drb
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Posts posted by drb
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Will be attending on Sunday and can't wait.
Ditto and me too! That video is awesome. Looks like Amanda McKerrow knew what she was doing when she taught Erica Nikiya three years ago!
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How much significance should be given to Peter's naming the ballet after the Claire Danes/Leonardo di Caprio movie Romeo + Juliet rather than the Bard's version Romeo and Juliet? Perhaps the couple are to act more like children, overcome by newly felt emotions to the point that their actions are beyond their still undeveloped rational control, without intellectual complexity, trapped in the torrent of Fate?
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From the Playbill, an article with photos of two of the lead couples:
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And the winners are:
SENIOR:
Grand Prix: Melissa Hamilton
Men's Gold: Jim Nowakowski
Women's Gold: Mako Nagasaki
Honorary Grand Prix: Miles E. Perti
JUNIOR:
Grand Prix: Kiril Kulish
Men's Gold: Tomoha Terada
Women's Gold: Megumi Horiuchi
All the awards are now posted:
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A nice glimpse of the human side of Peter Martins. On creating a ballet:
It's like having a baby. You know, you don't know what the baby's going to look like. You just don't know.And so Episode 8 ends. Wouldn't it be nice if there are more episodes? Perhaps bits of tonight's performance?
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Was this young man Jim Nowakowski from Rochester City Ballet? He is a fantastic performer and a very nice person who truly deserved the accolades he received.
With the MC garbling a multisyllable name and his voice being covered by hysterical screams and cheers...
So I googled that name and found articles including photos. That's the guy!
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While waiting for the new winners to be listed, I looked through the list of prior winners. The 2002 Women's Gold winner is now a Prima Ballerina! She is Maria Abashova, the reigning star of the Eifman Ballet. Not just a name-alike, I checked that company's dancer bios, and they list her win, the same year that she entered the company.
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YAGP PHOTOS
The outstanding ballet photographer Gene Schiavone will post photos of the 2007 NYC Finals within about five days here:
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Here's the Winners page, but the NYC Finals results are not yet up. You might need to click on winners or on awards & scholarships.
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...Yes - I noticed that this young man, who danced to Diana and Acteon, did a similar move to the "karate kick wheelbarrow" move (I still don't know what to call this!) that Denis Matvienko did at the Stars of the 21st Century Gala back in February. Matvienko also danced to Diana and Acteon
Right, your description came to mind as I watched the young guy do it! But the corkscrew aspect of his "KKW" was tighter, faster than Denis's. Less Bolshoi, but classically cleaner.
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Does anyone know whether they've married? From the March 4, 2007 Guardian review of a Nunez-Soares Swan Lake:
Now, every detail tells a story, every gesture sings, every step is luminous with emotion. The result is sublime, and Soares and Nuñez have contrived a happy ending which will surprise no one who has seen them dance together. They've announced their engagement, and are getting married as soon as their respective schedules permit. -
Marianela Nunez!!!!!!!
I hope I have the number of !'s right. During her fouettes in the evening ending Corsaire, I believe that is how many turns she completed in one of her interpolated multiple pirouettes. Her outstanding partner was Thiago Soares (think ABT's Gomes). She is altogether a WOW!, and an endless roar of booooooooos to the Met for not bringing her and The Royal to NYC in years.
Unfortunately, I suppose there wasn't time to print an insert of winners, and the MC was not a master at pronouncing names. Part I of the Gala featured standouts from the competition. Three circa 12-year-olds got things off sensationally. But what I assume was the men's winner came next to last. The youth-filled audience began screaming as his intro started and they were right. I don't think any of ABT's men could approach some of his tricks; the only man I could imagine duplicating his feats would be Ivan Vasiliev.
Part II was for the professionals. First up were the Parisians, Aurelie Dupont and Manuel Legris. Camera flashes, late seatings and yapping made it hard to appreciate, but the wretched choreography -- Petite Mort -- already had done them in. Sure, they danced it better than ABT does... Later they gave the penultimate dance, another less than empty piece of drivel, Neumeier's Dame aux Camelias. One could admire her pointe work, including her ability to express emotions with her pointes (a little like Fonteyn, but she had a, THE, choreographer). So he pulled down her dress, and mounted her for a couple bars of Chopin (literally, the alluded to petite mort of their first piece) -- Chopin went on and so, too, the creative choreography.
The gulf between American and European ballet taste is a veritable ocean.
There was some great dancing of great choreography too. Ashley Bouder, partnered superbly by San Francisco Ballet virtuoso Joseph Phillips, was her very human superhuman self in Stars and Stripes. Fabulous technique with carefree ease. You can tell they've danced together before, as every new contact in the adagio flowed and even melted. The variations were thrilling. Her 11th dance in seven days. Isabella Boylston and David Hallberg were lyrically terrific in a PdD by Ben Milliepied, a world premiere titled Quiet Music. She just flowed in beauty and he had the gravitas of a Premier Dancer. A pair from the Stuttgart, Alicia Amatriain and Jason Reilly danced a modern piece, Itzik Galili's Mono Lisa (not Mona). The very unruly audience was quiet at the beginning, but the first of dozens of mass screams erupted when she began to dance. Remember the comic book character Plastic Man? I've never seen such a flexible dancer. Svetlana Zakharova is a 19th C. ballerina compared to Ms. Amatriain. Yet it was totally right in this little ballet. It would be fascinating to see her in a classical role (she is a Principal).
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Sunderland FC players march onto the pitch to "The Dance of the Knights" from R&J. Some years ago when BRB were performing R&J in Sunderland a CD single of the music was issued. The Sunderland FC Supporters Club sent a coach load of football fans to one of the performances. I think some of them were hooked and still attend when BRB are there.
The sports/ballet connection has been made in the States as well. Some time ago Oakland baseball players danced in the local production of Nutcracker, I believe for a few years. Perhaps some BTer from the Bay Area might be able to say more on this. Wouldn't it be nice if the NY Yankees participated in NYCB's new Romeo + Juliet? Type-casting (baseball fans will know why) would feature Derek Jeter and A-Rod as Tybalt and Romeo.
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A scholarly article by NYCB's Archivist on Mr. Kirstein, together with a slideshow of 64 documents and photos, is now being presented on NYCB's website:
http://www.nycballet.com/researchers/archi...er1_TSMenuID=29
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... I often hear from fund solicitors for other companies that "less than half" the budget comes from ticket sales. But ... does anyone have specific figures?
Which is perhaps as it should be. Local government, business, and real estate interests ought to contribute substantially. Consider the extreme case of Lincoln Center's economic impact (from the October, 2004 Study: The Economic Role & Impact of Lincoln Center, that one may find on its website):
...The total economic impact of Lincoln Center and its resident organizations is over $1.5 billion in output for metropolitan region firms with 15,000 jobs providing $635 million in earnings for residents of the metropolitan region.The Met Opera reports 40% of its operating budget comes from ticket sales, and is said to be in an era of unusually good fiscal condition.
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Saturday, April 28
Boom! and Ballerinas
Terpsichore, Balanchine's version of Apollo that puts the lead Muse on level with the demigod by excising his birth, opened the program. During a solo by Nilas Martins, a loud Boom! from somewhere up and to the right sounded in mid-arabesque, followed a few seconds later by a quieter rumbly growling sound (was it an exploding light?). The dance went on, and was dominated by Maria Kowroski's Terpsichore. She was strong, in character, and a living poem of arabesques. She also seemed less severely skinny than last season.
Jennie Somogyi looked confident and gave a very filled-out account of Polyhymnia, and Rachel Rutherford, so missed during much of last season, made Calliope stand out with a special layer of joy. Nilas Martins seems miscast as Apollo at this stage of his career. There was a lack of epaulement, especially notable when compared to the program's cover photo of Nikolaj Hubbe in the sunburst finale of this production. A reach should reach. Still, he clearly gave it his all, and his successful partnering of Maria as she swam while mounted horizontally on his upper back, drew a substantial burst of applause from the large and demonstrative house. Isn't it about time that yet another, related, Dane in the company had a go at Apollo?
Agon This was wonderful. Andrew Veyette continues to advance toward Principal level, nearly flawless yet intense in the Sarabande and with Ashley Laracey and Savannah Lowery in the first PdT's coda. Tess Reichlen was sensational and looked happy dancing the Bransle Gay, and Double with Seth Orza and Amar Ramasar (and good to see his technique catching up to his charisma). A great ovation.
Wendy Whelan and Albert Evans may not have anything left to say about the grand PdD, but repeating what they know is wealth enough to thrill. The ballet stopped as they were cheered. Bravi too to Marika Anderson, Sophie Flack, Dara Johnson and Gwyneth Muller. Three curtain calls.
Symphony in C A Festival of Ballerinas. Earlier in this thread it was suggested that Ashley Bouder should be promoted to Act 1 from Act 3. Well, of course! But, now that Ana Sophia Scheller owns Act 1, how could they do it? My favorite Act 1 lead in decades! Her natural Petipa style, and absolutely dazzling technique, is breathtaking. Classical restraint in the form of human warmth. Proportion, yet amplitude. I also admired the way Gwyneth Muller projected a nuance of Sleeping Beauty in her demi-soloist role. The crowd acknowledged Ana Sophia's triumph vociferously.
I concur with sz's remark that Sofiane Sylve, partnered by Charles Askegard in Act 2, was regal but not dreamy: she had the command but perhaps not the mystery one would like. Also, the penchee arabesque did not go deep at all, more just a bow to her partner. Still, she was a Queen. And even more, La Sylve.
Act 3, welcome back Kaitlyn! Ashley Bouder and Joaquin De Luz exploded onto the stage. Quite superior to the Boom in Apollo, it reverberated throughout the whole movement. Bouder was in full Imp mode, taking her character so beyond technique that she seemed to be inhabiting all the eyes in the theatre.
The Finale featured that other firecracker, that teen Kyra known as Tiler Peck. All smiles, of course. How will being Juliet affect her stage personna? Tyler Angle was her partner, and it is good to see his technique tested. If.... a successor to Peter Boal?
Goodbye, Mr. B. If just for a couple of weeks. I hope the powers that be decide to continue treating you this well when you return.
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While this is a borderline example, here's the Met Opera using dance to help sell opera subscriptions. From an e-mail received minutes ago:
Subscribe Today!Subscribe today and receive a pair of free tickets the final dress rehearsal of Mark Morris's new production of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, starring acclaimed countertenor David Daniels, on April 30 at 11 am.
All new subscribers are eligible to receive this offer as well as current subscribers who add seats to their subscription or otherwise upgrade. Subscribers who become new members by including a $200 contribution are also eligible.
I think the run of the Morris dance production has been essentially sold out for some time.
Using dress rehearsals of, say, Nutcracker, or a new production of Sleeping Beauty might help to encourage new subscribers to a ballet company. This sort of thing could work within a company or cross-companies: when two companies, say opera and ballet, share the same facility, an opera dress rehearsal could be used as bait to opera subscribers to try out an intro to ballet subs, or vice versa...
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After her return to Odette/Odile last week, further news on Nina's remarkable return to the big roles at age 44, from her company's website:
Sunday, 6 May at 15:00The Tbilisi Z. Paliashvili Opera and Ballet State Theatre with the participation of world ballet stars Nino Ananiashvili and Andrei Uvarov is pleased to announce one performance of Don Quixote, Ludwig Minkus’s ballet in three acts.
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...And there they both are! two adorable kids.
Yes! Sterling and Robbie. A Juliet who's young enough to blush about a kiss (as she demonstrates)! And she's the only one cast who's not a teen!
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There are NO DEBUTS in any roles for the posted casts for the second week of Romeo and Juliet. This is certainly an awkward situation for any SAB Juliets, especially those who appeared in recent articles and on magazine covers.
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I thought Karoui did a well enough job as conductor, though Sym in C was a bit too fast starting out (1st and 3rd movements) having nowhere to build up to by the 4th movement which on its own is suppose to build (speed up) as it moves along. I like the 4th movment fast, but it should build... to an exhilerating pace... not start off at highest speed.
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Nothing in Bizet's score indicates that there should be any increase in tempo in the 4th movement. Whether doing so is an NYCB tradition is another question.... Some musicians have (by analogy with perfect pitch) what can be called "perfect tempo"; for example, there are Toscanini performances recorded years apart that apply the same tempi to the second - as well as performances by other musicians (Gergiev!) who seem never to take the same tempo twice.
Great stuff, sz and Klavier! I wonder whether Bizet, when a mature artist, had he revisited that old homework assignment, might have had further thoughts on the symphony's tempi. Certainly, as sz points out from direct experience, Mr. B. did. sz, did you feel that Balanchine's tempi remarks were for the music qua music, for the total sight and sound package, or were dancer specific?
Thanks also Klavier for the idea of "perfect tempo." I especially found interesting your remark on recent NYCB conductor Valery Gergiev. Earlier this month Diana Vishneva discussed his conducting in an interview in Izvestia. My translation:
...DV: He rarely conducts ballet. The last time we worked together was while in Paris, the Rubies section of Jewels.I: Your colleagues say he is difficult, that he never looks at the scene. Is he a convenient conductor for you?
DV: He is a great conductor, although absolutely not a ballet conductor. In the sense that he never "plays under the foot (leg)" nor questions [himself as to] what tempi are necessary for the dancers.
When Gergiev conducted here, I believe one of BT's posters who had a good view of the maestro noted that he did not watch the dancers. Yet he raised Ashley Bouder to a new height of greatness in Firebird. Some dancers reach their greatest peaks when performing with partners who create spontaneous surprises for them, Makarova, for example. It says something of Bouder's greatness and musicality that with Gergiev as partner she rode the wave to the sublime.
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In part 6 of Tragic Love,
http://tragiclovenyc.com/movie_src/episode6.html
Peter Martins explains why and how the score has been condensed without losing any of the music. Sounds like a well-conceived effort; and, for me, surely welcome, especially if it obviates the dull filler choreography, induced by the long-winded score, that clutters other versions.
Another problem they solved was with the State Theater pit. It is not large enough to hold all the musicians required.
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NEW YORK VISHNEVA SEASON: Feb 21 through 24, 2008 at City Center.
Tickets are now on sale, with pricing at Mariinsky level, on City Center's website and at 212-581-1212.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8 PM; Sunday at 3 PM.
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So, did you enjoy the beginning of all Balanchine week?
Kirov Ballet at City Center, New York
in Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet
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They seem to be aware of the absurdity and risk in selling tickets so far in advance:
I was told by the phone sales person to save my order number, so they could take care of me if I misplaced the tickets.