agnes

Now, I am intrigued! Pray tell, what is the plot of this lost act supposed to be?

Did the POB version end with Nikiya and Gomez reuniting in the afterlife (the 'Hollywood' Happily Ever After ending) and was it in four acts? I saw the May 2006 ABT performance which used the Makarova production, and that exactly was how it ended. I find it a little too sugary, and would like to see another version.

Was Herman replaced due to injury?

The opening night gala performance was worth the price I paid for my ticket. I enjoyed the dances. I liked it that the opening number (Symphonie) was more formal, and juxtaposed with a decidedly informal ending number (Rodeo). And it was great to end the evening with such an upbeat number! Having said all that, I do agree with Art's comments the lack of contexts within the excerpts. Without more specific stage settings/props, I didn't even know that Corsaire was supposed to be a 'bedroom' PDD. Symphonie was well danced by Michelle and Gillian; both were technically on the mark. But Michelle, though, wore the same smile that looked more like a grimace. And something about her movements betrayed some sort of strain. Gillian, on the other hand, had a more gliding feel to her dance, and her face was relaxed and radiant. Manon, well, they did try to provide some comic relief after Corsaire. And Stella's expressions did convey her alternating puzzlement with her partner's drunken antics with her delight to have his company. Don Q PDD was definitely gymnastic with both dancers' big turns and big jumps. Definitely show material...it reminds me of those dancesport shows public television airs every year. Paloma effortlessly danced her dance, and at the end of their number her aplomb and easy demeanor made it look as if what she did was 'really no big thing'. I saved Rodeo for last, and it is my favorite segment in the entire concert, no matter what the other audience said after the show "The entire last part was garbage." It was refreshing to watch dancers unrestrained by pointe shoes and observe the pretty shapes and arches of their feet through their ballet slippers. And for once, I got to watch male ballet dancers with their pants on! Their hip movements though were a little on the effeminate side for me, considering these guys were supposed to portray ranch hands. And how 'bout that tap dance performed by Sascha? I just loved it...the man can tap dance! Not bad for an opening night. I would be interested in watching more ABT opening nights for comparison.

Sounds like the Trocks will be indelibly stamped in my mind, far longer than even the Kirov!

Yes carbro, I did ask on both boards; first in BT4D, and upon searching BT, found an existing thread, so I asked again in case a BT subscriber does not read BT4D.

Has anyone purchased any of the Michael Roberts releases? I am looking for BEGINNING ballet music for barre and center, but it is imperative that the CD titles also include the time signature (2/4, 3/4, 4/4) of each selection. Alternatively, any other recommedations?

The search engine in this discussion board can be improved by adding a feature that allows for an exact phrase search. Using the example, Yue Li, if an advanced search filter allows for an exact phrase search, then the engine will be able to search for "Yue Li" rather than the existing "Yue" + "Li". Google (Internet) offers a number of ways to filter search results through its advanced search, as do many intranet search engines.

Given the current search requirement of a minimimum three-character text, how can one search for foreign names (like Chinese names)? A salient example is when one searches the name of a dancer who use their Chinese names (ex: Yue, Li, etc.) professionally. So if the dancer's name is, say, Yue Li, the search engine issues an error message that at least one of the words contains three or less characters. Using wildcards broadens the search result, which may prove inefficient if too many hits are found; and in the example 'Yue Li', the system finds error with the second word which only contains two characters. Are there advanced search filters such "Search using exact phrase typed" or "Search using all words (not necessarily in the order typed)"?

Thank you Dale and dcportrait. It's heartening to read positive reviews of a fledgling/re-grouped company. I have a teacher who danced for LAB back in the eighties, before the company closed. It might be worth my money to watch next season's performances, although for a regional company performing in smaller city auditoriums, their admission fees were at par with ABT's. Not necessarily a good thing IMHO if they are trying to promote more active patronage of classical arts performance in a city that isn't necessarily classically-arts inclined.

Has anyone watched any of the performances by this recently formed company? What do you think about the female dancers' technical virtuosity and expressivity?

I read many of the posts in the very mixed reviews of SB (ABT, June 2007), and this post ranks the ABT production quite unfavorably. I am planning to travel to the Kennedy Center in January 2008 to watch the Kirov perform La Bayedere as a comparison to the ABT May production. And up until now, I was also going to watch the opening night of SB by ABT. Having to travel from Los Angeles, this four-night trip will cost me up to $1200, all expenses included. Now, I am wondering if it is worth watching SB in Washington DC. My first experience with ABT was La Bayadere (MET, May 2007, Part/Gomes/Wiles), and no, I wasn't all that taken by the performance, contrary to other posters' opinions. Should I just wait until ABT comes to Orange County Perfoming Arts (CA), and shave off about $145 from my expenses?

Thank you Helene. Will update my dummy DOB to pre-1994.

Update: In order for me to save my amendments, I had to enter date info in DOB. How strange is that? Administrator, could you please remove the date I captured, and fix the original problem I reported?

Avenue Q! is coming to San Francisco in Aug 2007 and Los Angeles in Sep 2007. Why does California always lag so far behind Broadway? It's not as if it's the place where musicals come to die. Anyway, I am jazzed and looking forward to watching it. Wish me luck that I will get one of the best, if not the best, seats in the house.

Update: I just bought two tix for Feb 8, 8 pm "closing night". Thanks again to each of you for your glowing recommendations. I'll see if I can do a "critical review" of the ballerinas' form and technique.

Why does the system issue the error message: You entered an illegal date for your birthday. You may have chosen 30th February, for example. when all I changed was the information on State? I've not touched the DOB field at all.

Sorry to hear that you missed the dancers bow, Mary Lynn. It does take all kinds and in all manner of events and places. I see them in church (!!!), at the movies, in cultural events. And nearly all of them don't seem to be headed for the bathroom. It would be nice if there is an announcement before the performance/movie starts to gently remind the audience to refrain from such behaviour out of courtesy to other patrons. There are already standard announcements for cell phones and photo-taking.

Then it's off to the ballet ( ) for my mom on her birthday. Definitely an unconventional method to initiate the uninitiated to the world of 'men in tights' . Thank you, Hans and Major Mel.

I just got an e-newsletter from The Carpenter Center For The Perfoming Arts (Long Beach, CA) that this parody ballet company will perform on Feb 7-8 2008. Has anybody seen their past performances? I want to take my mom to see a ballet performance-turned-on-its-head for her birthday. http://www.trockadero.org/welcometolesball.html

I'm not sure how artistic interpretation can be separated from the storyline, and I wasn't suggesting I only pay attention to the plot, or there wouldn't be any reason for me to go to the ballet since I already know it. The magic Gomes and Part create on stage is so powerful that for 2 and a half hours I'm completely immersed in that world. How is that not artistic interpretation? While Part's technique is not spectacular, it is sufficient enough for me to overlook her flaws. Her feet and center are weak but she has worked hard to improve these. I really shouldn't say her technique is poor, and instead say she is no virtuoso. There are other aspects to her dancing that I find exceptional: her arms, back, and line are the most exquisite that I've seen. During last night's Sleeping Beauty performance, the girl sitting next to me clapped or let out a sigh of awe whenever Part dipped into a penchee. While I found her behavior slightly abnoxious, I could understand why she found Part so exquisite. Her arabesques, developees, and grand jetes seem to stretch on forever, but she doesn't overextend, refusing to indulge in pyrotechnics. Now you're talking in terms that I can identify with. I find this more analytical assessment more balanced, compared to when you previously just disagreed and ended it by commenting that you were just simply caught up with the 'love story'. Thank you for clarifying your position.

I very much disagree with that. It's interesting how people can react so differently to the same performance, same performers. To speak the truth, I was so caught up in the love story between Part's Nikiya and Gomes' Solor that I was reluctant to see him with another woman--ehem--Nikiya. I too knew of the story's plotline, though when I saw the dance I focused more on the dance itself and less on the love story. I find that the viewing the performance with the bias of overlaying romantic notions over the dance itself makes me less attentive to the dance technique and artistic interpretation, which is quite important to me as a ballet student. Of course, that's not to demean someone who watches and 'reads' the plot into the dance interpretation; it is simply how they choose to experience the ballet performance.

I saw Part in Bayadere (MET, 5/18/07), and wasn't quite taken with her performance. There were moments, especially during the first act, when her expression didn't quite convey the emotion she tried to project. She also seemed to withhold her movements, something hesitant about the way she executed her dances. Maybe she was thinking or pre-planning her next steps too much??? Contrast that to Michelle Wiles who took no prisoners, and the interpretive styles and expressions really stood out.

After a matinee at the Lincoln Center, I would walk through Central Park back to my hotel. If an evening performance, I would walk through whatever street I fancied that would take me back to my hotel. I usually find an interesting ethnic restaurant on one of these jaunts and buy myself a nice dessert, which I later enjoy with a cup of tea, just before turning in.

I'll be watching it on May 18/8PM. Part/Gomes/Wiles.