Helene

If some people were willing to twist Johnson's words and misinterpret them, regardless of their motivations, why would some people not twist and misinterpret a half dozen people's words? The phenomenon of having a single, renowned go-to person to speak as the expert on a complex issue isn't new. It has the advantage of discipline and authority, but it also causes dissatisfaction and resentment among people who disagree, but are expected to stay on message and not show public dissension, and it's less work for those asking. I remember Terri Gross' interview with Larry Wilmore after he hosted Obama's last White House Correspondents Dinner, which he closed by calling Obama his "nigga." Al Sharpton was among those who criticized him for it. Gross asked him, "But what about the elders?" as if there was some committee of Elders, and no one else could speak if it would upset them. He rightly told her that they could have their opinions and that he could speak his truth (paraphrase). There's nothing wrong with what Johnson has said, and, if anything, misinterpreting her words shows how threatening they were to a narrative, but that doesn't mean there aren't other voices, some of whom may disagree.

Wow, what a wonderful list of dancers...

As someone who's been paid to read, it's often not a walk in the park. You have to kiss a lot of frogs... And I can testify that there are publishing houses where "blast" is the last word I'd use to describe them.

There were two major debuts on Friday evening in "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" with a repeat performance this afternoon: Leah Merchant was Showgirl and Miles Pertl was Hoofer. They were the embodiment of Fred and Ginger: beautiful lines, expansive, lithe, nuanced, with quiet sensuality in the more intimate moments. The "Swan Lake" references were especially clear with these two, between the shimmies. Doug Fullington told us last week in his pre-performance presentation that Pertl's background was in Irish tap, which worked beautifully for Hoofer. Two words for him: in compas. Kyle Davis and Ryan Cardea were pitch perfect as Morrisine and the Gangster, and Steven Loch and Dylan Ward were a delight at the two bartenders. In "West Side Story Suite," Price Suddarth debuted as Tony this afternoon. He's spoken about how he came to ballet from musical theater, and that background showed from his characterization. Amanda Morgan debuted earlier second weekend as Rosalia, and she was terrific in "America," showing temperament and push-back, an individual performance. Rachel Foster was lovely in "Carousel," especially in showing the ambivalence of her character. I'm going to be a broken record: Tudor-Tudor-Tudor-Tudor. Especially Caroline in "Jardin." Noelani Pantastico's awesome Anita was a wonderful way to end the run. On Friday, Seth Orza and Karel Cruz gave us another blood-curdling fight scene. Jerome Tisserand as Tony spun "Something's Coming" with a fine throughline that was a story in itself, and the arc of his characterization was especially strong.

I'm only halfway done and haven't got to much of the ballet part, but so far, I am loving reading a description of work, workplaces, and colleagues in which they were having a blast. I particularly love the part where without bosses, they just made it up as they went along!

About PAMTTG, I'd be tempted to say, well, he was considered a genius by then, but contrary to some belief, we didn't invent "What have you done for me lately?" After many of his ballets, he was talked about as being washed up, out of ideas, dated, etc. Jerome Robbins was new and fresh, and he was supposed to be the new savior. Which isn't quite how it played out.

For our purposes, it's official news, if one ballet professional posts it on his her her blog, website, or public-facing social media.

Welcome to Ballet Alert!, lacdescygnes -- we're glad you've joined us!

Did the politicians and the men in the room control her career/livelihood? She was clearly ready to put her safety on the line, which was what available to threaten. Do you think that women choreographers should have to jeopardize their careers actively to pursue choreography? Speaking about choreographers in institutions, do you think that all women choreographers must be assertive pioneers and extraordinarily talented and driven, when their make counterparts are given multiple opportunities to hone their craft, even when their output is, at best, workmanlike? Especially when some have become AD's and house choreographers with little administrative experience, but were Principal Dancers, and there are almost no women in that position. Their clueless colleagues are the least of their problems.

They sure do.

Ugh. Just ugh.

Rebecca King and Michael Sean Breeden did this wonderful interview with Joaquin de Luz for their podcast "Conversations on Dance:" http://conversationsondancepod.com/2017/04/17/joaquin-de-luz-principal-dancer-new-york-city-ballet/

I agree. Feijoo has been a cultural treasure.

[Admin beanie on] Please do not post unofficial news. If there's an announcement, public Facebook post, tweet, etc., please post with a reference. [/Admin beanie off]

I grew up listening to George Jellinek play very old, scratchy, poppy rare and precious opera recordings, so I'll take what I can of Soloviev, even if lesser visual quality is more frustrating than bad audio quality for me. And, yes, Eglevsky had that same plush quality, if not the same fluidity in his upper body and shoulders, at least on the film clips I've seen. While Soloviev is probably still more finished than Folkine's original casts, there's still the emphasis on organic movement, phrasing, characterization, and style in his performance. I love Maris Liepa, but he makes it more of a technical feat, pulling us out of the continuous dream.

My favorite Rose is Yuri Soloviev's:

William Robin wrote an article in "The New Yorker" last week about the significance of Du Yun's Pulitzer (for her opera "Angel's Bone") for women in classical music. Robin wrote, and later, These sentiments are frighteningly and depressingly familiar in the discussions of diversity in ballet.

I just received the press release (emphasis mine): PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET presents BEYOND BALLET A Town Hall on the State of Ballet and Diversity 7:00 pm, Wednesday, May 3, 2017 The Phelps Center 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center Seattle, WA 98109 SEATTLE, WA – On Wednesday, May 3, 2017, Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) will host BEYOND BALLET, a Town Hall-style conversation which will investigate aesthetics, diversity, equity, and the efforts to redesign arts institutions. PNB, Spectrum Dance Theater, and Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet (MOBB) invite attendees to share their thoughts, feelings and experiences in a Town Hall format. Ballet—its aesthetics, lack of diversity and equity—is the springboard from which we begin to examine these issues in the theater and arts at large. This forum will be an open study group for organizations participating in the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Racial Equity Learning Cohorts, part of the Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI), the City’s commitment to eliminate racial disparities and achieve racial equity in Seattle. BEYOND BALLET will take place at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at PNB’s Phelps Center, 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center. This is a free event, however space is limited and registration is required at PNB.org/BeyondBallet. Panelists for BEYOND BALLET include Peter Boal, Artistic Director of PNB; Donald Byrd, Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater; Erica Edwards, Director of Community Engagement at The Joffrey Ballet; Kiyon Gaines, former PNB soloist and PNB School faculty member; and Andrea Long-Naidu, ballet instructor for Dance Theatre of Harlem and CityDance Conservatory. The evening will be moderated by Theresa Ruth Howard, founder and curator of MOBB. While the format of the program will allow for diverging conversations, perspectives and stories from the field, planned topics for the evening include: · The History of Blacks in Ballet: A Legacy as Long as America · The Aesthetics of Ballet: What do Classicism and Tradition “Look” Like? · Teachers and Administrators of Color: Why They Are an Essential Component of Diversification BEYOND BALLET is an important part of PNB’s ongoing work in the area of racial equity and inclusion. This community event is made possible with generous support from Bank of America. TICKET INFORMATION This is a free event, however seating is limited and subject to availability: Advance registration is required at PNB.org/BeyondBallet. ABOUT THE PANELISTS (For complete bios, visit PNB.org/BeyondBallet.) Theresa Ruth Howard (moderator) began her professional dance career with the Philadelphia Civic Ballet Company at the age of twelve. Later she joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem where she had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Africa. In 2004 she became a founding member of Armitage Gone! Dance, and was a guest artist with Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s 10th Anniversary season. Ms. Howard has been a member of the faculty at the Ailey School for over 18 years. As a writer, she has contributed to Pointe andDance magazines, among others. Her articles about body image prompted her to create mybodymyimage.com, which endeavors to help build positive body image through respect, acceptance, and appreciation. Ms. Howard launched MoBBallet.org, the digital archive for Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet. One of MOBB’s first projects was to help organize and facilitate the first-ever audition for Black Female Ballet dancers for major ballet organizations at the 2015 International Association of Blacks in Dance conference. Peter Boal was raised in Bedford, New York. At the age of nine, he began studying ballet at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet. Mr. Boal became a member of NYCB’s corps de ballet in 1983 and became a principal dancer in 1989. In 2005, he retired from NYCB after a 22-year career with the company. Mr. Boal was also a full-time faculty member at the School of American Ballet from 1997 to 2005. In 2003, he founded Peter Boal and Company, a critically-acclaimed chamber ensemble. In 1996 Mr. Boal received the Dance Magazine Award, and in 2000 he received a New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) for his performance in Molissa Fenley’s State of Darkness. In 2005, upon his retirement from NYCB, Mr. Boal became Artistic Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and Director of PNB School. Donald Byrd‘s career has been long and complex and his choreographic and theatrical interests are broad. The New York Times describes him as “a choreographer with multiple personalities…an unabashed eclectic.” Mr. Byrd, a Tony Award-nominated (The Color Purple) and Bessie Award-winning (The Minstrel Show) choreographer, became Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater in 2002. From 1978 to 2002, he was Artistic Director of Donald Byrd/The Group, a critically-acclaimed contemporary dance company - founded in Los Angeles and later based in New York - that toured extensively, both nationally and internationally. He has created over 100 dance works for his own groups as well as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco), PNB, The Joffrey Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and many others. His non-dance company work has been with some of the most prestigious theater and opera companies in the US, including New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, and more. Erica Lynette Edwards joined The Joffrey Ballet after being one of the first dancers in the Arpino Apprentice program in 2000. She trained at the Salt Creek Ballet School where she performed major roles in their pre-professional ballet company. Ms. Edwards believes that it is important to share the experience of dance with others, and she does this by teaching at various community, school, and outreach programs throughout Chicagoland. In 2001, the Chicago Sun-Timesspotlighted her as a “Black History Maker,” and in 2002 she was The Joffrey’s nominee for the Princess Grace Foundation Award. In 2003, Ebony magazine featured Ms. Edwards as a Young Leader of the Future in the Arts. She retired in 2014 after a 15-year career as a ballerina and is now The Joffrey’s Director of Community Engagement: She is responsible for managing all Joffrey arts education programs through Chicago Public Schools and the community to increase access, awareness, and appreciation for the art of dance. Kiyon Gaines is from Baltimore, Maryland. He trained at Baltimore School of the Arts, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, the School of American Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. He joined PNB as a member of the corps de ballet in 2001 and was promoted to soloist in 2012. He retired in 2015 and currently teaches on the faculty of PNB School, works with PNB’s DanceChance program to bring classical dance training to the students of Seattle Public Schools, and has been program manager of PNB’s annual NEXT STEP choreographers’ showcase since 2012. Mr. Gaines is also an established choreographer: Since creating his first work in 2001, he has made ballets for PNB, PNB School, New York Choreographic Institute, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Cornish College of the Arts, and Spectrum Dance Theater. Mr. Gaines has been resident choreographer at Ballet Arkansas since 2015. Andrea Long-Naidu was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, trained with Pennsylvania Ballet School, the American Ballet Theatre School, and School of American Ballet, and began her career dancing with New York City Ballet where she remained for over eight years before joining Dance Theater of Harlem. She has received critical acclaim dancing the works of George Balanchine, Robert Garland, Dwight Rhoden, Jerome Robbins, and others. Internationally renowned following thirteen years as a principal dancer at DTH, she continues to inspire in an arduous profession. She has danced as a guest artist with many regional ballet companies, and is considered an exemplary and demanding ballet instructor. Ms. Long-Naidu sees a growing respect for the art of ballet in popular culture and joins in encouraging such groups as Aesha Ash’s The Swan Dreams Project, with a goal to increase minority participation in ballet. She is married to Laveen Naidu, former Executive Director of DTH, and now Artistic Director of BalletNova. The couple continue to support the development of Dance Theatre of Harlem. For complete bios, visit PNB.org/BeyondBallet.

From an article on YAGP in today's Links, at the very end: Congratulations to Mr. Marks

In "Carousel (A Dance)" I saw Sarah Orza with Jerome Tisserand and Seth Orza with Carla Korbes in September 2011; Orza and Tisserand reprised it for Encores the following June. I saw Tisserand with Rachel Foster and James Moore with Jodie Thomas in March 2008. ETA: Pantastico's interactions with Rosalia were priceless.

From Ida Praetorius:

More from PNB (Amanda Clark is in green, sniff):

From Miami City Ballet:

In 2009 Alex Ross wrote about Marian Anderson's 1939 Easter Sunday concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/04/13/voice-of-the-century