Drew

14 hours ago, canbelto said:

Yes the version ABT dances has completely different choreography for the SPF/Clara, including a "peekaboo" moment from the curtain. 

I've only seen this pas de deux in excerpt and on video but in those out-of-context settings the peekaboo moment never appealed to me. (Even if it fit with Ratmansky's conception it didn't seem  to me to fit with the music.)  Perhaps in context I would  feel differently--and I have a lot of interest in whatever Ratmansky decides to do--but I was quite happy to see the Ivanov choreography (as notated) and, like others who have posted, was struck by how closely it has been preserved in "traditional" productions.

7 hours ago, Buddy said:

Still not good news, but still only about 1% of the population of the metropolitan area. 

"The last census in St. Petersburg was carried out in 2015. According to that census, the total population was 5,208,690."

https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/st-petersburg-population

"Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia, after Moscow. 2002 census recorded population of the federal subject 4,661,219, or 3.21% of the total population of Russia. The city with its vicinity has an estimated population of about 6 million people."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Saint_Petersburg

I admit that the note on that information in Wikipedia somewhat confuses me as to what the figures refer to--if you click the link for the note that gives the source and then click on the map for "Gorod Sankt Petersburg" in that source, it appears to include a lot of surrounding areas. But say it's not so...and the percentages are exactly as you suggest: the situation in St. Petersburg is still not good as you also say. I'd be tempted to speculate that someone close to the company will have to die of Covid19 for the company to change course, but in Moscow even that seems not to have made much of a difference, so it probably wouldn't in St. Petersburg either. 

It especially surprises me that, according to what's reported above, the Mariinsky has made no modification of seating in the theater--a theater which, in my experience, does not exactly have the best air circulation in the world.  But that's what the company's leadership has decided and it is (presumably) their decision for the time being.

As someone who loves the company, I prefer to say only positive things about the Mariinsky. And when it comes to things like repertory and casting--so passionately argued about among fans!--I've always believed that ultimately one has to recognize, 'well, I'm just an outsider.' Fans don't run the show and shouldn't run the show. (Even sophisticated fans with profound knowledge of the company's history and impeccable taste!) From a certain point of view, this is no different--I certainly don't get to make decisions for the Mariinsky. But I still can't help myself from thinking they are playing fast and loose with human life. 

I complete missed this news until this second--very sad. I think of Leland whenever I see Symphony in Three Movements--one of my favorite Balanchine Ballets. May she rest in peace. 

Happy to have watched this late Saturday night.  I can't say much about the production from video, but it does seem very easy on the eyes (I might marry James JUST for the blue tartan). I found Praetorius a beautiful and touching sylphide but maybe not the 'sylphiest.'  Hard for me to put into words, but there is some quality of ballon or easy (and speedy) airiness that I love in Bournonville that I'm not sure I entirely saw in her or in her James...But I do always enjoy her dancing, and seeing the ballet and the company was a huge pleasure.

It’s a relief even reading about this production after only having read about the previous one...Thank you @Anne for the detailed report.

3 hours ago, Buddy said:

Thanks, Drew and Volcanohunter, for your responses. Drew, you've made very good points. One of the big issues from the beginning of all this was balancing physical health with economic health.

Another major bottom line is the vaccine. It's arrival on the scene, (and soon! in the US anyway, with the world surely to benefit accordingly) should have a huge and positive effect. Hopefully this will be the case and until then folks will just have to make the best decisions that they can.

 

I can’t respond to these comments without getting into very political territory. I can at least agree that a vaccine—once a substantial portion of the population has been vaccinated—will change the picture....No-one doubts your love of the  Mariinsky @Buddy!

Thanks from me, as well, @volcanohunter — I wouldn’t call the numbers a testimony to the wisdom or compassion of the company’s approach.

13 hours ago, Buddy said:

....  It now appears that a handful of dancers are still getting sick, but it also seems that at least some dancers (here and at the Bolshoi) really want to take the chance.

[....]

Added: How the audience is being effected is another question mark. From what I can see from the ticket sales seating charts, attendance is reasonably high. Vladislav Lantratov at the Bolshoi said that their Tchaikovsky ballet series was sold out. The Mariinsky isn't using any spacing between seats. The Bolshoi is using spacing between each two seats.

Bottom line, I suppose, it that audience members don't have to attend. Still ones hopes that this is being done as responsibly as possible for the benefit of the entire population.

"...Still ones hopes that this is being done as responsibly as possible for the benefit of the entire population."  That is the issue...

I don't know the severity of the outbreak in St. Petersburg and I certainly feel for the dancers--it seems to me that losing a season or a year to the pandemic must feel close to unbearable and depending where a dancer is in her/his career could have long term or even permanent ramifications for how that career unfolds. Yet, the risks performers take are not only risks for themselves.  For that reason alone, the decision about performances can't be made based simply on their wishes --and presumably that isn't how the decision is being made, because the people who run the Mariinsky must have their eyes on other concerns including the long term financial health of the institution as well as whatever political pressures they may be under to keep up "normal" life given the status and importance of the company.  (In any case, with the company performing, any individual dancer who thinks it is a bad idea is unlikely to speak up about it.)  But is the company being responsible within the larger public health crisis for "the entire population?"

Not limiting numbers of seats sold in any way and not re-arranging spacing  of seats in the theater while leaving it to audience members to decide whether or not they want to attend the ballet especially raises a lot of questions about the wider risks to St. Petersburg. Because here, too, the risks people choose to take are not simply their own. They are risks for everyone in their circle and possibly others not in their circle -- with all the ripple effects we see every day in the States. (And, I kind of suspect that all these people buying ballet tickets during a pandemic are unlikely to be showing ultra caution in every other aspect of their lives.) So even as I root for the dancers and, so to speak, for ballet...still... I could wish in some ways that the company were taking a different approach...

On 11/20/2020 at 8:52 AM, JuliaJ said:

 The lack of a "calendar" section is particularly annoying. 

Is there no calendar section? I would think even for locals that’s a very useful function and the company knows it has an international audience....Let’s hope an easy-to-find calendar section is on its way....

Thanks for the interview.  I wish De Luz great success.

(I wonder if the announced run of the Giselle will happen as planned--I'm even a little surprised about this week's repertory program, as a quick Google search shows cinemas are closed in Spain right now...)

10 hours ago, FPF said:

This is the smaller of the two theaters at the Pillow, and it's a total loss.  Thankfully, no one was hurt. Pamela Tatge (artistic director)  says they will rebuild.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Duke-theater-at-Jacob-s-Pillow-destroyed-by-fire-15733854.php?IPID=Times-Union-HP-CP-Spotlight

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/arts/dance/jacobs-pillow-massachusetts-fire.html

https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/jacobs-pillow-theater-destroyed-in-fire/article_0e5885d2-28db-11eb-aea2-a3d92bb1741e.html

Many dance artists and dance writers are paying tribute and expressing their sadness on Instagram -- and posting a slew of photos of the Doris Duke theater mostly in happier times.

On 10/18/2020 at 3:28 AM, volcanohunter said:

BalletMet performs Justin Peck's In Creases.

 

Just catching up here--I haven't been watching much of the ballet being streamed etc., just here and there occasionally. (Various reasons including general malaise at living shut-in...) . But I was curious about this ballet which I had never seen and enjoyed quite a bit. Thank you for posting!

Sad news--may he rest in peace.

On 11/4/2020 at 3:43 PM, ECat said:

For the Chinara Alizade fans out there, myself included, here is a video from World Ballet Day with her being interviewed and some performance clips.  Her segment starts at 06:10 

 

Thank you for posting @ECat -- enjoyed seeing Alizade...and that production of Sleeping Beauty looks gorgeous!

Lots to chew on in the above comments ... nice to see most of them are pretty sanguine.

17 hours ago, BalanchineFan said:

@Drew what is it you're saying about Royal Ballet and Ashton? I don't follow them well enough to understand what happened to the Ashton rep or how they were treating it.

Ashton's oeuvre may not be quite as large or wide-ranging as Balanchine's --it's hard to know in part because of the way it has been handled since his death, but it's a substantial oeuvre that includes a number of masterpieces plus other secondary but still very fine works. Even the greatest of these ballets are not danced as regularly by the Royal Ballet as one would imagine. Seasons go by without the company staging even one of his full length works, and more than a decade has gone by without other important works being brought to the stage.

In the meanwhile, the company treats Macmillan on a par with Ashton if not indeed as someone who super-cedes Ashton in shaping their style and approach, and major Macmillan seems to be more regularly performed than major Ashton. (My "side" has long since lost this battle, so I suppose I should give it up...but the defeat still baffles me.) I personally thought Macmillan's influence was all over Scarlett's Swan Lake--which I saw live--and also all over his Frankenstein, which I only saw on tape. From my perspective, It's as if Robbins became the most dominant force and influence at NYCB; I know people love Robbins' work, and some probably enjoy it more than Balanchine's--it certainly has influenced choreographers such as Peck--but does the company, as an institution, consider him more important to its history than Balanchine? I don't think so. 

@Ashtonfan has written on this site about how the Royal Ballet was not founded by De Valois to be a "museum, " which is why premiers etc. are so important, but also making it harder to keep up "heritage" work in repertory, especially as the repertory grows. (I hope I've summarized correctly.) But the idea that Ashton's work wouldn't be a priority for the Royal--as much as Petipa in St. Petersburg or Bournonville in Copenhagen (I know, I know--that's not faring too well either) or...Balanchine in New York has been dismaying to me. His works are revived, but much less often than one would imagine--whole seasons pass by with next to nothing or, most recently, "oh, in the Linbury studio there's  a little heritage evening for the ballet nerds. You can see Ashton there." (I exaggerate the tone, but not by much.)  In the meanwhile, details of Ashton's style have been lost: looking at old videos, reading testimony of older ballet-goers, and occasionally even my own pale memories, give an idea how much. Now, arguably, the change in style is inevitable and has happened at NYCB with Balanchine as well, but Ashton's ballets are not quite so hardy as Balanchine's and perhaps suffer still more under mis-handling. (@Helene has said this in the past.) 

As recently as a few years ago, I was seeing better and/or as strong performances of The Dream at ABT as I was seeing not long after at the Royal. Some may want to argue with me about that, but that is my view of it at least with regards to the principals and soloists (most of whom have now left or retired from ABT or are about to retire).  Now lots of great things are happening at the Royal--they have fabulous dancers and some fabulous productions, and they are, without a doubt, one of the world's great companies. And a recent revival of Ashton's Enigma Variations generated some very positive reports. But I think there has hardly been a season in recent memory where Sarasota Ballet wasn't doing more for Ashton than his home company --

[Premiers are important. My ballet going passion was partly reignited this century by seeing Namouna at NYCB!  But even if I put aside the original context of my comments in this thread (which was what I want to see NYCB dance in the immediate post-pandemic), I have to admit that the idea that New York City Ballet doesn't now have a duty to its past which it didn't when Balanchine founded it seems to me wrongheaded.  And I don't think that's at all controversial. Nobody on this thread is saying "dump Balanchine" just as nobody is saying "Dump premiers." But ballets can be lost; heritages can be run aground; dancers' techniques can change in ways that impact their (neo)classical dancing etc. That's why the Ashton example seems pertinent to me. Anyway, it's a longer topic...]

That's a lovely example. Nor are we in as quite as much disagreement as you imagine; much better if one can guide the corps de ballet as Legat says she does at the Mikhailovsky. (I will add, though, that when I saw the Mikhailovsky in Giselle and Flames of Paris at the Koch theater in New York, I did not see a classical corps de ballet that was comparable to the Bolshoi's.)

That’s a wonderful perspective.

I admit I don’t find Vaziev inhuman (at least not what we saw) and I don’t believe that anyone who isn’t preternaturally tough could run the Bolshoi for long. I also doubt getting yelled at is the cruelest thing that happens to dancers. There may be better ways to discipline a corps—let’s hope so—though none of them are likely to be gentle.

Was glad to see Filin acknowledged and thanked a couple of times including by Smirnova.

Delete (sorry)

1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

Yes, Denisova is coached by Olga Chenchikova.

Thank you.

I had a chance to watch more of the Bolshoi video--was that Chenchikova coaching Denisova as Aurora? I looked at the photos on the website and in photos she seems the only coach with those bangs. I ask because she came across as very caring and supportive even as she was working adamantly on certain details. I found myself really liking her, or at least, her way of conducting the rehearsal. Anyway--if someone knows, I'd be curious (perhaps @volcanohunter?)....I found it almost unbearable to watch Allash coach Smirnova and Skvortsov because she was wearing her mask incorrectly--but that says nothing to what kind of coach she is! The dancers were beautiful to watch.

Vaziev was a like a parody of the ballet martinet--it's as if he reads the criticisms of him that appear every World Ballet Day (at least on English-language websites) and decides to double down when the next World Ballet Day comes around. I have to add that his take-down of the young woman who wore a black tutu to snowflake rehearsal rather reminded me of the sort of thing one of my ballet teachers might have said to a student he thought was trying to stand out inappropriately. He was, at any rate, not wrong in what he said to the dancers about the importance of getting the timing right etc. If Bolshoi watchers think the corps de ballet standards are up, I guess he must have something to do with it...

Welcome Dave! I would advise you to trust your own responses--if you are collecting and watching ballets on DVD then obviously you are appreciating what you are seeing. And when you find something especially moving or beautiful you probably ask your self why? Or if it resembles another performance you especially liked--and what the resemblance was? You may have noticed you like a certain kind of dancer or a certain kind of choreography etc.

It's not that one can't learn more technically about what one is watching--of course one can--but one doesn't have to study ballet to gain insight into what the art form is doing....

(There are some books written for newcomers to ballet. Unfortunately I'm not really up-to-date on that. I did listen to parts of Laura Jacobs Celestial Bodies: How to Look at Ballet  on audible--and liked some of it a lot and some of it not at all! (But the book wasn't really aimed at an old ballet-goer so my reaction may not be a fair gauge.) A very respected critic named Robert Greskovic wrote a book called Ballet 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving the Ballet. Unfortunately, I haven't read it so I can't weigh in...but I bet it is worth a look.)

Nobody is saying  “no new ballets please” ....I (and most others posting here) know some fair part of the history of the company and I personally have admired many new works premiered at NYCB. And I spent years on this site defending the Diamond project in the teeth of the vast majority of knowledgeable NYCB fans posting who were understandably fed up with the inconsistent quality of the new commissions. But the next live performance I see will, at earliest, be a year and half out from the last live one I saw and, for NYCB, two years. For practical reasons probably longer. Other than attending performances of my local company (good in some things, but not yet a world class company or close to it) I will have to buy a plane ticket and book a hotel—so I hope I can be forgiven if Four Temperaments or Serenade is higher on my wish-list than new commissions from modern dance choreographers and revivals of works by Martins. 

(Quiggin  just posted again as I was typing. A deep discussion of NYCB history and its possible relation to the company’s future is always welcome and obviously pertinent when the ur-topic is the digital season.  I still think it not unreasonable to be especially looking forward to Balanchine post pandemic and post digital. If I were to enter a more far-reaching discussion about the company’s future, then I would add I also do not think it alarmist to prefer NYCB not treat Balanchine as the Royal Ballet treats Ashton....which has had an absolutely deleterious effect on the Ashton repertory.)

Sad news...may he rest in peace...

4 hours ago, vipa said:

Maybe dance audiences will be eager to see NYCB do a lot of new works when they return to the stage after a year and a half, but I'll be eager to be re-immersed in the Balanchine rep. I'm all in favor of giving opportunities to new choreographers, but great art is hard to come by, and I fear the emphasis on turning the page could mean ignoring the fabulous NYCB heritage. 

Absolutely--if there is anything I would love to see when I return to live ballet performances it is classical ballet repertory I can sink my teeth into --with Balanchine at top of the list at NYCB and by some measure...

(Oh...I guess that since people were talking about Steadfast Tin Soldier up above, I'll specify, major Balanchine. I've seen Steadfast Tin Soldier a handful of times including the recently televised cast and, way back when, Mcbride and Baryshnikov. It's the very rare Balanchine ballet of which I can say that a few times is enough for me.)

Have only been able to watch a few fragments --all very enjoyable (including the excerpts of the Gracheva company class at the Bolshoi and a bit of Vetrov's.) I also found Lantratov and Turazashvilli's interview with Denis Savin quite charming. (As dazzling as it has been to watch the very professional Novikova year after year play interpreter to the dancers and their coaches etc. seeing a soloist with the company able to play that role was pretty dazzling in itself.) I also enjoyed the rehearsal footage of Tereshkina with Kunakova -- a ballerina I remember from the Kirov tours of the Reagan era and into the eighties...