Helene

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.

What luxury casting as Clemence and Henriette -- Anna Nikulina and Yekaterina Shipulina -- a lot like Nureyev's casting when he launched his "Raymonda" for POB, and there are a lot of people here who've admired Chinara Alidze (Daydream Variation 1), Anna Tikhomirova (Daydream Variation 2), and Anna Stashkevich (Grand Pas Variation), for example. I hope this comes out on DVD: I'm going to be at the opera during this transmission.

Many critics and opera-goers thought the Chereau Ring in the mid-70's at Bayreuth was a disaster after it replaced the Wieland Wagner production. It since has become a shining example of directorial imagination. It will be interesting to see how the Lepage Ring is seen over time. It's always been an interesting balance for "Opera News" to review the institution. Traditionally, it has many Guild members across North America and some in the rest of the world who feel connected to the Met, but in the age of instant, global reviews, I'm not sure how many people are waiting two months to read about performances in a print magazine. What I found fascinating is that they could have replaced their reviewers with those who would have written, essentially, publicity in the form of reviews.

NYCB tweeted today, Congratulations to our Principal Dancers Janie Taylor and Sebastien Marcovici who got engaged over the weekend! http://on.fb.me/JlbMPd Congratulations to Taylor and Marcovici

Thank you so much, sidwich!

Get in Front, a cancer prevention organization, will be holding its gala on 6 June 2012 at 7pm at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco. San Francisco Ballet posted a link to this promo video of a photo shoot of some of the company dancers to its Facebook Page. From the website: The Get in Front Performance is the first-ever dance event of its kind in San Francisco, featuring dancers from some of the Bay Area’s most celebrated dance companies, including principal dancers from San Francisco Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, ODC/Dance, AXIS Dance Company, Smuin Ballet, Zhukov Dance Theater, Robert Moses’ Kin, Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, tinypistol, Ballet San Jose, and Margaret Jenkins Dance Company. The creative team and energy behind this signature event are Garen Scribner and James Sofranko, soloists with the San Francisco Ballet. They have partnered with the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC) to Get In Front of cancer by producing this one-night-only benefit dance performance showcasing ballet and contemporary works from some of the world’s most renowned choreographers: Christopher Wheeldon, George Balanchine, Margaret Jenkins, Alonzo King, Helgi Tomasson, KT Nelson, Robert Moses, Michael Smuin, Alex Ketley, Yuri Zhukov, Maurya Kerr, Amy Seiwert, and Paul Taylor. The 900-seat Herbst Theater allows for an intimate viewing experience. Sit close and enjoy the dance performance event of a lifetime! Following the performance, an After Party and Silent Auction will be held upstairs in the Herbst’s Green Room. The Get in Front Performance: 7pm – 9pm After Party and Silent Auction: 9pm – 11pm Performance tickets start at $35.

carbro, that must be why I'm confused. I never sit that far down, so I didn't realize it was Grand Tier, not Parterre . I'm going to miss you all!

Very few companies -- not just non-for-profits -- keep people on the staff that (appear to) undermine their position. The publication could have replaced its critics with those who would write essentially PR reviews. Instead they decided not to review the Met.

I apologize -- I was giving a suggestion, but I didn't mean to imply that I could be there. (I really wish I could, but it's not possible, and I just have to read everyone's impressions.) Honestly, now I've confused myself. I was sure it was by the costume cases on the first level, i.e., where after you walk in, you don't go directly ahead down a staircase, but, instead up the stairs which circle to the right or left. At the top of those stairs are costume cases, and I thought that's where we met. Now I'm wondering if we were one level up, which would be Grand Tier.

I saw Vasiliev's Golden Idol in Berkeley in 2009, and it was terrific.

Thanks to a heads up, I learned that Ana Sophia Scheller and Rebecca Krohn were promoted to Principal Dancer: here is the tweet from NYCB: to Ms. Scheller and Ms. Krohn

Carla Korbes and Seth Orza performed the "White Swan Pas de deux" and Sarah Ricard Orza and Lucien Postlewaite performed in "Red Angels" for Nevada Ballet Theatre's 40th Anniversary celebration earlier in May: http://www.lvrj.com/living/nevada-ballet-theatre-marks-40th-anniversary-152194075.html?ref=075

From a review of Olivier Wevers/Eric Banks' "Approaching Ecstasy" was this link to an article on dancing/performing couples, among them Wevers and Lucien Postlewaite, in this February's "Dance Magazine": http://dancemagazine...ng-a-ring-on-it (Scroll)

Thanks to a heads up from sandik: Barry Kerollis started a blog in April about being a freelance dancer: Life of a Freelance Dancer

Here's an interview with director Beth Kargman from PBS Newshour: http://video.pbs.org/video/2236176603

You can listen to and/or download George Jellinek's 2003 tribute to Fischer-Diskau from the WQXR website: http://www.wqxr.org/#!/articles/wqxr-features/2012/may/18/vaults-george-jellinek-tribute-dietrich-fischer-dieskau/

From Baritone Luca Pisaroni's Facebook Page comes the news that Dietrich Fischer-Diskau died today. Here is the BBC obituary: http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-arts-18118722 From the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.c...86.html?_r=1 Just a few of the many, many songs he recorded: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayIrOHMKFFQ&feature=related

She did the Wedding Scene during the Love Stories program earlier in the season, and she was beautiful in it: radiant and with a sense of young majesty.