Helene

The union issues were noted in today's Links: http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/33162-tuesday-january-11/page__view__findpost__p__280281

Avi Scher will have a great cast for his three-work second season, which will run 23-25 April at the Ailey Citigroup Theater: Carla Korbes and Seth Orza (PNB) Tyler Angle, Ana Sophia Scheller, Savanna Lowery (NYCB) Sofiane Sylve (SFB) Four dancers from ABT (not named in this article or on his website as of today) Janie Taylor will design costumes for "Mirrors" with Korbes, Orza, and the four ABT dancers. Sylve, Angle, Scheller, Lowery, Korbes, and Orza will perform "DreamScapes". A third program is TBA. Saturday and Monday performances are at 8pm; Sunday's is at 3pm. Tickets are $25 and go on sale 23 February.

For the 10th anniversary of the feature "25 to Watch", "Dance Magazine" asked former selectees to make their own selections for 2011. Carla Korbes (class of 2006) chose Jerome Tisserand, and Kaori Nakamura (class of 2001) chose Olivier Wevers, whose company Whim W'him performs at The Intiman Theater this coming weekend, 14-16 January. http://dancemagazine.com/issues/January-2011/25-To-Watch Congratulations to both -- they deserve the recognition

The subscription people have been very kind to me. Wanting a single seat almost always helps getting a better one than wanting a pair or more.

Here's the seating chart: http://www.pnb.org/Season/SeatingChart/Subscription.aspx Here is a "Select Your Own Seat" for Saturday, 4 June matinee; it shows seat number, section, and price for available tickets if you position your mouse over the blue dot: http://www.pnb.org/Season/Reserve/?perf=116R602 Some info about the Galleries: The Galleries (Floor, Right, and Left) are long banks of seats that starts at the far Orchestra level and connects to the Dress Circle (DC is the equivalent of First Tier at State Theater or Grand Tier at the Metropolitan Opera House. I don't know the venues in Miami.) There are four rows of Floor, six rows of Gallery Lower, and 11 rows of Gallery Upper that have 1-6 seats per row, with "1" closest to the center, and 6 on the far outer aisle. These end with row "W". To the far side of 4 is not great for ballet. Even 3 is a bit tough. If I have to sit that far out, I opt for farther back, too. The last four rows of Gallery Upper are the far end seats of the Dress Circle Level. Those rows are labeled "X", "B", "C", and "D". In row "X", the seats are numbered 1-4, like the rest of Gallery Upper, but for rows B-D, the higher the number, the closer to the far aisle. Seats 1-8 are Dress Circle; seats 9-17 in rows B and C and seats 9-13 in row D are Gallery Upper. The difference in price is $73 for Gallery Upper vs. $105 for Dress Circle vs. $165 for Dress Circle Preferred (the first two rows of the two center sections). My subscription seat has been in Gallery Upper seat 9 in row B for several years, and I think it's a great seat, the best combination of price and visibility. If you look at the seating chart, you'll see gaps between the far aisle seats in row X on either side. That's some kind of light box that doesn't restrict the view and also means no one in front of you. The tricky part is that the hall has sections with repeat numbers. Gallery Upper Right is section "DC 24". The section next to it, closer to the center, is all Dress Circle, and those seats start again with 1 closer to the center and 14 on the farther aisle. If you do opt for Dress Circle, be sure you know which section you're in. If you opt for Orchestra, my favorite seats are the center-most aisle of the two end sections. You can see from the chart that there's a slight flare, which means being able to see around the person in front of you, if that becomes an issue.

It was beautiful. It didn't sound like more typical rehearsal music, which is usually a more literal attempt to show the orchestration. (Bang, bang, pound, pound -- must be the trumpets!) Instead it sounded like a work that was written for piano, and I half wished that we could see a performance with this piano score, played with the sensitivity and coloring that Dameron did. (It also makes me wish that Hershey Kay's orchestrations would be ditched for the piano versions in "Who Cares?" and a real band would replace the horrid orchestrations for "Stars and Stripes"...)

Discussion on the presentation can be found here:

Discussion on the presentation can be found here:

The press release mentioned the live streaming for the 7:30pm performance. I'm not sure how 61 people found out it would be screened in the afternoon. Both were taped and are available on the website (scroll to find): http://www.ustream.tv/channel/worksandprocess As of a few minutes ago, there have been 104 views of the afternoon presentation, and 378 of the evening. Hopefully there will be a lot more over time.

Giselle was Carla Korbes, who grew up in Brazil and was chosen by Peter Boal very young -- 14, I think -- to dance Terpsichore in a performance of "Apollo" that Boal did in Brazil. He convinced her parents (through a translator) to allow her to attend SAB. She moved away from her family to NYC and learned English from scratch. She danced for NYCB, but many of us thought she was underused and under-appreciated by Peter Martins. For us in Seattle, it has been a privilege to see her dance since she came joined PNB in Boal's first season. Her Albrecht, Seth Orza, also came from NYCB, a few years after Korbes. His wife, Sarah Ricard Orza, who wasn't in the program, joined the company, too, which makes us even luckier. She's a beautiful dancer. Carrie Imler mimed Berta and danced Peasant Pas de Deux (with James Moore) and Myrtha. She's one of the finest dancers I've ever seen in any genre. She was trained at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and later at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Happily she was in the NYC tour to City Center in 1996, and she got a shout out (end of p. 2) from Anna Kisselgoff. She makes time slow down in the most difficult virtuoso passages. James Moore was Hilarion. I love him in this role. I was disappointed that there wasn't a reference to the scope of Hilarion's role in Act II in this production, but they couldn't perform the entire ballet in a relatively short presentation.

Just gorgeous, which is why I wish the dancers had more time to work through their discomfort to do the original before the version decision was made. Although Imler makes it look soooooo easy...

Alan Dameron's playing was exquisite

It's up again now, just about 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT.

That does not speak to what stagehands who work for NYCB or ABT receive. There are also other ways to cut costs than to get concessions from parties with existing contracts.

Congratulations to all of the promoted dancers

Do you know whether the money for sponsoring a chair at a symphony is used for that player's salary/benefits? Opera and ballet often work differently, in that in North America, there are rarely contracted salaried employees among the performers. The Met might still give weekly contracts to comprimarios, but most companies contract each cast separately, even if the singers are repeated. However, there are funds like the James and Sherry Raisbeck Principal Singers' Fund at Seattle Opera, which according to the Foundation's website was $1M plus $250K/year. At the bottom of the cast page there is a notice to say that Ms. Diva's or Mr. Divo's appearance is sponsored by the fund. I know there was an effort by some ballet companies to have people sponsor dancers, but I don't know if that was a major commitment that could be invested and contribute towards those dancers' contracts.

That's a great point about projects and other restricted funds. A lot of donors want a specific production with their name on it and aren't as interested in wrenches and rest room supplies. On the other hand, if a company needs a big pile of money to put on a new production or new ballet, people who write those big checks are critical.

Which is true only when it works. Otherwise, they look like ballet dancers trying to look like her.

The preview tonight was wonderful, and I wish it had been twice as long. Carla Korbes, Seth Orza, James Moore, and Carrie Imler danced and mimed beautifully in studio conditions. I don't want to post spoilers. I'll say only that the performance highlight among many, many high points was Carrie Imler's Mother's Mime.

Congratulations to Mr. Stearns on his promotion to Principal

And our Paul Parrish is on the jury!

I've only heard it pronounced So-NAM-boo-lah by opera announcers. I must not have been listening carefully enough.

Here's a link from NBC.com: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Head-of-New-York-City-Ballet-Arrested-for-DWI--113001109.html

[ADMIN BEANIE ON] Official news only in response. [/ADMIN BEANIE OFF]

ISADORA DUNCAN DANCE AWARDS COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES NOMINEES AND HONOREES FOR 2009-2010 San Francisco, California, December 30, 2010 - - The Isadora Duncan Dance Awards Committee today announced the 2009-2010 performance season award nominees. The winners will be honored in an awards ceremony to be held on Monday, March 14, 2011 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum. The following is a list of Nominees and Honorees by category. Outstanding Achievement in Choreography Wan-Chao Chang, Eurasia, Wan-Chao Dance, Ethnic Dance Festival, Weekend 4 Hsiang-Hsiu Lin, Mix & Match 2010, Lin HH Dance Theatre Sara Shelton Mann, Tribes/Dominion, Sara Shelton Mann Dancers Yuri Possokhov, Classical Symphony, San Francisco Ballet Amy Seiwert, White Noise, Im'ij-re Outstanding Achievement in Performance - Individual Jenna McClintock, Coppelia, Diablo Ballet Pascal Molat, for his entire year of performances, including the San Francisco Ballet and The Tosca Project, American Conservatory Theater Luisa Lopez Saavedra, La Marinera Norteña, El Tunante Nol Simonse, for his entire year of performances, including The Tosca Project, American Conservatory Theater Sofiane Sylve, in the middle, somewhat elevated, San Francisco Ballet Yuan Yuan Tan, The Little Mermaid, San Francisco Ballet Outstanding Achievement in Performance - Ensemble Stephanie Bastos, Daniel Brevi, Guy De Chalus, Zkiya Harris, Eyla Moore, Veleda Roehl, Amara Tabor Smith, Adia Tamar Whitaker, and Sonia Whittle, Ampey!, a work-in-progress, 2009 CounterPULSE Performing Diaspora Festival Jaime Garcia Castilla, Daniel Deivison-Oliviera, Victor Luiz, Gennadi Nedvigin, James Sofranko, and Hansuke Yamamoto, Classical Symphony, San Francisco Ballet Heather Cooper and Brian Fisher, Another Time, Mark Foehringer Dance Project Chad Dawson and Nol Simonse, Two Rooms, Stephen Pelton Dance Company Andrea Faraci and Iveta Pauryte, a season of International Standard Ballroom Dancing Private Freeman and Yukie Fujimoto, "Lettre Dos" from Je Me Souviens, Sonya Delwaide at ODC Outstanding Achievement in Performance - Company American Conservatory Theater and various guest artists, The Tosca Project, American Conservatory Theater Eszterl nc Hungarian Folk Ensemble, Traditional Dance Cycle from the Village of Magyarszov t, Ethnic Dance Festival, Weekend 3 Janice Garrett & Charles Moulton, The Illustrated Book of Invisible Stories, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum Hui Tama Nui, Pepe Hau, Ethnic Dance Festival, Weekend 3 Natyalaya, Parvathi, the Divine, Ethnic Dance Festival, Weekend 2 Scott Wells & Dancers, Ball-ist-ic, CounterPULSE Outstanding Achievement in Visual Design Matthew Antaky, lighting design; Christine Darch, costume design; and Frieder Weiss, video design, White Noise, Im'ij-re Patty-Ann Farrell, lighting design and Aaron Sencil, costume and prop design, Pepe Hau, Hui Tama Nui David Finn and Yuri Zhukov, visual design, Classical Symphony, San Francisco Ballet Mary Louise Geiger, lighting design; Laura Jellinek, scenic design; and Mark Zappone, costume design, Ghosts, San Francisco Ballet Krissy Keefer, costume design, The Great Liberation, Dance Brigade Larry Reed, visual design and ZeJie Zheng, calligraphy design, Good-for-Nothing-Lover, ShadowLight Productions Outstanding Achievement in Music / Sound / Text Abhinaya Dance Company and San Jose Taiko, music, Synergy, Abhinaya Dance Company and San Jose Taiko The Cultural Heritage Choir and Fua Dia Congo drummers, music, Nzobi, Fua Dia Congo Hope Mohr and Brenda Hillman, text, Far from Perfect, Hope Mohr Dance Stellamara, musical adaption of Strumica/Azade, Eurasia, Wan Chao Dance Kip Winger, music, Ghosts, San Francisco Ballet [*]Outstanding Achievement in Restaging / Revival / Reconstruction Roslyn Anderson, Petite Mort, Smuin Ballet Sonya Delwaide, "Lettre Dos" from Je Me Souviens, Sonya Delwaide at ODC Isabelle Fokine, Petrouchka, San Francisco Ballet Mythili Kumar and Rasika Kumar, Varsha; The Rainy Season, Abhinaya Dance Company Donald Mahler, Continuo, Ballet San Jose Special Award Honorees Brenda Way and ODC For her vision, commitment, and perseverance to build a major dance center with a broad range of programs and resources for dance professionals, children, and the community. YAK FILMS/Yoram Savion, Director For documenting the turf dancing by Oakland youth, particularly those videos that feature the RIP dances recorded at the locations in the Bay Area where other youth have died, and for making them available on YouTube. Sustained Achievement Honorees Denise Jourdaine, Stephan Kraeul, and Rex Lewis, co-owners of Imperial Ballroom For their years of instruction and operation of the Imperial Ballroom in Redwood City, their training of professional ballroom competitors, and their continued management of internationally recognized ballroom competitions. Mythili Kumar, Founder and Director of Abhinaya Dance Company For three decades of teaching, directing, and creation in South Indian classical dance forms of Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi, and for providing Bay Area dance audiences with an understanding of the richness in these complex and historical dance forms. Josefa Villanueva, Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Santa Clara Ballet For establishing and directing a dance repertory company with her late husband Benjamin Reyes for over 37 years. For offering instruction and training in classical ballet, for creating choreography for the company, and for providing performance opportunities for children and Bay Area professional dancers. The Isadora Duncan Dance Awards, informally known as the Izzies, are awarded annually to acknowledge exceptional creative achievements in the performance and presentation of dance. Awards are given in nine categories to honor the dancers, choreographers, designers, composers, dance companies, scholars and other individuals who have made important contributions to the Bay Area's thriving dance community and to celebrate the excellence and diversity of dance in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. The wholly volunteer Isadora Duncan Dance Awards Committee was established in 1984 and bestowed its first awards in 1985. The Committee is made up of artists, teachers, dance writers, academics and arts administrators with diverse areas of expertise and a willingness to commit to viewing a broad range of work. During each 12-month performance cycle, running September 1-August 31, the Committee collectively views over four hundred eligible performances. The final nominees are selected at an annual voting meeting held in September after the close of the viewing cycle. An awards ceremony will be held on Monday, March 14, 2011 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, 701 Mission Street at 3rd in San Francisco, California. The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin with a greeting reception in the lobby at 6 pm, followed by the awards ceremony at 7 pm. Member profiles and lists of previous nominees and winners are available online at www.izzies.org. The Izzies Committee is supported by donations from individuals, groups, the Fleishhacker Foundation and The Zellerbach Family Fund.