Helene

People who can explain reasonably, clearly, and without exaggeration what they love or vehemently dislike about a dancer are the most useful to everyone else, because then the reader can decide whether those things are important to him or her.

The most common scenario is that dancers go back to where they trained and dance the starring roles, usually the Sugar Plum Fairy/Cavalier Pas de Deux, in school productions. They usually bring their own partners or partner with fellow graduates or people from the area, like Lucien Postlewaite and Melody Mennite in the Bay Area. Goh Ballet, which is primarily a student show choreographed by Anna Marie Holmes, has had terrific guests since it launched its new production about five years ago. Usually one couple is from Pacific Northwest Ballet, and one year I saw guests from Danish Royal Ballet. In 2011 ABT's Wiles and Stearns guested. In 2014,Chuanyan Yu and Hailing Zhang from China’s Liaoning Ballet danced Snow Queen and King, and Paloma Herrera danced Sugar Plum Fairy. (This article doesn't list her partner.)

Shearer had "It."

I'm doing the "Kvelling Dance."

Thanks to Jack Reed, we have some beautiful photos of Ballet Chicago's "Nutcracker". Click to enlarge; they're all worth it! Once you open one you can use the "Next" link in the upper right and the "Prev" link in the upper left to scroll through: (Additional photo ID's added from Jack Reed's post below) Marie and Friends (Meghan Behnke [2012]): Act I Party (Meghan Behnke [2012]): Battle (Jordan Nelson as Drosselmeyer [2012]): Snow (with Molly Brown and Ted Seymour [2013]): Snow Pas de Deux -- 2 views (Molly Brown and Ted Seymour [2012]): Chinese Tea (Elliott Nunez, Grecia Delgado [2014)]: Arabian Coffee (Hannah Markowitz [2013]): Waltz of the Flowers (Hannah Rosenfeld, Shea Smith, Emily Fugett [2014]): Snow Pas de Deux (Meghan Behnke and Ted Seymour [2014]) and Sugar Plum Pas de Deux (Dana Coons & Kramer Snead [2014]):

Rita Moreno was a guest on Alt Latino back in October. She told some of her story, and they played a number of songs from her new album. You can listen to the music from the page, as well as hear the show itself: http://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2015/10/01/444443122/guest-dj-rita-moreno-on-fighting-back-and-winning

Mother Ginger: https://www.facebook.com/PNBallet/photos/np.1449769866024722.688777437/10153452079763952/?type=3&notif_t=notify_me_page

Casting is up for Week 4. I don't see any changes to Week 3. https://www.pnb.org/season/15-16/nutcracker/#casting I've moved Weeks 1 and 2 (for reference) below Weeks 3 (this week) and 4 in the spreadsheet. Casting is as of today, and, as always, is subject to change: PNB Nutcracker 2015 Weeks 1-4.xlsx If you haven't seen it, and you don't have tickets yet, go see it. I'm still trying to finagle my schedule to see at least one more performance. This is where the social scientists have it right: there are so many choices, that analysis paralysis can set in, but it really doesn't matter which cast you see: there are going to be great performances no matter which you choose. Everyone is looking at their role(s) anew.

This is currently a public facing short video on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nick.topete/videos/vb.1342082899/10208361562140290/?type=2&theater

I know where I hope to be on January 26th!

Noelani Pantastico as Dewdrop and the Flowers: https://www.facebook.com/PNBallet/videos/vb.21358443951/10153448845083952/

PNB sent out an email today urging people to sign.

Oh, thank you for posting these! It was hard to follow the patterns for Snow due to the camera work, but I liked what I saw of the visual. The tempos were so languid, though. Since Balanchine's Flowers is such a masterwork, I'm glad he had the constraints of a small company. The male "buds" costumes did them no favors, but I adore the Flowers' hats. I want one!

This is one of the most visually stunning and internally coherent productions I've seen for a long time.

Detour: I've always loved "Big." I would have switched channels, too. His family home and his elementary school in the movie were on streets between Anderson Avenue in Cliffside Park NJ and Bergen Blvd. in Ridgefield. I used to pass that school on my commute home from graduate school.

Some casting changes this weekend: Both Sarah Ricard Orza (Sugarplum Fairy debut, Hot Chocolate) and William Lin-Yee (Drosselmeier, Hot Chocolate) were replaced in two roles this weekend. Elizabeth Murphy, who was scheduled to debut as Hot Chocolate, and Jerome Tisserand danced Sugarplum Fairy and Cavalier in place of Richard Orza and Seth Orza; Murphy is scheduled to dance Hot Chocolate in next Saturday's matinee performance. I don't see any changes for next weekend yet. Here's the revised spreadsheet: PNB Nutcracker 2015 Weeks 1-3 6 Dec.xlsx Here's a lovely photo of Benjamin Griffiths as Candy Cane: https://twitter.com/PNBallet/status/673230371023011840 Can't wait to see this tomorrow!

Not renewing a contract is different than firing, although it may be treated the same way for unemployment insurance. Firing is being let go during a contract. Except in those state companies that guarantee employment until a certain age, the only guaranteed contract renewals are where the group contract states that a dancer with seniority must be given more than a the typical four or so month's notice that the contract won't be re-offered for the following year or where an individual contract has specific renewal terms, typically for Principal Dancer contracts. Guaranteed promotion from apprentice to corps is built into some contracts, but there's no guarantee the corps contract will be renewed.

Many thanks for posting the news. Since they start early, I hope this keeps people from rushing over after work and finding out it was canceled.

Absolutely. Ariana Lallone was dancing up a storm when her contract wasn't renewed, and while in the years where it looked like she was tailing off, her contract was renewed.

It is exceedingly rare for a dancer to be demoted in rank in the same company. It was odd that ABT did this to a dancer who was high-visibility, like Browne after "The Turning Pointe." Outright firing is also rare: more typically, except in the few companies that have guaranteed employment until 40+, like Paris Opera Ballet -- the Bolshoi dancers gave this up in exchange for input into the bonus pool -- the company uses year-to-year contracts, and the dancer is kept on for the contractually mandated time. That could be until the end of the yearly contract, the dancer might be in a class in an AGMA contract that requires more than a year of notice that the company isn't planning to offer another contract based on number of years in the company, or a Principal contract might have its own terms. Also, a new AD may make it clear within the first year or two that the dancer is not welcome in the new company, although, some AD's have cleared rosters right away, like Duato when he changed Spain's national ballet from a classical ballet company to one that danced his work. A dancer might also be injured and kept on only as long as the company must by contract. As miliosr wrote, it is more typical to be pushed out by not being cast and/or by a change in rep/next year's rep that isn't interesting to the dancer and/or doesn't have many opportunities for him or her.

Yes and yes. The first is rare, but Leslie Browne was promoted to Principal and then demoted to Soloist at ABT. Plenty of dancers take a demotion to switch companies, usually to go from a smaller company to a bigger or more prestigious one or to join a company where promotions are made differently. For example, PNB Principal Dancer Lucien Postlewaite took a Soloist contract at Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, and in a Q&A he said that Principals in Maillots company were long-time dancers. At PNB there were Principal Dancers hired from other companies during the Russell/Stowell years who were hired as Soloists and then promoted rapidly to Principal. There have been corps members who were Soloists at other companies before joining PNB.

Core-ography #3 with Allen Abrams is now live -- it is a tough one:

Casting is up for Week 3: https://www.pnb.org/season/15-16/nutcracker/#casting Here is the spreadsheet: PNB Nutcracker 2015 Weeks 1-3.xlsx

The Rings aren't deep, although some people feel claustrophobic in the last two rows (of five) because of the overhang of the ring above. It's more the perception of feeling as close in the front of the Third as in the back of the Second because of being forward, if a little higher. Back in the day, the seats were cheaper in the Third Ring, so that was a consideration, but now, at least for the few Nutcracker performances I glanced at, the tickets in the middle sections were $120 in both. When I lived in NYC and had NYCB subscriptions, they were in the Fourth Ring A/B, which I really liked for ballets with patterns.

, I totally agree!