Barbara

Thanks rq, that was lovely. Hallberg a well-spoken and clearly serious artist. His Romeo this last Met season was simply breath taking.

Fonteyn, Makarova and Marcia Haydee!

DeborahB, I think your idea of a BT bus (or some kind of transportation) to SPAC next year, is an excellent one! I've lived in NY for 15 yrs now and have always meant to visit Saratoga. I would definitely be interested.

PS - Walking back to my car after the matinee I passed the lovely Stella Abrera. I'm hoping she was on her way for the evening performance as Lady Capulet. Can anyone report?

DeborahB, I wholly agree that David Hallberg is a ballet god! I was also at the Sat matinee. I was getting so teary-eyed during the first love pas that I had to consciously stop myself so that my eyes wouldn't blur over and prevent me from enjoying the rest of the performance. I was simply stunned at the end of each act and was loathe to break the spell but of course one has to rush to the bathroom line before it becomes impossible! I think Hallberg has improved greatly in his interpretation since his last R&J. He seemed less restrained, dancing with abandon and impulsiveness that I don't think is inherently his nature. A small point - I liked that he kept his hair loose and "unsprayed", it added to the reckless and boyish quality. I like Gillian very much but from the Dress Circle I didn't feel the emotion of her performance. Like you said, "it was all about David Hallberg." What a lovely end to the season for me. I'm already heading for a minor depression and wish fall season were more than 4 days!

And then there's the Seo/Stearns pairing as R&J that I'm now reading about - that would be worth the trip too!

I understand your frustration down there in DC but I might think about traveling down to see an R&J if Marcelo Gomes was dancing. He's reported to be dancing better than ever especially in his partnership with D. Vishneva. I missed him here in NY and would love to see what the raves are about.

Wouldn't it be fabulous if Dave himself hazarded a visit to the ballet as a result of meeting Ms. Part? In fact ABT should probably send him a couple of comp tickets for the fall season in something featuring Ms. Part and perhaps he would comment on the experience on the show. Better yet, Tony could accompany him and explain what he was about to see.

Oops - a little dyslexic on the Siegfried!

Just a quick diversion from the descriptions of Nina's farewell (I so wish I had been there!) to say that in the Sat matinee David Hallberg was absolute perfection! In addition to the glorious lines and footwork, his acting is first rate and the attention to detail is remarkable. This Siefgried did NOT leave the throne but welcomed each princess, interacted with them and had lovely moments "talking" to the Queen. This is a complete artist. And one more quick note - granted Cory Stearns is not yet the VonRothbart of Marcelo but I believe he has great potential in this role. I think he will become a worthy successor - certainly the best I've seen apart from Marcelo. That's all - back to Nina!

Thanks to everyone for your input. When I decide not to drive but to take the bus and stay overnight w/daughter I usually travel with a much larger/heavier bag. Don't want to lug that around this time so I thought the smaller backpack would suffice but still worried that it wouldn't be welcomed at the Met. You've convinced me to go for it and taken that worry away - thanks again! Yes, BT is an endless resource.

Hoping some of you can give me advice based on first hand experience. I'm traveling in by bus on Fri evening for Swan Lake and staying overnight at my daughter's apt (on the other side of town) in order to go to the Sat mat Swan Lake then directly to the bus to head home. So my question is, can I check a small bag at the Met coat check? I'm going to try to stuff a mid-size nice looking backpack with all I'll need. What I would really like is to simply take the bag to my seat. I honestly think it's the same size or smaller than some handbags you see today. Do you think security will let me take my bag to my seat? If not, will they give me any trouble at coat check? Thanks in advance.

I feel your pain, Mel. I too am a west-of-Hudson ballet goer so my choices are car, which I usually do, or bus which is long and tedious. If it's an evening performance I try to stay overnight with my daughter in Manhattan but then between parking overnight, cabs etc it ends up being quite costly. There's no easy solution except a pied d'terre (sp?) in the city where I could stay for the entire season - dream on!

Aaargh! I've been waiting since reading about Hallberg learning the role of James last year (to dance it in Japan I believe) and now Friday night I'll be seeing Cory Stearns. I'm aware of the cast change warning but this is really disappointing. Not living near the city trying for a quick exchange isn't possible. Nothing against Cory Stearns, he's lovely but....(heavy sigh)

Another word about his review of Sat evening Giselle: My impression was that in this article he had so much to say about Osipova and Hallberg that there simply wasn't room to mention other notable dancing. Too bad he couldn't write a second review about others in the cast especially Part but also the glorious dancing of Leann Underwood and maybe a word or two about the peasant pas and Hilarion.

Going back a few days to Wed matinee. There have been comments about Riccetto but no mention of Hallberg. How was his Albrecht? He seems perfectly suited for the role of the nobleman in disguise.

4mrdncer, re pronunciation: I thought Neeper too but heard a radio host pronounce it Ne eh per. I would think radio hosts know how to correctly pronounce words but I've found this not be so on more than one occasion. Await the native speakers to weigh in.

I agree NYSusan - I was there yesterday evening too and what a fun early summer experience. Plus the weather was glorious! We enjoyed a cocktail and some people watching before the performance at the newly revamped Alice Tully Hall. It's a great place to see pre performance or post rehearsal dancers. Saw A. Corella pass by talking on his cell as well as other little bunheads already made up perhaps for the Jardin Anime. As to the performance - yes, LOTS of virility on stage between Carenno and Gomes. And I loved the touches Nina added to her fouettes like the attitude en devant and the girlish holding of the edge of her tutu. Who cares about triples when you have artistry! She seems like a genuinely lovely lady and her warm personality came through during the curtain calls. I really felt as if she was saying goodbye to the NY audience even if this wasn't her final performance of the season.

I was excited to see Herman in the Corsaire dress rehearsal yesterday! Jose Carreno rehearsed the Slave in the first act but after intermission there was Herman as the Slave. He marked his solo but did some of the pirouettes. I hope this means he has recovered from his injury and will be performing the remainder of the season.

I think Melissa and Gilles were done a disservice by their pro partners/choreographers. They tried to throw in too many tricks and not enough dancing. In contrast Mark gave Shawn a dance that was a perfect showcase for her talent and personality. That said, I would be happy with any of them as trophy winners.

Thanks, atm! I'm glad to hear there are assigned seats and I won't need to be in line for a long time. I waited quite awhile to order my passes so I hope my seating isn't in the far reaches of the orchestra.

This is the first time I've been eligible to attend a dress rehearsal at the Met. I made my reservation online. It doesn't appear that there are assigned seats except for selecting the area - I asked for Orchestra. My confirmation email said to arrive at least 15 minutes early as there would be no late seating. Are these rehearsals heavily attended? If there aren't assigned seats, how early would you suggest queuing up for a good seat? Any advice from those of you that have attended in the past would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you, Y. At $42 a ticket I don't think I should pass it up since it's right in the neighborhood! And your comments have encouraged me to take the chance.

I just received an email announcing the appearance on April 19th of the Russian National Ballet Theatre at a small local theatre in my community. They are doing Cinderella and the press release notes that the dancers "will include stars from the Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet". Does anyone have any information about this company? Could there really be "stars" from the Bolshoi and Kirov appearing with them at such a small venue (55 miles from NYC)? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Marga for an absolutely delightful start to my day - Boar Man was hilarious and charming!