Petra

I see there is no easy definitive answer. I will let you know what I chose of course when I report back.

This raises an interesting question. Most of us would love this sort of program, but does the beginner -- or the average ticket buyer -- have the patience, stamina, and passion to focus on ballet at its highest level of aspiration for an entire evening? What, no Rodeo? bart, in my case - and I'm sure I'm not the only one - I have so few opportunities to see a company like NYCB that I need to ensure that it will be 'worth my while'. I know that in many respects this goes against the grain of BT and it definitely goes against my grain. My feeling is that Jewels is a failsafe option. That may not be the most exciting way of going to the ballet but it's the most realistic.

perky, I assume that the casting directors were aiming for someone who looks the way a contemporary audience imagines Elizabeth Bennet rather than someone who 'really' looks like Jane Austen. Also by contemporary Hollywood standards, Anne Hathaway is not particularly thin. Compare her to Keira Knightley - the most recent Elizabeth Bennet. More on topic, I'm not sure I'll see this. I can live without a fictionalized life of Jane Austen. Austen lives on in her books.

Which of the all-Balanchine programmes would be most recommended for NYCB novices? I am thinking Jewels, because the other two seem either too much of the same (the Tchaikovsky) or too over-loaded (the third one).

I don't know whether 'A Mighty Heart' is off the beaten track but it is well worth seeing. There isn't much to say about it - one knows the story going in and the movie does preach to the choir. I don't think that anyone who sees the world in black and white will leave the theatre thinking otherwise. Nevertheless, above and beyond commemorating the individual story of Daniel Pearl, it is - unusually for a small American movie - a testament to the humanity and inhumanity of man, including those who are foreign to 'us' in every way.

And here they are! http://www.geneschiavone.com/gallery/album08 They may have grey hair (or very obviously colored hair) but they all look FABULOUS! Ballet dancers "mature" incredibly well.

Thank you, lillianna, that is wonderful news! I look forward to seeing your daughter in her Fairy solo.

As you are talking to Naval officers, they may actually be more interested and possibly even intrigued by a comparative look at naval officers and sailors (Fancy Free, Pineapple Poll and Far From Denmark) than talking about the sea in ballet in general.

The Mann really is in the middle of Fairmount Park, so it's not part of any neighborhood, good or bad. The roof is a heat trap IMO and Philly is very humid in the summer so dress accordingly. If it's really warm, bring a fan. This is insane! I've lived in Philadelphia for 3.5 years. I constantly bemoan the fact that I am 'so near and yet so far' from NY and DC - and I'm moving two weeks before the Royal Ballet comes to town...

I will be at both performances on June 2nd. Is Riolama Lorenzo injured? She is only cast as Carabosse...

ViolinConcerto, thanks for the evocative photos. The pile of pointe shoes is incredibly creepy.

I don't live in NYC but I echo carbro's sentiment. I actually question the validity of a list of liveable cities that leaves NYC out... I haven't been to any of the other cities you mention as being left out, bart, but I assume that security issues would be at least one reason that the Russian cities aren't very liveable.

The Pennsylvania Ballet crackles in most of the repertoire. They falter with the tutu ballets.

Very interesting website. The synergy between the NYCB website and The Winger reminds me of Google and YouTube.

volcanohunter, is this one company with two venues or two separate companies? It looks like a huge season.

It looks just like Philly right now - slippery, slushy melting ice and snow... I wish I'd thought of using a walking stick this morning.

I think they are also participating in the Dance across America program at Kennedy Centre in DC.

Bart said This is one reason I was so disappointed with Neenan's Carmina Burana. PAB advertized the new Carmina Burana as replacing the old outdated Carmina Burana (John Butler). By denigrating the old version, they really set the bar high for the new version. I think that a very distinct part of the PAB's 'mission' should be educational - not just outreach, student matinees, blah blah - but also teaching its audience about ballet. We are caught between NY and DC, therefore NO BALLET EVER COMES HERE and how many of PAB's audience travels to NY and DC. Obviously it is the tiny minority. (Overheard in the ladies' room at last week's performance: "Nice to see you here. Do you go to the ballet often?" "Oh, six times a year [to all the subscription performances]" That's why I actually appreciate an eclectic appraoch. I don't mind a 'usual suspects' program - I don't have any other opportunity to see Tharp and Wheeldon.

What Ray said. Also the PA Ballet is performing at a very high level this season. The strength of the female corps is really strong, especially taking into account the its diversity in terms of height. There are the petite girls like Laura Bowman and Abigail Mentzer, who are often paired, and then there are the tall girls. Just a couple of years ago, when I started watching PAB, Heidi Cruz-Austin stood head and shoulders above the others. Now there are some younger girls, who may not be as tall as Cruz but they dance 'big' like Gabriella Yudenich and Rachel Maher (what a gorgeous back Maher has - I recognized her by her back in Carmina Burana). I would like to see the company performing works that IMO have more artistic merit. For instance, Serenade is the only Balanchine ballet this season. This isn't enough for a 'baby Balanchine' company. Last season's Theme and Variations wasn't very strong. There is no way that Carmina Burana can improve the dancers' ability to perform Theme and Variations. Only another 'tutu ballet' can do that. I feel very strongly that the money poured into Carmina Burana could have been used more efficiently. How about promoting some of the dancers? There are so few soloists - Barette Vance is a de facto soloist. So is Heidi Cruz (she seems to be back on form after having a baby in the summer). Among the men, Francis Veyette and Alexei Charov could easily be promoted. Dale, I agree that PAB's willingness to grow a choreographer is laudable, but the result in this case was not good enough.

Another thing apropos Ray's reference of John Butler's version: my impression (based solely on PA Ballet's own press releases and comments and a few photos of the John Butler version) is that PA Ballet felt that the John Butler version was too campy and silly-hippy-sexy (I'm thinking of the Rolling Stones' Rock N'Roll Circus that's been on PBS recently ). However, that's exactly what the new version is like. As Ray said, this ballet is so 'unaware'. This is so contrary to the zeitgeist today, the zeitgeist this Carmina Burana is so clearly trying to tap into, that it just looks obsolete, DOA.

My children have a book called "Zoo Do's and Don'ts" (Do feed a elephant peanuts. Don't feed her peanut butter. etc.) This program should really have been called "Ballet Do's and Dont's." "Ballet Do" was Serenade is an incredibly beautiful, affecting and moving ballet. It achieves maximum effect with what appears to be minimum effort - striaghtforward music, basic costumes, the most pyrotechnical move is a man invisibly supporting a woman turning on pointe (James Ady did very well with his rather thankless role). There seems to be so much going on - both visually and emotionally. Carmina Burana on the other hand... Sorry, purelyballet, but I really didn't like this ballet. I don't know why choreographers are drawn to this score. It is virtually impossible to do anything that isn't gratuitously aggressive and macho. The costumes and lighting were so OTT - the aesthetic was this medieval scifi look which peaked in the early '80s in David Lynch's "Dune". I felt especially sorry for the ladies who had been instructed to position their buns close to their foreheads - Heidi Cruz looked like she was on her way to the church choir but had forgotten half her skirt at home. Red-headed Abigail Mentzer looked like a cancan dancer who had stepped on her skirt and torn it. I will also die happy if I never have to see any of the PA Ballet dancers' crotches again. The movement - like some of the men's costumes - reminded one of repressive regimes. Before I lived in Philadelphia, I saw mainly modern dance, and this is the type of movement and type of show I was seeing a decade ago. I would like to see Matthew Neenan do a simpler kind of ballet where dance is the focus rather than one which is taken over by the other elements. The dancers were very committed (Jermel Johnson in particular was outstanding) and the singers were very good too. My husband found the percussion section to be too bland for this full-bodied music. Oh, and I was in a very obvious minority - the audience loved Carmina Burana and gave it a standing ovation. PA Ballet's next program is titled Modern Masters. I promise to do my best not to say "Well, they should have added a Balanchine ballet to the program".

artist, rest assured that while museums may close, you will continue to be able to purchase merchandise...

Yes, that's what I meant. Thanks for saying it better - and less facetiously - than I did.

At least no one's saying that Hugh Jackamn resembles Clark Gable...

Please break that promise. You have such an interesting 'voice' in your writing.