Helene

It's always a privilege to see a rehearsal and to be on the receiving end of the dancers' generosity. Last week I saw a full run-through of Whim W'him's "SENSATION" program, with works by Penny Saunders, Larry Keigwin, and Olivier Wevers. Saunders and Wevers have used a similar overall structure, a central protagonist's challenges and struggle, and they share overlapping vocabulary, but the music and the pieces are very different. Saunders has chosen Mozart, Dvorak, and two other composers (if I heard correctly), while Wevers has used music by Brian Lawler (with a bit of Ray Charles mixed in), which is more atmospheric. It's always interesting to see the choices that outside choreographers make in casting, especially when they, like Saunders, return. (This is her second work for Whim W'him.) The central figure in Saunders' work is danced by Justin Reiter, and she has emphasized a strength in him that is wonderful to see in this elegant, graceful dancer. Reiter's main antagonist is Patrick Kilbane, but Tori Peil's opening movements were so voracious, I thought I had misheard. Liane Aung, who joined the company last Spring, was intense in a pas de deux, at once strong and elegant. Tori Peil has become Wevers' SuperMuse and is the central dancer in Wevers' new work, and she is well-matched with Karl Watson, who also joined the company last Spring. This is an emotionally charged work, but quieter than last year's "A Disagreeable Tale of Duplicity." Peil is especially masterful in it. The central piece is by Larry Keigwin, who used lines and geometry to full effect in the longer, first part to music by Philip Glass., with a series of breakout solos and later sequential solos. The subtleties of the regroupings were a joy to watch. The shorter second part is a jolt, and in a good way. I could say that you should keep your eye on [any dancer in the company], but it is more challenging not to. The program plays at the Cornish Playhouse two weekends, January 20-21 and January 27-28.

Many thanks @dirac!

This reminds me of a clip that George Jellinek once played on his program, "The Vocal Scene": Maria Callas, in street clothes, was at a rehearsal of "La Sonnambula." The was a brief period of marking before she broke into a gorgeous, full-voiced interpretation of the sleepwalking aria. The recording wasn't commercial, and you could hear bumping and moving and the conductor kvelling audibly about her performance. One of the most breathtaking things I've ever heard. Dancers routinely describe Balanchine demonstrating in street clothes and street shoes as the most beautiful dancing they've ever seen, and McBride describes Balanchine demonstrating in this podcast. On film, for me, one of the most beautiful was in one of Dominique Delouche's documentaries, "Comme les oiseaux," in which Vladimir Vasiliev coached and partnered Monique Lourdieres in the Act II pas de deux in street clothes and shoes.

I'm reviving this thread because Rebecca King and Michael Sean Breeden have interviewed McBride, who is in Miami to stage -- I'm guessing "Who Cares?" -- for their podcast "Conversations on Dance," and it is such a delight to hear her voice: http://tendusunderapalmtree.com/patricia-mcbride-beloved-balanchine-ballerina/

[Admin beanie on] For any allegations, official sources are required.

And she looks amazing after having just given birth!

It's a boy!

In this month's "Pirouettes from the Past" podcast, Dr. Melissa Klapper discusses different schools of ballet and their impact on dance training in America: http://balancing-pointe.com/223-pirouettes-past-chapter-10-ballet-techniques/ In a cross-over podcast -- the first of two -- Barry Kerollis takes on the different schools and techniques that are used today, and he's called on teachers from each school or type of training and has conveyed their answers and comments to his questions in this podcast. It's Episode 44 on the iTunes list: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pas-de-chat-talking-dance/id1103498953?mt=2 Part one covers Cecchetti (Diana Byer), RAD (Andrea Paris-Guttierez), and Paris Opera Ballet (Karin Averty and Sebastien Riou) training, plus Bournonville (Alex Pandiscio). Next week's podcast covers Vaganova and Balanchine technique and Cuban training.

From Ismene Brown's blog: http://www.ismeneb.com/blogs-list/170112-The-Nutcracker-is-occult-declares-Russian-bishop.html

Admin note: The link to the photo spread was not meant to be public, and we've removed it at the request of ABT and Segerstrom.

Thanks to a heads up from a faithful friend of PNB, a link to a Seattle Magazine article on "Cendrillon" (February 2017 issue): http://seattlemag.com/pnbs-cendrillon-cinderella-twist

Best wishes for both of them in their new roles

If YSL hadn't designed for his own silhouette and that if many dancers, I'd be on the news for attempted grand larceny. Want, want, want... However, my forehead would be bleeding from bashing it against the walls, if they wouldn't have evicted me for bashing it against the walls, from this on the intro wall: "The 1960's signalled the moment when society moved out of a post-war mentality and crossed the threshold into modernity."

This is exciting news!

Doug Fullington will moderate a panel discussion with choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, Miami City Ballet AD Lourdes Lopez , and Production Designer Wendall K. Harrington on January 29 at 3pm and 7:30pm and on January 30 at 7:30pm at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC. There will also be dance excerpts. The production will premiere in Miami on February 10, 2017. More info is here: http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwdance/article/Alexei-Ratmanskys-THE-FAIRYS-KISS-Headed-to-Miami-City-Ballet-Set-for-Guggenheims-Works-Process-Series-20170105

Doug Fullington will moderate a panel discussion with choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, Miami City Ballet AD Lourdes Lopez , and Production Designer Wendall K. Harrington on January 29 at 3pm and 7:30pm and on January 30 at 7:30pm at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC. The production will premiere in Miami on February 10, 2017. More info is here: http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwdance/article/Alexei-Ratmanskys-THE-FAIRYS-KISS-Headed-to-Miami-City-Ballet-Set-for-Guggenheims-Works-Process-Series-20170105