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ksk04

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Everything posted by ksk04

  1. ABT has been busy today, thankfully; I checked in the morning and the SCFTA casting was not up, but it is now! Thursday, April 11 – Devon Teuscher*, James Whiteside* Friday, April 12 – Hee Seo*, Aran Bell* Saturday, April 13, 2 pm – Gillian Murphy*, Joo Won Ahn* Friday, April 13, 7:30 pm – Devon Teuscher, James Whiteside Sunday, April 14 – Hee Seo, Aran Bell (I would just like to note SCFTA's continuing idiotic strategy of withholding some of the best seats in the house, the Orchestra Terrace, is still in effect a month before the performances. I still haven't bought any tickets as I hate sitting in the orchestra except in the front, and I'm not buying 3 performances worth of $149 tickets to do so. Excellent business strategy. The small amount of tickets sold so far suggest others are playing the same game).
  2. Wonder if we in California could be so lucky to get Ferri for the Woolf Works premiere? I honestly don't think a lot of the ABT ballerinas cast have the dramatic depth for the role. I assumed, like many, Trenary would be cast but I guess they want literally more "mature"/older dancers (all of them are 30+ with Teuscher being the youngest, I think) which is how the Royal Ballet has cast the role as well which make sense but ideally you'd want to combine mature+dramatic depth. I'd guess Brandt and Trenary would be cast in the original Osipova role in Orlando section??? Wish they'd post the casting for SCFTA since they obviously know who will be rehearsing each role!!
  3. I got tickets to the two casts with debuts: Seo/Carmago and Park/Stearns. I'll wait for other parts of the theater to open (since we are still doing this gradual release irritation, also why I haven't bought tickets to Woolf Works) to consider other casts (or a promo code).
  4. I like the idea of the fugue des wilis dance-wise but I do not like the music--agree that it is "jarring." Yesterday afternoon, Shevchenko arrived! And with a verbal announcement of the cast change from the program (but not an announcement for her poor partner Tutunnique or any of the other questionable cast listings). She was wonderful and I was glad to get to see her. She had at least two bandages on one side of her face and several on her hands and upper arms, so the fall must have been pretty serious but it was not noticeable in her dancing. She added a video on her Instagram of the Act 2 if anyone wants to see some. I emailed SCFTA about the cast changes from program to the stage and this was the response: "Thank you for contacting Segerstrom Center for the Arts and for taking the time to express your concerns. I checked with our front of house team and to the best of our knowledge there were no casting changes that differed from what was listed. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns." 😂
  5. I have been on two nights and will be at today's matinee--I am hoping to see Shevchenko! I am really annoyed at either Segerstrom or the company itself for not updating cast info--every night the cast list has had glaring errors with no cast change slips or cast change announcements (I've asked ushers and one had no idea what I was talking about and the other said that when she got in they were told no "stuffers" to add). In the program, Shevchenko was still listed for Thursday and they didn't even bother announcing that OPENING NIGHT GISELLE was not the listed Giselle in the program (it was clearly Elizaveta Gogidze). Last night, same thing--Denys Nedak listed in the program as "Albert" and I assume (based on the program picture) that Oleksii Kniakzov was the actual dancer on stage. Really shoddy and unprofessional to the dancers (and insulting to the audience) all around. I could continue with the Saturday night Myrta not being the listed Myrta, Bathilde not the listed Bathilde, Peasant pas etc. The dancers are pretty uneven (though all the women have uniformly beautiful hands) and I find some of the restorations a little unusual (Giselle sinking into a rock formation at the end / the wasted climax for Albrecht when he usually does the entre-chat sixes or brisees) but it's been satisfying overall to see Giselle several times. I enjoyed the dancer who was Myrta on opening night much more in the peasant pas de deux Saturday night (I assume her name is Vladyslava Kovalenko though she was uncredited for the Peasant pas on Sat night) and there is another dancer who did the Peasant pas on the first night (again I am assuming Daria Manoilo?) who has also been Zulmae both nights who has beautiful soft romantic arms. Myrta last night (maybe it was Vasylysa Nykyforova based on the other night's cast listing?) was much stronger overall and I enjoyed her dancing. I feel bad for Gogidze doing 3 Giselles in a row; she has to be dead. She has moments of beauty but other times seems to lose stamina very, very quickly (even on opening night) and sometimes has a frozen face, awkward arm positioning, and neck tension. I found her stronger in Act 1. Alexis Tutunnique on opening night was excellent at conveying Albrecht's exhaustion. After Giselle is over, they have a short ballet featuring a Ukrainian double leg-amputee soldier and then the national anthem.
  6. I got a mailer with 30% for Main Orchestra, Front Orchestra, Front Orchestra Ring, and Main Founders: FRIDA30 - all performances.
  7. Maybe they will take this all as a hint for more classical ballet since it's obviously over-performing their dismal expectations. I bought a ticket for each cast once the terrace was opened for other shows.
  8. They've opened the Orchestra Terrace (or most of it; the last few rows are not for sale) for opening night and the Sun matinee; it seems like they just did it as only a few seats are sold in that section for both shows.
  9. Hot off the email: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago September 29 - October 1, 2023 The Music Center's Ahmanson Theatre For 46 years, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago has been one of the most original forces in contemporary dance, bringing artists, art and audiences together to enrich, engage, educate and change lives through the experience of dance. The company will perform a program of mixed repertory including Coltrane’s Favorite Things, choreographed by Lar Lubovitch. The work is inspired by and danced to John Coltrane’s 1963 “Live in Copenhagen” interpretation of Richard Rodgers’ “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music. The Rite of Spring & common ground[s] February 9-11, 2024 The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring has flourished to become one of the 20th century’s most significant and important works in dance. Faithful to Stravinsky’s visceral score, Bausch’s monumental choreography is given a thrilling new life by a specially assembled company of 34 dancers from 14 African countries. Rite is paired with a new work, common ground[s], created, performed and inspired by the lives of two remarkable women who have each juggled roles as choreographers, professors and grandmothers: Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo. Their tender choreographic response to Rite reflects their shared histories, emotional experiences and common ground. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater March 20-24, 2024 The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion The thrilling return of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is the start of a multi-year Music Center residency! America's most popular modern dance company will expand on its choreographic tradition, adding new choreographers to the company’s repertory with world premieres and beloved classics that illustrate the breadth of Alvin Ailey’s rich catalog, including his signature work Revelations. The Joffrey Ballet's Anna Karenina June 21-23, 2024 The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion The Joffrey Ballet brings the company's blockbuster, Anna Karenina, which won the 2019 “Oscars of Dance” Benois de la Danse International Prize for Best Choreography. A breathtaking cinematic production with stunning costume design and captivating choreography, this famed psychological drama—set to an original composition—makes its debut at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Ballet Hispánico's Doña Perón July 12-14, 2024 The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Ballet Hispánico, the largest Latinx cultural organization in the United States and one of America’s cultural treasures, brings Doña Perón, an explosive portrait of Eva “Evita” Perón, one of the most recognizable and controversial women in Argentinian history. Colombian- Belgian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa explores these diverging legacies and more in her evening-length work for Ballet Hispánico, and reclaims the narrative of the iconic Latina figure.
  10. In case anyone wants to see more Wheeldon choreography, SCFTA will also have MJ: The Musical in late March 2024 (part of the Broadway series).
  11. I'm guessing there is no official casting yet? I haven't purchased tickets yet and was waiting to see.
  12. Totally agree Josette--there are so many companies who perform classical ballet that could be sought after and I have many fond memories of the companies you list at SCFTA. They seem like so long ago at this point. I get the problems with Covid and they are obviously longer reaching than just the immediate theatre shutdowns but there are many other companies I would love to see and who are not Russian--we got San Francisco a few times a few years ago and it was great. I am not clear why ABT can only bring "new" shows to SCFTA ("home at Segerstrom Center with a never-before-seen program"). It seems like it would be better to do the old-style tours for ABT, at minimum: a few days of mixed rep and then a 3 act ballet over the weekend. That would certainly be more attractive. With this line up, it seems like they'll be forced to only open the orchestra.
  13. Thanks volcanohunter; I missed the post over there. And about the seating--I guess? They've long closed the balcony off for many productions which I understand, but to open only the orchestra is baffling. I kind of assumed the ticket prices would be sky high to compensate, but they seemed fairly normal. I don't like to sit in the orchestra so I guess I'm going to play chicken with the possibility of some nights selling out versus will they open. It's especially strange because the Orchestra Terrace has some of the most expensive and coveted seats in the house (and some really nice cheap ones!). I bought one ticket for opening night just to make sure I don't end up without any tickets at all. I also couldn't add more than one night's tickets to my cart without the new tickets replacing the old tickets that I had previously added, so that aided my decision; these are all really, really great ways to get people to buy tickets SCFTA! Keep it up!
  14. Hot off the email: West Coast Debut United Ukrainian Ballet Giselle by Alexei Ratmansky with Pacific Symphony Conductor Gavriel Heine "This performance was like no other." The Times, London "immensely moving ... everyone involved pours so much thought, heart and art into this revelatory project." The Guardian Following historic performances at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center and the London Coliseum, The United Ukrainian Ballet will make its West Coast debut with Alexei Ratmansky’s Giselle. This new interpretation of one of the greatest romantic ballets in the classical repertoire was created specifically for the company by Ratmansky, who himself is a Ukrainian citizen. These performances will be the first time Ratmansky’s Giselle is presented in collaboration with Liev Schreiber and his non-profit organization, BlueCheck Ukraine. Thanks to the underwriting support of Elizabeth Segerstrom and the Henry T. and Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation, proceeds from ticket sales will benefit BlueCheck which was created to vet, verify, and fund Ukrainian-led local and grassroots frontline organizations providing lifesaving humanitarian aid to victims of the Russian invasion. The United Ukrainian Ballet Giselle Choreography by Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa New Choreographic version and additional choreography by Alexei Ratmansky Music by Adolphe Adam With Pacific Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Gavriel Heine Costume and Set Design by Hayden Griffin and Peter Farmer Lighting Design by Andrew Ellis Thursday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m. Giselle: Christine Shevchenko Albert: Alexis Tutunnique Friday, June 30 at 7:00 p.m. Giselle: Elizaveta Gogidze Albert: Oleksii Kniazkov Saturday, July 1 at 7:00 p.m. Giselle: Iryna Zhalovska Albert: Denys Nedak Sunday, July 2 at 1:00 p.m. Giselle: Elizaveta Gogidze Albert: Oleksii Kniazkov In continuing annoyance, I went to buy tickets for opening night and only the orchestra is open to purchase. Why are they doing this?! Not even the Orchestra Terrace which has (in my opinion) much better seats in many places!😠
  15. The children aren't Tita and Pedro--they only appear in the last act as the children of Pedro and Rosaura (the girl) and Dr. Brown (the boy); they then get exchanged for adultish versions for their wedding together. The kids were tallish but I am bad at ages so I couldn't tell you! The mature warning is for the rose petal sauce scene with Gertrudis and the final pas de deux neither of which has the child dancers in it.
  16. Last night's cast--Carmago, Park, and Fang--worked a lot better for me. I've never seen Carmago or Park and had no preconceptions about them but they seemed to have more clearly sketched emotional expression throughout (except maybe not the maturity, physically, particularly, in the final pdd that Trenary/Cornejo offered). I felt Fang made more sense as Elena--and Misseldine as Rosaura--than Shevchenko (who I have otherwise appreciated) or Seo. Fang has more experience with character-driven secondary roles like this and I think that was transmitted. I felt Carmage/Park/Fang also had better chemistry between them. First act is still too long and too rushed though! SCFTA did a better job timing-wise though I think they should just cut the stupid video at the start which doesn't convey anything of substance (especially compared to the Royal Ballet insight videos they are excerpted from which I have watched previously and felt were actually insightful). Shouldn't actual program notes convey the same information about production's intent and background? Once more tonight with the opening cast of Trenary/Cornejo.
  17. I saw the opening last night. I'll have more formed thoughts after seeing it again tonight, but I am pretty neutral about the entire venture. There's a lot of moving around and too little memorable dancing, for me. The scenes that stuck out as captivating to me (the ones that I can replay moments of in my head) are the famous Gertrudis goes wild scene and the later scene with the revolutionaries; Mama Elena's diary reenactment; the opening scene with Tita and the maid Nacha; and the final pas de deux. The scene projections worked the best I have seen with Tita/Pedro being engulfed in flames for the final image which was very compelling and showed the way that projections could achieve an effect otherwise difficult in the theater. I understand that part of the text itself is that Tita and Pedro have only fleeting encounters with each other but everything was so briefly sketched and then rushed in and out of, in the first act in particular, it was hard to connect with anything on the stage. The first act is so long (54 minutes compared to a listed 32 and 20 for the next two acts) and with so much happening, there is little room for introspection or character-building emotional arcs beyond broad sketches. Maybe I will have a different reaction after knowing more what to expect. It also seems like a lot of retread from Wheeldon's (and Joby Talbot's) recent full lengths for the Royal like Alice (Mama Elena, in act 2, seems a caricature of the already-caricature Queen of Hearts, for example) or The Winter's Tale if you have seen those from streaming or on tour before; for my preference, though, The Winter's Tale offers more emotional introspection to arrive through dance. It would be nice if SCFTA could start any program on time and not overrun intermissions...I can accept some leeway for opening night of a new-to-the-company production but it's so continual; it causes no one to believe the bell to head in which compounds the situation.
  18. I thought it was weird, too, Josette, but I guess it's not like they have any competing dance programming right now. When I bought my tickets for SCFTA, it seemed like the Loge and Balcony areas were not on offer for sale which suggests they didn't expect great ticket sales even for this run--not sure how that will correlate to the Met programming. The Balcony is frequently not opened, but I don't think I've ever seen a dance performance that closed the Loge as well. Maybe this has changed in the last few weeks and they are opening more sections.
  19. Got this today from the Dorothy Chandler email blast for anyone interested: Music Center Patron Discount As a patron of The Music Center, enjoy the superstar dancers of American Ballet Theatre with this incredible offer. Use promo code MUSICCENTER and save 20% off orchestra tickets!
  20. My understanding is that there is a still the percentage service fee (which is less online and in person than when you call the box office, I am pretty sure)--plus the ticket exchange fees (which I find the most reasonable part of all of this!). When I ordered tickets in August I wasn't offered a mailed option which is my preference (only hold at box office or digital both of which didn't have a charge) but today I was told it was $10 to hold at the box office or to mail the tickets "because they have to be printed."
  21. Is anyone else having problems with the SCFTA website when it comes to ticket exchanges? Like a nice prepared theatre goer I bought several different sets of tickets for this (and Nutcracker) back when they were on pre-sale and now need to exchange them with the casting info but the website is so dysfunctional. With Nutcracker, I was told I couldn't do online exchanges because I selected "hold tickets at box office" and now when I try to do my Like Water... exchanges, one of my tickets is randomly not offered to be exchanged and the rest offer me no seats to switch into despite there being plenty of seats if you look through the regular buying window. I just got off the phone with a polite customer service person but no solutions were available from her manager except "log in and out" and "try a different browser." I ultimately just exchanged on the phone but given this has happened twice now, I was wondering if I am alone in this futility. Also they now want to charge $10 to hold tickets at the box office! 🤑
  22. I did not receive any of this info in an email! I get that I didn't renew my subscription this year but I did attend Nutcracker so that seems like a pretty big missed opportunity for marketing and selling tickets! Thanks for the heads up anyway on the dates. I am doubtful on re-renewing my subscription though, considering what else is on offer; I would if I could count multiple performances of LWFC and Nut for the choose-your-own series total.
  23. Casting is up for the Nutcracker at Segerstrom Center this winter: ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie has released principal casting which will include Hee Seo as Clara, the Princess, and Cory Stearns as The Nutcracker Prince on Opening Night, Friday, December 10. * Indicates first time in role. Friday, December 10 at 7 p.m. – Hee Seo, Cory Stearns Saturday, December 11 at 2 p.m. – Skylar Brandt*, Herman Cornejo Saturday, December 11 at 7 p.m. – Christine Shevchenko, Thomas Forster Sunday, December 12 at 12:30 p.m. – Devon Teuscher*, Joo Won Ahn Sunday, December 12 at 5:30 p.m. -- Skylar Brandt*, Herman Cornejo Wednesday, December 15 at 7 p.m.- Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside Thursday, December 16 at 7 p.m. – Catherine Hurlin*, Aran Bell Friday, December 17 at 7 p.m. -- Christine Shevchenko, Thomas Forster Saturday, December 18 at 2 p.m. -- Hee Seo, Cory Stearns Saturday, December 18 at 7 p.m. -- Devon Teuscher, Joo Won Ahn Sunday, December 19 at 12:30 p.m. - Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside Sunday, December 19 at 5:30 p.m. - Catherine Hurlin, Aran Bell Artists and program subject to change. * Indicates first time performing the role. https://www.scfta.org/events/2021/the-nutcracker
  24. It's not ballet but I saw that the Center Theatre Group in LA won't be open for performances until April 2021: https://www.playbill.com/article/los-angeles-center-theatre-group-to-remain-closed-through-2020 The Ahmanson/Mark Taper share the plaza with the Dorothy Chandler (dance season), so I don't know if this will influence anything there, but this may be the direction for a lot of places. Segerstrom announced they were laying off 63% of its staff (250 part time, 77 full time and pay cuts for the remaining 37%): https://voiceofoc.org/2020/06/segerstrom-center-announces-63-staff-cuts-joining-oc-arts-organizations-struggling-with-coronavirus-impact/
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