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Except for an ABT performance of "Swan Lake" in Tokyo when I was young--and for which unfortunately I have few specific dance-technique memories--I saw her dance live twice that I can recall clearly... "Swan Lake" which, in comparison to Makarova, Van Hamel, Jaffe, et.al. that same season, I most noticed her almost continuous accent of bird-like flutters in her wrists and the liquidity of her elbows. I have never seen anyone else (including Plisetskaya once) do as many arm flutters as Gregory. At the time, I thought it rather excessive, but it was the first time I saw O-O truly as a swan, not a woman faking it. Consequently, she was also the only one to truly realize that Odile only wears black so the unknowing masses can tell good-girl from bad-girl--ie. Odile is supposed to be the image of Odette to better dupe Siegfried and so swan-like too. And yes, she was always a very strong commanding presence both technically and dramatically on stage; which worked very well for her in the performance of "Miss Julie" I also saw that season. What a perfect role for her that was! Cold, haughty, distraut at times, and using her technique like a weapon. Wow! As for her partners, I agree Gudonov didn't quite work, but he had his problems then too which contributed. I think I also saw her once with Patrick Bissell. As always the problem was to find a partner who matched her virtuosic technique and had the height to accomodate her on pointe. I agree with the comment that the Bujones-Gregory partnership was more a gala-worthy bravura competitive excercize than a true melding of characters, but it was fun to see them both 'go for it' in performance. And my latest memory was the one time I was returning from a performance at the Met rather late and simply passed her on the stairs in front of Lincoln Center. :-) At ABT's 2008 Opening Night Gala, I sat across the aisle from her, and spoke briefly with her as we were leaving.

I saw Sascha dance live several times this past month at City Center and during the Met season as Benvolio, Tybalt, and I think Hilarion. Personally, in "Center Stage" my favorite Radetsky performance was the "Tchaikovsky Pdd" variation included in the dvd's 'deleted scenes'. The technique was beautiful, precise, and more correctly Balanchine than some more famous current and former ABT principal's. He was very good in "Fancy Free" at City Center--that acting background helped: loved the saucy action, ever raised eyebrows, and moony smile. And while I think Craig Salstein was a better tapper, Sascha did acquit himself fine in "Rodeo" too. I hope ABT management gives him further opportunities to perform and grow in the more full-length dramatic parts because the potential is definately there both in technique and acting abilities. One generic observation re: What makes a "Prince"...Okay, height is a factor in choice of partner (though Bujones and Gregory somehow managed), but why does everyone expect Siegfried, Albrecht, et.al. to be tall and/or blonde & blue-eyed? Must we typecast like the Russians?! I do NOT care what they look like, I CARE how they dance! If someone has the individual virtuosic technique, partnering and acting ability, and charisma/command of a stage it shouldn't matter whether they are 5'6" or 6'6". My mother saw the Kirov's "Swan Lake" in Boston last weekend (I was supposed to accompany, but was prevented by family emergency) and as usual her comment (though probably partially do to choreography too) was that Siegfried was "tepid" and the Jester "spectacular". And we all know how they typecast those roles. Ditto NYCB.

As stated earlier, I have a historywith "Sinatra Suite" and was greatly anticipating the performances by this generation's stars of ABT. Besides just the simple execution of the steps, I looked for the ability to phrase each sequence from the opening tango; through the waltz; to the jazzy, tightly syncopated & acrobatic That's Life and back to the final waltz. In short, not only were steps fully executed with panache, but was there a smooth flow between them and into the next sequence/song? As for the final solo, I looked for the contrast--also seen in other pieces choreographed by Tharp for Baryshnikov--of Tharp's loose-jointed soft-shoe punctuated by the precision, grace, and tight control of a classical ballet move--eg. fouettes, chaines, 4th arabesques, fondus, and epaulement. And until the final performance this season, that's what was missing in that solo. I saw Herman Cornejo & Sarah Lane do it last weekend, and this week Gomes & Paris (2x) and finally Corella & Lane (filling in for injured Misty Copeland). The dancing certainly improved over time. Herman Cornejo was better on Saturday than opening night. And Thursday night, Marcelo Gomes was smoother than Cornejo, with much more nuance in the dramatic interactions. The last solo was played as slightly more inebriated than Baryshnikov et.al. did, which put a little more literal spin on the lyrics. In fact, overall Gomes was much more literal in his interpretation of the music and choreography, and his height did make some of those more acrobatic moves by his partner easier to accomodate. But there were steps that were still incomplete, or truncated, or not smoothly connected between phrases. This was even more apparant in Saturday's performance, which surprisingly was worse than Thursday's...several missed catches, slips, bumps in the partnering, though the final solo was smooth enough. The lady sitting next to me was most disappointed: her comment, "I can see this on any cruise ship. You don't see Swan Lake on a cruise ship." Well yes, Sinatra songs probably are performed on cruise ships--though not Tharp's version--and yes I too really wanted to see Gomes/Part do the White Swan pdd rather than ubiquitous Black Swans, but SS does have it's charms too. Overall, Gomes WAS good in the part and should improve with practice. And then Sunday there was Angel Corella & Sarah Lane. After seeing the problems Corella had partnering Michele Wiles et.al. at speed in final sequences of "In the Upper Room", I was glad light petite Sarah Lane was his partner for Sinatra Suite. And though I've never seen a straighter back than that first entrance in"SS" (nerves?), finally, there was the fluidity and phrasing I remembered. AND more importantly, Lane finally completed the steps she (and Paris) had shortened, flubbed, or missed in the previous performances: developes, sutenus, that drop & pop-up split, the spirals and then somersaults thru and over her partner, the push-away sissone throws, the swirling headturns and deep bends. There was also some very saucy give-and-take in looks and actions that indeed made That's Life something more than a misogynistic romp. And despite one missed-timed carress between them, the ending was effective. Credit for that interaction, and those completed moves, must also go to Angel Corella--though Lane's small light build probably helped. As for Corella, as always I watched the musical phrasing, grace and innate extended line in partnering, and there it was. And though that ever tighter/faster chaines string across the stage and 8+ multiple pirouettes Baryshnikov did (and I assumed Corella would have no problem duplicating) seemed to be a bit attenuated, the sharp contrast between the softshoe and the ballet wasn't. And FINALLY, alone of everyone, the foutte attitude arabesque touched the floor before it punched the sky in a perfect 4th...surrender into triumph in one move. Thank you Mr. Corella.

Ok, I am now majorly confused. I thought Angel Corella's Foundation was starting a school and classical ballet company, which also had the support of the Spanish Royal Family et.al., however, I believe it was to be headquartered in the vicinity of Barcelona. It would be a little detrimental to fundraising opportunities, if instead of none, Spain now had two competing classical companies. Of course this is the norm for the USA and Britain does have the RB, RBB, and ENB competing with each other. Any more clarification of the above would be appreciated.

I was there this weekend (Sat.eve/Sun.mat) and thought... J.ELO: Was interesting to watch as an exercize individual choreographic combinations that were repeated by solos, duos, and triplets without ever quite cohering as a whole. So I paid attention to technique and partnering of the more interesting lifts and turns and watched the dance rather than felt it. As others have noted (including NYTimes reviewers), Elo doesn't provide a 'dramatic arc' to his works; it's an effort at "pure dance" or is it "just dance?" Did any of those arm semaphores remind anyone else of the girls in Tharpe's "Push..."? Ultimately, I thought Glow-Stop was interesting but not exactly memorable. FYI: According to the interview he gave in the NYTimes, Elo said he was interested in 'how movement starts and stops.' He didn't have a title at that time, but when it did get one, I think the reasoning is explained clearly enough in that earlier Times interview. GRAND PAS CLASSIQUE (Gomes/Wiles): Glad I finally saw this since it is supposed to be a competition standard too. And glad I saw Gomes and Wiles dance it. SINATRA SUITE (Cornejo/Lane): Warning...I have a history with this ballet, and can be v.picky because of strong memories. So I am sorry all, but I frowned through most of it because it was weird to see all the steps I know so well, but not see them danced "right". What was missing?--There was NO flow through the steps, so to me it looked sort of "choppy" or "truncated" like someone was concentrating hard on doing the steps rather than so comfortable with them they could just forget and 'flow' with the music. There were also moves that were unfinished, flat, or low, or not followed through so I felt like they were cut-off midstream. And though there were a few instances of dramatic nuance, I didn't see any of the saucy, fiery, and romantic give-and-take of Baryshnikov & Kudo. I am sorry I had to miss Carreno because of work. I will be seeing Gomes and Corella later this week. RODEO: Marianne Butler was more sweet/sad as the cowgirl, not as 'cocky' as Erica or Xiomara or as funny, but the choreography helps and it was still fun. The guys have all been reviewed before and were good as before--though I thought the tapping was more a softshoe this time. DRINK TO ME... Odd that I immediately thought of Lander's Etudes as well. But I did enjoy watching how Morris took all those elements of basic technique and melded them, split them, and moved them about the stage. It was a little long, but still lovely to watch. BLACK SWAN: Yes, very Russian and interesting to see what parts were left out or changed. Some do echappes, some do su-sus (sp?); some do double pirouettes between piques, some don't; some have a spectacular sissone, some don't. And sorry, but no one yet as Cynthia Gregory's SO fluid (almost boneless) swan arms. Everyone is so strong in this part, and always seem to forget Odile is supposed to be the image of Odette and so swan-like too. Of course the partnering was fine, and dancing too--fine but not sublime. CORSAIR: It was great to finally see Jose Manuel Carreno do this. All the fine male principals at ABT do the part well, and each brings something different to it. And seeing other companies perform it also makes me miss ABT's men more. When I saw Carreno, I kept thinking Nureyev: Like a tiger: all coiled muscle and control with very strong high carriage and powerful jumps. JMC also does many more moves in between the standard choreography and many more 'slave-like' drops to the floor with arm uplifted in homage to his ballerina (Herrera). It was a major "wow" performance and SO different from Corella. Carreno was strong, powerful, very sensuous in how he did moves. Corella is soaring, amazingly fast, and beautifully graceful. A panther rather than a tiger? Carreno reminded me strongly of Nureyev, Corella reminds me of no one but himself. Paloma Herrera danced much better with Jose Manuel Carreno this year, than with Corella in the pas de deux last year at City Center. GREEN TABLE: I saw this several times by Joffrey way back when, and am SO glad it was revived. But yes, it is sad that it only seems to be done when there are wars. Maybe it should be done yearly, to prevent wars instead of criticizing the results afterwards? I've seen ABT do it 3x now, and still missed David Hallberg as Death. :-(

Because of my history with Sinatra Suite (see my other posting in "ABT-City Center 3rd wk casting"--esp. the part about "That's Life") I'll be at City Center this weekend, and the following weekend. (And trying to possibly squeeze in the BB gala in between if my horrific work schedule that week allows.) Thanks to all for reviewing Sinatra Suite's most recent interpretors. Oddly enough, they seem to be exactly what I expected. I'll be able to see for myself if Cornejo, Gomes, and Corella do it justice when I go to NYC, and am sorry I had to miss Carreno. Does anyone know if the female lead(s) is/are the same for the others?

Ok, now I'm starting to feel old...all the "stars" of my most fervent live viewings of ABT are now retired or retiring. It's very strange to have seen them at the beginning of their careers at ABT, and then have a big blank period (10yrs) when I lived too remote from NYC or tour cities to catch them and had to rely on even more infrequent PBS airings or very expensive/rare videos. And now, when I can finally go to performances on a more regular basis, they are all leaving! After seeing Eagling and Parke at Covent Garden in R&J, I was curious to see the young Macmillan muse, Alessandra Ferri. And of course, understood immediately why she inspired Macmillan and her audiences. But though her gorgeous anatomy, ineffable grace, and supreme dramatic abilities will always be remembered, it's the other smaller performances I remember most... Like the one (and maybe only?) time I saw her do Act II of Swan Lake (I think Blair's staging) for ABTin L.A.--except for Gregory, I have never seen more graceful pdbs and arms (and that includes Makarova and Plisetskaya), especially in that first entrance. If the technique wasn't perfect throughout, I also thought it could have been nerves, and gave her points for at least trying. I also remember the first Fall River Legend and the starkness of her face visible from even 3 balconies away. She drew all emotion and eyes to her and then reflected back Borden's tortured soul underneath. There was a stunned silence when the performance ended. And then, of course, the ovations began. Unfortunately, except for that very early viewing, I've never had the opportunity to see her Juliet in live performance since. So thank the video gods her artistry in that role has been preserved full-length at least twice on video (now DVD), and the balcony and bedroom pdds with Bocca on PBS if memory serves. And maybe this time, I'll be able to see her next June. Now I really must run and get a tissue.

I too have been caught seeing the same cast perform the same ballet(s) on multiple days of the week. This can be a MAJOR disappointment when I have argued my right to go to NYC, travelled over 4hrs each way, and spent one week's pay to attend a performance! Am I mad? Or mad? (You pick the definition.) RE: Sinatra Suite 20 years ago, when I attended ABT regularly, I was able to view "Sinatra Suite" from close quarters (even backstage a few times). It could be an aging memory, but I seem to remember it as a pas de deux done to 4-5 Sinatra songs that basically showed the progression of a relationship from first meeting, to break-up, and final bittersweet solo. It was a very exhilarating piece because of its dramatic swiftness, and musically integrated choreography, which like much of Tharpe at the time, intermixed classical, popular, a little modern, and her own unique styles. So it is very odd that only the male principal is listed. Until the last solo, it IS a pas de deux--with equal amounts of dancing, and I think, a little more difficult moves for the female lead in that dancing! Case in point: the "That's Life" segment could be rough on Ms. Kudo's arms/back and care had to taken to avoid injury. (I remember a comment about "bruising" at the time, but don't know how literally it was meant.) And there are at least two full somersaults by her as well. So all "kudos" to Kudo and her staging this, but where are the female leads? Did she insist on equality for the female cast listing? It WILL be very interesting to see what this generation of male (and female?)leads bring to it.

I have many programs (mid 1960's - present) and "coffee table books" on dancers, companies etc. with lovely wonderful photos but cannot name them specifically at the moment. My favorite is from the cover of a Bolshoi program circa Tokyo tour 1968? of Maya Plisetskaya in the "Dying Swan" (or was it "Swan Lake"?) and an inside pic of her in "Carmen". In the U.S., I always loved Martha Swope. During the late '80's and 90's I also liked the "staff? photographer" for Boston Ballet--last name Brandt(?) who did all the pics for their newsletter "Sightlines" and in many of the ads posted around the city. The R&J ones were probably the best I've ever seen for that ballet. Of course now I do like Rosalie O'Connor, Gene Schiavone, Paul Kolnick, Marty Sohl, some of Roy Round, and how come no one has mentioned Nancy Ellison? Personally, my favorite pics are ALWAYS either in performance or when a dancer does NOT know the camera is present. And I agree, B&W of course is best for contrast ratio and detail without distraction, but for something like "La Bayadere" "Corsair" or other ballets with fantastic colorful costumes, or moody lighting fx, color does enhance the image as long as it's not garishly saturated. And speaking of color photos, does anyone remember those kitschy but sometimes great pics David Hamilton took? I think we all remember those VERY worn slippers. Personally, I liked his lighting--though the scrimmed/soft-focus did get tiresome eventually. If I ever find out the photographers' names in my programs I'll post them. BTW: As someone who has filmed several dance productions, yes, it helps to be a former dancer and be able to both anticipate the movement and momentum, and understand the effort/thought underneath to catch that emotional link as well. I won't tell you how many times I had to instruct not-so-interested/knowledgeable cameramen that in ballet (unlike most TV/film) it is the full-shot that works best, and only rarely, a close-up--and only when there's great acting and stage makeup isn't overdone. Thanks for all links. I too have searched for more pics then I currently have.

Just a quick FYI: Those mid-pirouette plies Corella does in his variation were first done (that I can remember) by Baryshnikov. You can see him do it in the "Turning Point" ('Gala' chapter on the DVD?). But Corella does them faster for more rotations, and then of course they both do different finale entournant moves: Baryshnikov doing his trademark "butterfly" tour jetes'. (Kind of a "flying camel" in the skating world.) When I saw Corella do "Corsair" at the Wednesday matinee, I too noticed that it wasn't as clean (he bobbled his ankle during 1st pirouette sequence in variation--worrisome, but he finished ok), or controlled as seen previously. I thought it was those two galas and full performances the nights immediately before. Cornejo wasn't perfect either. But he gets major kudos for "going for it".

"LA GIACONDA" et.al. at the Met I was there in the mid-back $15 Family Circle seats too last (ie. opening) night. I took the chance that Corella would do the opening performance--esp. when I learned the female principal would be the same as last year in Spain. I agree with the general description of a choreographic pastiche. Some things I also noted.... You could feel the frisson that went through the crowd when the "Dance of the Hours" finally started--curiosity, excitement, anticipation? I was just thankful for a chance to dispel memories of Disney, and observe choreographic "moonlighting" and a "star" or two. Corps appear first, do school tendu/port de bras sequence--how cute--then disappear!? Then the two principals come out with headdresses representing moon/evening (him) and sunburst/day (her) which effectively hide their faces. The corps stretches rainbow capes out behind them in a big sunburst--how literal!--and then thankfully takes capes and headdresses away. So now everyone can dance--finally. Corella did what he does best. Innate grace, innate ballon (of course), fast turns (of course). In solo he was fine, and in the finale turn sequence whipped off fast a la second stop-turns, and threw in some triple and a quadruple pirouettes in between. (I thought of Gillian, Paloma, et.al. doing their 32s.) Then, as Christopher Wheeldon previously noted to him (per the Sept. 26th NYT article) Corella did a final set of a la 2nds, looked like he thought about doing more multiples (speed increased as prep?) but then didn't ,so ending wasn't as perfectly clean as it could have been due to over-rotation. (Or was Wheeldon warning him not to "milk" the ovations?) In solo, his partner (Leitizia Guiliano--sp?) was quick, clean, and sprightly with a nice grand jete too. But in some of the partnering and pdd both had problems. First, I think a sleeve caught a bodice requiring some quick arm manipulations to dislodge it--which was noticeable, but a relief. Then in Wheeldon's cantilevered fouette arabesques by her in the pdd, while Corella stabilized her one-handed, twice she was off-balanced, off-pointe. Don't know if she lost her balance, or Angel was slightly too far out to provide the support she needed. Looks like they need to practice that some more. I did like the two fouette arabesque pdb's he did which reminded me of his "For4" variation by Wheeldon last winter. And one can never complain about Angel Corella's epaulement. Wheeldon's use of clock-like arm "ticks",however, were a little bit too literal, as was a "6 o'clock" penche. Or do opera audiences need it that literal to understand the dance? (But then, I had to use 'Met Titles' to understand the singing.) I, too, noticed the almost-Rockette-kick-line action in the allegro. Fizzy. The corps,however, were NOT the NYCB. They tried, but all that quick battu etc. is Balanchine's and City Ballet's forte, not a Met Opera Ballet's usual divertissement. But they did try, and looked like they had fun doing it. As we did watching. And of course at the end, major cheering and several curtain calls--which Christopher Wheeldon joined. He hugged his two principals--glad to have them, or glad it was over? And then it was back to the singing.

Just a thought re Corella casting at City Center Christopher Wheeldon has choreographed the "Dance of the Hours" in the Met's "La Giaconda" this season. Corella danced it in Spain last year--don't know if it was CW's choreography, but don't think so. Anyways, "La Giaconda" premieres September 26th and runs through October 21st--ie. through first week of ABT at City Center. So if he is dancing for the Met, it would conflict. Of course, Met has not announced anything yet re this. Last year, I also seem to remember him missing first week at City Center (still in Spain then) and only appearing for "Corsair" and "Tchaikovsky" pdd's later. This year only 2 perfs of "Clear" so far. Interesting about "Sinatra Suite" (I used to watch Baryshnikov & Kudo do it backstage way back when)... After seeing Corella's "Kings of Dance" solo by Stanton Welch, I immediately wondered if he would be doing it, but don't know if he (or ABT management) agreed. Thanks for clearing up my questions about November 1st. As an out-of-towner, I try to wait for casting, but after seeing that, I just took the plunge and bought my tix, trying to cram as much of the rep in weekend as I could--knowing most ABT dancers are fine to watch no matter what.

Hello, Yes I am thinking of going. I live in Mass.--about 2hrs from Boston. I already have tix for ABT that weekend (4+hrs each way to NYC), but it would be a good chance to see the rep again. Now, if only I can switch a work schedule. I was a subscriber to BB some years ago, but their ticket pricing was so outrageous--double ABT's prices, and no upstairs seating except $$$ Mezz.--I gave up and instead endured the long trip to NYC last year. But now the chance to see Damian Woetzel, and Erica Cornejo may entice me back more often. Any chance of meeting up and/or comparing notes?

Ok, just a quick recollection of the Vishneva/Corella and Reyes/Corella pairings, and clarification of a few questions that were raised previously. (As you can see its several months ago now.) July 10: Diana Vishneva is a very strong, very dramatic dancer. And I agree with the comment that partnering her had the same excitement and danger as "wrestling an alligator." It was fascinating to watch, but that "edge" is also what I noticed. She uses her long arms and extensions to great effect, but she also has a tendency to fling herself into the action AND her partner. Yes, I noticed the difficulties Corella had in partnering her. But I do not think it was solely his fault. He did make a few "saves" as well. I don't know if more rehearsal time would have helped, or did the technique change with the heightened emotions/adrenalin of a live performance? Either way, it made me much more critical of the performance. I also saw their "Giselle" the previous month, and again, loved her technique but thought Act I a little histrionic. Angel's partnering in "Giselle" Act II, however, was amazingly perfect--especially when compared to the matinee's. RE: Diana Vishneva's running exit in Act III to see Fr. Lawrence... She went out the wrong wing, and crashed into a set/staging piece, hitting her ankle (falling?) and bruising her shoulder. She finished Act III, but the long pause before Act IV was because they were not sure she would be able to continue. She did, but died a little earlier than the music indicated, possibly because she didn't want to haul herself across that bier on her bruised shoulder. July 12: I actually thought this was a much better performance. Corella danced better, the partnering was much surer, and there was a beautiful rapport between him and Xiomara Reyes. Maybe he could relax more with her, but there was definately more detail and nuance. I had some borrowed binoculars for this performance--much better than my "free" ones--and actually noticed a few spontaneous reactions to the usual choreographed ones, that made their interactions so much more real. Xiomara Reyes has also been a frequent partner on Corella's now annual tour of Spain, and last year they performed the R&J balcony pdd at most of the locales on that tour. Something that may explain the ease in partnering/technique and the rapport. Overall, I too noticed the "slackness" in Corella's technique earlier in the season, and thought it partially due to a very tight performance schedule: 2 galas & a full performance before the matinee of "Corsair" I saw, trying to squeeze in a flamenco performance between "Manons"--cancelled, but don't know if rehearsals for it were. But a throw-away soaring grand jete in Act I of "Giselle", the partnering in Act II, the Act I entrance solo in "Sylvia", the R&J Wednesday with Reyes, and that ineffable grace will always stay in my mind. Edited to remove unofficial insider information.

How sad and strange to see this note about the passing of Roy Tobias. He was one of my first teachers in Japan. As an American dancer in a Japanese company (with blonde hair) with no problems in french, but rather rudimentary Japanese, I remember his interest, care, detailed critiques, busy and controlled rehearsals, and chance to remember that english was my first language. It's been many many years since then but I am glad of the chance to remind myself of where I've been, and who influenced my young dance career. With much gratitude for the past, and deepest sympathies to his friends and family.

HELLO: The place I remember him mentioning a touring group is during his June 2001 interview on the Charlie Rose program on PBS. Where he said (paraphrasing) that he "has his own group of dancers that he gets together to perform, but to do so in Spain had been 'very difficult'." Kind of an ironic quote now, but maybe it was that interview that finally convinced the Spanish Cultural Minister to do something about it. The purpose of touring Spain, something he has done for several years now, is both to give the populace a chance to see him and other major American stars, AND as a fundraiser for the Angel Corella Foundation & School. And as usual with Corella ...the rest is history. Thanks for the input.

For the second year in a row now, I have seen the repertoire Angel Corella is doing in Spain with his touring company and been very disappointed that I have neither the funds, nor break from a busy schedule, to hop on a plane to see it performed. Last year, (besides the ubiquitous Don Q), it was several pieces themed to "Shakespeare". This year, it's the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth. I'd especially like to see the solo and pdd Christopher Wheeldon choreographed. (What a wonderful collaboration that is.) There is also the opportunity to see the accompanying NYCB dancers in the excerpts from "Corsair" also included on the program--which should be interesting. So my question is: Does Mr. Corella ever get a group together to tour some place other than Spain--say the USA? Or would that conflict with his ABT contract? Ethan Stiefel has toured the US with a similar group "Stiefel and Stars..."? Also, I remember once seeing Baryshnikov with a small group of ABT dancers (principals/soloists--NOT ABT II dancers) in Western Massachusetts, and NOT at Jacob's Pillow. So, I guess it's has been done before. Just curious.

Hello, I am a former professional ballet dancer, born in the US but raised mostly in Japan. While living in Japan, I saw many great companies and dancers--including the Bolshoi and Kirov when they did not tour to the USA. I danced with Tokyo Ballet [Gekijo?] in the '70's and then when my family moved back to the States, with an adjunct of Berkshire (MA) Ballet. After my dance career ended (injuries and the fact that a 2-3hr commute each way every day was no longer acceptable to my parents) I became a PBS producer-director/videographer-editor so I could do "Dance in America". But until very recently (last 10yrs or so) the only PBS station consistently doing dance--ie. classical ballet--productions was WNET. In fact there was a long period when I wasn't even sure "DiA" was still in production because there was a funding crisis, then a hiring freeze, and my local PBS station(s)--I lived in an overlap market--rarely showed any "Great Performances" nevermind ballets. I did manage to do several dance films (mostly performances) for some regional companies. And while I lived & worked in L.A. where ABT et.al. came for 3wks every year, I did see some great dancing. Now, after a 10year drought, I have finally reconnected to the dance world through this (and its sister website). Thanks for being there. As I frequently tell my scattered friends, "I may be crazy. But this is what keeps me sane."

Both Paloma Herrera and Angel Corella kindly autographed a book I then sent on to a friend who was undergoing cancer therapy and so prevented from attending the ballet with me. The shocking thing to me was the fact that they did this, and return-mailed the book back to me in a SINGLE DAY. It had taken me a month, and MANY frustrating negotiations with various venders thru amazon to even get a clean copy of the book. I had first emailed ABT thru their website "contact us" re the feasibility of getting the book autographed, and after a later phone inquiry (to let them know there was a time element involved--ie. when my friend was home recuperating from surgery) I was put in contact with the marketing dept. Yes, all involved were polite, kind and generous with their time and attention to my request. I am still VERY grateful. My friend was amazed.