is a direct engagement of themes of decadence, heroism, and human connection in the America of today. Satellite Ballet artists collaborate as equals: music, dance, imagery, story and abstraction are the result of continuous interaction through the entire production cycle - a commitment to collaboration that transcends the piecework nature of traditional productions. Troy Schumacher, Choreographer and founding Ballet Director, began dancing with New York City Ballet in 2004 after training at the School of American Ballet and Atlanta Ballet. Seeing ballet as rooted in history, he proposes a fresh perspective to the future - including direct involvement in the creation of original scores for the Satellite Ballet. His choreography forms an essential relationship with music and multimedia space: he selects highly individual dancers with inherent, unique movement qualities and creates dancer specific movement to advance the language of modern classical dance. Schumacher's work has been noted for an "emphasis on expressivity and beauty." (Marina Harss, Faster Times, April 21, 2011). Librettist and Projection Artist Kevin Draper is an architect, poet and multimedia artist and founder of the Satellite Collective, an arts incubator with studios on Lake Michigan. Draper studied architecture at the University of Michigan under Lise Ann Couture and Tulane University under Raphael Moneo; he holds an MBA in entrepreneurship from Notre Dame University. He has developed the web presence of noted brands including Hush Puppies, Merrell and Caterpillar. Draper's art engages the human presence in the urban environment. Working in a deconstructionist mode, his flash fiction texts drive the story arcs and structure of Satellite Ballet works. Composer and Music Director Nick Jaina is an accomplished musician inspired, in part, by the vast number of cities he has lived in - San Francisco, New Orleans, New York and Portland, to name a few. The wide range of his musicality has emerged from that broad range of American flavors, as well as the many instruments that he plays, including guitar, piano, drums, ukulele, harmonica, and flute. Together with his talented band, Jaina has recorded nine albums and regularly tours the entirety of the United States. His scores for PROGRESS:COSMONAUT:EPISTASIS are written for piano, viola and violin. Satellite Ballet 2011 repertory is made possible in part through the support of private donors and foundations, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, corporate support of Nestle Nutrition and SAP America, and the Satellite Collective, an arts incubator. For more information, visit satelliteballet.org

Hi, justafan. Allow me to introduce you to Dictionary.com. A useful tool and always just a mouseclick or two away! Thanks, Eileen, for the post.

Oy! Giselle isn't a Tudor ballet. This is the kind of thinking that bogged down the Kirkland-Chernow-McKenzie Sleeping Beauty. While it may help some dancers to have fully fleshed-out backstories, the audience doesn't need these things spelled out for them. This is ballet. It is about conveying essence, not minute narrative details. Anyway, I do wish him and NZB both a happy and fruitful association , and I look forward to hearing about it.

A very nice introduction, variated! As you may have noticed, we have a number of members who follow the British companies. New voices with new observations are always welcome, especially when they can offer special insights. We look forward to your participation.

Yes, but unlike Makarova, Janet Reed was an alumna of NYCB as well as ABT.

All of these ballerinas are from NYCB. While Robbins choreographed most of ballets there, he did other work elsewhere, too. For ABT, he created not only Fancy Free but also Les Noces. And since not all of the dancers who are to be honored were originators of roles, I wonder why no one with no connection to NYCB isn't among them. Most conspicuously absent is the originator of the woman's role in Other Dances who is alive and well and often in New York, Natalia Makarova. Whoops!

Thank you for that delightful introduction, Cordelia! As you may already have gathered, BalletAlertniks find their way here through many different paths. It's part of what keeps our discussions lively, I think. We're happy to welcome you into the mix. Absolutely! My own taste tends more towards smorgasbord -- more for the individual dancer than the company, although I do rank companies, too, of course.

I think the text that dancemom101 quotes is the same as was there when the program was known as ABT II. Current Dancers shows only eight dancers (the blurb notes it has 12), so it seems this is not the complete roster for the coming year. Rhetorical question, right?

This reminded me of the print ads Suzanne Farrell did for L'Air du Temps. I believe it was L'Air du Temps. Seems fitting that Janie Taylor, who shares an evanescent quality with Farrell, shoud be a perfume's symbol in this generation.