Monday, May 29

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An appraisal of New York City Ballet's season by Gia Kourlas in The New York Times.

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As a new generation of dancers at City Ballet finds its way, there’s not only more individualism, but more cohesion among individuals. Debuts came so regularly, it was dizzying. And along with risk, there was air and expansiveness, which gave the repertory an on-the-spot kind of inventiveness.

Leigh Witchel reviews the company for dancelog.nyc.

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The Bach that Robbins chose for this outing was some of his danciest, but unlike the crystalline, spiraling rhythms of the double violin concerto that Balanchine used in his singular Bach outing, much of the music Robbins picked had folk rhythms. The churning repetitions of the finale of the third concerto feel almost like a hurdy-gurdy, and Robbins responded with a heartiness that felt forced. With all the bouncing, neat lines and changing formations, “Brandenburg” felt like a kind of dressage. If Robbins wanted to put Bach through his paces, it also ended up equally the other way round.

 

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Ballet Kelowna celebrates its twentieth anniversary.

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Raising the Barre: The Platinum Gala will begin with a canapé and wine reception, providing an opportunity for guests to meet Ballet Kelowna's dancers. This will be followed by a curated one-hour performance by artistic director Simone Orlando.

 

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 An interview with Kiyon Ross.

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“I just felt like something was missing when I came back,” he said. “Things like stage fright, and nervousness about my body not cooperating, that I had never experienced before were there, and kind of dulled the performing experience for me.” He decided, in his mid-30s, to try something else, and moved quickly into teaching at PNB School, where he was a faculty member for four years.

 

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A photo gallery of "Coppelia" performed in Venezuela.

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Ballet dancers stretch backstage at a performance of "Coppelia," during the annual presentation at the Teresa Carreno Theater in Caracas, Venezuela.

 

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A feature in Harper's Bazaar on the Australian Ballet's first performances of "Jewels."

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“Each jewel in this ballet has equal beauty and power. Emeralds, soft and mysterious. Rubies, sharp and stylised. Diamonds, brilliant and sparkling,” says The Australian Ballet artistic director, David Hallberg. 

“It is a visual feast for the balletic eye and an enormous opportunity for the dancers to tackle one of Balanchine’s greatest masterpieces.”

 

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 La Scala announces its 2023-24 season schedule.

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The ballet season opens Dec. 15 with “Coppelia,” by acclaimed choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, while La Scala’s principal dancer Roberto Bolle will star in four performances of “Madina” in February and March 2024. A gala honoring the late prima ballerina Carla Fracci will be held on April 19, 2024.