Rosa

Tonight is the first performance.

Casting for the Swan Lake run is now up at ABT's website.

April 15 @ 7:30pm

Herrera and Stiefel

April 16 @ 2pm

Wiles and Stearns

April 16 @ 7:30pm

Murphy and Carreno

April 17 @ 2pm

Kent and Gomes

April 17 @ 7:30pm

Part and Bolle

April 18 @ 1pm

Dvorovenko and Beloserkovsky

April 18 @ 5:30pm

Wiles and Stearns

I am reading Anna Karenina by Tolstoy.

Which translation, Rosa? I bought the latest but haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

It is the Louise and Aylmer Maude translation.

The Mariinsky Ballet will premiere "Spartacus" with choreography by Leonid Yakobson on July 1, 2010.

http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbi...010/7/1/1_1900/

I am reading Anna Karenina by Tolstoy.

*Swan Lake: The swan theme, wherever it appeared; introduction; Act I waltz; pas de trois coda; andante sostenuto; Odette's entrance; entrance of the swans; Odette's variation; Russian dance; dance of the swans Act IV; Drigo's Act IV, Valse Bluette, Un poco di Chopin; scene finale.

*Sleeping Beauty: Prologue; Aurora's entrance; vision scene; Act II entr'acte.

*Nutcracker: Music during the guests' departure and the magic begins; Waltz of the Snowflakes; Mother Ginger; Act II grand PDD.

*Raymonda: Introduction; Raymonda's entrance; Act I dream PDD; Act I waltz coda; Act II pas de six; Bacchanale; Act III entr'acte; Apothéose.

*Cinderella: Introduction; gavotte; Season Fairies; Prince's entrance; Cinderella arrives at the ball; Cinderella's variation; PDD; waltz-coda; midnight; all Act III.

*Jewels: both PDDs in Emeralds; the music in Rubies before the big PDD; finale of Diamonds.

*Giselle: Dance of the Wilis; Act II finale.

*Les Sylphides: 1st Mazurka; PDD; grand waltz.

*Symphony in C: 2nd and 4th movements.

-Swan Lake (Kirov Makhalina/Zelensky) -- The corps is stunning, and Makhalina and Zelensky make a lovely pair.

-Cinderella (POB Guillem/Jude) -- I really like Nureyev's production, and Guillem is brilliant.

-Nutcracker (ABT) -- Gelsey...can't take my eyes off her; I could watch the PDDs between her and Mikhail all day.

-Jewels (POB) -- Every time I watch this I change my mind about which gem I like best.

Has Zyuzin danced Desire before?

A few cast changes for the 27th performance: Leann Underwood replaces Michelle Wiles in Brahms Haydn Variations, and Stella Abrera will do Birthday Offering instead of Irina Dvorovenko.

Phantom of the Opera, the story of Queen Esther, and the myth of Cupid (Eros) and Psyche would make interesting ballets I think.

There is a nice photo on ABT's homepage of Bolle and Kent in Lady of the Camellias.

Congratulations Mr. Paquette!

There is a video on YouTube of the Cia Brasileira de Ballet doing Nureyev's version of the Nutcracker grand pas de deux, and that difficult lift was not done; the dancers performed a fish dive instead (about the 3:57 mark).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq3kAvcd0O0...BE&index=58

I received "Cotillion" by Georgette Heyer.

Looks like a real good program. I noticed the dates of Spartacus and Coppelia are the same...

Has Samuel Barber's haunting Adagio for Strings ever been used in a ballet?

I would say it is. For one, Drosselmeyer and the Nutcracker Prince are played by the same dancer.

Nikolai Tsiskaridze will dance "The Nutcracker" with Paris Opera Ballet December 19th and 22nd, partnering Myriam Ould Braham. Natalia Osipova will perform the ballet January 8th and 9th with Mathias Heymann.

http://www.operadeparis.fr/cns11/live/onp/...eason=354663924

Thanks, nysusan. Encouraging to know Fadeyev is recovered from his injury -- he'll do Desire twice.

Osipova is also to do Act III of the June 3rd performance with Carreno.

I recently read Phantastes, a fantasy novel, by George MacDonald, and Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. I thought A Tale of Two Cities was quite amazing, different from Dickens' other works I've read. Sydney Carton is not the typical hero you find in literature, yet I came to like him the most of all the characters. The ending almost made me cry.

Now I am reading Book Lust by Nancy Pearl, which is over one hundred lists of recommended reading. I am thoroughly enjoying it and already have quite a number of titles I will have to try to track down someday.

With it being Nutcracker season, I'm curious to know what version or versions of the grand pas de deux are Ballet Talkers' favorite -- would never grow tired of watching. There are so many out there...

I personally like the versions by Baryshnikov, Nureyev, Vainonen, and Petit.

Congratulations to all the dancers!

First Osmolkina, now Obraztsova. London is so lucky!