volcanohunter Posted September 10 Author Share Posted September 10 (edited) A lot of principal dancers have left on Hope Muir's watch. First Skylar Campbell went to Houston, then Brendan Saye left for Vienna. Evan McKie was let go, Sonia Rodriguez, Jillian Vanstone and Piotr Stanczyk retired, and Harrison James has half-left for San Francisco. Guillaume Côté will retire after two seasons of hardly appearing on stage. Now Jurgita Dronina is leaving for more amenable pastures. The longer statement from Dronina published by Graham Watts dedicated a whole paragraph to Karen Kain, but makes no mention of Muir. https://www.instagram.com/p/C_vr6tPIhHJ/?igsh=YXo3Ymc1cTU3eHEz Edited September 10 by volcanohunter Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted September 24 Author Share Posted September 24 @Raina alerted me to the fact that the first day of individual ticket sales on the NBoC site has not exactly gone smoothly. For reasons that I cannot comprehend, Nutcracker tickets went on sale with the rest of the season, resulting in 40-minute wait times, and once ticket buyers got through, they found that the seat-selection system wasn't working. At this point the queue is gone and for some programs, at least, seat selection is working again. But I was absolutely flabbergasted that for those shows for which the fifth ring is open, tickets for the first row and the front-center section cost $204. That is utter madness. Those are horrible, vertigo-inducing seats, very high up, and the company is charging that much for them?!! Hope Muir’s idea of making ballet more "accessible" is clearly not what I understand the word to mean. Link to comment
Raina Posted September 26 Share Posted September 26 I sit in the front row of Ring 5 at Canadian Opera Company performances. Tickets for these seats cost $89. For me as a subscriber, they cost $49. I also have a good discount on additional tickets for friends and family, as well as 10% off NBoC tickets. I am surprised that our ballet company has never offered a discount on additional tickets for subscribers. I am not afraid of the height of the first row of Ring 5. There is another problem: the lighting array and the handrail block a large portion of the stage. In order to see the entire stage, you have to lean forward against the railing, which I never do, because I know from my own experience that the viewer in the second row will not be able to see anything, or sit leaning against the back of the chair and occasionally bend down to look under the railing or vice versa: crane your neck to look above the handrail. I tolerate these inconveniences because I am satisfied with the price of the ticket, the good acoustics and less hassle from surrounding spectators. But I would never choose these seats at the price offered by the NBoC. At whom is the cynical price of $204 per ticket directed? And this is the price for the centre of the first three rows. Perhaps at new viewers who have never sat there and believe that these must be very good seats. Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted October 2 Author Share Posted October 2 Casting for the company's tour to London and Paris, which begins today: Sadler's Wells October 2 Passion (James Kudelka) - Heather Odgen, McGee Maddox, Genevieve Penn Nabity, Larkin Miller islands (Emma Portner) - Heather Ogden, Genevieve Penn Nabity Angels' Atlas (Crystal Pite) - Svetlana Lunkina, Ben Rudisin; Alexandra MacDonald, Spencer Hack; Hannah Galway, Siphesihle November; Genevieve Penn Nabity; Donald Thom October 3 (mat) Passion - Svetlana Lunkina, Christopher Gerty, Calley Skalnik, Harrison James islands - Alexandra MacDonald, Hannah Galway Angels' Atlas - Heather Ogden, Harrison James; Chelsy Meiss, Donald Thom; Genevieve Penn Nabity, Spencer Hack: Alexandra MacDonald; Shaakir Muhammad, Kota Sato October 3 (eve) Passion - Heather Odgen, McGee Maddox, Genevieve Penn Nabity, Larkin Miller islands - Heather Ogden, Genevieve Penn Nabity Angels' Atlas - Svetlana Lunkina, Ben Rudisin; Alexandra MacDonald, Spencer Hack; Hannah Galway, Siphesihle November; Alexandra MacDonald; Donald Thom October 4 Passion - Svetlana Lunkina, Christopher Gerty, Calley Skalnik, Harrison James islands - Alexandra MacDonald, Hannah Galway Angels' Atlas - Heather Ogden, Harrison James; Chelsy Meiss, Donald Thom; Genevieve Penn Nabity, Spencer Hack: Alexandra MacDonald; Shaakir Muhammad, Kota Sato October 5 (mat) Monika Haczkiewicz, Josh Hall, Koto Ishihara, Keaton Leier islands - Alexandra MacDonald, Hannah Galway Angels' Atlas - Heather Ogden, Harrison James; Chelsy Meiss, Donald Thom; Genevieve Penn Nabity, Spencer Hack: Alexandra MacDonald; Shaakir Muhammad, Kota Sato October 5 (eve) Passion - Heather Odgen, McGee Maddox, Genevieve Penn Nabity, Larkin Miller islands - Heather Ogden, Genevieve Penn Nabity Angels' Atlas - Svetlana Lunkina, Ben Rudisin; Tene Ward, Spencer Hack; Hannah Galway, Siphesihle November; Alexandra MacDonald; Donald Thom October 6 (mat) Passion - Monika Haczkiewicz, Josh Hall, Koto Ishihara, Keaton Leier islands - Heather Ogden, Genevieve Penn Nabity Angels' Atlas - Svetlana Lunkina, Ben Rudisin; Tene Ward, Spencer Hack; Hannah Galway, Siphesihle November; Genevieve Penn Nabity; Donald Thom https://national.ballet.ca/productions/on-tour-london-england/#casting Théâtre des Champs-Élysées October 12 Passion - Svetlana Lunkina, Christopher Gerty, Genevieve Penn Nabity, Larkin Miller UtopiVerse (William Yong) - Koto ishihara (Lotus), Ben Rudisin (Leo), Christopher Gerty (The Daemon), Emma Ouellet (The Undermined) Angels' Atlas - Heather Ogden, Harrison James; Alexandra MacDonald, Spencer Hack; Hannah Galway, Siphesihle November; Genevieve Penn Nabity; Donald Thom October 13 Passion - Heather Ogden, McGee Maddox, Calley Skalnik, Harrison James UtopiVerse - Tirion Law (Lotus), Siphesihle November (Leo), Noah Parets (The Daemon), Emma Ouelett (The Undermined) Angels' Atlas - Heather Ogden, Harrison James; Chelsy Meiss, Donald Thom; Genevieve Penn Nabity, Spencer Hack; Alexandra MacDonald; Shaakir Muhammad, Kota Sato October 14 Passion - Monika Haczkiewicz, Josh Hall, Koto Ishihara, Keaton Leier UtopiVerse - Koto ishihara (Lotus), Ben Rudisin (Leo), Christopher Gerty (The Daemon), Emma Ouellet (The Undermined) Angels' Atlas - Svetlana Lunkina, Ben Rudisin; Alexandra MacDonald, Spencer Hack; Hannah Galway, Siphesihle November; Genevieve Penn Nabity; Donald Thom October 15 Passion - Svetlana Lunkina, Christopher Gerty, Genevieve Penn Nabity, Larkin Miller UtopiVerse - Tirion Law (Lotus), Siphesihle November (Leo), Noah Parets (The Daemon), Emma Ouelett (The Undermined) Angels' Atlas - Svetlana Lunkina, Ben Rudisin; Chelsy Meiss, Donald Thom; Genevieve Penn Nabity, Spencer Hack; Alexandra MacDonald; Shaakir Muhammad, Kota Sato https://national.ballet.ca/productions/on-tour-paris-france/#casting Link to comment
Violetta Posted October 3 Share Posted October 3 On 9/24/2024 at 4:29 PM, volcanohunter said: @Raina alerted me to the fact that the first day of individual ticket sales on the NBoC site has not exactly gone smoothly. For reasons that I cannot comprehend, Nutcracker tickets went on sale with the rest of the season, resulting in 40-minute wait times, and once ticket buyers got through, they found that the seat-selection system wasn't working. At this point the queue is gone and for some programs, at least, seat selection is working again. But I was absolutely flabbergasted that for those shows for which the fifth ring is open, tickets for the first row and the front-center section cost $204. That is utter madness. Those are horrible, vertigo-inducing seats, very high up, and the company is charging that much for them?!! Hope Muir’s idea of making ballet more "accessible" is clearly not what I understand the word to mean. Oh my goodness I am so glad you brought this up, because I was just looking at tickets for Giselle, and thought the prices were a mistake. Why would we be asked to pay nearly as much as a Grand Ring ticket for Ring 5? Who is deciding on these crazy prices? Like Raina posted below, I appreciate the lower prices of COC, and also love that they post their casting super early. I have been hesitating to buy for Giselle as I was disappointed 2/4 times I watched the company with the principal casts last season. I miss the good old days, to be honest, when you (in my opinion) were guaranteed a good performance and the principal roster (again my opinion) was stacked. Barely any seats are left for Giselle and with these ticket prices, I am not sure if I will be going at all. Maybe with the popularity they can add more performances? Seems like so few days. Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted October 4 Author Share Posted October 4 (edited) 5 hours ago, Violetta said: I miss the good old days, to be honest, when you (in my opinion) were guaranteed a good performance and the principal roster (again my opinion) was stacked. This is absolutely true. I am reluctant to pinpoint the cause, but I suspect part of the problem lies in the school. Partly it's because a lot of ballet companies worldwide were dominated by principals from the classes of 1996-99; they carried the load for a very long time and later dancers didn't develop. That generation has been leaving the stage gradually, and the replacements are not of their standard. I don't know why the company always plans a short run of Giselle. In any case, ticket sales for the opening triple bill are soft. It would have made sense to do fewer of those and a few more Giselles. Edited October 4 by volcanohunter Link to comment
Violetta Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 8 hours ago, volcanohunter said: and the replacements are not of their standard. Exactly! I agree with you there. I remember when the Corps was not the best (my opinion), back in the early 2000s but the principals were top notch . For example I used to go to the ballet with friends and while we were left emotional by the principal performances, we all agreed the Corps was not the greatest. Forgivable though! I still remember Hodgkinson and C. Hon Goh's performances of Giselle, people were in tears. I remember the Onegin performance I saw in the very early 2000s and it was perfect. This last season, from the cast I saw at least? Nothing. The audience is not stupid. The principal cast I saw of Don Q was not much more inspiring. (again, my opinion only). The corps and soloists, once again, were really great. Now that Giselle is back, I am hesitant not only because of the crazy prices, but the quality I have seen as of late. When they ask these prices, noone should be leaving the theatre disappointed or uninspired. The corps now is outstanding, but when they ask so much money for tickets, every cast needs to be top quality. We'll see. There are not many tickets for Giselle left, and with these insensitive prices, even though I love ballet, I am not sure how much longer I will be or can be in the audience. Link to comment
julia_rose Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 Absolutely agreed on the pricing, for Ring 5?! Are they nuts 😶 Now I usually go for standing tickets because I'm young and fairly broke lol, but I treat myself to seats for one or two performances a season...would have loved for one of those to be Giselle, but not at these prices! Standing it is, and at least that way I'll know the casting! Link to comment
Raina Posted October 7 Share Posted October 7 I was at the opening of the Fall for Dance North festival on September 26. The National Ballet of Canada was represented by islands, choreographed by Emma Portner and performed by Heather Ogden and Genevieve Penn Nabity. I was watching the piece for the third time, each time with a different cast. By accident, I took tickets for the first row of the ground floor, although as a rule, I prefer the balcony at the ballet. A seat that close to the stage has serious disadvantages: the performers' feet are cut off, and the visibility of the dancers on the floor is limited. But this time the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. I saw a DRAMA, which I followed with bated breath. The manipulations with the joint pair of trousers were not clearly visible. If I hadn't seen the piece before, I probably wouldn't have guessed what they were. However, I discovered many new nuances that had passed me by previously. It was an extraordinary performance of a choreographic miniature by wonderful ballerinas. I'm not a fan of Heather, but I give her full credit this time. Link to comment
Rosie2 Posted October 11 Share Posted October 11 On 10/3/2024 at 6:58 PM, Violetta said: Oh my goodness I am so glad you brought this up, because I was just looking at tickets for Giselle, and thought the prices were a mistake. Why would we be asked to pay nearly as much as a Grand Ring ticket for Ring 5? Who is deciding on these crazy prices? Like Raina posted below, I appreciate the lower prices of COC, and also love that they post their casting super early. I have been hesitating to buy for Giselle as I was disappointed 2/4 times I watched the company with the principal casts last season. I miss the good old days, to be honest, when you (in my opinion) were guaranteed a good performance and the principal roster (again my opinion) was stacked. Barely any seats are left for Giselle and with these ticket prices, I am not sure if I will be going at all. Maybe with the popularity they can add more performances? Seems like so few days. As of today there are some $99.00 tickets available for Giselle Sat. Oct. 23 7:30pm Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted October 12 Author Share Posted October 12 I think the problem is that casts are announced late. Judging by a few clips posted on social media, there are at least two casts I would prefer to avoid. This differs from 2016, when I went to see all casts except one--and would have been perfectly happy to see that one, too, if my schedule had allowed it. Giselle is the only program for which I can muster any enthusiasm this season. (But not for every cast.) Perhaps I'm not alone in this, and that's why Giselle is selling better than other programs. The only encouraging thing I can say is that some subscribers inevitably exchange their seats, usually after casting is announced, so good seats can pop up closer to the performances. I've been lucky more than once. Link to comment
Rosie2 Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 I pretty much know the casting for Giselle and, since I want to see each cast, I've guessed at dates. Fingers crossed. I only have one mixed show at the moment and would like to see Rhapsody more then once but hesitate to book till I know casting - more then once I've bought additional tickets blind only to find I have the same cast twice. At this point I know one principal role cast but no others. By the time casting is announced the available seats are usually not that great. I hate the rings because I can only see from the front row and only then if perched on pillows to see over the railing. I truly hate the company's casting policy and it's particularly galling as we can find casting announced for others (Royal, ABT for instance) months in advance. Link to comment
Violetta Posted October 12 Share Posted October 12 (edited) On 10/12/2024 at 1:38 PM, Rosie2 said: I truly hate the company's casting policy So do I. It's crazy that COC and other opera/ballet companies worldwide announce their casts in advance, but NBOC does not; and still asks the audience to book blind, and at these prices (!!!). Thank you btw Rosie2 for the heads up in the earlier post about the 99$ seats. I am still waiting as I just want to see Lunkina. I will also happily watch Genevieve PN or even Heather Odgen if they are cast. That being said, they really should add more dates. Edited October 19 by Violetta Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted October 13 Author Share Posted October 13 (edited) I think it's pretty much always true that opera companies post casting much earlier than ballet companies, because they sign contracts with freelancing singers years in advance. Which doesn't mean, of course, that casting doesn't change later in the event of illness, serious injury or singers deciding that they can't or don't want to sing a particular role anymore. Casting for ballet is always more fluid. For one thing, it is the prerogative of the choreographer/chief stager, who may arrive in the studio fairly late in the process. Dancers are also much more prone to injury, and remaining dancers are not necessarily interchangeable (especially in the case of a short man or a tall woman). In June 2016 the number of last-minute cast changes for Giselle was head-spinning, after one Giselle and two Albrechts were forced to withdraw. That said, I recently came across an NBoC subscription brochure from about 35 years ago, and leads for the full-length narrative ballets were listed months before the season even began. I couldn't tell you how well that casting held, but back then it was deemed essential to tell subscribers who would be dancing in La Fille mal gardée on their evenings. Edited October 13 by volcanohunter Link to comment
Rosie2 Posted October 13 Share Posted October 13 I know that Heather Ogden/Peng-Fei Jian and Tirion Law/Sephe November are cast. I'm assuming (hoping, praying) that Svetlana Lunkina will be first cast and get opening night and I've blind purchased my other shows based on that. I really like Peng-Fei Jian so interested in seeing his Albrecht even though I prefer Ogden as Myrtha. I wonder if she will also dance that role during this run? Also hoping to see Tirion Law as Lunkina is preparing her for her debut. The Russian tradition runs deep here - Lunkina was coached for her Giselle debut by Maximova who in turn was coached by Ulanova. I've been reading the reviews of the company's London run and they are very positive - it seems they had great success. Also reading reviews by audience members and they are also very good. Tonight was opening night in Paris. I wish them well. Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted October 13 Author Share Posted October 13 6 minutes ago, Rosie2 said: The Russian tradition runs deep here - Lunkina was coached for her Giselle debut by Maximova who in turn was coached by Ulanova. Perhaps, but Peter Wright's production differs strongly in emphasis from Soviet-era Giselles, and a comparison of videos of Lunkina's performances with the Bolshoi with how she has danced the ballet in Toronto (and I think I've seen all of them) shows that she has altered her interpretation accordingly, particularly in the mad scene. The Soviets were strangely squeamish about Giselle committing suicide, but Wright insists that Giselle stabs herself with Albrecht's sword. (Hence she is buried as a suicide in unhallowed ground, where the wilis can claim her.) Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted October 13 Author Share Posted October 13 As for the London tour, I think there was universal acclaim for Angels' Atlas, but less for the other pieces. The reviews I saw gave the program three or four stars out of five, which isn't bad, but not triumphant. Link to comment
Violetta Posted October 13 Share Posted October 13 Any ideas as to who might be dancing on the Friday night? While it is definitely understandable that casting changes last minute, withholding it while other ballet companies manage it, is mind boggling. I have said it before, the audience is not stupid, we understand that injuries and other mishaps may happen, but please, a cast list is something they should provide in advance. Gone are the days, imo, of a guaranteed good performance from the principal casts; and it is unfortunate that we have to wait it out to see who we like, because the quality is just not there in some cases. Again, just my opinion, not trying to cause offense to anyone Link to comment
Raina Posted October 13 Share Posted October 13 14 hours ago, Rosie2 said: Also hoping to see Tirion Law as Lunkina is preparing her for her debut. I think that Evelyn Hart is teaching Tirion now. Link to comment
Violetta Posted October 18 Share Posted October 18 (edited) On 10/13/2024 at 10:59 AM, Raina said: I think that Evelyn Hart is teaching Tirion now. I haven't seen Tirion Law perform in anything yet I don't think, but if Evelyn Hart is coaching her, she is in good hands. I hope to see more of Emerson Dayton this season (who was stunning in the cupid variation in Don Q) and also Monika H. (sorry forget how to spell her last name) but also saw her in Don Q and she would have made a wonderful Kitri in my opinion, or any principal role, she was so good. I enjoyed both of their performances (and that of the corps) even more than the 2 principals I saw that day. Did anyone get their tickets for Giselle yet? And sorry to complain, but wow what a difference between the ticket prices for Silent Screen and Giselle, unless I am missing something... PS Swan Lake tickets are selling fast (yes, already) any chances they will announce casts early early because it is so popular? Edited October 19 by Violetta Link to comment
Violetta Posted October 18 Share Posted October 18 (edited) On 7/18/2024 at 10:14 PM, volcanohunter said: (I sort of have to wonder whether Canadian-born children will consider enrolling in the National Ballet School worthwhile going forward.) deleted, sorry I think I replied to this elsewhere. Edited October 18 by Violetta Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted October 18 Author Share Posted October 18 2 hours ago, Violetta said: Swan Lake tickets are selling fast (yes, already) any chances they will announce casts early early because it is so popular? No, because they know people will come regardless of who's dancing. Link to comment
Raina Posted Thursday at 03:41 PM Share Posted Thursday at 03:41 PM First Soloist Chelsy Meiss retires from the National Ballet after 16 outstanding years with the company. Link to comment
Xiaoyi Posted Thursday at 04:02 PM Share Posted Thursday at 04:02 PM 20 minutes ago, Raina said: First Soloist Chelsy Meiss retires from the National Ballet after 16 outstanding years with the company. Pity that Chelsy do not have a farewell performance arranged. Maybe she is injured? Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted Thursday at 08:21 PM Author Share Posted Thursday at 08:21 PM (edited) Meiss will give her final performance on November 23rd. So we now know who's dancing Myrtha at the matinee. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/xygGmj4GJLBVd49N/ Edited Thursday at 08:38 PM by volcanohunter Link to comment
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