audreydoll

Darci Kistler did indeed dance the role of the striptease girl last night and she was terrific. I'm sure others with an educated eye for dance might have found fault with her performance but the audience was with her from start to finish and she certainly left SPAC on a high note. Peter Martins made a nice speech at the start of the evening and mentioned how proud he was to be known on that day as "Mr. Kistler". At the end, the president of SPAC presented her with flowers, as did her husband and daughter. She took her final bow alone in front of the curtain and the videoscreens showed pictures of her from her various appearances at SPAC through the years. Overall, it was a very enjoyable evening. The photographer Paul Kolnik was near where I sat and took many photos at the end of "Slaughter..." and the curtain calls so maybe these will show up on NYCB's website at some point.

I've only been to two ballets (Giselle and Cinderella) at the Metropolitan Opera House so I'm hoping others who are more familiar with this venue could offer their thoughts. I had student tickets in the rear side orchestra for those ballets. I'm trying to decide on seats for Nina's farewell performance in Swan Lake and have a choice between the fifth row of the Dress Circle or the sixth row of the Orchestra, both center sections. I normally like to watch ballets from above but on the seating chart for the Met, the DC appears to be pretty far back from the stage. My first impulse was to take the Orchestra seats but I've seen the ABT Swan Lake on DVD and it looks elaborate so I thought these might be too close to really appreciate the production. I'm also just 5'4" tall so seeing around heads can be a problem if there is not much elevation in the rows that close to the stage. On the other hand, this will be a special night so being that close would allow you to see faces and be up close for the curtain call. Which seats would you choose? Thank you in advance for your help.

I'm not sure about NY, but she did perform this in Saratoga in the summer of 2006.

There is an online offer for buy one - get one for 50% off for Friday night's performance: www.nycballet.com/bogo50

Trying again. If this doesn't work, go to www.timesunion.com, choose Photos on the front page to be directed to the galleries. http://www.timesunion.com/AutoGallery/NYCB...otoList=1131141

Here are some photos from the Albany paper.NYCB Photos

Great... I think I can make it then. Thanks for the fast reply and for your review also.

Do you recall about what time the performance ended? I'd like to go tomorrow night but would have to catch a train from Penn Station at 10:30 so I wasn't sure if I'd have enough time. Thanks in advance.

Regarding the ebay auction, I wonder if the buyer even noticed that the seats were in the Fourth Ring? The auction listing does mention "4th R." in the Item Specifics section but in the detailed description, it indicates "These tickets are FIRST ROW of CENTER SECTION, CENTER SEATS on the AISLE". When I first read that, I thought it meant Orchestra and only later noticed they were Fourth Ring seats.

The remodeled SPAC amphitheatre is being unveiled this weekend and the management has announced that "to enhance your experience" all the new seats have cupholders attached and people will be allowed to bring their drinks inside to consume during the performances. I may be in the minority but I think this is awful news for fans who actually go to enjoy the performance and not the snacks.

It appears that NYCB's relationship with SPAC is in much better shape these days. Also, I read a few weeks ago that the evening performances will start at 8:00 this summer, rather than the 7:30 curtain they experimented with last year. http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp...wsdate=1/1/2007

I attended Tuesday night and thought Kathryn's performance was wonderful. I've seen R&J several times and it was interesting to see Juliet played by someone so young this time. I felt this really added something special to the emotion of the dancing. Tuesday night's crowd was the largest I've seen this season at SPAC and during the intermission, I heard many people commenting on how much they liked her performance.

Is this production of Cinderella performed in three acts with an intermission between acts 2 and 3? I would like to see it some night this week but would have to leave early to catch the last train home at 10:30. I would only consider doing this if there was an intermission after the second act so that I could leave without disturbing others. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

The 2006 Saratoga schedule is now posted on the SPAC website. I noticed that the curtain time for evening performances has been changed to 7:30.

The oppressive hot weather finally took a break for one evening and there was another good size crowd at SPAC tonight. We were treated to a double-bill of Harlequinade and An American in Paris. Alexandra Ansanelli and Amanda Edge were wonderful as Colombine and Pierrette. Alexandra's solo in the second act was especially lovely. Teresa Reichlen as La Bonne Fee was not on stage much but when she was, it was impossible to take your eyes off her. Her feet barely seem like they're touching the floor. I haven't seen Harlequinade in about twenty years because it rarely comes to SPAC and I'd forgotten how entertaining it is. The first thing I did when I got home tonight was buy a ticket to see it again at tomorrow's matinee. I also really enjoyed An American in Paris. I tend to like Broadway-style ballets and I thought this was very well done. On a side-note, Jenifer Ringer was interviewed in a pre-performance talk earlier this week and she mentioned one of her favorite aspects of the Saratoga season is that she gets to go to Target regularly!

Just thought I'd post a followup since you were so helpful in answering my questions last weekend. I was able to purchase a ticket just before the show on Wednesday night in the Second Ring. The view was excellent so I'm glad I took your advice and chose that over the Orchestra section. Kyra Nichols in Mozartiana was the highlight of my evening. The first ballet I ever saw was Swan Lake with Kyra and she has always been one of my favorite dancers. Her performance on Wednesday was beautiful and elegant. In Thou Swell, I especially liked Janie Taylor and Nilas Martins and they seemed to be having the most fun out there with the music. I enjoyed this ballet overall but thought the set distracted from the dancers, especially the mirrors overhead. The last ballet, West Side Story Suite, was beautifully performed. I'm hoping this will be on the schedule for Saratoga this summer so that I'll have a chance to see it again and bring my family this time. I was just in NYC overnight on Wednesday and would not have even attempted to go to the ballet based on the "sold out" status listed on their website, so I'm grateful to those who posted to let me know that tickets would be available the night of the performance. Thanks to you, I had a wonderful evening!

I appreciate all your comments. I've attended NYCB performances in Saratoga for years, but this will be my first time at Lincoln Center. Right now, all that's available for internet sale is the Fourth Ring and I was hoping for something better. I plan to keep checking though, so if Second or Third Ring seats turn up, I'll go ahead and purchase those. Thank you!

Hi, I'm new to this board and would appreciate some advice concerning NYCB tickets. I'm interested in attending a performance next week that currently is sold out for First Ring and Orchestra seats. Does anyone know if additional seats are released a day or two before the performance? If not, do you normally find people selling extra tickets at face value outside the theatre before a performance? I've attended many Broadway shows where people are selling tickets because someone in their group couldn't make it at the last minute, so I was wondering if this occurs at the ballet as well. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.