Helene

It seemed to me that there was a zero missing from that figure.

Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers launch new website PNB UNLEASHED New site created by PNB dancers offers a cutting-edge, behind the scenes glimpse of Pacific Northwest Ballet and company dancers’ journey from the studio to the stage. www.pnbunleashed.com Seattle, WA — PNB Unleashed began with conversation over the increased development of dance on the web and the launching of Pacific Northwest Ballet Principal dancer, Noelani Pantastico’s personal website. She and her husband, Brady Hartley, conceived the idea of building a website that portrayed a more in depth, behind the scenes perspective of the lives of PNB dancers and the necessary steps to creating a successful performance. Noelani Pantastico established the PNB Unleashed team of four, consisting of PNB dancers Lindsi Dec and Benjamin Griffiths, as well as her husband, Brady Hartley. PNB Unleashed was then presented to Artistic Director Peter Boal and PNB company dancers, whose support was well-received and enthusiastic. It was important to the PNB Unleashed Team to ensure that all the dancers had the opportunity to participate and be involved in the website so that PNB’s audience could have the opportunity to discover more about them. "Dance is more ambitious than the physical body and PNB Unleashed is a way to experience dance on another level,” said Ms. Pantastico. “'Unleashed' will bring new spirit into the ballet world and show a lifestyle that should not be missed!" The PNB Unleashed Team had been constructing the site for six months — structuring the site, retaining and editing video footage and pictures, interviewing dancers and PNB staff, as well as designing their own line of merchandise with its logo drawn by PNB Principal dancer, Casey Herd. The site includes the following pages: In the Wings – Highlights dancer’s thoughts on upcoming performances. Dancers Louise Nadeau, Olivier Wevers, Kari Brunson, and Kiyon Gaines discuss the roles they are rehearsing for the upcoming program, Contemporary Classics. Bulletin – Showcases dancer achievements, guestings, and personal websites along with an in depth interview with the company’s Artistic Director and visionary, Peter Boal. PNB Museum – Five photo albums feature the photography of Angela Sterling. Backstage – What occurs in all departments of the ballet before the curtain rises. The first Podcast video sheds light on the Costume shop and Wardrobe of PNB. Interviews – Dancers, choreographers, and PNB staff members share their thoughts. Dancers featured are Kara Zimmerman and Jessika Anspach, along with former PNB dancer Nicholas Ade, currently principal of PNB School’s eastside facility. A Day in the Life of… – A detailed account of one of our stars in their own setting. The current featured dancer is Carla Körbes. Ask a Dancer – Advice and tricks of the trade. The topic of this photo Podcast is ‘Pointe’—focusing on how dancers Maria Chapman, Ariana Lallone, and Stacy Lowenberg break in their pointe shoes. Show Your Support – Purchase PNB Unleashed merchandise or make a donation! All proceeds received from PNB Unleashed will go towards Second Stage and the commission of New Works for PNB. For further information, please visit: www.pnbunleashed.com or write to the PNB Unleashed Team directly at info@pnbunleashed.com

Many thanks for the link, Quiggin! Watching the video, I'm reminded of when Suzanne Farrell described working in the studio on Vienna Waltzes, and then getting her dress -- she said that all of the little steps she'd been practicing were lost under the satin and ruffles. Seeing Emeralds in rehearsal clothes is like seeing the skeleton of the movement, before the tulle. It was great to see the dancers that bart and Jack Reed have been describing for us these past years! I hope you enjoy it, and we look forward to hearing your impressions.

October 7-13 Lisa Rinehart reviews Donna Uchizono Company at Dance Theatre Workshop (through October 13). Susan Reiter reviews Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in "Wild Cursive" at BAM.

Saturday, October 13[ In The New York Times, Gia Kourlas reviews Danish Dance Theater at the Joyce SoHo. Claudia La Rocco reviews Kazuo Ohno 101: 3-Week Butoh Parade at Japan Society (through October 27). Roslyn Sulcas reviews Jeanette Stoner and Dancers at 83 Leonard Street (through Sunday). Jennifer Dunning reviews Miyuki Tokui’s “Bring Me a PPPeach” at Danspace Project (through tonight).

I don't know that many abstract operas, but some directors treat them as such. The big ballet sets, however opulent, need to reserve space, and while there are exceptions, like the stairs in Ashton's Cinderella, in which the heroine makes a grand entrance coming down them on point, most of the time, the stage is pretty clear for dancing.

There have been more than a half dozen full-length ballets that were choreographed since 2000 that are being premiered or remounted this year, and, typically, they are major investments in terms of score -- at least four of them have original scores -- as well as sets and costumes: The Snow Queen (Michael Corder/Sergei Prokovief) -- Birmingham Royal Ballet, premieres this month. Carmen, The Passion (Mauricio Wainrot, Elizabeth Raum [original score]) -- Royal Winnipeg Ballet (I think new). They've also performed his Carmina Burana and The Messiah in the past few years. Peter Pan (Septime Webre, Carmon DeLeone [original score]) -- Ballet British Columbia, Dayton Ballet (2000) Wurthering Heights (Kader Belarbi, Philippe Hersant [original score]) -- Paris Opera Ballet (2002) An Italian Straw Hat (James Kudelka, Michael Torke [original score]) -- National Ballet of Canada (2005) Alice's Wonderland (Giorgio Madia, Nino Rota) -- Staatsoper Berlin (2005) Aladdin (Gerard Charles, no composer I can find) -- Ballet Met (premiere) Caligula (Nicolas Le Riche, Antonio Vivaldi) -- Paris Opera Ballet (2005) Extending to 1999, Dracula (Michael Pink, Phillip Feeney [original score?]) -- Colorado Ballet and David Nixon's version, with music by Michael Daugherty, Arvo Part, Sergei Rachmaninov, and Alfred Schnittke, to be performed by Ballet Met, and squeezing back to 1997, Ben Stevenson's Dracula, to be performed by Pennsylvania Ballet and Texas Metropolitan Ballet, with music by Franz Liszt. The common things I see are: 1. These productions are generally family-friendly (Well maybe not Caligula) 2. It helps to have the resources of a major institution 3. You can get away with less opulent sets than in opera, if the costumes are nice. 4. Those underpaid dancers are a lot less expensive than opera singers. 5. Ballet seasons tend to be locked in place the year before, while opera singers need to be locked into contract two to five years ahead of time, and they want to know what they are singing. If Company XYZ has a hit with its Dracula, other companies can rent the sets and costumes and present the ballet themselves within a year or two, while in opera, unless there is a formal or informal arrangement to co-produce/rent early on, by the time anyone else can schedule it, even the most popular opera can lose the buzz of the premiere. Speight Jenkins said that he had contracted with Focile (and maybe Burden?) to sing something else in the October time slot, when Peter Gelb mentioned the opportunity to co-produce Iphigenia in Tauris. If Focile and others contracted for the other opera were uninterested in this work, I suppose they'd be let out of their contracts, and Jenkins would have had to find available lead singers with relatively little notice (for opera) to take up the opportunity.

The story has made it to The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...ml?hpid=artslot (There's a video that is not working for me right now; the link is on the page from the article.) and The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/11/world/11...amp;oref=slogin The Times story has a wild photo of her sitting on her back steps with the media all around her.

Many thanks for the news! to Ms. Lessing for this well-deserved honor.

I read the wonderful Reflections of a Balleriina by Barbara Newman, and the lovely Miss Sibley sounds like a very down-to-earth person who might be completely unphased by a Sibley stove.

We've opened a thread here to discuss it. We hope someone has seen it and can tell us about it.

Did anyone go to the Works & Process that was dedicated to ABT's City Center season, in which a new Millepied work was unveiled?

Not only was he a great dancer, on whom major roles were choreographed, but he also lived through the transition from the Soviet Union to Russia and the Bolshoi post-Grigorovich, and it would be fascinating to get his take on the Bolshoi through the transitions and today. Of course, it would not be complete without a ton of photos of Vasiliev and Maximova, and would be even more wonderful with a DVD slipped into a pocket in the book jacket ( )

This is excellent news. Thank you for posting it Farrell Fan!

PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET PRESENTS THE NORTHWEST’S FAVORITE FAMILY HOLIDAY TRADITION Nutcracker November 23 – December 29, 2007 at McCaw Hall SEATTLE, WA —Pacific Northwest Ballet invites the young and the young-at-heart to be captivated by the timeless, magical dream-world of the enchanting Nutcracker, November 23-December 29 at McCaw Hall. PNB’s Nutcracker, the Northwest’s favorite family holiday tradition, has been dazzling Northwest audiences each holiday season since 1983. Created by PNB Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell and world-famous children’s author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, Nutcracker brilliantly blends lavish sets and costumes, wondrous choreography and Tchaikovsky’s perennially popular music performed by the acclaimed PNB Orchestra to create a magical storybook world enjoyed by children and adults alike. TICKETS range in price from $20-$125 and may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at (206) 441-2424 (Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.), online at www.pnb.org or in person at the PNB Box Office at 301 Mercer Street (Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) and at McCaw Hall at 321 Mercer Street 90 minutes prior to each performance. Tickets are also available at any Ticketmaster outlet, by calling (206) 292-ARTS or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Discounts are available for children 12 & under and for groups of 15 or more. For group tickets, please call (206) 441-2416 or email juliej@pnb.org. PNB’s Online Group Builder is now available for audience members to gather their friends, family and co-workers to see any Nutcracker performance. Any group of 15 or more can save up to 25%. Nutcracker Family Packs Bring the whole family! Specially priced Family Packs include four discounted Nutcracker tickets and coupons to be redeemed at McCaw Hall for cookies and milk or cider. Family Packs are available for all Nutcracker performances and range in price from $158-$432. Family Packs are available for purchase in-person or by phone through the PNB Box Office at (206) 441-2424. More about PNB’s Nutcracker PNB’s Nutcracker is a holiday treat eagerly anticipated by all. “It’s hard to think of a more exuberant way to celebrate the holiday season than attending Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Nutcracker,” writes Seattle Weekly’s Nina Shapiro. “The production is simply magic.” For 24 years PNB’s inimitable Nutcracker has enchanted audience members of all ages with its masterful blend of costumes, sets and choreography—from the first thrilling appearance of Maurice Sendak’s toothsome Nutcracker teeth to the last. In 1983 PNB’s Principal Choreographer and Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell collaborated with renowned children’s book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak to create PNB’s wildly imaginative adaptation of Nutcracker that immediately set itself apart from other Nutcracker productions. Each year over 100,000 people come to McCaw Hall to see PNB’s Nutcracker – one of the largest holiday productions in the United States. “This production really has and gives us everything; glorious and uplifting music; dramatic tension; imaginative and fresh choreography; lavish sets and costumes; perfect lighting; not to mention great dancing and dance-acting by its platoon of multiple casts . . . [Nutcracker] continues to delight audiences of all ages and continues to astonish repeat goers.” —Dean Speer, Critical Dance Slightly darker and more exotic than traditional Nutcracker productions, the Stowell/Sendak version explores the world through the eyes of a child on the cusp of adulthood and constantly blurs the line between fantasy and reality, leaving the audience to discern where dreams truly begin and end. Stowell and Sendak drew inspiration from E.T.A. Hoffman’s classic 1816 story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, as well as Marius Petipa’s original scenario for the ballet, which was first performed in St. Petersburg in 1892. Set to P.I. Tchaikovsky’s famous and unforgettable score, audiences are swept away with Clara into her enchanting dream world full of memorable characters and peculiar happenings. “In an uncertain world, some things are wholly dependable, like the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’ . . . the dancing was enthralling . . . The PNB Orchestra, led by Stewart Kershaw, has never sounded in better form” —R.M. Campbell, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer Maurice Sendak’s larger-than-life designs call for more than 115 different props, including a 27-foot Mouse King puppet made of 17 moving pieces and an awe-inspiring 950-pound Christmas tree, with over 1,000 miniature light bulbs, that grows from 14 to 28 feet in height. Behind the scenes nearly 40 stage hands are busy at work attending to every technical detail to complete the multi-layered visual feast: rigging a stage full of frothy waves with leaping dolphins, maneuvering the sets in the mysterious Pasha’s Kingdom and dusting more than 200 pounds of “snow” throughout each of the 40 public performances and three performances for school groups. Taking the stage are PNB’s entire company of professional dancers plus over 200 students from Pacific Northwest Ballet School (including 29 graduates of DanceChance, PNB’s innovative outreach program aimed at talented Seattle and Bellevue area third-grade students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to study dance) in roles that range from baby mice to toy soldiers to the coveted role of young Clara. Working behind the scenes with PNB School students are 75 parent volunteers (25 each performance) and 30 Professional Division Students assisting student performers with hair, make-up, costuming – and, most importantly, making sure PNB’s talented young performers make their entrances smoothly and on time. To accommodate so many performers, PNB’s Nutcracker has over 190 costumes, comprised of approximately 700 different pieces, while dancers wear out about 500 pairs of pointe shoes during a Nutcracker run. Stewart Kershaw and Allan Dameron share leading the PNB Orchestra each night in Tchaikovsky’s classic 1892 score. This presentation of Nutcracker promises to be a truly unforgettable experience for the [/b]100,000[/b] audience members expected at McCaw Hall this holiday season. Nutcracker and Education “[Nutcracker] is the ballet that opened the door for me to the wonders of dance. It is the introduction for so many of us." —Peter Boal, Artistic Director DanceChance ~ providing dance training opportunities for Seattle and Bellevue area children since 1994 Pacific Northwest Ballet's DanceChance program strives to reach into the community and discover talented, Seattle-area elementary school students. Children who show they have the physical ability to become professional dancers are provided with classical training, allowing them the opportunity they might not otherwise have to pursue a dance career. Students attend classes twice a week on full tuition scholarship with dance attire, transportation and complimentary tickets to company performances provided. Currently in its fourteenth year, PNB’s DanceChance program has reached yet another landmark. Twenty-nine DanceChance graduates, including sixteen boys, will dance in this year’s Nutcracker performance. The excitement of this achievement is best described by one such student: “The best day of my life was today, September 26, 2007! Our family drove the car all the way up to the ballet center. What felt like hours was really 20 minutes. I felt butterflies in my stomach the whole way. As a family we all went in to see where the list of the Nutcracker performers was posted. Once we found it, I started to go down the list as this was the biggest moment of my life. There it was . . . my name! I bursted out with tears of joy. I hugged my family and savored the moment as a jewel. My two year goal was fulfilled. I have never felt so proud of myself. I am really excited to start practicing for Nutcracker. I will perform in close to 20 performances in 2 months. I can’t wait to be on stage!” Newspapers in Education Benefit Performances The evening performance of Nutcracker on December 27th at 7:30 p.m. and the matinee performance on December 29th at 2:00 p.m. are benefit performances for The Seattle Times’ Newspapers In Education program. Newspapers In Education provides newspapers, learning programs and online activities to educational organizations throughout Puget Sound communities to help foster literacy and real world learning. Student Matinees Each year PNB invites students ages 5-12 to attend reduced priced matinee performances of Nutcracker with their school. This year PNB is expecting to welcome over 6,000 children from 65 schools and organizations from around western Washington and Vancouver, B.C. for these performances. Matinees will be performed on Friday, November 30, Thursday, December 6, and Friday, December 7. All shows are at 12:00 noon, and include the show in its entirety. PNB’s Outreach & Education department is also offering in-school pre-performance workshops for schools that attend matinees, which include exploration of movement, the Nutcracker story, and an up-close look at costumes. For more information contact the PNB Box Office at (206) 441-2424, online at www.pnb.org or in person at the PNB Box Office. Pacific Northwest Ballet Special Events and Offers Opening Weekend Extravaganza November 23, 24 & 25 Join us on Nutcracker Opening Weekend for a one-of-a-kind kick-off to the holiday season! Opening Weekend attendees will be treated to strolling carolers and entertainers, crafts for children and costumed Nutcracker characters. Nutcracker Brunch Saturday, November 24 at 10:00 a.m. at McCaw Hall Join the PNB League for a fun-filled holiday event hosted by PNB Principal Dancer Louise Nadeau and her daughter Emma. Enjoy activities for children and families, a delicious brunch and a special Nutcracker-themed performance to delight young and old alike. Make your reservations early for this sell-out event! Event Tickets: Adult: $60, Child (up to age 12): $40 Patron Tickets: (Patrons must also purchase an event ticket to attend the performance) Platinum: $500 Gold: $250 Silver: $150 Tickets are available: In person at the PNB Box Office, 301 Mercer St. (Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) or by phone at (206) 441-2424 (Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s 5th Annual Winter Wonderland Ball Sunday, January 27, 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. Francia Russell Center - 13440 NE 16th Street, Bellevue Join us for the Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s 5th Annual Winter Wonderland Ball hosted this year by PNB Principal Dancer Stanko Milov and his family. Festivities will include dance lessons, live music, delicious food, a silent auction and appearances by PNB company dancers in the beautifully decorated Francia Russell Center. All proceeds benefit Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Tickets to the Ball make a great holiday gift! Tickets are $40 for the first child, $20 for each additional child and $60 per adult (all children must be accompanied by an adult). For more information and/or reservations, please contact PNB Special Events at (206) 441-3597 or events@pnb.org. Please visit www.pnb.org for further information and a complete schedule of PNB Special Events. Holiday Season at Amusements gift shop Find a captivating array of unique holiday creations for yourself — or someone special on your list. * PNB Nutcracker Storybook—Re-live PNB’s magical Nutcracker in this lavish storybook, with photography by Angela Sterling and a foreword by PNB Founding Artistic Director Francia Russell. * Classic Nutcracker storybook illustrated by Maurice Sendak—Maurice Sendak’s classic drawings featured in PNB’s production of Nutcracker fill this beautiful book that recounts E.T.A. Hoffman’s original story. * Holiday Cards—Watch the Christmas tree grow! These cards feature the whimsical artistry of Maurice Sendak in PNB’s own Nutcracker scene of Clara and the Christmas tree. * Custom PNB Nutcrackers—Discover a unique nutcracker for your collection—all beautifully packaged in Pacific Northwest Ballet signature wooden boxes. * 2007 Nutcracker Posters—Buy one to frame and enjoy each holiday season. * PNB Nutcracker Sweatshirts—Our artfully embroidered sweatshirts will keep you in the Nutcracker spirit all year long. * Tchaikovsky’s Complete Nutcracker Audio CD—Refresh your memories of PNB’s Nutcracker every time you listen. Patrons and general public can visit the Amusements boutique at McCaw Hall before, during and after all PNB Nutcracker performances (doors open two hours prior to curtain). PNB On-line Gift Shop Open for Business Holiday shopping has never been easier with PNB’s online gift shop featuring the Nutcracker Collection, Kids’ Corner, PNB apparel, music, DVD’s and books. Visit www.pnb.org for these exciting gift ideas.

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rg, thank you so much! It is fascinating to read that "They are listed in the order of dancing their solos; all these productions play the music in the same order." Some are easily correlated, like "carefree" and "light heartedness," but others are very different takes on the same music -- Tenderness/Chastity, Courage/Laughter -- and others are interesting extensions: joy to high spirits (to "temperament" in the Hynd), and there's a difference between bounty (getting) and generosity (giving). (Of course the former can make the latter possible.)

Pacific Northwest Ballet's program (Ronald Hynd version) lists the fairies as: Lilac Fairy Fairy of Beauty Fairy of Temperament Fairy of Purity Fairy of Joy Fairy of Wit Fair of Generosity The Mariinsky Ballet's program (for the Sergeyev version) lists the fairies as: Lilac Fairy Tender Fairy Playful Fairy Generous Fairy Brave Fairy Carefree Fairy and then: Diamond Fairy Sapphire Fairy Gold Fairy Silver Fairy Caraboss Fairy

Apologies -- I was just looking through my programs and it was Blue Rose, not 7 for 8 that I didn't think was the most boring ballet I'd ever seen.

I agree with the not handsome part, but not with the sexy part. My best friend, whose of British and Italian descent, once told me that he was British from the waist up and Italian from the waist down, and I think much of Astaire's appeal was the same. He had a mid-American face and his characters were often jerky smart alec's, and quite rude to his love object -- I don't think he was such a prize in most of his movies; at least his suave rivals were up front about it, although they were clearly foreign/foreign-influenced and not 'Merican -- but his upper body said one thing, especially with his facial expressions, and his lower body, with its rhythm and phrasing, made very different promises, and because he was such a dance genius, we want to believe that's the truth of his characters.

In this week's Seattle Weekly, Sandra Kurtz (aka sandik) previews the current performances of Chamber Dance Company, the troupe founded by Hannah Wiley, head of the University of Washigton master's program in Dance. The program will feature work by Michio Ito.

There was one important point that I forgot in my earlier post. When comparing the Pas de Trois from Paquita and Emeralds, Doug discussed how in Petipa, each section -- duo, trio, variation -- was set to a different piece of music, with a finite beginning and end, while Balanchine used one continuous piece of symphonic music. For someone whose primary ballet experience is Balanchine World, I had always taken for granted that all of his dance fits the music. What I had missed completely was an explicit understanding that he found a classical dance structure within symphonic music.

September 30-October 6 Leigh Witchel reviews Maria de Buenos Aires George Jackson reviews The Art of the Solo at the Baltimore Museum of Art. John Percival reviews Siobhan Davies' "Two Quartets."