Barbara

Reporting in on the Ballet Essentials Adult Movement Class last Saturday. I went with a friend and we were so glad we jumped in although a little nervous. When it was all over she commented, well we weren't the oldest and we weren't the worst! We were made to feel at ease in a room of approx 40 people. Everyone from the staff running the program, to the others participating, to the dancers instructing us were very friendly. I had to stop and pinch myself that I was in a NYCB rehearsal room with NYCB dancers; it was a very special feeling. We were instructed by Savannah Lowery and Russell Janzen. Savannah did most of the instructing starting with a simple center barre, then showing us the opening sequence of Seranade, which was relatively easy to follow. Next came a compilation of moves from Mozartiana, which was decidedly more difficult, but everyone had fun with it. There was time at the end for questions and photos. I would definitely do this again and was disappointed to learn that ALL the dates have been sold out! Let me put in my bid now: if anyone ends up with an extra ticket or 2 for the spring session I would love to purchase them! My friend and I went on to see the matinee performance that day and it was a real treat to see Savannah and Russell on stage after being with them up close and personal. A cherry on the top: this session was held in a rehearsal room on the 7th floor of the Rose Bldg. When we exited the elevator we saw Glenn Close, Lindsey Duncan and Bob Balaban relaxing in the lounge area. Probably there rehearsing for A Delicate Balance. As we exited the building after the session we saw Joaquin Phoenix and Owen Wilson, I suppose attending one of the New York Film Festival events. Also, a NYTimes reporter was there on assignment for the Urban Athlete column. She wasn't sure when the piece would run but she interviewed my friend so we're hoping to see her in print!

Cobweb, I think you're right - Peter Walker stood out to me too. Thanks for identifying him by name.

California, am I right that you must have a gmail account in order to subscribe to a youtube channel? I've not been able to sign in using my email address which is not from google. Thanks!

Gosh -- I honestly don't know. But Google e-mail is free and you could set up an account and never use it.

Ok, tried that, thanks! Subscribed to ABT and Kathryn Morgan channels. I'll see how that goes.

Does anyone know: Is there any way to "subscribe" to this YouTube channel so that you'll receive an email when each new video is posted, or do you have to go to YouTube and put it in the Search box every time?

California, am I right that you must have a gmail account in order to subscribe to a youtube channel? I've not been able to sign in using my email address which is not from google. Thanks!

Me too! Thanks to NinaFan for being the squeaky wheel!

I bought mine early too and they say 8:00pm! Thank you, Ninafan!

I got mine on Sept 9th. As of yesterday my library has not received the group tickets we ordered.

And in the Friday NYTimes is an ad for the 92Street Y offerings. Under Talks & Conversations: on Dec 4 Victoria Tennant & Wendy Whalen: Irina Baronova and the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. This is something I really want to attend!

However, I purchased a 3-ticket create-your-own series and was disappointed to learn that I would be charged full box office price when I added 2 tickets for friends to join me at one of the performances. I suppose if I had purchased a larger subscription this wouldn't be the case. Oh, and I also have not received my tickets.

Wheeldon was delightful! All of his corrections were precise and improved the movement enormously. I'm curious from those of you who have watched professional companies in rehearsal: how do the Joffrey dancers compare? It seemed to me that the girls should know by now that the arms start from the back, which Wheeldon had to remind them of a few times. It was nice to see Fabrice Calmels who has been talked about here as a wish-list partner for Veronika Part, learning the role of VonRothbart. He certainly has the size and gravitas for the role. The dancer learning the role of the Prince seemed lacking in acting skills but it is early days and as both Wheeldon and AD Wheater said, "they're (the company) getting there". They stated that the Joffrey has never done Swan Lake before and so most of the dancers have never done this choreography before. A couple of the swans caught my eye and later these two were learning the role of the Swan Queen in the rear of the room. The dancer doing the Swan Queen (don't know names) was exquisite. I especially liked the discussion of how the mime should be done. Well worth the 3 (!) hrs in front of the computer!

This production of On the Town debuted last summer in MA, and this is a transfer. The production got good reviews. I believe that every one of the original lead cast members is going to Broadway except the role that Megan is playing. Don't know what the circumstances were, but I don't think anyone of the original cast got a negative review. Maybe the person that played Megan's role is not available, which caused them to look for a replacement. In any event, I've heard Megan speak on video, and to be honest she sounds like a young girl with little distinction in public speaking or projection. I don't kniow if her part is primarily dancing, speaking or singing, but it would seem to me she would have a lot of work to do if much acting and speaking is involved. We'll see what happens.

The theater that this is going to is huge. I have no idea how they are going to fill all those seats every night.

By the way, there are plenty of discount codes available for previews of this show, if anyone is interested. Go to theatermania.com or broadwaybox.com to find discount offers.

I've been looking into buying tickets for this through my employer at the Plum Benefits site where tickets seem to be discounted similarly to the two sites Abatt mentions. Unfortunately you cannot select your seats - it's best available seating. So my question for Abatt or anyone who is familiar with the Lyric: Knowing that it's the second largest house on Broadway (according to wikipedia) would Balcony seats be too far from the stage (I don't want to watch the entire show with binoculars)? Or should I bite the bullet and let them choose best seating available in Dress Circle or Orchestra? I would be buying two tickets so cost is a concern. Thanks!

And I thought I would finally see him dance in fall season since I missed him completely in the spring and with Bolshoi. Sincerely hope that the surgery will do the trick. I'm sure he was hoping to avoid surgery but sometimes it's the only way and other methods have clearly not helped.

Thank you Barbara! I know I'll hope back to them--I got caught by them immediately. I'll try"Someone..." never read McDermott.

Thanks again and try Gardam!

Read about the Gardam trilogy and immediately put them on 'my list'. Will read as soon as I'm done with Patrick Melrose!

I've read the first three "Patrick Melrose" novels and have been steeling myself for the final two. By "read" I mean "listened to the audiobooks," which worked well for these novels: the narrator was excellent and I suspect that I wouldn't have made it through Patrick's epic bender in "Bad News" otherwise. (I'm pretty sure I got a hangover by osmosis.) But they are excellent books -- and funnier than they have any right to be. I didn't much like Donna Tartt's "The Goldfinch" to begin with, but comparing Theo's East Village drug adventures with Patrick's made it seem like particularly weak sauce, despite its way too many pages.

Kathleen, I couldn't agree more with your comparison between St. Aubyn's and Tartt's description of the descent into drug abuse. I loved The Goldfinch (and Tartt's other books) but her description paled in comparison.

macnellie, I'm reading the Patrick Melrose novels now. It's no doubt that Edward St. Aubyn is a wonderful writer; there are places I laugh out loud and then cringe at the cruelty. These are characters that are not fun to be around but I will read to the finish. On the other hand Alice McDermott's Someone is lovely and I hated to say goodbye to those characters.

I probably missed discussion of this but wasn't there an announcement a few years back that Marcelo had joined the Mikhailovsky while still on the roster at ABT ala David Hallberg's relationship with the Bolshoi? Maybe I'm mistaken and it was simply a guest relationship. In any case, I'm thrilled that Marcelo still makes ABT his priority.

Yes, yes you're right volcanohunter! It was definitely Merle Park and David Wall - not too shabby!

As a child, my first live performance was the Royal Ballet's "The Sleeping Beauty" at Covent Garden.

The cast: Lesley Collier as Aurora, Marguerite Porter as the Lilac Fairy, Anthony Dowell as Prince Florimund,

Jennifer Penney & Wayne Eagling as the Bluebirds, and Monica Mason as Carabosse.

Well no wonder you got hooked! That's not a dream team, it's a celestial team.

Somewhere I have a videotape of that cast that I recorded. It was the Covent Garden Christmas performance probably on PBS. At the end they ceremoniously wheeled out the Christmas cake and Princess Margaret was there to greet the dancers. PS - I've loved Wayne Eagling ever since and would argue that Monica Mason is the best Carabosse there is.

My mother, a former nightclub dancer, put me in ballet class at age 4. Later in childhood my dance studio would take us to see touring companies dancing at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. I saw the Kirov do Cinderella and the Royal Ballet do Romeo & Juliet and from then on my life was the never the same!

Yes, I saw Adam Cooper many years ago, and he was a sensation. BUT! That Bourne Swan takes one absolutely terrific idea--all-male swans, sexually ambiguous prince devolving into madness--and drowns it in a mess of vulgar cavortings and puerile sight gags. And yes, I know, I'm so utterly in the minority; at the City Center revival a few years back I must have been the only person not only not clapping, but scowling in sheer dismay. So you see, a Bourne Swan with Marcelo would cut no ice with me at all. However, if it kicked his career up a notch, and somehow turned him into the international household word he deserves to be, then more power to him. He won't care that I didn't buy a ticket.

Golden Idol, can't say I disagree with you but I'd still buy a ticket to see Gomes in this.

Thanks, MRR for posting the mad scene! And Christian, only a slight bobble I can overlook. On to Act II!

I would definitely go see Gomes in Bourne's Swan Lake! May be the only male that could rival the power and seductiveness of Adam Cooper, imo. Re Nutcracker - I too am disappointed not the see a repeat of the magic that was Part/Gomes last year. As much as I love Abrera, due to the casting of her partner and if I only could choose one performance, I'd opt for Lane/Gorak. I hope Hammoudi is sufficiently healed by then to be able to tackle the tricky partnering challenges. When I saw Tamm several years ago as a replacement for Hallberg, he had some difficulties.

Can someone tell me what to put in the youtube search box to bring up Veronika's mad scene? The other clips look like they have Russian titles. When I search her name, Mariinsky Giselle I only get other dancers. Thanks! The clips downloaded here are simply delightful and moving. I've grown to be a huge fan of hers. I remember a number of years ago seeing her in La Sylphide and thinking she might not be suited for the impish sylmph but again she was simply delightful. I had no doubt she would be a superb Giselle, in both acts!

In my limited experience my bag is not often checked at the State Theatre but always is at the Met.

A personal impression and nothing to do with Misty's O/O: I appreciate her appeal to African American youngsters who are now considering the world of ballet but I wonder what the parents of these children feel about the steady stream of titillating photos she posts from various photo shoots. For me it doesn't compute.