Drew

I think I'm an outlier...

Speaking of movie-Felicia--she was very explicit she didn't expect Bernstein to be anyone other than he was and she understood that this approach to their marriage would only work if it wasn't done as any kind of "sacrifice" on her part. But the movie then shows her in what seemed to me various passive-aggressive moments that made crystal clear she was bothered by his choices, and even showed her oh-so-subtly playing the martyr . This may be humanly understandable, but to me the character (as written) seemed arrogant and dishonest (to herself if no-one else) for thinking she had the key to living with Lenny when very obviously she didn't. I felt somewhat vindicated--and more sympathetic towards the character-- when late in the film, during a lunch at the Plaza or some such, Felicia herself says these two things: that she had been "arrogant" for thinking she didn't need Lenny's attention the way everyone else around him did and then adds ruefully something like "so who is dishonest?" I think one thing that kept me from responding more generously to the character in the early part of the film, is that I felt the movie was trying to hector me into falling in love with her (I mentioned her entrance in the earlier post). Anyway, it's just an odd quirk of how I responded. I did find the later parts of the movie pretty compelling and was happy we got a chunk of Mahler. (Had it been more of a movie about Bernstein's career as "maestro" it would have been interesting to fit in something about how he helped to make Mahler a mainstay of concert halls--with Mahler also another ambivalently Jewish figure. But that would be a different movie...)

I watched it last night. I had a mixed reaction, but I think it helps to view the movie less as a Bernstein bio-pick than as a study of the Bernstein's marriage. (Which is how @On Pointe described it above.) From that point of view, perhaps not everything that was left out needed to be there, and the title "Maestro" is arguably a bit misleading. For me the lack of attention to social/political issues (eg opposition to the Vietnam war, the party raising bail money for the members of the Black Panthers, which was skewered by Tom Wolfe) is the big missing piece in a movie about that marriage, and I would like to have seen the movie's take on the "radical chic" charge. Such attention would also have shown the marriage as an experiment in living beyond the experiment involved in the management of "Lenny" and "Felicia's" individual desires. It also might have filled out the picture of Felicia whom we otherwise seem meant to admire for putting up with the monstre sacré as much as for anything else. In fact, I'm a little embarrassed to say that I disliked the film's fictional Felicia--not helped by the over the top entrance the film gives her, much as if she were Audrey Hepburn stepping into a ballroom--and I even paused Netflix at one point to rant to Mr. Drew about her arrogance and dishonesty (those were my words). However, that does seem to be part of the intended portrait, and she gets a speech saying those things about herself late in the film. That helped me view her more sympathetically and I found the final sections of the film by some measure the most effective and most moving. I probably should watch it again to give the first part more of a chance, now I know where it goes, but....

The Ratmansky sounds terrific --I watched the clip, but I don't subscribe to Medici TV so I can't say more than that. I can think of two genuinely spectacular--and spectacularly lively--productions that I have seen in the theater and with multiple casts: the Bolshoi's reconstruction (Burlaka Vikharev) is fantastic as is, in a different vein Balanchine and Danilova's production. Even the traditional Coppelia De Valois staged for the Royal (which I know from video of a very recent revival) looks plenty delightful. I'll add that The Royal Danish Ballet has a very distinctive take on the ballet that Croce wrote about back in the day. Don't know if they still do it, but it was plenty full of life when I saw it with Heidi Ryom. (And, in any traditional production, Swanilda is more than "pouty" because she saves the day. So that remark had me puzzled too.) Basically there are some great Coppelias out there--it's not like Swan Lake where one is hard put to think of one....

I enjoyed Like Water for Chocolate at ABT--I found it emotionally compelling and theatrically ambitious in ways I enjoyed. And though the Royal broadcast was excellent, I thought ABT did a very effective job with the ballet over the three different casts I saw. Several dancers even seemed exceptional to me and, though I don't think it's fair to compare video performances to the ones I saw on stage since video fails to capture much of the visceral excitement of dance/mime performances even as it sometimes heightens the impact of facial expressions and gestures captured in close up, I will at least say that I can think of several ABT performances in the ballet that on stage seemed more effective than what was able to come through on video (Lavine and Hurlin among others). I'd rather see ABT focus more on classical and neo-classical works. I love the fact that they dance Ashton regularly; reviving Etudes seemed smart. And I'm hoping they continue to keep the admittedly modest Tudor repertory in rotation as they barely seem to do. And, though I like LWFC better than others who have posted here, I too am surprised they are bringing it back so soon. But if the season were better balanced overall--as this one is not (Onegin AND R&J AND LWFC + Woolf Works as the company premier with just one 19th-century classic)--then I would see LWFC as an interesting addition to the rep and great challenge for the dancers. I would certainly attend the evening honoring Cornejo in a role that I thought he danced quite beautifully just last summer.

2023 was my first year attending live ballet since 2019. EVERY performance was the best. But since I imagine few on Ballet Alert have heard of Airi Igarashi and still fewer have seen her dance, I will mention Igarashi's Sylph with Atlanta Ballet in Kobborg's production of La Sylphide.

Earlier story was seemingly not wrong but merely premature. It's now being widely reported: Gergiev will head both the Mariinsky and Bolshoi theaters: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67591363

I found it a wonderful and moving work when the Royal brought it to NY--and had already admired it on video. San Francisco is lucky--at least I hope audiences there respond to it as I did.

I am curious to see Rojo's version. Perhaps San Francisco will do it, though my seeing it would still be a long shot! Based on the video performance that was broadcast by the Dutch National Ballet, I'd say the Rachel Beaujean Raymonda -- traditional with just tweaks to the story -- worked very well and, as best I can judge retains the ballet's classical aura more than Rojo's 'Victorian novel' re-imagining seems to do (that's my term for it, not hers). Beaujean's is the production I would love to see ABT perform; I think it would suit them very well.

Hello--welcome back. I was just raving to a ballet going friend about Vladimir Vasiliev. But she kept referring to him as a short, powerful jumper--I briefly wondered what she was talking about (powerful jumper--sure--but so much more...and short?); we determined she was thinking of Ivan Vasiliev 🙃. Hope to read posts from you in the future.

Reports now that the news was premature -- though it HAS been discussed for years. Hard for an outsider to assess what is going on....

A relative saw it in Chicago and loved it--I'm bummed I still haven't seen his company and have only seen the Giselle for ENB on video.

Well, I almost couldn't decide where to post this--under the Bolshoi or the Mariinsky--but: https://operawire.com/valery-gergiev-to-become-general-director-of-bolshoi-theatre/?fbclid=IwAR2X99-Oa7ulNnHo0-fcggBEXhKo34HCsWI82Bm7cWIKNq8aZ5Hc4sOMkXM

Swan Lake as the only 19th-century work and no short program that might have included classical showcases or neoclassical showcases is disappointing. When I first read the company was doing Woolf Works I instantly thought they could more or less sell out Ferri making a guest appearance AND that it would be an intriguing opportunity for Trenary. Though Trenary may well have another role in Woolf Works, the news that she isn't cast in the lead is a little disappointing to me especially in view of the fact she isn't being given a shot at Tatianna. I"m disappointed (though not really surprised) Copeland isn't coming back and I agree that the longer she stays out the more it seems as if she has no plans for a genuine return--though perhaps she will still plan with the company for some kind of farewell. Can't help but be Excited for Misseldine...What a huge season for her.... My main reaction, though, is to hope the company leadership is making a priority of finding the dancers more times/places to dance. Even this upcoming summer season would have seemed more exciting with a week added of almost anything--but, say, maybe a comedy to complement all the tragedies: Don Q as others have said...or Coppelia or even Cinderella would have been a change of pace--also injecting some classicism into the season and offering reasonable casting opportunities for some of the principals who are not as favored in the Met casting as announced--as well as up-and-coming talent among the soloists and corps. Anyway, I wish ABT all the donors they need....

Perhaps in an alternate universe somewhere they are married. Austen (or, at least, Elinor) seems to have thought them the better match. But In this universe, my own feelings about Alan Rickman are considerably more torrid than any I have about Greg Wise, so ...

Thanks for posting...Since I don't follow these kinds of documents, I can't say I was or was not surprised by the numbers. The trend is depressing but I think 2023 will be more of a test of whether the performing arts can/will bounce back...I didn't return to live ballet-going until this year. And even now I'm squirrely. One problem may be that the audiences for the traditional classical arts skew older and older is likelier to be more cautious....(?)

Perhaps ABT fans of Marcelo Gomes are all aware of his World Ballet Day class for Dresden Semperoper Ballett--but in case not:

Thanks @cobweb for posting your thoughts. I've been curious about Garis's book but am so far behind on ballet-related reading I have given up on starting or even purchasing anything new. (The Harss Ratmansky bio is staring at me from my dining room table and my barely begun kindle copy of Bentley's Serenade haunts me from my computer screen--etc. etc.)

I think from what was said in response to my comments that that the dancer I had noticed in the center was Kotomi Yamada - A very pale leotard. Not a dark colored one (see quote below). I gather Kimura also impressed people! And there were certainly a lot of great dancers there. More than I could track ...

A (short) conversation is going on under the World Ballet Day "heads up" thread --I will say here, though, that I, too, was quite struck by Trenary's gracefulness even when just doing pliés...yes, "artistic flair."

I was wondering about Kotomi Yamada being the person I was thinking of--and liked her even before the turns--thank you both @naomikage and @matilda. Like @matildaI also noticed Crispino--at the risk being vulgar, may I say, too, found him very easy on the eyes--and De La Nuez. (Roxander I knew to look for and easily recognized though I've never seen him live.)

Thank you. SIerra Armnstrong was one of the others whose photo I found after admiring her dancing in the class....At one point she was very much in site of the camera--the dancer I liked in the neutral-colored leotard not as often....

Not sure if this is the place to discuss World Ballet Day--but after watching the ABT class, which I assume was pre-recorded since they are on tour, I went online to identify several dancers and the first one I went in search of was the woman in a drab--maybe grey or olive colored--sleeveless leotard (at least once they were in the center)--who was also, toward the end of class, briefly featured by the camera when wrapping up fouettés. She gave a big smile afterward when some dancers applauded. Let me swiftly say she caught my attention well before the fouettés for her clean, centered dancing. I would be happy to see more of her. Studying photos on ABT's site I initially concluded it was Lea Flétoux, but after studying Instagram am less confident. If anyone knows, then I'd be pleased to find out....

I've always been a little puzzled/sad Feld's ballets don't get revived by ABT--Both At Midnight and Intermezzo I remember with great fondness. I did rather assume that once he had his own company he then didn't want ABT doing them, but I had hoped that could be revisited later after his company was no more. (Though I saw them a couple of times, I don't remember too much and am even less familiar with his more recent work for Ballet Tech, but I assume there is more of interest than I happen to remember. ) Probably Feld's works wouldn't play that well at the huge Met, but perhaps at the NY State Theater [I tried to write K-o-c-h but my keyboard kept bursting into flames] or maybe for ABT II which performs in smaller venues? I assume this all also depends on Feld giving permission not just ABT being interested. So who knows what the story is....

Thanks for mentioning. Goh was an important choreographic talent too -- at one point Baryshnikov arranged to work with him.