Balanchinomane

At the Paley Center last week Villella said he wants to teach - he wants to coach and the Balanchine Trust has requests for him to do so. He recently coached Prodigal Son for the Cincinnati Ballet and there's a nice video on their website of Villella and Paul Boos rehearsing with the company. The performances are this week end. http://www.cballet.org/p213/prodigalson

I think the miraculous improvement in the solo violinist can be attributed to Arturo Delmoni. I saw him in the orchestra pit. It was a terrific performance - Isabella and Daniil can be very proud of their debut. I hope they get more opportunities like this next year. They are both very gifted. Isabella's Odette was thoughtfully sad. She did not rush through any passages. Her swan demeanor was birdlike but not overdone. Gorak is so elegant and handsome - definite Prince material. Sarah Lane was a cygnette and the Spanish Princess and really has been outstanding all season long. Oh, and if anyone still notices whose Siegfried stays for the party, this one did.

He had a lead role in Sondheim's Company with the NY Philharmonic last spring and was quite good as a song and dance man. He feels he's privileged in his job to meet artists and is in awe of talented people. He has a great respect for the performing arts and his humorous interviews are good exposure to the public. Stephen Colbert: On His Role In Stephen Sondheim's 'Company' : NPR

No - The message is in English "Sorry, This content is reserved to the users in the Italian country." I would have enjoyed watching David Letterman too. Well, La Scala has put out some fine DVDs - surely they'll release this.

The Carnegie Hall series was sublime. I was lucky to sit in the 2nd tier side where I could see Gergiev's face and hands. He used no podium nor baton. As an encore to the 3rd and 4th Symphony he led the Nutcracker's Russian dance at Balanchine (breakneck) tempo. I have something in common with the Maestro besides a love of Tchaikovsky. He goes to my dentist.

Hallberg and Zakharova will star in the Bolshoi Sleeping Beauty Nov 20 Part of the Ballet in Cinema series http://www.balletincinema.com/titles/the-sleeping-beauty-bolshoi/

Please don't misunderstand. I have no objection to Student Rush programs. They provide a great opportunity and it's important for theaters and museums to attract new patrons. The point is there were never so many unsold seats in prime front and center areas of the theater. Most of these seats were long gone well before their performance date. People are not going because the prices are too high and because of the bait and switch tactics of the sales office. They are using the same logic as the folks who set airline ticket prices. Saying that certain seating is "Not Available" is not the same thing as "Sold Out." I wonder what Jerry's 26 ballerinas thought as they looked out at all those empty seats. It's very sad.

It seems they are papering the theater top to bottom with $15.00 Student Rush tickets. On Sunday the Atrium sold 3rd and 4th ring only so I thought the lower tiers were sold out. The best seat they could sell me was the last row center - Third Ring for $51.00. The center front rows were mostly students. And there were lots of empty seats in the lower tiers. One night last week I had a $31 Orchestra seat - I know of at least 3 student ticket holders in Row A. $149.00 seats sold for $15.00 - cellphones lit, jeans and sneakers propped up on the orchestra pit wall. This is their target audience? These are not SAB students. At what point in time do they think these people will pay $149.00? The website shows Student tickets available for every performance this week. For Tuesday's Jewels - you can get Orchestra row D $149, 1st Ring row A $149, 2nd Ring row B $129, 3rd Ring row B $89. Try to put a $29.00 seat in your cart. Even if it shows available you cannot buy it. It's been this frustrating to me all season. I know I don't have to see Jewels 3 times but up until this year I could do it easily. ABT was smart not to get involved with the Atrium. You can almost always get a last minute ticket for under $50. And weekdays you can sit in the Orchestra for $71. And you can choose your own seat at almost all the theater websites. City Opera had that capability at this theatre so it does exist. I guess the $100,000,000 didn't include software upgrades. End of rant.

Thanks so much for the photos, rg - what a remarkable line up. Chita Rivera introduced them in reverse order of the year they joined NYCB. They came out from the right wing to the left - left to the right. That monster head is blocking Ansanelli, Weese, Alexopoulos, Whelan and Lopez. On the right side it's Nichols, Roy(blond bob), Kistler, Boree, Tracy, Ringer, Kowroski.

Too much of a coincidence that they both fell. My thought was they both slipped in puddles left behind from Ocean's Kingdom! I had attended the Gala last week and was disappointed that Union Jack had been cancelled so I went on Sunday also. It was one of Askegard's last performances and I am going to miss him. There was a flower mishap also. Megan's flower fell off her lapel and plopped center stage taunting the sailors until Wendy's hornpipe when she delightedly picked it, sniffed it and saved the day. Nothing like Union Jack to cheer everyone up. I think Sir Paul would have loved it too.

Congratulations, David! From the Bolshoi roster: (hope this works) http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dballet%2Bfriends%2Bru%26hl%3Den%26newwindow%3D1%26sa%3DG&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ru&twu=1&u=http://www.bolshoi.ru/ru/theatre/people/detail.php%3Fact26%3Dinfo%26id26%3D1422&usg=ALkJrhjM-wbwzYpzyy0D0zATyesx5idg1A

Here she is with Shklyarov (Warning: saccharine alert) This is the scene where they first meet And with Sarafanov - this is the finale The first meeting scene from the 1961 film: Plisetskaya and Vasiliev - choreography by Alexander Radunsky http://youtu.be/KCgglRKjzbI

Right - NYCB's rep has so many more opportunities to stand out from the corps. Not so with ABT - if someone in the corps is truly exceptional, we may not see it. Impossible there's no unpolished diamonds there now, yet no promotions other than Boylston have been announced.

I wish they would perform the entire Tchaikovsky Suite 3 - the 1st 3 movements are a lovely progression to T&V. It would add about 20 minutes and 3 more principal couples. What about Robbin's In the Night - think of the casting possibilities. In addition to the Tudor works, NY Theatre Ballet also performs Agnes de Mille, also neglected in recent years. Remember The Informer with Victor Barbee and Kathleen Moore? Maybe the powers that be don't think today's audience is interested in historical themes. ABT has a rich heritage of one act ballets that could be enjoyed and appreciated today alongside the swans, shades, and wilis. My fantasy wish for full lengths are Farrell Ballet's DonQ, Wheeldon's Alice, and POB's La Petite Danseuse. Dream casting would include Hallberg and Sara Mearns in Swan Lake. I'm suffering from withdrawal already.

I love the way they take their bows in character - even when they come in front of the curtain. What a delightful performance - so full of charm and wit - it's not sold out tomorrow.....

I saw him dance with Natalia Makarova in his "The Blue Angel" in 1986. It was the first time I sat in the front row of the Met. The critics were not kind but I was in Ballet Heaven. Thanks Leonid, for the wonderful clips. His choreography is athletic - almost acrobatic but sweetly sentimental as in the kisses in Coppelia. His film work was outstanding too - the dream ballet in Daddy Long Legs and Hans Christian Andersen come to mind.

I'm going to see it at the AMC on 42nd St. near Times Square. Stadium seating for ballet - maybe a wave of the future. I hope many people support it.

Knowing the heartbreak from across the plaza, seems like a lost opportunity. If they scheduled Balanchine/Robbins programs they would sell out every performance. Plus everyone wants to see the refurbished City Center.

Don't miss the Cubans - it's a wonderful performance - go Saturday night Dancer's choice is Sunday night -it will be great. Geez - there'a 4 casts for Bright Stream -- who can you not want to see? They'll do it next year for sure. I'm hoping he'll bring Flames of Paris next.

That's wonderful news- she's a lovely dancer.

I was surprised to see him on stage - he looked very pleased with himself. What a hoot. I'd love to see him as Drosselmeyer --- any bets?

I just got home too. What a great day! The last time I spent 12 hours with Mr B was the Wall to Wall event at Symphony Space --- 6 years ago. Kowroski is dancing so much - she was wonderful tonight as the Siren and her Mozartiana Thursday was superb. The icing on the birthday cake was Stars & Stripes. Ulbricht, Bouder & Veyette pulled out all the stops. In the pre curtain speech, Bouder said it was a special night for her as it is her 6th anniversary as a principal, and that she and Veyette had performed Liberty Bell at their final SAB workshop.

I've had the same problem - and thought it was just me. I've repeatably signed out and in, cleared cache, deleted cookies, it still doesn't change. It reads the time I turn on the computer so whole topics and posts are lost in the shuffle. I have a Mac OS6.

Mussel, what an evil deed!!! I thought I would have a heart attack after I read your post. I poured a huge glass of wine and started weeping. I would believe anything in today's corporate culture, especially after hearing about the recent activities of our previous benefactor: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/gl...koch-industries

The Get 'em in, Get 'em out theme continues in the revamped ladies rooms too. At least the one I visited at the City Opera Gala. The vanity area is gone, replaced by more stalls. There's mirrors over the individual sinks but no area to check out one's hair and make-up. I hope the dancer's dressing rooms are more comfortable. But that box office looks intimidating. As you approached it, could you hear Darth Vader's theme music?