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Just learned that this is available at a local theater. (No publicity, of course.) So we'll be there. I wonder how this will effect ticket sales of other Balanchine Nutcrackers -- live performances, I mean. I'm thinking of Miami's, but I know there are three or four other companies that also do the Balanchine version.

It's been fascinating reading this thread. Thanks to all. I confess to feeling envious of those who live near theaters participating in this program. Then, I discovered to my shock that II DO live next to such a theater. This possibility had never occurred to me, despite the wide availability of Met HD/Live in theaters all over our area. As others have mentioned, there has been no publicity. The presenter (if that's the word) is fandango.com, which also distributes the Met HD/Live series. On the plus side, I discovered they are also showing the NYCB Nutcracker , so I was able to get those tickets. I'll defnitely have to pay closer attention to the various HEADS UP postings here on Ballet Alert, since this locality now seems to be in the cinematic ballet loop.

Paul, I agree about the positives in the ballerina's portion of the photo. (I also love Kronenberg's smile in this.) I would be interested in hearing your thoughts about the complete photo including the corps -- the image published in the Times (linked in post #2). Thank you for your points about Swopes' photos. Over the past month or so, I've been looking at NYCB photos, mostly Swopes but also others, from the the 50s-70s mostly. Quite a lot of them are collected in ballet books. Swopes was not alone in releasing prints that caught dancer in mid-movement -- not the perfect shot, but images vivid with the sense that these are real people moving through space in real time. Many of these images are are of the kind that would probably be deleted, digitally, from photo galleries today. They do have the qualities you refer to. I especially like your descrdiption of shots ... : Repertory in Review is full of such images. Apropos the Hidalgo photograph of Kronenberg, check out the photo of Balanchine rehearsings students doing an identical movement in Choral Variations on Bach's Vom Himmel Hoch. (p. 304)

Sounds like good news.

Thanks, Paul, to that insight into the physics of Kronenberg's movement. On the whole, however, I think it is possible to rationalize too much the artistry that may or may not underlie this photo. Degas' ballet paintings are meticulously designed. They carry out very personal and well-thought-out intentions of the artist. Mr. Hidalgo, whose work I've checked online, is a fine photographer, but his work for the Times -- including other MCB photos -- strikes me as the kind of thing one does briefly and spontaneously. He's not a dance photographer. I don't think that you NEED a dance photographer for such assignments. But, considering the nature of the story, it's hard not to read the beautiful Jennifer Kronenberg's (apparently) awkward pose, combined with the (apparent) disorder of the corps standing behind her, as suggesting a company not quite at the top of its game. I wonder what the dancers themselves would think about this photo, especially considering its prominence in a news story about stressful changes affecting their company.

Agreed. Oscar Hidalgo, credited as the photographer, has done other work for the NY Times in Miami, including a couple of similarly awkward dance photographs. He is not a dance photographer per se. This is just a portion of the photograph. To see the full photograph, here's a link to the Times article. http://www.nytimes.c...d.html?_r=1 Those wanting to discuss the story of Edward Villella's forced retirement (as opposed to the photography), here's the thread for that topic. http://balletalert.i...611#entry294611

Hmmm. A negotiating ploy on the part of two very hot international stars?

I guess the Times makes it "official." Thanks, California. Frankly, I'm glad this has finally gone public, so that a larger group of people -- including all of us who are fans of the dancers and the repertory, and admirers of Edward Villella -- will have a chance to provide our input as the new Board moves into the future.

I was hoping that someone would respond to your question, Cristian. I'm not qualified to comment on heavy metal, but it would seem to me that the spirit, structure, goals, and audience response here are quite antithetical to that of classical ballet. As in Dionysus v. Apollo, perhaps? Maybe Twyla Tharp's In The Upper Room, with her Stompers and Bomb Squad (ballet), has something to tell us here?.

From Ivor Guest's short book, The Paris Opera Ballet: I notice, however, that Guest uses the term "star" for dancers going back at least as far as Taglioni, and "premiere danseuse etoile" for 20th century Paris dancers prior to Schwarz. It seems that the use of "star" was common (unofficially) in ballet as in other performing arts, for professional dancers at least. Louis Dupre, "le grand Dupre," emerged in Paris in 1714, the year of Louis XIV's death. Here, from Guest, is something written about him in his youth. (Translation is from Guest's book.): As if one were seeing a god claiming worship -- a pretty good way to express what it means to be a 'STAR.". Clearly, there were serious balletomanes haunting the salles of the Paris Opera even in 1714.

Thanks for posting this lovely image, rg. The photos of Marie Jeanne in Repertory in Review (from Ballet Imperial, Concerto Barocco, and Divertimento) have a different "look." I've always thought of those as very unflattering -- compact and tightly muscled. The feet, in those photos, come across as steely rather than articulate (to use Paul's phrase). Those photos are credited to "Schulmann." Your photo is closer to the gentler,softer impression made by photos from Charade, or The Debutante, a work choreographed by Lew Christensen, and Eugene Loring's Billy the Kid. A question: how is her stage name pronounced -- Marie-JEEN or Marie-ZHAAN? I remember hearing some people say, in the late 50s, "you should have seen Marie-Jeanne," but for the life of me can't recall how they pronounced it.

Hallberg discusses this in an inteview published in the NY Times earlier this week: http://artsbeat.blog...lberg%22&st=cse

It's wonderful to hear news of a company growing artistically. Belated thanks, theo, for your review of last March's performance. And thanks Mariana Z and your colleagues for being part of this renewal. Sometimes I fear that ballet -- like opera -- may be on the road to a future of just a few super-companies surviving at the top of a pyramid, the base of which is languishing and in danger of disappearing. (Baltimore Opera, Ballet Florida -- the list of such companies is growing.) The performing arts needs artistically ambitious, achieving companies at all levels. Congratulations, Baltimore Ballet.

Love the little "X" that pops up on the View New Content page. I found it when I accidentally allowed the cursor to hover over the apparently empty space to the right of the thread title. It allows you to read a bit of the first post, the first unread post, and the last post of a thread. Very helpful as a memory-refresher, especially when I'm suffering an attack of internet overload.

From Mr. Kaiser's mouth to the MCB Board ... one prays.

Thanks, Violin Concerto, for starting this thread. Goldsborough's resume is impressive, combining business sense and personal involvement in the arts. It's a promising change, and congratulations to the Board for selecting this candidate. Parallel to this story is Pam Gardiner's move from Executive Director to a newly created position with the title, Executive Vice President for Artistic Affairs. She is also In-House Counsel. I suspect we'll see other administrative changes at MCB in the coming season. The search for a new Artistic Director to replace Edward Villella when he retires at the end of the 2012-2013 season, has already begun. Some of these changes -- especially those related to the financial oversight and personnel issues -- are probably long overdue. Who knows what will happen. Speaking for myself, I just hope the company retains its Balanchine-centered training and repertory as it moves into the future. Good luck, Mr. Goldsborough.

Agree, Jack. And I'm sure that Cox has developed. He seems that kind of dancer who wants to explore what he can do. Anyway, the point about Hilarian is moot since that's not one of the ballets he's scheduled to be here for, so far at least.

Loved the way the dancing looked at this stage of the rehearsal process, especially from the lead dancers. I have a question: are those ... ahem ... older singers actually supposed to represent the Jets and Sharks on stage? I assume that this is the regular Opera chorus and don't mean to disparage them. Opera has a long tradition of casting "old," especially for the chorus. But West Side Story??? Eric, how did work from the perspective of the audience?

Just had a closer look at the MCB website. Cox is listed as participating in Programs I and II only. I supposed this makes him a Guest Principal, rather like Katia Carranza, who dances both in Miami and in Monterey, Mexico. A little Cox is better than none, I suppose. And, to be honest, there isn't much for him to do in Giselle or Coppelia, the other programs of the season.

4mrdncr, I remember those early- and late-season heavy snows and what they can do to power lines. I hope everything is returned to normal for your and for all the others, soon. Cristian, I also remember the Diana and Acteon pdd and agree with you that Cerdeiro is being pushed possibly too quickly. I also agree, with atm711, that he has exceptional promise. He reminds me of one of those adolescents who have growth spurts leaving them with exceptionally long arms and legs, but not (yet) the central core strength to control them perfectly. Right now, Rebello is indeed the more satisfying stage performer, though in a more limited and appropriate rep. In the future, who knows? Just watched all three ballets a second time. I found myself delighting in Square Dance even more. I've also been grateful for the ability of modern cameras to capture even the tiniest detail precisely. All those beats! We have just have threads linking to two televised performances from the 1950s: Tallchief's Pas de Dix and Fonteyn's Sleeping Beauty. These are remarkable performances. But the feet become blurred in batterie, a very great loss.. I seem to be in a small minority here in actually liking the Tharp. I recall what a powerhouse of non-stop motion it was on stage, an effect lost for the most part on the television screen. The dancers were literally throwing themselves around in controlled abandon. And with attitude. Baker, Penteado, Albertson, and Esty really got it right this time around. I don't get the criticisms to the effect that this is a "dated" work. It is, of course, of its time. But what more recent contemporary choreography has superseded it? It's not deep and doesn't pretend to be. But what contemporary choreography is? It continues to thrill audiences. And, speaking as one who has seen it on various subscription programs about 8 times over the past few years, there's always something new to look at.

Agree completely. Rapid and agitated cutting from one image to another is now the cultural norm on tv. (Are they trying to keep the audience awake?) The Kirkland/Baryshnikov Theme and Variation (Live from Lincoln Center, 1970s), which we linked to in an earlier thread, is so much friendlier to the integrity of the work and the artists.A joy of attending live performance is that YOU become your own "editor," looking where your eye takes you. I find myself resenting -- and actually being stressed by -- sitting passively in a seat while a film director and/or editor forces me to look at certain images while forgetting about those which I am missing. Directors/editors, whatever their intention, seem to be interjecting their OWN work of art between me and the actual performance. Mr. Diamond did his best. But the cutting to Delgado was indeed intrusive. Worse, it seemed arbitrary, minimally connected to music or choreography. (Better to have taken the trouble to print her NAME, along with Cerdeiro's, on the screen, as would have been done for just about any theatrical or musical performance I have seen.)

Thanks, Drew, for calling attention to this program and the Atlanta company. I'm beginning to feel that this is a quality -- not always found in the biggest and grandest companies -- that often makes watching regional companies very worthwhile and enjoyable. (Based on Alistair Macaulay's review of a recent Kansas City Ballet performance, I'd add that company to the list too.)The Atlanta season sounds ambitious, in its own way. Wayne MacGregor, James Kudelka, and Twyla Twarp are worth paying attention to . I hope others who were there for this program -- or who have seen the company recently or planning to see something in the coming season -- will post here as well. Here's a link to their website, which includes some interesting videos, along with photos of Tharp working on The Princess and the Goblin, a co-production with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. http://www.atlantaballet.com/

The grin grows on you (or on me anyway). It's genuine -- a part of her off-stage personality as well as her stage persona.. She can modulate it on stage to allow for other emotions. I'm thinking offhand of Sugar Plum Fairy and her role in Golden Section Even in this performance, there is more nuance of facial expression -- often related to port de bras -- than one might think. For me, Square Dance (as opposed to the enigmatic Diamonds, for example) allows for this look. The ballet should be experienced as fun and with delight, as well as with technical brilliance. The fun factor -- sheer enjoyment in defiance of the technical difficulty -- is often lost in other dancers' performances. One certainly hears it in the music.

I loved watching this and am looking forward to future episodes. Thank you, Alexandra. A question: The productions of Bayadere I have seen perform the entree of the Shades differently from the dancers in your video.. Your students repeat identical arabesques allongees, from first girl to last girl. -- left arm/right leg extended. The three production I've seen over the past couple of years have the Shades alternating this step, so that each girl extends a different arm and leg from the girl in front of her and behind her. Who is right? Or is it a case of both ways being right?

Indeed!