mussel

As a subscriber I have no problems exchanging my tickets, my friends told me they didn't have any problems exchanging their ABT single tickets either. Besides house seats hold for press, donors & VIPs as mentioned by Angelica, the Met also starts releasing wheelchair seats a day or two before the performance, each wheelchair seat occupies 4 regular seats and they are always aisle seats. The Met may still holds a few wheelchair seats until the day of performance and releases them a few hours before the performance. I think ADA dictates when wheelchair seats can be released.

I hope Osipova's injury is nothing serious, that the management is in cautious side so she will be ready for the all important Met season. Symphony #9 looked even better this time, I imagine it'd look even better at the State Theater if ABT decides to bring it back this fall season. I thought the tempo for Symphony in C a bit slower than what I used to with NYCB. Xiomara (sub for Natasha) and Ivan were fantastic together, she's a equal match for Ivan with lightning fast multiple pirouettes. In general the whole company looks great. We're so blessed with 2 great ballet companies. A great night for celebrity watching, the Daily Mail reporter must have missed Bebe Neuwirth & Christine Baranski.

It's such a pain to get tickets and impossible to get good seats, I am not sure if it's worth the trouble but the lineup looks very tempting. I wish they could do a tiered pricing like $10 for balcony, $20 for mezzanine, $30 for grand tier...etc.

I hope this is an audition in disguise, if all goes well and audience love her (who doesn't?), NBoC would sign her. Did she leave Bolshoi officially? NBoC lists her as former principal of Bolshoi.

Perhaps Ms. Dupont just lacks the correct agent. Mme. Dupont needs to sign with Ardani.

Gala red carpet coverage.

You make it sounds bringing Jewels is a disappointment. I, on the other hand, cannot have enough Jewels.

SFB will return to the State Theater, Lincoln Center for a 2-week season with mixed programs by Ratmansky, Wheeldon, Morris, Tomasson, McGregor, Liang.., and Wheeldon's Cinderella. http://www.sfballet.org/tickets/ontour

NYT: Seems to be a big chuck of Mariinsky II schedule will be for set aside for visiting companies. And they are clueless what they're going to do this summer. The article also mentioned Ratmansky ballets set to Shostakovich score will be performed at M2, are they the same ballets that will premier later this month at the Met? If yes, either ABT will travel to M2 this summer or the new Ratmansky ballets will be a co-production of ABT, SFB, and MB.

NY Times reports on the opening of Mariinsky II with slide show: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/arts/music/mariinsky-ii-is-set-to-open-in-st-petersburg.html?ref=arts

I agree with VH that the #1 reason for visa requirement is economic, imagine how US would be flooded if there is no visa requirements for Mexico, China, India or any poorer countries. I was in HK several years ago and wanted to take 2-3 days visit to Shenzhen and Canton, but didn't because of visa requirement. I remember Brazil used to be visa free for American, then it demanded US to reciprocate, US refused and visa requirement was imposed, numbers of American tourists to Rio dropped, Rio mayor requested the visa be removed for US to no avail. I think there's no cost for Australian visa, you just need to file your info online before your arrival and it'll give you a confirmation number. Russian visa requirement pain is on a different level. Is the visa good for single or multiple visits? Here's a list of visa requirements for US citizens around the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_United_States_nationals It really make no sense for some countries to impose visa requirements. Is India really afraid of Americans working illegally?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/arts/music/colin-davis-exuberant-british-conductor-dies-at-85.html?ref=arts

Spoiler alert: I don't understand the tragic everybody-dies-except-Medora-&-Conrad ending, it's a comedy so it supposed to have a happy ending. The new production has the same ending as the old one. What's the ending in the libretto?

Off topic. The proper way to do spoiler alert is to write the spoiler in white like this: testing testing testing. . It's difficult to write in white without knowing what you just typed, so you write your spoiler in black and then highlight the spoiler and change it to white. If members decide to read the spoiler they can move the curse to highlight and read the spoiler.

Agreed. Also, Semionova is another reason to not book tickets for Osipova. She's lovely. And versatile. I don't understand the backlashes simply because she prefers London over NY? I mean if she is leaving ABT then I'd understand the resentment.

That's a shame, the firing has no merit, it's purely politics. Is his successor, Aniko Rekhviashvili, meant to be permanent or interim? Did Mikhailovsky announce Duato's replacement? Matvienko seems to be a very eligible candidate.

Aha! They let the cat out of the bag and we didn't realize it. They spilled the beans regarding Osipova's contract with RB before the they made it public! So may be another shoe is going to drop with Vasiliev & Mikhailovsky!!!??? Regarding the final scene of Bayadere, it could be the Kingdom of the Shades or the Temple Destruction, it depends on productions, they need to be more specific. If they knew of O/RB contract in advance they should know which version of the final scene they are going to perform.

I believe when Makarova defected to the West, London was her first choice but RB didn't sign her over the strong objection from the reigning primas. I am sure RB will clear Osipova's schedule during the Met season as part of her contract. She has toured with ABT extensively for the past 2 years, to Japan, Spain, So. Cal., DC, Chicago...etc., I think she'll cut her tour with ABT to minimal to none, while her commitment to the Met season will remain intact, so it's the cities on ABT touring schedule that will lose out not seeing her.

Do we know when the 3-month before & after clause was first used? Is it possible that this 2005 visit triggered it? I doubt the existence of the 3-month before/after clause, it's just too restrictive & draconian. Do we have confirmation it exists? If it does, it certainly didn't apply to Vishneva as she toured with Mariinsky during its 3-week season at City Center in April 2008. I remember she got injured towards the end of the tour and was out of the entire ABT Met season, and Nina had to sub most of her slots and filled the house in every of her performances. Nina was such good sport, no wonder New York absolutely loved and loves her. I assume NYCB has no 3-month clause with its dancer as Wendy will be guesting with NDT at the State Theater next week. Before the departure of NYCO from Lincoln Center, NYCB and ABT were totally overlapping their spring seasons, and visiting companies conflicting with ABT Met was never an issue. The first season after NYCO left Lincoln Center, came Mikhailovsky and the non-compete covenant became an unwanted publicity. That same season Kobborg danced with RDB at the State Theater and ABT the same time, I assume the Kobborg's gig with ABT was last minute arrangement and the non-compete covenant didn't apply.

Lincoln Center Festival has hosted major international companies in previous summers (alas, not this year) and could plausibly sponsor a visit by Royal in future years. The issue will be the fine print in Osipova's non-compete clause with ABT. The Mikhailovsky wanted to play the State Theater during the final weeks of the ABT season in 2012. If Royal came in late July, would ABT permit her to perform with them? Stay tuned... As long as it wasn't overlapping, I don't see why not. As the Royal isn't scheduled to come at the moment, and who knows what the future will bring, this is what I would consider borrowing trouble. But I would note, that one of the past visitors to Lincoln Center was the Bolshoi when Ananiashvili was still dancing with them, and was with ABT. She performed with the Bolshoi on that tour. That was 2005 and the Bolshoi tour as part Lincoln Center festival occurred after ABT Met season ended. Consider Bolshoi was Nina's home theater back then and there's no overlap with ABT Met season, that wasn't a non-compete covenant issue.

According this article: http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2165559 Osipova will remain a principal with ABT but will become a guest with Mikhailovsky. I wonder if O/V get to keep their Moscow apartment they got as signing bonus from Kekman.

How about changing to the title to "Top 10 Opera Stars that Appeared or Schedule to Appear at Covent Garden."

http://www.nytimes.c...-ballet.html?hp 7 dancers, 2 men & 5 women, defected last month while on tour in Mexico, 6 make their way to Miami, 1 remains in Mexico. Their identities remain unknown.

http://www.nytimes.c...-ballet.html?hp oops, posted in the wrong forum, Admin, please delete.

Engagements at the Met need not be under Lincoln Center Festival umbrella, for example, POB in 1996, Mariinsky in 1999, and Bolshoi in 2005 at the Met were not part of Lincoln Center Festival. So there's still a glimmer of hope a major company will pass thru this summer, but I have to admit it doesn't look good, as Bolshoi will tour London this summer, and Mariinsky will have 2 opera houses to fill. We had embarras de richesses last 2 summers, so it's kind of turning cold turkey when no one has announced to come yet. Remember we still have NYCB and ABT.