abatt

I have to agree that this year's "Stars of Today" were pretty disappointing. As noted above, Vengsay Valdes and Ivan Vasiliev were thrilling. Yuan Yuan Tan and her partner (don't have my program) from San Fran. were also lovely. Danny Ulbricht from City Ballet did a fun, short little solo that showed off his jumping and spinning skills. I thought Tiler Peck and Tyler Angle were pretty wonderful in the pdd from Wheeldon's Mercurial Maneuvers. The biggest disappointment were the two dancers from Paris Opera Ballet. I would have expected them to thrill. I didn't like any of the new works. The first piece, with the dancer from La Scala, was a boring waste of time. The pdd for Forster and Pronk was well danced, but the choregoraphy looked amateurish. I thought the pdd for Carreno and Hamrick was also pretty dull and simple. At nearly 3 hours running time, I would say that there were very few thrilling moments in the overly long evening. I'm glad I stayed to see the amazing Valdes - Vasiliev pdd from Don Q.

The Bolshoi turmoil is finally being reported on here (from NY Times) http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/bolshoi-ballet-facing-turmoil/?ref=arts

Right. I forgot that.

Count me and my hubby in too for a meeting at any time during the run, including but not limited to the Wed. matinee. I also splurged on multiple performances. Looking forward to seeing other Ballet Talkers. I can't wait until the New York spring ballet season starts up on May 3 with NYCB. We have an embarrassment of riches this season, with 6 weeks of NYCB, 8 weeks of ABT, one week of Royal Danish and one week of Kirov.

This is an interesting article from the NY Times on the topic at issue. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/business/09facebook.html

I think Alberda is right to question the Chinese stereotyped character in MF. In fact, there are a lot of politically incorrect and offensive portrayals in ballet (and opera too). The Tea and Coffee sections of Nutcracker are particularly noteworthy for being offensive, in my opinion. I suspect that political incorrectness might also explain the absence of Raymonda from ABT's rep for many, many years. Why would NYCB want to censor Alberda's comments? Moreover, I don't think it would be legal for NYCB to censor Twitter comments, including the negative comments about Peter Martins. Seems like NYCB wants to be on the cutting edge by using social media, but doesn't want to accept the bad with the good. Alberda must have figured out by now that making negative comments about his employer on a publicly available Twitter account is not going to help his career. I read the Wall Street Journal column and learned that there is a Fake Peter Martins twitter account, as well as a Fake Kevin McKenzie account. Some people have a lot of extra time on their hands, apparently.

Peter Martins brought in two dancers from POB a few years ago to perform the Rubies pdd at an NYCB gala. I can't remember who the dancers were. (I'm sure someone on the board here might recall their names.) I was there, and I thought they were miscast. They looked like they were performing a classical pdd. They were lacking in energy and verve, and didn't seem to have a clue regarding the neoclassical style of the ballet.

In the last 2 years, Alagna has improved a great deal. I was pleasantly surprised at how good he sounded during this season at performances in New York. In a review in the New YOrk Times a few months ago, the reviewer made note at Alagna's recent improved vocal abilities. Maybe being separated from Angela G. is helping him focus on his voice.

The costume expenses for these three "waltz" ballets must be staggering.

See NY Times link below: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/paris-opera-ballet-is-headed-to-new-york/?ref=arts I'm looking forward to Giselle and the mixed bill. Pina Bausch, not so much.

According to the following article, Paris Opera Ballet will be making other stops in the U.S. in addition to the Kennedy Center during the summer of 2012. The company will appear in Chicago, and will appear at Lincoln Center after the Kennedy Center engagement. YEAH!! http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/stage/4204728-452/paris-opera-ballet-set-for-2012-chicago-visit.html

The Kirov is coming to NYC this summer, per the NY Times. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/mariinsky-ballet-to-perform-at-lincoln-center-festival/

I vote for Vishneva and Gomes in Romeo & Juliet at ABT.

I guess they are varying prices based on your city. In New York City it was $25. It was a small theater, and every seat was sold. There was a line of people waiting for returns/cancellations.

This seems like a weak lineup compared to prior years. I guess money is in short supply to pay for more European guest artists to appear.

Here is a link to an interview w. Natalia Osipova. She and Ivan Vasiliev will be in a movie broadcast on Sun. Mar. 6 of Don Q live from the Bolshoi. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/a-real-ballerina-hits-the-big-screen-a-conversation-with-natalia-osipova/?ref=arts It appears that the only theater in Manhattan showing this will be Big Cinemas Mahhattan, with a showing on Mar. 6 at 11 AM. However, the Big Cinemas website refers to a showing of Don Q. on Mar. 6 at 11 AM starring Vladimir Ponomarev, Anton Lukovkin, Igor Petrov, Olesia Novikova. Is this a mistake? Any info is appreciated.

Ringer has been doing Gold and Silver for many years. I think they might need a second cast for this, and I would pick Somogyi for it. I think Hyltin has done the section with the polka, but she would be much better suited to the allegro section, Voices of Spring. Mearns has done Tales From the Vienna Woods, but I would love to see her do the final section of the ballet. Kowrowski is due for a shot at the final section. Since Whelan is apparently in rehearsal for the new Seven Deadly Sins ballet (see photo on NYCB homepage), which will be on the same program as Vienna Waltzes this spring, I'm not sure whether she would also be cast in Vienna Waltzes this time around. We'll see. To satisfy LuPone's schedule, they are doing all six performances of Seven Deadly Sins in a single week.

I must be missing something - I've read that New York Times article twice now and don't see any reference to 2012 -it says "this fall." Are you referring to another article? Hi Kristen. An earlier version of the article on the Times website had the dates as Nove 8-13, 2012. The article was corrected this afternoon to remove the 2012 reference. A sentence explaining the correction states that the Times incorrectly reported the dates initially because ABT provided incorrect information. So, the bottom line is, our posts here on Ballet Talk about 2012 must have awakened someone at the ABT publicity office who goofed and gave the Times the wrong year. We will see them in 2011 at City Center. Yeah.

I didn't even notice that the article was referring to dates in 2012. I just assumed it was for 2011. 2012 is way too far in the future to get excited.

From the NY Times http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/american-ballet-theater-will-return-to-city-center/?ref=arts

Film critic Manola Dargis is doing an article for the Sunday NY Times about her attendance at the Oscars. There are a series of photos posted on-line on the NY Times website under the heading "Scenes From the Governors Ball." The 5th photo is a great photo of former ABT dancer Jackie Reyes posing with Aaron Sorkin. The description of the photo reads "Aaron Sorkin and his guest..." Reyes looks lovely.

I found that to be the case as well. Bouder is a marvel in many roles, but she needs some coaching as Odette. One example of failing to convey pathos occurred in the final act. There is a quiet moment when Odette sinks to the floor and then lowers her arm to the ground. Most ballerinas slowly lower the arm. Bouder decided to slam her hand on the stage floor so that it made a sound when her hand hit the stage floor. She may have been trying to convey Odette's frustration, but for me it robbed the scene of grandeur and pathos. It made Odette seem like a frustrated child.

Now that the Winter Season is over, NYCB updated the photos on its home page to highlight things that are coming up in the Spring. There is a rehearsal photo for The Seven Deadly Sins (SDS) that features Wendy Whelan surrounded by several crouching men. I really liked Lynn Taylor Corbett's Chiascoro. I have high hopes for SDS.

Did anyone else find Anne Hathaway grating on the nerves? She was trying too hard to be fun, happy and perky. Why did she have to scream "Whoo Hooo" every time a celebrity walked on stage to present an award? I'm sure it wasn't her idea, but there were far too many dress changes for her. Franco was more tolerable. Hauling out Kirk Douglas was a bad idea. He was barely comprehensible. I had no idea that was Jackie Reyes. I guess Sorkin is having a mid life crisis.

The performance at the Rose Theater has tickets available at all price levels according to the website of Jazz at Lincoln Center, which runs/rents the Rose Theater. I just checked the website for Jazz at Lincoln Center, and ticket prices for the performance only on March 15 range from $73 to $133. Tickets for the performance can be purchased by the general public. It is only the gala dinner that costs $600. The socialites are performing at the Rose Theater. Apart from being an insult to Graham's legacy, this is tantamount to consumer fraud because the unsuspecting public believes they are buying tickets to see a dance performance by a professional dance company, when in fact they will be seeing the socialites "perform" Maple Leaf Rag. What's next? David Koch as Apollo? Oh, wait, the Balanchine Trust would never allow it.