cahill

One of the Corps dancers with the Miami City Ballet posted a link on her blog that has a short video from Fox 7 in Miami that summarizes Alex's journey and includes interviews with two of the Company's dancers. Click here

The blog now has some fun behind the scenes with the dancers of their opening Nutcracker in Naples. Patricia Delgado has the flip camera. Deanna Seay talks about her 20 years of Nutcrackers at MCB!

There is an interesting entry on the bog, "Edward at the podium", the speech he gave at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The pre-performance talks will be very interesting for this show. I will be interested in your reviews, I will not be able to attend until West Palm.

MCB has posted some interesting dancer interviews on their blog about this performance as well as some behind the scenes video of rehearsal week. Also, they have started a twitter and will accept questions about the performances.

Blog

Twitter

The speech has been posted on the Miami City Ballet Blog.

Read the speech here

I found some links for pictures and video from the dance festival:

See flicker:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vailvalleyfoundation/

There is also some video on the Vail Valley Foundation Blog with Alex Wong and Jeanette Delgado:

http://vailvalleyfoundation.blogspot.com/2...f-miami_04.html

Here is another article on how the economy is impacting the arts.

USA Today

I found this article very interesting not only for Ballet but for all the Arts. I hope this issue will stay in the main stream media! Now is the time for all to contact their members of Congress!

A House committee today takes up the effect of the slumping economy on the arts, with one group predicting that more than 10 percent of the nation's nonprofit arts organizations are at risk of closing this year. Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit art advocacy organization, says the recession has meant severe cuts in public support for the arts as the stock market decline cuts into charitable giving. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, unemployment for artists rose at a higher rate than the overall workforce in 2008.

Economy's toll: 10 percent of arts groups could close this year

Meanwhile, at City Ballet this week, Tues., Wed. and Thurs., the concourse was full of people during the entr'actes. I'm quite surprised by how well they are doing.

I found the same at San Francisco Ballet several weeks ago, the thought crossed my mind that many of those attending are season ticket holders that bought their tickets before things got so bad. I think major companies will get a sense of how the economy is effecting them when they begin the push for next season subscriptions.

In the programs, reading the list of donors and counting the major companies that have been in the news with layoffs and worse does not bode well.

Perhaps bart expresses it best....

Maybe the best thing we can do is call our local ballet company and ask: what can I do to help you in this difficult time?

Bart

Thanks for the comment on Alex Wong's Panza. I have so enjoyed his dancing and thought he would have done a great job in this role. IMO he is one of those dancers that is hard to take your eyes off when he is on stage, no matter what role.

Thank you all for your comments. Since I was unable to attend one of these performances I am enjoy reading your comments and the reviews from the papers!!

Any reviews from this weekend in Ft. Lauderdale? I was hoping to hear Jack Reed's thoughts.

I like the new yellow, I was always getting the two boards confused. Great idea!

I attended SFB Program I last Saturday afternoon. We decided to go at the last minute and had a choice of good seats. The downstairs had good attendance but there were some empty seats. By the lines at the ladies restrooms (always a measurement for me) it looked like a good house.

In the letter PeggyR quoted I do not see any mention of dancers employment at all. Perhaps someone with direct knowledge could comment on weather any layoffs have occurred.

Waiting to hear your review! Jordan Levin had a review in the Herald today. It looks like the house was sold out! That is great news! Was there any mention in the program about future joint events?

Miami City Ballet and the Cleveland Orchestra mesh perfectly

There was a great article on the Cleveland Orchestra and their tours in the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cleveland Orchestra crafts new paths artistically and financially

This looks like it will be a great program!

This is an interesting review in the Observer. I believe this picture is also from the archives.

Villella's Heroic Homecoming: Miami Burnishes Balanchine

Here is another review from the New York Post.

Swoon over Miami

Thanks, Jack, and others, for making this alive to those of us who can't be there.

Dittos to that, I am enjoying every word here! Could someone address the size of the house? In New York are opening nights the big attendance performances or is it the weekend shows?

Eileen

No they are not, I would suggest you go right to the box office.

cahill

A very interesting New York Times interview with Edward Villella about the performances next week

Dancing for Mr. B, and Everything After

Here is Jordan Levin's review from the MiamiHerald on the opening night in Miami

Dreamy Ballet Imperial untouched by recession nightmare

I am looking forward to cubanmiamiboy's review!

cahill

I have two tickets for each of the opening night performances on January 21 and January 22. These tickets were purchased several months ago and I will be unable to attend.

Wednesday, January 21, at 8PM-Program I, an evening of Balanchine and Tharp Classics; Symphony in Three Movements, La Valse, and Twyla Tharp's In The Upper Room. Two seats together in Grand Tier Center. (tickets call this show program A)

Thursday, January 22, at 8PM-Program II, three Balanchine masterworks: "Rubies", Symphony in C, and Square Dance. Two seats together in Grand Tier Center. (tickets call this show program B)

If you are interested please PM me for transaction information.

For more information on the performances see the Miami City Ballet website for the press release.

MCB NY City Center Press Release

cahill

The bad economy is not just impacting Ballet, but other arts organizations in the states as well. There was an article today in the Washington Times that the Baltimore Opera has declared bankruptcy, the Orange County Opera, the only southern California Opera, ceased operations last month. The Virginia Symphony is in dire financial straights and both the New York City Opera and the DC Opera are changing their programs for next year as a direct result of the economy. I might be inclined to think this is just the result of declining ticket sales except that we here in the states heard yesterday that National Public Radio is cutting staff as a result of a loss of corporate sponsors due to the recession. NPR relies heavily on corporate sponsorship as do many arts organizations.

I have yet to go to a Nutcracker this year, I did attend Smuin Ballet Christmas program last Sunday in Northern California (Walnut Creek). The Matinee was well attended. Not full but a respectable house.