Helene

Many thanks, Batsuchan, for the review. ABT has just tweeted that Natalia Osipova has withdrawn from tonight's performance.

Casting is up for Week 2; here are the principal couples: Thursday, 7 June 7:30 pm: Swanhilde: Lesley Rausch Franz: Jerome Tisserand Dr. Coppelius: William Lin-Yee Friday, 8 June 7:30pm and Sunday, 10 June 1pm Swanhilde: Leta Biasucci Franz: James Moore Dr. Coppelius: Ezra Thomson Saturday, 9 June 2pm Swanhilde: Kaori Nakamura Franz: Jonathan Porretta Dr. Coppelius: Jeff Stanton Saturday, 9 June 7:30pm Swanhilde: Rachel Foster Franz: Benjamin Griffiths Dr. Coppelius: Peter Boal James Moore returns as Franz. Two years ago, he partnered Mara Vinson in her last regular season performance in this ballet. This year, his Swanhilde is Leta Biasucci. Here is a new video in which he talks about the role of Franz and comedy in the ballet:

I'd love to hear what you think of her and the rest of the guests.

It's great that you got to see all three casts, little_junkie. I was hoping to be able to make the trip, but, in the end, couldn't. Many thanks for your report and the comparisons!

Oh, I'm so jealous -- Maria Kochetkova is one of my favorite dancers on the planet.

I'd love to hear your impressions!

This was the original casting on the Bolshoi's website for Don Quixote: Did anyone see any of these performances?

Cinderella-ending is actually accurate for what happened to Houseknecht. The Cinderella story ends "And they lived happily ever after," and we assume what that means. Houseknecht got her contract instead of a Prince, and she doesn't have to live wondering "What if?" having been rejected by ballet. Perhaps she is living happily ever after having tried her dream and rejected it in the end.

From Myrta's point of view, and that's what Teuscher was talking about, the crime that Albrecht committed against women in general was more important than Giselle's or Albrecht's individual feelings. That is where the analogy holds. Individual feelings don't create justice, since there's no consensus. It might impact the sentence if the family of a murder victim forgives the murderer and doesn't want to see him punished, but it doesn't overturn the conviction. In this case, it's supernatural vigilante law, but the women didn't choose between death and wandering through the forest each night for all of eternity.

Don't all of the Wilis return to the dead after the bell rings? Isn't the supreme sacrifice that she will doubtless fare badly under Myrta for the rest of time, without the same purpose as the rest of the Wilis?

Sorry, Mel, I was typing on my phone and accidentally killed the clause "As Giselle is the one who acts individually and defines Myrta," that referred to Giselle as the Decider, which I've corrected. I don't buy the going to Heaven part, though. Where is the self-sacrifice there?

Eva von Braun didn't think that Hitler deserved punishment. (Neither did Winifred Wagner.). Is it just in a society for Albrecht to deceive and kill a girl and walk away to marry another and rule a kingdom where he has wealth and life and death authority over the peasants and a right to their labor? Certainly from Myrta's point of view, the answer is "No." It's a Romantic concept that individual judgement determines [fill in the blank, including justice.]. Myrta doesn't make up the rules -- she's more like Geoffrey Holder or the head of the Furies -- but she enforces them, with a vengeance, so to speak. It's a Romantic ballet, with a Romantic ending, and as Giselle is the one who acts individually and defines Myrta, it's actually she who is the Decider.

15% off all performances of Coppelia holiday promo, until Monday, 28 May: https://www.pnb.org/promo/holiday

Giselle is not serving justice by saving Albrecht: she's showing mercy. There's no question about his culpability.

Perhaps, but the peasants would not be able to retaliate against that injustice, hence no ever-ending cycle of violence/continued chain reaction. As far as Myrta is concerned, it hasn't. Giselle has shown forgiveness and mercy, and in that Christian light, Myrta's power is broken in this one, extraordinary instance. On the other hand, in the traditional ending, Bathilde forgives him, and presumably they marry, and he goes back to his day job. Maybe he's held on a tight leash for the rest of his life. She's taken the initiative and filled a void. Who else was protecting these women who were jilted, lied to, and wronged, even retroactively?

The Wilis are supernatural creature that not everyone truly believes in: the young villagers mock and dismiss Berthe when she tells the tale in the "Mother's Mime", and the village men, in an Act II scene often cut, use the tale to scare each other when drunk, like telling ghost stories. If a body shows up in the woods without visible wounds, it's tragic, but who would they blame? Even if they wanted to, the can't trap or kill a Wili, so against whom would they avenge themselves? By the values of the time in which the work was presented, the audience not supposed to think that Myrta was right, Albrecht was wrong or a cad, at least at the end, or that Giselle was a doormat to save him. As far as the character is concerned, and Teuscher is speaking from the point of view of her character, an actor, dancer, opera singer, etc. playing the Baddie acts from the character's point of view, or the drama doesn't work. Or as Adam Gopnik wrote in his review of revisionist histories of the Spanish Inquisition for The New Yorker (Jan. 16, 2012), "We know the cruellest of fanatics by their exceptionally clear consciences."

Thank you for the link to the interview with Devon Teuscher. (The TONY site comes up with nothing on a search for "Myrta".) As far as justice is concerned, she is righting the wrong done to women whose souls can get no rest for eternity, a big deal for religious people. Giselle might have saved Albrecht from certain death, and she may not participate in blood-letting, but she's still doomed as a Wili forever. In almost all versions now, her two intended victims are Albrecht and Hilarion, and one could argue that Hilarion is there because he exposed Loys and started the chain of events that led to Giselle's death, but if you look at the original -- and the National Ballet of Cuba production retains one of these scenes -- the Wilis try to entice any men who appear on their turf overnight into their web, to dance them to death, and she's avenging her gender blindly, but in good conscience. Blind justice was not a popular theme for artists in the Romantic era: Gustav Klimt created murals for the department of Law at the University of Vienna called "Jurisprudence", in which justice was brutally portrayed, as against mercy.

Link, please.

Coppelia opens next Friday, 1 June, and there is an additional, non-subscription performance on Saturday, 9 June at 2pm. Casting has been posted for the first week-end. The three leads are: Friday, 1 June 7:30pm Swanhilde: Kaori Nakamura Franz: Jonathan Porretta Dr. Coppelius: Jeff Stanton Saturday, 2 June 2:00pm Swanhilde: Rachel Foster Franz: Benjamin Griffiths Dr. Coppelius: Peter Boal Saturday, 2 June 7:30pm Swanhilde: Lesley Rausch Franz: Jerome Tisserand Dr. Coppelius: William Lin-Yee The Swanhilde/Franz pairings were three of the original 2010 couples, with Korbes/Orza and Vinson/Moore. Coppelia Casting.xls From the press release: SEATTLE, WA – Pacific Northwest Ballet concludes its 2011-2012 Season with its beautiful production of Coppélia, George Balanchine’s classic comic ballet. PNB’s production of Coppélia,which premiered in 2010 with new sets and costumes by Italian designer Roberta Guidi de Bagno,runs for eight performances only, from June 1to 10 at Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Tickets start at $28 and may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, online at pnb.org,or in person at the PNB Box Office at 301 Mercer St. Audiences and critics were captivated when the curtain rose on PNB's premiere of its exquisite, wisteria-hued production of George Balanchine's Coppélia in June of 2010: "The audience actually gasped when the curtain went up" (Journal Newspapers). Originally created in 1870, Balanchine and famous ballerina Alexandra Danilova drew on source material and memory for 1974's New York City Ballet version. The story, inseparable from Léo Delibes' superbly melodic score, is a lighthearted comedy about vivacious young Swanilda, her impetuous suitor Franz, and the eccentric toymaker Dr. Coppelius. Though Franz loves Swanilda, he is swept away by Coppélia, a life-sized doll whom he believes is real. When Swanilda steals into Dr. Coppelius' workshop and discovers the truth about Coppélia, she dresses up as her rival and amuses herself by tricking both toymaker and her lover. All ends well in the final act’s splendid wedding festivities, revised by Balanchine and enhanced by the addition of 24 "baby" ballerinas who frame ensemble and solo variations. Beautifully detailed by Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno's lavish sets and costumes, this production is a complete delight for all ages. "Coppélia...demands repeat viewing" (CriticalDance.com). Drawn from ballet's Romantic period and informed by a 19th-century fascination with mechanical toys, Coppélia is the tale of cheerful young lovers, Swanilda and Franz, whose courtship is briefly interrupted when Doctor Coppelius, the village's eccentric inventor, creates a doll so life-like that Franz becomes infatuated. When her suitor attempts a clandestine rendezvous, Swanilda evens the score by dressing as the doll and pretending to come to life. Ultimately, the pair is reconciled, and Act III's effervescent wedding-day festivities offer an array of spectacular dances. Coppéliamarked the passing of ballet supremacy from France to Russia. Originally choreographed by Arthur St. Léon in Paris in 1870, it was restaged by Marius Petipa in St. Petersburg in 1884 and revised by Enrico Cecchetti in 1894. Little, if any, of St. Léon’s choreography remains in today’s production, although Acts I and II retain his ideas and the story of mischievous young lovers. Balanchine provided entirely new choreography for Act III. Balanchine wrote, “In 1974, I decided we should stage Coppéliaat the New York City Ballet and asked the ballerina and teacher Alexandra Danilova, celebrated for many years for her Swanilda, to collaborate with me on the choreography. I remember very well performances by the Russian Imperial Ballet of Coppélia and as a member of the company danced in the mazurka. “I have often said that Delibes is one of my favorite composers for dance. In our new Coppélia, we used the entire score of the three-act version. The first dance drama of really uniform excellence deserves no less! No part of the ballet is subordinate to any other; most important of all, ballet music in Coppéliaparticipates in the dance drama as never before, Delibes’ charming, melodic music assisting the plot and unifying the music and dance. Tchaikovsky was directly inspired by Delibes’ score to write his own ballet music. Delibes is the first great ballet composer; Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky are his successors.” [Program notes by Doug Fullington.] SPECIAL EVENTS & OFFERS FUN FOR FAMILIES Special activities for children and families – including crafts and dance classes – begin one hour before all matinee performances. FREE for ticketholders. GROUP SALES Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For group tickets, please call 206.441.2416, email juliej@pnb.org or use PNB’s Online Group Builder at pnb.org. $15 TICKETS FOR AGE 25 & UNDER All Thursday and Friday performances: June 1, 7 and 8 at 7:30 pm One ticket for $15 or two for $25 for patrons 25 years and younger! To purchase tickets, contact the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424 or visit 301 Mercer Street. This offer is good for June 1, 7 and 8 performances only, is subject to availability and not valid on previously purchased tickets. Each attendee must present valid ID upon ticket retrieval. TEEN TIX PNB is a proud participant of Seattle Center’s Teen Tix program. Young people 13 to 19 years old can purchase tickets to PNB performances and other music, dance, theater and arts events for only $5. To join Teen Tix or view a list of participating organizations, visit seattlecenter.com/teentix. STUDENT AND SENIOR RUSH TICKETS Subject to availability, half-price rush tickets for students and senior citizens (65+) may be purchased in-person with current, valid ID, beginning 90 minutes prior to show time at the McCaw Hall box office. FRIDAY PREVIEWS – SOLD OUT Friday, May 18, 6:00 pm The Phelps Center, 301 Mercer Street, Seattle Join us for an hour-long dance preview led by Artistic Director Peter Boal and featuring PNB dancers rehearsing excerpts from Coppélia. PNB Friday Previews offer an upbeat and up-close view of the Company preparing to put dance on stage. (This event is SOLD OUT.) Friday Previews are sponsored by U.S. Bank. BALLET PREVIEW — FREE Tuesday, May 29, 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 Coppélia, complete with video excerpts. FREE of charge. PNB LECTURE SERIES & DRESS REHEARSAL Thursday, May 31, 2012 Lecture 6:00 pm, Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall Dress Rehearsal 7:00 pm, McCaw Hall Join PNB artistic director Peter Boal and Judith Fugate, stager and original cast member of Balanchine’s Coppélia, for an engaging discussionduring 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 by calling 206.441.2424, online at pnb.org or in person at the PNB Box Office at 301 Mercer Street. 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 Coppélia to the stage. One hour before performances. FREE for ticketholders. Post-Performance Q&A Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall Skip the post-show traffic and enjoy a Q&A with Artistic Director Peter Boal and PNB dancers, immediately following each performance. FREE for ticketholders. Listen to the Ballet! PNB partners with 98.1 Classical KING FM to bring listeners some of the world’s most popular ballet scores, featuring the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra direct from McCaw Hall. Tune in to KING FM for an opening weekend performance of Coppélia on Saturday, June 2 at 7:30 pm. Only on 98.1 fm or online at king.org/listen.

I always looked forward to reading his reviews in Dance View and danceviewtimes. Just yesterday I re-read his article on the 50th anniversary of John Cranko's arrival in Stuttgart in DV. Rest in peace, Mr. Koegler.

She was not cast in 2010. I didn't see her in 2006, but I only saw two performances from that run.

There's an issue with the film: you can see under "Screenings", there are none, where they'd usually be listed, with "buy" controls if the showing isn't sold out, and in the schedule for Monday, when the first showing originally was listed for 7pm, there is a big gap in one of the SIFF Uptown columns, between the 4:30 showing of "Eden" and the 9:30 showing of "The Student". So something's up, maybe with the print?

Great news doug! I'm looking forward to seeing this again, and it was great to see Biasucci and Tisserand in new roles/choreography.