Helene

I didn't realize that a dancer could become an Etoile from any other rank. (And I would have found her under "Sujets" had I spelled her name correctly...)

Former Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins became a Chevalier in the Order of Arts et Lettres, receiving the insignia from the Consul General of France, Pauline Carmona during her first trip to Seattle. http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/classical-music/france-honors-seattle-operas-speight-jenkins/ From the archives, the French operas by French composers that were produced first by Jenkins were: Manon Roméo et Juliette Pelléas et Mélisande Les pêcheurs de perles (2x) La voix Humaine Don Quichotte Dialogues des Carmélites Operas by French composers returning under Jenkins were: Faust (2x) Carmen (2x) Lakmé Les contes d’Hoffmann (2x) Werther Other operas in French: Iphigènie en Tauride (Gluck) Orphée et Eurydice (Gluck) La fille du régiment (Donizetti) Don Carlos (Verdi)

Thank you for the news -- they must be updating the "Artists" page, because she's not list in either category. I hope they shoot an artsy video with voice over with her and add it to their 2015-16 page: http://saison15-16.operadeparis.fr/artistes-les-etoiles

The Sunday, April 12 and Saturday, April 18 matinees are a non-subscription performances, with Sunday, April 12 added very recently. They, and for those that can go during the week, the Thursday, April 16 have the best availability for people who like the front and center of each section, especially for more than two people.

(Press release, continued) SPECIAL EVENTS BALLET PREVIEW — FREE Tuesday, April 7, 12:00 noon Central Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle Join PNB for a free lunch-hour preview lecture at the Central Seattle Public Library. Education Programs Manager Doug Fullington will offer insights about Swan Lake, complete with video excerpts. LECTURE SERIES & DRESS REHEARSAL Thursday, April 9 Lecture 6:00 pm, Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall Dress Rehearsal 7:00 pm, McCaw Hall Join PNB artistic staff for an engaging discussion during the hour preceding the dress rehearsal. Attend the lecture only or stay for the rehearsal. Tickets are $12 for the lecture, or $30 for the lecture and dress rehearsal. Tickets may be purchased through the PNB Box Office. Pre-Performance Lectures Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall Join Education Programs Manager Doug Fullington for a 30-minute introduction to each performance, including discussions of choreography, music, history, design, and the process of bringing Swan Lake to the stage. One hour before performances. FREE for ticketholders. (NOTE: There will be no post-show Q&A’s during the run of Swan Lake.) Listen to the Ballet Friday, April 10, 7:30 pm PNB partners with 98.1 Classical KING FM to bring listeners one of the world’s most popular ballet scores, featuring the mighty Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra performing under the direction of music director/ principal conductor Emil de Cou, direct from McCaw Hall. Tune in to KING FM for a live broadcast of Swan Lake on opening night, Friday, April 10 at 7:30 pm. Only on 98.1 fm or online at KING.org/listen. BACKSTAGE BASH: Black Swan Soiree Friday, April 17, 10:30 pm Join PNB’s Young Patrons Circle members for a backstage after-party immediately following Swan Lake. Doors will open at 10:30 for an event filled with entertainment including acrobats, aerialists, face painting, photo booths, and an onstage DJ. YPC caters the event with appetizers and a full bar and invites PNB dancers to attend as well. Tickets ($25) are available through the PNB Box Office. (21+)

Here is the press release -- please note that all matinees start at 1pm!: Kent Stowell's Swan Lake April 10-19, 2015 Marion Oliver McCaw Hall 321 Mercer Street, Seattle Center Seattle, WA 98109 April 10, 11, 16, 17 & 18 at 7:30 pm April 11, 12*, 18 & 19 at 1:00 pm *added performance! SEATTLE, WA - Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Swan Lake, choreographed by Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell, returns to the McCaw Hall stage as the fifth offering of PNB’s 2014-15 season. This beloved story ballet, revered by audiences and dancers alike, is classical ballet at its very best. Sumptuous scenery, costumes, and lighting, and an achingly beautiful Tchaikovsky score, set the stage for the ethereal corps de ballet and the ultimate challenge for ballerinas all over the world—the dual role of Odette, trapped in the body of a white swan until the oath of her true love sets her free; and Odile, the “Black Swan” temptress. With an added performance on opening weekend, Swan Lake runs for nine performances only, from April 10 through 19 at Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Tickets start at $30. For more information, contact the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, in person at 301 Mercer Street, or online at PNB.org. “Kent Stowell’s enchanting choreography, with masterful staging by Francia Russell, has been bringing Seattle audiences to their feet since 1981,” said PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal, in his program notes. “A milestone production for the Company, the current performances mark the 11th time we have presented this treasured work in repertory. I want to thank not only Kent and Francia, but also coach Elaine Bauer and our artistic staff for their care in bringing this work from the studio to the stage. Dance and choreography are essential, but so is light: Rico Chiarelli, an artist in his own right, brings not only light to this production, but also mood, mystery, and nuance. Add Ming Cho Lee’s monumental sets and Paul Tazewell’s vibrant costumes, and we have one of the finest Swan Lakes I’ve ever seen.” TICKET and SHOWTIME INFORMATION Swan Lake runs April 10 – 19 at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street. Evening showtimes are 7:30 pm April 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18, with 1:00 pm matinees on April 11, 12, 18 and 19. (Note: Curtain-times for Swan Lake matinees are earlier than PNB’s usual Saturday matinees.) Tickets ($30-$190) may be purchased through the PNB Box Office: Phone - 206.441.2424 (Mon.-Fri. 9am–6pm; Sat. 10am–5pm) In Person - 301 Mercer Street, Seattle (Mon.-Fri. 10am–6pm; Sat. 10am–5pm) Online - PNB.org (24/7) Subject to availability, tickets are also available 90 minutes prior to each performance at McCaw Hall.

There are plenty of situations were a role was created on one dancer, but premiered by another. Macmillan's "Romeo and Juliet" was created on and for Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable, but The Powers That Be gave the premiere to Fonteyn and Nureyev. Then there are the roles created for one dancer who was injured or pregnant for the premiere, which was danced by another (examples: Christopher d'Amboise for Victor Castelli in "Mozartiana," "Suzanne Farrell for Diana Adams in "Movements for Orchestra.")

There are Soloists who are ballerinas and Principal Dancers who are not. I assume the general public would assume "prima ballerina" is at the top of any ranking with the addition of being a star. With "ballerina" it could go either way, and in speech, who knows whether it's being heard as "ballerina" = "female dancer wearing pointe shoes" or "Ballerina." Interviewers and journalists in general tend to exaggerate tangible achievement and get rank wrong. The number of hometown papers that say or imply that professional division students are company members and corps members are soloists and principals is pretty high. Even talk show hosts on public radio are at the mercy of their researchers when the subject isn't one of their specialties.

SFB just tweeted a reminder: According to the link, their choreographer is Myles Thatcher. Good luck to them!

People who can see the matinee farewell should grab tickets quickly at the lower prices then.

Twyla Tharp created the leading roles on "Waiting at the Station" on two of the least experienced members of PNB. They didn't dance them, but helped teach the parts to the leads, and they were rewarded for their effort with ensemble parts. Did Copeland work with Ratmansky in the studio on its creation? I don't know how Ratmansky works.

Goh Ballet is, indeed, in Canada. I grouped US and Canada in North America in terms of training. There are no major Canadian classical ballet companies, ie, where the core choreography is classical, and everything else is performed through a classical lens. The most wonderful part of the Goh Ballet Nutcracker is seeing the Goh-trained students. It's possible, though, that Chan Hon Goh has diversified the training lately, based on her experience at National Ballet of Canada.

San Francisco Ballet School is not a classical training academy: like most North American elite and company-affiliated schools, the training is an eclectic mix designed to feed dancers into North American companies, which, with a few exceptions, perform a wide range of rep, full-lengths plus short neoclassical ballets. Gloria Govrin was associate director of the school for nearly a decade, and she was a Balanchine dancer. Kirov Academy and Goh Ballet are classical academies in the US. I'm not sure where Houston is now, and Harid might also have more of a classical emphasis. There are smaller schools where classical technique is emphasized or even taught exclusively, but even these students mostly end up being "finished" at a company-affiliated school if they don't get hired in Europe and gain experience there. Pennsylvania Ballet's only Asian-born dancer trained at SAB. At PNB Kaori Nakamura, who retired last year, was trained in Japan, but chose SAB from her Prix de Lausanne prize. Sokvannara Sar's only ballet training was at SAB after being given a crash course in ballet. There have been other Asian-born dancers at PNB -- Le Yin went through the state-sponsored training in China and Batkhurel Bold was trained in Perm -- but the majority of dancers of Asian descent in the company are US-born and -trained. Most North American companies are just as focused on neoclassical as classical ballet, and often dance classical ballet in neoclassical style. It hasn't stopped some from hiring Asian-born and -trained dancers into their more eclectic companies: Royal Ballet has five out of over 100 dancers, San Francisco Ballet has eight out of 76 dancers, National Ballet of Canada has ten of 75 dancers, and Ballet Arizona has three out of 31 dancers. In the North American companies, I don't see the dancers being pigeonholed into the classics and not cast in neoclassical works. Companies tend to reflect their audiences; the very smart ones also reflect their community.

It's a big leap from being tin-eared and insensitive to the dancer and her audience to malice.

While I understand not having a gala for every dancer who departs, Herrera has been with the company for 24 seasons, and this is her 20th as a Principal Dancer. Obviously "Sleeping Beauty" was not her choice: she didn't cast herself in it or schedule it for her own last performance. I don't see the advantage of not asking her how she would like to exit and accommodating her request. it would have been the decent and gracious thing to do for a dancer of her longevity, rank, and loyalty.

Kaori Nakamura chose SAB when she won Prix de Lausanne in 1986, and Peter Boal, who was in the company by then, had wonderful things to say about her, especially her technique. While she's short, it's not like NYCB had never chosen a short dancer, and certainly in the mid-'80's there were plenty. She never danced at NYCB, which was great for Winnipeg and Seattle, but not so great for NYCB.

McKenzie strikes me as being quite hearty.

I think that the preeminent obligation of the schools, and, since there are few elite schools for teenage training outside company-affiliated schools, a great obligation of the companies is to find the greatest range of talent to train, so that the group of elite-trained dancers includes the best of the best. Some people look at Dance Chance like affirmative action in a pejorative sense -- "Isn't it nice that benevolent PNB has this program so that a kid like Eric Hipolito can be part of this great art?" -- when it's the opposite: by expanding the number of kids at the school to kids for whom ballet is not generally on their radar, it gives the company a greater talent pool from which to choose. Think of how much more progress would have been made over the history of the US if women and minorities had not been blocked from employment and educational opportunities, because they weren't -- and in many cases still aren't -- considered worthy of consideration? Think of how much better ballet and the arts would be if the talent pool, great as it is, wasn't almost entirely self-selected from a relatively small range of candidates? Of course, it is easier and cheaper to be a shark in the Caribbean -- open your mouth and dinner swims in, even if the other shark gets better quality fish -- but that doesn't mean you've maximized your talent base. The Imperial and Soviet systems managed to eliminate some economic obstacles when it chose kids at young ages and gave them full rides, but, racially, not even close, although there was an effort at the Vaganova School at least to recruit from the ethnically diverse "stans" that Valeri Panov described in his memoir and with whom Panov shared dorms, much to his dismay.

McKenzie is 60, younger than Peter Martins (68), Helgi Tomasson (72), Villella when he was pushed out of MCB (mid-70's), Stevenson (mid-60's) when Houston Ballet made the big changeover in 2003, and Todd Bolender (early '70's), when he left Kansas City Ballet, for example.