Helene

The New York Times' Michael Cooper reports that the Metropolitan Opera is considering selling naming rights to the building: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/arts/the-met-considers-naming-rights-and-other-ways-forward.html?_r=0 Anyone have a spare $100 million to expand into the plaza with a glass enclosure to house the box office, gift shop, and cafe? If the Republican presidential campaign ends prematurely for Mr. Trump, you never know... We may have another "The house formerly called" disclaimer in our future. Although I would proudly write out, "The Save-on Foods Memorial Opera House."

According to the bio on his website, Hallberg attended the Paris Opera Ballet School from 1999-2000, at least a semester: http://davidhallberg.com/bio/ Being accepted into the Paris Opera Ballet School is seen as a sign that Hallberg was recognized as being good enough for one of the three schools that trains most of its students from an early age -- unlike SAB -- and which feeds the company for the vast majority of its dancers, and not as part of an international track like the Bolshoi has.

No one has to kill anyone's dreams: it can be a physical issue or personal realization. I don't claim this speaks for Miller or Aldrich, but Barry Kerollis has interviewed former NYCB dancer Lauren Fadeley for his Core-ography project, and there's a preview video on his blog in which she begins to discuss her decision to leave: http://lifeofafreelancedancer.blogspot.ca/2015/09/core-ography-global-dance-storytelling.html (She made her way back.)

I gave up after a few tries, since I can rarely identify dancers from headshots.

That's how they describe the cast for "the second detail" even while they're on tour, as if we know the dancers, whom we see every handful of years or so, by body and style.

Welcome to Ballet Alert!, Nick! We hope you'll tell us about the ballet you see.

Here's the announcement on Facebook by his husband: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207487384365839&set=a.1098429064022.17308.1325511622&type=1&theater People who were not in the NY area or visiting during his stage career will remember him as the choreographer Arnold in "The Turning Point," and according to IMDB, he also played a dance instructor in "The Goodbye Girl" and was a dancer in "Grease." His screen name was Daniel Levans. My condolences to his husband, family, and friends, on stage and off. Rest in peace, Mr. Levins.

Here is week 1 casting in spreadsheet form: See the Music Week 1.xlsx

Some dancers take on character roles and still sell tickets. I remember seeing Fonteyn as Lady Capulet. Although I think it's most often a mistake -- ie lack of planning in preparing dancers for roles -- when during a season the same dancer subs for many ballets, sometimes there's a cascade effect that even companies with deep pockets and/or coaching staffs -- neither of which describes ABT -- can find themselves in a bind. However, next Spring is a long way away.

I don't know about "Swan Lake" or how MCB casts it, but when Miami City Ballet came to Vancouver this past year, I saw Patricia Delgado dance, and I'd pay to watch her in anything.

In 2007 Porretta danced with Lindsi Dec and Laura Gilbreath, and James Moore danced with Carla Korbes.

ABT is moving forward. I'm just not reading a lot of enthusiasm for the group of dancers that McKenzie has chosen to move on with, aside from most people having a favorite among them.

That is very odd, because it's on the PNB Facebook page, which should be public-facing as a "like" page, not one where you need permission to be a "friend."

A photo of Peter Boal coaching Benjamin Griffiths in "Prodigal Son": https://www.facebook.com/PNBallet/photos/a.439537898951.224264.21358443951/10153291670593952/?type=1&theater I've hoped for this since Griffiths' Chicken Man in "Carmina Burana" last season.

Absolutely. There are music festivals, competitions, and opera companies that I feel almost as attached to as my local companies because of radio broadcasts, HD's, streamed events, podcasts, etc. Given how companies rue that subscriptions are down, keeping people engaged and involved is even more criticäl.

Polunin worked with Russian Pairs skaters Stolbova and Klimov, the Olympic silver medallists in Sochi, on this season's Free Skate, according to this interview in the Russian press: http://fsrussia.ru/intervyu/1207-kseniya-stolbova-ne-khochu-chtoby-krasnaya-mashina-ostanavlivalas.html (I used bing translator: https://www.bing.com/translator/)

Marina Harss just published a fantastic interview with Bocca on Dance Tabs: http://dancetabs.com/2015/09/julio-bocca-director-ballet-nacional-sodre-in-montevideo/

I don't think there's been a measure yet of much media presentations attract a new audience and bring it into the house, but the converted are happy to be preached to.

Fresh Air did a remembrance show last week consisting of excerpts of three interviews he did with the show, including an early on from 1980 when the show was still local in Philadelphia: http://www.npr.org/2015/09/04/437320291/fresh-air-remembers-nightmare-director-wes-craven His introspection and intelligence is moving.

I doubt I'll ever be a fan of the Macmillan R&J, but it was fascinating to see and hear coaching of the small details and nuances and how what were originally spontaneous reactions get codified into something less potent.