Helene

You've just described American Ballet Theatre to perfection. Who would have ever guessed that anyone, let alone the mighty Royal, would emulate the model Lucia Chase put into practice 45 years ago? This. Why a company with a school and a tradition, however sadly neglected, would emulate this model is beyond me.

[ADMIN BEANIE ON] The Times may allow ad hominem remarks in its comments section, but we don't allow them here. [ADMIN BEANIE OFF]

Ballet Arizona Principal Dancer Paola Hartley will speak at the Arizona Psychoanalytic Society in, "Black Swan: Film and Psychoanalysis". Her presentation is called "A Dancer's Perspective on Performing Odette/Odile in Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake'". She speaks at 11:45am on 17 September at the Courtyard Marriott, Scottsdale. http://www.arizonapsychoanalyticsociety.com/blackswan.html (Thanks to BA for posting this to their Facebook page.)

Oregon Ballet Theatre will perform excerpts from "Who Cares?" in a free Oregon Symphony Orchestra concert tonight at Tom McCall Waterfront Park tonight at 7pm. The Oregon Symphony concert is preceded by a performance by the Portland Youth Philharmonic at 5pm, same place. http://www.orsymphony.org/edu/comm_neigh.aspx

There's no more information so far - it will be interesting to see if McGregor retains his current title and responsiblities, and if so how Wheeldon fits in. But I'd guess we won't hear about the details just yet. Still no details. PNB just sent out an email to announce that Wheeldon will be in Seattle to rehearse the works on the "All Wheeldon" program, which debuts in a couple of weeks, and to host a preview of the, and only described him as "newly appointed to the artistic team of London’s Royal Ballet". There's always an introduction and usually a Q&A: perhaps if nothing has been announced before then, there may be some info at the preview and/or from local press in preview articles about the program.

Christopher Wheeldon will host a preview of the All Wheeldon program on Wednesday, 21 September from 6:30-8:00 pm at McCaw Hall. General admission ickets are $20 ($10 for subscribers): http://www.pnb.org/Season/Reserve/?perf=12LD01

Marc Haegeman has published a lovely photo of Obratzova's Odette on the Facebook Page "For Ballet Lovers Only": The full gallery is here: http://www.for-ballet-lovers-only.com/obraztsova-swanlake-2011.html

I wish I could have heard your presentation. I think it's great the USC tied film to the company's visit to LA. About pricing, University of Washington World Dance Series tickets are $39-$48 standard, with small discounts for subscriber add-ons -- there are multiple series in addition to World Dance -- and faculty/alumni. Student tickets are $20, which was my entire weekly budget almost four decades ago. (My meal plan covered food.) I was lucky to have been able to usher, which meant I got in free. My alma mater, Wesleyan University, was midway between Hartford and New Haven, and we were lucky to be able to hear top-notch music, with the faculty and graduates of Hartt and Yale so near, in addition to the number of great musicians who lived in Connecticut. My favorite concert in four years was a recital by Jan de Gaetani. There was very little dance, though. There were a few presentations in the small summer festival held at the university, and I remember being hired to do wardrobe for a modern dance company called 3 x 5. My job was to iron these incredible silver-colored capes that flowed so beautifully and were used in a piece to a recording of a George Crumb piece, which I came to love. Back from the digression: $50-$80 might not sound like much for a ticket at SUNY Purchase, but it's not like NYC or London where there's extensive public transportation, or like Seattle where most patrons drive and parking is relatively inexpensive. To drive to Purchase is heavy on tolls and patience, especially on the way up during the four-hour rush hour window, and not easy on gas. To get there by public transport is an arduous process. Round-trip peak to White Plains is another $21/per person plus bus or taxi fare in both directions. I know that's not 200 GBP, but why schlep to Purchase when you can take the subway or bus to something a lot closer and not spend that much more in total. ETA: Sorry, puppytreats -- I didn't see your post on commuting costs.

Thank you for the news, congratulations to the promoted dancers, and best wishes to those leaving the company.

Carson Kressley competed in equestrian when he was younger, and owns and shows horses now. I've always found him graceful, and I'm sure he'll have the posture down. Always scary when one's stardom is tied to being someone's ex.

PNB just published a video from "Carousel: A Dance" with Carla Korbes and Seth Orza: Lindsay Thomas is the editor of these videos, one of the unsung heroes at PNB. She's listed in the Marketing and Communications Department as "Videographer" as well.

Yes, that has been rare in the last 15-20 years. It's a World Dance Series, and its mission is much broader than ballet or, for that matter, classical anything. I don't know the ins and outs of creating a series, but I assume it's a combination of audience expectations, continental representation, money, scheduling, and good marketing/networking.

Marc Haegeman just published this remarkable photo to Facebook from "Chroma": Svetlana Lunkina Here's the link to the "Chroma" page on "For Ballet Lovers Only": http://www.for-ballet-lovers-only.com/bolshoi-chroma-2011.html Ekaterina Shipulina looks wonderful in these photos.

PNB just posted to Facebook, "Don Quixote photo shoot with principal dancers Carla Körbes and Karel Cruz in Studio B this morning!"

It's too bad that this wasn't the choice for the Seattle production. It would have given more depth to Berthe's character.

Thank you for the heads up, Cliff! amazon.com is accepting pre-orders for expected release date of 11 October 11. They're offering the guarantee that if they drop the price between time of order and time of release, they'll charge the lower price. It's available in regular and Blu Ray. Can't wait.

It seems to me that depending on the tone the self marketing takes, the dancer may have made him- or herself more opportunities, if s/he feels s/he is getting nowhere fast with his or her career or wants other options. A dancer who can bring a ready-made fan base may be more valuable to a smaller company, for example, than an unknown name, all things being equal.