Helene

If you haven't already booked your hotel reservation, Inn at the Opera is having a special for new reservations only with a two-night minimum, between 21 November and 31 March except for the following blackout dates: 31 December 31 Jan-2 Feb 10-12 Mar http://www.shellhospitality.com/blackfriday/inn_at_the_opera.php#iao I'd check all of the travel websites for Thanksgiving sales. I'm not sure when you're planning to attend, but they're also offering a $50 certificate for all stays in January, with an expiration date of 1 December 2013.

I'm not sure how insulted Yamaguchi was, or, if she was, how much she really would have thought about it had she not been asked every time she's interviewed about something else. She seemed genuinely excited for the semi-finalists -- the interview took place before last night's eliminations -- but, being Yamaguchi, she was being politic about playing favorites, unlike Mr. Lithgoe on "So You Think You Could Dance" who told the audience how he was planning to vote in the finals for men (and his choice prevailed, despite the runner-up never having been in the bottom dance-offs all season.) She said in the interview that she would have thought about it, had she been asked, but the ten weeks needed to dedicate themselves too it might have been too much. She has a clothing line to promote, and she seems very involved in family life, with two young kids.

Wow, still bringing it!

Seattle Opera is celebrating its 50th season, and the company has been doing a "Countdown to the 50th," with archival photos of historic productions. Today, they posted a sound file of the 1990 "Rusalka," with Ben Heppner and Renee Fleming: Susan Graham also sang in the production. Fleming and Graham are going strong -- Fleming was just in the Met HD "Othello," and Graham will sing Dido in the upcoming "Dido and Aeneas," but Heppner has had vocal problems for a number of years, originally stemming from blood pressure medication he was taking. It's always great to get a reminder of how beautiful his voice was in its prime, one of the best I've heard live.

PNB has released this charming video guessing game: can you identify these PNB dancers from their childhood "Nutcracker" photos? (I'm barely batting .500.) There are two holiday offers through Monday, 26 November. Discounts on selected "Nutcracker" performances: Enjoy super savings of 25% off select performances of the Northwest’s favorite holiday tradition, PNB's Stowell & Sendak Nutcracker. Tickets may be purchased by using the following online discount code - pnb.org/promo/turkey - or by mentioning "Turkey" when calling or visiting the PNB Box Office. This offer expires at 11:59 pm on Monday, November 26, and is good for the following performances: Friday, December 7 7:30 pm Saturday, December 8 7:30 pm Friday, December 14 7:30 pm Tuesday, December 18 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm Wednesday, December 19 2:00 pm and 7:30pm Thursday, December 20 2:00 pm Discounted tickets for the remainder of the season; they fit in stockings (the tickets, that is): Holiday shoppers can save 15% off tickets to the remaining programs in PNB's 40th Anniversary Season -- including such hot-ticket items as Romeo et Juliette and Swan Lake -- by buying this weekend! Tickets may be purchased by using the following online discount code - pnb.org/promo/gravy - or by mentioning "Gravy"; when calling or visiting the PNB Box Office. This offer expires at 11:59 pm on Monday, November 26, and is good for the following performances: Romeo et Juliette February 1-10, 2013 Modern Masterpieces March 15-24, 2013 Swan Lake April 12-21, 2013 Director’s Choice May 31-June 9, 2013 Details: THE NOT-SO-SMALL PRINT Tickets for this 96-Hour Sale may be purchased through the PNB Box Office: Online 24/7 at pnb.org Phone: 206.441.2424 (call for holiday hours) In Person: 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center This offer is for a limited time only, and is subject to availability. The 96-Hour Black Friday/Cyber Monday discounts are not valid on lowest priced or previously purchased tickets, and cannot be combined with other offers. Discounted online purchases must be made using the special links above. Offer is valid starting at 12:01 am on Friday, November 23 and expires Monday, November 26th, 2012 at 11:59 pm. The discount is not available for "Nutcracker" tickets through Ticketmaster. This has got to be easier than braving the crowds this weekend.

Did she ever show up?

I disagree about Kelly, whom I like, but who I think is a bit wooden. I'd love to see Melissa win, if only for Tony's sake and for how Derek manipulated the choreography. (Geoffrey Zakarian won "The Next Iron Chef with flagrant rule-breaking, so I understand the logic, even if I don't respect it.) Kristi Yamaguchi was on one of the celebrity faux-interview shows to plug her new clothing line, and she was asked directly if she was asked to be on the All-Stars sow, and she said no.

Twice on 5 December 5, the subject of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gallery Seminar will be "Degas's Dancers." The presenters are: Marjorie Shelley, Sherman Fairchild Conservator in Charge of Paper Conservation, MMA and Katherine Williams, dancer, American Ballet Theatre. "Calling all ballet lovers! Delve into the world of dance to learn about Degas's pastels of ballet dancers from the perspectives of a conservator and a dancer." Following are links for tickets, with registration ending at 5pm on 4 December: [http://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/workshops-and-courses/gallery-seminars/degas-dancers-am?eid=A001_{8D2650D0-B680-453C-A119-0C050723FF3D}_20121106130231]11am-1pm Session[/url] 2:30-4:30pm Session

Done. Thank you for the correction!

Laura Gilbreath will perform with New Orleans Ballet Theatre on 24 and 25 November. This is sweet:

Diana Vishneva posted to her Facebook page: The photo of the poster shows the dates as: 17 August 18 August 21 August 22 August and I think it's indicating that performances are at 8pm.

The "First Position" Facebook page announced that the documentary will be shown on Israeli TV as part of the "Yes" dance series. I'm not sure when, because I don't understand Hebrew, and a lot of the "Yes" website is made of graphics that online translators can't reach, but there's a very nice trailer for the series on YouTube:

Sorry, I misread the question as why a Bolshoi DVD wasn't released in America. The standard answers to the question of why DVD's don't get recorded are: too expensive to record, they don't make any money and no one wants to distribute them, and too many unions with which to negotiate. Obviously the first doesn't apply "Great Performances" or "Live from Lincoln Center" programs, but that adds in another entity -- the sponsoring station -- that also should expect compensation to recover their costs. (Some "Dance in America" programs have been released, but the majority of them, not.). A couple of companies have their own labels and distribute their own product. Companies like NYCB, ABT, and Dance Theatre of Harlem have managed to negotiate successfully with all of the unions to ensure VHS and /or DVD releases, so this is not impossible, and surely by now, unions and companies understand the importance of this technology and digital downloads in creating a global "brand."

Unless there is a union provision about Hallberg's participation in anything outside ABT, or reference to him as a member of ABT on the jacket cover, there should be no union issues affecting a US release of a Bolshoi video.

Thank you for posting, Catherine -- that was beautiful. In her warmth, she reminds me of Obraztsova.

The Sokolow "Lyric Suite" project is a go -- it closed today, with total pledges of $5912. (The goal was $5000.) http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2075112834/anna-sokolow-lyric-suite?ref=email Congratulations to the Anna Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble

It's even more confusing, because Kultur, which publishes the earlier DVD with Fonteyn and Nureyev, also calls it "An Evening with the Royal Ballet", and it also sells Opus Arte disks, although not the 2012 disk, at least yet: http://www.kultur.com/An-Evening-With-The-Royal-Ballet-p/d1182.htm The 2012 DVD looks like the cover of the Royal Ballet programs: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=OA1087D Thank you so much for clarifying this, rg!

The average panhandler in San Francisco is by US standards the most initially aggressive I've encountered since NYC pre-Giuliani, but they're generally loud and more in your personal space than actually dangerous, and I don't remember ever having one reject a flat, "No." Walking up Van Ness, you'll encounter a few homeless people and panhandlers, especially since there's critical mass on the street after an event, and it's a smart place to be. But it's like being in Times Square in NYC, because WM lets out directly to the street, with no Lincoln Center Plaza or Seattle Center to buffer it from the heart of the city. The reason there are so many homeless people on the street is that, for the most part, the climate is such that people don't freeze to death or die from tremendous heat if they live on the street. The same is true in the Pacific Northwest, where the climate is relatively mild, even if it's wet for months at a time. It's not like NYC or Toronto where the temperatures are life-threatening for months at a stretch. Because I travel alone so much, I, personally, would rather be in a populated, well-lit part of town with some homeless people around than dark, deserted areas. I find it much less stressful. The only thing I minded about the Opal was a slight industrial smell in my room, probably from whatever they used to clean. Otherwise, it was very clean, the bed comfortable, and the Wifi reliable. It's an uphill walk, but on a comfortable part of the grade. I think there's now a 24-hour, or at least a very late-night diner, within a few blocks Van Ness.

Many thanks for the link! Vanstone was a knockout as Calliope in "Apollo" when NBoC performed on the gala program for the re-opening of Ballet British Columbia. She's from Vancouver Island, and I remember they also performed in Nanaimo and Victoria while they were here.