Helene

2 hours ago, miliosr said:

"An investigation commissioned by the organization did not corroborate [note: my emphasis] the various allegations made against Martins by current and former dancers to the New York Times and the Washington Post in 2017."

My emphasis would be quite different:

"An investigation commissioned by the organization did not corroborate [note: my emphasis] the various allegations made against Martins by current and former dancers to the New York Times and the Washington Post in 2017."

The commission wnet to a law firm that, according to its website, analyzes potential liability for employers.

I'm not sure Melissa Hayden, for whom Liberty Bell was created, would ever have been called a soubrette :).

Hayden did tell that story in the "Dancing for Mr. B" documentary: Kurt Frohman published an excerpt where Kent and Hayden spoke about Stars and Stripes (and Kent about The Unanswered Question, too) to his Instagram earlier this week.

Casting for second weekend is up (scroll):

https://www.pnb.org/season/petite-mort/

Link to the downloadable Excel sheet:

Petite Mort 2023 09 26.xlsx

On 9/25/2023 at 10:36 AM, dirac said:

John Clifford, may he live long and prosper, just put up a Pacific Northwest Ballet “Jewels” from 2006, which I think was the first year the company presented the entire ballet.

It was.  The company had performed Rubies as a stand-alone under Russell and Stowell.  I think I saw PNB perform it one summer at Chateau Ste Michelle.

The dancers are Louise Nadeau (Verdy role), one of Peter Boal’s friends at SAB, and Christophe Marachal Maraval* Noelani Pantastico (Paul role) and Jeffrey Stanton, and Benjamin Griffiths, Rachel Foster (dark hair), and Jodie Thomas (light hair) in the pas de trios.  (Foster Thomas** later danced with Royal Danish Ballet.)

Edited to fix errors noted by sandik below *I didn't notice the spellcheck correction and **dumb mistake

23 hours ago, abatt said:

There were no boos on Wed.  My impression from reading her ig is that anyone who is critical of her is a hater.  

My reading is different.  I think that most people can tell the difference between someone who is critical and/or for whom they are not someone else's cup of tea (as she posted), because that's the life of every great dancer, versus people whose words are hateful.

My interpretation is that she was saying something similar to what Coco Gauff said, "To those who thought were putting water in my fire, you really added gas to it."  In my opinion, good for both of them.

Unlike almost every dancer I've heard speak about it -- they love Petite Mort, and even before it came into the company's rep, Lindsi Dec and Karel Cruz raved about it from a video they saw and it was on their dream list -- it's not among my favorites or even favorite Kylian works, but one thing I really appreciate about it is the chance to see partnerships that don't happen in more hierarchical works and height-based partnerships in roles that require lots of overhead lifts.

Everyone in this afternoon's performances of all three works was stellar.  While not all were strictly ensemble works, a large part of the company danced, and there was a unity in each work and across all three pieces. 

Another thing I love in general is when a younger member of the company shines especially bright when everyone around them is at the top of their game, and, for me, this afternoon, that was Noah Marzall in Petite Mort.  I couldn't stop watching him in the opening men's dance, and if I weren't terrified of heights, I would have leaned over the side of the box when he was briefly in a corner I couldn't see from my seat.  Watching Elle Macy and Miles Pertl dance together makes me hope that if we ever see Pictures at an Exhibition again, that they get to do the central pas de deux.

The women are front and center in the pas de deux, and all six -- Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan, Leta Biasucci, Lily Wills, Yuki Takahashi, Elle Macy, and Leah Terada -- danced with striking dynamism,and astonishing articulation, which doesn't always happen together; many bravas to them.

I've long preferred Sechs Tanze: it's as if Kylian was injected with a dose of Mark Morris ala the boys' dance in L'Allegro: while the undertones of what looked like a last gasp social farce were never absent, the comedy was done straight, if zannily, and that makes it impactful.  The cast of fourteen hit it out of the park.

I'm so glad Cacti came back, because it's so goofy and self-deprecating, and the music is a real treat.  (Doug Fullington conducted it; Emil de Cou conducted for the two Kylian works.)  The dancers were all over it!

I want to see it again next weekend with more dancers, and I'll make plans when the casting is up for second weekend.

35 minutes ago, SandyMcKean said:

P.S. Perhaps that's what you mean....in the sense that you would buy the cheapest live-seat subscription you could simply in order to qualify for the digital streams.

That's exactly what I mean: if I had know this was available at the time, I would have subscribed to a full in-person SFB subscription and only watched the videos.  I did that for several other arts organizations when they offered this kind of conditional streaming.  All of the ones I subscribed to only sent you a link to the taped performance if your in-person ticket wasn't scanned.  And after they stopped offering the option, I stopped subscribing.

Edited to add:  One company allowed you to tell them ahead of time that you weren't showing up, so that they could resell the ticket if they could.  Apart from that company, I wouldn't have subscribed if there weren't lots of tickets available and the likelihood of depriving someone of a seat was minuscule.

According to this page, Seattle Opera is still doing it:

https://www.seattleopera.org/performances-events/streaming-faq/

I'm glad they are, and I'm glad San Francisco Opera is selling stand-alone live streams to the third performance of rep, with 48 hours on demand starting 10am PT the day after.  The first three performances of each rep offers Operavision in the Balcony, and I can't help but think they figured out a way to stream and monetize what they're doing already.

Operavision is my idea of heaven, since I'd choose Balcony anyway.

10 minutes ago, SandyMcKean said:

The SF box office told me that there are no more digital tickets for anyone under any circumstances (including any sort of subscriber).....so your scheme would not have worked anyway 😟.

What I meant was that had I known they had made them available in the past, I would have subscribed then to see the videos.  Just like I did for several arts organizations.  I stopped subscribing when they stopped sending links to videos if your ticket wasn't scanned, although for one, I had hoped to be able to travel to see one performance in person.

That's an iconic program!

I didn't know the ballet didn't do that, or I would have subscribed and then watched the digital performances. 

The opera launched their live streaming service last year, after offering the public television videos for free during the first year of the pandemic and as on demand from the vault if you donated a certain amount.  (I remember $75, but it was less than $100.) 

The PNB Nutcracker digital stream was more expensive than the standard rep stream.  I used to get it as a stand-alone.

The Pacific Northwest Ballet regular rep streams are available the Thursday after the rep ends through the following Monday night 11:59pm Pacific Time:

Petite Mort -- October 5-9

Love and Loss -- Nov 16-20

Swan Lake -- Feb 15-19

One Thousand Pieces -- Mar 28-Apr 1

The Seasons Canon -- Apr 25-29

Coppelia -- Jun 13-17

Last year's Nutcracker streaming period was longer, from December 19-27. 

The recording has been of the Opening Night performance all of last year.

San Francisco Opera streams the third performance of each rep -- and last year, two anniversary galas -- and then for the non-gala events, allows unlimited views for 48 hours starting 10am PT the next day.  For the last two seasons, they've cost $27.50 each, all inclusive, although it may be taxable for California residents. 

They opened their digital season last night with Il Trovatore.

I wonder if this is the or one of the Operavision performances, where they already "broadcast" to screens on both sides of the Balcony (top level), where you get the closeups and subtitles on the screen if you look, but get to hear the sound from the top of the house, the best of both worlds for me. (Plus, you can always watch the stage instead.)

It seems odd to me that they wouldn't announce it, and certainly not to have any messaging I can find on the site, so that patrons don't question their sanity and have to call.

It was in the press release that they'd be sold at $35 each.  There were no restrictions listed indicating that they were limited to subscribers.  Full subscribers could get the digital add on for, if I remember correctly, $30 for the season.

I'm getting an error trying to access the August press release about the rep from the PNB site, but I have the original in my Inbox, which in the "Ticket Information" section,

"Tickets for PNB's digital-only presentation of PETITE MORT (October 5--9) are $35."

It's not part of my original post, because I wanted to separate it from the main post, and because the site combines post by the same member if they're posted within a few minutes of each other, I was waiting to add it later, and forgot.

The season's digital price is higher than $35/rep, even if the Nutcracker is included (49?), which I didn't pay attention to before.

There was no subsequent press release that announced any change.

Even if this is not their intention, it's an effective way of sticking a fork in the digital program.

Tonight, September 20, at 7:30pm (PT) San Francisco Opera opens its 2023-24 paid streaming season with  Il Trovatore.  Like most of their streams, it will be available on-demand for 48 hours starting at 10am PT the day after the livestream.  (Some performances have been livestreamed only).

The cost is $27.50 US/opera.  There aren't additional fees, and there is not cart function, so they need to be purchased one at a time.  More details, including technical details, are here:

https://www.sfopera.com/digital/Livestream/

Il Trovatore (Giuseppe Verdi)-Wednesday, September 20 (7:30pm PDT)

Leonora-Angel Blue
Azucena-Ekaterina Semenchuk
Manrico-Arturo Chacon-Cruz
Count di Luna-George Petean
Ferrando-Robert Pomakov

Run Sun Kim, conductor
Sir David McVicar, production

The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Mason Bates and Mark Campbell)—Wednesday, September 27 (7:30pm PDT)

Steve Jobs-John Moore
Laurene Powell Jobs-Sasha Cooke
Steve Wozniak-Bille Bruley
Kobun Chino Otogawa-Wei Wu
Paul Jobs-Joseph Latttanzi
Christen Brennan-Olivia Smith

Michael Christie, conductor
Kevin Newbury, director

Lohengrin (Richard Wagner) --Saturday, October 21 (7:30pm PDT)
Lohengrin-Simon O’Neill
Elsa von Brabant-Julie Adams
King Heinrich-Kristinn Signundsson
Friedrich von Telramund-Brian Mulligan
Ortrud-Judit Kutasi
The King’s Herald-Thomas Lehman

Run Sun Kim, conductor
David Alden, director

Omar (Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels) — Saturday, November 11 (7:30pm PST)

Omar-Jamez McCorkle
Julie-Brittany Renee
Fatima, Omar’s Mother-Taylor Raven
Johnson/Owen-Daniel Okulitch
Abdul, Omar’s Brother/Abe-Norman Garrett
Eliza-Laura Krumm
Katie Ellen/Caller-Rehanna Thelwell
Auctioneer/Taylor-Barry Banks

John Kennedy, conductor
Kaneza Schall-Director

The Elixir of Love (Gaetano Donizetti) — Sunday, November 26 (2pm PST)

Nemorino-Pene Pati
Adina-Slavka Zaecnikova
Dulcamara-Renato Girolami
Sergeant Belcore-David Biz

Ramon Tear, conductor
Daniel Slater, director

The Magic Flute (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) — Tuesday, June 4 (7:30pm PDT)

Tamino-Amitai Pati
Pamina-Ghristina Gnash
Papageno-Lauri Vasar
Sarastro-Kwangchul Youn
Queen of the Night-Anna Siminska
Monostatos-Zhengyi Bai

Run Sun Kim, conductor
Barrie Kosky/Suzanne Andrade, production

Innocence (Kaija Saariaho, Sofi Oksanen, and Aleksi Barrier) — Wednesday, June 12 (7:30p PDT)

Waitress-Ruzandra Donose
Mother-in-Law-Claire de Sevigne
Father-in-Law-Rod Gilfry
Groom-Miles Mykkanen
Priest-Krtistinn Signmundsson
Teacher-Lucy Shelton
Markets-Vilma Jaa
Lilly-Beate Mordal
Jeronimo-Camilo Delgado Diaz

Clement Mao-Takacs, conductor
Simon Stone, production

Partenope (George Frideric Handel) — Sunday, June 23 (2pm PDT)

Partenope-Julie Fuchs
Rosmira-Daniela Mack
Alsace-Carlo Vistoli
Armindo-Nicholas Tamagna
Emilio-Alek Shrader
Ormonte-Hadleigh Adams

Christoper Moulds, conductor
Christopher Alden, director

Is that how ABT works?   At PNB, for example, contracts are offered in March, and promotions are announced on Opening Night, although there have been post-Nutcracker promotions announced later.  I don't know if those dancers have a hybrid contract or are offered a new one.

Casting's up for the first weekend (scroll):

https://www.pnb.org/season/petite-mort/

Link to the downloadable Excel file:

Petite Mort 2023 09 14.xlsx

Adding:  there's a new dancer in the Cacti cast and on the website: Kali Kleiman:

https://www.pnb.org/artists/

(No PNB bio yet, but she was previously an apprentice at Houston Ballet.)

Digital tickets at $35 are listed in the press release for the Petite Mort rep.

I've only purchased advanced digital tickets for Nutcracker -- does PNB sell advanced rep tickets before the rep is over?

Cyprus has been a vacation hotspot for Russians long before this war and the wars preceding it, with many Russian-owned properties.  Some who left Russia after sanctions went to Cyprus.  It’s not surprising, given proximity, cost, and climate, like Spain is a similar destination for people from the UK and Mexico for people from the US.

It’s also a place for Israeli’s to marry when they can’t or won’t be married by a recognized rabbi in Israel, which includes most Russian-born Jews and their descendants, so there’s a certain full-circleness about it.

The Balanchine Catalogue Archive for Ballet Imperial shows:

Welcome to Ballet Alert!, balletmania!

Welcome to Ballet Alert!, sanity!

Carla Korbes has joined the faculty of ABT's JKO School's JPre-Professional Division:

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanBalletTheatre/posts/pfbid0zQot1PayFQNtTgTonbE5T5wMwRsLBMzmRZ4kvzbbFFjPq4iDY1wTBECXhMdyNqual

17 minutes ago, abatt said:

Today the opera does not have household names like Pavarotti and Domingo to sell out the house.  Not sure what the state of her voice is now, but Bartoli was also someone who could sell out the house at the Met.   When I started going to the opera at the Met, I recall that there was almost no flexibility to exchange tickets. 

Which is really a shame, because, while I heard Pavarotti give excellent performances, sometimes in the middle of his carrer and certainly by the end of his career, there are at least ten tenors singing right now that I would rather hear live, and that's not thinking about it very hard.  Domingo was never a draw for me, whatever the voice range or as a conductor, but I'm in the minority about that one. 

But even now, if I were in NYC, I'd want to hear more of the singers cast, even if it was giving up a Pavarotti or Kaufmann, another hot ticket, in the more recent past.  I love getting the cover's single performance, just to hear new and/or other voices.  Just like now, I'd want to see different ABT dancers in major roles, although only the Ratmansky production of Don Q plus dancers I didn't actively avoid in the cast would entice me to see the ballet again.

The Met's ticket flexibility has for decades been inversely proportionate to how they are selling.  (Not specific performances, but seasons on the whole.)  They have gotten looser and tighter over the years.

ABT wasn't always terribly flexible, either.  There was no stated policy in the "make your own" subscription terms, but a BA! person posted here that when they called to make a subscription with all of one dancer's performances -- I believe Osipova, who wasn't always reliable anyway, even if her casting listing sold a lot of tickets -- the box office person refused.  I wasn't sure they'd give me three La Sylphides in a row when i was coming to NYC for a long weekend on my way to some work travel, but they did, and possibly only because I had a west coast address.

If they make changes, it's usually to follow the dollar, but, if they can, their policies are based on (sometimes retroactive) supply and demand.