2021 Virtual Gala - Mostly Balanchine - Only Till Sunday 5/9/21 7PM

[fiddleback]

This virtual gala presentation consists of samplers from Balanchine productions over the last few years. Includes excerpts from Emeralds, Walpurgisnacht, Symphony in Three Movements, La Sonnambula, and Western Symphony. Also a portion of Mambaz by Nayon Iovino. Only available for 24 hours.

https://vimeo.com/546622055

 

[Helene]

It was a lovely program, albeit too short.  It was great to see the now-retired Natalia Magnicaballi in La Sonnambula.

It also included a short awards presentation.

[California]

This is only on today (Sunday), for those who missed it. Definitely worth checking this out.

https://vimeo.com/546622055

I have watched their earlier (free) presentations of Balanchine ballets this past year. For a small regional company (29 dancers by my count), they have an extraordinary rep of Balanchine ballets and, of course, Ib Anderson as artistic director. What a great experience both for Phoenix audiences and the dancers. 

[Helene]

The first time I saw the company perform was for a Balanchine Festival: two programs over one weekend.  Their season-ender has been an All-Balanchine program since at least then.  I think they might have also done one or two -- Raymonda Variations and Rubies? -- as part of other triple bills at the smaller Orpheum Theatre.  Ben Huys, a very elegant retired soloist from NYCB, does a lot of the stagings.

The program used to be in June,  overlapping with PNB's last weekend, making my trip a logistics puzzle, but the season was reduced by one program, and now it's in May.  Sadly, since then, the music has been recorded for the Balanchine program.  I don't know if it was budget or a conflict with the Symphony's schedule (either rehearsal or an non-Symphony Hall gig or maybe players contracted for Arizona Opera, which also performs in Tucson).