Helene

You got there faster than I did

So, it's a comedy?

Is anyone planning to see Saratoga City Ballet? According to this article, former NYCB dancer William Otto, who teaches at the affiliated school, will dance Herr Drosselmeyer.

Alexandra wrote a great review for danceviewtimes about the production at the Kennedy Center: http://www.danceviewtimes.com/2009/11/penn...edy-center.html She wrote, Because Peter Boal has added so much contemporary ballet, I have my antennae up for a similar impact on PNB. So far so good: the dancers have been bringing the energy into their neoclassical and classical roles, but it's a danger.

I forgot to note that I saw "The Seasons" a level up on Sunday afternoon, and the patterns of the corps were more coherent from above than they were at Orchestra level. Also, to be clear, I don't think it's the company that fails WSSS, but the piece itself.

I'm afraid you're going to have to be patient. When casting is posted, it will be noted in this thread. Were ABT to post it now, you couldn't really count on it holding up for two months anyway.

How can one be sure to avoid what one doesn't want to see, if when, what, and where are not known? I think you are quite right about the competition. If I were a child or teenager, I'd be drawn by the straightforward stuff, not a dance piece I had to watch carefully and put in context. The latter doesn't appeal very easily to channel-surfing.

I saw the first 2/3 of the program twice more, on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Jonathan Porretta and James Moore danced "Mopey" brilliantly, but I don't think the piece itself holds up, except as a way to see what each dancer can do with it. It's a wonderful experience the first time, but as a repeat, the dancers look much greater than the work. If I have to see this multiple times again, I'd wish to see new men the role, particular the new men, and then have them move on. I was disappointed that Chalnessa Eames was out for "Petite Mort" (with Benjamin Griffiths) and "The Seasons" and Seth Orza as her partner Zephyr. I loved Nakamura twice more as Canary -- Postlewaite seemed stronger on Sunday afternoon as Zephyr than Saturday night, where he was comparatively flatter, and it was nice to see his repeat too -- but I wished I had been able to have seen both casts. Postlewaite also replaced Porretta as Nakamura's partner in "Petite Mort". While they didn't share the great frisson that the Nakamura/Porretta partnership had in this work, there was something wonderfully Adam and Lilith about it. Sara Ricard Orza and Seth Orza were wonderful in the pas de deux that has my favorite 15 seconds of the work, where the man drops the handle of the sword into the woman's hands, and then later swings the sword around her from above, again stopping in her palms, for me a magic set of phrases. Lesley Rausch and Jerome Tisserand, paired here, have a complementary coolness to their dancing. In Eames' place, Rachel Foster danced again with James Moore on Saturday, and with Benjamin Griffiths on Sunday, and was equally strong with both partners. Lindsi Dec was spectacular in the final pas de deux with Karel Cruz, her whole body sculpting shapes. The strength of Ariana Lallone's Bacchante was her energy and sweep. Karel Cruz brought Nureyev theatricality to his short solo as Bacchus. He's usually a more self-effacing presence, and it was nice to see the up-front theatricality that so many of Alonso's students bring with their training to both the virtuoso dancing and sheer presence. He looked born to wear a laurel wreath. While it was hard to pass up Lindsi Dec's Anita, I just couldn't watch "West Side Story Suite" again. I couldn't explain why definitively, apart from feeling that it is anemic, until I read Don Daniel's essay on Robbins on Broadway and on Arthur Laurents' direction of the revival of "West Side Story" in the latest (Fall 2009) Ballet Review. Daniels wrote, Both the underlying ugliness and the irresistible pull toward it were completely missing from "West Side Story Suite". The company that was so convincing in depicting the feuding Montagues and Capulets in "Romeo et Juliette" was mostly tepid in WSSS. The costumes didn't help any: among the Sharks William Lin-Yee's shirt could have come from Eddie Bauer, and Jordan Pacitti looked like he was heading to aerobics class. I was looking for the little alligator over Jerome Tisserand's (Tony) heart. When Lin-Yee did a sweeping side kick with his long leg and monster extension, it was like a sword swipe from "Petite Mort" out of stillness, but it was in isolation. Daniels also wrote, Same again in WSSS. Apart from Barry Kerollis's role -- and he runs with it -- there isn't much differentiation between the rest of the boys in either gang. Edited to Add: There's a part in "The Seasons" where Zephyr turns with the long vest/coat and the snow falling behind him, and all I could think of was Anne Bancroft playing Anna Karenina in "The Turning Point".

Second week of casting is up: Sarah Ricard Orza dances Clara, a couple of Professional Student dancers, Price Suddarth and Steven Loch, join Josh Spell for Dervishes. A lot of young dancers do the three pas de trois: *Commedia (Marzipan music): Reshef and Relic do Commedia with Griffiths, Clark and Samuelson with Sar, and Reshef with Foster and Moore *Pirlipat/Nutcracker/Mouse King (vocal duet from "Queen of Spades"): Mullin and Davis with Spell, Thompson and Hippolito Jr. with Duge, Samuelson and Bartee with Sar, and Rollofson and Bartee with Anspach Lots of good roles all around.

Having missed PNB's Nutcracker for the first time in fourteen years last year because of the snow storm, these photos remind me of what I'm looking forward very much to seeing again: http://erikaschultzphoto.blogspot.com/2009...tial-dress.html The first one shows Liora Reshef, one of the most lovely dancers in the corps, to the left.

That's even worse, no matter how many additional stalls they put in. Exactly where were they putting the coats? Or the waiters?

Maybe on pointe vs. off pointe could be part of the difference. Merrill Ashley, who was at least 5'7" had very small feet, and she didn't seem to gain much on pointe. Other shorter women would look a lot taller that I'd have expected. I'm glad to hear that Chelsea Saari has recovered from injury. She was one of the three Fates in last season's "La Valse", and she was the one who "got" her role. It made me want to see her in the lead.

At least we have great acoustics in our regional houses

It's lovely! Happy Thanksgiving to you and to all US Ballet Talkers.

I'm so excited -- this is going to be great! for the heads up, Natalia!

Goh Ballet on the 18th. The PNB Stowell/Sendak "Nutcracker" on the 22nd.

He could join PNB, too.

Has anyone had experience with Tours en l'air, a Canadian tour company, and/or Carlson Wagonlit Travel (Victor Travel)? A friend went to see "The Sleeping Beauty" in Toronto last week and brought back a very tempting listing for ballet tours, like Amsterdam/Copenhagen this February, the perfect tour for those in Vancouver wishing to avoid the Olympics, at least most of them (That's not my stand, just that of 90% of the Vancourites I've met to date.)

Marc Platt was a very impressive presence in the "Ballets Russes" film.

No, no, it's too early for "Nutcracker"!!!!!! Opening night is Korbes and Milov as Clara and Prince, with Seth Orza as Drosselmeier and Mara Vinson as Flora. Uko Gorter is guesting as Drosselmeier on Saturday 28 November evening.

But the article concludes: Tabachnick didn't do a lot of things that Martins is turning over to Brown, but he was responsible for administration and at least during the renovation times, I assume the reno took up a good chunk of his time. I assume that Brown will take Tabachnick's salary slot after the transition.

Many teachers as well, who sometimes sound like they're grading class.

Postlewaite definitely sang, as he did tonight. In the other performances I've seen, Barry Kerollis has stolen "Cool", but this time, he had to co-star with Postlewaite, who sang beautifully. I'd seen "Petite Mort" on DVD, and it bored me. In the house, I liked the first part with the swords a lot, and the pas de deux had a lot more zing, especially the Kaori Nakamura/Jonathan Porretta pas. The part with the dresses is just as silly as it was on video. To me Kylian's phrasing in the pas de deux is predictable, and I thought it had little to do with the Mozart. To my eyes, the great thing about the performance was the casting: it was so right in so many ways. Laura Gilbreath looked fantastic with Batkhurel Bold: he was more than tall to her tall; they shared a similar plush quality, as did Carrie Imler and Jordan Pacitti. I couldn't keep my eyes off Nakamura and Porretta; they sizzled. Rachel Foster and James Moore once more shared an approach that blended beautifully. It was great to see Kylee Kitchens so engaged and vivid, and she shared a sunny quality with partner Josh Spell. Carla Korbes was superbly partnered by Jeffrey Stanton; in his hands, she looks like she could do anything. This is the first time I'd seen Benjamin Griffiths in "Mopey", and the word I'd use to describe his performance as an angsty teenager is beautiful. His arms were so, so lovely, and his arm movements rippled through his back. During the CPE Bach section, his timing and phrasing reminded me of Baryshnikov in "Push Comes to Shove". I was gobsmacked by "The Seasons": a neoclassical ballet with a hierarchical structure, with extensive work for a small corps, two male and two female soloists with differentiated characters, much like the two women in the "Emeralds" pas de deux or the two female variations in "Coppelia", and two distinctly different lead couples. While from the Orchestra it looked liked it needed some editing -- and the poor four Roses/Fauns looked like they could have used the roles to be split -- I need to see it from up above to see if there were patterns I was missing in some of the corps parts. I love the Glazunov score, although I think the big theme music from Autumn, which I know as the Theme from The Listening Room (WQXR), was the hardest to convey. I loved all of the costumes and especially the headpieces, except for the red patent pleather used for the men's peplumed vests in Roses. Red would have been fine. Pleather, not in any color. Lucien Postlewaite looked wonderful in Zephyr's long, sleveless open vest jacket, though I'm not sure how practical it was for all of his turning jumps. As Ice/Bluebird Kylee Kitchens had her second wonderful role of the evening, as a soloist paired with Sarah Ricard Orza, each of whom had solos of different styles, and danced brilliantly. Andrew Bartee and Josh Spell were their partners, and it was great to see each featured. In The Swallow, Kaori Nakamura was given a role that combined her lyricism and technique, and again, she looked superb partnered by Postlewaite, who as Zephyr commanded the stage. The center of the ballet came at the end, with the pas de deux for Bacchante and Bacchus, danced by Carrie Imler and Batkhurel Bold. They've been paired for many years in the classics, and they brought out the best in one another again. I realized that I've been privileged to watch Imler dance for 15 years, and during that time, she has set a standard that few can reach, season after season in role after role. It was a delight to see her dance this new one. In "West Side Story Suite", outside the principals, the casting fairy short-circuited. I understand why Rachel Foster was cast as a Jet, because at Riff's girlfriend, she had a bigger dancing role, but apart from Korbes, who IS Anita, there is no other PNB woman who is more Shark. Lin-Yee, Sar, and Hipolito were great Sharks, and Ezra Thompson would have been terrific, too, but Jordan Pacitti, who danced superbly in "Petite Mort" and "The Seasons" -- talk about setting a standard season after season -- is just not a Shark, nor were a couple of Professional Division students who rounded out the corps. It was like in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" when Puck points to the lovers and realizes they're all crossed. I have to agree with Jayne: it's hard to imagine any of the Jets confronting the way-taller-than-they Stanko Milov, unless they were suicidal. Although Milov wasn't very Latin, he was credible in the Dance at the Gym.

The restaurant in McCaw Hall that serves pre-performance and first intermission meals and desserts is reviewed in The Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/rest...9_cicero13.html

Just a note that according to this Seattle Times article, an small electrical fire in McCaw Hall caused power outages today in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood in which Seattle Center and McCaw Hall is located. Tonight's PNB performance was re-scheduled to start at 8pm. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/loca...routage12m.html