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I don't know if anyone is joining the Mark Morris listening parties, but they are informative and entertaining. He mentioned "Soundies" this evening. Three minute musical films that had been available via jukebox like devices in the early 1940's. They can be found on youtube. Here's a young Gwen Verdon in one.

The first two online streaming nights of the Vail festival have been very enjoyable. Friday night's opening performance and Saturday's passing Balanchine on discussions.

Nantucket Festival totally worth a watch IMO. I'm not sure how long it will be available. https://nantucketdancefest.org/

I watched the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival part 1. It's a struggle to present a festival in any form in the current circumstances. My favorite was the Adrian Danchig-Waring's presentation of the Apollo solo on his lawn. Well done!. The Ashley Bouder variation from Tchaikovsky pas is readily available on YouTube, and not the best musically IMO. It was great seeing an excerpt from Lilac Garden, although I don't know how it would read to people not familiar with the ballet. The Lovette piece seems weak and probably plays better live. The DeMille pas from "The Other" was hard for me to make sense of - it seemed that every time the couple stopped moving, the audience started clapping as if it was over. Overall I'd say it was a good try to carry on, under these crazy circumstance. I'll be watching parts 2 and 3 over the next couple of days.

Thank you so much

O I'm sad, but not surprised that Nutcracker was cancelled. For one thing SAB has to be up and running in order to provide approximately 100 children, who probably start rehearsing in October. Just one of many, many unsolvable issues with a big production like that. So sad.

I just filled out the questionnaire. Clearly they are trying to get creative with cash flow ideas. These time call for new ideas, so I wish them well.

I am very surprised. I expected him to have a long career with NYCB, because from the beginning he was involved in so many different types of projects - choreographing at summer intensives, acting as MC at Met Museum performances and other venues, leading outreach projects, hosting the podcast and more. He seemed to be the go-to speaker/presenter. I assumed the company saw him as someone who could eventually be part of management or public relations. Maybe he will return after his formal education, and do just that. Anyway I'm sorry to see him go, but wish him well.

Just want to add that I'm reading Phil Chan's book - Final Bow for Yellowface. A short and interesting read (195 pages) that develops the ideas I've heard him express in interviews. I find it particularly relevant during this time when many of us are thinking about race, and race relations.

The program was on YouTube but you could also be sent a Zoom link, which is what I was given. You could submit questions using zoom chat.

Yes, I believe that is the video. It was quite interesting how, during the presentation, you could submit questions. It seems the questions asked were the most frequently asked. It must have been quite a job keeping track as questions rolled in. I think there were over 4.000 viewers!

I may have missed it, but I haven't heard anyone mention the Mark Morris zoom effort last night. Forgive me if I'm repeating covered ground. An hour long presentation that, for me, was more interesting than satisfying. The always interesting, intelligent, opinionated Mark Morris and his musical director spoke, answered questions from viewers and introduced pieces. The pieces were short. Apparently the 18 dancers in the company were sent music and a movement assignment/response that they could do at home. They filmed themselves and submitted their work. It seems Morris received 70 to 80 submissions from the dancers for each assignment. He and his musical director made choices about what videos to use and in what order. As I said the end products were more interesting that satisfying but I liked that they were looking it as a new way of working. A zoom creation. I believe the hour is now available on Youtube if you look for Mark Morris. Anyone else there?

ECat I was going to write this but you wrote it for me. I'm really loving the Megan Fairchild interviews!

I'm old enough to remember the Joffrey Ballet as a NYC institution and they did Square Dance with a caller. It's interesting that companies doing Square Dance don't try it. It may be a hard thing to add and I don't know how the Balanchine Trust feels about it. It makes me think of Apollo with/without the birth scene.

It takes fast negotiations with the various unions. NYCB seems to have managed

Don't know if Megan Fairchild's YouTube channel has already been mentioned https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ_WNxLiIEESXCpqGdUGiJw She's done interviews with Kathryn Morgan, Skylar Brandt and Sara Mearns, All very enjoyable. She had a lovely rapport with each of them. She said she hopes to do one soon with Ana Sofia Scheller.

Totally adorable and their parents are for sure in a haze of exhaustion!

Cobweb, we are amazingly on the same page with all of your comments. I was never an opera fan until the Met started their live broadcasts into movie theaters. Now I'm really enjoying the rebroadcasts. I also enjoy a podcast called, Aria Code.

Thank you, I hadn't read that quote. but I did see that ballet at ABT back in the day. It's a great piece, but it never received the same audience response as a full length to the famous Prokofiev score did. The music is Delius and it's one act so it's on the program with other ballets. I remember reading that Kevin McKenzie said it would be enormously expensive to revise. They've spend a lot of money on Ratmansky ballets that didn't fair well (Tempest as one example), but I think funding is probably easier to get for a new Ratmansky than an old Tudor. Still it would be a piece well worth bringing back.

Did I see correctly? Ashley Laracey is back? What a treat.

Looks like Brandt is doing all she can to have some control over her career. I don't mean this as a derogatory statement. It's a competitive business and casting is a zero sum game. Dancers try to be noticed in classes, rehearsals and in the roles they are given. Sometimes guesting helps. It boils down to - I hope he (it's almost always a he) notices me. Brandt is going beyond, and doing it blatantly. Good for her. I say that because he has the goods to back it up. I hope this kind of thing doesn't become a trend - I guess.

I really don't think Lane was referring to Brandt in her statement. I agree with aurora that there is no evidence that Brandt is getting favorable casting. I don't know if Lane is still being coached by Irina and Max, but she was coached by them in Giselle and Swan Lake just before she became a principal. She was all over social media with it. Presumably she paid for the coaching. Lane is also on social media with videos of her fitness training, presumably she pays for that too. If Copeland pulls out of SL and it goes to Brandt instead of Lane, it will feel like the end is truly near for Lane as far as ABT goes.

Thank you. I'm not familiar with Nathalia Arja as a dancer. I guess I'm left wondering if Morgan knows somehow, that if she was thinner she would have been cast. I am totally supportive of Morgan's message to young people. At the same time she must know there are a lot of reasons management chooses one dancer over another. Back in the day, when I was a dancer, I didn't get a role because I didn't fit into a costume. I've also heard - I just don't see you in the role. One thing to keep in mind is that casting is a zero sum game. If Morgan had been cast someone else would not have been, for one reason or another. I guess I'm just saying it's difficult to sort out, but the body image message is a great one, particularly to young dance students.

Does anyone know MCB well enough to answer two questions. 1. Who was cast in the role? 2. Are there other dancers who learned it but were not cast?

I don't disagree with Emily12 but I find fault with ABT casting in that Kevin M seems to believe that a few dancers such as Boylston (as one example) have no limits and can dance any role, and other dancers such as Lane, have severe limitations. I believe that Lane has transformed herself into a fine dramatic dancer but management has not expanded her rep. Boylston remains unchanged as an artist (as far as I can see) and is cast in everything.