Helene

I answered on the "Giselle Question #1: Is Albrecht a cad?" thread. Also relevant is the "Albrecht's charade, How long would it last, and have ended?" thread.

In another thread, smokeyjoe asked in response by my post about the Dutch National Ballet "Giselle" video: What is your opinion on Albrecht's role in Giselle is he a sinner or a person looking for escape when forced to marry cause of his status? Does he really fall in love or he only feels bad cause of the tragical outcome of his actions? When is the moment when he realizes how he feels about her if he does love her? Do you think this story is still actual today? Love, tragedy, social differences, arranged marriage etc.? In this thread there hasn't been any argument that the Romantic tradition requires a single "right" answer that would drive Giselle's behavior in the second act. Taking class into consideration, which is part of the tradition, doesn't dictate one approach over another, but regardless of his intention or feelings, Giselle will save him in Act II, and the Romantic tradition finds him worthy of salvation. Because of that, I don't think it matters how Albrecht feels about Giselle in Act I or what he was going to tell her when. Although had he been given a chance to explain, how he could spin it to her to make him look any better than a selfish escapist beats me, but then I'm not someone who would readily accept "I had to act unethically because I could not control myself." (Albrecht doesn't work very well on project managers.) I don't have much sympathy for anyone who holds the power and uses it to manipulate the situation, much like the protagonist Erland in "A Rational Solution", a movie from Sweden I saw yesterday at the Seattle International Film Festival. (The women remain alive.) The bottom line is that his "me, me, me" behavior towards her, whatever the cause or rationalization, causes her to die of a condition he knows about. I think the story is still actual today, aside from the Wilis part. Formal arranged marriage is still prevalent for a billion people in the world spread over many countries, and as prevalent are class, religious, and ethnic pressures to marry a certain way. People can make up virtual identities at will. People will want what they want when they want it, and if they have the power and wherewithal to get it, they often will. That doesn't make Act I Albrecht any better a human being.

Casting is listed on the PNB site: The Sleeping Beauty (Rose Adagio) Aurora Lesley Rausch Duke of Aquitaine Batkhurel Bold Duke of Bordeaux William Lin-Yee Duke of Burgundy Kiyon Gaines Duke of Glascony Jerome Tisserand Mopey (Excerpt) Benjamin Griffiths The Seasons (Fall) Bacchante Ariana Lallone Bacchus Karel Cruz Raymonda (Act III Entr'acte) Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra The Four Temperaments (Choleric) Lindsi Dec Red Angels Carla Körbes Batkhurel Bold Carrie Imler Jordan Pacitti Coppélia (Act III Pas de deux & Finale)* Swanilda Mara Vinson Franz James Moore *The finale has Dawn, Prayer, Spinner, Jesterettes, and Discord and War, which means lots of dancers! The performance marks the retirement of conductor Stewart Kershaw, to whom the program is in honor, and Jordan Pacitti, who retires after 11 years with the Company. Pacitti will work full-time on his company, Jordan Samuel Fragrances, which he started through the Second Stage program. Here is a link to a radio interview Pacitti did in April about his plans and in which he answers "Why now?"; the transcript on the linked page isn't exact: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/new...2%80%99.in.Life Here's a link to a PNB video about "Red Angels", with an an interview of Pacitti and Lesley Rausch, and clips of performances -- Pacitti/Rausch, Lallone/Wevers -- and rehearsals -- Pacitti/Imler, Pacitti/Rausch, Dec, Porretta/Nakamura, Boal partnering Rausch while Postlewaite watches, and Korbes/Bold: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pag...18528335?ref=ts

The Balanchine Classics program opens this coming Friday, 11 June through Sunday 13 June, and features the following ballets: Prodigal Son (Prokofiev) Divertimento No. 15 (Mozart) Four Temperaments (Hindemith) I've been checking the cast page impatiently, although as of today, nada, but in an article about the program on azcentral.com, there are quotes from Ib Andersen about "Prodigal Son" and the casting news that Roman Zavarov will dance the lead.

At the PNB post-performance Q&A last night, Otto Neubert substituted for Peter Boal and said that Boal was on his way to NYC for a farewell performance. (This mean un-becoming Dr. Coppelius and catching the red-eye.) For those of you who will be at Yvonee Borree's farewell, keep your eye out for him.

Wuzrobbed of Nakamura I hope that she recovers quickly and can perform next weekend.

Congratulations, Amanda

From Peter Boal's notes (sent from PNB via email):

Congratulations to Mr. Bullion

They could not get permission to film in Abu Dhabi.

Samantha was always supposed to be older than the rest, just as their portrayers are in real life (Nixon: 44, Davis and Parker: 45, Cattrall: 53, birthday August). In 1998 when the series opened, Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda were supposed to be in their early 30's, and Samantha 40 or slightly older, the actresses' ages at the time, or at least within a year or two.

From Matt Zoller Seitz's review on ifc.com:

In an interview published yesterday, Sondra Radvanovsky weighs in (scroll to bottom):

Thank you for the identification. Another talented man. I have to figure out how to get to Copenhagen...

Was it Lendorf in "La Sylphide"?

Here's the daily cast list: Thursday, 10 Jun Swanhilda:: Rachel Foster* Franz: Benjamin Griffiths* Dr. Coppelius: Jordan Pacitti* Waltz of the Golden Hours: Mara Vinson Dawn: Carrie Imler Prayer: Carla Körbes Spinner: Chalnessa Eames Discord and War: Lindsi Dec/Jerome Tisserand Friday, 11 Jun Swanhilda:: Mara Vinson Franz: James Moore Dr. Coppelius: Jeffrey Stanton Waltz of the Golden Hours: Rachel Foster Dawn: Sarah Ricard Orza* Prayer: Lindsi Dec* Spinner: Margaret Mullin* Discord and War: Ariana Lallone /Batkhurel Bold Saturday, 12 Jun matinee Swanhilda:: Lesley Rausch* Franz: Jerome Tisserand* Dr. Coppelius: Olivier Wevers Waltz of the Golden Hours: Rachel Foster Dawn: Carrie Imler Prayer: Kylee Kitchens Spinner: Brittany Reid Discord and War: Ariana Lallone/Batkhurel Bold Saturday, 12 Jun evening Swanhilda:: Carla Körbes Franz: Seth Orza Dr. Coppelius: Olivier Wevers Waltz of the Golden Hours: Rachel Foster Dawn: Sarah Ricard Orza Prayer: Lindsi Dec Spinner: Chalnessa Eames Discord and War: Carrie Imler/Karel Cruz Sunday, 13 Jun matinee Swanhilda:: Rachel Foster Franz: Benjamin Griffiths Dr. Coppelius: Jordan Pacitti Waltz of the Golden Hours: Liora Reshef Dawn: Lesley Rausch Prayer: Sarah Ricard Orza Spinner: Margaret Mullin Discord and War: Lindsi Dec/Kiyon Gaines*

OK, starting to drool now...

Some of the most stunning dancing I've ever seen, live or on tape. It's hard to think of any men anywhere who would look right in Villella's role. Even Kent's: while many women have the flexibility, very few have that way of yielding and yet remaining separate. (In this day and age, to find the yielding part is hard enough. Maybe Part.) Olivier Wevers at PNB would be great in it, even if he's taller than Villella. Maybe with Korbes, since Nadeau is no longer dancing.

It would be wonderful if this ended up on iTunes.

I have to stay away from this thread because now I'm starving. I'm happy you asked, MakarovaFan. Ever time I'm in the Lincoln Center area before a performance, I blank on where to eat. Now I can print this out and bring it with me.

Many thanks for the translation, Anne!

I saw four films last weekend at the Seattle International Film Festival, three of them excellent (City of Life and Death, Katalin Varga, Vortex) and one quite fine (The Milk of Sorrow). They've taken to running a trailer for an upcoming movie after their Festival intros, and had I not seen Vortex, I would have skipped it actively based on the trailer that seemed to describe another (bad) movie entirely; skipping it would have been a shame. I decided to ignore the trailers going forward.

Sibley was so beautiful from the waist up, and upper and lower body were so integrated.

That would apply more to resident/semi-resident choreographers who work with the same company over a number of years and watch the dancers' development. For itinerant choreographers, they really don't have the opportunity to stay to watch. From all descriptions I've read or about which I've heard in Q&A's, a visiting choreographer often watches class or rehearsals and chooses dancers rather quickly. It's a rare case to have a workshop or workshop-like period with a visiting choreographer, although it sounds like Twyla Tharp did a PNB for, if I remember correctly, four to six weeks in which she created two new works for the company's season opener. You are correct but for me she does not make this clear. She switches from an example of a Royal Ballet "lifer", Miyako Yoshida in the first paragraph to discuss only modern dance for the rest of the article. While there are some ballet dancers who've embraced guesting, the major companies with affiliated academies to which most graduates aspire have pretty solid retention rates among those who stay in ballet. The majority of dancers will remain in the corps, and at some point, either they realize that they aren't going farther in the hierarchy or someone tells them. Then it's a matter of a number of reasons why they might stay -- ex: pensions, prestige, a decent living, wanting to stay in the area, individual relationships, inertia, great rep, a resident genius -- many of which have little to do with a sense of family or loyalty, much like other working people. Another factor is change; for example, many PNB dancers have said in Q&A's that Francia Russell and Kent Stowell were like Mom and Dad to them, and that it was an adjustment to work for someone who was not interested in being Mom and Dad. Family is such a weird concept anyway. Many of Balanchine's dancers from the '30's, 40's, and 50's have described working with Balanchine in his companies and pick-up groups and how it felt like a family; this wasn't the case as the company grew larger, NYCB became an institution, Balanchine didn't need them to "Win one for the Gipper" anymore -- Tallchief in interviews frequently said that he married her to ensure her loyalty to what would become NYCB -- and they all became older, with Balanchine more interested in youth.

The Goh Ballet will perform "The Nutcracker", choreographed by Anna-Marie Holmes and produced by Chan Hon Goh, from December 16-19 at Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts. This production premiered last season. There will be guests from Pacific Northwest Ballet this year, and from National Ballet of Canada, like last year. http://www.straight.com/article-325704/van...ions-nutcracker Ballet British Columbia will present Alberta Ballet's "The Nutcracker", a new production choreographed by Edmond Stripe and designed by Zach Brown, from December 29-January 1 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. (Single tickets on sale on 16 August according to the subscription brochure.) http://www.balletbc.com/09/201011season.asp Happily there will be live music at both -- musicians from Vancouver Opera Orchestra will play for Goh Ballet, and the Vancouver Symphony for Ballet British Columbia -- and they are not overlapping, with even a holiday breather in between.