BalletNut

Thank you for that, tessdixon, and welcome to Ballet Talk.

Opening Night Gala Evening Wednesday, January 25, 2006 8 pm THE VERTIGINOUS THRILL OF EXACTITUDE Conductor: Martin West Kristin Long, Katita Waldo, Vanessa Zahorian, Nicolas Blanc*, Pierre-François Vilanoba PAS DE TROIS from PAQUITA Conductor: Martin West Frances Chung, Rachel Viselli, Jaime Garcia Castilla* PAS DE DEUX from CHOPINIANA San Francisco Ballet Premiere Conductor: Martin West Claire Pascal, Ruben Martin* PAS DE DEUX from REFLECTIONS Conductor: Martin West Muriel Maffre, Damian Smith BLACK SWAN PAS DE DEUX from SWAN LAKE, ACT III Conductor: Martin West Violin: Roy Malan Lorena Feijoo, Davit Karapetyan* -INTERMISSION- SOLO Music: Tape Peter Brandenhoff, Stephen Legate, Pascal Molat* HARLEQUINADE San Francisco Ballet Premiere Conductor: Martin West Tina LeBlanc*, Joan Boada* PAS DE DEUX from THE DANCE HOUSE Piano: Michael McGraw Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun*, Tiit Helimets* SOLO from ELEMENTAL BRUBECK San Francisco Premiere Music: Tape Gonzalo Garcia 3RD MOVEMENT & FINALE from PRISM Conductor: Martin West Piano: Roy Bogas Hansuke Yamamoto, Elizabeth Miner, Moises Martin, Kirill Zaretskiy, Sarah Van Patten, Sergio Torrado and corps de ballet * Indicates premiere in role

Yet another traditional end-of-year topic here at Ballet Talk. Based on what you've seen in 2005 and years past, what do you think will happen in 2006? What would you like to see in ballet in 2006? What are you afraid will happen in ballet in 2006? I hope to see lots of interesting answers.

Post-Xmas casts: Nutcracker Matinee Monday, December 26, 2005 2 pm Conductor: Gary Sheldon Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli Queen and King of the Snow: Kristin Long, Nicolas Blanc The Sugar Plum Fairy: Frances Chung Grand Pas de Deux: Katita Waldo, Davit Karapetyan Nutcracker Evening Monday, December 26, 2005 7 pm Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater Queen and King of the Snow: Lorena Feijoo, Moises Martin The Sugar Plum Fairy: Muriel Maffre Grand Pas de Deux: Yuan Yuan Tan, Tiit Helimets Nutcracker Matinee Tuesday, December 27, 2005 2 pm Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Peter Brandenhoff Queen and King of the Snow: Clara Blanco*, Jaime Garcia Castilla* The Sugar Plum Fairy: Elana Altman Grand Pas de Deux: Rachel Viselli, Moises Martin Nutcracker Matinee Wednesday, December 28, 2005 2pm Conductor: Gary Sheldon Drosselmeyer: Jorge Esquivel Queen and King of the Snow: Sarah Van Patten, Sergio Torrado The Sugar Plum Fairy: Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun Grand Pas de Deux: Elizabeth Miner, Nicolas Blanc Nutcracker Matinee Thursday, December 29, 2005 2 pm Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli Queen and King of the Snow: Katita Waldo, Davit Karapetyan The Sugar Plum Fairy: Frances Chung Grand Pas de Deux: Sarah Van Patten, Sergio Torrado

It's that time of year again! What, in your opinion, were the high and low points of the year 2005 in ballet?

SFB: Tina LeBlanc, whose warmth and musicality enlivened every ballet she danced this season--and she danced quite a few!

The pitting of classicism against modernity is nothing new, I'm afraid. Neither is the tendency of directors and administrators to try to attract younger audiences with "edgy" works that purport to turn classical ballet on its proverbial head. And, I agree with walboi that very few of these "edgy" new works are actually well-choreographed in their own right. (I say this as someone in the age demographic most attractive to box office admins). I think walboi's comment that choreographers seem out of touch with reality is well-taken; I'll bring my youth up as an example. I'm as young as they come (for now, anyway), and I have zero interest in the ballets (I use the term very loosely) choreographed to attract people like me. You want my money, give me classics, or something resembling one, at least. If I want modern dance, I'll see a modern dance company. If I'm seeing a ballet company, it's because I would like to see...ballet. By the way, here are some "classic" threads from the Ballet Talk archives which discuss the ballet/modern issue in wonderful detail, and are well worth a read. http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=3017 http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=3016

Thank you for that, Quiggin. Chidozie Nzerem has always been a favorite of mine...along with Boada...

A big to everyone who's reported so far! I'm looking forward to seeing it next week (I missed out on the premiere, so haven't seen it at all). Keep those opinions/impressions/reviews coming!

Waltz of 1-800-FLOWERS.com. I this topic! Disclaimer: Don't try this at home, choreographers/directors! :deal:

Thank you for clarifying. I'm glad Tomasson kept it, it's a great piece of choreography, and in the old production it was always my favorite divertissement.

Additional casting: Nutcracker Matinee Friday, December 23, 2005 2 pm Conductor: David LaMarche Drosselmeyer: Peter Brandenhoff Queen and King of the Snow: Frances Chung, Hansuke Yamamoto The Sugar Plum Fairy: Tina LeBlanc Grand Pas de Deux: Vanessa Zahorian, Davit Karapetyan Nutcracker Evening Friday, December 23, 2005 7 pm Conductor: Gary Sheldon Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater Queen and King of the Snow: Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun, Stephen Legate The Sugar Plum Fairy: Muriel Maffre Grand Pas de Deux: Lorena Feijoo, Tiit Helimets Nutcracker Matinee Saturday, December 24, 2005 11 am Conductor: David LaMarche Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater Queen and King of the Snow: Rachel Viselli, Peter Brandenhoff The Sugar Plum Fairy: Elizabeth Miner Grand Pas de Deux: Kristin Long, Joan Boada Nutcracker Evening Saturday, December 24, 2005 4 pm Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater Queen and King of the Snow: Yuan Yuan Tan, Ruben Martin The Sugar Plum Fairy: Lorena Feijoo Grand Pas de Deux: Tina LeBlanc, Gonzalo Garcia

I'm with jayo; I don't think ballet has ever had much to do with reality. After all, how many people express affection by lifting their partner and swooping her into a fish-dive in the Real World? The escapist factor is one of the main things that draws me to ballet, actually. Perhaps if people weren't so afraid of that, it'd be more appealing. Stateside at least, ballet is often associated with all that is ultra-feminine and "girly." Many dance studios are painted pink, with Degas posters, for example, and male dancers often have their sexuality and masculinity called into question. If anything, if ballet had more androgynous appeal, we'd have more boys taking up ballet than we do currently. This particular issue with the "femininity" of ballet as an art form is a different issue IMO from the current vogue for "boyish" and often unrealistic physiques in female dancers, which is nonetheless a major issue for ballet, and may well be a factor in deterring some people from enjoying it. I also agree that the popularity of watching ballet might be at a different place than the popularity of "doing" ballet. However, if the SI's and schools do a good job at teaching ballet, one would hope the students would come away with a greater appreciation for the art form! Funding is a can of worms these days, unfortunately.

Welcome to Ballet Talk, Kellyaire. I hope you'll find your way onto our Welcome forum so we can get to know you better. Anyway, MacMillan's ballets do seem to have their fair share of lifts, don't they? Unfortunately, there are only so many slots that the software will give you for polls! You're welcome, dachnitsa. Now I'm interested to see Spartacus. (I presume we're talking about the Grigorovitch version, correct?)

...actually, it's an arm position. Here is a picture of Melissa Hayden: http://balletbookstore.com/ballerina/pic/hayden03.jpg So my question is, is there a name for the position of her arms, where one hand appears to be almost touching the shoulder, bent at the elbow? I've seen this a lot, for example, in the Bluebird pdd from Sleeping Beauty, but have no idea what it's called.

I've edited the poll so that Spartacus appears as an option.

It's hard to say who's doing which smaller roles in advance when they aren't listed on the website. The only way to know for sure is through hindsight: that is, posters on Ballet Talk reporting on the casts they saw when they went to their respective performaces (hint, hint). Beyond that, there's no way to know for sure, for a number of reasons: first of all, because, as stated above, it's not posted in advance, and also because casting often changes at the last minute due to any number of factors. Speculation about those factors is something we try not to do too much on this board in the absence of official press releases or news items, because otherwise it can turn into gossip...and there's always the chance of the dancers in question reading Ballet Talk... As far as whether the artists of the company get tired of Nutcrackering after a month-long run of the same ballet over and over? Well, I'm seeing Nutz after Christmas this year, so if the dancers are sick of performing Nutcracker by then, I hope they make a decent effort to hide it. (Usually, they do.) That being said, Miner is a lovely dancer and I hope to see her this season.

I thought now would be a good time for a companion poll to our "Toughest ballet for a ballerina" topic. Which leading role from the above ballets is the hardest on its male lead? What makes it more difficult than other ballets?

Even more casting. :blush: Nutcracker Matinee Tuesday, December 20, 2005 2 pm Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli Queen and King of the Snow: Muriel Maffre, Pierre-François Vilanoba Sugar Plum Fairy: Frances Chung Grand Pas de Deux: Elizabeth Miner*, Nicolas Blanc* Nutcracker Evening Tuesday, December 20, 2005 7 pm Conductor: David LaMarche Drosselmeyer: Jorge Esquivel Queen and King of the Snow: Lorena Feijoo, Moises Martin Sugar Plum Fairy: Kristin Long Grand Pas de Deux: Katita Waldo, Davit Karapetyan Nutcracker Matinee Wednesday, December 21, 2005 2 pm Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater Queen and King of the Snow: Sarah Van Patten, Sergio Torrado The Sugar Plum Fairy: Elana Altman Grand Pas de Deux: Tina LeBlanc, Gonzalo Garcia Nutcracker Evening Wednesday, December 21, 2005 7 pm Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater Queen and King of the Snow: Yuan Yuan Tan, Ruben Martin The Sugar Plum Fairy: Vanessa Zahorian Grand Pas de Deux: Kristin Long, Joan Boada Nutcracker Matinee Thursday, December 22, 2005 2 pm Conductor: David LaMarche Drosselmeyer: Peter Brandenhoff Queen and King of the Snow: Elizabeth Miner, Pascal Molat The Sugar Plum Fairy: Claire Pascal Grand Pas de Deux: Muriel Maffre, Pierre-François Vilanoba Nutcracker Evening Thursday, December 22, 2005 7 pm Conductor: David LaMarche Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli Queen and King of the Snow: Katita Waldo, Davit Karapetyan The Sugar Plum Fairy: Rachel Viselli Grand Pas de Deux: Sarah Van Patten, Sergio Torrado Casting subject to change.

Thanks for writing that, sfshaza! It's always interesting when there's a mishap on stage and the dancers have to improvise or "save." I remember one time in Othello when a dancer's hat fell off and someone kicked it into the wings... Any more Nutcracker reports? We'd all love to hear about the performance(s) you've been seeing!

There's no such thing as "unqualified" when it comes to writing reviews about ballet. Did you see it? Do you have an opinion? Can you string together words in a sentence or two? Then you're more than qualified! By the way, I'm a huge fan of Boada myself. Who else was in the cast for that performance, and what did you think of them?

Bump. I'm finding it hard to believe that I'm the only Ballet Talker who's seeing Nut this year...please don't be shy about sharing your opinions! (I promise I'll review it when I see it, but that won't be until after Christmas, as that's the performance I have tickets for.)

As far as I know, there is only one Balanchine Nut on DVD, and that is the Warner Brothers version with Darci Kistler, Damian Woetzel, Kyra Nichols, and...Macaulay Culkin. Apart from the saccharine narration and Culkin's awkwardness, it is an excellent film, and is probably very widely available to rent or purchase (by clicking on our Amazon link, of course .) If there are other films of the complete Balanchine Nutcracker out there, most likely they haven't been commercially released in their entirety, if at all. Hope that helps!

More casting: Nutcracker Matinee Thursday, December 15, 2005 2 pm Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater Queen and King of the Snow: Kristin Long, Nicolas Blanc The Sugar Plum Fairy: Rachel Viselli Grand Pas de Deux: Tina LeBlanc, Gonzalo Garcia Nutcracker Matinee Friday, December 16, 2005 2 pm Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli Queen and King of the Snow: Frances Chung, Hansuke Yamamoto The Sugar Plum Fairy: Claire Pascal* Grand Pas de Deux: Vanessa Zahorian, Davit Karapetyan Nutcracker Evening Friday, December 16, 2005 7 pm Conductor: David LaMarche Drosselmeyer: Peter Brandenhoff Queen and King of the Snow: Sarah Van Patten, Sergio Torrado The Sugar Plum Fairy: Muriel Maffre Grand Pas de Deux: Lorena Feijoo, Tiit Helimets Nutcracker Matinee Saturday, December 17, 2005 2 pm Conductor: David LaMarche Drosselmeyer: Val Caniparoli Queen and King of the Snow: Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun, Stephen Legate The Sugar Plum Fairy: Elana Altman Grand Pas de Deux: Muriel Maffre, Pierre-François Vilanoba Nutcracker Evening Saturday, December 17, 2005 7 pm Conductor: Gary Sheldon Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater Queen and King of the Snow: Katita Waldo, Davit Karapetyan* The Sugar Plum Fairy: Frances Chung Grand Pas de Deux: Kristin Long, Joan Boada Nutcracker Matinee Sunday, December 18, 2005 2 pm Conductor: Martin West Drosselmeyer: Jorge Esquivel Queen and King of the Snow: Elizabeth Miner, Pascal Molat The Sugar Plum Fairy: Lorena Feijoo Grand Pas de Deux: Sarah Van Patten, Sergio Torrado Nutcracker Evening Sunday, December 18, 2005 7 pm Conductor: David LaMarche Drosselmeyer: Ashley Wheater Queen and King of the Snow: Muriel Maffre, Pierre-François Vilanoba The Sugar Plum Fairy: Frances Chung Grand Pas de Deux: Yuan Yuan Tan, Tiit Helimets

I was thinking the same thing when I saw it...on that day also. Not that a movie or a musical should be a public service announcement, but if it gets people thinking about it, that's a good thing, especially when people with HIV/AIDS are portrayed sympathetically. Hans, I can see how having to hear it 800 times a day might turn you off...I feel the same way about Grease, myself, having been to sleepaway camp in my childhood...