Jerome Robbin's Celebration beginning

[Welsely]

I have to say, with the first two weeks of casting already up and the season starting next week, I'm so excited about the Jerome Robbins Celebration! I haven't been able to see the company perform much over the past couple of seasons, but I feel with the Celebration it is a great time to be a little more dedicated to seeing the ballet. Though my feelings for Robbins ballets have always been conflicting, it's going to be great to finally see some ballets that I haven't seen in years. Looking over the subscriptions on the New York City Ballet, I could recall seeing so many of these ballets when they first premiered, and the cast that made them so wonderful (at most part). I tried to make sure that the series I was subscribing to would give me a wide variety of the ballets going, most part to see the most interesting Robbins ballets and also to get some Balanchine in there at the same time. I definitely made sure that I was going to see the ballets being revived (such as Les Noces, Brahms/Handel, and Watermill). To all of those who are planning going to the Celebration some time this season, I wish you guys a wonderful experience!

[carbro]

NYCB has posted on YouTube a number of interviews Robbins' associates. I found Eliot Feld's reminiscences particularly interesting. He traces his relationship to Robbins back to the time when he (Feld) was the first Nutcracker Prince and Robbins was helping with the choreography for the Act I battle scene. Stick with it until the story when they are seated one behind the other at a Royal Ballet performance of the Royal Ballet.

When this was filmed, Feld was bearded (may still be). Interesting. Hard to see traces of Baby John in his face now.

[whetherwax]

Even at the other end of the ballet world we are having a Jerome Robbins celebration in Melbourne. The Australian Ballet is doing some short works of his this June. I even have a balcony seat to a matinee. (I'll have to take my binoculars.)

[whetherwax]

I meant to add that they are doing; The Cage, Suite of Dances, Afternoon of a Faun, The Concert.