Helene

A new video of Carla Korbes' and Ezra Thomson's first studio rehearsal of the Titania-Bottom pas de deux:

What isn't working? What error messages are you receiving from BT4D? If it's a single screen with "Account Suspended" (see screen shot), I'll need to report it, since BT4D has worked for me consistently since both sites came back up late last night, and your post is dated today. If it's any other message, you'll need to report that to the "Contact Us" link on the BT4D site. We are separate sites, and we can't fix problems with individual registrations from here. -------- To everyone, it was quite a scare, and I'm glad it's been resolved.

For those of you who received an "Account Suspended" message -- we received some inquiries -- this was not your personal account, it was the whole site. The site was down because of the perfect storm of two changes to our monthly billing that we never received notice for and an issue with our mailboxes at another service provider that I'm still investigating, but is likely the cause of us not receiving two critical notices. I apologize for the mess and downtime.

A link to a wonderful performance photo of Lallone as Hippolyta: https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150151767218952&set=a.439537898951.224264.21358443951&theater

Here is a 7-minute intro to "A Midsummer Night's Dream", a mini-version of the 30-minute pre-performance lectures he gives starting an hour before performances for performance ticketholders. This is a great intro to the ballet and to the PNB production: In rehearsal are: Chalnessa Eames (purple, long-sleeved shirt) as Hermia, with Olivier Wevers as Lysander i Carla Korbes (blue leotard) as Titania with Ezra Thomson as Bottom Jonathan Porretta as Oberon with Carrie Imler (pink t-shirt) Josh Spell as Puck (Barry Kerollis is to the right) Ezra Thomson as Bottom ? Jonathan Porretta as Oberon Carrie Imler (magenta trim on black leotard) as Titania, with Batkhurel Bold as Cavalier (back center) Lucien Postlewaite (full costume) as Oberon Jodie Thomas (now Royal Danish Ballet) as Butterfly In the screen of stills listing major parts: Jonathan Porretta as Oberon Batkhurel Bold as Cavalier, but I don't recognize his Titania from the photo Josh Spell (I think) as Puck Jeffrey Stanton as Demetrius, but I don't recognize his Helena Carrie Imler as Hippolyta Julie Tobiasson as Hermia and Olivier Wevers as Lysander Jodie Thomas as Butterfly Maria Chapman and Seth Orza in Divertissement pas de deux There are a bunch of shots that flash by: I caught Rachel Foster in all black as Butterfly and Imler, Spell as Puck, and Bold as Titania and Cavalier. ID corrections very much appreciated!

Saari really struck me as one of the the "fates" in "La Valse". She was the one who heard the Sirens' song. I'm glad to see that she is getting major parts. The only time I've ever heard of rankings in the company is when they differentiate apprentices and trainees in the program and when there is a newspaper article that calls someone by their rank.

I was thinking about that earlier. I would think that the St. Petersburg audience would be most critical: not only do they have most of the the Vaganova/Petipa legacy, they also saw the first Balanchine stagings on the Mariinsky, including "Theme and Variations" staged by Francia Russell (with "Scotch Symphony" staged by Suzanne Farrell). The Bolshoi style and the ballets the company was known for throughout the years were more dramatic and athletic than the Mariinsky style. Of course, Balanchine choreographed T&V for ABT with Alicia Alonso and Igor Youskevitch, and it is part of the company's legacy.

A case in point----Many of us in NYC watched David Hallberg as a corps member---and the 'star quality' was something he did not need to develop---it was always there. Too often, technical prowess pushes dancers along much too soon. Speaking generally, I think that is the distinction: the corps dancer or soloist in a Principal role need not dance the role at the same level as a mature, principal dancer, but for the audience not to , there should be something special in the performance, and that can be star quality or unusual technical facility, although in my opinion, the latter has more impact in roles that don't rely on classical style. For example, Peter Boal said about Pacific Northwest Ballet soloist Laura Gilbreath in "Dance Magazine", "He pointed to Gilbreath’s 2009 lead performance in Balanchine’s Diamonds. 'She didn’t do that as a rising corps member. She didn’t do it as a talented soloist. She did it as an accomplished ballerina. Laura is one of those dancers where early on you could see the ballerina.'" People went away exhilarated by Darci Kistler's early performances -- her talent was evident from what appears to be a hand-held camera video of her Odette at aged 15 (shown in the "Six Ballerinas" documentary) -- and Russian audiences went crazy over 22-year-old Allegra Kent in 1960. I knew I had seen "It" after Carrie Imler's PNB School graduation performance in 1995, because the ballerina was there. I'm not as forgiving or interested when I don't see what the Artistic Director sees, and it looks like an exercise. My bias is that I don't care about perfect performances, but I want to see that the dancer has something to say and has gone out of his or herself to give it a shot, even if it is a stretch. (When Boal casts Gilbreath, she shows me the logic of his choice.) I also think there is a different standard at home and on tours. Unless there are a lot of injuries/illnesses that require substitutions, tour casting is telling a new audience, one with different standards and expectations, that this is the best the company has in a role; this role reflecting the alchemy of Petipa and Ivanov and Imperial training with Balanchine's genius.

What sad news. As bart posted, there are a lot of mentions of Mr. Bigelow and his importance to Mr. Balanchine and New York City Ballet in Jacques d'Amboise's recent memoir, which made me admire how he was the rock on whom so many people depended. Rest in peace, Mr. Bigelow, and my sympathy to his family.

Our rule is simple: if there is news, it must have a citation from an official source and be available publicly, unless it is posted by someone who has "Editorial Advisor" or "Foreign Correspondent" in bold, green, italic under his or her board name. The source can be written -- ex: interview or article in the mainstream press or book, press release, substitution slip in the program, written in the program, company website, dancer's or company's public Facebook page (not dancers' personal pages where they vet Friends requests), company or dancer's Tweet -- oral -- ex: Q&A, public speech, curtain announcement -- or a generally understood gesture -- ex: giving extra flowers and taking extra solo bows after a last performance, which appears to be Ballet Arizona's MO. "I heard it from the dancer" is not an official source, unless she said it in a Q&A or other public presentation. There are a lot of insiders on this board, and apart from a very few Editorial Advisors and Foreign Correspondents, who must have official sources, even if they don't have to cite them, they are all held to the same standard. Even I as an Administrator am not exempt from this policy.

Here's the casting for Week 2: Thursday, 14 Apr 7:30pm Oberon: Jonathan Porretta Titania: Carrie Imler Puck: Eric Hipolito Jr. Hermia: Sarah Ricard Orza* Lysander: Josh Spell Helena: Brittany Reid* Demetrius: Jeffrey Stanton Hippolyta: Stacy Lowenberg Theseus: Karel Cruz Cavalier: Batkhurel Bold Bottom: Ezra Thomson Butterfly: Liora Reshef* Divertissement pas de deux: Maria Chapman, Seth Orza Friday, 16 Apr 7:30pm Oberon: Lucien Postlewaite Titania: Laura Gilbreath Puck: Barry Kerollis* Hermia: Sarah Ricard Orza Lysander: Josh Spell Helena: Brittany Reid Demetrius: Jeffrey Stanton Hippolyta: Carrie Imler Theseus: William Lin-Yee Cavalier: Karel Cruz Bottom: Sean Rollofson* Butterfly: Chalnessa Eames Divertissement pas de deux: Maria Chapman, Seth Orza Saturday, 16 Apr 2:00pm --non-subscription performance and Kids' Dress-Up Matinee (crafts in lobby 1hr before) Oberon: Jonathan Porretta Titania: Kylee Kitchens Puck: Barry Kerollis Hermia: Rachel Foster Lysander: Josh Spell Helena: Stacy Lowenberg Demetrius: Seth Orza Hippolyta: Brittany Reid Theseus: William Lin-Yee Cavalier: Karel Cruz Bottom: Sean Rollofson Butterfly: Liora Reshef Divertissement pas de deux: Sarah Ricard Orza, Batkhurel Bold Saturday, 16 Apr 7:30pm Oberon: Benjamin Griffiths Titania: Lesley Rausch Puck: Josh Spell Hermia: Chalnessa Eames Lysander: Olivier Wevers Helena: Maria Chapman Demetrius: Lucien Postlewaite Hippolyta: Brittany Reid Theseus: Seth Orza Cavalier: Jerome Tisserand Bottom: Barry Kerollis Butterfly: Rachel Foster Divertissement pas de deux: Carla Körbes, Jeffrey Stanton Sunday, 17 Apr 1:00pm--Kids' Dress-Up Matinee (crafts in lobby 1hr before) Oberon: Lucien Postlewaite Titania: Carla Körbes Puck: Jonathan Porretta Hermia: Lesley Rausch Lysander: Jerome Tisserand Helena: Kylee Kitchens Demetrius: Jeffrey Stanton Hippolyta: Stacy Lowenberg Theseus: William Lin-Yee Cavalier: Seth Orza Bottom: Ezra Thomson Butterfly: Margaret Mullin Divertissement pas de deux: Kaori Nakamura, Olivier Wevers *First time in role Last chances to see Olivier Wevers dance with PNB: Saturday, 16 Apr 7:30pm as Lysander Sunday, 17 Apr 1:00pm in Divertissement pas de deux (with Kaori Nakamura) Last chances to see dancers leaving at the end of the season in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with PNB: Ariana Lallone: Week 1, as Hippolyta, 8-9 April 7:30pm Jeffrey Stanton: Thursday-Friday, 14-15 Apr 7:30pm as Demitrius Saturday, 16 Apr 7:30pm in Divertissement pas de deux (with Carla Korbes) Stacy Lowenberg: Thursday, 14 Apr 7:30pm and Sunday, 17 Apr 1:00pm as Hippolyta Saturday, 16 Apr 2:00pm as Helena Chalnessa Eames Friday 15 Apr 7:30pm as Butterfly Saturday, 16 Apr 7:30pm as Hermia Barry Kerollis: Friday, 15 Apr 7:30pm and Saturday, 16 Apr 2:00pm as Puck (a role debut) Saturday, 16 Apr 7:30pm as Bottom Josh Spell: Thursday-Friday, 14-15 Apr 7:30pm and Saturday, 16 Apr 2:00pm as Lysander Saturday, 16 Apr 7:30pm as Puck I'm glad to see Kylee Kitchens cast as Titania (Saturday matinee). She made her debut in the role in 2004, and it was a lovely performance. Seven years later, she'll be amazing.

This is with a luminous Darci Kistler and guest Igor Zelensky, who had danced with NYCB before.

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Where was Ms. Smith's retirement announced? (We need citations for all roster changes.) I remember reading an article about Ms. Smith: her father was a doctor, and she said he was a great influence on her.

Hallberg's turns in the variation were so smooth, almost like slo-motion.

That's an incredible cast. Has anyone seen the complete work?

Memory -- no way! I have all of this written down, and I had to look it up

Dec, Gilbreath, Korbes, and Lallone danced the role in the five performances I saw the last time PNB performed the ballet in 2007.

A photo of Lallone and a short tribute has been published in Seattle Times "Picture This". http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/picturethis/2014632303_pt_ballerina_lallone.html?prmid=head_main

I can't cite another instance where a difference of opinion was addressed in a press release where there wasn't an immediate departure. The standard press release comes from the company, with a basic statement of fact ("Dancer X's last performance is/was this/last Sunday/the end of the season") or a statement of fact plus the company's, usually the AD's word of thanks to the dancer. I've never seen a quote from a dancer included that suggests any public ambiguity, but I'd be interested in seeing others like PNB's re: Lallone if they are considered standard. On the contrary: she's been dancing as well as ever, which is a rarity for an important dancer. I can think of few Principals who left PNB or NYCB at the very top of their game towards the end of their career. Most were past their peak, although they continued to be valuable artists, and that includes Peter Boal.

I agree 100% that Chung is an excellent comedienne. Her timing was perfect. Her Act II was so fine, I wondered how she could top it, but she was lovely in Act III, still spunky, but transformed into a bride. What I think made her command the stage so well and carry a full length is that she never forced her formidable technique front and center. She maintained the characterization, and the technique was there to support her. Brava to her -- she was wonderful. Luiz' Franz was quite full of himself, both in mime and the flair with which he danced his solos, and I think this Franz thought himself smarter than he actually was and quite the ladies' man. The flair won out over line and form at times, but his Franz had a lot of spirit. I also saw Maria Kochetkova and Gennai Nedvigin on Friday night. Kochetkova's characterization was prettier on the surface than Chung's -- I kept thinking of Jacques d'Amboise's characterization of his mother, a tiny woman who could do almost anything, and, what she couldn't, she didn't hesitate to ask for, in her portrayal. She heard so much more than any other dancer I've seen do this role. In her "Wheat" solo, for example, it was as if she was turning over every grain -- responding to every musical grain -- to get an assurance of Franz's love. It was an intricate and immediate response to the music, and she danced through the phrases, never stopping on the beat. The same musicality made her dancing in Act III exquisite. From where I was sitting in the Dress Circle, her mime was crystal clear and convincing. Franz has less than Swanhilde/Coppelia to dance and mime, but, Nedvigin's mime, too, was clear as a bell, and he, too, connected the dance phrases in a sensitive and articulate way. His form was just lovely -- arabesques landings at 90 degrees extending horizontally, with no upward free-leg bounce -- and his turning jumps in attitude light an airy. As a character, he was sweet but dumb: Kochetkova's Swanhilda will tie him in a bow for the rest of his life, and he'll thank her for it. Smith's Dr. Coppelius, which I saw in both performances, was the heart of the ballet. You could feel the zest and lust and greed and ego and desire that was still in him. If he had a motto, it would have been "Youth is wasted on the young." He did none of the mincing or rocking movements that you see in portrayals of older people: he practically lunged when he walked, railing against the frailties of his age. There was a moment in Act II when I wondered if he would think to just take Franz's legs and try to give them to himself rather than Coppelia, yet he's the only Dr. Coppelius I can remember who emphasized the hesitation, the "The instructions say to do WHAT?", when the next step in the recipe is to take Franz's heart. At the end of the Act, when he threw himself at Coppelia's feet, there was a ghost of Albrecht there. When he took the money in Act III, it rang more as if he had really lost it and was accepting a dowry rather than compensation for a broken toy. There are so many moving parts in this ballet, it's hard to know where to begin! The corps was superb, dancing the long Mazurka and Czardas with style and energy. How do they get so many tall, tall men in San Francisco? Though none seemed as tall as instructor Jeff Lyons, who towered over the village in his warm, kindly portrayal of the Mayor. Among Coppelia's friends, the two that struck me most were the bold, expressive Dores Andre (both performances), also a standout as a Jesterette, and the bright, clear Koto Ishihara. In the variations, the kids in "Waltz of the Golden Hours" were sharper and more finished -- less like applause machines -- than their counterparts in Seattle, and, as a result, there was a sense of layering and development: these kids would grow into that who would grow into the next age, and so on. Jennifer Stahl looked oddly stiff and uncomfortable leading them, as if she was a guest lead. Courtney Elizabeth in the matinee looked like the embodiment of what they aspire to, part of an organic whole. Charlene Cohen was a lovely and gracious Dawn, dancing with a joyful lightness. Sofiane Sylve danced Prayer; her feet were lovely, but she danced the variation as if she were a dowager. By contrast Dana Genshaft danced with a beautifully expressive upper body, and arching back, she was beseeching in prayer. Both Clara Blanco and Nicole Ciapponi were quick, light, sprightly Spinners, just what the role calls for. Both sets of Jesterettes danced beautifully together. Every time I see Discord and War, I think of "Springtime for Hitler". It's just too odd. Jennifer Stahl was a knockout in it: leggy, elegant, and glamorous. There was a whiff of Tanaquil LeClercq in the air. Her partner, Garen Scribner, was bold, dynamic, and simply brilliant. In the other performance, Sarah Van Patten was cool and detached, while Daniel Deivison danced around her with elegance and dash. It was a short trip, but I am so glad I was able to go to San Francisco at the last minute for this. I hope this production is a keeper. It's so much more relaxed for children without all of the holiday expectations and sugar overload that often comes with "The Nutcracker". There was a young girl, maybe 6, diagonally in front of me who sat with her bear and her rabbit on her lap, complete rapt. The only time I noticed she moved was when she swayed her invisible fan during Coppelia's Spanish dance. (Unsolicited advice to parents in the audience: when your kids ask you what happens in the next act, read the synopsis. Don't try to remember another production you saw when you were eight or make things up. It really confuses the kids, and sometimes they want clarification in the middle of the performance, when what happens onstage isn't what you told them.)

Some casting info from Seattle Times: Tentative: Ariana Lallone in "Lambarena", "Rubies", and "Petite Mort". I wonder the excerpt from "Carmen" will be, since she originated the title role. Jeffrey Stanton: "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" and "Agon". Neither Olivier Wevers nor Stanko Milov will dance, at least as of now.

When I attended "The Ring of the Nibelungen" in Toronto, the only open food place I could find after some very late nights was Tim Horton's, and I joined a long line of men in black tie and very elegant suits holding trays and waiting for soup and donuts to make it until breakfast.

Moira Macdonald wrote a long article in yesterday's Seattle Times about Lallone's career with PNB with quotes from Lallone and Peter Boal. Lallone will join Teatro ZinZanni! Congratulations to Lallone for this great opportunity

Every announcement is another stab -- I'm a selfish audience member -- but I hope each departing dancer has something even better in his/her near future.