volcanohunter Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 (edited) Although the National Ballet of Canada isn't planning to resume its regular season until March 2021, it will perform Robert Binet's The Dreamers Ever Leave You at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre on October 9-17. The piece was originally performed at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and I imagine that this time the audience won't be allowed to wander through the room. https://national.ballet.ca/Productions/The-Dreamers-Ever-Leave-You The company will also hold an open rehearsal of a new piece by Kevin A. Ormsby at the AGO on October 22 and 23. ("Rehearsals for Mr. Ormsby’s new work begin in mid-September.") https://ago.ca/events/ago-live-national-ballet-canada It has also commissioned a piece from Jera Wolfe. The choice of choreographers is considered. Ormsby is Black, Wolfe is Indigenous. Both are men. Edited September 17, 2020 by volcanohunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 Dancers at the POB and other French companies are back at work and becoming infected. Thanks to naomikage for spotting this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 "Royal Ballet announces October comeback with 100 dancers "Performance involving full company will feature duets thanks to couples in bubbles" "The company already has three real-life couples in the shape of Mayara Magri and Matthew Ball, Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales, and Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke. It has created seven more bubbles to allow close contact including the superstar pairing of Marianela Nuñez and Vadim Muntagirov. Other pairs include Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano; Yasmine Naghdi and Nicol Edmonds; and Akane Takada and Federico Bonelli." The performance on October 9th will be livestreamed for a charge. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/sep/23/royal-ballet-announces-october-comeback-with-100-dancers-and-duets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
California Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 26 minutes ago, volcanohunter said: "Royal Ballet announces October comeback with 100 dancers "Performance involving full company will feature duets thanks to couples in bubbles" "The company already has three real-life couples in the shape of Mayara Magri and Matthew Ball, Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales, and Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke. It has created seven more bubbles to allow close contact including the superstar pairing of Marianela Nuñez and Vadim Muntagirov. Other pairs include Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano; Yasmine Naghdi and Nicol Edmonds; and Akane Takada and Federico Bonelli." The performance on October 9th will be livestreamed for a charge. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/sep/23/royal-ballet-announces-october-comeback-with-100-dancers-and-duets Here's the information on the Royal Ballet web site: https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/the-royal-ballet-back-on-stage-details Impressive list of dancers, but I'm going to wait to see what they are performing. I would love to see some dazzling PdD that might be performed at a gala. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 It will be interesting to see what they choose to perform. Razzle-dazzle pieces may not work as well when there isn't an audience in the hall to respond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandyMcKean Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 (edited) I saw this today in the online Guardian: Quote The plan is to perform classic pieces by choreographers including Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan and George Balanchine. Contemporary highlights will include work by Wayne McGregor, Christopher Wheeldon, Cathy Marston, Hofesh Shechter and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. The two-and-a-half-hour evening will finish with double the usual number of dancers in MacMillan’s feelgood showstopper Elite Syncopations. ......and....... Quote The company already has three real-life couples in the shape of Mayara Magri and Matthew Ball, Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales, and Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke. It has created seven more bubbles to allow close contact including the superstar pairing of Marianela Nuñez and Vadim Muntagirov. Other pairs include Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano; Yasmine Naghdi and Nicol Edmonds; and Akane Takada and Federico Bonelli. Edited September 23, 2020 by SandyMcKean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AB'sMom Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 Meanwhile the Met has announced that they will remain closed through the entire 2020-2021 season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 (edited) SandyMcKean Quote: "The company already has three real-life couples in the shape of Mayara Magri and Matthew Ball, Francesca Hayward and Cesar ::, and Fumi Kaneko and Reece Clarke. It has created seven more bubbles to allow close contact including the superstar pairing of Marianela Nuñez and Vadim Muntagirov. Other pairs include Sarah Lamb and Ryoichi Hirano; Yasmine Naghdi and Nicol Edmonds; and Akane Takada and Federico Bonelli." Seems like a good idea. Added: The Bolshoi may be having some problems. “We understand that coronavirus has not gone anywhere, the epidemic is continuing,” said the Bolshoi’s general director, Vladimir Urin. “Unfortunately, in the current situation, it can become part of our everyday lives that at short notice we can no longer put things on.” He said the theatre was working to ensure there were always understudies available to avoid cancellations happening too often. The Bolshoi is selling only 50% of the seats for all productions, and there are temperature checks on entry. Masks are meant to be mandatory, but at a performance of the ballet Romeo and Juliet last week, audio messages imploring people to wear masks were ignored by most in the audience. The bar during the intervals was packed with unmasked spectators enjoying champagne and cake. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/23/bolshois-return-stumbles-after-performers-test-positive-for-covid-19-russia (Thanks to Jan McNulty at BalletcoForum) Perhaps folks should keep an eye on the Kabuki Theatre in Japan which after about a month was still having live big groups on stage performances with large audiences. (Please see my September 7 post) Edited September 23, 2020 by Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 I wonder how reliable the Royal Ballet's bubble of Akane Takada and Federico Bonelli can really be, since he is currently at La Scala dancing with Alessandra Ferri, in the "abandon" duet from Le Parc, no less. (As for the Bolshoi's audience, not only are they not wearing masks, but video shows that during curtain calls they crowd around the orchestra pit, shoulder to shoulder, and shout out "bravo!", just like the old days. And then the claque visits the stage door area, in masks, but with what seems to me like precious little consideration for the artists they claim to love so dearly.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 "Moscow Mayor Urges Companies To Let Employees Work From Home As Coronavirus Cases Rise" Quote Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has asked Russia’s top companies operating in the capital to again have some employees work from home after new daily cases of COVID-19 reached a three-month high... The number of daily new infections from the coronavirus in Moscow rose on September 24 to 1,055, the highest since June, RBK reported. It represents a nearly 60 percent increase since the middle of September. Hospitalizations in the capital have also increased. https://www.rferl.org/a/moscow-mayor-urges-companies-to-let-employees-work-from-home-as-coronavirus-cases-rise/30856427.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 The opera house in Perm is closing for two weeks as of tomorrow. The administrative staff will be working from home, artists will shelter in place, and the theater will undergo a deep clean. At present only 2 employees have tested positive, but infections are rising in the area, which presumably puts the audience at risk. (Sorry, as far as I can tell this information hasn't been posted in English yet.) https://www.permopera.ru/media/mediatec/93121/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pherank Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 (edited) Oopera Baletti [Finnish National Opera and Ballet] is performing Le Corsaire right now in Finland. It looks to me like a reduced-size production: https://oopperabaletti.fi/en/repertoire-and-tickets/le-corsaire/ The dancers are appearing sans mask, but the audience members have to observe certain social distancing rules: Edited September 25, 2020 by pherank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 The Vienna State Ballet returned to the stage of the Vienna State Opera yesterday with Jewels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naomikage Posted September 26, 2020 Share Posted September 26, 2020 Polish National Ballet has finished their run of Manuel Legris' Le Corsaire successfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 On 9/17/2020 at 4:46 PM, volcanohunter said: Although the National Ballet of Canada isn't planning to resume its regular season until March 2021, it will perform Robert Binet's The Dreamers Ever Leave You at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre on October 9-17. The piece was originally performed at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and I imagine that this time the audience won't be allowed to wander through the room. https://national.ballet.ca/Productions/The-Dreamers-Ever-Leave-You Well, that didn't last long. Owing to new Covid-19 restrictions in Toronto, performances from October 10th onward have been postponed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 (edited) The program of today's streamed performance by the Royal Ballet. https://stream.roh.org.uk/packages/the-royal-ballet-back-on-stage-1/videos/the-royal-ballet-back-on-stage THE SLEEPING BEAUTY OVERTURE UNTOUCHABLE EXCERPT Choreography HOFESH SHECHTER Dancers LUCA ACRI, MICA BRADBURY, ANNETTE BUVOLI, HARRY CHURCHES, ASHLEY DEAN, LEO DIXON, TÉO DUBREUIL, BENJAMIN ELLA, ISABELLA GASPARINI, HANNAH GRENNELL, JAMES HAY, JOSHUA JUNKER, PAUL KAY, ISABEL LUBACH, KRISTEN MCNALLY, AIDEN O’BRIEN, ROMANY PAJDAK, CALVIN RICHARDSON, FRANCISCO SERRANO and DAVID YUDES SWAN LAKE ACT II PAS DE DEUX Choreography LEV IVANOV ODETTE AKANE TAKADA PRINCE SIEGFRIED FEDERICO BONELLI IN OUR WISHES Choreography CATHY MARSTON Dancers FUMI KANEKO and REECE CLARKE JEWELS ‘DIAMONDS’ PAS DE DEUX Choreography GEORGE BALANCHINE Dancers SARAH LAMB and RYOICHI HIRANO CAROUSEL ‘IF I LOVED YOU’ PAS DE DEUX Choreography KENNETH MACMILLAN Dancers MAYARA MAGRI and MATTHEW BALL WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR FINALE Choreography CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON Dancers ANNA ROSE O’SULLIVAN, MARCELINO SAMBÉ, FUMI KANEKO, REECE CLARKE, YASMINE NAGHDI and NICOL EDMONDS ASHLEY DEAN, ISABELLA GASPARINI, HANNAH GRENNELL, ROMANY PAJDAK, LUCA ACRI, DAVID DONNELLY, TÉO DUBREUIL and BENJAMIN ELLA THE DREAM Choreography FREDERICK ASHTON SCHERZO OBERON WILLIAM BRACEWELL PUCK VALENTINO ZUCCHETTI PEASEBLOSSOM MICA BRADBURY COBWEB LETICIA DIAS MOTH ASHLEY DEAN MUSTARDSEED ISABELLA GASPARINI PAS DE DEUX TITANIA LAURA MORERA OBERON ALEXANDER CAMPBELL LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE ACT I PAS DE DEUX Choreography FREDERICK ASHTON LISE ANNA ROSE O’SULLIVAN COLAS MARCELINO SAMBÉ ROMEO AND JULIET ACT I PAS DE DEUX Choreography KENNETH MACMILLAN JULIET FRANCESCA HAYWARD ROMEO CESAR CORRALES MEDUSA SOLO Choreography SIDI LARBI CHERKAOUI MEDUSA NATALIA OSIPOVA WOOLF WORKS FROM ‘I NOW, I THEN’ Choreography WAYNE MCGREGOR Dancers EDWARD WATSON, AKANE TAKADA and CALVIN RICHARDSON DON QUIXOTE ACT III PAS DE DEUX Choreography MARIUS PETIPA KITRI MARIANELA NUÑEZ BASILIO VADIM MUNTAGIROV DONCASTER DANCES Highlights from the Royal Opera House Learning and Participation dance film made in collaboration with The Royal Ballet, Cast and Doncaster Council CHARLOTTE TONKINSON, JOSEPH AUMEER, DAVID PICKERING and RESIDENTS OF DONCASTER ELITE SYNCOPATIONS Choreography KENNETH MACMILLAN Sunflower Slow Drag THE COMPANY Elite Syncopations THE COMPANY The Cascades CLAIRE CALVERT, GINA STORM-JENSEN and ROMANY PAJDAK Hot-House Rag BENJAMIN ELLA, TÉO DUBREUIL, FERNANDO MONTAÑO and DAVID YUDES Calliope Rag CLAIRE CALVERT The Golden Hours MEAGHAN GRACE HINKIS and LUCA ACRI Stop Time Rag YASMINE NAGHDI The Alaskan Rag MELISSA HAMILTON and PAUL KAY Bethena (Concert Waltz) YASMINE NAGHDI and NICOL EDMONDS Friday Night JAMES HAY Cataract Rag THE COMPANY SOPHIE ALLNATT, MADISON BAILEY, GRACE BLUNDELL, MICA BRADBURY, ANNETTE BUVOLI, ASHLEY DEAN, LETICIA DIAS, ISABELLA GASPARINI, HANNAH GRENNELL, NATHALIE HARRISON, BOMIN KIM, ISABEL LUBACH, SAE MAEDA, NADIA MULLOVA-BARLEY, KATHARINA NIKELSKI, HANNA PARK, MADDISON PRITCHARD, MARIKO SASAKI, CHARLOTTE TONKINSON, MARIANNA TSEMBENHOI, YU HANG and GINEVRA ZAMBON JOSEPH AUMEER, HARRIS BELL, LIAM BOSWELL, LUKAS BJØRNEBOE BRÆNDSRØD, HARRY CHURCHES, LEO DIXON, DAVID DONNELLY, BRAYDEN GALLUCCI, DAICHI IKARASHI, JOSHUA JUNKER, JAMES LARGE, TAISUKE NAKAO, MARCO MASCIARI, AIDEN O’BRIEN, GIACOMO ROVERO, FRANCISCO SERRANO and STANISŁAW WĘGRZYN Edited October 10, 2020 by volcanohunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynette H Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 The RB programme of Friday 9th had a small invited audience (Distanced) in the house - students from the Upper School, and some health workers. So there was a surprising amount of applause to give a sense of occasion. The evening ran for nearly three hours - good value but a break would have been more comfortable. There are two ballet programmes planned for November according to an ROH email sent to Friends. One runs 4th - 7th November, and the second 10th to 14th. For these there will be some seats available in the house, or I think you can opt for live streaming. (That's the way the two opera programmes currently on sale are presented). No details on content yet except that one is supposed to include a full version of Elite Syncopations and the second a full version of Within the Golden Hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pherank Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Lynette H said: The RB programme of Friday 9th had a small invited audience (Distanced) in the house - students from the Upper School, and some health workers. So there was a surprising amount of applause to give a sense of occasion. The evening ran for nearly three hours - good value but a break would have been more comfortable. There are two ballet programmes planned for November according to an ROH email sent to Friends. One runs 4th - 7th November, and the second 10th to 14th. For these there will be some seats available in the house, or I think you can opt for live streaming. (That's the way the two opera programmes currently on sale are presented). No details on content yet except that one is supposed to include a full version of Elite Syncopations and the second a full version of Within the Golden Hour. Wow, no breaks? That may be asking a bit much. What was the Marston piece like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynette H Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 From reviews in the Financial Times and others it appears that there was an interval for those in the hall, and we at home were watching something billed as live but which had in fact started earlier and was being shown with a half hour or so delay. The Marston piece is new to the RB. It is from a longer narrative work she made in 2014, based on Three Sisters, and the excerpt shows us the emotionally fraught interactions between Masha and Vershinin. There isn't much background detail available from the ROH that I've found. Kaneko and Clark have an understandably strong connection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted October 15, 2020 Share Posted October 15, 2020 (edited) I'm not sorry I purchased access to the Royal Ballet's program, but I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed it. So much of the dancing was slowed down to the extreme and focused more on emphatic accents rather than movement, which I put down to misguided coaching. The Marston and McGregor pieces felt like discombobulated suffering, there was the grotesquely overblown orchestration of Don Quixote, and the onstage chats after every other number were extremely frustrating; after two or three of these interruptions I began skipping over them. But I had no complaints about Anna Rose O'Sullivan or Yasmine Naghdi. The orchestra players were spaced far apart, taking up the entire orchestra level, with the invited RBS students, and health care workers and their families sitting in the rings. Edited October 15, 2020 by volcanohunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pherank Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Sorry if this was linked to elsewhere... The Bubble Doctor Is In: She Keeps Dance Companies Moving "Enter Dr. Wendy Ziecheck, a Manhattan internist, who trained with George Balanchine’s doctor and was the medical director for the Rockettes before taking this unlikely new career path. She is currently supervising a bubble for Dance Theater of Harlem, which recently traveled together to the secluded residency center, Kaatsbaan, in Tivoli, N.Y., to work for three weeks. (While there, the dancers will chat on Zoom to patrons, and host a dance party, during the company’s virtual gala on Monday.)" https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/arts/dance/wendy-ziecheck-bubble-doctor-for-dance.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helene Posted October 20, 2020 Author Share Posted October 20, 2020 Ballet West is re-opening at 20% capacity and social distancing precautions and policies for eight performances of a triple bill -- Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs, Archibald's Tides, and Fonte's Faraway Close -- from November 6-14:. Here's the press release: BALLET WEST RETURNS TO THE STAGE WITH TRIPLE BILL, HEADLINED BY TWYLA THARP’S NINE SINATRA SONGS Salt Lake City, UT— Ballet West is thrilled to return to the stage for the opening of the 57th season with a triple bill featuring one of Twyla Tharp’s most popular works, Nine Sinatra Songs, November 6-14. To allow for generous social distancing, the program will have eight performances at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre with tickets starting at just $26. The program opens with the world premiere of Jennifer Archibald’s Tides. Combining classical ballet with elements of modern dance and hip-hop, Tides is a powerful exploration of the constant state of change we find ourselves in the world today. A graduate of The Ailey School, Archibald’s ballets are known for their dynamism and raw athleticism; “I don’t want to make dancer’s look like a butterfly,” she recently remarked. “I want to showcase the power of a female ballerina.” Ballet West audiences witnessed this fierce movement when she presented her world premiere work, Myoho on the Cincinnati Ballet as part of Ballet West’s Choreographic Festival in 2018. The program continues with yet another world premiere by Ballet West Resident Choreographer Nicolo Fonte. Faraway Close is a moving, introspective portrait of human interaction during these challenging times. A master of creating relationships on stage that tell deeply emotional stories, “he is a storyteller first, and a brilliant choreographer second,” said the Deseret News after he presented an all new Carmina Burana in 2017. Both Archibald and Fonte have created their new ballets in ‘pods’ with the dancers working on the choreography with masks on, in separate groups. Physical partnering and close contact is only between married or household couples. “Our dancers and choreographers have been ecstatic to return to the studios safely,” said Artistic Director Adam Sklute. “Using ingenuity and creativity, our artists create art and--with our careful precautions in the theater and on the stage--we are blessed to be able to perform for our public”. Closing the show is the Ballet West revival of Twyla Tharp’s iconic Nine Sinatra Songs. In a glittering ballroom, seven glamorous couples interact with romance, humor, irony, and charm as they swing, tango, and cha-cha while being serenaded by the “Chairman of the Board,” Frank Sinatra. “Twyla’s work in Nine Sinatra Songs is elegant, funny, and ultimately deeply moving. It is sure to send people home feeling good,” said Artistic Director Adam Sklute. “Indeed, the whole program is a celebration of our humanity and a testament that the human spirit can transcend”. The COVID-19 Impacted Businesses Grant Program, known as Shop in Utah allows Ballet West to apply a 40 percent discount to every ticket, while supplies last, making some seats as low as $21.00. Patrons may use promotional code SIU409SS when purchasing to apply the Shop in Utah discount. All patrons will be required to wear masks in the lobby and throughout the performance. To promote physical distancing, the Capitol Theatre will only be at 20 percent capacity, leaving ample room between patrons. For more information about the extra safety precautions Ballet West is instituting, please read: www.balletwest.org/covid. With limited capacity, performances will sell out quickly, tickets for Nine Sinatra Songs are now available at BalletWest.org, or by calling the Ballet West Box Office, at (801) 869-6900. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pherank Posted November 20, 2020 Share Posted November 20, 2020 From today's e-mail from SFB: SF Ballet School Students Are Back! Advanced SF Ballet School students have moved into the brand-new Bowes Center dormitory and are taking in-person technique classes. Learn how we've made it all happen, from the school faculty, to parents and students, and to the city of San Francisco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pherank Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 In addition to online digital offerings, City Ballet of San Diego is offering the following live Nutcracker performances: THE NUTCRACKERLive On Stage at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Part of the Concerts in Your Car Series SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 5:00pm and 8:00pm City Ballet's The Nutcracker performed LIVE on stage in the round. All from the comfort and safety of your own vehicle. https://www.holidaysinyourcar.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 The Paris Opera is planning to resume performances on December 15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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