TutuMaker

I just want to add that all the official statements iterate this is her last season with PNB. No mention by any party about it being her last season dancing, or retirement. Leaving a company after a long stay does not require retirement. Frequently dancers do retire at this point, I just noticed there was no official statement about retirement.

I seems to be fashionable to bad mouth Mr. Stiefel. The implication that he is somehow responsible for the demise of Ballet Pacifica is unjust. The board had previously let go Molly Lynch, and long-time AD with a great track history due to disagreements about the programming. The board seemed to believe that having Mr. Stiefel as AD would bring in large amounts of money without any effort on their part. Mr. Stiefel seemed the only party interested in raising money. As to the collapse of the school, one can only blame the board Once again money was unwisely spent to employ approximately 8 administrators. I am unaware of any other school that has more money going to administrators than instructors! Additionally the executive director was abrasive and completely ignorant of ballet.

In short, I believe promises were made to Mr. Stiefel and that the board did not keep their end of the bargain. In my observations, Mr. Stiefel took his obligations very seriously!

In regards to NCSA, I would hazard to guess that Mr. Stiefel was in negotiations with RBNZ at the time that his contract with NCSA needed to be renewed. Rather than tip his hand, he probably stated what he would do if he did not sign the RBNZ contract.

I wish all the best to Mr. Stiefel, Ms. Murphy and the Royal Ballet of New Zealand.

This link is about a Suzanne Farrell Ballet performance that included Bugaku. In the last post is a link to the New York Times on-line edition with photos of the performance. Photographs 6 and 7 are of Bugaku.

I also liked Skylar (might have got that wrong) Campbell, 17, from the US. Another one I liked was a New Zeeland girl Karen Johnson who also didnt get a prize

Both Skyler Campbell and Karen Johnson competed in the 2009 competition not in the 2010 and are both from Southern California, United States.

If someone

poked me in the rear

I saw it once at the Kennedy Center. The usher had the patrons camera in under 30 seconds!

At this point there are conflicting reports as to what her status is. I would hope that no one jumps to conclusions!

Conflicting News

The current contract is on line here.

Thank you so much ivypink!

I will let her know immediately!

ivypink,

I am there infrequently, my daughter lives there.

I would be grateful if you would!

My daughter has been unable to find a copy in Salt Lake. If you locate any let me know where please!

I cringe when I hear the word "robust" used to describe a machine.

I also abhor the use of "shut up" to express disbelief!

Thank you once again Jack for bring Ms. Farrell's company to those who are unable to see it in person!

Thank you for also identifying the dancers in the photo. Mr. Prescott was easily identified by his glorious curls, but I had a hard time with the others.

Would you be so kind as to describe the costuming detail, and also who gets credit for their construction?

I don't mean to be beging for details, but I do love all the details!

If not too much trouble, were any of the regular corps members there? Reed? Kurt? Ian? etc.?

Thank you soooo much for your incite, opinions and observations...keep them coming!

Lewis Seigel has done more to drive audiences away from Ballet in this town by being incredibly unforgiving to new projects and dance in LA.

He actually has been quite kind to LA Ballet thank goodness giving them a chance to get their footing although he was pretty harsh about this years nutcracker.

He is a big name and his opinion carries weight and in a city where ballet needs some support and struggles to survive he has not been a champion for it in my opinion.

I am with Memo 100% here! It is indeed sad that the LA Times has decided to eliminate the position of dance critic, but I think it was high time Mr. Segal was replaced. It is just sad that he will not be replaced.

I spoke with him on the telephone once, begging him to cover a local dance story that was both disheartening and shocking. He outright refused. He stated that it was too controversial.

I was also bewildered by his facination with LA Ballet's Ms. Gill......I just didn't get it.

I do not believe he was a strong supporter of dance! Most of his reviews would give one reason not to attend the ballet.

Here is a link to the slide show Jack was referring to.

For the most part I was very impressed by not only the quality of the photographs, but also by the composition. It was nice to have these pictorial reminders of dancers I so enjoyed in June. I was again struck by the eye to eye contact that was such a big part of the pieces that were presented in late spring. Ms. Elisabeth Holochuk and Natalia Magnicaballi, it seems from these photos have gazes that are nothing less than fierce!

Costume wise I thought it was quite clever to repeat the look of the skirt of the soloist in "Pithoprakta" in the headpiece. As to the rest of the costumes I loved the simplicity that seems to be the hallmark of this company. The only critisism I could offer would be that the colors in "Fourth Movement of Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet ," seem to be very bland.

Thank you once again Jack. I especially appreciate your beautiful costume descriptions---you've painted a picture I can see in my mind! I am wistfull that I was unable to see these performances.

Thanks also to Mike for your views and descriptions!

I cannot tell you just how much I apprectiate the time you both took to share these performances!

Thank you Jack for a very thorough review! I am glad you take the time to write for so many of us who cannot attend. I eagerly look forward to what you have to say about Program B.

Old Fashioned Posted Jul 3 2007, 02:33 PM

The marley used on stage floors always looks black to me, except for the recent ABT Sleeping Beauty. It looked like they used something to make it white and shimmery.

The floor for the ABT Sleeping Beauty was black marley that had been painted. When I walked on it, it seemed very sticky and not as smooth as unpainted marley.

I was with a group that was given a back stage tour after one of the Southern California performances. The person giving the tour stated that painting marley was becoming more common. I had never heard of that before. It would be interesting to learn what type of paint was used, and if it has to be repainted.

The performance was cancelled due to rain. It is an open air theater.

The dancers from the intensive were only from the ensemble group, not the entire enrollment of the intensive. Additional dancer was a former OB student.

Here is my attempt:

The first program I saw opened with Scotch Symphony. The dancing was crisp, clean and technically precise by both the corps and the soloists. As the dance progressed and the speed of the footwork increased, there was never any indication of sloppiness that frequently goes along with fast footwork. The only wobble I saw was on the part of Bonnie Pickard while being supported by Momchil Mladenov. Her arm was visibly shaking as if from tension or fatigue. She did also seem to hold tension in her face, but there were fleeting facial displays of sheer joy. If she had been able to completely release that tension, her performance would have been perfect! In fact, a little girl sitting behind me asked the adult accompanying her asked, “What is wrong with her face?” It was distracting up close, maybe not so much further back? Although this was a difficult piece for the corps, they executed it flawlessly. This was very impressive considering the intricacies of the steps. Their timing was spot on, and their lines were straight. Additionally the costuming was great. It is very difficult to precisely fit a rotating group of dancers and sometimes you just do the best you can. Each dancer looked as if the costumes were made just for them. Not one gape or wrinkle to be seen. Kudos to wardrobe! I disagreed with the choice of bright red (with a trace of orange) for the costume for Gina Artese. I think I would have picked a richer, darker red, but that again is my own personal preference! The bright red just seemed jarring. The pale pink for the female corps (Violeta Angelova, Amy Brandt, Morgan Davison, Kristen Gallagher, Kara Genevieve, Elisabeth Halowchuk, Katelyn Prominski and Lisa Reneau) was beautiful. The male corps dancers (Daniel Benavides, Joseph Bunn, Ian Grosh, James Reed Hague, Kurt Henning, Andrew Kaminski, Benjamin Lester, and Keelan Whitmore) were also costumed with great care and it really showed. Sometimes I am distracted by costumes, and start watching the costume and not the dancer. In those cases, I would have to criticize the wardrobe department. Their job is to enhance the dancer, not to over power, but to aid in moving the ballet forward. The wardrobe department really nailed this entire collection of dances!

After the first intermission, Adagio from Concierto de Mozart began. Elisabeth Holowchuk was more than competently partnered by Matthew Prescott. I recall thinking that they gave the impression that they truly enjoyed what they were doing. It was pleasant to see a couple that appeared to be a team, with both partners contributing equally to the success of the dance. It was evident to me that Ms. Holowchuk was always cognizant of contributing to the effort, rather than expecting Mr. Prescott to do all the work without her assistance. Again the footwork was precise and both dancers’ technique was pure and crisp. There seemed constant eye contact between the dancers. I really doubt that Ms. Holowchuk will remain in the corps much longer. If I were a betting woman, I would wager that she will be moved up the hierarchy very soon! Her performances seem not only consistent and dependable, but also quite entrancing. The violin was beautiful and was like icing on a cake. The costumes were of a light blue that is difficult to use well. Again wardrobe got it right! I especially liked the petal skirt of the tutu. I enjoy simplicity with few sparkles. These costumes were just that.

Following a brief pause, Scène d’amour from Romeo and Juliet was performed. This was my favorite from both shows. Others can call it “noodleing.” I would respond that they just don’t “get” Béjart! Maybe one must be a Baby Boomer to fully appreciate it? From the rise of the curtain with Runqiao Du waltzing with his imaginary Juliet, to the fall of the curtain, I was hooked. Ashley Hubbard portrayed a teen-age girl with believable ease. She relayed at times a feeling of joy that I have never seen on stage by any dancer previously. Her face beamed as her ponytail bounced as she moved across the stage. Ms. Hubbard also expressed distress and grief with equal effect. Mr. Du was also impressive. He too displayed the emotions Romeo experienced with ease. None looked forced. His dancing was technically pure and precise. The corps (Daniel Benavides, Joseph Bunn, Kurt Froman, Ian Grosh, Ken Guan, James Reed Hague, Kirk Henning, Andrew Kaminski, Benjamin Lester, Neil Marshall and Keelan Whitmore) performed well with no one dancer standing out from the group, which is precisely as it should be! The costumes while basic were again perfect for this piece, as was the simple moon on the drop. Dressing the soloists in white was perfect. The two subtle dark colors for the corps got the job done without being overbearing. I am partial to boots on men. Again, the men wore boots but their presence was perfectly subtle. Once again great job! The evening performance had the same cast, with the same result, which demonstrated to me the consistency of these dancers.

Closing the afternoon performance was Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. In this performance, Katelyn Prominski danced the role of the Strip Tease Girl. I believe her performance on the stage on the stage was subdued on purpose. This was when she was at work, simply doing her job. When she dances on the floor in front of the bar, with pure abandon, she is dancing simply for her own joy. Her costume is at first an innocent pale pink and then she changes into a black dress. Katelyn was superb! Elisabeth Holowchuk danced this role in the evening performance. She was capable, but Katelyn owned this role! Kirk Henning danced the Hoofer in the afternoon and Kurt Froman performed in the evening. Kirk was a technically superior tapper, but Kurt dripped with charisma. I enjoyed watching them both equally. They just were quite different, neither better than the other. Benjamin Lester played the role of the Big Boss; Daniel Benavides and Joseph Bunn played Bartenders; Neil Marshal was the Thug; Momchil Mladenov was Morrosine, premier danseur noble; Jared Redick, Ken Guan and Ian Grosh were Policemen; and James Reed Hague, Andrew Kaminski, Matthew Prescott and Keelan Whitmore made up the male corps. These dancers were the same for both matinee and evening shows. The female corps for the afternoon was made up of Emily Erin Adams, Gina Artese, Morgan Davison, Kara Genevieve and Vanessa Woods. For the evening, the dancers were Emily Erin Adams, Violeta Angelova, Gina Artese, Amy Brandt, Kristen Gallagher and Vanessa Woods. There was so much activity on stage at times, even seeing this piece twice I feel as if I have missed parts. After being served tastes of Balanchine and Béjart, this was dessert!

My sincere apologies for taking so long to post this. The simple explanation is the sheer craziness of my work and travel schedule.

Oh I will post, just after I return home on Monday!

I am flying in on Saturday evening and out very early Monday. I am travelling light and do not want to bring my laptop. Nor do I want to spend time on-line while vistiting in DC.

I am so happy with all of the wonderful reviews and am very anxious to see both programs. I will take notes, so I do not forget the highlights.

I was unaware that the rehearsal today was open. I hope someone will report on this too!

A HUGE thank you to Jack and koshka!

I must add Julio Bocca to this list!

I have tickets for both Sunday performances. I won't be able to post until the 11th though, after I return home.

Anyone watching this run?

Round trip airfare on American Airlines from Los Angeles is $220!

I finally get to see a live SFB performance!

Looking at the Playbill Article:

Evelyn Cisneros-Legate, a longtime principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet, has been named director of Ballet Pacifica's school

No mention of Mr. Legate is made in regards to Ballet Pacifica.

The OC register article mentions his retirement. No mention is made that he will have anything to do with the school.

Her husband, San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Stephen Legate, is retiring from the company with a special performance tonight.

Again the Los Angeles Times article makes no mention of any connection between Mr. Legate and Ballet Pacifica.

As wonderful as it will be for the students to have Ms. Cisneros as academy director, it was also wonderful to have Ms. McKerrow. One can only wonder what is the root cause of having 3 academy directors within a 12 month period. It cannot be a very positive atmosphere for children not knowing how long this administration will last, if the past is any indicator.