SandyMcKean

I see this statement regarding "After Petipa" lecture on the Guggenheim Museum's Works & Process website :

Hmmmmm, let's see.......that's .00001% of the rough cost of a typical Middle East war. Way to go you fiscal conservatives in Washington!! We've got to knock down that GD deficit. Clearly, the arts are a great place to start.

I was there, but I can't really add anything. In spite of Helene protestations to the contrary, she is like a human tape recorder! Her description captures both the essence and the detail of this very special and fascinating Q&A session. The only thing I can think of that Helene left out was a quick reference by Lucien that a big draw for him to join Monte Carlo was the flat out excitement he feels about living in Europe (and who wouldn't ). Also, I believe it was Boal who first mentioned the unique nature of "the small Monegasque audience". The thing that most struck me about this Q&A session was the close connection between Lucien and his admiring audience. The room was positively overflowing with our gratitude to him for how he pulls out all the stops on stage in order to give to us, his audience; at the same time there was the profound connection Lucien seems to feel in the other direction as we, the audience, give him the inspiration and the energy to give it his all. It felt like family that night in that lecture hall (most of the credit for that must go to Lucien's unpretentious, relaxed presence, and his willingness to share). Frankly, I wonder if the roof of the opera house will contain the emotions that will no doubt explode the night of the Encore Performance (June 10 at 6:30pm) when we audience members will bid goodbye to this marvelous dancer. From where I sit, it will be right up there with the goodbyes to Patricia Baker, Lousie Nadeau, Jeffrey Staton, and Ariana Lallone.

My comment "Sara Ricard (aka Suzanne Farrell)" was not lightly said. I can't watch Sara (which I could do all day long), especially in the Terpsichore role, without Suzanne Ferrell coming to mind. Sara is a superbly lyrical dancer with a grace, style, suppleness, and understanding of the character behind the dance, that all of us in Seattle are grateful to NYC for sending our way.

I just came back. OMG, is Helene correct!! What fortuitous serendipity this cast was. The PdD in Apollo btwn Seth Orza and his wife Sara Ricard (aka Suzanne Farrell) combined together, as commanded by Stravinsky in this segment of indescribably beautiful music, surpassed many of my previous high water marks. It was sublime. But the PdD in Carmina in the "Cour D'Amour" (The Court of Love) section danced by Lucien Postlewaite and Leslie Rausch is my new high water mark. Absolutely spectacular. They danced as if they were in some magical bubble of love and respect. They both have such mind-blowing musicality and artistic creativity. This time....they did all of that, but together....in the same space, and in the same time. What a perfect "last performance" for Lucien. Farewell, my Apollo.

I think we all agree on that! I'll add that I'd even do some hot coal walking if I had to

Surely it is an excerpt from Carousel too. BTW, does anyone know: is the June 10 date firm?? I can't seem to find this encore evening listed on the PNB calendar; nor does there seem to be a way to buy a ticket.

I'm with you there! I'd trade maybe 30% of the Boal new-new stuff for some of these older, but still new, classics. OTOH, dare I say it, I can do without all but a few Stowell pieces. Ditto...........ah, Agon and In the Upper Room.....2 of my most favorites of all time (in fact, Agon is my favorite ballet!)

Absolutely! I did not mean to imply that Boal has a higher percentage of mixed vs full length programs. Indeed, I wouldn't be surprised if the statistics show that Stowell/Russell did a higher percentage of mixed compared to Boal; however Boal has definitely programmed differently than the years prior to 2005........and I prefer his programming to that of the past. (I likely gave you the wrong impression by making my comment as the last sentence of a paragraph on mixed vs full; I should have made a new and separate paragraph out of that comment.) As I remember, the easy majority of the Stowell/Russell programs were mixed rep, but those mixed programs did not range over as wide a field as does Boal's. Many, many of Stowell/Russell programs contained mostly Balanchine and Stowell mixtures with the occasional well known names in choreography thrown in (e.g., Tetley, Petipa, Martins). There was a certain "consistency" IMO to the Stowell/Russell programming......a consistency that the audience was lulled into expecting. Don't get me wrong, I am one for sure who can never get enough of Mr B so I'm not complaining about that, but I do prefer the more wide ranging pieces that Boal has brought to our audience; and I also think his choices have greatly increased the skill set of our dancers (especially in the acting and dramatic power departments). Of course, none of this would be even remotely possible without the heroic work that Stowell and Russell did over 25 years to build PNB into the thoroughbred that Boal is now riding.

What a joy to see Lucien Postlewaite and Leslie Rausch as the crucial "Cour D'Amour" pair in opening night's Carmina Burana. I swear I witnessed the two of them "fall in love" right in front of our eyes. The musicality they both display so well is superb. It felt particularly poignant given how infrequently we see them paired and given that Postlewaite is soon to leave the company. Indeed, I've just re-arranged my week-2 schedule to see this pairing again! The "muse trio" of Ricard, Chapman, and Rausch in my beloved Apollo was also a highlight. At times they danced as one.....so appropriate at particular moments in this famous ballet.

I have definite mixed feeling about these changes.......I am particularly struck by sandik's analysis of full vs mixed reps over the last few years. I confess I am not as large a fan of full lengths as many others are (every time I hear an audience member "complain" that there are not enough "real" ballets in the schedule anymore, I cringe). I love the mixed reps which give me the opportunity to see many different conceptions of what choreography can be, and to experience a wider range of emotion than I find in the typical full length evening. So the substitution of "Cinderella" is a bit of a disappointment. Last night at opening night's Q&A I heard a bit of Boal's explanation of the changes. Altho I didn't catch all he said (I was a bit late getting to the lecture hall), it seemed clear to me that the change was forced by budgetary considerations. That tells me that in these tough financial times, programming has to serve the mistress of "putting butts in the seats" (to use one of my favorite Helene expressions ). Full lengths sell and are far easier to market (especially ones that have "child" appeal). I guess that is necessary when the budget demands, but I hope we return to the more common 2:4 full:mixed ratio as soon as finances allow. Peter Boal has spoiled me.....I would not want to go back to the pre-Boal programming.

From where I sit Moira Macdonald hit the nail squarely on the head with this article. She marvelously captured the dancing phenomenon that is Lucien Postlewaite. Every moment she mentioned in his career at PNB, is still, and forever, etched in my memory. There are so many roles, so many moments, but the one that sent a chill down my spine of remembered power, pathos, and sheer dramatic ability was: "to Ulysses Dove (hanging from the wall in "Serious Pleasures").

I'm stunned.....and selfishly very saddened. One silver lining is that this news must mean that my beloved Noe remains happy in Monte Carlo (no way our most famous and accomplished Romeo and Juliette didn't talk this over).

I got that same impression from him at Q&As (well before that season). Also, as I remember, Lucien's explosion of talent and artistry was just starting at that time. Perhaps he was even less aware of where he was headed than we were. He was always a good dancer, but starting right about that time, he took off like a shot out of cannon to become IMO the best male dancer in the company......certainly the most artistic male dancer. None of that was probably obvious at the time.

I couldn't agree more. Regarding your comment about a sense of grief, Dec said at the Saturday matinee Q&A that in the moment of the ballet that you highlight here, as she looked down at her partner (who is her real life husband), she was so into character, and the emotion of that part of the piece was so overwhelming, that suddenly the unwelcome thought entered her mind that she was looking down at her actually dead husband's body. She said she had to get hold of herself, and tell her mind to "cut it out", and to bring herself back to reality (knowing that he was just fine and that she was just performing). Truly, Lindsi is moving up the ladder from good performer to great performer.....3 cheers! I am not a huge fan of "Cylindrical Shadows" (like I am of both Kisses and Mating), but what I did love most about Shadows is this very palatable sense of grief, loss, and isolation that it so successfully invokes. At that moment, it was powerful enough to overwhelm the performer with grief for a loved one.......just as I'm sure it did to all of us in the audience to varying degrees.

Ah, I see. Sorry, to misunderstand.

I think this comes pretty close to what you are looking for: http://www.pnb.org/AboutPNB/Repertory

Precisely. This is the reason for the otherwise unexplainable fact that Mr B never did a sequel to any of the existing R&Js.

...................not in my version

I've met Carla many times in non-ballet settings, and my impression is indeed that she is a very strong person. She is also elegant (her clothes can be spectacular), and she seems willing to go well out of her way to encourage and assist young dancers.....even the very youngest. This is covered more or less in the book. I would say it was not a simple decision......it had many components to it. Part of it definitely had to do with her having been inspired to work with the genius that is Mailloit; part the allure of living in Europe; part her either the real or imagined perceptions of her position in the hierarchy of principal dancers and possible favoritism practiced by management.

I just "ran into" a couple of sentences in the book that sheds more light on this union thing as it relates to the Monte Carlo stager's surprise at how the "rules" work when they staged Maillot's R&J at PNB. At the end of the chapter 41, entitled "Juliet on the Fence", Manes says:

I'm not really knowledgeable enough to know what I'm asking, but I would have thought the question would have been the other way around...............(or is that the point of the question?).

I don't know how book prices work internationally, but here in the USA, I am reading the book on my Kindle. I paid about $10 (what would that be 7 Euros??) for the electronic Kindle edition from Amazon......which comes complete with photos and other graphics. http://www.amazon.com/Where-Snowflakes-Dance-Swear-ebook/dp/B005NRQZ5O/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

The point of my post was that the stagers for R&J from Europe found our way of doing things strange given the role of the unions at PNB compared to what they were used to back home. I'm no expert of this stuff, but I find it interesting.......also........what is so, is so......nothing more complex than that.

I often didn't do my homework either. Used to cause me all sorts of grief.....