JumpFrog

Thank you very much Drew and its the mom! Will do

Fellow balletalert's! I have a query for you. I will be attending the Saturday, Oct. 29thth performance of Le Corsaire and will be bringing along a friend who is currently wheelchair bound from hip surgery. Does anyone have any recommendations for how//where to book to make this as easy as possible? My ticket is currently Orchestra Right, Row D, Seat 4 but I'm hoping to have her placed somewhere near me? We have yet to purchase her ticket but maybe when we do we can request a specific place if possible? Anyone have any recommendations or had to do this before? Many thanks!

Oooh I am looking forward to this very much!! I also saw that DVD and thought it was wonderful.

Very well put sandik. I think you are right. So is anyone else seeing Cinderella on the 12th? Im excited. I've seen ABT do it and enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to seeing the company it was made on dance it.

Hello Mom2. Interesting that your daughter was similarly unimpressed. I felt the general feeling from most present was confused more than anything. It just didn't have anything special about it but at the same time was a wonderful opportunity to show dance to new audiences I agree. To be bluntly honest I don't believe we stayed long enough to know if there was a bow or not. Our friend who is a member also become a bit bored and we were able to scuttle away to a delicious dinner lol. Funnyily enough she is also very in the know with events at the ago and mentioned the same as you.! That there was very little mention of the project or this young man. Anywhere. Bizarre. But there has to be more to this I imagine. It just seems fishy. If its generally felt that the work is mediocre at best why continue doing it? It doesn't make sense. I'm sure there are probably sounds reasons for continuing to commission this person but you would assume the national company would only do the best work. Or at least better work but maybe I'm just old ha. In other news I cannot wait until Onegin. I am actually giddy with excitement as when I last saw this ballet it was magical. I'm told the sets here are new and or refurbished so I'm sure it will be a sight to behold!

After a very long and hot summer I don't think I could be more excited for the ballet season to once again start here! I saw on the website last season something about an "immersive" project at the Art Gallery of Ontario and was able to secure tickets as we luckily have a friend who works for the gallery. Score! Did anyone else go to see The Dreamers Ever Leave You? Maybe I need to hear some additional opinions from people who are more familiar with the goings on here because I just didn't get it. I'm not sure I made the connection between the paintings and the dancing and found the "immersive" part of it to be very odd and even a little awkward for the audience. To be clear I love going to see paintings. I love going to see the ballet obviously. But bringing ballet dancers into the painting hall didn't work. It was like trying to force two amazing mediums together thinking it would produce some super-medium . . but really we just lost both. After about fifteen minutes of awkward walking around I became aware of how grateful I was that the music was so beautiful. I'd like to hear more from this composer. There were shades of Glass in there for sure but somehow it was still quite thrilling. The dancing itself I read was supposed to be inspired by the rugged landscapes depicted in the paintings. ...How? I acknowledge that this is definitely meant to be abstract with a capital A but as we walked around and took our time observing the dancers there was no sense of direction or idea behind the movement. There was no beginning, middle or end . . . and certainly no climax. It didn't take us anywhere. It didn't move or thrill like the music did. The program recommends you go again as the experiences will change. Perhaps I'll give it a try maybe but I'm just not sure. One treat was the fact that the costuming allowed the dancers to be seen so clearly. Their bodies, the athleticism and grace is quite extraordinary on a stage but even more so up close. The flesh color leotards and bodysuits show every muscle fiber and the dancers all looked quite amazing. You just wonder what they could be capable of if they got to be in better work.

For what it's worth I last had a relative in town staying on Fulton and not only did we thoroughly enjoy Plaj but the waiter turned out to be a major ballet fan. I'm not sure how but there seems to be a Plaj and ballet connection of some kind. Maybe through a manager? Anyway we would definitely recommend. Hope all worked out well.

It is so nice reading everyone thoughts here. I saw the show on Saturday evening and agree with much of what has been said. Overall I am really happy I went because I didn't have a very good impressions of the company after L.P.P. and that bomb of a "gala". I thought that on a whole this showed them off much better. It was quality. I think this particular version is beautiful and had to remind myself of how old it is! I actually really enjoyed the sets and costumes. I simply don't know how I feel about turning the peasant pas de deux into a quartet though. I suppose for the dancers it is nice because more people get an opportunity for the challenge. Some of the lighting cues seemed a bit off in the second act. Im not sure if this was a mistake in the cues or if it was on purpose. It was if cues were always a bit late and they also felt very sudden and lacking in smooth transition. Also, I was quite surprised to see the adjustments they (have to?) make here. For example, the Giselles I gather don't all do hops on pointe in the first act and I didn't see the famous Giselle lift where she and Abrecht create a T shape with her hovering horizontally above. Maybe they did do it but just a different partnering grip than what I'm used to expecting. Also, I noticed that they downsized the Willis quite a lot. As referenced by others above I am surprised they don't have the dancers to have a full corps. Maybe there are injuries? It's obviously not lack of rehearsal time because...I mean what have they been doing lol. As for the leads I was very impressed by Lobsanova. I see that this is her first time in the role and I hope to be able to see how she will grow in the role. I think what stands out to me most is she has an ability to appear very young and very mature at the same time. She communicated the naïveté and youth needed in the first act but somehow completely transformed in the second with a maturity and presence that usually isn't seen in such a young ballerina... or...ever haha. Yes, it wasn't technically perfect. But (and I know I speak for only myself here) I really don't care. I want to be moved. I want to laugh and cry and be taken away when I'm at the theatre and this can only be done with performers of high artistic quality and presence. She's got it. Ebe was a very good Albrecht. Technically I was taken with his clarity. Every step is crystal clear in execution and he doesn't have the annoying affectations some dancers have. He is precise and of quality and I enjoyed it. Also as a couple they look great together with their long limbs. MacDonald as the Queen of the Willis was good. It's funny because i couldn't find anything to fault technically. Also my goodness are her feet beautiful. It just didn't do much for me. Maybe it's because of the newness of the role for her. I heard it was the same with the second cast however not so with Ogden in the first. I heard she knocked it out of the ballpark! So perhaps it suggest it takes a couple times of doing a role before it sinks in nicely. Overall it was such a pleasure to be taken away for those hours. Even the quibbles I say above are small in comparison to how much good there was. I think I was just so happy after seeing what I feel is such low quality work (that gala - shudder) to see more of what this company is capable of. And that's not to say that to be taken away you need to have a story ballet - there is so much amazing work out there that is contemporary and more abstract from Kylian to Balanchine to Forsythe to Batcheva. What it comes down to is quality. If you make sure that what you put on stage is high quality you will be viewed as such. Don't put terrible work on stage and then wonder why you're not more respected. It isn't brain surgery. The Giselle I watched Saturday was beautiful, it was thoughtful, it was moving. It has my absolute respect. More of that please!!

Well I decided after watching le Petit Prince that I wasn't going to formulate too strong of an opinion on the company here quite yet as it was my first time watching them. I tonight had an additional chance to watch a "performance" at their gala. First to start though with le Petit Prince it wasn't great. But the reviews I read for it above seemed a little harsh. It definitely was not very good. There is no way around it but it wasn't a total disaster. I thought the design of the sets was awesome and I loved the use of the different colors in the background inside the circles. The costumes were really inventive. Also the opera house is beautiful here. The acoustics seem strong. I think if a reviewer can't find a single positive thing to say about something it says a lot more about them as a person then about the piece but whatever. Anyway so onto tonight. It was fun to get dressed up for the gala but as I mentioned earlier clearly "galas" at this company are different then what I'm used to. Turns out the choreographer Cote had another piece tonight and I thought this was better. It was danced by a female partnered by multiple men and it was musical and precise. She is stunning with great presence. The other "new" stuff though .. I mean ... it was beautiful dancers trying their best to make something out of nothing. It felt generic and unmusical and I'm a little surprised this is work they would choose to showcase? As my coworker aptly said wouldn't you want to put your best foot forward for a special gala? To me it made Cote's work look like a masterpiece and I couldn't help but think that Robert keep dancing while he can because choreography is maybe not his element. Maybe it was just the couple of pieces shown tonight that were off though? Not having a proper theatre stage must be hard too to be fair. I'd be willing to watch something else because clearly people must see something there if he's made it this far. I'm trying not to feel too down about it but both these performances were a let down for me. I am sure the dancers here are really good. I saw glimpses of it and goodness are they a beautiful bunch. Many glammed up tonight looking fab! But when the work is so low caliber it's hard to appreciate. . Fingers crossed things look up in Giselle. I'm confident they will. At the least it is a work I know I love Saturday can't come soon enough!

I saw the first show volcanohunter but am waiting until I see the gala tonight to voice a more solid opinion. I don't want to judge a company too harshly based on one show ... but like kbarber i found the reviews to be more or less in line with what I saw

Just looked over the casting for the show we are seeing and am v. excited! ! 18th matinee with Lobsanova, Ebe, Campbell and Fischer. Would've loved to see Dronina but am excited to see the local talent so to speak I'm curious to see how the production compares to others I've seen and see how interpretations may differ. I have stunning memories of both Yuan Yuan Tan and Masha as well as Bussell and Hart from years ago. It's true how they call this the ballerinas Hamlet - the interpretation is so varied place to place and person to person and there is always so much to take in!! Can't wait. Also considering how much the tickets were I'm anticipating nothing but the very very best lol ?

Thank you, volcanohunter! I really enjoyed watching that. ?

Interestingly enough it looks like I will be going to Montreal in the fall for a week so I just looked up what was happening there. Seems to be some really interesting stuff at Les Grand and I hear the city is great as well. I will look into taking the train - how romantic it sounds but you just never know how it actually is ! The fact that their shows fall in line with the national company breaks works out well. I wonder if that was calculated? Seems smart. Thanks for the tips about Ottawa, Saratoga etc as well kbarber! And I'm not quite sure how I feel about baroque dance? But I'm willing to give it a shot!!

We shall! Because {unlike San Francisco} those are all apt comparisons ? Interesting what you say about the constrains of the opera house. It's not that old right? I wonder what the season looked like in the old place

Isn't it comparing apples and oranges though?I mean as you say there are four months of mid season gaps for the NBOC plus the long drought of June-November. That means there isn't anything in Toronto for 9 months of the year! In San Francisco for their "2016 Season" only - between January and May 2016 . . they are performing during every one of those months ...presenting 8 different programs .. and 17 different ballets. And we are here waiting until there is five days of Giselle so we can watch six casts get a show each. By the way Naomi Yes i just saw that - I am so so excited for the announcement of NDT and Batsheva now THAT is exciting programming !! ))

I will take your word for it kbarber and I suppose if there is as you say no stage it would make sense that the "dance" part of the evening would need to be made up of pop-ups. It reminds me of site specific work other choreographers have done. When done well it can be interesting certainly

It seems like an odd time for a bunch of promotions I also thought they mostly happened in July. Congrats to all though. Exciting to see a new generation of talent coming into their own. And I didn't know Van Patten was expecting! Wonderful!

Who?

Yes that is so true volcanohunter. I just wonder how a "house-sharing" agreement might become better balanced? It seems that the ballet company here does a whole bunch of shows back to back and then nothing for months? But maybe they are performing elsewhere? I suppose it depends on the availability of the orchestra as well.

Well unfortunately we've already bought our tickets kbarber. I hope not to regret it. I can only assume that a "gala" in Canada is maybe not the same as it is in the States. I have always bought tickets to galas when they're on as they are a great chance to see gems like Black Swan or other exciting pieces and they often are for a very good cause. I just can't seem to figure out what this one is for/about? or even what the performances there will be? Bizarre.I've been here for months and haven't seen any ballet yet. I don't know how you survive! Just patiently waiting for the new ballet and the couple days of Giselle. Then I am taking volcanohunters advice and taking a summer excursion somewhere to get my theatre fix lol.

Well I'm glad that's settled.

I have also heard less than positive things about Frankenstein but look forward to it anyway. Why it seems so hard for people to understand that art is subjective is beyond me lol. I would also like to second that it takes an entire village to put a production on. Last year I was fortunate enough to receive a backstage tour in San Francisco. The amount of work required by so many to put these shows on is crazy inspiring. It is a true team effort from the costumes to the steps, decor, sound etc.

Congrats to a beautiful and talented family!

Excellent casts I really want to see them all. And I second how nice it is to see both the more experienced performers cast alongside those younger or less experienced ones. Always makes a good show.

This is wonderful. I have experienced myself that some of the best dance photographers are former dancers. Somehow they're able to capture the exact right moment of a jump or line, etc. because they know intimately what it's like. I will be viewing this for sure. The ballet company is lucky to have someone like this.