mussel

Have any companies staged Grigorovich's Spartacus outside the former Soviet bloc countries? I can't think of any.

I'd take a season like this over anything full of McGregors, Scarletts, Pitas,...

James Timm was immediately responsive to my email. I complained about phone/internet fees for subscribers and my experience at the box office this week where I was told that I could not yet purchase additional single tickets. He apologized, said I had been given wrong information, and processed my order for me with no fees attached. This is from his initial response:

"2016 ABT subscribers may order additional single tickets at the time of

subscribing. I am very sorry if you heard otherwise.

There are also no additional fees for single tickets if ordered at the

time of subscription.

ABT also does not charge a facility fee, unlike many of our competitors,

which benefits our customers.

I hope this information may prove helpful."

Subscribers can always order single tickets without the ability to pick their own seats. The complaints level against ABT this year is that subscribers can't buy single tickets and pick their own seats during the exchange week.

Robbie Fairchild final curtain videos and pictures are posted on AiP FB page: https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/anamericaninparis?source=feed_text&story_id=1708957879380917&pnref=story

Leanne Cope will remain with AiP Broadway until October, 2016.

I just received the single ticket brochure, Hallberg is no longer listed, I don't know if that means he's gone just for the current season or for good.

Also, on the Met site the costume design for Le Corsaire is listed as Irina Tibilova that's the old production, not the new one by Anibal Lapiz that premiered in 2013, so I assume they are going back to the old production. I wonder for what happened to the new one.

I think there's a possibility of Lane joining WB if she has a better working relationship with Kent and Barbee than with Kevin. There's already an ABT alumna at WB, Nicole Graniero left ABT for WB last summer: https://www.washingtonballet.org/company/nicole-graniero

Someone raised the possibility of Lane joining PA Ballet in another thread, why not both if WB and PAB seasons don't overlap.

I think the NYC tour is now doubtful, I sure hope I am wrong as the SCFTA lauds Laurencia as "Center premiere" not "USA premiere".

Oops I didn't realize there's another thread.

Mariinsky returns to Kennedy Center with Ratmansky's Little Humpbacked Horse 1/31-2/5/17: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/BRBSG

http://www.kennedy-center.org/pages/SpecialEvents/SeasonAnnouncement

Suzanne Farrell Ballet: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/BRBSB

San Francisco Ballet: Wheeldon's Cinderella: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/BRBSI

Cincinnati Ballet The Nutcracker:http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/BRBSC

ABT Swan Lake: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/BRBSE

Mariinsky Ratmansky's Little Humpbacked Horse: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/BRBSG

Les Trock: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/DRDSD

Hamburg Ballet The Little Mermaid: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/BRBSH

Ballet Across America: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/BRBSF

NYCB: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/BRBSD

Also reported in the NYT: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/julie-kent-to-lead-washington-ballet/?ref=arts&_r=0

Going from associate director of ABT to WB is quite a step down, but that's the sacrifice you make for your family. Now ABT needs to fill 2 vacancies.

Berlin just announced 2016/17 season to be performed over 3 venues(Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper im Schiller Theater, Komische Oper Berlin): http://www.staatsballett-berlin.de/en/presse/mitteilungen/02-03-2016/55

New Nutcracker by Nacho Duato replacing Medvedev and Burlaka's reconstructed version

Swan Lake

Sleeping Beauty

Jewels

Giselle

Onegin

A double bill by Maillot & Millepied (Daphnis et Chloe)

Duato's "Multiplicity"

A double bill by Duato and Hofesh Shechter

A triple bill by Duato and Kylián

A triple bill by Duato, Kylián, and Naharin

Duato's "Herrumbre"

All in all a very Duato-centric season.

Some "unofficial" ones start to show up on YT.

Russian TV on Mariinsky's Kennedy Center tour of Raymonda: http://tvkultura.ru/article/show/article_id/148790/

Thanks to California for the link to Segerstrom 2016/17 season: http://www.scfta.org/scfta/media/General/Press/2016-17-Full-Season-Announcement.pdf

Mik will bring Laurencia to SoCal between 11/18-11/20/16, so I assume the NY tour will be the 2 weeks before that and will get Laurencia as well. Osipova and Vasiliev, along with Sergei Polunin will tour with the company. In addition to Le Corsaire and Laurencia, I think NY will also get Swan Lake.

3 programs, that is it? Not counting the annual Nutcracker.

I was hoping that David Hallberg might at least return to do the Ratmansky Chamber Symphony, but that's not in the cards. ABT website updated- Whiteside is first cast in Chamber Symphony, and Cirio is listed for the second cast.

Bolshoi lists Hallberg in its London tour: http://www.roh.org.uk/about/bolshoi

May be there's hope that he'll make it to the Met season unless it's Bolshoi wishful thinking.

http://www.operaballet.nl/en/programma/ballet?filter=179

A wonderful season with European premiere of Ratmansky's Shostakovich Trilogy.

The website indicates a show has been added to Saturday afternoon:

http://www.abt.org/calendar.aspx?startdate=4/1/2016

Not a surprise, all performances are almost sold out, whatever remaining in the nosebleed seation are dynamically priced thru the roof.

And congrat to Trenary on her Aurora debut.

Maria Kochetkova posted on FB hers as 2/20 and 2/23 evenings.

It's official, Robbie Fairchild will leave AiP on 3/13: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/10/theater/robert-fairchild-to-depart-an-american-in-paris.html?smid=fb-share

The new Wheeldon piece for NYCB mentioned in the article I believe will be set to Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue".

Just a reminder that Robbie Fairchild will leave "An American in Paris" in mid-March, if you haven't seen him already, this is your last chance, AiP loss is NYCB gain. However, he will rejoin AiP in its London run. It's not clear whether AiP will move from NY to London, or there will be 2 concurrent runs in NY and London.

Thanks Natalia for the wonderful reports. How's the ending? I mean before Odette and Siegfried glide into heaven, did they commit double suicide?

If that were to be the case - and it is September - it wouldn't be entirely 'back to back' as the NYCB dates are 28/6 - 16/7/16 and are at the Chatalet which I assume means they are being privately sponsored. As such I assume NYCB are definitely NOT being presented under the direct auspices - although I'm certain with the unquestioned sympathy - of the POB. As it is the Chatalet holds a long tradition of a summer dance residence. (SFB was memorably there last summer with a set of 38 different programmes. The Alvin Ailey Company are there this summer. Sadly after the NYCB presentation in 2016 the Chatalet - itself a historic venue associated with dance - will close for a couple years of refurbishment.)

One thing I do think might count against ABT SPECIFICALLY presenting Ratmansky's SB in Paris - and I would love it if they were to as I would very much like to catch up with the Company within easier (to be read more affordable) reach of my own home in London - is the fact that it is a co-production with La Scala and I'm fairly certain that the Italian Company would have the exclusive European rights to any presentation of that specific piece of the Ratmansky oeuvre given their initial artistic and fiscal investment in it.

As it is La Scala itself danced Giselle with Zakharova in Paris last season so they are not an uncommon guest in the City of Light. Zakharova is a La Scala etoile and is scheduled to open Ratmansky's SB production at the famed Milan theatre this year performing on 26th September as well as on 2nd and 6th October 2015. Currently she is scheduled to be partnered by David Hallberg who will be a guest with that Company as he has been in the past. Should Hallberg sadly be required for health considerations to withdraw from his La Scala commitment as he was with this season's ABT turn at the Met, I'm sure Roberto Bolle (a principal with both ABT and La Sala) might well step in as he oft partners the Russian dancer there.

Such a proculsion vis a vis Ratmansky's SB would be in a similar vein to that under which the RB is understandably not able to present either Wheeldon's Alice or Winter's Tale in NYC or LA given that it is a co-production with the NBoC and therefore the North American rights legally fall under the latter's territorial remit.

If the tour were to happen, part of the company would probably be in Paris in August to conduct auditions for supernumeraries and children (the production employs tons of them) and to handle logistics. So it's technically correct that Paris will host NYCB and ABT "back-to-back" from June to September.

Just because RB & NBoC have a certain co-production rights sharing agreement, that doesn't mean ABT and La Scala would have a similar agreement. May be ABT is the senior partner bearing more costs and, therefore, entitling to more rights? We'll find out on Feb. 10 when POB announces the 16/17 season.

Thanks, Natalia. If there's no conflict with NYCB I'd definitely go to DC to escape piles of snow here.

I hope nothing was cut as Kennedy Center lists 2 3/4 hours running time, at the Met it's 3 hours.