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Ariana Lallone to Leave at the End of the 2010-11 Season


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A photo of Lallone and a short tribute has been published in Seattle Times "Picture This".

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/picturethis/2014632303_pt_ballerina_lallone.html?prmid=head_main

I love photographs that break the rules of photography as this one does. It's 'moving' in many senses.

I've never seen Lallone dance live, only on what has, over the years, become my favorite ballet DVD: PNB's Midsummer Night's Dream where, among a standout cast, she stands out as Hippolyta.

Best wishes to her in the future.

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If PNB does Prodigal Son in the future, it will strange to see others as Siren.

I thought Lindsi Dec did a terrific job as Siren last time. Lindsi is not quite as tall as Ariana, but mighty close. I don't remember if Laura Gilbreath has ever done the Siren, but I do most emphatically remember Laura as the Peacock in the Nutcracker. as well as Laura's recent interpretation in the 2nd movement of Robbins' "Glass Pieces" (a similar sensuous role)......her tall Siren might rival Ariana's too. From where I sit, we are in good hands (legs??.... :wink:).

More directly on Lallone's departure, I can only join the chorus of fans sad to see her go. I've said elsewhere on this board that Ariana was the first dancer who grabbed me so strongly that I started to see her as a person instead of a idealized and generic dancer. Until Ariana, all dancers were essentially faceless to me. I loved to see their "other worldly" perfection, but I never stopped to think that each of them was an individual dancer with an individual and very distinctive style. Ariana changed all that for me. She broke the ice for me, and my "career" as a balletomane began. For that I will always be grateful to her.

I guess we could speculate endlessly about why Ariana and the others are leaving. My preferred guess is that we are on financially hard times. Some older dancers would have to retire in the not too distant future in any case, and certainly principals save the biggest bucks (not to mention opening up promotion possibilities all the way down to line). Perhaps as painful as it is to all of us (primarily to the dancers of course), the "right" decisions are being made. "Right" decisions can be very, very difficult to make sometimes, and it takes true leadership to make them. I'd like to think my guess is the correct one. Certainly no one is happy about all this.

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