abatt

Swanilda- I'm not sure what the stop motion duet is that you are referring to. Are you talking about the walking duet in Emeralds?

I'm not sure I agree with you about his ideals concerning men vs. women. He frequently notes that Sterling Hyltin has an ideal figure. Most recently, he noted the perfection of Ashley Laracey's ballerina proportions.

Maybe it will be on the PBS website for viewing?

Macaulay has noted in numerous reviews that Sara Mearns does not have an ideal figure for dance - broad, high shoulders. However, he regards her as the greatest ballerina in the US.

Glad you and your mom had a fun trip.

Thanks susanger. You can find the programs for each of the dates on the NYCB website (pdf under Calendar). The program for Feb 7 is La Stravaganza —— A Place for Us —— Todo Buenos Aires The program for Feb 23 is Coppelia. CORRECTION. Just watched the video link. The date is Feb 13, not Feb 23. Program for Feb 13 is Opus 19/The Dreamer —— Barber Violin Concerto —— Stravinsky Violin Concerto

No, it doesn't happen often. Jan 23 is a date when all tickets will be $29 in their effort to entice new audiences. (You could not buy Jan 23 as a single ticket performance, but it was available as part of a subscription.) I guess they thought that Jewels was too refined and lovely for the new audiences they are trying to attract, so they felt the need to dumb down/"modernize" the program. Personally, Kammermusik is one of my least favorite Balanchine works, and don't even get me started on Martins' Infernal Machine.

I just happen to look at the Calendar for the Winter Season on line. I was so looking forward to seeing Jewels on Jan 23, and bought a subscription that included that date because I wanted to see Jewels. To my considerable disappointment, the program has been changed for the worse. It is now Kammermusik No. 2 After the Rain Pas de Deux Concerto Barocco The Infernal Machine Rubies

You can't fairly compare public servant unions (firefighters, police) to those paid in the private sector. The former are funded by taxes.

Acosta has been made a Commander of the British Empire by the Queen. Very impressive. Is he the first Cuban to receive this honor? http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12//simon.rattle-among-the-artists-on-queen-elizabeths-honors-list/?ref=arts

Yes, thanks to everyone who operates this site. And Happy New Year.

Of course the work that the stagehands do is important and they should earn a good living. However, the perception is that the salaries are excessive. The fact that generations of the same families decide to go into the same unions is telling. That only happens when the gravy is very, very good.

Recently I was at a performance of Alvin Ailey where the tattoos on one of the dancers were so large that it was distracting.

New York Magazine has listed Calvin Royal III as one of the reasons to Love New York. http://nymag.com/news/articles/reasonstoloveny/2013/calvinroyaliii/

For me, the only couple at ABT I'm interested in seeing again in Nutcracker are Hallberg and Murphy. They were so brilliant, and all the other casts I've seen were unremarkable in comparison. Obviously, Hallberg will not be returning to do this role at ABT, so for the time being I have sworn off the ABT Nut.

Virtually all of the white charcters in the film are portrayed as evil or indifferent, at best. Brad Pitt is one of the very few white people portrayed as humane and good. Under the circumstances, I'm not sure that the "white savior" argument of this author makes much sense. I thought the big "speech" delievered by Pitt was too florid and grandiose. They could have had him voice his sentiments about the evils of slavery with more believable dialogue. By the way, Pitt was offered the role of Epps, but turned it down because he did not want his kids to see him playing such an evil character.

For those of you who are still interested in seeing Cheri but not for the price tag of $75, I received a discount code from the theater.. SPECIAL OFFER: Use Code Cheri55 for $55 tickets (reg. $75) for performances beginning December 26

I saw this film last night. It was haunting. The beating scenes were difficult to watch. Ejiofor's acting was great. His part depended at least as much on facial expressions and body language as spoken dialogue.

Blizzard? There was a few inches of snow, at most, depending on where in the area you live.

While it's true that there are still very few black ballet dancers in major companies in the U.S., I'm not sure that the same can be said of dance companies in general (example, modern dance). Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Complexions and Bill T. Jones' Company, are examples. On the other hand, I can only think of one black dancer in the Paul Taylor company (Michelle Fleet) and none in Martha Graham.

The Ratmansky trilogy definitely evokes divided opinions. Some, like me, thought it was brilliant. Others absolutely hate it. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground.

Her name is Olivia Boisson

It's time for end-of-year best and worst lists. On the "best" list, thanks to ABT I finally got to see Osipova and Vasliev together in the their signature roles in Don Q. I had seen them previously on film in these roles when their performance was broadcast from the Bolshoi a few years ago, but seeing it live was another experience entirely. Their technical abilities are astonishing. Also on the best list was Herman Cornejo's long awaited debut in Swan Lake. He pulled out all the stops and made it a very memorable performance. His technical brilliance was a marvel. (I thought he overshadowed Kochetkova.) Also on my best list is the Ratmansky trilogy. I hope we can see all three works together again at ABT. Speaking of Ratmansky, I was delighted by NYCB's revival of Namouna and I can't wait to see it again in the Spring. Another high point was Sara Mearns' performances of Swan Lake at NYCB. The Alvin Ailey Dance Company is looking fresher than ever since Robert Battle took over the helm from Judith Jamison. He has shaken up the rep by acquiring the rights to important works like Taylor's Arden Court and McGregor's Chroma. Even though the Ailey dancers don't perform these works as well as the PTDC or the RB (respectively), Battle deserves a lot of credit for bringing these works into the company. It was wonderful to see the SFB in NYC again. I wish they would visit us more often.

I saw Cheri last night. Although the choreography was repetitive and often felt derivative, I thought it was a cohesive and interesting dance drama. Ferri still moves those gorgeous limbs exquisitely, although as noted above there is no pointe work in this production. I have never fully accepted Cornejo as a "romantic" lead, and have always found his acting somewhat wooden. Last night convinced me that he has more acting ability than I have ever given him credit for, but perhaps the gigantic Met is too large a venue for his acting to register to the audience. He was much more impressive in this intimate space. Amy Irving provided important narration. The piano accompanyment was lovely. (Our programs had an insert with a complete list of the piano works that were played.) I felt it was certainly worth an hour of my time, and at $25 it was a major bargain.

Interesting. Thanks for posting. ABT got $70,000 to stage Ashton's Cinderella, and NYCB got $80,000 to present the new Liam Scarlett and Justin Peck ballets in 2014.