Helene

According to Boal in the Q&A tonight (Friday), Nadeau chose all ten ballets, and she wrote a paragraph about why each was meaningful to her. She will be dancing in four sections. (Four are asterisked above.) He said that all principals and soloists would have roles.

There was a note in the latest program that next year's "Coppelia" will be a redesign by Roberta Guidi do Nagno ("The Merry Widow"), and sets and costumes are already under construction by PNB's shops. There was also a note that the PNB Box Office will be closed from June 15-July 19th, reopening for summer hours (M-F, 9-5) on July 20, resuming regular hours on Tuesday, 8 September.

Was there a separate insert that was skipped in my program? (I'll have to track one down tonight.) I'll miss Pankevitch. He's given a number of fine performances over the years he's been with the Company. I hope he gets wonderful opportunities in whatever he does next.

"In the Night" isn't asterisked to show that she'd be dancing in it. A typo?

On the back of last night's cast insert was a list of pieces for Nadeau's tribute program, and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is listed between "In the Night" and "Swan Lake". No indication of what excerpt or whether Nadeau will dance it, though.

Although I'm not surprised -- performances by Weese have been relatively scarce this year -- this was the first I'd seen it reported, and no one asked at last night's Q&A. Weese is scheduled tonight for Girl in Green and First Movement of "Symphony in C", for Girl in Pink for this Saturday matinee, next Thursday and Friday, and again next Saturday night in "Symphony in C" and Sunday matinee as Girl in Green. Perhaps she'll be a guest at an upcoming Q&A and will answer for herself. No casting is up yet for the Louise Nadeau tribute a week from Sunday night, except where Nadeau will dance. I'm guessing "Rubies" for Jodie Thomas, and either the Sleepwalker Pas de Deux from "La Sonnambula" or "A Midsummer Night's Dream", which is not listed on the website but is printed on the back of the cast insert, for Weese, the latter if it's the Act II Pas de Deux, although that could be Nadeau as well. (The cast list didn't highlight where Nadeau would dance.)

One more point in the "going forward" vs. "becoming a museum" argument is that technique and style can be lost, if older works are not coached and performed, especially in an art form that is passed from dancer to dancer. (Although this is not exclusive to ballet: consider the loss of painting techniques and paint mixing, how to make Fortuny pleats, or the shellac formulas from the great Italian violin makers when they cease to be part of a living art and/or their inventors take their secrets to their graves.) sandik and I had a discussion tonight at dinner, in which I mentioned that the Ballet Arizona female corps had to work very hard to create a unified style in this season's "Les Sylphides", and sandik pointed out that the ballet was ubiquitous for a number of years, during which time the style was a given, which is no longer the case.

Some thoughts on tonight's performance: I loved everyone in "Dances at a Gathering", which was, according to Peter Boal in tonight's Q&A, staged in two parts, once in November by Susan Hendl and Ben Huys, and then again recently by Huys. Louise Nadeau as Girl in Green was delightful. Her "What's wrong with you, dude?" look at Karel Cruz (Boy in Green) was priceless, and it was wonderful to see what she did with her eyes and her impeccable comic timing. Mara Vinson, who was scheduled to make her debut on Saturday afternoon, replaced an injured Carla Korbes (per Boal in the Q&A, to her rib), and took to Robbins like a fish to water, dancing with the most abandon I've seen from her as Girl in Mauve. Sarah Ricard Orza gave a rare richness, at least in my experience, to Girl in Blue. Seth Orza looked right at home in Boy in Purple, moving with a bit more freedom in his head and shoulders and giving a powerful performance in the role. Jordan Pacitti's port de bras and epaulement in the "throwing" sextet were exquisite, and he made several great catches as well. Jonathan Porretta as Boy in Brick was luxury casting of the highest order; it was a privilege to see him in this role. Kaori Nakamura and Lucien Postlewaite, so fine on their own, have such great chemistry, that the original pas de deux in the ballet between Girl in Pink and Boy in Brown was the emotional center of the work. I don't know of any dancer who portrays quiet ecstasy better than he. Another relationship that showed hints of spark were Chalnessa Eames and Orza, and he and Vinson looked more comfortable than earlier in the season in "Jewels". It's been a while since I've seen Chalnessa Eames cast in a role in which she could sink her teeth, but as Girl in Apricot, Eames danced with a combination of speed and clarity and softness and elegance, and she lit up the stage. Allan Dameron's interpretation of the piano pieces was lovely. Maria Chapman also made an early debut in Christopher Wheeldon's "After the Rain Pas de Deux", replacing Korbes; she danced with Korbes' partner Batkhurel Bold. (According to Boal, they had their first rehearsal together at 2pm this afternoon.) Although a very different dancer than the roles creator, Jock Soto, as a partner, he has Soto's muscular groundedness and virility. Their performance was very moving; I don't know how Wendy Whelan could bear to let Soto go. Tom Dziekonski (violin) and Christina Siemens (piano) who played the Part score, were superb. In "Symphony in C", Carrie Imler in the First Movement and the finale, showed the essence of each movement and step. Nadeau's performance in the Second Movement was thrilling. Nakamura and Porretta were light and sprightly in Third Movement, and Mara Vinson was especially fine in the Fourth Movement. Liora Reshef's port de bras was lovely in the Second Movement corps role, as were Lesley Rausch's open neck and shoulders as a First Movement demi-soloist. Jerome Tisserand's elegance telegraphed from the back of the stage as he partnered Rachel Foster as a Second Movement demi-soloist, and his carriage and upper body were splendid. Lucien Postlewaite was the guest in the post-performance Q&A. He recounted that at 13 he thought of quitting ballet, but his parents told him that since they had paid for his tuition for the coming year, he could quit if he had the money to pay them back. Which he didn't, and he continued, which is very lucky for us. Also lucky is that Peter Boal patiently calmed his parents' fears about him moving to NYC to study at SAB. Boal announced that Postlewaite would be performing at Bumbershoot on Labor Day. Postlewaite explained that it will be a piece choreographed by Olivier Wevers and which he will be dancing with Jonathan Porretta, whose part was made on Charlie Hodges, who had guested with PNB in "Afternoon Ball" in the season opening "All-Tharp" program. Boal also said that Korbes is playing her return by ear.

From "Director's Notebook" (p.3) in the Director's Choice issue of "Encore": "At the end of every season we must bid farewell to a few dancers. We applaud them for so many treasured performances and wish them well on the next chapter in their lives. I spent more years proudly sharing the stage with Miranda Weese than watching her on ours. She is one of the most musical dancers I have ever seen, with an innate sense of what each note requires. She has given spectacular performances on both coasts and we wish her only the best for the future. "It is with sadness that I offer my support to Jodie Thomas' decision to move to Copenhagen to dance for the Royal Danish Ballet. Watching Jodie blossom as a dancer over the past four years has been rewarding for all. I will not forget her star turns in Rubies, Carousel, and countless other roles. Watching her poignant portrayal of the Nurse in Romeo et Juliette was to see the artist born. We wish that artist more great heights in the next phase of a wonderful career. "My final words are for Louise Nadeau, who pulled out all the stops in a Swan Lake after a season that did not deserve injuries. We will savor her performances in this program. She has consistently elevated this company for nineteen years with her artistry and talent. We will miss her on the stage and thank her for so many vivid beautiful memories."

Regardless of whether the general environment is as intellectually and artistically stimulating as Balanchine found, he started to choreograph experimentally at a young age -- not without difficulty or criticism -- at school, using his fellow students. As cubanmiamiboy has pointed out, the number of students in ballet academies has grown beyond the capacity for companies to absorb, and at schools, there are still the laboratories for someone who is compelled to create classical ballet.

Argh, no Chapman/Cruz in the Wheeldon or Gilbreath in "Symphony in C" next Thursday and Friday. Time to re-arrange my weekend.

The program for Nadeau's retirement program on 7 June has been posted to the PNB website: The Program: Serenade—Opening Music: Peter I. Tchaikovsky Choreography: George Balanchine La Valse—Pas de deux** Music: Maurice Ravel Choreography: George Balanchine Emeralds—Solo Music: Gabriel Fauré Choreography: George Balanchine Chaconne—Pas de deux Music: Christoph Willibald von Gluck Choreography: George Balanchine West Side Story Suite—"Cool" and "America"** Music: Leonard Bernstein Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim Choreography: Jerome Robbins Rubies—First movement Music: Igor Stravinsky Choreography: George Balanchine Urlicht—PNB Premiere** Music: Gustav Mahler Choreography: William Forsythe Staging: Otto Neubert La Sonnambula—Sleepwalker pas de deux Music: Vittorio Rieti Choreography: George Balanchine In the Night—Third pas de deux Music: Frederic Chopin Choreography: Jerome Robbins Swan Lake—Act IV** Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Choreography: Kent Stowell **Danced by Louise Nadeau Program subject to change. Wow -- a world premiere, and we'll get to see Nadeau's Anita! http://www.pnb.org/season/nadeau.html

I would have left the fiancees variations and their strong logical sense and meaning of their characters in the storyline rather than the national dances, which i really don't care about too much...(forgive me Petipa! ). I would also ( )have preserved the russian dance and its sensual cadenza for Odile as a way to catch Siegfried attention before the PDD. The TPDD would have stayed as well. In many productions I've seen, Siegfried's "friends" from Act I appear as fiances in Act III. I was hoping Tomasson's production would extend the logic, but he took Kudelka's fork in the road, and made the lead women of the national dances the princesses. Kudelka's take was political: the men and the women were divided, with the men at the back, and each princess stood on a box with a small curtain in front of her and had a pimp/handler who let the men in to see their purchases, as if the women were in a market. Tomasson's came out of thin air, as only the Russian emphasized the woman, and the women didn't seem very royal. I agree that keeping the Russian for Odile would have made dramatic sense, and then, musically, the original Black Swan pas de deux music would also have slotted in nicely. I never liked the "flash" of the Black Swan Pas de Deux. Dramatically, this leads to the crisis in most productions: the clock is ticking, the Queen Mother is about to slap him in public, and Odile/von Rothbart appear just in the nick of time. From a psychological point of view, it gives one reason why he could be tricked, since he is under intense pressure and is desperate.

I think it's interesting that Karen Kain is co-commisioning another version, as she was the original "Alice". National Ballet of Canada brought "Alice" to NYC in the mid-80's, and I loved it so much I ran around NYC to find a place where I could get a money order in CAD so I could make a small donation to the company. I wish I could have seen Barker in the Tetley.

Millepied's "3 Movements" to Steve Reich! Definitely better than "Jardi Tancat"

nataliequa, please check the mailbox you used to register with Ballet Talk for an email.

This is absolutely unsubstantiated. Actually I can prove in details it's not true, but should I? Don't want to hurt abybody's feelings. Many of us who saw both Baryshnikov and Gudonov in the west (ABT) would agree with 4mrdancr, and, from experience, would conclude that what she experienced was not an off night. In fact, many of us have not seen Baryshnikov's technique equaled. His influence as an ideal of male technique may have been as influential as Nureyev's was in England; that he was cast as and was accepted as the romantic hero despite being so short and without the classic "look" can be seen throughout casting in the West. That does not mean that members always preferred Baryshnikov to Gudonov, but that wasn't issue raised. Perhaps we did not see what was so lauded in the Soviet Union, due to his actual dancing and the opportunities that he was given, as well as audience expectations post-Baryshnikov, including style and aesthetics. Bolshoi style and emotional extravagance, both of which I saw from him, was not perfectly in tune with the time. But that does not negate what we saw, and explains some of the reaction to him in the West. This is a discussion board. We exist for for people to "prove in details". As far as hurting people's feelings, we have specific policies for discussions noted here: http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=20526 We often disagree with each other; it's how those disagreements are expressed that are subject to BT policy. Again, we are a discussion board, and when substantiated, hardly "useless". By Ballet Talk policy, we are an English-speaking board, and if non-English links are provided, please provide a translated synopsis. Again, we are a discussion board, and we do not find this kind of discussion useless, as long as it is substantiated and put in context. We do not expect people to agree, but we do expect them to discuss, if they are interested in the topic. Perhaps you read our policies and misunderstood, but this is a perfectly legitimate topic, as it is a public part of Gudonov's life and part of his artistry. I agree with 4mrdancr's description of Gudonov's performance in "Witness". I think it was a finer performance than anything I saw him do onstage, and I wish he had had a long and fine film career.

All-region DVD-plYwrs are my favorite recreational invention. Many thanks, naomikage, for all of this essential information

Absolutely. We regularly resurrect older threads. In fact, many Ballet Talk members click the "View New Posts" button at the top right of the page (under the toolbar) to find out what is new, and the date the thread started doesn't affect whether a new post is on the list.

I agree that Macaulay meant the first, and with leonid, I take issue with his statement that "Gala audiences in my experience don’t mind being educated." Gala audiences, at least the big donor portion, are notorious for being a bit intoxicated from the pre-Gala dinner, and chomping the bit to go to the post-Gala party. Just an example, but I remember in Peter Boal's first pre-season Gala, the week before the season opener, they held the curtain for the people at the dinner, and more than a number of women needed a little extra support to make it to their seats. (The men didn't have 4" heels to deal with.) When you think about galas in general, there's little room for much that requires an attention span, although there are exceptions, like when "Dances at a Gathering" made its debut at the NYCB Spring Gala. Wall Plaques, in my opinion, are for kids, the ones who, in theory, have to listen, because there will be a quiz, and for adults who voluntarily appear at pre-show lectures, like the superb ones given by Doug Fullington at PNB. Hopefully, if enough kids are exposed to arts education at a young age will become part of the self-selecting latter group and will bring along their friends, children, and godchildren. On a related topic, we recently got email to our "Contact Us" link asking for information on ballet tours. While there are any number of (mostly high-end, yikes) opera tours, with the occasional ballet thrown in (Bolshoi, Mariinsky, or Vienna State Opera), I don't know of any tour where people interested in a combination of ballet and ballet education, and where like-minded people can go to saturate themselves in dance and wall plaques for a week or two. It's a shame.

Many thanks, volcanohunter! They were superb.

What I'm seeing in Congress/Senate is more and more of what the NY Times described, in reference to restructuring student loans and grants: "Republicans have generally criticized the plan as an expansion of government, while Democrats have been divided." http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05...pell&st=cse I wouldn't count on the Democrats, with a solid majority, to push for real funding for the arts.

Thank you for the heads up!

Not an autobiography, but in Barbara Newman's "Striking a Balance", there's a chapter on Lifar. I think its juxtaposition next to Lew Christensen's is Gibbsonean.

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