Helene

Marcie Sillman did a feature on Carrie Imler for KUOW; this page has an article that is somewhat different from the audio, which is linked from the page: http://kuow.org/post/can-we-discuss-those-fouettes-seattle-s-carrie-imler-fierce

The Bayerische Staatsoper just sent their list of 2014-15 live stream performances, and the only ballet offering is the Ratmansky "Paquita," who is assisted by Doug Fullington on the notated scores.. The production premieres in December, but by January 11, 2015, the Staatsballett will have a bunch of performances under their belt. It's an early start: 6pm CET (12pm EST, 11am CST, 10am MST, and 9am PST). http://streaming.staatsoper.de/ I've posted the full schedule (mostly opera) in the "Other Performances" forum: http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/39312-bayerisches-staatsoper-live-stream-schedule-2014-15/

i just received the following email from the Bayerisches Stattsoper: In 2014/15, the Bayerische Staatsoper is presenting its third season of selected performances as live streams free of charge online with STAATSOPER.TV. These will also include all the new productions by the General Music Director Kirill Petrenko. Classical music fans from all over the world can thus follow seven evenings of opera and two of ballet at the full length, live from Munich. The first broadcast, on 5 October 2014, will be the audio-visual transmission of Richard Strauss’ Die schweigsame Frau (The Silent Woman) in Barrie Kosky’s production, with Brenda Rae and Franz Hawlata in the main roles (conductor: Pedro Halffter). The program for the 2014/15 season: Oct. 5, 2014, 6.00 p.m. (C.E.T.) Richard Strauss Die schweigsame Frau (The Silent Woman) Musical direction: Pedro Halffter Stage direction: Barrie Kosky With Brenda Rae, Franz Hawlata, Daniel Behle a.o. Nov. 1, 2014, 6.00 p.m. (C.E.T.) Leoš Janáček The Makropulos Affair New production Musical direction: Tomáš Hanus Stage direction: Árpád Schilling With Nadja Michael, Pavel Černoch, Tara Erraught, John Lundgren a.o. Jan. 11, 2015, 6.00 p.m. (C.E.T.) Paquita Choreografie: Alexei Ratmansky / Marius Petipa Musical direction: Myron Romanul Soloists and ensemble of the Bayerisches Staatsballett Feb. 1, 2015, 7.00 p.m. (C.E.T.) Gaetano Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor New production Musical direction: Kirill Petrenko Stage direction: Barbara Wysocka With Diana Damrau, Pavol Breslik a.o. April 12, 2015, 7.00 p.m. (C.E.T.) Gaetano Donizetti L’elisir d’amore Musical direction: Asher Fisch Stage direction: David Bösch With Ekaterina Siurina, Charles Castronovo, Ambrogio Maestri a.o. May 19, 2015, 7.30 p.m. (C.E.T.) Der gelbe Klang / Spiral Pass / Konzert für Violine und Orchester Choreographien: Michael Simon / Aszure Barton / Russell Maliphant Musical direction: Myron Romanul Soloists and ensemble of the Bayerisches Staatsballett June 6, 2015, 6.00 p.m. (C.E.T.) Alban Berg Lulu New production Musical direction: Kirill Petrenko Stage direction: Dmitri Tcherniakov With Marlis Petersen, Daniela Sindram, Bo Skovhus a.o. July 4, 2015, 7.00 p.m. (C.E.T.) Claude Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande New production Musical direction: Constantinos Carydis Stage direction: Christiane Pohle With Alastair Miles, Elliot Madore, Markus Eiche, Elena Tsallagova a.o. July 2015 A live stream from the Munich Opera Festival (TBA) http://streaming.staatsoper.de/

The Met Opera has a contest to allow winners to purchase $25 tickets to Rene Pape's recital on Sunday, September 28 at 4pm at tge Met Opera House. Details are here: http://www.metopera.org/metopera/contests/drawing/rene-pape-recital

It seems to be fostering artistic relationships with Russia. Their rosters are very impressive.

If you look at their "events portfolio" links on their website, you'll see that most of the programs are either Russian-based or Russian+another country based arts programs: http://www.ensembleproductions.co.uk/index.html

I remember Francia Russell once describing having to do two (or three?) roles in "Symphony in C" and having to tear out the headpiece between movements. PNB is having a 48-hour sale -- since it was dated today, through Friday: 20% off tickets to the first five performances of "Jewels" (Friday and two Saturday performances first weekend and Thursday and Friday second weekend): https://www.pnb.org/promo/diamonddeals (Use this link or call 206-441-2424 and mention "DiamondDeals")

I think most people would scratch their heads if you mentioned the Susan Brotman Auditorium. A lot if people still call the building the Opera House, but McCaw Hall would at least ring a bell. The back of the Second Tier is like being in the back if the Third Tier at NYST.

Ensemble Productions.

The 10th Anniversary Russian Ballet Icons Gala and Dinner will be held on 8 March 2015 at the London Coliseum. Every Gala is a multimedia experience which combines performances by living masters who celebrate the life and art of the greatest performers of the Russian ballet and the importance of the Russian ballet school generally. The Russian Ballet Icons Gala 2015 will again feature significant excerpts from the Russian classical repertoire and masterpieces by contemporary choreographers influenced by the Russian ballet. The programme will be performed by the world renowned dancers of the Bolshoi, Mariinsky, Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, ballets of the Grand Opera Paris, Berlin Staatsoper, New York City Ballet and the Ballet of Monte Carlo. We'll post more details when we get them.

Why single out the double tours, though? I would rather see a performance where the virtues of the style were adhered to, rather than a big athletic lurch to perform the double tours in the weaker direction. I was lucky that when I saw Lund, there was no trade-off.

Not even all the men do James' double tours in both directions.

Oh, bravo!

Jerome Kaplan's costumes for the hunting party in the new PNB "Giselle"

The Royal Ballet just announced a casting change for the October 5th and 9th performances of "Manon": Sarah Lamb will dance Manon in place of Lauren Cuthbertson. http://www.roh.org.uk/news/cast-change-sarah-lamb-to-dance-in-manon-on-5-and-9-october-2014

This Kickstarter policy is rooted in classic project management: if you promise to deliver a certain scope, and you say it will cost "x" to deliver, if you raise less than "x," you can't deliver on your promise, and it applies to all projects, even those described as "Help us to defray the costs of something we're going to do no matter what." (The other side, which is that you can raise much more than the project budget, is antithetical to classic project management, but people who chose to give after the amount has been raised know they are doing so.) indiegogo, another fundraising platform, has few restrictions on project type and allows the fundraiser to choose the Kickstater "all or nothing" model or to opt for keeping everything pledged/raise, and if the pledges don't reach the target, the percentage charged by indiegogo is higher.

Here are the Facebook posts with articles linked. In the first, scroll past the society photos to see ballet photos: https://www.facebook.com/balletphilippines/posts/10152748962792450 https://www.facebook.com/balletphilippines/posts/10152748905017450

Belle: Import Boylston: 2005/2006/2007 -> 2011 -> 2014 Cornejo: 1999 -> 2000 -> 2003 Gomes: 1997 -> 2000 -> 2002 Hallberg: 2000/2001 -> 2004 -> 2006 Herrera: 1991 -> 1993 -> 1995 Kent: 1986 -> 1990 -> 1993 Murphy: 1996 -> 1999 -> 2002 Part: Import (soloist), 2002 -> 2009 Reyes: Import (soloist), 2001 -> 2003 Semionova: Import Seo: 2004/2005/2006 -> 2010 -> 2012 Simkin: Import (soloist), 2008 -> 2012 Stearns: 2004/2005/2006 -> 2009 -> 2011 Vishneva: Import Whiteside: Import (soloist), 2012 -> 2013 Aside from the imported guest dancers who are hired to do the plum roles, 3/16 Principals are imports; 4/16 Principals were imported as Soloists and promoted to Principal. Of the 9/16 who’ve come through the ranks, one joined ABT in the ‘80’s, four in the ‘90’s – all promoted through the ranks over a decade ago -- leaving only 25% having been promoted to Principal from the ranks on the last decade: Hallberg in 2006, Stearns in 2011, Seo in 2012, and Boylston in 2014. All four came through the Studio Company and all but Hallberg did apprenticeships between Studio and Corps – did they exist then? – as did all but two current soloists, with the other two hired as apprentices. Whether they continue to be bypassed for guest artists, like Radetsky, or there is some movement up the ranks, like Seo, Boylston, and Stearns, is TBD.

I would suggest that, since racism is such a stain on society, one should only throw the term around when one has some crumb of evidence of a person being treated differently because of his or her race. You have none. More importantly, the idea that KM and the wealthy, generally liberal trustees and major donors would not promote a media savy soloist simply because she's not white is laughable. In case you don't know, major companies are funded by rich people who tend to be fairly liberal (or want to pretend to be so, for the sake of their conscious), or corporations who want to be appear as inclusive as possible. Copeland fits into that. KM knows that. The fact that even he can't promote her (yet) speaks volumes. Copeland has asserted that she's encountered racism. De Prince's mother described racism her daughter encountered. There is a pattern of black ballerinas choosing to leave NA to join companies in Europe that have proven to be more inclusive. As far as a blanket characterization of companies and board members being liberal and wanting to be inclusive, there are many reasons people become board members, including social position and social rehabilitation, that have nothing to do with the art form or their politics. Look at for whom the New York State Theater was named. As far as McKenzie not being able to promote her, it's been difficult for him to promote anyone who hasn't been imported, since he rarely casts the homegrown dancers in the roles that would grow their careers or justify their promotions. There are also social aspects of promoting one over the other that can destabilize the balance of keeping dancers with the hope of "someday." If Copeland had gotten fed up with ABT and left for PNB or Stuttgart, the story wouldn't have legs.

The uphill from the Monorail isn't that steep if you have a rolling suitcase. I've never taken a taxi from downtown; I've always called for one from home or gotten one from the rank at the airport. The downtown Monorail terminal is half a block from Westlake Center, which is the end stop of light rail. You have to get out there anyway, and you can suss out the surroundings. I don't know how anyone from out-of-town can figure out the bus system in Seattle. I lived there for more than 15 years and visit regularly, and half the time, the "Trip Planner" suggestions from the Metro site sometimes confuse me.

Here are the Links to the Ballet Initiative Podcast with Korbes: Part One Part Two PNB has a much more civilized schedule. Each program, except the big full-lengths, run Friday/Sat Mat/Sat Eve first weekend and Thurs/Fri/Sat eve + Sun mat the second. (For the full-lengths, they tend to add two-three extra performances, matinees both weekends and sometimes a Sun eve, but it's rare for anyone to get more than three performances of those, spaced out.) NYCB runs six-eight weeks at a time, seven performances in six days, except for the short Fall season, and they can have fifty+ ballets a season. That's a lot of accumulated injuries, last-minute rehearsals and being walked through parts, and exhaustion. While the salaries are less than in NYC -- mitigated by no state income tax in Washington State -- rent is a lot cheaper and many dancers can afford to live within walking distance of the studios and theater, if they choose, and commuting by car, if they choose not to, isn't as unaffordable as it is in NYC. I hope you get to see Korbes, vipa -- if she does do the Wheeldon, I'm guessing she'll do one ballet in every performance. I can't imagine that she's also in "Memory Glow," although the creator of the central female role, Rachel Foster, is on family leave and due to have a child soon. (Whille someone will take her role, I don't see Korbes in it, but that could be a lack of imagination.)

Kindle! I can confirm that the only danger I've faced from mine is getting a corner in the rib when I've fallen asleep on it.

Korbes is in "Debonair," the new Justin Peck work. I don't know if she'll also dance the role created for her in Wheeldon's "Tide Mercuric," as her last major knee injury was doing one of the more torquey moves. I doubt that with seven performances in five days there can be only one cast for each ballet: not everyone is Megan Fairchild, and this is just the beginning of the PNB season, and they need every warm body for "Nutcracker", which is two months from the end of the Joyce run. PNB is only taking part of the company to NYC, too, so although there are eight in "Tide Mercuric" and ten in "Memory Glow" -- I'm not sure about the Peck -- that's going to be a lot of work for the dancers on tour without doing every performance.

There's a lovely photo of Korbes taking a bow in PNB's latest tweet: