Roberta

According to City Life magazine, Ratmansky's new ballet for NYCB (Feb 15) will be set to two movements from Mahler symphonies (the March from Symph 1 and the Adagietto from Symph 5). Slow march and a sad farewell, perhaps dealing with Ukraine?

City Life Org - New York City Ballet Presents 2024 Winter Season (thecitylife.org)

Thank you, Lovebird. This is most interesting!

2 hours ago, nanushka said:

NYCB also released a video with Tiler Peck and Andrew Veyette during the pandemic. It was a 2015 performance, with a finale from 2016. (I think I recall hearing there'd been an injury during the original recording.)

For at least awhile now, other than that release and their performances this season, NYCB has I think only done the piece as part of the complete Suite No. 3. Does anyone know when's the last time they regularly performed it on its own? (Possibly not since the Suite premiered in 1970 — but I haven't been following the company long enough to know.)

The full Tchai Suite no. 3 was performed at the Kennedy Center-DC in March 2013, as part of an All-Tchaikovsky program. I'm assuming that it also was performed in NYC during that season. At the Kennedy Center I saw the following cast leads:

I. Elegie - Krohn/Catazaro

II. Valse Melancholique - A. Stafford/J. Peck

III. Scherzo - Scheller/Carmena

IV. Tema con Variazioni - Bouder/Garcia

On 8/28/2023 at 6:55 PM, FauxPas said:

From what I can see, Hee Seo has just as much as the other principal ballerinas.  She is cast in Piano Concerto No. 1 and is cast in a premiere "Depuis la Jour".  Plus she might be in "Petite Mort" which is just "Company" for now.  She could dance Titania in "The Dream" but never was cast in that role.  She could be good as the self-sacrificing Natalia in "On the Dnipro" - there is a TBA in there.

Trenary and Murphy are kind of skimpily cast.  Boylston also has two roles but more performances of them.

Seo and Stearns are dancing Arpino's Sea Shadow in the Sept 23/24 Arpino Centennial Gala in Chicago (page down):

News/Events - The Arpino Foundation

The Board may be looking for a modern demographic. Just guessing. They want to be extra careful to find the right AD.

I noticed this happy news on the company's website.

Trinidad Vives | The Washington Ballet

They're still searching for a permanent A.D.

19 minutes ago, Olga said:

It boggles the mind not only that LWFC is scheduled for so many performances but that ABT didn’t make sure streaming rights would commence only after the run. This imo is a problem on the business side, not the artistic. Nobody here wants ABT to disappear from New York. I think we are only wondering how they can make a better go of it. And sure I understand many people will not be deterred from attending a live performance (or multiple performances) by the stream but it speaks to classically poor management. 

Also, the full DVD and Blu-Ray of the RB's LWFC can be purchased via Ebay, via the Movie Mars shop (and an Australian distributor):

LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE (ROYAL OPERA HOUSE) 809478013662 | eBay

Buddy, there are a number of "short" FB films of Khoreva dancing passages of P.D. Go to the @irabara address to see her dancing two solos from the Huntress' scene. There are also some great short clips of Kimin Kim by @kiminkim_fans. The best is he & Terioshkina dancing the coda of the Pas des Cymbals in A3...where dancers wear little metal disks in their hands. Kim jumps like a nut there - so high!

18 hours ago, Buddy said:

Thanks very much, Roberta. Since you're interested is such things as John Wiley's A Century of Russian Ballet you might have some thoughts about the charming ‘Italianese’ of this work that I mention in the following.

Aspiccia and the Nile

More and more, for me, this delightfully charming dance sequence that I’ve described in my previous post, the dance of Aspiccia with the ’Neptune of the Nile’ (simply referred to as “The Nile”), is emerging as perhaps the gem of this production. In the same way that the ‘White Swan Duet’  represents the heart and soul of Swan Lake, this very brief two-and-a-half minute dance may do the same for this work. It might also be an artistic highpoint in ballet because of its combining of mime and dance along with its overall loveliness.

Something else that’s been occurring to me is how delightfully Italian this and much more feels. I would immediately attribute it to Tony Candeloro being from Italy. You can perhaps sense it in the video that I’ve previously posted that includes him coaching the Mariinsky dancers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NDA1PDB4Hc&t=13s

This is all fine and good, but what does it have to do with historic authenticity? It can maybe be justified by the following facts. According to Tony Candeloro, “It must be said that the Petersburg ballerinas had the technique of the Italian school. Everyone knows that Preobrazhenskaya, Kshesinskaya, Pavlova studied with Cecchetti.” (from an interview with him by Anna Galayda about the “Pharaoh’s Daughter” on RG (Rassiyskaya Gazyeta) and Telegram — thanks to a friend for this). Also primas from Italy were very prominent at the ‘Mariinsky.’ This ballet was first performed by Carolina Rosatti. So why shouldn’t it feel charmingly Italian as well ?!

Of the few video clips available from the entire work, the ones of Maria Iliushkina and Viktoria Tereshkina performing this dance are possibly the most enjoyable. Both performances are very fine. Maria Iliushkina’s is soft and airy. It’s perhaps more lyrical — and more Italian 😊 . Viktoria Tereshkina’s is perhaps more linearly sculptural and subtly poetic in its self containment.

This also may bring us back to the Pierre Lacotte ballet, where I find Aspiccia’s Nile underwater dances to be the most charming of his brilliant production.

 

 

 

Buddy, we're also proud of our Imperial Court composers, such as Cesare Pugni (Pharaoh's Daughter, Esmeralda, etc.) Not to forget another one who I love the most - Riccardo Drigo. There's lots of Italy in the Imperial Ballet's history. Perhaps that's why Italy does not turn its back on old friendships.

On 3/30/2023 at 11:02 PM, Buddy said:

I’m guessing from the picture that it’s the Act II Palace Dance (Grand pas d'action), Danielle.

.....

You're close, Buddy! It's also a favorite of mine. According to Roland John Wiley's A Century of Russian Ballet (p. 226, Scenario of the ballet), it's termed the Grand Pas d'Action finale. I've also seen it termed, in other sources, as the Finale  of the Caryatids. The various groups going in circles, in different stages/opposite directions, reminds me of the finale of Mark Morris' Sandpaper Ballet, amazingly. Little did Mark Morris know!

Isn't Ratmansky's Contract with ABT ending this spring? Spring 2023, I think. That may explain why his works may not be performed into the Met season. Just a guess.

American Ballet Theatre (abt.org)

Checking in from our new/old home in Rome. Very sorry to read about Kent's upcoming departure but it's not a surprise. She & her husband have been traditionalists in nature - at least, what we saw in the 2/3 years before the pandemic and the various social changes that came with the George Floyd fall-out. I hope that they will be excellent in Houston, which is a mostly-traditional sphere, even with Welch still acting as the main AD.

I especially loved TWB's traditional The Sleeping Beauty, which will be revived next spring. Lucky Washington, to see it again. Best wishes!

Link to this year's edition of the Vail Festival:

Schedule at a Glance | Vail Dance Festival

NYCB's Roman Mejia and freelance chor'r Caili Quan (formerly Ballet X) are 2022 Artists-in-Residence, joined by a lot of our favorite usual suspects: Tiler Peck, Lil' Buck, Lauren Lovette, Michelle Dorrance, Calvin Royal III, et al. Limon Company, NYCB MOVES, etc. Lots of additional guests in the two Int'l Evenings of Dance of 5-6 August (Cornejo, Fairchild, Furlan, Kochetkova, Mearns, Nadon, Teuscher & Stearns). New works from Jusin Peck, Pam Tanowitz, etc.

In a "Conversations on Dance" interview previewing the Festival, A.D. Damien Woetzel mentioned that several Ukrainian dancers will be special guests throughout the two weeks.  Vail Dance Festival 2022 Preview with Artistic Director, Damian Woetzel (conversationsondancepod.com)

On 7/13/2022 at 2:32 PM, FauxPas said:

Seems that Pennsylvania Ballet restored "The River" with pointe work in 1998.  Must also mention that Cynthia Gregory and Eleanor D'Antuono were in the first cast and are around to coach/restore it.

Jennie Elser and Juan Carlos Peneula PA Ballet 1998:

 

The Ailey Company performed the full The River in Washington, DC, in 2007 starring Alicia Graf.  No pointe shoes...this was the soft-slipper edition but was very well done, that I recall.

And I thought that the Kennedy Center's 22/23 Ballet-Dance season was skimpy. At least the Kenn Cen has three true classical offerings: ABT, NYCB and Kansas City's Nutcracker. The Monte Carlo, China and Scottish companies are bringing modern pieces. All three are holdovers from previous seasons that were cancelled due to COVID. We did not renew our family's subscription but will try to get single-performance tickets for the two NYCB triple bill programs...as we're not big Romeo & Juliet fans (the only ABT offering). We almost always pass on Nutcracker. So two performances of NYCB -- and all-Balanchine and a modern mix -- is it for us next season + a couple of Washington Ballet shows.

Very slim pickings for pure-classical-ballet lovers in Wash, DC, in 2022/23! We feel your pain, Segerstrom/OC area fans.

20 hours ago, maps said:

How long is Children's Song Dance by Lang?...

According to my notes of the ABT Studio Company Spring Festival (streamed 2-3 June 2021), the Children's Songs Dance segment was 21 minutes long. This included a brief spoken intro by the choreographer...so it was about 20 minutes of dance. Seven dancers included three women (Glatz, Park, Y. Seo) and four men (Brosnan, Doherty, Magbitang and Robare).

2022/23 Season Subscription | The Washington Ballet

The first program will be the latest edition of NEXTSteps - new works. I'm thrilled that my beloved Silas Farley is among the three named choreographers! Love his new work for NYCB last May and his digital works for TWB and ABT last year.  I also admire Dana Genshaft, who created two works in the past. The third choreographer, A. Ndlovu, comes with high praise too, although I've yet to see his work.  No fist pumps/sneakers/overly-woke work, please!

9 hours ago, Becki Lee said:

Misty did perform in 2019 (Spring, Fall, and Nutcracker). 
 

Also, 39. 

Yes,  Misty celebrates her 40th b'day on Sept 10, 2022! 🥳

Even though she isn't slated to dance in ABT's Fall '22 season at the Koch, I hope that she might still make an appearance in the new ballet LIFTED - maybe as a narrator or a special walk-on cameo? 

51 minutes ago, abatt said:

I was a little surprised by that line in the press release.  Go ahead and pick all black dancers if that's what the choreographer wants.  But what happens if there is an injury or illness and the only available company dancer is Caucasian.  Is the production cancelled?  Even Ailey, which is predominantly a company of black performers, doesn't exclude white or Asian people from dancing in signature ballets about the black experience, like Revelations.  It just seems like the press release could have been worded in a more diplomatic way.

Good point, abatt...and will Asians be excluded too? Non-Black Latinos/LatinX allowed?

AND - drumroll! - LIFTED will employ an "intimacy coach" too. Ooooo!!!! Another Woke-Box checked. 😜

I'm grateful for all of the rest so I'll stop my silly comments about Wokesters with that. 

43 minutes ago, miliosr said:

Nothing by Antony Tudor . . . 

True...but who needs a Tudor when one can be LIFTED! 😇 And I wouldn't be surprised if Misty makes a cameo appearance in Lifted - at least at the Gala premiere -  given that it promises to be an all-Black production...even a conductor of color! 

 I'm thrilled about most everything else - especially the two Ratmansky works, Seasons and Whipped Cream. Misseldine, Hurlin and Park for Princess Praline! Klein and Maloney reprising The Boy...and maybe Elwince Magtibang debut?!

The Dream! Sinfonietta! Have I died and gone to Heaven? 

I'll be parked at Lincoln Center for most of the Fall Koch season.

Also, I'm happy to see Lang's Children's Songs Dances again - this time live, as it was premiered during the June 2021 digital program...AND featured SunMi Park and six other then-Studio Co dancers...as I just mentioned a few hours ago in the ABT Promotions thread. Well, golly golly. That and Whipped Cream for our pralines. [Magnolia Bakery better repeat those pink cupcakes...and we better see that big ol'  Whipped Cream float chugging down Columbus Avenue once again!]

I recall an amazing ABT Facebook post a while ago, featuring Sun Mi Park rehearsing Kitri in Don Q pdd's balances. OMG! Just found the link. Hope it works:

Facebook Watch

I didn't attend any of the recent Met performances, so have not seen Sun Mi Park live. However, I remember her vividly as a top (most heavily featured) member of the ABT Studio Company in last summer's June 2021 virtual Spring Festival. Wow! Sun Mi Park truly impressed me in three numbers for various qualities:

1. Lyricism - beautifully lyrical dancer in the pdd from Ratmansky's Seven Sonata (with equally fantastic Cy Doherty)...introduced and coached by Stella Abrera, a mentor of sorts...Park looked like a perfect future Giselle during that pdd!;

2. Impeccable terre-a-terre tech and batterie - Bournonville's uber-difficult Kermesse in Bruges pdd (with zippy Jake Roxander); and

3. Outstanding among seven dancers in Jessica Lang's Children's Songs Dance, to Chick Corea's score.

This doesn't mean that others may not have been similarly worthy of promotion to soloist level...but I totally see the rationale with Ms. Park. I'm thrilled that she did not have to wait ten years for this.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, sometimes, dancers join a lower rank - be it Studio Co or Apprentice or even Corps in the main company - with the pre-understanding that s/he will be promoted to a certain level within a short period of time. I'm not saying that this is what happened with Park but let's not forget the cases of Irina Dvorovenko at ABT (former prima in Kiev, later joining ABT at a low rank but with an understanding that she'd be principal eventually) and Kimin Kim at the Mariinsky - joining as trainee and totally sponsored (salary covered) by a wealthy donor (Mr. Takahashi - clearly stated on the Mariinsky website).

Misseldine, Hurlin, Park...all future Nikiyas, Gamzattis, O/Os, Giselles, Myrtas...or even Princess Pralines!

18 hours ago, abatt said:

I think a part of the problem at NYCB is that Peter Martins hired choreographers who were steeped in ballet and who employed ballet vocabulary in their works.  Now the trend at NYCB is to hire choreographers who have no training or background in ballet, and it it evident in their new works for the company.  I'll use Kyle Abraham as the example.  Yes, the solo he created for Stanley was great (but more modern dance than ballet).  Take a look at the choreography in the rest of the work, and it looks like it was made by someone who has a very limited knowledge of ballet vocabulary.  Abraham is far from the only person hired at NYCB in recent years who has almost no background in ballet.

 

I think you've hit the nail on the head, abatt. When I buy tickets to a ballet company, I expect to see traditional, recognizable ballet vocabulary and way of movement. Preferably, the ballets will be performed to traditional classical music but I also love the new-age masters, such as Glass.

It's supposed to be the "Kennedy Center  ballet" season, New York City Ballet,  American Ballet Theatre; not "American Modern-dance theatre" and the like.

At least NYCB continues to program and package great traditional ballets in some mixed programs such as Masters at Work: Balanchine and Robbins or All Balanchine, which will continue to pop up in 2022/2023. I'll stick to those or maybe All Peck if it's the works not performed in sneakers. I also need to pay attention to what music is being played. Need to be extra-careful on how I spend money and time because, in our case, travel and hotel costs are also involved.

Some oddities - mostly deserved. CHLOE MISSELDINE to Soloist!!!!! I can live with all else.

Wendy DID program Farley. No complaints with NYCB on that front. Only complaints about the rest, such as Nelson and Bell. Hope Boykin and the raised fists at ABT Studio. That sort of thing.

Isn't it about time to sift the wheat from the chaff? An end to calling exclusively on choreographers who fill an Affirmative Action agenda. USA ballet companies in general should end Woke Racism, please. Just go for choreographers of quality - the best, regardless of gender, color of skin, nationality, etc.