drb

Doing the math, that's 13 who have left the corps (5 promotions, 8 delisted) and only one who has entered the corps: Leann Underwood (IMO, close to Sarah Lane as the most significant of recent promotions). You would think there might be some hiring before the next full-length season. Hopeful merde-in-advance to members of the Studio Company!

Two additions: Mary Mills Thomas, apprentice Leann Underwood, corps (from apprentice) Others missing from corps are: Lauren Bossen Amanda Cobb Sasha Dmochowski Daniel Mantei Angela Snow

Thanks, carbro, for clarifying my '60s slip-of-the-tongue! The Joyce has posted the program on their site:

Paul Taylor's Company will give two free performances at this summer's Lincoln Center Festival: Last March there were a number of favorable comments regarding Esplanade (Bach) on a Paul Taylor thread. I'd also add Airs (Handel) and Piazzolla Caldera (Astor Piazzolla) to the must-see list.

Such things as the awareness of partner in 7, physical reality of 9, how 10 says it all, the yearning conveyed by 23, the grand old Bolshoi intensity of 30 and 31, the look of artist fulfilled in 33. Caveat: Schiavone does like to rearrange his photosets, so hope these numbers still apply to the Alexandrova set. In general the rehearsal room mirror is less evident in this performance, they are more immersed in each other. Or so Schiavione has captured it.

Wow! Mr. Schiavone has more than doubled his offerings. There are now 128 photographs, arranged by performance (four): http://www.geneschiavone.com/gallery/album15

This year's new ballets event at Columbia University's Miller Theatre will not involve NYCB choreographers, but will feature a number of that company's dancers. There will be four performances, September 27-30, 2007. http://www.millertheatre.com/Events/Events...x?seasonid=2008

City Center promises "F4D" details will shortly appear here: http://www.nycitycenter.org/ffd/index.cfm

NutcrackerTM is now being sold on the site: In all probability...

In the interview it is stated that his coach Yuri Vladimirov admires Vasiliev's athleticism but is concerned about the roughness of his early training. Ivan seems aware of this and was clearly working on it even back in Minsk: The MTV approach used for the article's video, including slow-mo, obscures his dancing, but the last video on his site, Don Q at age 17 with Natasha Osipova, seems to show positive results from this yearning for Baryshnikov polish, especially in variation 1, and the coda brings to mind the glory days of Baryshnikov's early partnership with Gelsey Kirkland. Personal record: 21 rotations for one pirouette!

The Time Out interview referred to Ms. Lane as being the shortest dancer in ABT. Hope that Sarah read the review of her ABT Reno performance posted in Links, especially the part I've highlighted:

In a review of Wheeldon's Evenfall in June, 2006, Robert Gottlieb said yet the same score had been used by John Clifford during Balanchine's era (1974) in his Bartok #3. Before that, in 1951 Todd Bolender's Miraculous Mandarin was in City Ballet's rep. In the post Balanchine era at NYCB there have also been Trey McIntyre's Steel and Rain (1994), Chris d'Amboise's Triptych (2000), as well as Evenfall. Any others? There are no ballets to Bartok listed in the Balanchine Trust's Active Rep. Searching is tricky, as one needs to also check for the spelling Bartók.

My guess is that there could have been uncertainty re Cojocaru/Kobborg (hence, one of the new Wheeldons). I don't think City Center's site added Bussell/Cope till two days after the July 9th casting announcement. http://www.nycitycenter.org/events/event_d...vent_code=WDN08

I can't find City Center's July 9 Press release posted anywhere on BT, so I hope it is OK to post the dancers and the programs for MORPHOSES here without waiting any longer, since tickets go on sale Monday (I believe already being sold to City Center Members). DANCERS BALLETS http://www.nycitycenter.org/about/press.cfm

Even if you weren't here then, you could see the August 16, 2007 performance on Live from Lincoln Center (PBS): http://www.lincolncenter.org/load_screen.a...incoln%20Center

Just five more weeks! They've now added a clever video (click on the left of the page) that jumps from section to section while just playing a continuous portion of the music for the middle ballet, yet looks like it all fits the music. Does this say something good or bad (or Merce-ish) about Morris? At any rate, the vid is large, clear and about two and a half minutes long. http://www.lincolncenter.org/show_events_l...eventcode=14559

City Center has posted the names of dancers for the Morphoses season, October 17-21: So much for retirement, DARCEY BUSSELL! While sorry to see that Alina Cojocaru (Get Well, Soon!) and Johan Kobborg are not listed, fans of NYCB should be especially pleased to see Ashley, Maria, and Wendy. Elsewhere on their site, City Center has a full press release that also details the ballets to be performed in the two programs.

City Center has now posted the Fall ABT programming. Certainly bargain pricing, far less than Wheeldon, Paul Taylor, Ailey, Vishneva, Mariinsky. Yet, even more, they offer substantial discounts for three or more performances. Very strange ('though welcome!). https://www.nycitycenter.org/events/event_d...vent_code=ABT08

I voted 1. I actually attended frequently this season, but would have gone even more without block programming. There were two reasons for going that often: 1. Loads of Balanchine. That aberation will not continue, as is evident from the early information for the winter season. Three full-lengths: NYBT? 2. Ashley Bouder, Kyra Nichols, Ashley Bouder, Tess Reichlen, Ashley Bouder, Sara A. Mearns, Ashley Bouder, Maria Kowroski, Ashley Bouder. Certain perceived benefits from block programming failed to materialise. The number of different ballets performed in a given week of rep was NOT decreased. It was just that the one you really wanted to see more frequently was always stuck with the same others, and in the same order (so if it were on last, you were trapped, or decided to wait till next year). Without choice, the average number you really wanted per performance was lowered. Dancer workloads remained unbalanced, perhaps even moreso, especially when one of two dancers for a given ballet was out with injury. As discussed at various times over the two seasons, Ashley Bouder had an extremely taxing interval last winter, and Maria Kowroski was overloaded the last half of the spring season.

Re: Lane/Cornejo: Let's put it this way, if they are paired in McK's Sleeping (or anything else) next summer at the Met, I'll make it priority #1! Hope you go, and even more, hope you'll tell us about it! Another cancellation of X. Reyes. Does anyone know whether she is still scheduled for the 14 July Othello? I hope so, so that the Lane casting would be for artistic reasons rather than for a continuing injury. Xiomara would seem a natural for Desdemona, just as Sarah for Aurora.

For the fun of it, I checked the closing performance (April 20) ticket availability on City Center's site. Ignoring the seats listed as held back by Ardani (for Opening Night and ???, centers for Orch A-J, GT A, Mezz A), I found that first row center seats were available in each price range. So not exactly selling like hotcakes! Also, only a few of those VIPs are listed as sold for Opening Night by Ardani. I would guess those closer rows (obviously, some of these very undesirable) will eventually become available at more normal prices, wouldn't you think? Didn't check other dates, as the closing, with such a great program, should be relatively desired. http://www.nycitycenter.org/index.cfm

Osipova/Vasiliev.

You'd need two or three other casts. I wonder if Stella Abrera's Cinders performances might hint that she could do it? Since it is a masterpiece, Diana Vishneva (Corella) might be interested in the challenge, and since it is Ashton, Gillian Murphy (Hallberg). But who for Alain, the ballet's central character? An all-Ashton mixed bill from ABT's rep might be: A Birthday Offering (while Julie Kent is still here from ABT's original cast) intermission Symphonic Variations (for art, but since it lasts only 18 mins, follow it with a fan-grabber star turn) pause 5 Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan (Ferri, why not?, she lives here; or Nina) intermission Les Patineurs (to give lots of young dancers exposure)

Tickets are now on sale for this winter's Paul Taylor season at City Center. http://www.ptdc.org/cc_07.php

Getting back to Ashley Bouder, there'd be no jumping issue! In today's links there's an interview with Bolshoi's rising superstar Natasha Osipova. On first sighting she struck me as their Bouder: not the same line, but the muscular strength, the jump, the daring, the joy... Regarding possible issues raised by Ashley's 5ft 5in stature, it is fascinating how yesteryear's tall is today's short: