canbelto Posted December 22, 2020 Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 Scottish Ballet: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sofiabn Posted December 22, 2020 Share Posted December 22, 2020 The Nutcracker – A Christmas Carol by The Czech National Ballet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sofiabn Posted December 22, 2020 Share Posted December 22, 2020 Nutcracker Kremlin Ballet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canbelto Posted December 22, 2020 Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 New England Dance Ensemble also streaming their Nut: https://www.goodheartmedia.com/nutcracker2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canbelto Posted December 22, 2020 Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 Kiev Ballet: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canbelto Posted December 23, 2020 Author Share Posted December 23, 2020 In which I compare the four Balanchine Nutcrackers I streamed: https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2020/12/balanchines-nutcracker-pops-up.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canbelto Posted December 23, 2020 Author Share Posted December 23, 2020 One more: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
California Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 2 hours ago, canbelto said: In which I compare the four Balanchine Nutcrackers I streamed: https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2020/12/balanchines-nutcracker-pops-up.html Very interesting -- thank you. I'm curious what you think of the NYCB Nutcracker included in the Medici.tv subscription. It's a 2011 recording with Megan Fairchild and Joaquin De Luz. I assume NYCB wasn't happy about the competition with their Marque for-sale version, but couldn't undo the contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canbelto Posted December 23, 2020 Author Share Posted December 23, 2020 5 minutes ago, California said: Very interesting -- thank you. I'm curious what you think of the NYCB Nutcracker included in the Medici.tv subscription. It's a 2011 recording with Megan Fairchild and Joaquin De Luz. I assume NYCB wasn't happy about the competition with their Marque for-sale version, but couldn't undo the contract. I liked that video a lot for Tiler Peck's Marzipan, Tess's Coffee, Ashley Bouder's Dewdrop. I felt Megan and Joaquin lacked a little magic. The best Balanchine Nutcracker IMO is the 1993 film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 Yes, I like the 1993 film very much, narration notwithstanding. But I have to admit I didn't like the Danish production at all. I was particularly baffled by the unnaturalness of the acting. My viewing companion kept asking whether it was student production, because the quality of the dancing seemed so unsatisfactory. But then during these long months of streaming and watching companies less familiar to me, I've become much more inclined to visit Amsterdam in the future, and much less inclined to visit Stuttgart or Copenhagen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
California Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 45 minutes ago, volcanohunter said: I've become much more inclined to visit Amsterdam in the future, and much less inclined to visit Stuttgart or Copenhagen. I'm still hoping Royal Danish stages a big Bournonville festival again someday. It's been many years since they did that and will be my excuse to visit Copenhagen. https://danceviewtimes.typepad.com/eva_kistrup/2018/06/fighting-for-bournonville.html Although the festival [2015] present (sic) an amount of Bournonville, it is not officially named as a Bournonville Festival. It does appears 13 years since the last Bournonville Festival in 2005, which in its turn was 13 years later than the second Bournonville Festival in 1992, that followed 13 years after the first glorious festival in 1979. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
California Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 1 hour ago, canbelto said: One more: Definitely worth watching! More innovation from the dance community. I would love to visit that estate in the daytime in good weather. I was intrigued with the see-through masks in the living room and wonder how effective they are -- nice to actually see faces! I didn't like the inclusion of an old-fashioned handshake -- as Dr. Fauci said recently, those should be banished to the dustbin of history even after the pandemic subsides. Wonderful to see Sara Mearns as SPF. Very nice production. Hope they made a little money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pherank Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 1 hour ago, California said: I was intrigued with the see-through masks in the living room and wonder how effective they are -- nice to actually see faces! I've wondered why this type of mask wasn't being researched more - a few weeks ago I saw a TV segment about a young woman making masks for the families and friends of the deaf. Since the deaf rely upon lip reading to understand what other people are saying, it was necessary to find a way to leave the mouth are exposed, visually speaking. So her innovation was to create a plastic window over the mouth area with normal mask material everywhere else. These masks definitely look like plastic shields, so there's not going to be any penetration through the plastic, but there's got to be a way to move air in an out (and filter it) so I assume that is happening on the top and bottom areas of the mask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canbelto Posted December 24, 2020 Author Share Posted December 24, 2020 35 minutes ago, pherank said: I've wondered why this type of mask wasn't being researched more - a few weeks ago I saw a TV segment about a young woman making masks for the families and friends of the deaf. Since the deaf rely upon lip reading to understand what other people are saying, it was necessary to find a way to leave the mouth are exposed, visually speaking. So her innovation was to create a plastic window over the mouth area with normal mask material everywhere else. These masks definitely look like plastic shields, so there's not going to be any penetration through the plastic, but there's got to be a way to move air in an out (and filter it) so I assume that is happening on the top and bottom areas of the mask. From what I understand the cloth masks favored by people are more comfortable and easier to add a filter. I know that I prefer cloth masks when I'll be wearing them for awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novice123 Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 I've not seen this particular clear face mask before. Clear face mask, or partial clear face mask, can be more effective if made properly because the plastic is impenetrable. However, there need to be surface area that are "breathable and filterable". This particular version has such a large surface area reserved for the clear plastic that I can't figure out where the breathable section would be. I saw thick foam like materials in the bottom section between the mask and the chin. I assume there's a similar foam like section along the nose bridge area. Perhaps they will tell us via Instagram. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novice123 Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 35 minutes ago, Novice123 said: I've not seen this particular clear face mask before. Clear face mask, or partial clear face mask, can be more effective if made properly because the plastic is impenetrable. However, there need to be surface area that are "breathable and filterable". This particular version has such a large surface area reserved for the clear plastic that I can't figure out where the breathable section would be. I saw thick foam like materials in the bottom section between the mask and the chin. I assume there's a similar foam like section along the nose bridge area. Perhaps they will tell us via Instagram. I did some research and found it. It is an FDA approved mask. There's a "surgical" version and a consumer version. Search for "clearmask' and you'll find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pherank Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 2 minutes ago, Novice123 said: I did some research and found it. It is an FDA approved mask. There's a "surgical" version and a consumer version. Search for "clearmask' and you'll find it. Thank you, Novice123. The use of the grounds and the road leading up to the Wethersfield mansion was innovative. There were times when the camerawork was a bit clunky, or the transitions weren't as well thought out as they could have been. And in the first portion of the Kingdom of the Sweets section the camera kept circling about in a disorienting manner. But the novelty of the whole enterprise made it fun for me. I give Ballet Collective lots of credit for thinking outside the box, and reminding everyone that there can be many approaches to representing this music visually. I got the impression that the music we were listening to wasn't necessarily what the dancers were hearing. The audio track may have been added separately. My one big issue: why the really low resolution video? 360p ?!!! Should have used an iPhone 12 Pro. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canbelto Posted December 24, 2020 Author Share Posted December 24, 2020 I really loved the Scottish Ballet version. What a delightful, music-hall style adaptation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pherank Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 10 minutes ago, canbelto said: I really loved the Scottish Ballet version. What a delightful, music-hall style adaptation. The Scottish Ballet version has the kind of direction, camerawork and visuals that the Ballet Collective version deserved to have, but... It's a clever production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pherank Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 (edited) Here's a link to an article announcing the ClearMask (used by Ballet Collective): "ClearMask™ is the world's first FDA-cleared, fully transparent surgical mask that can be used in hospitals, clinics, schools, retail, hospitality, and other settings. The mask is optimized for maximum clarity and comfort, and meets applicable ASTM Level 3 requirements for fluid resistance and flammability, which offers a high level of protection for medical use in environments such as operating rooms." https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clearmask-receives-fda-clearance-for-worlds-first-fully-transparent-surgical-mask-301113455.html Note that a surgical mask does not offer the same level of protection as an N95 mask, but they're more protective than a lot of cloth masks. Edited December 24, 2020 by pherank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pherank Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 That's weird, the Ballet Collective (fortunately) just updated their YouTube stream to 1080p60https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dI5MsPzvr8 I guess someone complained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volcanohunter Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 Beginning at 2 pm GMT / 9 am Eastern, English National Ballet in Nutcracker Delights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canbelto Posted December 24, 2020 Author Share Posted December 24, 2020 Swedish National Ballet School: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canbelto Posted December 24, 2020 Author Share Posted December 24, 2020 Pittsburgh Ballet: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novice123 Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 (edited) 18 hours ago, pherank said: Thank you, Novice123. The use of the grounds and the road leading up to the Wethersfield mansion was innovative. There were times when the camerawork was a bit clunky, or the transitions weren't as well thought out as they could have been. And in the first portion of the Kingdom of the Sweets section the camera kept circling about in a disorienting manner. But the novelty of the whole enterprise made it fun for me. I give Ballet Collective lots of credit for thinking outside the box, and reminding everyone that there can be many approaches to representing this music visually. I got the impression that the music we were listening to wasn't necessarily what the dancers were hearing. The audio track may have been added separately. My one big issue: why the really low resolution video? 360p ?!!! Should have used an iPhone 12 Pro. 😉 Nevermind, you got it now. Edited December 24, 2020 by Novice123 updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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