Helene

I could see it being important to the Bolshoi to have hired her, because the international track students bring a lot of cash for tuition, and it's always a good thing to show there's a chance, no matter how slim, of getting a company contract after training there. I don't see it being an advantage for the Kremlin Ballet to have an American, even one who was Bolshoi-trained, on their roster. I think she'd have to convince with her dancing.

They're selling a brand, and they know they'll have crowds around White Nights. They don't have to disclose much ahead of time.

The best: Patricia Delgado in Symphony in "Symphony in Three Movements" when Miami City Ballet visited Vancouver: Goddess!!!!! There may have been a guy with her, but I did not care. MCB in Vancouver was amazing! Carrie Imler's Kitri, there aren't enough "OMG"'s to describe it. Ratmansky's Don Q looked like it was made for her. I also loved Dec and Cruz together as Kitri/Basilio and Mercedes/Espada: such affection and simpatico is rare. Kudos to Jerome Tisserand who managed to stay on the right side of the fine line between self-important machismo and caricature as Espada. The Ratmansky "Don Quixote": so much energy, character, and attention. The whole company was thriving. The Forsythe program. From the time it was announced last year until after it was over, it was the program all of the dancers were kvelling about. The commitment showed, and it rode the wave of Don Q and extended through "Carmina Burana." Carla Korbes' last performance of "Swan Lake" with PNB: not only was it exquisite stylistically, musically, and emotionally, it was one of the most technically assured performance of any Odette/Odile I have ever seen. From the sixth row, not the slightest check or bobble anywhere. My jaw took a forklift to raise from its drop. The swan corps and the women who did the six friends in Act I and six potential brides in Act III. There were about ten, mostly senior corps women who switched in and out, and they were masterful. After several false starts, Maria Chapman was back for "Concerto DSCH." I realized how I had missed her combination of strength, attack, and duskiness. Second only to the Forsythe, the PNB dancers seem to eat "Emergence" and Crystal Pite up. Josh Grant getting promoted. A short piece by Price Suddarth for the Seattle International Dance Festival that captured the unique movement voices of his dancers Elle Macy, Leta Biasucci, and Jahna Frantziskonis. The double-edged swords: Carla Korbes retiring from company life, going out at her peak. Maria Chapman retiring for family life after the "Emergence" program, going out at her peak. Jahna Frantziskonis' defection to San Francisco Ballet on a steep, upward trajectory -- love her well, San Francisco! The worst: The injuries.

I'm with you, Kathleen. One of the most optimistic signs I've seen was when reading the cast bios for Seattle Opera's "The Marriage of Figaro" that opened last night, a revival of General Director Aidan Lang's 2010 production for New Zealand Opera. (I saw it, and it is a smash.) Nearly all have recently performed or are about to perform or design for unusual, contemporary, and/or 20th century rep in staged or concert versions: Hanson's "Merry Mount," a world premiere by Theofanidis (unnamed), Damrosch's "The Scarlet Letter," Heggie's "Out of Darkness," "Dead Man Walking," and "Moby Dick," Weinberg's "The Passenger, world premiere of Bohmler's "Riders of the Purple Sage," Moravec's "The Shining," Blanchard's "Champion," Lopez's "Bel Canto," Gordon's "Morning Star," Moore's "Enemies, A Love Story," Delius' "Koanga," Rameau's "Les Indes galantes," and Montsalvatge's "El Gato con botas," not even counting the more widely performed "The Death of Klinghoffer," (Adams), "The Rake's Progress" (Stravinsky), "Billy Budd" (Britten), "The Nose" (Shostakovich), and "Sweeney Todd" (Sondheim).

I loved Rickman in "Truly, Madly, Deeply." The Rickman-Thompson segment in "Love Actually" was the best, in my opinion: they got the tone just right. He has long been one of my favorites, and this is sad news indeed. The tributes to him and Bowie have been similar in one, great way: colleagues, especially younger colleagues, have spoken about Rickman's and Bowie's generosity towards them. My condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace, Mr. Rickman.

The only time that Medora is a damsel in distress is at the beginning, when she's about to be sold into marriage. She takes to Petite Corsaire like a fish to water, and even survives a shipwreck. Raymonda is an interesting character who is allowed a discomfiting vision scene, or at least a discomfiting dream vision scene, highly unusual in at least the surviving Petipa classics. Sergei Filin (in the Bolshoi version) is the only Jean de Brienne I've ever seen who I thought should make her forget Abderakhman. Unless, of course, Gediminas Taranda was dancing Abderakhman.

Congratulations to her

San Francisco Opera tweeted about him: https://twitter.com/SFOpera/status/686729381281071104

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/david-bowie-dead-legendary-artist-854364 We were just listening to his new album last night... Rest in peace, Mr. Bowie.

I didn't see "Paquita" live but instead from the stream from Bavarian State Ballet on a biggest screen. As a result, I can't speak to how the color and fabric choices played in the theater, especially from even a bit of distance. However, I liked the costumes very much. Satin is shiny and is described in ballgowns in much classic literature. The "Paquita" costumes didn't look remotely like polyester to me. Chacun a son gout.

I have certainly criticized the actions of the Facebook poster that he made public, and I've argued why following PA Ballet on Facebook is hardly proof of his good intentions.

I'm not sure there's a way they can tell when the poster started to follow Philadelphia Ballet, but even had he followed the company all along, people are a mass of contradictions, like the smothering Victorian gentlemen who believed that they knew best for the womenfolk. It's remarkable what I hear about ballet and dancers during intermissions. It's remarkable what people write to me privately. Love and respect are two different things. Often they are combined in the same person. Too often, they are not. I would rather be considered humorless than insulting.

I will give the poster the benefit of the doubt: he is either so out-of-touch with his own culture that he didn't realize how prevalently his metaphor is used as an insult, and he used it guilelessly, or he is from another country and doesn't yet understand the context in which he made the comment.

From an email from Bridget Breiner: I know Joe is very moved by the energy and care that has been pouring out on his behalf. He misses dancing so much, and it means a lot to him that the dance world in particular is paying attention and wanting to help him. It means a lot to me too. Thank you! Since her network is primarily in Europe, it would be a great help if people shared her Facebook link, which contains links to bone marrow registries in many countries, on social media: https://www.facebook...051?pnref=story It takes one match.

I know my Canadian friends are not happy about changes from the micro point of view: Cuba has been one of the few American tourist/spring break-free holiday destination zones close enough to North America . Happy New Year, everyone!

Bridget Breiner has posted an appeal for a bone marrow donor for Joe Bunn, a dancer with her company Ballett im Revier, who is suffering from leukemia: https://www.facebook.com/bridget.breiner/posts/1133516813333051?pnref=story I hope he finds a match.

Womack may be talented, but I just don't see her as very important in the scheme of things.

If the men at the Mariinsky or the World Champion men's gymnastics team played football against the Philadelphia Eagles, they would all end up in the hospital, too. Same with the best male marathoners, the world's best male ski jumpers, the world's best male short track speed skaters, etc. The size/weight differential makes it so. It is also just as possible for someone to love ballet and say, "He plays like a girl." In fact, it is very possible that that person might have more respect for ballet and ballet dancers than the person who says, "He plays like he's wearing a tutu." Neither shows much respect for women, in my opinion.

It would offend me.

This.

Whereas I see "He's playing like a girl" no different from "He's playing like he's wearing a tutu."

Am I to understand that the original poster was praising the Philadelphia Eagles for making it look easy while having super-human strength, and not at best, judging that the team chose style over substance or, at worst, was invoking typically and lazily sexist shorthand that the team played like a bunch of girly-men? I think someone who respected ballet and ballet dancers would only post the former. If that was the poster's intention, then I apologize. I would love to see football played with limited stoppages and substitutions for an entire game like they do when there's a minute or less on the clock and the team with the ball is trying to score and see how far they get.

Sweet!

A short clip of Laura Tisserand as Dew Drop: https://www.facebook.com/PNBallet/videos/10153467546733952/

And a Christmas present from PNB's Price Suddarth, Steven Loch, Dylan Wald, and Christian Poppe: https://www.instagram.com/p/_upYuio9LR/