Drew

7 hours ago, Dreamer said:

[…]Recent changes in many venues around the country allowing people to bring their alcoholic beverages inside the auditorium is more than annoying to me.  A person reeking of beer can be just as bad a as a smelly dog. Adding to the insult is the proclivity of some folks to shaking their iced drinks every few minutes during the performance.  And I will never understand why some patrons feel the need to douse themself with a strong, long lasting, suffocating perfume.  

I feel very much the same about alcohol and drinks, but I have started to suspect that, in some instances, very elderly or ill people may be dousing themselves with perfume to obscure other smells. And that I am a bit more sympathetic to because I can imagine how meaningful a performance might be to them....although perfume gives me migraine and I have had to move seats because of it.

I think at best “tutu ballet” is reductive, and in most contexts trivializing. And in what serious sense could it be descriptive—is the grand pas from Paquita really the same genre as Symphony in C? And as description, even of costumes, it’s also imprecise (romantic tutus are tutus too) though I think people are probably just thinking of the flatter, shorter, or “pancake” tutus. 

Context certainly makes a difference to how one might understand the term...and perhaps there are examples where I wouldn't find it reductive or trivializing ... but it’s hard for me to conjure them.

Congratulations to Shakirova on her promotion. I am very much hoping D.C. gets to see her Gulnare this April--I have tickets for three performances and barring disaster will be there and would love to see her live.

It does sound like an intriguing way to redo the ballet. I like Ratmansky’s version (not everyone does), but I also used to enjoy seeing ABT’s revival of Fokine’s with the Goncharova designs. The latter may be harder for today’s dancers to bring to life and certainly must be very expensive to produce.

Will look forward to reading your reports on Andersen’s production. 

6 hours ago, Olga said:

Whatever has London come to. Seems to have gone downhill. I was shocked and disapppointed by their last New York tour. They have some great dancers but their choreographic taste is awful. And Macgregor! ... not a real ballet choreographer imo. The company has wandered far afield. 

They did bring Song of the Earth on their last New York tour which I found a magnificent ballet -- and it certainly belongs to their distinctive ballet tradition along with The Dream which they also brought. (Though I personally had enjoyed some ABT peformances of the Dream in recent years at least as much as the Royal's; either way I certainly think it's a great ballet.) But I infer you are referring to the program of newer choreography, which was more of a mixed bag and with much of the choreography presented in snippets. But I think the one week they appeared was way too short a visit for New York to get a sense of where the company is nowadays...Oh for the multi-week visits of yester-year....

It does seem odd to me that McGregor is now such a force with the company--and I am far from disliking Infra as much as others who are posting here, and Woolfworks (which I have only seen on video) holds a certain interest for me. But even so, it just seems an odd match up of company and choreographer. As you says more bluntly--he is not really a ballet choreographer. 

2 hours ago, fiddleback said:

  

Well, almost a year has gone by, and it appears that the concept for the production has, well, matured, to say the least. Now, let it be said that Mr. Andersen is a dedicated and superb story-teller, having grown up in the Royal Danish Ballet, danced many of the major story ballet roles for RDB, NYCB, and others, and that he has also choreographed a raft of superb story ballets for Ballet Arizona. At heart, he is a traditionalist. Keep all that in mind when reading the following recent quote from him:

“Fabio Toblini, our costume designer, was in town last week, and we defined many things while he was here. I have also begun choreographing. I think in 4 days I have already done 11 minutes (which is a lot). I am making The Firebird into an alien. I’m changing who the characters are. It’s sort of like Star Trek meets Lord of the Rings, maybe a little Game of Thrones, maybe a little bit of Space Odyssey 2001 (ha!). It is still undefined, but I will say they will land in a spacecraft and so you just need to use your imagination.” (from Turning Pointe Donor Report )

Ohhh. Kayyy. So it sounds like it’s shaping up to consist of 1) the Stravinsky score (for sure), 2) a more-or-less traditional story (probably), 3) more-or-less classical choreography (likely),  and 4) an out-of-this-world setting and costumes (definitely!).

[....]

 

 

I hope it's spectacular--though I can't say I the story sounds all that traditional to me....very curious to read about the production when it premiers.

3 hours ago, Mashinka said:

[....]A number of London critics strike me as happier writing about modern dance rather than ballet.  I personally find the term 'tutu ballet' implies contempt, hope I'm wrong about that.

I could not agree more about the term "tutu ballet" which is why I wrote above the way I did.

1 hour ago, pherank said:

 The part I don't know about is how the people in charge of the electronic media rehearse their contribution alongside the dancers and stage actors. There has to be a stage manager to get everything to coalesce effectively, and I haven't heard any details about who is doing what. Is the existing Atlanta Ballet stage manager in charge of Nutcracker production? Or is some other experienced person being brought in to show how it's done this first time? "Enquiring minds want to know..."

Perhaps we will see more features about this aspect of the preparations--they seem a bit concerned about spoilers given how little of the physical production has been publicized in photos or video. But the company has assembled a pretty high-powered and experienced team that includes people who have worked with Atlanta Ballet before. Though a new production of any kind can take time to settle I assume they know what they are doing.

Oh to be fair @Ashton Fan  maybe Symphony in C is too musical, geometrically complex, emotionally varied, and intertextually resonant for that particular critic’s taste.  Mileages vary as the saying goes. (That sarcasm is directed at the critic’s remarks not yours.) 

Anyone can dislike Symphony in C for all kinds of reasons and there are serious people who don’t care for Balanchine’s aesthetic —but “tutu ballet” is not worthy of a professional critic who is talking about one of the major works of the repertory. (And yes, I know they have to deal with a limited word count.)

Frankly “Swan Lake without Tchaikovsky” seems much cleverer to me and a touch more insightful too (cited above) though I strongly disagree with it as an assessment.

Just a thought, but If someone objects to classical orchestral music on principle, then maybe they should not get paid for their views on performances of Mozart's Prague Symphony. (That doesn’t mean every concert goer has to like Mozart.)

Not up to being diplomatic today...

It is daring, but I don’t think there is any doubt it’s going to be a spectacle and I am sure they are thinking of appealing to children. And of course a ton of children will be in it. 

Possokhov’s Don Quixote, which used projections, was successful here last season. That seems to me to augur well too.

Obviously they are hoping for a big splash and a really distinctive production and I guess that comes with risks. But on the other hand one infers it’s still Nutcracker albeit with new ooh and aah special effects added — not, say, the kind of experimentation with modern dance and a new story the Paris Opera Ballet recently staged alongside Iolanta and that @miliosr has recently been describing in the POB forum! 

Thanks for posting this @pherank . I have tickets to see the new Nutcracker late in the run--and am plenty curious. Apparently it is going to be a high-tech extravaganza with projections/virtual reality effects etc. (I'm picturing something like the Mikhailovsky Cinderella, but who knows?)

The article mentions the aim is to reach children, teenagers, and younger adults weaned on CGI. (Well, that's not exactly how Nedvigin puts it, but close enough...) I love old-fashioned theatrical magic--trap doors with flashes of light and the like--but if this Nutcracker draws great crowds and gets national attention...that's a huge plus for Atlanta and Atlanta Ballet, so I'm rooting for this to be a smash.  And hoping Possokhov's choreographic ideas are as ingenious as his scenic ones.

Definitely happy to read a little more Hoffmannesque atmosphere will be added to the mix.

Thank you for the review and wonderful photos!

On 11/24/2018 at 4:42 PM, Kaysta said:

I am making my first trip to Paris in March and picked up some Swan Lake tickets.  I don’t really care that much about casting, as I’m just excited to see the Palais Garnier, but when in general is casting listed?

Fantastic!  (I think of the whole city as a ballet --  a really great ballet!)

(If the Swan Lake is in the Opera Bastille as mentioned above, then perhaps you can still find a way to see the Palais Garnier--perhaps there are tours --and don't worry if you know French or not since you just want to get inside--or other performances taking place there.)

I only occasionally check in on Instragram but just saw,  through a Dance Magazine feature, that Kurt Froman has posted clips on Instagram of Kirkland rehearsing Don Quixote with David Howard and Pilar Garcia. Fantastic (albeit silent) footage.

Here is the Dance Magazine Feature with two links to the Kirkland-Howard footage. There is more on Froman's Instagram page  though it's not all gathered together:

https://www.dancemagazine.com/these-clips-of-gelsey-kirkland-are-a-master-class-in-how-to-become-a-ballerina-2619897404.html

It sounds as if it could be fun. If you do it, then it would be nice to hear what you thought.

Kaneko made a wonderful impression on me when I saw her in a couple of smaller featured roles in Swan Lake —I would love to see more of her dancing. 

2 hours ago, pherank said:

Well that's an interesting idea. Though I don't think it's really possible for such an arrangement to happen each and every year. I like the idea of West Coast companies such as PNB, SFB and maybe LA Dance Project taking turns appearing in D.C. or NYC each year - so that the East Coast audience can stay abreast of what is happening with the West Coast companies.

I don't know what the economics are, but I think that would be terrific...

25 minutes ago, Dreamer said:

For those of us who cannot make it to London in the middle of summer lets hope to see the Bolshoi during the 2019-2020 season at the Kennedy Center. I wonder what would they bring after Mariinsky's Raymonda, La Bayadere and Le Corsaire. A mixed bill? The Pharaoh's Daughter? Coppelia? Hopefully, no Anna Karenina and no Lady of the Camellias. The Winter's Tale would be a back draw for me.

It a nice hope, but who knows? If there were to be a one week visit then I think they would be very likely to make it Swan Lake and/or Don Quixote. Or perhaps Giselle. Long shot—Flames of Paris. One could still hope for Bayadere though. That is what I would be likeliest to travel to D.C. to see.  Even better would be a two week visit with some variety in the repertory even allowing I could probably only make a weekend.

I believe the National Ballet of Canada has exclusive rights to perform Winter’s Tale in North America — unless that expires at some point. It would not surprise me if NBoC has a similar deal on Anna Karenina (which they just premiered) and the Ratmansky Romeo and Juliet.

What always makes the London tours of Bolshoi and Mariinsky seem so enviable—and I usually can’t travel to see them— is that they are multi-week affairs with a range of repertory. Even this disappointing (to me) London Bolshoi repertory includes one ballet more than they brought to New York in 2014. The more recent failure of Taming of the Shrew to draw audiences in New York means, I fear, that future Bolshoi visits to NY are likely to be ultra conservative fare—in the sense of very familiar fare. Even their fantastic Coppelia may be judged a box-office risk. I love classic rep (some productions more than others), but ideally I like to see more of a mix when I only get to see a company now and then...though of course the great Bolshoi dancers are always a draw.

Hero of Our Time isn't being brought--and was never announced as a possibility--I personally would love to have seen it not in place of but in addition to more standard fare. I enjoyed the HD broadcast and also wouldn't have minded a chance to see the array of featured dancers it includes in each performance. Even Anna Karenina might have been valuable in the mix with Swan Lakes etc. -- in contemporary dramatic ballets one gets to see Bolshoi artists show their dramatic and charismatic chops. For me, that's always been part of the Bolshoi mystique and even NOW when the company is quite different than it was, is an important part of who they are.

I don't care for the Grigorovich Swan Lake (which I have seen multiple times with different casts) and have seen Spartacus with an excellent cast recently enough that I'm not that eager to see it again--though I would not mind having a chance to see Zakharova's Aegina.  But I understand what it's doing on any Bolshoi tour.

Mostly I am extremely disappointed about Bayadere. I suspect the fact that the Royal is dancing it this season may have played a role in the decision not to bring it on tour because the ROH and/or Hochhausers may feel ballet audiences interested in Bayadere will have had their fill of it and opt for other ballets anyway. And I assume the company and its presenters judge it safer not to try to bring, say, Raymonda which I would also love to have seen. (With a caveat or two, I quite admire and enjoy Grigorovich's Raymonda.)

Having missed Taming of the Shrew when it was brought to NY and when it was brought to London last I was also looking forward to that for the sake of the performances but I better understand why they didn't want to bring it back when it's a new work, not a classic, and was danced on the most recent London tour. Classics, one feels, should be repeatable, though even there some variety is desirable.  Altogether the wind has rather been kicked out of my summer plans, especially given the expense involved in staying in London. (My hostel-and-standing-room days are behind me.)

Since work is likely to be taking me to the UK I do plan to try to see something unless work plans fall through but I think the "extra" part of my stay--the non-work part--is likely to be shorter than I had thought, though it would be nice to be able to see a performance or two of Bright Stream in addition to Swan Lake and Spartacus.   

This program sounds wonderful. Hope your scrapes heal soon @Birdsall --

Very sorry for your loss @MRR but thank you for posting your beautiful tribute to your friend and colleague ...

"'We mourn the death of our friend and colleague Raffaella Maria Stroik. She was a wonderful dancer and a beautiful person,' Gen Horiuchi, executive and artistic director of the Saint Louis Ballet, said in a statement. 'We extend our condolences to her family.'"

Disturbing and very sad story. I hope that the authorities find out what happened to her and that her family and loved ones can find a measure of peace.

That's a shame about losing the Balanchine gala--and Prodigal Son and Symphony in C is not exactly wildly avant-garde programming!  But you certainly will get a chance to see a number of terrific dancers in Swan Lake. (From the casts you list, I would particularly love to see Osmolkina in Swan Lake myself.)

If you are able to see any of these performances, then it would be great to read your impressions.

On 11/7/2018 at 4:44 PM, cubanmiamiboy said:

I firmly believe that, when doing a ballet recon, the choreographer should look at the evolution of the work and not jump into too radical changes that might put the production in jeopardy, to the point of being taken out of the repertoire, 

For me, that sounds like a great approach to producing the classics, but I had thought the term reconstruction was meant to be reserved for productions that were rigorous in their attempts at historical accuracy and therefore bound to be pretty radical (allowing that the most rigorous of historical reconstructions runs up against some limitations including missing materials in the notations, changing bodies, different kinds of pointe shoes etc.) Rigorous at least as regards choreography/music and general style of the physical production, sets/costumes etc. I know some commentators argue that without re-creation of original sets/costumes the word reconstruction is misapplied.

I guess this is just a semantic point. I'm myself quite happy to have the evolution of works taken into account in productions of 19th-century ballets  (actually, in many cases, I may prefer it) but I'm not sure at what point the word reconstruction becomes too inexact to be useful. 

48 minutes ago, On Pointe said:

...  It's rather impolitic of him to coach two principal dancers,  both of whom have been with NYCB longer than he was, 

The coaches being taped are supposed to be getting a lot on record as Helene addressed above. Clifford and Mimi Paul--with whom he is working--danced the ballet when Balanchine was there to work with them, so that's the potential value people see in their coaching, not how many years they danced with the company. (And does Clifford's style seem patronizing? It didn't seem to me he spoke to the dancers as if they were newbies or corps members.)

Hyltin this past season spoke positively about working with Mcbride on Rubies though she commented precisely that she got so very much new information, especially about the musicality, that she couldn't include it all in her performance as it would take time to process.  That doesn't sound as if McBride just gave her a few notes and sent her on her way as an experienced principal. And it also didn't sound to me as if Hyltin wasn't pleased to be getting the information.

I don't hold any brief for Clifford and I don't believe for a second he is going to be the next director of New York City Ballet or even influential on whoever that director is. But for that very reason, the eccentricities of his personality and the problems he has had with leadership and administration don't seem to me to carry huge implications for the future of ballet as we know it.  More likely the future of youtube . In the meanwhile, I'm happy to learn what I can from the video he posts and find some of his comments insightful and others ... less so.

Certainly, he is not the first and won't be the last to raise questions about what is being "lost" in the way Balanchine is being danced since the latter's death. Since some such changes are inevitable, and the process has been underway for decades, the laments can get wearying or come across as self-serving, but a number of Balanchine's dancers seem to me legitimately to have a huge amount to offer and you can see it in the results they get. (I personally think you can see some results in this Valse Fantaisie documentary--with the ballet looking less generic when the dancers respond to things Clifford and/or Paul pass on to them.)