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Below is the plot of Ib Andersen’s forthcoming other-worldly Firebird, as described in a recent marketing email. Mr. Andersen describes it as "sort of like Star Trek meets Lord of the Rings, maybe a little Game of Thrones, maybe a little bit of A Space Odyssey 2001". In a remote place, the Prince and his crew explore a strange and mysterious object. The men are captivated and intrigued by its existence. Energy and light begin to escape from the object, and an alien starts to materialize before them. The men, astounded by such a wondrous creature, attempt to capture her. Powerless against the group, the alien submits to their strength. The Prince, realizing her distress, helps revive her and allows her to regain strength. Fully restored, the alien leads the Prince away from his crew, transporting him to the world of the Immortal Kastchei and taking him one step closer to his destiny. In gratitude, she bestows upon him a gift – a magic crystal – that will call for her assistance should he ever need it. The alien then disappears, leaving the Prince to wander alone. Kastchei’s prisoners, the Princess and her tribe of warrior princesses, gather together for their daily recreation time under the supervision of Kastchei’s High Ranking Generals. While the women play, the High Ranking Generals fall asleep, leaving them unwatched. At this moment, the Prince suddenly stumbles into the group. As if drawn together by fate, the Prince and the Princess dance together and declare their love for each other. Lost in their own world, the two fall asleep in each other’s embrace. The group awakens and the High Ranking Generals discover the Prince and the Princess together. They rip them apart, seize the Prince and prepare to deliver him to Kastchei. Kastchei arrives with a horde of his monsters, people he has captured and enslaved who have lost their humanity under his spell. He is angered by the Prince’s actions and attempts to destroy him. The princesses beg for Kastchei’s mercy to no avail. The Prince suddenly remembers his gift from the alien and uses it to call for her presence. At the last moment, she appears. Using her energetic powers, she forces everyone to dance wildly, draining them of their will and controlling them until they collapse. Instead, the alien forces the High Ranking Generals to destroy Kastchei and tear him apart. With Kastchei’s death, his evil spell is broken and the land is once again free. Their destinies fulfilled, the Prince and the Princess are crowned and all at the ceremony rejoice. From Facebook, Fabio Toblini’s design for the Princess costume, modelled by Princess Arianni Martin: Also from Facebook, juxtaposition of the evening’s two works: The Firebird and La Sylphide (Mimi Tompkins and Jillian Barrell): A brief video to convince you this really will be different: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uguFqt_qgcM And a VERY brief interview with Designer Fabio Toblini, showing costume sketches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GUNAQydw6k The Firebird and La Sylphide will be performed at Phoenix Symphony Hall on February 14 through 17, 2019 with the Phoenix Symphony. The Studio Spotlight performance on February 1, 2019 will afford the first chance to sample the choreography of (hopefully) both works in the Dorrance Theatre (no costumes or sets). These one hour performances typically include interviews with dancers and artistic staff.

One more production tidbit from Modern Luxury Scottsdale magazine: ‘Andersen is even hauling in a massive 120-foot-tall panoramic screen – think IMAX instead of Nijinsky - challenging the viewer to see ballet from a different perspective. “Hopefully, it’s going to be something that is very visually striking” he says.’ This is most likely referring to the LED video wall that Arizona Opera purchased last year and has been using as a full-scale animated video backdrop at Symphony Hall. Sounds like Ballet Arizona will be borrowing it for its Space Age The Firebird. The mind reels at the possibilities... (Note, the Opera's video wall is actually only 27’ tall (and 57’ wide). Symphony Hall would need to be demolished and rebuilt to accommodate a 120’ tall screen - probably not within BAZ's budget. Also, dancers in the gravity-defying photo at the above link are Amber Lewis, Ricardo Santos, Allejandro Mendez, Jackson Dwyer, and Alison Remmers, with an uncharacteristically zany Ib Andersen on the right.)

Oboerin, here are a few belated thoughts on Sleeping Beauty... Regarding the Rose Adagio, two of the Auroras expressed their thoughts to the audience at the Sleeping Beauty Studio Spotlight preview. Jillian Barrell did indeed tell the audience that the Rose Adagio was not her favorite, and that it was a relief to get through it. (One can only imagine that it would be very stressful for any ballerina.) But, on the other hand, Arianni Martin, said that the Rose Adagio WAS her favorite and that she loved doing it!! I saw Jillian on a different night, and she pulled it off just fine. I agree with you that Amber Lewis was an outstanding Lilac Fairy. She is certainly very versatile, and she seems to typically be cast in the more athletic, more dramatic (e.g. Gamzatti), or more comic (sister in Cinderella) roles that seem made for her. For this show, I thought that she appeared spectacularly serene, confident, and all-knowing - a perfect Lilac Fairy. Another standout for me was Rochelle Anvik, in the role of Carabosse. Rochelle's Carabosse was deliciously evil. There was something about the way that she moved that exuded malice. This was especially clear as the other fairies surrounded her, imploring her to be kind. Her instantaneous switch in demeanor from saccharine to threateningly dismissive as she faced each fairy was superb.

Drew, let me clarify my rather vague thought of the story being "traditional". What I meant to say was that it seems likely that all of the main character groups (princesses, monsters, prince, chief monster, etc.) will be there - possibly in different garb, but likely in similar roles, and with a relatively traditional story line, albeit set in the future. What we can glean at the moment from the costumes is that the traditional villains (monsters) are likely to be some kind of alien beings. Costumewise, this does not hurt my head in the least, since the monsters seem to traditionally be dressed as ragamuffins, neither visually appealing nor choreographically appealing. I'm thinking that these rather sleek alien outfits will be more visually appealing on stage, and will allow the choreography to not be hidden by the costumes. Personally, I think it has the potential to be quite spectacular. We'll see...

When first announced, the mere mention of an all-new Firebird, choreographed by Artistic Director Ib Andersen, aroused great local interest. Indeed, Ballet Arizona fanned those flames (so to speak) by printing the most extravagant season brochure in memory, with a stunning photo of dancer Mimi Tompkins on the cover - featuring exactly what one would expect – a sumptuous flowing red feather/flame outfit. Well, almost a year has gone by, and it appears that the concept for the production has, well, matured, to say the least. Now, let it be said that Mr. Andersen is a dedicated and superb story-teller, having grown up in the Royal Danish Ballet, danced many of the major story ballet roles for RDB, NYCB, and others, and that he has also choreographed a raft of superb story ballets for Ballet Arizona. At heart, he is a traditionalist. Keep all that in mind when reading the following recent quote from him: “Fabio Toblini, our costume designer, was in town last week, and we defined many things while he was here. I have also begun choreographing. I think in 4 days I have already done 11 minutes (which is a lot). I am making The Firebird into an alien. I’m changing who the characters are. It’s sort of like Star Trek meets Lord of the Rings, maybe a little Game of Thrones, maybe a little bit of Space Odyssey 2001 (ha!). It is still undefined, but I will say they will land in a spacecraft and so you just need to use your imagination.” (from Turning Pointe Donor Report ) Ohhh. Kayyy. So it sounds like it’s shaping up to consist of 1) the Stravinsky score (for sure), 2) a more-or-less traditional story (probably), 3) more-or-less classical choreography (likely), and 4) an out-of-this-world setting and costumes (definitely!). With regard to aliens, BAZ has posted these photo tidbits: Alien/Monster costume sketch, with both male and female monsters: Fabio Toblini Monster Costume Sketch Alien/Monster women’s costume, with high-tech insignia and rivets: Various futuristic swatches for alien costumes: Swatches (click photos to see more.) Paired with The Firebird will be La Sylphide, with choreography by August Bournonville and staging by Mr. Andersen, who is clearly on home turf here. Odds are that this will be a spectacular evening. Hopefully BAZ will be providing more photos and info on Firebird/Sylphide once the holiday season is over. The earliest opportunity to get a peek at The Firebird and/or La Sylphide will be at the Studio Spotlight (behind-the-scenes) show on Feb 1, 2019, at Ballet Arizona Studios. (At $33 to $38, Studio Spotlight is one of BAZ's best kept and most affordable secrets.) The Firebird (World Premiere) and La Sylphide will be performed with the Phoenix Symphony at Phoenix Symphony Hall on February 14-17, 2019.

This contributor seems to have inexplicably become ever-so-slightly addicted to Mr. Andersen’s Eroica. Why this should be wasn’t initially clear. The balmy evenings at the Garden certainly have helped, but there’s been lovely weather in past years too. And, of course, Mr. Beethoven also gets a giant slice of the credit for providing a dramatic and dynamic score, but that was the case for Topia also. Then if finally began to dawn on me why this particular show had such appeal. The first enticement is the casting. Uncharacteristically, the cast is the same every night. I believe that this is because Mr. Andersen choreographed Eroica precisely to the makeup of his Ballet Arizona company – the choreography fits his troupe like a glove. Whereas, for any other ballet, one might need to attend on several nights to catch the various leading couples, here they are all dancing every night. In addition, these leading couples are frequently dancing side by side, giving one the opportunity to take them all in at once – a rare opportunity to luxuriate in the best talent this company has to offer. Furthermore, all of the dancers in the company perform quite a bit, and with meaningful and interesting roles. Another allurement is the way in which Mr. Anderson deploys his male dancers. This is no Balanchine-esque ballet, where the men exist mostly to put the women on pedestals. The men are featured every bit as much as the women (perhaps more so) in pas de quatre, pas de six, and other configurations. But even more striking is that in addition to the expected allegro moves, the men are also given many fluid, rounded moves. At one point, a line of men make swishy S-shaped curves with their arms; the women are moving similarly, but the men are more prominent – they are (shockingly!) in front of the women. This is a decidedly non-classical move in a largely classical ballet. (It must be noted that this may be our last opportunity to see retiring dancer Annier Navarro perform. Mr. Navarro is one of the talented group that came to Ballet Arizona from Ballet Nacional de Cuba, after defecting during a tour to Mexico City. His obvious dedication to his art form, his cleanness of movement, and exemplary épaulement made him a constant pleasure to watch.) And one final note regarding the professed political nature of Mr. Andersen’s choreography. There can be no doubt that there are many instances of both men and women dramatically falling from high places (having been hoisted on the shoulders of others), but to relate these moves to political situations would require a far more sobering mindset than the artistry of the dancers, elegance of the costumes, and splendor of the venue would otherwise encourage. Perhaps I’m simple-minded, but I find myself attending simply to enjoy, and not to analyze. Eroica runs at the Desert Botanical Garden through Saturday, June 2, 2018. Given the only once-a-year opportunity to perform at the Garden, and the typical rotation with other works, it seems unlikely that Eroica will be repeated anytime soon. Falling from high places (photo Tzu Chia Huang): Roman Zavarov, Annier Navarro, Ricardo Santos, and Eric Hippolito (photo Tzu Chia Huang):

Lynn Trimble of the Phoenix New Times writes: "The result is the dance equivalent of a complex abstract painting, executed with passion, and open to countless interpretations. Like many fine works of art, it beckons viewers to reflect on their own experiences and ideas, while hinting at the many layers of the artist’s own perspective." Full review here: http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/ballet-arizona-debuts-ib-andersens-eroica-at-desert-botanical-garden-10425446 You can still catch Eroica through June 2 2018.

Finally, Ballet Arizona has released some photos by former principal ballerina Tzu Chia Huang. Samples below. Here's a link to the complete set on Facebook. Hopefully additional photos from company photographer Alexander Iziliaev soon to come... First Movement: Jillian, Ariani, Mimi, and Amber: Ariani/Alejandro, Jillian/Nayon, Amber/Helio: Final movement, full company:

Here's an interview that gives you a glimpse into the mind of Artistic Director Ib Anderson, on the topic of Eroica: https://theshow.kjzz.org/content/640558/ballet-arizona-coming-desert-botanical-garden-new-performance

Here are a few quick notes from opening night of Eroica. (Note that this contributor does not consider himself to be a dance reviewer, per se, so will stick to the more objective aspects of the experience, and leave the dance description and evaluation to others.) Overall experience: Sometimes I will see a ballet and say to myself ‘there’s so much that I didn’t understand; I’d like to revisit it, in order to understand it better’. While I did not get that feeling here, I did feel that ‘I sure did simply enjoy the total experience, and I would really to see it again’. I think that is one way of saying that Mr. Andersen’s choreography has risen to the occasion of illustrating a massive Beethoven score, at the very least at a ‘see the music’ level. In addition, the tasteful integration of the Garden’s landscape as part of the set was much more significant than in past years. The ‘Set’ consisted of a number of plain white columns somewhat randomly placed at the back of the stage. To a limited extent, various textures were projected onto the columns, but to a greater extent, they seemed to provide a dividing line between the human emotions being expressed on the stage and Nature – the lush desert landscape just behind the stage. The foliage was close enough to allow it to be well lit, but far enough to provide a spaciousness unachievable in any theatre. Brilliant splotchy patterns projected onto the landscape during the second movement gave the stage an unusually three-dimensional look, and oddly (for the desert) gave the appearance of snow-dusted trees. At another point in the second (funereal) movement, spotlights circled the garden, like spirits on the fly, with the dancers’ gaze following their journey. In a theatre, this would have been tacky, but at the garden, it gave a wonderful sense of the expanse of the venue. The costumes were for the most part very simple – women in pale blue leotards with a dark sash under the bust, and men in matching briefs. But the women were wearing large diaphanous black shoulder puffs with the slightest bit of glitter, which I found quite fascinating and attractive. By the way, it appears that casting is the same for every night if the run. Looking forward to others’ thoughts on the show…

Back in March 2018, Ballet Arizona announced the upcoming world premiere of Ib Andersen’s site-specific Eroica – An Evening at The Garden, to be performed al fresco at the Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden. The work will be fashioned around Beethoven’s Third Symphony. The press release provided this scant information on the ballet itself: The work…challenges conventional expectations and reawakens the human spirit in an immersive tribute to the past, present, and future. Eroica promises to be one of Andersen’s most important works, pushing the boundaries of ballet and pursuing a deeper understanding of what it is to be human today. “I hope that people come out of this experience with a lot of different ideas and feelings,” Andersen said. “Eroica is going to be a very visual show, one that leaves you with an uplifting message in the end, with hope and trust in humanity.” Andersen is deeply passionate about the work, his response to the divisive influences seen in today’s world. Since then, someone at BAZ has cornered the typically taciturn Mr. Andersen, and coaxed these more candid comments out of him, published in BAZ's Blog: “It is literally about the music – Beethoven's Third Symphony is so complex. It’s easy to listen to and be moved by, but to understand the structure is not easy. I am not sure I even really understand it! But I like that element of it. When it was written, it was revolutionary. Over 52 minutes long – the emotional content and level of complexity just hadn’t been done before. “Eroica's choreography is about the past, present, and hopefully about the future. To a degree it is about our current political climate. The 1st and 2nd movements have the most meat and complexity including a funeral march. Then the 3rd and 4th movements are much more uplifting. They are a confirmation or belief that in human nature, good will survive over bad. This is not a story ballet, it’s an emotional ballet. I want to connect on an emotional level. I want you to be moved and not even understand why you are feeling that way. “I am super excited about this one. I honestly don’t understand how I did this. For me, I created this very quickly – it just sort of poured out of me. And I trusted what I did. I think it’s because I’m so damn old. (Ed: He's a very young and spry 64.) I go with my instinct now more than ever. I don’t second guess my intuition as much. Now you just have to come and see!” Mr. Andersen's past works at the Desert Botanical Garden have include Topia, performed on an 80 foot wide stage to Beethoven’s Sixth (Pastorale), and Round, performed literally ‘in the round’ on a circular stage, with audience seated on all four sides. From the seating map, Eroica appears to feature a more traditional size/shape stage. Eroica will debut on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, and will be performed Tuesday through Saturday evenings, starting at sunset, for three weeks. Both table and grandstand seats are available. Attendees can make an evening of it by arriving early, and enjoying dinner and wine at your table while watching the dancers take class onstage as the sun sets behind them. Performances usually start shortly after sunset, once the stage lighting can be effective. Attendees typically dress very casually. Here are some photos of past performances Topia at the DBG: http://balletaz.org/gallery/topia/. (BTW, some of these photos show photos of recently retired dancer, Natalia Magnicaballi. The photos are several years old.) And this page has some videos of Topia from several years back. These can provide a good idea what the DBG performances are like: http://balletaz.org/media-center/video/. (Note: Some of the video links do not work - not my fault!) And finally, a photo from Topia (dancers Jillian Barrell(?) and TBD, photo by Rosalie O'Connor):

Casting has been announced for the All Balanchine program, and Natalia will be performing in EVERY performance! On Thursday (5/3) evening and Saturday (5/5) matinee, she'll be dancing the Siren in Prodigal Son, partnering with Nayon Iovino. On Friday (5/4) evening and Saturday (5/5) evening, she'll be dancing the Sleepwalker in La Sonnambula, partnering with Helio Lima as the poet. For the Sunday (5/5) matinee (her final performance with Ballet AZ) she'll dance BOTH! Here's a photo (scroll down) of Natalia rehearsing with Helio. (Also a great shot of AD Ib Andersen showing the guys how to be goons in Prodigal.) With two costumed story ballets, and one big Stravinsky ballet (Symphony in three Movements), this promises to be a whopper of a Balanchine show. Mr. Andersen has been making the point that 'you won't even see this combination of ballets in NY'...

Helene, actually the Orpheum does have a pit. The problem is that it's not a very large one, and it isn't big enough to fit The Phoenix Symphony. By the way, the Orpheum offers one hour tours of the theatre, with special focus on its history and the superb refurbishment that they did. Highly recommended. Here's the link for the tour. Another Orpheum show that offered live piano was Jerome Robbins In the Night, to Chopin's piano nocturnes, which was a treat. But since the Orpheum show is typically contemporary, the opportunities for live music seem to be fewer and fewer...

“Don’t miss Natalia Magnicaballi’s special farewell performance, Sun May 6th at 1 pm.” – this tucked away in Ballet Arizona’s latest program booklet. Wow! One would imagine there would be a press release or some such, but in any case the word is out!! The show will be the annual All Balanchine program, featuring Prodigal Son, Symphony in Three Movements, and La Sonnambula. Although the promo photo features Ms. Magnicaballi in the role of Prodigal Son’s Siren from several years ago, it seems more likely that she will be dancing the role of La Sonnambula’s Sleepwalker – a role which she has often professed a favorite. Natalia undoubtedly occupies an enviable position in the Balanchine diaspora. Dancing for the Suzanne Farrell Ballet since its inception in 1999 obviously offered her an opportunity to learn directly from one of Balanchine’s most legendary dancers. In addition, she has danced at Ballet Arizona since 2002 for Ib Andersen, who joined NYCB as a principal at Balanchine’s invitation late in his career. As a result, Natalia’s repertoire includes the lead roles in more than 35 Balanchine ballets, not to mention most of the classics and many contemporary ballets. You can see much of her repertoire listed on Natalia’s Bio Page at Ballet Arizona. Here’s a great video of Natalia discussing her early career and dancing for Suzanne Farrell. Here’s a photo of Natalia as the Sleepwalker. Ballet Arizona will offer five performances of the All Balanchine program at Phoenix Symphony Hall from May 3-6, 2018. Although casting isn’t generally announced until the week of the performance, it appears to be a sure thing that Natalia will dance at the Sunday (May 6) matinee. (Will update with casting when available…)

Ballet Arizona’s upcoming Today’s Masters 2018 program will feature two new works (one by Artistic Director Ib Andersen, and one by dancer/choreographer Nayon Iovino), two works by Alejandro Cerrudo, and one reprise from Mr. Andersen’s Desert Botanical Garden series. About Mr. Andersen’s newest creation little is known, but its title, Pelvis, certainly provides fodder for the imagination. He refers to the music (by Danish String Quartet) as “super upbeat, you-cannot-sit-still, put-a-smile-on-your-face, celebratory music. I don’t really do heavy pieces lately – I want to do things that make me happy right now.” Perhaps we’ll get a preview at the Studio Spotlight performance on March 9. Mr. Iovino’s new work, Threads, is “about the spaces in between events and the reflection and personal evolution that happen in those quiet times”. Portions of this work were performed last September at Ballet under the Stars – one segment featuring what can only be called a bunch of zany guys in yellow tights, another featuring a sedate pas de deux. Music by Ensemble Art Sonic, Cartola, Neil Percy, Sufyvn, and Philip Glass. Mr. Andersen’s Afternoon of the Faun is excerpted from his Round, which was presented al fresco and in-the-round at the Desert Botanical Garden two years ago, at which time Alistair Macaulay (NY Times) braved the Phoenix heat to offer this review: “The “Faun,” one of the two finest sections of “Round,” is all-male; and what’s remarkable is how a dance that could so easily tip over into soft-core pornography (nine men in just their undies) stays calmly chaste and indeed classical. The men here are at ease with nature, and we see them lifted, walking on air, descending spiral staircases, climbing steps, plunging into flight. Although the focus is often on a male soloist, it sometimes shifts to a different dancer, creating a marvelous ambiguity of identity that is one of the work’s most haunting accomplishments.” Never Was by Alejandro Cerrudo, is a new piece for Ballet Arizona – a pas de deux set to music by Henry Purcell and George Frideric Handel. Rita Felciano, writing for danceviewtimes, describes it as “a duet about power displayed, competed for, and ultimately shared”. Last, and undoubtedly least - from a sartorial perspective - is a return of Mr. Cerrudo’s PacoPepePluto. (Let’s just say that the costume shop was not putting in any overtime on these outfits...) This piece for three men is a showpiece of male flexibility, set to the songs of Dean Martin. Given the depth of Ballet Arizona’s male bench, it will be interesting to see if Mr. Anderson fields more than one cast for this piece. Today's Masters promo video Studio Spotlight (intimate preview performance) March 9 at Ballet Arizona Studios (at $30, it's BAZ's best-kept secret) Today's Masters March 22-25, 2018 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix. Head’s up: The ’18-19 season will shake-up the sequence of programs, with this contemporary program leading off in September.

Ballet Arizona will perform an entirely new production of The Firebird next season, in February 2019. This will be Artistic Director Ib Andersen's most spectacular new production in some time, and it will feature all new choreography by him, as well as original costumes and sets. Given Mr. Andersen's Royal Danish Ballet instilled skills in story-telling, it will be interesting to see how he interprets the not-so-well-known story for Arizona audiences. It will, of course, feature Stravinsky's legendary score, which will be performed by The Phoenix Symphony at Symphony Hall. Ballet Arizona's press release says: "The world premiere of Andersen’s The Firebird is based on a Russian fairytale, with a singularly original twist. This unique performance tells this classic story through the lens of the present-future, exploring themes of love, fantasy, and escapism, making it perfectly in tune with Stravinsky’s modern score." Details at Broadway World

For those Southern Californians suffering ballet withdrawal over the summer, Festival Ballet Theatre’s annual "Gala of the Stars" may satisfy your craving. Every year, Artistic Director Salwa Rizkalla lures an amazing roster of principals and soloists from NYCB, SFB, ABT, Mariinsky, and other companies to Orange County. The Gala coincides with the completion of a summer intensive at Southland Ballet Academy, and apparently the invitees are also able to spend a bit of time with the students. Here’s the current lineup for the Gala on August 12, 2016: Tiler Peck, New York City Ballet Robert Fairchild, New York City Ballet Maria Kochetkova, American Ballet Theatre Daniil Simkin, American Ballet Theatre Cory Stearns, American Ballet Theatre Xander Parish, The Mariinsky Theatre Yuan Yuan Tan, San Francisco Ballet Jamie Kopit, American Ballet Theatre/SBA Alumni A few of my personal highlights from the last few gala’s: Lauren Cuthbertson (Royal Ballet) performing “Swan Lake Pas de Deux” with Xander Parish, just before intermission. This was a stunning performance in a relatively small venue, and seeing it up close was thrilling. But then, at the very end of the program, Ms. Cuthbertson returned to perform a portion of Wayne McGregor’s “Chroma” with Eric Underwood (Royal Ballet). Seeing Ms. Cuthbertson’s two exceptional performances from opposite ends of the ballet spectrum in one evening was unforgettable (2015). You can’t help but love Daniil Simkin’s energy and pluckiness!“Les Bourgeois” and “Don Quixote Pas de Deux” (with Maria Kochetkova) in 2014. “Stars and Strips” and “La Pluie” (both with Isabella Boylston in 2013) See 2013 highlights from Isabella Boylston, Robert Fairchild, Mathew Golding, Maria Kochetkova, Tiler Peck, Daniil Simkin, Damian Smith, Yuan Yuan Tan, and others… This year's performance is Friday August 12th, 2016 at 6PM - at the Irvine Barclay Theatre in Irvine, California. Tickets for the performance (only) are ($65/$75). There’s also an after-show dinner package with dancers for $200. (Haven’t tried the dinner package, so can’t comment on that.) P.S. If you’re travelling to the gala, as we do, you might also want to take in the New Swan Shakespeare Festival on an adjacent evening – also highly recommended. Both are conveniently located on the campus of UC Irvine.

Sarasota Ballet has become the foremost company for performing a wide variety of Ashton in the US – including many that are rarely performed any more. Director Ian Webb and Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri are Ashton devotees, both having danced for Ashton. They held a remarkable four-day Ashton festival in May of 2014 during which they presented about 7 or 8 major Ashton works (including all mentioned here), as well as several divertissement. Attendees came from far and wide, many from Europe. I thoroughly enjoyed the broad exposure to Ashton, and all of the the pieces being brought to the Joyce were top notch. Here’s a review of the ‘A Knight of the British Ballet’ performance in Sarasota from a few years ago. It also included Ashton’s “Monotones 1&2”, so that might also be on the Joyce program. Sarasota Review 2012 And here are links to Alastair Macaulay’s reviews of the festival; they mention each of the works that will be presented in NY. (He is rather a fan of Sarasota.) Ashton Festival May 1, 2014 Ashton Festival May 5, 2014 All excellent and off-the-beaten path ballets, and quite diverse! As to whether or not one should trade it for one’s vacation, I guess that depends...

Since your second video shows a clip from the 2015 ABT/Ratmansky production of "Sleeping Beauty", I’ll chime in… I’m no expert (not even a beginner) with regard to methods of costume construction, but I do know that ABT, Ratmansky, and costume designer Richard Hudson went to great lengths (not to mention expense) to attempt to recreate Leon Bakst’s original 1921 costume designs for ABT’s production of “Sleeping Beauty”. Here’s a quote from the Segerstrom program for the production: “Ratmansky and his wife … have pored through notes, pictures, décor, and costume designs and other materials at the Sergeyev Collection at Harvard University. … Ratmansky and Hudson have based the new ABT “Sleeping Beauty” on Serge Diaghilev’s legendary 1921 Ballets Russes production with breathtaking sets and costumes by Russian painter and designer Leon Bakst.” You can judge for yourself how well Hudson did by comparing a few of Bakst’s original designs (the first two show the “cocktail dress” for two of Princess Aurora’s costumes): Bakst 1921 Costume Designs with Richard Hudson’s recreations (scroll down for the “Rose Adagio” and “Hummingbird Fairy” costumes which mirror Bakst’s designs by using the “cocktail dress”): Hudson Costume Designs You can also find more of the 1921 Ballet Russes designs here: 1921 Sleeping Princess designs So, I guess the answer to your question is “aesthetics”. It’s pretty clear that, at least with regard to Ratmansky’s "Sleeping Beauty", the use of the “cocktail dress” was based on a desire to mirror the extravagant and bold Ballet Russes designs of the 1920’s.

Ballet Arizona will premiere Artistic Director Ib Andersen’s newest site-specific work, “Round” at Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden on May 17, 2016. While any work performed with the springtime Sonoran Desert as a backdrop is cause for much interest, this one promises to be unique in terms of its physical configuration – a cross-shaped stage, with seating on all four sides - more-or-less immersed in the stage. Mr. Andersen has been quoted: “This will be an experience like no other for our audiences. “Round” is a rare opportunity to see ballet performed in-the-round. It’s a great challenge to choreograph and presents a distinct perspective for each person based on where they sit. I think patrons will want to attend more than once to experience “Round” in different ways.” The ballet itself is billed as having ‘themes that explore man’s connection to nature’ - not surprising given the setting. The choreography is set to the music of Thomas Ades, J.S. Bach, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel. The promo video reveals strains of “Daphnis et Chloé”, and appropriately revealing attire. Photos and videos of Mr. Andersen’s previous work at the DBG, “Topia”, are likely to provide the best insight into the ambience of “Round”. The work is subtitled “An Evening at Desert Botanical Garden”, presumably in the hopes that audience members will show up early and make an evening of it. And it’s hard to deny that watching dancers warm up on stage before the show, with the sun setting in the background, all while having dinner and a drink, tends to put one in a very receptive mood for ballet. “Round” is scheduled to be performed outdoors at 8:00PM Tuesday through Saturday for three weeks at the Desert Botanical Garden from May 17 through June 4, 2016.

A few belated comments on John Neumeier’s Liliom at Segerstrom Center for the Arts… If you’re not familiar with Liliom, here’s a good review to start with: http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/38416-sunday-february-9/?hl=liliom#entry332948 It’s hard to imagine a more compelling pair of dancers to play Liliom (the tough carnival barker), and Julie (the young somewhat naïve waitress). Carsten Jung IS Liliom. With his rough-hewn features and muscular torso, you might not want to run across him late night in an alley. And yet he has a softer side too, that is sometimes evident in his relationship with Julie and often in his relationship with his son Louis (Aleix Martinez). (A liliom is apparently a tough guy, but the word also means ‘lily’.) And after having seen Alina Cojocaru in the role of Julie, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else dancing that role with such fragility, sensitivity, and strength. A key aspect of Ferenc Molnár’s original stage play was to contrast the relationships between two young couples. Marie, a waitress, and Wolf, a bellhop, seem to have a pure, simple, infatuation with one another. (Marie naively thinks that Wolf is a soldier, because he wears a uniform.) Julie, also a waitress, and Liliom, a carnival barker, have a much more difficult relationship. Liliom, coming from a rough background, finds it difficult to show his affection for Julie, and he sometimes mistreats her out of frustration at having lost his job. This is definitely not the rosy relationship that Marie and Wolf share. The poignancy of the difference in these relationships is dramatically related in a park scene. Marie (Leslie Heylmann) and Wolf (Konstantin Tselikov) perform a lovely, simple pas de deux, downstage, stage left. Enthralled with one-another, their faces are positively beaming. Upstage, Julie is seated on a park bench, holding a balloon, and watching Marie and Wolf from a distance. While seated, Ms. Cojocaru is able to express an array of emotions thorough the slightest of movements – the nervous handling of the balloon, nervous shifting of position on the park bench, casting her gaze toward and away from the couple, facial expressions. All so eloquently and subtly stated – she is simultaneously happy for Marie and Wolf, but profoundly uncomfortable that her relationship with Liliom in no way resembles theirs. I found it hard to drag my eyes away from Ms. Cojocaru’s discomfort in order to watch the dance. (This is, after all, a ballet, and I’m supposed to be watching the pas de deux, right?) Kudos to Mr. Neumeier for having conceived this heartrending scene, and to Ms. Cojocaru, Ms. Heylmann, and Mr. Tselikov for having executed it so superbly. It is one I won’t forget. Another visual that will be hard to forget is that of Sasha Riva, the Balloonman. It seems that feats of exceptional balance are normally left the ballerinas, but in Liliom, Mr. Riva takes the prize. His repeated, agonizingly slow, very high leg lifts, sur la demi-pointe – all while holding a massive bunch of helium balloons – was stunning to watch. (How can he do that???) Here is an excellent set of still photos of Liliom: http://www.danceeurope.net/gallery/liliom-ch-john-neumeier-hamburg-ballet And I cannot finish without mentioning the pre-show talk given by choreologist Sonja Tinnes. Ms. Tinnes is the person responsible for capturing Mr. Neumeier’s choeography using the Benesh Notation http://www.rad.org.uk/study/Benesh/the-benesh-institute-and-benesh-movement-notation. This super-human feat amounts to many hundreds of pages of notation for any given ballet – a mind-boggling effort. Her job puts Ms. Tinnes in the position of being intimately familiar with the ballets. She is a fascinating and riveting speaker, providing in-depth insight into the ballet in her pre-show talks. One fascinating detail: Mr. Neumeier’s initial interest in staging Liliom was kindled during the 1960’s by seeing the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, which was, of course, inspired by Molnar’s Liliom. So the story has come full circle. Bravo, Mr. Neumeier! Please come again in 2015!!!

Jane, I frankly don't know about the version of decor, but I will post more info as it becomes available. Northerners, please note that Napoli is scheduled to be performed during the 2015 Polar Vortex, and that the weather in Phoenix is likely to be most agreeable!!

Thanks, Buddy! Interested followers of the Bolshoi should take the time to follow your link. Some subsequent links from yours describe another very interesting situation at the Mariinsky. The apparently archaic pay system and pay scales are discussed, along with the battle between management (Valery Gergiev) and the rank and file. http://www.ismeneb.com/Blog/Entries/2013/4/28_The_going_rate_for_a_Mariinsky_Swan_is_62.html http://www.ismeneb.com/Blog/Entries/2013/4/29_We_are_not_slaves,_Mariinsky_dancers_tell_the_world.html

Last Thursday and Friday nights, Ballet Arizona presented the latest in its series of Studio Spotlight sessions for an upcoming mixed program entitled Masters of Movement. (Studio Spotlight is a new series of events, which occur two weeks prior to the actual performances. These events are open to everyone, and provide a peek into the inner workings that go into the production of each ballet. The content is varied, and has included performances (in practice clothes), choreographing, choreographer comments, video clips, and dancer Q&A’s. These events take place in Ballet Arizona’s new, intimate 300-seat Dorrance Theater.) Portions of each of the three works were performed, and it’s clear that the full program will be very varied and very accessible – in terms of music, choreography, and mood. Symphony Classique is Artistic Director Ib Andersen’s classical choreographic response to Prokofiev’s Symphony #1 (the Classical Symphony). Mr. Andersen stated that his inspiration for this piece was the school of the Paris Opera Ballet, where “every fiber” of the dancer is imbued with classical ballet training. We saw the allegro first movement which is simply bursting with energy – both musically and choreographically. I was reminded of Balanchine’s Symphony in C. Although we did not see them at this preview, the costume design is by Tony Award-winning designer Martin Pakledinaz. Indigo Rhapsody is another Ib Andersen ballet, this one to Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Rachmaninoff’s 24 variations run the gamut from disciplined to hectic to lush, inspiring relatively quick changes of groupings and moods in this neoclassical interpretation. Mr. Anderson indicated that a somewhat somber mood blanketed the creation of this ballet back in 2001 - the morning of 9/11 was the day that the choreography began. From the portions I saw, I would by no means say that this ballet is any more somber than the moving and exciting Rachmaninoff that it reflects. Off Screen is a modern work by Spanish choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, danced to the music of 13 different movie scores. Segments we saw ranged from a delicate pas de deux to a zany Italian street scene. A large black billowing floor covering appears to be the main prop, and it is used to dance on, drag dancers around the stage, provide a hiding space, and so forth. While it’s especially difficult to size up a work like this from a limited preview, one got the sense that it would be relatively light and very enjoyable, with some segments definitely in the LOL category. Here’s what the Ballet Arizona dancers think of this program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP3VmakTtAg The Studio Spotlight format definitely provides enough material to whet one’s appetite. Masters of Movement appears to be the ideal program for that friend or coworker who has been reluctant to try the ballet. Full Performances of Masters of Movement are scheduled for March 27-30, 2014 at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix.

More info on '14-'15 season to come...