Kennedy Center 2012-2013 Season Announced

[emilienne]

The video of the announcement here.

October 16-21: Mariinsky Ballet in Ratmansky's Cinderella

November 7-11: Suzanne Farrell Ballet in a mix repertory program (two premieres, Valse-Fantasie and the second movement of Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet)

November 13-18: San Francisco Ballet, (EDIT) Romeo and Juliet

December 5-9: Ballet West in Nutcracker

January 18-27: National Ballet of Canada in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

March 26-31: New York City Ballet in two mixed repertory programs

April 9-14: American Ballet Theatre in Le Corsaire and also a mixed repertory program

June 4-9: Ballet Across America II (EDIT: Ballet Austin, Boston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Pennsylvania Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, Washington Ballet).

Edited March 7, 2012 by emilienne

[cinnamonswirl]

Hmmm. That's an awful lot of TBAs for a season announcement. It's great the Mariinsky is back, but it's disappointing they are the only international company other than our Canadian friends.

Thanks for posting, emilienne.

[abatt]

The press release on line indicated that San Fran. Ballet is bringing Helgi T's Romeo & Juliet.

[Jack Reed]

The announcement doesn't say which Valse Fantaisie TSFB is presenting. I'm hoping for the smaller-cast 1953 one (four principals, three women, one man, no corps) which I've seen MCB dance, rather than the "larger"-cast 1967 one (principal couple, four women).

[emilienne]

Jack, given that it is not noted as a company premiere, my guess is that TSFB will present the 1953 version that they performed 2-3 years ago, with four dancers.

EDIT: I was thinking of the MCB version. Ignore, do not read. Think about bunnies.

[Jack Reed]

Which presumably I saw then. (How embarrassing! That'll teach me to post late in the night...) Thanks for that, and for posting the announcement, emilienne.

No, wait! The TSFB repertory list doesn't list that title either on its own (as the 1953 one was performed originally) or as part of Glinkiana (as the 1967 one was performed originally). So maybe we do have a company premiere here, and I didn't forget seeing it before?

Edited March 7, 2012 by Jack Reed

[emilienne]

Jack is right as usual. I was thinking of the MCB's four person Valse Fantasie, which I saw in Chicago. I'll slink off and correct my initial post then...

I guess Valse Fantasie and the second movement of Brahms-Schoenberg are the premieres. If so, what are the other pieces on the program?

(in weary anticipation...)

[Natalia]

Other than the potential mixed bills of TSFB, this season is not exciting. The ABT Corsaires are good for Washingtonians who haven't seen this lovely staging in NYC and/or missed the late-1990s PBS telecast and DVD. (So who among us have never-ever seen this ABT Corsaire in one form or another?)

The most pathetic factoid: only one non-North American ballet company is listed: the Mariinsky, dancing the same-old 'El Cheapo Cinderella' by Ratmansky that Washington already saw in 2005 with multiple casts. Really - bad - ballet. Luxurious scaffolding as the set. They broke the bank with this one.

Didn't the Kennedy Center read the reviews and fan comments on Wheeldon's gawd-awful Alice in Wonderland production when it premiered at the Royal Ballet two years ago? Or is the idea to pander to unsuspecting families? [Washington Ballet is set to perform a superior version of Alice next month at the Kenn Cen.]

Why bother with a 'Ballet Across America Festival week? This entire season is Ballet Across America!

Enjoy the Bolshoi's Coppelia in May and POB's Giselle this June...."That's All, Folks!" (as Loony Tunes/Porky Pig reminds us)

[Birdsall]

Didn't the Kennedy Center read the reviews and fan comments on Wheeldon's gawd-awful Alice in Wonderland production when it premiered at the Royal Ballet two years ago? Or is the idea to pander to unsuspecting families? [Washington Ballet is set to perform a superior version of Alice next month at the Kenn Cen.]

I think someone on Ballet Talk said that the Alice in Wonderland is being re-done to add more dancing. Maybe it will be better. I think that has been the main complaint about the new Alice. Not enough dancing. I sort of agree with that, b/c I bought the video. I actually enjoyed it, although it would never be on my top 10 or 20 list. But it is entertaining. If more dancing is added I think it might be much better. Maybe they've already added more dancing!

[Natalia]

Bart Birdsall, that would be good...more real dancing and less pantomime for Alice. I'm basing my thoughts on the RB DVD, too, starring Cuthbertson. I also had concerns about her looking too senior for the part but we won't be getting her with the Canadians.

As far as the KennCen season is concerned, there is one silver lining. DC is not getting Neumeier's Little Mermaid, which OC Perf Arts Center and some others are getting. (Thank you, ballet gods! No offence to my friends in S'ern California.)

So let's count the full-evening Petipa-Era ballets in the mix, beside the mandatory Nutcracker: One -- ABT's Corsaire. C'est tout.

Let's hope for many Bolshoi & POB 'Live in Cinemas' events next year. I'll save my money for those.

[Birdsall]

As far as the KennCen season is concerned, there is one silver lining. DC is not getting Neumeier's Little Mermaid, which OC Perf Arts Center and some others are getting. (Thank you, ballet gods! No offence to my friends in S'ern California.)

Let's hope for many Bolshoi & POB 'Live in Cinemas' events next year. I'll save my money for those.

I liked Neumeier's Little Mermaid! LOL

I do love traditional Petipa ballets, and also hope the Bolshoi continues to do Ballet in Cinema showings, but occasionally I like to see something modern and unusual!