The Traveling Ballerina

Joaquín de Luz is a gem! He has so much artistic talent supported by a strategic mind and a passion for his craft. I had the opportunity to chat with him a bit after a press conference at Teatro Real in Madrid; here's more about what's going on with CND including some interesting facts about his new Giselle!

I read an article earlier today that El Español published about this and felt that it needs to be told in English; the result is this feature “Ballerina with Alzheimer’s: The Untold Story of Marta Cinta”. Here is my translation into English, if any of you are interested

I had never seen Grand Rapids Ballet, so was glad to have had the opportunity last night. The opening video and closing interview with Darrell Grand Moultrie were such highlights of a packed program. Here's my thoughts

I really wanted to like this program, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me; here's how I feel about it.

What did all of you think?

Although not currently, I have spent a majority of my life inside a ballet studio as student, performer, teacher, and director. I applaud and admire all those in the industry who have quickly adapted to the challenges faced during the current state of things, and I had a chance to chat with Russian Masters Ballet director Asiya Lukmanova about the advantages and learning curves they have faced while transitioning to what is now the new norm. If anyone is interested, here's my interview with her.

𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎?

This program is only available for a few more hours, so if you're interested you'll need to get on it quickly.

One of the positive outcomes of the current pandemic is the opportunity to see more regional companies that generally speaking don't have as broad a reach as more globally recognized national ones - here's my thoughts on Ballet Arizona.

8 hours ago, dirac said:

This, is great, Traveling Ballerina. I will watch it if I can.

In my opinion, it's not a must-see by any means in respect to ballet choreography. But as a historical nugget, why not?

15 hours ago, pherank said:

Some of those sets look rather similar to Robbins' Fancy Free settings.

Yes, the second movement is definitely Fancy Free-esque!

They are fantastic! I'm looking forward to The Lost Nutcracker so that I can see them dance classical works as well.

Last night was the first time I've seen Tulsa Ballet perform, and I was extremely impressed. If you haven't seen them, I highly recommend you purchasing a ticket as this program is available for viewing both in person and streaming for a few more weeks. Here are my impressions of Creations Reimagined.

So browsing Marquee TV, I discovered that Gene Kelly choreographed a ballet! Here's a short article I wrote covering a bit about the history and my thoughts about Pas de Dieux. Has anyone else seen this piece?

9 minutes ago, SandyMcKean said:

Hmmmmmm....

I was thinking of buying a "ticket" to the Ashton program (program 1), but it says "Sold Out". How can a streamed digital program sell out? It also says that the program is available for a "period of time". Anyone know for how long that is?

This first program is available through October 27 - perhaps the cut off time has been reached?

I just watched the first program and really enjoyed (most) of it! Here's my thoughts, if you're interested

9 hours ago, Helene said:

Ryan and Davis are real-life partners:  they post a lot to social media, -- there were great photos of them taking barre at home using their balcony railing -- and PNB noted it in a blog article about returning to the studios. 

Macy and Wald, too.

Thanks for the info!

And you're welcome!

In case any of you are wondering what this strange new world of digital ballet seasons feels like, here's my thoughts on PNB's opener.

I found this video sharing a piece of fashion + ballet history to be really fun! 

La Compañía Nacional de Danza is actually performing next week in Granada and the week after in Madrid. 

At a time when we are continuously inundated with news that incites feelings of sadness, anger, and confusion, I wanted to create a space where we can be reminded of the beauty that awaits us when go to the theatre once again and of what we can do/read/watch/learn right now to keep the love of ballet and its beauty in our souls: #TheCurtainWillRiseAgainTTB Your contribution to the content is appreciated!

Thank you everyone for these updates.

Hi Everyone. Although an unfortunate topic, it is a real one. I have created this page on The Traveling Ballerina dedicated to how coronavirus is affecting the ballet industry. Considering the wide reach of this forum, I am hoping that any of you that have relevant information to add will fill out the form on the article's page so that I can keep it as updated as possible. Thank you so much!

This is My Body..., the Scottish Ballet program that opened last night at The Joyce Theater, was super intense!

23 minutes ago, ECat said:

@The Traveling Ballerina thank you for your wonderful review!  In fact, thank you for all of you reviews.  It gives me greats pleasure to read them.  That photo of Hee Seo from the first act is sublime.

You're very welcome, @ECat! I truly appreciate your kind words. And yes, basically, Hee Seo is simply sublime

Opening night was stunning. My words don't quite have the power to convey the feeling I had throughout - and after - the performance, but hopefully they will give you an idea of just how wonderful it was  Hee Seo, Cory Stearns and Devon Teuscher are so perfectly cast. Here's my review.

11 hours ago, YouOverThere said:

I was more impressed by the Tuesday and Wednesday performances of the other program.

I, too, definitely preferred the rep program.

11 hours ago, Blackcurrant said:

Hi there, The Traveling Ballerina! The link for your Sleeping Beauty review wasn't working -- I think you meant this link? Thank you so much for your reviews!!

 

Thanks for pointing out the error! I've updated the link, as well. And, you're welcome

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What was the run time?

I'd say it was just short of 3 hours; when I got on the shuttle, my watch read 10:30pm.

And thanks for sharing Macaulay's SB review.