Helene

If Kirkland's second book is anything to go by, it's hard to imagine that she didn't coach every last gesture with a backstory.

Not a strictly Romantic company, but check out the new Pacific Canadian Ballet: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/ar...4a-adfc44ec23bc Their website is under construction as of today, but according to the article above, The company is located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and, according to the article, it consists of dancers from Canada, Russia, and the US.

The negative counter doesn't affect the number of PMs, but it does affect the display. Unfortunately, the only way to reset it is through the software. You can't reset it yourself. I was able to run the reset, but, unfortunately, resetting doesn't fix the underlying cause Thank you for reporting this.

Thank you for the link, carbro

The Royal Opera House has announced that it has acquired Opus Arte UK Ltd, which produces high-end classical music and dance DVD's. (ex: Jewels, the Kupfer/deBilly Ring of the Nibelungen from the Liceu). From the press release:

I found out how to reset negative PM counts, but there's no explanation for why this happened in the first place. If your post counts start running negative again, I'd appreciate it if you'd reply to this thread.

When Boal mentioned in one of the post-performance Q&A's that there would be more than one retirement at the end of the season, I was hoping it would not be Maraval, one of my favorite men in the Company. It will be very sad to see him go, but I hope he has a great experience in Montreal, one of the great North American cities.

Saturday, May 26 Philadelphia's Koresh Dance Company performed at the Annenberg; Ellen Dunkel reviews the performance for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Alistair Macaulay writes about Eiko and Koma and their upcoming performances, including Asia Society-sponspored free performances tonight and tomorrow of “Cambodian Stories Revisited” in the graveyard of St. Mark's Church for Danspace Project. For perhaps 30 years — I had heard of them long before I first saw them in the late 1980s — this Japanese-American duo have been among the great performers of New York, indeed the world. And they are supremely dramatic. They take us way beyond the excitement of what will happen next and into uncharted areas of intense emotion. Since there are two of them, the adjective unique doesn’t quite work, but they are extraordinarily unlike anybody else. Their movement is often more animal than human, and as effortfully, painfully, they inch their way along the floor in various lying positions, they remind me of nothing so much as beached seals. It is exceptionally hard to imagine anybody else’s replacing them in their own repertory, and yet this year that’s what will happen: they are passing on one of their most renowned vehicles, “Grain,” to two Cambodians — Charian (female, 17) and Peace (male, 18) — to perform at the American Dance Festival in Durham, N.C., from June 25 to 27.

Barker's performance of Clara in The Nutcracker from 1986 is on film. I remember being knocked out by her, and for the first time in my NYC-centric -- i.e., only looking East to Europe -- view, I realized there were great Balanchine dancers west of New York, something that had never sunk in, despite Arlene Croce's reviews of PNB when they came to Brooklyn. Then in 1993, her performance of Polymnia was also taped as part of the "Balanchine Celebration." I remember thinking that it was one of the highlights of the four-part program, along with Darci Kistler in Theme and Variations, Stephanie Saland's farewell performance in Vienna Waltzes, and Elizabeth Loscavio's knock-'em-dead "My One and Only." Her performances have richened over the years, with no visible diminishing of technique, and there's a bloom she's had in the last three years since Peter Boal took over the company. To me, it looks like she's dancing more for herself, which has given her more freedom.

I just received a postcard in the mail for the June 8-10 performances of Ib Andersen's new ballet, called play. Back in April, in a pre-performance talk, he mentioned that he had completed 25 minutes of the ballet, at which point the selections were by Mozart and Britten. Also he (half-?) joked, "Wish me luck," but it's pretty obvious from this list of composers that he and the dancers have been busy. Here are the musical selections on the website: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Twelve Variations on "Ah, vous dirai-je Maman" K.265 Franz Schubert - Andante from OCTET in F major D. 803 Benjamin Britten - Prelude and Fugue for 18-part String Orchestra, Op. 29 Arvo Pärt - Cantus in Memory of Britten** and Festina Lente Igor Stravinsky - Suite no. 2 and Pulcincella Suite **Used by Susan Marshall in Kiss and three times in a row in Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven. On the front of the card, there's a wonderful photo of Natalia Magnicaballi and, I think, Astrit Zejnati in what looks like a moving lift. (The dancers aren't identified.) On the mailing side is a great photo of Joseph Cavanaugh in mid-leap. (Definitely poster material.) If you click on the link above, and then click on the corner of the picture with the text "World Premiere," there is a two-photo spread with a slightly different angle on the lift, and the photo of Cavanaugh.

In a little over two weeks, Patricia Barker will.

It's possible, but it's nothing different from what many of us have been saying for as long as I've been on the board: Kistler's technical skills have been diminishing badly and charm willl not replace technique for everyone, and Nilas Martins is not only inappropriaely cast, but he's had a semi-monopoly on these roles, to the detriment of other dancers. When you cast your own family, there's extra scrutiny involved.

Week 1 casting is up: http://www.pnb.org/season/stravinsky-casting.html

PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET HONORS A BELOVED BALLERINA IN A CELEBRATION OF PATRICIA BARKER Sunday, June 10th ~ 6:30 p.m. McCaw Hall "The greatest highlight of my career has been to live in someone’s heart if only for an hour, to give joy, sadness, pleasure...I have fulfilled my purpose as an artist." – PNB Principal Dancer Patricia Barker SEATTLE, WA - Join Pacific Northwest Ballet for a one-time-only production in honor of its beloved ballerina, Patricia Barker, who retires from 26 years on stage with the Company at the conclusion of this season, June 10, 6:30 p.m. at McCaw Hall. The last time Ms. Barker will perform as a member of the PNB Company, A Celebration of Patricia Barker is an evening not to be missed. The special program will feature Le Corsaire Pas de Trois (after Marius Petipa), excerpts from George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Agon, Act IV from Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake, plus special surprises. "She is, in the true sense of the word, a ballerina," said PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal. "You can see that from the first minute she's onstage."€ Former PNB Artistic Directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell added their praise: "To say Patricia is one of the great ballerinas of our time is simply to state the obvious. For us, who have guided her and watched her grow from unruly teenager to radiant young star to mature and continually fascinating artist, she is still a miracle to be savored daily. The example she has set onstage in a vast array of roles, and offstage in endless classes and rehearsals, has set the bar almost impossibly high for the generations of young dancers who look up to her and will follow in her footsteps. "The greatest joy, and the greatest responsibility, of an artistic director is helping dancers fulfill their potential. Patricia has repaid us, and her devoted public, by surpassing all of our dreams." A CELEBRATION OF PATRICIA BARKER is a one-time-only performance on June 10 at 6:30 p.m. at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street. Tickets range in price from $30 to $200 and may be purchased: * By calling the PNB Box Office at (206) 441-2424 (Mon.-Fri. 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Sat. 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) * In person at the PNB Box Office, 301 Mercer Street (Mon.-Fri. 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Sat. 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) * Online at www.pnb.org More about the performance ~ an evening not to be missed Joining Ms. Barker in this very special performance are the following dancers performing in leading roles: Principal dancers Stanko Milov and Casey Herd will perform with Patricia Barker in Le Corsaire Pas de Trois (after Marius Pepita). For the "Athalie" from George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Patricia Barker will dance as Titania, with principal dancer Christophe Maraval as the Cavalier, and principal dancer Jonathan Porretta as Puck. The "Scherzo" features principal dancer Le Yin as Oberon and soloist Jodie Thomas as Butterfly. PNB company dancers and PNB School students perform in the roles of Fairies ("Athalie"), and Butterflies and Bugs ("Scherzo"). Jonathan Porretta and soloists Lesley Rausch and Maria Chapman perform in the first pas de trois from Balanchine's Agon. The second pas de trois will be danced by principal dancer Batkhurel Bold and soloists Mara Vinson and Karel Cruz. The pas de deux will be performed by Patricia Barker and principal dancer Olivier Wevers. For Act IV from Kent Stowell's Swan Lake, Patricia Barker performs as Odette with principal dancer Jeffrey Stanton as Siegfried, guest artist Otto Neubert as Von Rothbart, and twenty-four Company dancers and PNB School students performing in the swan corps. More about PNB Principal Dancer Patricia Barker ~ one of the most gifted ballerinas performing today Originally from Richland, Washington, Patricia Barker trained on scholarship at Boston Ballet School and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Since joining the Company in 1981 as an apprentice, Ms. Barker embarked on a brilliant career. She has danced leading roles in virtually all of PNB’s vast repertoire, from works by George Balanchine to William Forsythe to Kent Stowell. In 1986, the same year she was promoted to PNB principal dancer, Ms. Barker performed the role of Clara in the film version of PNB’s production of Kent Stowell’s Nutcracker, entitled Nutcracker: The Motion Picture. She also performed Titania in the BBC's 1999 film version of PNB's production of Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, filmed at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London. In 1994, Kent Stowell created the title role of Cinderella for her in his full-length ballet. Ms. Barker has danced leading roles in George Balanchine's Agon, Allegro Brillante, Apollo, Ballet Imperial, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, Chaconne, Concerto Barocco, Diamonds, Divertimento No. 15, The Four Temperaments, La Valse, La Sonnambula, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Titania, Divertissement pas de deux), Mozartiana, Prodigal Son, Rubies, Serenade, Stars and Stripes, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Sylvia Pas de Deux, Symphony in C, Symphony in Three Movements, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Theme and Variations, Valse Fantaisie, Western Symphony and Who Cares?; Todd Bolender's Souvenirs; August Bournonville’s Bournonville Variations; Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels and Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven; William Forsythe's Artifact II and In the middle, somewhat elevated; Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow (Hanna) and The Sleeping Beauty (Aurora, Lilac Fairy); Mark Morris’ Pacific; Kirk Peterson’s Amazed in Burning Dreams; Jerome Robbins’ In the Night; Kent Stowell’s Coppélia (Swanilda), Dumbarton Oaks, Firebird, Hail to the Conquering Hero, Nutcracker (Clara, Flora, Peacock), Orpheus Portrait, Pas de Deux Campagnolo, Swan Lake (Odette/Odile), The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (Juliet) and Zirkus Weill; Marius Petipa's Le Corsaire Pas de Trois, Don Quixote and Paquita; Richard Tanner's Ancient Airs and Dances; Lynne Taylor-Corbett's Mercury and Tunes; Glen Tetley's Alice, The Rite of Spring and Voluntaries; Rudi van Dantzig's Ginastera; and Hans van Manen's Five Tangos. She also originated leading roles in Ib Anderson's Brandenburg Concerti; Donald Byrd's Capricious Night and Seven Deadly Sins; Val Caniparoli's The Bridge and Torque; Lynn Daly's Ruby, My Dear; Nicolo Fonte's Almost Tango and Within/Without; Kevin O'Day's Aract; Christopher Stowell's Zaïs; Kent Stowell's Anima Mundi, Carmen, Carmina Burana, Delicate Balance, Duo Fantasy, Kammergarten Tänze, Palacios Dances, Poéme St. Saëns, Quaternary, Ravenna, Silver Lining and Time and Ebb; and Lynne Taylor-Corbett's The Quilt. Ms. Barker has performed on tour with Pacific Northwest Ballet and as a guest artist throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. Her numerous guest performances include New York City Ballet's gala Dinner with Balanchine, the World Stars Gala in Prague and Le Gala des Etoiles in Montreal, and performances with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet and Royal Danish Ballet. In addition to her performing career, Ms. Barker is a member of the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet School and has been a guest teacher at schools throughout the United States. She appears on the Freed of London video, Patricia Barker on Pointe Shoes. Ms. Barker also serves as a spokesperson for the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade in collaboration with the U.S. Surgeon General, and is the founder and owner of BKWear dancewear.

It's great to hear about Thomas's performance.

DTH's "Creole Giselle" is my favorite of all alternative settings.

Apart from preferring Driscoll to De Arellano as Musetta, I agree with Sandy's assessment. (De Arellano has a gorgeous voice, particularly in her lower register, while Driscoll's was more Mimi-like.) I, too, was disappointed by the Gold Cast. I had heard much of the broadcast, and while Rosario La Spina has a very bright top and lots of power, to me he sounded like he was pushing and going for effects, with dodgy endings to his high notes -- my standard here is Nicolai Gedda's recording with Mirella Freni and Schippers . Live, in my opinion, he didn't hold a candle to Piper as a bohemian, an engaged stage presence and ensemble player, or interpreter of text. While I love Nuccia Focile, and she was a very delicately affecting Mimi vocally, she really was a wisp from beginning to end, and Barkmin's more robust approach has spoiled me forever. One interesting part of the two very different interpretations of Mimi is that from both approaches, my sense of Mimi was of a woman who wasn't used to being heard. In Focile's case, it was as if she rarely spoke, living alone in her room, sewing for work and as a hobby, and when she sang "Mi chiamano Mimi" it was as if she was literally voicing things she had only thought about. This is probably pushing things, but my "backstory" for Barkmin's was that she was a spirited girl, maybe a youngest (or at least not the oldest,), who was always being told by her family to be quiet. On Saturday night, after the Gold Cast had sung two consecutive nights in a row, in the post-performance Q&A, Speight Jenkins said that bass Deyan Vatchkov got stronger as the run when on, and he was very impressed by the young bass, because he had learned how to turn it around (paraphrase) over the course of the run. He has the resonance to make me think "Boris Gudinov!" "King Philip!" "Hagen" (someday, I mean). I love Philip Cutlip's voice -- it's rich with a gorgeous top -- but as the performance went on, I found him getting more and more stagy, and his curtain call bow was modified 18th century. As a crew, the bohemians didn't click and create quite believable characters or friends in the Gold Cast, despite some great attempts by Jeremy Kelly's Schaunard. I really wish I had been able to go to Sunday afternoon's performance. I agree, too, that I've been spoiled forever by this production and in the way the Silver Cast performed it. It is the standard to which other Productions will be compared.

I remember Marguerite Porter's Odette/Odile from a Royal Ballet tour in the early 80's, which I loved for its simplicity and directness and its notable lack of flapping, but for which she got one or two lukewarm lines in the New York Times review. It's no wonder that de Valois chose her for this Dying Swan.

So it sounds like, the two Swan Lakes

If there was any chance for me to travel to Philadelphia this summer, from everything I've read about this wonderful dancer, I would see the Swan Lake with Rojo. As much as I'd like to see Cojocaru and Kobborg, it wouldn't be for MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet.

Thank you so much, fadedhour, for the detailed description of the ballet and your critique of the dancers who portrayed the main role and the characters in Nijinksky ballets. It was very generous of you to share this with us, especially since so few of us can see performances in Hamburg.

The way my mind works is if I can figure out what they're doing, I can evaluate and analyze, which does make me think hard about what I think the piece means. For example, there may be an analogy being presented on stage. If I just think, "not a 100% fit and dismiss it," I don't get anything out of it. If I think that there's some overlap, I might see a part through a different light and learn something from it. If I think the director has turned the piece into meaning something diametrically opposite, at least I know what I think about it, even if I feel that the performers's time has been wasted. If the director bores me into not thinking at all or is incomprehensible, then I can take Balanchine's advice and close my eyes and listen to the concert. Two other pieces I've liked are the reconstructions of the seemingly indestructible Carmen by Brook and Turandot by Berio. Neither is the original piece, but I did re-think them by having the piece in a different chronological order and with different accompaniment. In general, though, regardless of what the director does onstage, the music generally goes unpunished. Unlike ballet, where the performers can be physically harmed by pounding rehearsals of the choreography, and the physical text is destroyed, in opera, by closing one's eyes, one hears live, hopefully unamplified, voices, singing an original score (if not the text), something that is missed by saying "I'll pass." On the whole, I tend to think "no harm, no foul."

I spent many, many meals at the Saloon in the 80's. They had the best waffle fries.

The Bolt is now in Ballet Talk's Amazon Mini-Store (link under the BT logo). It's the one without an image.

In general, I find most updatings a snooze, and I'm allergic to Eurotrash and its Ameritrash counterpart, but I did love Frank Corsaro's Spanish Civil War Carmen for NYCO. My only complaint about it was in the last act, when Carmen and Escamillo sat at a raised table, and the stage went dark except for the lights on them during their duet. The Carmen/Escamillo duet is an uncharacteristically sacharine piece of music, and I always think of it as a Hollywood moment, like when movie stars put on a show at brunch and pose for People Magazine. I would have had a bunch of photographers flashing away during it, since it always seems to me that the two are posing in public.