Helene

Update from Peter Boal via Twitter: Crew re-routed to Baltimore, no bus for the musicians, sets are in Iowa, and we open tomorrow night. As they say in Seattle, "No worries" Doug Fullington told us in the pre-performance Q&A that they've made arrangements to rent drops in NYC if the sets don't arrive in time for Wedneday. PNB is doing the truncated "Apollo," -- there are no stairs to heaven or birthing platform -- "Agon" and "Concerto Barocco" are no-set friendly. I would guess that PNB was able to ship the Balanchine triple-bill costumes ahead.

I'm trying to ID one of the Montague women who danced at least Sunday afternoon. She was in a brownish dress, had dark blond or light brown hair (at least in the lighting), a full face, and was shorter than some of the other women, which is where my conundrum comes in. The program I have lists the Sunday cast as Mullin, Murphy, Nelson, Neuville, and Samuelson; the Saturday performances list Anspach, Clark, Love, and O'Connor as Montagues, and the corps substitutions aren't noted. Neuville and Clark have darker hair, and O'Connor and Love are too tall. I don't have a sense of how tall Nelson is, and from the photos in the program, face shape of the dancer I'm trying to identify looked most similar to Pasch, who's listed as a Capulet. On the other hand, I've never been able to recognize Samuelson from her photo, so that may be moot. Can anyone ID the dancer I mean?

It might feel different in context walking down the street, but I can't say I find the design coherent or inspiring. I hope they get everything they need on the inside, especially the acoustics, technical capabilities, and rehearsal and backstage facilities.

It wasn't a public petition like when a full-page newspaper ad in the New York Times advocating the release of a political prisoner and signed by Nobel laureates is published. It was an under-handed coup attempt when, as a man with a TV pulpit and who's the go-to guy for a pithy quote, his attempts at persuasion failed, and he obtained signatures by misrepresenting the situation to fellow artists. It was never meant to go public: it was leaked to the press. Lawlessness breeds lawlessness, and step one is to try to establish illegitimacy. That he's been agitating relentlessly within the company is no secret. It's no surprise that, while the translation of Tsiskaridze's literal words were that if Iksanov were Orthodox, he'd understand Tsiskaridze's relationship to Yanin, does anyone really think he wasn't also saying "He's not one of us"? He's the self-proclaimed "preserver of ballet orthodoxy," which is funny when you think about it, with the Bolshoi rep having works like "Spartacus" and "Carmen" so affiliated with the company. You'd think from his words that he was chaneling Petipa, not Grigorovich.

They haven't seemed to have made much headway into the cyber attacks on Filin, either. Had the cyber attackers from last year been identified, it's possible the physical attack would not have occurred.

If it weren't for that final curtain call, most of the costumes could have been packed before the end of the last act, since the corps is wearing black capes for the funeral procession. Updates on the PNB dancers' progress: From much earlier today On the plane. Just dodged a 2.5 hour delay. Now it's just 40 minutes. Be there soon NY From three hours ago And we are here! Hello nyc! pic.twitter.com/eUyrlAfk\ And, Get ready for a whole BUNDLE of NYC On Tour webcasts! Starting tomorrow: http://ow.ly/i/1uoGk Doug Fullington flies out tomorrow with the 60 members of the orchestra. Over 200 people are on this trip!

FWIW, I definitely saw this bit of business too (during the 2nd weekend also). In the moment I was put off by it, but then as I grasped this character in this production (intended or not), Paris is a real creep.....not a noble fellow who is simply too little, too late. He sniffs her like a animal might. In the end, I liked this touch -- it really added to the contrast between the sweet, youthful love between R & J, and the strict conventions of society that normally would have married J off (presumably for political advantage) to any well connected male even if he were an animal. Joshua Grant did all three Paris's this weekend, because Karel Cruz injured his back and William Lin-Yee, the other Paris, did all three Friar Lawrences, and I have no one to whom to compare him. Grant's Paris is a creep. Right after he sniffs -- at least at Pantastico and Korbes, because I was watching for this Saturday afternoon and didn't notice it with Rausch, or at least it didn't register in that performance -- he pulls her head back into a forced kiss. You can see what her wedding night and the rest of her life would be like from those 30 seconds. This was not an arranged marriage where in twenty years he would ask, " ?"Juliette was property, and while in some productions Paris is allowed to be a nice guy with whom Juliet could have had a nice life had she not met Romeo, just as Aurora might have been happy with any of the four Princes of Other Places had Desire not shown up, here he could have been any older and/or experienced guy who was going to deflower his young wife in 1.5 minutes and head off to his mistress or the whorehouse. It made me think of The Man She Must Marry in Tudor's "Jardin aux lilacs," not literally, in that Lady Capulet was necessarily a former mistress, but he could have been someone she might have considered, since there was no Lord Capulet around, and he had no particular interest in Juliet personally, but only whether Juliet would be a wife who fed his ego. There was a sense that she was test-driving him. Grant's Paris shot Lady Capulet such a look of disdain walking out at the end of that bedroom scene, and to me it read very distinctly that if he were to have spoken, his words would have been, "You can't even control the bitch." And who thought Paris was a throwaway role. Never, ever apologize for the length of what you write here. That's an order. I'm with you here. The one place I do like it is when Juliette, on her knees by his head after he dies, does the scream over him while rolling her head back in a circle. He also had a few things that reminded me of Balanchine: off the top of my head, one where one dancer stands behind Juliette -- right now I'm blocking who did -- arm leaning on her shoulder and stretched forward and makes an arc to the outside and she follows his hand in that arc, which reminds me of an iconic gesture in Aria II of "Stravinsky Violin Concerto" and another when Friar Lawrence outstretches his arms up into a V that reminds me for a second of the last movement of "Serenade." It is a striking moment. I'm so glad they're doing this, because it will give NYC a chance to get a prolonged look at the splendid women in the corps. If that's the book in the gift shop, be prepared for sticker shock. to them! It was Sean Lavery's choreography. I'm pretty sure he was original cast with Judith Fugate. I saw them do it in Winter 1991 and Fall/Winter 1991-2, both before and after "Nutcracker." (For a while they had a week of regular programs before the "Nutcracker" run.)

I love the bourees she does before the 2' mark.

There has been more commentary on the Filin attack: Ismene Brown tweeted about an opinion in Izvetsia: Film director Alexandr Belinsky: # Bolshoi in moral collapse, needs a Gergiev figure, & attacks inadeq Culture Minister http://izvestia.ru/news/544701

Critic Ismene Brown has been tweeting about "Rite of Spring" and the context of the cancellation for the last twp weel, some in response to other members of the Twitterie: Much intrigue revealed in Kommersant dance writer's commentary today... Feb 3 Update: Rumours tt Wayne McGregor canned new # Bolshoi Rite of Spring bec English in fear of working there dismissed by Kommersant... Feb 3 .McGregor not there till Feb 18, assistants adrift with no authority. Meanwhile inhuman perf sched for dancers flat out... Feb 3 ...Kuznetsova finally says nxt season another prestige outside creation Maillot cannot afford to go wrong after this. Warning signs. Feb 3 Authoritative Kuznetsova comments project jeopardised long ago by crazy schedule due to Culture minister demanding more perfs # Bolshoi... Feb 3 She tends to blame Culture Min for forcing Iksanov to increase perfs & reduce rehearsals. Half # Bolshoi's 220 dancers sick Feb 3 [End of Kommersant discussion] Corps is prob more importnt in Rite? Hard to shift as a pack if old coaches set against & Filin not there. McG repute on line FEb 3 If I read this correctly, she means, When the cat is away, the mice will obstruct. # Bolshoi : Stepanenko Izvestia int: Tsiskaridze continues to work, McGregor Rite postponed till Filin back, subst Baganova is a "brave woman" Feb 11 also, regarding Lunkina -- I believe she's still referring to a report in Izvestia, ..Lunkina threats connected to husband's film work # Bolshoi # Filin Jan 28 Brown also tweeted a link to an article in "Dancing Times," which said that "Jewels' has replaced the originally-scheduled triple-bill including "Rite of Spring" for the Bolshoi's London 2013 tour. I've opened up a thread for the London tour here:

This was the performance that was broadcast live in HD.

Ismene Brown re-tweeted about today's report in Dancing Times that following the cancellation of the new Wayne McGregor "Rite of Spring," the original mixed bill will be replaced by "Jewels" during the London tour. Also reported is that the new "Sleeping Beauty" that opened the Bolshoi Theatre will be performed, as well as "Swan Lake" (the opening ballet), "La Bayadere," and the closer, Ratmansky's "The Flames of Paris" with Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev.

You are correct: I shouldn't have posted quickly while running out the door. If my post had read, "Iksanov was about to resign or not sign a new contract, Iksanov's contract was not going to be renewed, etc." this would have been better in some way? This issue has nothing to do with the attack on Filin, but speaks to Iksanov's assertion that Tsiskaridze helped foster a specific atmosphere at the theater. After the petition went public, at least two major artists who signed the petition went on record, "I was told that your contract had not been renewed; and, being afraid that the theater could get a person who is incompetent in music, I signed the letter." (Yelena Obraztsova) ""Nikolay Maksimovich told me that the third term of Iksanov's contract is expiring, and that he is not eligible for a fourth term according to the law. Tsiskaridze gave me a list of people, and I put my signature on it. I didn't have time to read the letter, I was working at the Conservatory," said the singer." (Zurab Sotkilava) Again, this is not about what was in the petition, but how Tsiskaridze obtained the signatures, which speaks to his character, both the in Obraztsova quote, where what he said was technically true, but there was no need for a petition if Iksanov's contract was to be renewed, and in his misrepresentation of the legal issue to Sotkilava. Major artists generally do not go out of their way to have to make publicly embarrassing retractions. It's after December 2012, and, obviously, Iksanov is still there. He even gave a little speech before the "La Bayadere" transmission.

When major artists who had signed the petition were asked why they did, after it was made public, they went on the record to say that Tsiskaridze told them different stories -- different to each person -- about the reason for the petition: Filin was about to resign or not sign a new contract, Filin's contract was not going to be renewed, etc., and it was crucial to ensure that someone with concern for the artists was going to be his replacement. It wasn't what was in the letter, but how the signatures were obtained. Many were retracted when the signees found out that they were lied to. Iksanov is on shaky ground if he accuses Tsiskaridze of being behind the Yanin smear campaign, unless he has proof.

I thing the change of mood is very realistic: when people are the most despairing, they cling to any sign that gives them hope, and that hope gives a shot of mood-changing adrenaline. To Nikiya, the basket is a tangible sign that she should hope.

The analogy I would make is to the state of political discourse in the US. Even if you take the personal attacks on Obama out of the equation, the number of people who've stated publicly that they would meet any attempt to limit the number and type of weapons they own with gunfire creates a different environment -- more threatening, more chaotic, more prone to irrationality and violence -- than rational discussion and the assumption that there is political compromise in every situation: things we don't like, things that are unfair, things that enforce a majority's gains, things that the powers that be have messed up royally.

She also dons a dark wig for Anita in "West Side Story Suite.". New Yorkers who see her in "Romeo et Juliette" this weekend will see her gorgeous hair down.

It was a lot more than criticizing the theater. Going to the top artists in the nation to ask them to sign a petition based on outright lies about the state of the current administration is the type of action that would get most people fired on the spot. Once there was public evidence showing his less-than-transparent efforts to undermine the administration through sordid means -- he's not just an op-ed writer doing his job to expose the grievous wrongs of his targets -- why should Iksanov not describe how it impacts his theater, especially when it's not uncommon for incivility to lead to more incivility, posturing about using force, and then physical force?

A gentle reminder: links from official sites only.

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With all of his bombast, Tsiskaridze is often quite careful in the way he words things. He didn't say, as far as I know, that Filin wasn't attacked with acid: he says that Filin wasn't attacked with sulfuric acid. He's careful on the technicalities of his position towards management, which his actions on the petition would seem to belie, until you check the fine print. He could give Bill Clinton lessons on what "is" is.

PNB just posted a link to an interview with Seth Orza by Bodies Never Lie to its Facebook Page, and he reveals that Sarah Ricard Orza is six months pregnant. Congratulations to them http://bodiesneverlie.com/2013/02/07/11-questions-for-seth-orza-pacific-northwest-ballet-principal-dancer/ I didn't see her on the cast lists for "Nutcracker" or "Romeo et Juliette," and I'm so glad she's not dancing for such a great reason.

Gentle reminder: official news only, regardless of how innocuous overheard news seems.

"Seattle Weekly" doesn't give sandik enough space to go into great detail, but she is able to give contrasting descriptions of the two casts, if you're curious and/or still need to make a decision: http://www.seattlewe...eo-et-juliette/

From a link posted to PNB's Facebook Page, a new video of short interview with Noelani Pantastico and Lucien Postlewaite on coming back to dance R&J: