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ksk04

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Posts posted by ksk04

  1. I've seen two performances so far--had to swap my Lane/Cornejo tickets due to an emergency, which was really annoying as they were the ONE CAST I really, really wanted to see this year. I will have to wait another year to finally see Lane. I saw the opening night with Copeland/Simkin and last night with Seo/Stearns. I have tickets to the Abrera and Murphy (+ Hoven) shows this weekend also.

    Opening night was much of the same cast-wise as many shows I saw last year and the year before and last night seemed to either have debuts or castings I've not seen before (not clear which). Luis Ribagorda and Gabe Stone Shayer seem to be on double duty each show I've seen and are both fantastic: Shayer has been the Cook, Harlequin, a Bee, and Russian. Ribagorda has been the Recruit, Russian, the Butler/Major Domo. It is so great to see him back onstage; he's lost none of the charm and presence from before he left.  Courtney Lavine was the Nanny/Sugar Plum last night and I don't think I saw her as this before--I thought she was charming. She also seems to be cast in everything and doing a great job. I thought Skylar Brandt was disappointing as Chinese on opening night (no crazy pirouettes at the end) but lovely in Nutcracker's sisters. Patrick Frenette was the Recruit last night with Catherine Hurlin as canteen keeper; not sure if this is a debut but he had a lot of faces going on that suggested he wasn't super comfortable with some of the choreography, even behind the eye mask. I have a hard time with the costumes for Snow and Flower--they are SO unflattering for so many of the dancers, especially flowers. They make everyone look like they have a short stocky waists.

    The little kids opening night were excellent--they had all the cues right and the Fritz especially had that "little sh*t" vibe that really sells the role. I saw him onstage last night as part of the kids group and wanted him back in front causing trouble!

    As far as the leads go, Copeland/Simkin were fine, passable. She lacks a lot of twisting and bending that makes the choreography, especially in her solo. Simkin had to save her quickly from falling out of the ending of the a la seconde unsupported pirouette at the end of the pas--though at least they tried it unsupported; Stearns, fairly expertly, made it look as if he let Seo go but kept her in his fingertips. I don't have the same anti-Seo stance that a lot of people have, probably as I haven't seen her in every role whether suitable or not. I thought she was very lush and lovely last night. She and Stearns clearly have a great rapport; he obviously enjoys dancing with her and is so much better at making eye contact and looking like a real person who wants to interact with her. He did a great job at making some of partnering look beautiful especially one of the first lifts where she is gradually raised (dead weight) higher as they spin in a circle. Didn't get a lot of that personal rapport from Copeland/Simkin. Anyway I would rather see Seo again over Copeland or Boylston (probably in most roles, frankly).

    I feel our repeated discussions of the torch lift have made a difference. Neither cast is doing the "stop, leg up into the hand, hoist up" nonsense. There is now a clear running jump and even if it takes an extra push to get the woman in the air, the lift looks SO MUCH BETTER. Perhaps they all needed to see Abrera and Hammoudi pull it off last year to have the confidence.

  2. Yes, she did The Swan last night. But if it is a small injury issue, the Swan is much less demanding than Chopiniana, certainly. AB'sMom will have to let us know about Sunday evening. 

     

    So far LOVED Osmolkina in Chopiniana with perfect Romantic style and lightness. Loved Tereshkina and Kim in Scheherazade--great chemistry. Kim is so ferocious with the way he cuts through air. Enjoyed Kondaurova in the Swan. Liked her less in Scheherazade though only in comparison to Tereshkina. Pretty neutral on Shklyarov  in both Spectre and Scheherazade. Skorik's Swan--it's already a piece I can take only so much of that I really need to like the ballerina in order to enjoy it (layperson S.O. noted that he think it's the perfect vehicle for her though after seeing her in Raymonda and thinking her arms seem radically disconnected from her body). Glad some people are digging it though!

  3. I saw the opening night and don't have time to write more now (going again this evening) but Oxana Skorik was replaced by Osmolkina (hallelujah!) in Chopiniana. The cast sheet didn't specify any reason (it wasn't even noted that there was a replacement being made, though I knew from the online cast sheet that there was a change). Not sure if this is an injury or a replacement due to other reasons.

  4. 6 hours ago, fan2546 said:

    Wish there were at least one cast with Osmolkina, Kondaurova, and Tereshkina together. Does Skorik absolutely have to be in every cast? :(  Nothing against Skorik, just the other three are my favorites. 

     

    Agree (though I am not a fan of Skorik). I ended up purchasing three shows to get a good variety of those three, which was especially difficult to account for Osmolkina yet avoid Skorik in something too major.

  5. I bought tickets to four nights under the assumption there would be a debut or two, so I'm pretty disappointed. I guess it's not painful to see Gillian Murphy or Stella again, but...

     

    Somehow I ended up with two Misty nights based on my pre-casting booking (I guess I should have known she would get opening night). I already swapped one to see Sarah Lane, but I'm trying to decide if I should swap the other to a Seo/Stearns show??

  6. Here is the casting for the run of Ratmanksy's Nutcracker at SCFTA this year. Thanks to AB'sMom who made me aware that the casting has been posted. Really disappointed they aren't any debuts in the leading roles considering the two new principals--Teuscher and Schevchenko--and the frequency with which some of these dancers have appeared in these roles in this theater for the last two years. On a plus note, I will finally get to see Sarah Lane in it. No Hallberg.

     

     

    Quote

     

    Thursday, December 7 at 7 p.m.
    Misty Copeland
    Daniil Simkin

    Friday, December 8 at 7 p.m.
    Sarah Lane
    Herman Cornejo

    Saturday, December 9 at 2 p.m.
    Gillian Murphy
    James Whiteside

    Saturday, December 9 at 7 p.m.
    Stella Abrera
    Alexandre Hammoudi

    Sunday, December 10 at 12:30 p.m.
    Sarah Lane
    Herman Cornejo

    Sunday, December 10 at 5:30 p.m.
    Hee Seo
    Cory Stearns

    Wednesday, December 13 at 7 p.m.
    Misty Copeland
    Daniil Simkin

    Thursday, December 14 at 7 p.m.
    Hee Seo
    Cory Stearns


    Friday, December 15 at 7 p.m.
    Gillian Murphy
    James Whiteside

    Saturday, December 16 at 2 p.m.
    Stella Abrera
    Alexandre Hammoudi

    Saturday, December 16 at 7 p.m.
    Misty Copeland
    Daniil Simkin

    Sunday, December 17 at 12:30 p.m.
    Hee Seo
    Cory Stearns

    Sunday, December 17 at 5:30 p.m.
    Gillian Murphy
    James Whiteside

     


     

     

  7. We have casting! https://www.scfta.org/events/detail.aspx?id=16825

     

    Quote

    Thursday, October 12 at 7:30 p.m.
    Chopiniana

    Oxana Skorik (Seventh Waltz)
    Xander Parish (Mazurka)

    Le Spectre de la Rose
    Vladimir Shklyarov (Le Spectre de la rose)
    Svetlana Ivanova (The Maiden)

    The Swan
    Ekaterina Kondaurova

    Schéhérazade
    Viktoria Tereshkina (Zobeide)
    Kimin Kim (Golden Slave)

    Friday, October 13 at 7:30 p.m.
    Chopiniana

    Anastasia Kolegova (Seventh Waltz)
    Timur Askerov (Mazurka)

    Le Spectre de la Rose
    Philipp Stepin (Le Spectre de la rose)
    Xenia Ostreikovskaya (The Maiden)

    The Swan
    Oxana Skorik

    Schéhérazade
    Ekaterina Kondaurova (Zobeide)
    Vladimir Shklyarov (Golden Slave)

    Saturday, October 14 at 2 p.m.
    Chopiniana

    Yekaterina Osmolkina (Seventh Waltz)
    Philipp Stepin (Mazurka)

    Le Spectre de la Rose
    Vasily Tkachenko (Le Spectre de la rose)
    Yana Selina (The Maiden)

    The Swan
    Viktoria Tereshkina

    Schéhérazade
    Oxana Skorik (Zobeide)
    Xander Parish (Golden Slave)

    Saturday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m.
    Chopiniana

    Anastasia Kolegova (Seventh Waltz)
    Timur Askerov (Mazurka)

    Le Spectre de la Rose
    Kimin Kim (Le Spectre de la rose)
    Svetlana Ivanova (The Maiden)

    The Swan
    Oxana Skorik

    Schéhérazade
    Viktoria Tereshkina (Zobeide)
    Vladimir Shklyarov (Golden Slave)

    Sunday, October 15 at 1 p.m.
    Chopiniana

    Yekaterina Osmolkina (Seventh Waltz)
    Philipp Stepin (Mazurka)

    Le Spectre de la Rose
    Vasily Tkachenko (Le Spectre de la rose)
    Yana Selina (The Maiden)

    The Swan
    Oxana Skorik

    Schéhérazade
    Ekaterina Kondaurova (Zobeide)
    Timur Askerov (Golden Slave)

    Sunday, October 15 at 6:30 p.m.
    Chopiniana

    Oxana Skorik (Seventh Waltz)
    Xander Parish (Mazurka)

    Le Spectre de la Rose
    Vladimir Shklyarov (Le Spectre de la rose)
    Svetlana Ivanova (The Maiden)

    The Swan
    Ekaterina Kondaurova

    Schéhérazade
    Viktoria Tereshkina (Zobeide)
    Kimin Kim (Golden Slave)

     

  8. I saw the first show last night with Misty Copeland, Roberto Bolle, and Nicoletta Manni as Myrtha. Overall it was a nice production and La Scala dancers were nice to watch in the second Act, especially. The two dancers (Alessandra Vassallo and Emanuela Montanari) who were Moyna and Zulme were very light and wispy. The corps of 24 Wilis was well unified and created nice shapes/movement together. However, the whole evening was emotionally empty from the three principals. Misty Copeland was pleasant enough as Giselle in the first act, but once the smiley-peasant Giselle was over she was mostly an empty vessel. The biggest issue were her shoes. They are way too hard and because of that she clomped around the stage for both acts--super noisy pointes which is especially egregious in Giselle, imo. I'm guessing she is wearing such a hard shank to help her get through the hops on pointe, etc, but it is really distracting (she slipped off pointe twice during the hops in Act 1, though she got through more than I was expecting). What I took away from her dancing overall is that she mostly seems to be about moving through steps as quickly as possible to get to a "comfortable" pose for her, whatever that is at the moment. Because of that there is not a lot of musicality or drama and the dancing can look tense. I would rate her first Act higher than the second, but I wasn't emotionally involved with her character especially not in the mad scene. 

     

    Bolle is in great shape but a bit of an empty vessel if he isn't doing the poncey prince bit--hopefully with Nunez he will have a better outing tonight. He sailed through the 32 entrechat sixes but looked like he could have kept going which defeats the whole "dance until death" aspect of the second act. Very solid partnering throughout, though that is to be expected. I thought Nicolette Manni (who will be Giselle today and Myrtha again tomorrow--heavy schedule) had some lovely lightness to her jumps. But she conveyed no authority and there was no real development of Myrtha's character. I can see how she could be a nice Giselle (though I hope she turns on the Romantic style a little...) because she is very petite and light. Hopefully Josette will be able to tell us how she fairs. 

  9. "Interesting" article about why Misty Copeland is appearing with La Scala:

     

    http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-la-scala-ballet-misty-copeland-20170714-story.html

     

    Quote

    Figuring out casting is often a group effort, decided among a company’s directors, but also with input from theater presenters. This was the case with this engagement, because it was more complicated than normal. The Segerstrom Center and Bigonzetti had originally scheduled Bigonzetti’s new production of “Cinderella.” But the choreographer, who has health problems, was forced to resign last fall, and a new program had to be substituted. La Scala is certainly a prestigious troupe, but for the general public, it is a relatively unknown quantity, compared with other companies like ABT and the Joffrey Ballet. In addition, Bolle is its only dancer well-known to local audiences. The decision of both repertory and casting had to be weighed carefully.

     

    Segerstrom Executive Vice President Judy Morr, who has curated the center’s vaunted dance series since 1986, said she was very pleased to have the company perform its “Giselle,” a version of the Jean Coralli-Jules Perrot original that was revived for La Scala by the late French ballerina Yvette Chauviré. Morr said she took part in casting discussions, and was thrilled that Copeland would be appearing on opening night.

     

    “If I am intent upon making sure that there would be what I would call success at the box office, I talk about casting,” Morr said. “I would rarely interfere with an artistic desire on behalf of the company, but I think companies are already concerned about how they appear and what the thoughts are of the people they work with. I can’t imagine that there isn’t a presenter of dance that doesn’t think about how it will shake out and who will dance the first night, the second night.”

     

     

  10. Those are both false equivalencies though. Maybe I could see a stretch to compare Bolle to someone like Vishneva but they (Kotchekova and Bolle) are outsiders and haven't spent 15 years, year-round with ABT.

     

    I'm really appalled by how ABT handled this. I also find it weird the other principals weren't/aren't more vocal in at least sending Veronika off. I'd start worrying when McKenzie was going to do something like this to me.

  11. Not sure how long this has been posted to the Music Center website but this is a line up for Tiler Peck's BalletNow programs.

     

    Quote

    Friday, July 28, 2017 at 7:30pm

    1-2-3-4-5-6 (Dorrance) 5 min      
    Michelle Dorrance, Lil "O" (Virgil Gadson), Tiler Peck and Byron Tittle

    Chutes and Ladders (Justin Peck) 10 min  
    Jeanette Delgado and Kleber Rebello (Miami City Ballet)

    Romeo and Juliet pas de deux (Macmillan) 8 min
    Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside (ABT)

    After the Rain (Wheeldon) 10 min
    Reece Clarke and Lauren Cuthbertson (Royal Ballet) 

    Allegro Brillante (Balanchine) 16 min 
    Preston Chamblee, Harrison Coll, Marcelo Gomes, Rachel Hutsell, Lauren King, Claire Kretzschmar, Lars Nelson, Tiler Peck, Taylor Stanley, Indiana Woodward

    Intermission 

    Fancy Free (Robbins) 30 min
    Jeanette Delgado, Marcelo Gomes, Claire Kretzschmar, Tiler Peck, Cory Stearns, Daniel Ulbricht

    Total running time including intermission: 1 hour, 40 min
    *dancers and program subject to change


    Saturday, July 29, 2017 at 7:30pm


    Time It Was (Irwin/Tiler Peck) 11 – 12 min
    Bill Irwin and Tiler Peck

    Manon pas de deux (MacMillan) 10 min
    Lauren Cuthbertson and Marcelo Gomes 

    Rubies (Balanchine) 6 min
    Isabella Bolyston and James Whiteside

    Carousel (Wheeldon) 5 min
    Zachary Catazaro and Tiler Peck

    In Creases (Peck) 15 min 
    Preston Chamblee, Harrison Coll, Rachel Hutsell, Lauren King, Claire Kretzschmar, Marc Moreau, Taylor Stanley, Indiana Woodward

    Intermission 

    After The Rain (Wheeldon) 8 min
    Reece Clarke and Tiler Peck

    Romeo and Juliet pas de deux (Macmillan) 8 min
    Lauren Cuthbertson and James Whiteside  

    Who Cares? (Balanchine) concert version finale 20 – 30 min

    • Man I Love - Zachary Catazaro and Tiler Peck
    • Stairway to Paradise - Indiana Woodward 
    • Embraceable You - Isabella Boylston and Marcelo Gomes 
    • Fascinatin Rhythym - Tiler Peck 
    • Who Cares - Taylor Stanley and Indiana Woodward
    • My One and Only - Jeanette Delgado 
    • Lyzza - Harrison Coll  or Daniel Ulbricht
    • Finale - Everyone 

    Total running time including intermission: 1 hour, 48 min
    *dancers and program subject to change


    Sunday, July 30, 2017 at 2pm


    In Creases (Peck) 15 min
    Preston Chamblee, Harrison Coll, Rachel Hutsell, Lauren King, Claire Kretzschmar, Marc Moreau, Taylor Stanley, Indiana Woodward

    Romeo and Juliet pas de deux (Macmillan) 8 min
    Isabella Boylston and Marcelo Gomes

    Stars and Stripes (Balanchine) 4 min
    Tiler Peck and Cory Stearns  

    Thais pas de deux (Ashton) 10 min
    Reece Clarke and Lauren Cuthbertson

    Red Angels (Ulysses Dove) 15 min 
    Isabella Bolyston, Preston Chamblee, Tiler Peck, Taylor Stanley

    Intermission 

    Fancy Free (Robbins) 30 min
    Jeanette Delgado, Marcelo Gomes, Claire Kretzschmar, Tiler Peck, Cory Stearns, Daniel Ulbricht

    Total running time including intermission: 1 hour, 42 min 
    *dancers and program subject to change

     

    https://www.musiccenter.org/about/Our-Programs/Glorya-Kaufman-Dance/1617-Season/BalletNow/

     

    I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed as this is happening the same weekend as La Scala in Giselle at SCFTA. These are actually fairly interesting programs and some Balanchine we never get to see here. I have Fri evening and Sat evening tickets to Giselle, but I guess I will be thinking about the Sunday matinee (though I like the program for Saturday evening better). Maybe I should swap my tickets to Giselle? What a horrible conundrum and bad planning by these two competing theaters.

  12. Just wanted to chime in and thank everyone for their reviews; I read them eagerly! Wish I could be seeing all these wonderful debuts. I saw on Lane's instagram that she thanks either/both Irina and Max for the help in the last few days. Good to hear about them coaching especially with the seeming bad blood.

  13. Maps, I'm not clear what you mean. Are you suggesting that La Scala was added at a later date so there may be more dance engagements added, like the Bolshoi Dreamer posted about? La Scala was always included in the series from the start, based on the initial announcement and inside the pdf in your link: http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/41151-scfta-20162017-season/ The program for La Scala did change mid-season (maybe in Feb/March of this year), however, from Cinderella to Giselle (thank god).

  14. 3 hours ago, AB'sMom said:

    I can't fathom what they are thinking with this schedule. I thought the addition of the ABT Gillespie School would mean an increase in classical ballet coming to Segerstrom. Other than Nutcracker, there is only one classical ballet company on the list and no other full length ballet. I'm very disappointed. 

     

     

    I thought the same. I will be writing some emails to Judy Morr (thanks Josette) among others--not that they've emailed subscribers yet. You'd think that would be simultaneous with the announcement.

  15. Here is the official line up posted to the SCFTA Facebook, per the Register. Nothing about the Bolshoi.

     

    http://www.ocregister.com/2017/06/03/segerstrom-center-announces-2017-2018-international-dance-series/

     

    Quote

    Mariinsky Ballet & Orchestra: Oct. 12-15
    Artistic director Valery Gergiev and ballet master Yuri Fateyev present the company performing a tribute to one of the greatest choreographers of the 20th century, Michel Fokine. Dancers will perform “Chopiniana,” “Le Spectre de la Rose,” “The Swan,” and “Scheherazade.”

    Tango Buenos Aires: Nov. 18-19
    The musicians and dancers that make up Tango Buenos Aires promise an authentic production of tango in “Spirit of Argentia.” The work follows the life of Carlos Gardel, a French-Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor and his collaborations with Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla.

    American Ballet Theatre: Dec. 7-17
    As a holiday bonus engagement to the International Dance Series, Alexei Ratmansky’s “The Nutcracker” returns for a seasonal event that features students from the ABT William J. Gillespie School and music by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra.

    Dublin Irish Dance: Feb. 24-25
    Making its center debut, Dublin Irish Dance brings “Stepping Out,” a production that showcases the sights and sounds of Irish culture as performed by world champion Irish step dancers, an eight-member Irish band and a vocalist.

    Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan: March 16-18
    Choreographer Lin Hwai-min’s contemporary ballet, “Formosa,” is based on a legend from the 16th century when Portuguese sailors were said to have first discovered Taiwan and exclaimed, “formosa” or “beautiful island.” The company’s movement incorporates traditional Asian gesture, martial arts, acrobatics and more. This will be the company’s first time performing at Segerstrom.

    Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre: April 14, 18 and 19-22
    Founded in 1958 and designated as an American cultural ambassador to the world, the celebrated modern dance company returns to the center with a program of works from the company’s repertoire including the iconic, “Revelations.”  The engagement includes a free event on the center’s plaza as well as an hour-long moderated performance in Segerstrom Hall.

     

     

    Grim. Not renewing my subscription. The first weekend of the Nutcracker overlaps with Miami City Ballet's Nut at Dorothy Chandler. Poor scheduling.

  16. 2 hours ago, sandik said:

    This isn't my home turf, and so I don't have any inside information about their marketing strategy, but I did notice that, on their main website's drop-down menu, "ballet" is a separate listing (as are "modern dance" and "dance"), so they do think of those as distinct entities.  Interestingly, the upcoming Giselle by the La Scala company is the only group in that category right now -- the Eifman company, the Maryinsky, and a gala for Festival Ballet Theater are all listed under "dance." 

     

    Yes and the subscription is a "Dance" subscription, not ballet, but still I think the offerings are poor as a general dance subscription.

     

    I wonder if there has been a fallout with Ardani? Is Ardani still doing Mariinsky and Bolshoi tours?

  17. 11 hours ago, Josette said:

    I have had a subscription for 17 years, but I can't see spending nearly $500 for this programming when I can go up to San Francisco or Seattle for excellent ballet. I assume that ABT is doing Nutcracker but it's outside the subscription. 

     

    The Mariinsky did a Fokine evening several years ago with Firebird and Scheherazade and some other ballet (probably Chopiniana). 

     

    What is going on? 

     

     I won't be renewing my subscription if this this actually the dance season. I left halfway through the tango program the last time it was here--not interested.

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