Helene

In this afternoon's performance, the casts for Prodigal Son and Ballet Imperial were the same as last night, but the cast of Square Dance featured Kaori Nakamura and a debut by Benjamin Griffiths. Nakamura gave a delightful performance, and it was at its best in the solo -- the 'her feet go wickety-wack" solo that was featured in the PBS "Balanchine" bio -- and in the final movement. The wittier the choreography was, the more she matched it with her dancing. Griffiths was very impressive in his debut, leading the corps men and partnering Nakamura. His interpretation of the solo was very individual, almost anti-legato. He moved to the end-gesture emphatically in each phrase, which took me by surprise. His open shoulders and arms were very effective throughout the ballet. Griffiths is always worth watching, whether in a featured role or in the corps. I'd like to mention Kara Zimmerman and Brittany Reid in the corps; they are two of six who dance both Square Dance and Ballet Imperial, and are doing it again tonight as I write. (Lindsi Dec in last night's Q&A said that she and another dancer -- I missed the name -- had joked that BI third movement was so difficulty that they'd retire if it were ever staged again.) They are very different dancers, but both shone especially bright in these works. Zimmerman graces each ballet with her presence, and her dancing is consistently at the highest standard, regardless of style. Reid is a tall dancer in the corps who is occasionally cast in big roles; she danced a brilliant Flora a couple of years ago. At the end of last season she was cast with Batkhurel Bold as the third couple of Symphony in Three Movements, and the pairing was a mark of brilliance that Boal has showed so often in his casting: Bold's face tends to be frozen when he dances. Reid has a gleam in her eyes, like she's up for anything (and might be plotting a bit of mischief). Their relative heights and strong dancing made an immediate impression, but temperamentally, the constrast was fascinating, especially in a Balanchine Stravinsky ballet.

I do remember Francia Russell saying in one of the post-performance Q&A's at PNB that on one of her staging trips, she went to China, which at the time had no rights to any Balanchine ballets, to fix a production that they -- I don't remember which company or which ballet -- had tried to stage from a videotape.

You beat me home, LOL! In one of the last Q&A's last year, Peter Boal mentioned Carrie Imler, and said that judging from her work in class, "She's back!!!" Tonight was her first complete ballet since her injury last season, as the lead in Square Dance. There were too many moments in her performance for me to mention; a highlight was the series of arabesques in the adagio. Imler doesn't "do" arabesque: she creates each one as she unfolds and shapes it. She dances the hardest work with ease; she's never emphatically muscular or technical. On the sides of the prism were a series of perfect petit allegro back assembles, gorgeous beats, and the flying circular jump entrance. It is impossible to mistake her for another dancer; she would be recognizable from her shadow, from the unique sensibility she brings to her phrasing, and from her ability to shift momentum in the middle of a phrase. I wonder what Balanchine would have made of her. She is definitely back. One striking thing about the women's corps, who danced with energy and brio, was how much work they did with their upper bodies, particularly in their necks and shoulders. This was by no means one of the "all legs" Square Dances. It brought to the work a dimension I hadn't seen before, particularly in the mini-barn of the New York State Theater. This was wonderfully complementary to Lucien Postlewaite's performance of the great male solo that Balanchine choreographed for Bart Cook in the mid-70's. He doesn't have Cook's rubbery, supple back -- who does? -- but he keyed in on the solo's beauties through the elasticity of his shoulders and arms, always reaching from the center. The men's ensemble was a bit sloppy as a unit, but individual performances were striking. Barry Kerollis' dancing had kick to it, and he is a generally sunny presence on stage. (He has a face like one of those 18th century male beauties in costume dramas, the ones you never quite believe could be murderous, something he showed as a Friend in Prodigal Son.) If you want to see what the steps are and what they're made of, though, you have to watch Anton Pankevitch. Without the slightest sense of over-correctness, and no loss of energy or speed in the process, he shows each step clearly within a phrase; with a little lift in the working knee before stepping into plie, he reveals the movement. Square Dance is one of my "do-over" ballets: I immediately want it to start again when it's over. As Sandy mentioned, Lindsi Dec made her debut today as Siren. From the moment she entered the stage, Jonathan Porretta's Prodigal might as well have had been wearing a sign, "Hors d'oeuvres" on it. She was not taking any prisoners. There was no coldness or coyness, and from the way she whipped that cape around, it was clear what was coming, and it was completely convincing. It did make me realize, maybe for the first time seeing the ballet, that the son is motherless. I would sit through Spartacus to see her Aegina. I would love to see what she'd do with Gamzatti or Le Jeune Homme et la Mort. It was amazing when she said in the post-performance Q&A that while she started ballet at three, she hated it, and concetrated on tap and jazz, even taking a year off from ballet to fulfill her high school Phys Ed requirements, and that she only started ballet seriously at 16. Boal noted in the Q&A that her approache was direct and that she shows a confidence onstage. Jonathan Porretta's Prodigal was so fully formed a few years ago, it was hard to imagine how he could grow it. But from the scene in which he crawls along the desert, there was a moment when he gathered water, and I can't help but think this was informed by his experience with State of Darkness. Many quiet moments were impressive, as the dancers made the most of mime and gesture; Porretta's journey home, Dec, who quietly gathered the loot, looked at in her hands, and slowly pocketed it. Karel Cruz, whose simple gesture oopening his hands, inviting his son to come to him, made the character. I always do wonder what it was like to have been in the audience in Paris in 1929 when the troglodytes first made their appearance. Then Dec, as a member of the corps, gave a sparkling performance in Ballet Imperial, where the same male sextet that danced in Square Dance was spot on. Miranda Weese was gorgeous in the adagio sections of the ballet. In the allegro, I'm not sold; I thought some of the steps were smudged and the arms occasionally frantic. I find this approach a bit casual, very common to my NYCB-going experience. Although the PNB dancers aren't as specifically trained as SAB dancers, they share a certain energy, and they show a fidelity to the steps. Noelani Pantastico exemplified this in the Second Ballerina role in a radiant performance, partnered by Anton Pankevitch and Lucien Postlewaite with matching energy. I really don't like the costumes; generally I love Martin Pakeldinaz's work. My feeling about men's costumes is wear tights, or wear pants/breeches. Don't wear tights that end at the knee that pretend to be pants. And a baby blue sash over a grey vest? (No. Bad.) I also expect that someday, one of the men is going to be impaled by those spiky crowns the women wear. At the very beginning of the Q&A, there was a big shout out for Doug Fullington, but I don't think he was there to hear it. Lindsi Dec announced the opening of PNB Unleashed, a new website by PNB dancers Dec, Noelani Pantastico, and I missed the name of the third dancer. Casey Herd designed the logo. In the Wings has quotes from dancers about the current program. Bulletin has news about the dancers, links to dancers' websites, a link to a video interview with Peter Boal, and a list of outside appearances by Company members. I'd congratulate them all, but then you wouldn't have to read it yourself Okay, except for Olivier Wevers choreographing a piece for Spectrum Dance Theatre, which plays November 9-11, 16-18. Museum has photos, currently by Angela Sterling, former PNB soloist. "Interviews" wants a username and password, so it's not ready for primetime. A day in the life of... features Carla Korbes. Ask a Dancer has an audio interview with Maria Chapman and still photos, as she explains how she prepares her pointe shoes.

I received a press release from Pacific Northwest Ballet, announcing that Professional Division student, Andrew Bartee, who was featured prominently in the season-end Choreographer's Workshop, has received a Princess Grace Award. From the press release: Congratulations!

I re-watched the Fracci/Bruhn Giselle on the plane from Frankfurt yesterday -- Lufthansa! -- and while I agree this isn't the first version I would recommend, it is the second, despite the infuriating camera work, particularly during the Peasant Pas de Deux. Eleanor D'Antuono's performance in it was fantastic. (I can't tell if Ted Kivitt's was, because of all of the cuts.) Toni Lander was such a fine Myrtha, a bloodless avenger, and Bruce Marks' Hilarion is not to be missed. What impressed me most on this viewing was that despite Bruhn's naturally aristocratic presence, he was the most convincing Albrecht in purely dance terms: the key to being accepted as a villager was to dance like one, not in mannerisms or winks, but in Bournonville terms, as an equal, grounded partner. That made the dancing in Act II, with grander jumping variations and partnering more akin to a cavalier, a dramatic contrast.

As Saturday Links person, I read the synopses for every article in a Google search with the word "ballet." Filtering out the inevitable references to "Spandau Ballet," and "ballet flats," and numerous biographical references to having take ballet lessons as a child, at least one-third of what remains is an analogy of sports and ballet, and these references are meant as highest praise. But if a sportwriter is talking about ballet itself -- then the ridicule starts. I found it telling that last weekend, there were three independent articles in the Australian press about the all-male Les Ballets Grandiva. Were they performing in Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane? We they performing at a resort on the Great Barrier Reef? No, they were performing in Japan. The fascination with men in drag in macho cultures and macho environments seems to never end. When it's time to take ballet straight, that's when the problems start.

PNB is co-producing this great lecture demo, and it is being presented by Doug Fullington (aka doug) on October 5, 6-7:30pm at the Phelps Center, next to McCaw Hall. I've added emphasis in blue below. PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET CO-PRESENTS LECTURE-DEMONSTRATION BALANCHINE'S PETIPA October 5, 2007 ~ 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Phelps Center SEATTLE, WA — Pacific Northwest Ballet and dance historian Doug Fullington present Balanchine’s Petipa, a lecture-demonstration exploring the influence of choreographer George Balanchine’s training and performance experience in Russia on his subsequent choreography. Excerpts from essential 19th-century ballets by choreographer Marius Petipa and his colleagues, including Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Paquita, will be performed alongside excerpts from key Balanchine works, including Apollo, Theme and Variations, Divertimento No. 15, Emeralds and Divertimento from ‘Le Baiser de la Fee’. The Balanchine works will be staged by PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal and PNB Founding Artistic Director Francia Russell. Doug Fullington will revive the 19th century dances from century-old notation in the Stepanov system, now housed at the Harvard Theatre Collection. PNB Company dancers and students from PNB School will dance the excerpts, accompanied by pianist Dianne Chilgren, and Boal and Fullington will lead a discussion focusing on Balanchine’s training and 19th-century Russian ballet and how it may have influenced Balanchine’s own choreography and development of classical ballet vocabulary in the 20th century. Choreography for men, including pas de deux partnering, will be a particular focus. The Balanchine's Petipa lecture-demonstration in sponsored in part by 4Culture. Balanchine's Petipa - Friday, October 5, 2007 ~ 6:00–7:30 p.m. The Phelps Center, 301 Mercer Street, Seattle 98109 Tickets are $10 and may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at (206) 441-2424, online at www.pnb.org or in person at the PNB Box Office at 301 Mercer Street. Program Introduction Flora's Awakening (Drigo/Petipa; 1894) – Zephyr coda Theme and Variations (Tchaikovsky/Balanchine; 1947) – First male solo Performers: Lucien Postlewaite, with Carla Körbes, Kaori Nakamura, Jodie Thomas & Mara Vinson Choreography for boys Raymonda (Glazunov/Petipa; 1898) – Dance of the Arab boys Performers: Students from PNBS Intermediate Boys class Male variations Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky/Gorsky; 1895?) – Act III variation Performer: Benjamin Griffiths Divertimento No. 15 (Mozart/Balanchine; 1956) – Variation 5 Performer: Lucien Postlewaite Pas de deux and character dancing La Bayadère (Minkus/Petipa;1877/1900) – Kingdom of the Shades pas de deux Performers: Kaori Nakamura & Lucien Postlewaite The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky/Ivanov; 1892) – Harlequin & Columbine Performers: Jodie Thomas & James Moore Apollo (Stravinsky/Balanchine; 1928) – Pas de deux Performers: Carla Körbes & Lucien Postlewaite Pas de trois Paquita (Delvedez/Minkus/Petipa; 1881) – Pas de trois Performers: Kaori Nakamura, Mara Vinson & James Moore Emeralds (Fauré/Balanchine; 1967) – Pas de trois Performers: Carla Körbes, Jodie Thomas & Benjamin Griffiths Late male variations The Sleeping Beauty (Tchaikovsky/Legat?; 1892/circa 1900) – Act III variation Performer: Lucien Postlewaite Divertimento from “Le Baiser de la feé” (Stravinsky/Balanchine; 1972) – Male variation Performer: Benjamin Griffiths Program and casting subject to change. For further information, please visit: www.pnb.org.

I just received the PNB press release announcing that week 2's casting is up on the site, and listing the following role debuts: Square Dance Benjamin Griffiths-Lead man Prodigal Son James Moore-Prodigal Carla Korbes, Lindsi Dec, Laura Gilbreath-Siren Ballet Imperial Kaori Nakamura/Batkhurel Bold-Lead couple Carrie Imler-Lead woman Casey Herd-Lead man Noelani Pantastico, Mara Vinson, Jodie Thomas-Second ballerina

In Winter Season Toni Bentley said that in her time at NYCB they were made of paper with fireproofing chemicals. I remember her comment that "they get everywhere," including in the dancers mouths.

Very few companies have opened their seasons. There is always a dearth of news over the summer and until the company seasons begin.

Farrell was young and a practicing Catholic. She's said and written that this was an issue for her. She also said in Elusive Muse, that there were times when she was ready for a full relationship with him, but he was feeling guilty about Tanaquil Leclerq, and times when he was ready, and she was feeling guilty about Tanaquil Leclerq. Also in Elusive Muse, she tries to explain that they got much physical gratification out of working together in the studio. She ends by saying, "It was great!" with the most wonderful smile. What productive sublimation! Freud would have been proud. Tallchief has also said and written many times that Balanchine had chosen her as a key dancer for his new company, and has said several times that he wanted to be married her to keep her loyalty to him. Just like he said, "Don't be angry, save it for the work," I would think that this would apply to all other non-ballet-focused expenditures of energy and focus. Given how she struggled to balance her career with the passionate romantic life she had after her marriage to Balanchine ended, I would say that was good strategy.

Christophe Maraval just retired to teach in Montreal, but he has been popping up for a few post-retirement performances at special events, partnering Patricia Barker. According to the cached version of his PNB bio, "[h]e trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School and the Conservatoire Nationale Superieure de Paris."

Thank you so much, sandik The Concert may be my favorite Jerome Robbins ballet. I'm very glad to see Nadeau challenged with interesting roles, especially with the retirement of her great partner, Christophe Maraval (A Month in the Country, A Month in the Country, A Month in the Country...). Imler is the finest actress among the women at PNB, in my opinion, although Maria Chapman can give her a run for her money. Did Wevers play the Grouncho Marx character? "Adult" is the perfect description of Maraval's presence. I keep looking at the rep and casting him in my head, alas. From your description, if I can take an evening of Maria Alexandrova shrieking and biting her Romeo, although I admit after a while this became tedious, Maillot's will fall somewhere in, rather than outside, the spectrum. My concern is that Kent Stowell's The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet will fade away. I think it is the best of Stowell's full-lengths, with a far more romantic take on the story than can be extracted from the Prokovief score of most other productions, and provides more room for subtle characterizations as a result. Having worked on this year's Calendar and having seen what companies across the world are actually producing, it could make the centerpiece of a company's season. However, it's not even a likely candidate to survive outside PNB -- for an orchestra to learn the the custom score instead of pulling out the Prokofiev alone would be prohibitive -- and it doesn't have the iconic status or financial pull of Stowell's Nutcracker, which I admire a great deal, to give it a right place here. That is fantastic news about the promotions. Postlewaite may have starred as Prodigal, but my favorite Principal performance of his was at one of the Theme and Variations's from a year or two ago. He's been quietly taking on great partnering roles like in Emeralds, for example, as well as the more visible ones, like Villella's role in Rubies in last season's "Stravinsky 125." My favorite performance of all of his, so far, has been as one of the four Dukes in Sleeping Beauty, a "nothing" role in which he was invested every second on stage. I look forward to seeing him in Square Dance, which was the first major role in which I remember seeing Peter Boal, whom I think Postlewaite more than a bit resembles. I think Mara Vinson has been doing a superb job taking on one or two performances of major roles, like in Emeralds and Aurora, in which she visibly grew, carrying a full length on the McCaw Hall stage for the first time, and in which she would be compared to more experienced Principals who gave ravishing performances. She's been quietly blossoming and has been stellar in secondary leads. I'm glad she's been recognized.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer has a PNB gala rehearsal photo gallery by Grant M. Haller on its website, currently linked from the front page "Featured Galleries." http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/ Direct links aren't working, but there are some terrific photos; I hope I haven't made a mess of identifying the dancers: Caught Olivier Wevers and strobe effects, #2, #3 The Concert Looks like Maria Chapman's arches to me (white pocketbook). Maybe with Leslie Rausch? Fur Alina Carla Korbes and Batkhurel Bold, #5, #6 Ballet Imperial Miranda Weese and Casey Herd #10, #11 Mara Vinson, with Seth Orza (l) and Karel Cruz ® #12 Miranda Weese and Corps #14 Kara Zimmerman (l) and Kylee Kitchens ® Romeo and Juliet Lucien Postlewaite, #16 Postlewaite and Noelani Pantastico #19, #20 Did anyone go? I know it's only 6:15am in Seattle, but I'm jonesing on the other side of the globe for news.

I also wish I could remember. Can anyone help?What you describe, Alexandra, would be consistent with Albrecht's world-view as a medieval nobleman. A peasant, even an upper peasant employed by the nobility, was described by some as almost another species. The thought of gaining an upper hand by fighting with a sword -- duelling being a prerogative of nobles -- would be beneath someone like Albrecht. The scene in Delouche's documentary on Moniques Lourdieres in which Vladimir Vasiliev coaches her in Giselle is one of my all-time favorite things in ballet, and while they don't rehearse Albrecht's reaction to Hilarion, there's a priceless moment in the scene they do rehearse which is a precurser: Giselle sits on the bench and looks away shyly. Vasiliev approaches her like a prince, and realizes this is a give-away. In a split second he does this little slouch and turns from Prince to a reglar' guy. (You can almost see him snapping his finger, like a Jet.)

That's great news, cygneblanc. San Francisco is often described as the city in the US that is most like Europe in sensibility.

Many thanks, bart I'd never seen the original cast, and I really appreciate your comparison of MCB's dancers to the originals. It's not every dancer who is so generous with roles made on them. Now, if I could only be sent back to Florida to work in mid-late October...

Karen Kain, in a mini-interview with the Edmonton Journal, said: http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...k=10751&p=2 That's very much in line with Vasiliev's interpretation.

You may find the answer here, but I think your best bet is on the Pointe shoe forum on Ballet Talk for Dancers.

Did anyone attend? We'll have the published reviews in Links, but we look forward to hearing impressions from anyone who was there.