chauffeur

Well, I still have my doubts. I've seen some of the nominated dancers perform in the past year and I just have a very hard time believing this is the best of the new best. It seems like connections have a lot to do with the nominations and that makes it suspect in my books.

I'm sorry, but this whole thing doesn't sound like it's worth the bandwidth being spent to figure it out. It really strikes me as being no different than the various honors that Hollywood types bestow on themselves each year. I'm sure these are all excellent dancers but it's clearly not a true competition and, more likely, is little more than a glorified publicity tool for those involved. Better to spend our time and money helping companies stay afloat in their day-to-day operations.

The closing image in the Australian Ballet's Swan Lake (as choreographed by Graeme Murphy) might be an exception. I really can't do it justice in 1000 words or less, but suffice it to say, it was one of the few "kickers" in a story ballet that has ever made me gasp and "get it". Well, OK, I'll try. This version's Lake is a huge tilted ellipse centered upstage (high end upstage). As I recall, the first time it's seen, it's covered with sparkly white velvet and the Swans rest on it. Next time, at the end, it's covered with a black velvet. At the very end, when Odette seems to willingly sacrifices herself to save her prince, she sinks ("drowns") rapidly into a circular trap door at the top of this ellipse. In sinking, the black velvet whips down through the door with her, leaving a blindingly white ellipse. The immediate impact is to show Odette taking the darkness of evil with her, leaving behind goodness. Totally worked for me.

Yup! I was! Carreno was a walking master class in stage presence, wasn't he? All he has to do is stand there and breathe, and you can't watch anyone else!

Starr, if I'm not within reasonable walking distance of KC, I like the option of taking the KC Shuttle bus from the Foggy Bottom Metro stop (what's that, the blue or the orange line?). I looove the Metro system, and I remember it can be an absolute bear getting a taxi after KC shows. Unless you know well how to navigate the streets of DC, you really don't want to be driving a car to/from KC. It's easier to end up across the river in Virginia than it is at KC! and thanks for the Priceline advice, Leigh. I've never tried that, but with a safety net reservation in place, I think I will!

Miliosr, I am so with you on the idiocy of the Corsaire "plot." We saw ABT perform it two weeks earlier in Cleveland (Hallberg and Herarra, Carreno as Ali, Lopes and Reyes, Cornejo as Lankedem which was awesome -- those 540s!!), and I felt like I could have left after Act II and been perfectly satisfied with the all the whoop-de-do dancing that we got to see in the first two acts. For me, Corsaire mostly just feels like "Six Principal Performers in Search of a Plausible Storyline." But ABT-quality dancing does, for the most part, make it totally worthwhile. I can only imagine how numbing it might feel in the hands (and feet) of a lesser company. Incidentally, Act III Dream Sequence -- I don't know if this number features what I call "Gratuitous Use of Children" in every location, but what we saw was painfully amateurish. I realize it probably helps sell tickets to the locals, but it felt completely out of whack to the rest of the performance.

yeah, I bit the bullet on the $60 membership thing, even before I saw you posted, nysusan! I rationalized that it was worth it on the airfare I'm saving by booking my plane tix today. And we got nearly identical seats for both Wednesday and Thursday -- center of row F in the 1st tier, which is just where I like it. I really thought Thursday, being opening night for Sleeping Beauty, might have fewer tickets available, but I guess not. Now to decide if we bother friends for beds to sleep in, or go hunting for hotel bargains!

Akk! Just realized -- I have to get tickets for the Ashton mixed bill on Wed, June 21 and Sleeping Beauty on Thurs, June 22 to make this work. Does anyone think I'll have problems getting tix to SB on its opening night? (and what time does that darn box office open because I can't find that info online?) Thanks!

So, kfw, what's the best way to purchase? Calling KC directly? And thanks for the offer, Leigh, but we're hoping for nice weather so we can pitch a tent on the Mall.

Ticket sales to the public for the Kennedy Center appearance go on sale this friday, April 7. I'm trying to decide if I can safely commit to some excellent midweek airfares before then. And by "safely" I mean, will I still be able to get tickets to the Tuesday mixed bill and the Wednesday Sleeping Beauty (fie on you, Leigh Witchel, for encouraging me to attempt both!)? What are people's experiences with how quickly Kennedy Center ballet bills sell? thanks! oh, and any tips on whether it's better to buy online or go through the switchboard, Ticketmaster or whatever other purchasing route is available?

Wow. Two thoughts: 1) this is not how real journalists function, and 2) this is reason enough to not purchase Dance Europe anymore. Hit 'em where it hurts, I say.

Holy cow, my daughter was just today saying that she would love to see Royal Ballet perform!! The KC dates and distance are doable for us, so what say you experts to the choices -- the mixed repertory program with two Ashton pieces (La Valse and Enigma Variations) or Sleeping Beauty?

We're headed there tomorrow, but in the meantime, any reports from anyone who has seen a performance already?

We already have tickets for the Sunday matinee. No complaints from us on that cast! Thanks for posting it.

That's odd and kind of sad that they didn't. NBC showed all three Canadians and the commentators made a big fuss over Sawyer who clearly could be a big player by 2010.

OK, I just saw the American telecast of Plushenko's short, expecting phenomenal things of a 90 score, and I was profoundly underwhelmed. Is it just me or was his choreography positively spastic? And Lambiel just finished. I can appreciate the differences in technical excellence, but the choreography here was soooo much better. The costume though....

Back from Cleveland and the Four Seasons/Firebird double billmatinee yesterday. First of all, I found the entire program to be absorbing and entertaining, the kind of performance that I think will yield lots of food for thought over time. It was absolutely worth the long drive. It was a fairly full house at the State Theatre, though there were a few more folks recovering from upper respiratory illnesses than I like to see (or hear) at the theater. The Four Seasons featured Aleksandar Antonijevic as the lead "Everyman". He grew on me. He was a bit too blank a blank canvas to begin with, but perhaps that was his intent? By the time he got to Winter, I was sorry to see him go. Stacey Minagawa danced lead on Spring. I so admire her technique -- that woman could probably remain balanced en pointe during a 7.8 Richter scale earthquake, but once again she failed to engage me emotionally (we saw her do Sugar Plum Fairy last month). As for Summer, I am officially a member of the Greta Hodgkinson Fan Club now. wow! I actually teared up a little watching the pas with her and Aleksandar in the first part of Summer. The choreography was so complex and rapid-fire -- yet it never overwhelmed the artistry. No matter how fast and precise the dancing, I still felt connected to the dancers and what they were expressing. I think it was honestly the most beautiful and thrilling contemporary pas I have ever seen. Autumn was interesting. There's something about Rebekah Rimsay's upper-body technique that's a bit too "lurchy" for my liking, but she has a strong and intriguing presence. I'll bet there are some parts out there that are spot-on perfect for a dancer like her. Winter, perhaps predictably, got a strong response from the audience with the quartet of older dancers. I have mixed feelings, particular with the two women, Victoria Bertram and Lorna Geddes. Something about the two men, Tomas Schramek and Hazaros Surmeyan, and their dancing felt more natural and unforced. Christopher Body had the role of the "other man" in Winter: he projected a very strong, dramatic presence. His stomping off as the curtain fell was heart breaking. I know some have said in their reviews that following a couple through the "four seasons" of life might have been more effective, but I honestly liked the clarity and simplicity that following one person provided. Life is a solitary journey, even when and if you find a partner. As for Firebird, I was very pleasantly surprised, especially having heard from so many people that it wasn't great. To be sure, it's not high art, but it was highly entertaining. I found myself smiling often throughout at the delightfully and subtly humorous details. It all sort of felt like Dr. Seuss on acid -- but then again, the Stravinsky score itself is like Tchaikovsky on acid. I think Kudelka did a very effective job of wedding all the senses by following the lead of this challenging music. We got Guillaume Cote as Prince Ivan, Jennifer Fournier as the Firebird and Jillian Vanstone as Princess Vasiliva. Cote was superb, a very believable romantic figure and he was able to do the Firebird "catch and release" without it feeling borderline sadistic as it does with some dancers. The entire performance, in fact, had a happy, wacky sexy vibe to it -- Cote's performance helped a lot though I think most of it came from the giddy sensory stimulation (loved the set design, loved the costumes). Fournier didn't rock my world as the Firebird. She bobbled a few steps early on and her decision to do the part with her mouth firmly clenched shut became distracting rather than a seamless part of her characterization. And I know she's supposed to be a non-human character, but the character's decision to reward the prince with loyalty is very human and I would have liked to have had a stronger sense of the bird's feelings. I found myself wondering how Hodgkinson would have been in the part. Vanstone did as well with the princess part as I think she could, though she did seem to be a bit unsure of her partner. I sensed she was watching too often to make sure Cote would be where she needed him with his partnering. But it is kind of the quintessential "dumb blonde" role with Kudelka choosing to amplify the hair-tossing and baby-making hips of "women in heat" with the costuming and choreography. I'll choose to focus on the humor of the princesses rather than the latent hostility toward women. As I said, given these constraints Vanstone did as well as she could in creating a likable romantic heroine. Last note, the scaled-down NBoC orchestra was in very good form. Fujiko Imajiski's violin solos during The Four Seasons were exquisite, and I don't think the quality or depth of sound suffered at all during Firebird from having the smaller orchestra.

Being a relative newcomer to these NBoC discussions, I have to say that one thing that's hitting me is the amount of Kudelka-bashing that's going on nowadays. Has it always been this way, or is it part of some "good-bye" ritual where what was previously considered acceptable (or even genius) is now being reassessed and found lacking? Or was there a point at which his work did change? I'm not saying that people's perceptions now are at all invalid, but I'm confused as to how a choreographer whose work seems lately to be universally reviled ever lasted in the job as long as he did.

Thank you for finding that thread, Helene (and gosh, I wonder who "creativejuice" is! ) ! More great preparation for this weekend's show, but now I'm really chomping at the bit to know who we'll see dance.

I think if you use the "mom2" name on another board, mom2, that's where you're remembering some of this discussion from! So I'll warn you now you might see a review in both places! I am a little stymied on finding out the cast we'll get, though. It doesn't look like, from the NBoC Web site, that they provide the cast lists at all when they're on tour. Bummer!

We're going to see the company perform Kudelka's Firebird and Four Seasons next weekend. Any thoughts from anyone on what to expect? We saw their Nutcracker last month and, while I found that I enjoyed the spectacle of much of it, I didn't feel as if there was enough truly virtuostic dancing to sate my appetite. Hirano as Peter/Nutcracker impressed with his technical and acting skills. Minagawa and Ogden underwhelmed as the SPF and Snow Queen respectively: something just didn't seem to reach out and connect with either. But it was near the end of the run and with many last-minute cast changes, it's quite possible many dancers were simply exhausted.

I haven't been able to watch the men's LP that I taped yesterday, but I did stay up to watch the women's. I was so heartened by Cohen's ability to pull it back together after bobbling those two triples. in LPs past, I think that would have been it for her concentration. and I agree with the commentators -- that is a potentially gold-medal-winning LP routine. And she struck me as the only truly world-class women's contender from the US. So what is the deal, though, with the ongoing problems that skaters/coaches have in picking good music?! There is so much good, no, great music out there, and it makes ALL the difference with these routines, but every year, it seems like the majority of competitors have picked lousy music. And then who are these so-called choreographers who seem incapable of matching movement to music? And why are they being paid money? And, finally, snaps up to Stephanie Rosenthal. It tweren't necessarily pretty but it was intelligent and it was choreographed to her music. She won me over by the end.

Wow, Helene, thank you so much for such a thorough analysis! I really appreciate it. I'll be fascinated to read your post-championships summary!

Nick Hornby's "A Long Way Down" -- his writing just keeps getting better and better with each book. I find I'm trying to limit how much I read at each sit-down with this book, because I want to make it laaaast! The four characters are so real, their first-person narrative voices are all so distinct, and the storyline, though it could easily go maudlin, is funny and compelling all at once. (Four strangers cross paths atop a London apartment building one New Year's Eve, each intent upon leaping off because their respective lives suck.) Loving it!

I think it is a question of increased competition for people's expendable income. There simply weren't as many choices available back then for how people spent what extra money they had. As to why they're not choosing ballet, I don't have any problem blaming TV and film who have contributed mightily to the public's decreasing attention span. If you're used to having your entertainment carved up into tiny pieces, it's very hard to wrap your brain around "large pieces" of high art.