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National Ballet of Canada 2024-25


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Posted
18 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

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/

Oh shoot!   A day late for me.   So if I can't see her farewell performance hopefully she will still dance Myrtha at one of my shows.   If so I'll give my own private goodbye with some flowers tossed on stage.   

 

Posted

Tirion Law just posted her latest vlog on u-tube - mostly about the London tour and I suspect there will be another about Paris.  Of most interest to me was a look at the three hour rehearsal of Rhapsody coached by Leslie Collier, Ashton expert and the dancer he made this role on with Baryshnikov.  What a terrific opportunity for our dancers to have this kind of input!   As far as casting goes, it looks like Law and November are first cast (they were out front and getting most of the corrections, Penn Nabity and Shaakir Muhammad and the third couple I have difficulty identifying.  At first I thought it was Keaton  Leir and then not sure.   I kept going back to the company pictures but that didn't help much.   I'll find out soon enough I guess.   I noticed that November was trying the last lift of the pas de deux as Ashton created it - start it low and gradually lift his partner fully overhead (so it looks like she's floating up) as he walks off stage and that must take enormous strength.  From what I've seen many dancers just lift their partner straight up...much easier I guess.   Hope all our guys manage the original.

Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, Rosie2 said:

Tirion Law just posted her latest vlog on u-tube - mostly about the London tour and I suspect there will be another about Paris.  Of most interest to me was a look at the three hour rehearsal of Rhapsody coached by Leslie Collier, Ashton expert and the dancer he made this role on with Baryshnikov.  What a terrific opportunity for our dancers to have this kind of input!   As far as casting goes, it looks like Law and November are first cast (they were out front and getting most of the corrections, Penn Nabity and Shaakir Muhammad and the third couple I have difficulty identifying.  At first I thought it was Keaton  Leir and then not sure.   I kept going back to the company pictures but that didn't help much.   I'll find out soon enough I guess.   I noticed that November was trying the last lift of the pas de deux as Ashton created it - start it low and gradually lift his partner fully overhead (so it looks like she's floating up) as he walks off stage and that must take enormous strength.  From what I've seen many dancers just lift their partner straight up...much easier I guess.   Hope all our guys manage the original.

The third couple for Rhapsody looks like David Preciado and Emerson Dayton with red hair. They are a couple (from what I see on Instagram.)

Edited by Xiaoyi
Posted
2 hours ago, Rosie2 said:

the third couple I have difficulty identifying.  At first I thought it was Keaton  Leir and then not sure. 

I think, it's David Preciado.

Posted
30 minutes ago, Xiaoyi said:

The third couple for Rhapsody looks like David Preciado and Emerson Dayton with red hair. They are a couple (from what I see on Instagram.)

Speaking of couples, Tirion Law and Peng-Fei Jiang just got engaged.  Congratulations.   

Posted

Heck, is Koto Ishihara dancing anything this fall? I would have considered the opening bill worth seeing only if she were dancing Rhapsody. Now I don't think it's worth seeing at all.

Posted (edited)
21 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

Heck, is Koto Ishihara dancing anything this fall? I would have considered the opening bill worth seeing only if she were dancing Rhapsody. Now I don't think it's worth seeing at all.

I saw Koto going over choreography with Tirion in the other Tirion's vlog (starting 3'00"), with Shaakir Muhammad in the background also. Maybe Koto is the 4th cast for Rhapsody? 

 

Edited by Xiaoyi
Posted
7 hours ago, Rosie2 said:

I'll give my own private goodbye with some flowers tossed on stage.

You're brave! I've encountered differing flower practices at various opera houses, but most often it involves either leaving flowers at the stage door, or leaving them at an "administrator's" office once you've passed the ticket check. In Hamburg I was told that audience members throw bouquets directly onto the stage. I'd never done that, but sure enough, at the end of the performance people lined up at the far edge of the orchestra pit on the house-left side and threw them as the intended soloist took his or her solo bow. Their bouquets were wrapped completely in cellophane so that the blooms wouldn't go flying off when they hit the stage. As it happened, I was sitting on the house-right side, directly behind John Neumeier and his entire artistic staff, so I wasn't about to crisscross them as Neumeier exited to make his way to the stage and go running across the entire front of the auditorium. Nor did I have any confidence that my throw would actually reach the middle of the stage, besides which, the tops of my bouquets weren't wrapped in cellophane. Instead I walked around the building to where I assumed the stage door would be and sheepishly handed them over to the addressees, somewhat embarrassed by my lack of bouquet-throwing skills.

Posted

I can only assume that casting has not been finalized yet. The program is not selling well, and I have to believe that making casting public could persuade some people to buy tickets.

Posted
On 10/30/2024 at 11:41 AM, julia_rose said:

How is there still not casting up for the mixed programme 😐 November 9th is less than two weeks away...

It's less than a week now. What a disrespect to patrons.

Posted

Casting for Silent Screen/ Body of Work/ Rhapsody, November 9-16

Body of Work

Guillaume Côté

Rhapsody

Tirion Law and Siphesihle November (November 9, 13, 16 at 7:30 pm)
Koto Ishihara and David Preciado (November 10 at 2:00 pm/November 15 at 7:30 pm)
Emerson Dayton and Naoya Ebe (November 14 at 7:30 pm/ November 16 at 2:00 pm)

Silent Screen

Christopher Gerty, Ben Rudisin
Hannah Galway
Shaakir Muhammad, Erica Lall
Spencer Hack, Josh Hall, Emma Ouellet, Noah Parets
Oliver Yonick, Xiao Nan Yu*
(November 9, 13, 16 at 7:30 pm/November 10 at 2:00 pm)

Christopher Gerty, Ben Rudisin
Hannah Galway
Shaakir Muhammad, Erica Lall
Spencer Hack, Josh Hall, Emma Ouellet, Noah Parets
Oliver Yonick, Alexandra MacDonald
(November 14, 15 at 7:30 pm/November 16 at 2:00 pm)

* Guest Artist

Posted

 

 Thank you for posting  Xiaoyi, it has yet to appear anywhere on my other NBofC media sites.   I got great casting dates for Rhapsody so very relieved with that - and Volcanohunter you must be happy to see Koto Ishihara's name on the list.   No Penn Nabity - I wonder if she is injured.   The casting for Silent Screen seems weird - it's the exact same cast except for Xiao Nan Yu and  Alexandra MacDonald.    Xian Nan Yu???  What?   How long has she been retired and why back for this.... has to be a story there and if anyone has legally reportable gossip (errr, I mean information) I'd love to hear it!   No complaints seeing her back on stage - she was one of my most favourite dancers and it will be lovely to see her performing again.  

Now I just have to worry about Giselle casting.  I'm much too old for all this stress.

Posted
On 10/25/2024 at 6:39 PM, volcanohunter said:

Nor did I have any confidence that my throw would actually reach the middle of the stage, besides which, the tops of my bouquets weren't wrapped in cellophane. Instead I walked around the building to where I assumed the stage door would be and sheepishly handed them over to the addressees, somewhat embarrassed by my lack of bouquet-throwing skills.

The last time I actually tossed a bouquet on stage it sailed gracefully into the orchestra pit!   I think that was back in the O'Keefe (Sony etc) days.  For Sonia's retirement I had a big bunch of flowers, carefully wrapped, for her last show and wasn't sure what to do with them as I'd never seen anyone toss flowers on stage in the new hall.   However I decided the occasion was appropriate so at the end I made my way to the front and joined a few people there with flowers ready to throw as well.   Since my flower tossing days are long over, I enlisted a nice man with a good throwing arm to safely deliver my offering to the stage.  I'm hoping Chelsey will dance at one of my Giselle dates and if so I'll leave my tribute bouquet and note at the information desk in the lobby or at the stage door.   If I was at her last show, when I expect there will be much made of her during the curtain call, I might have considered relying on the kindness of another strong armed stranger to deliver my flowers to her on stage - but, sadly, the dates don't align.

Posted
1 hour ago, Rosie2 said:

I'm hoping Chelsey will dance at one of my Giselle dates and if so I'll leave my tribute bouquet and note at the information desk in the lobby or at the stage door. 

The security guards at the stage door are completely accustomed to passing along bouquets. There's a big metal rack for them just past the secured doors.

In recent years the flower policy has been a little unclear. It used to be that all flowers were bound together into a giant bouquet. I used to tell florists not to bother with fancy wrapping, because the performers would never see it (nor would they know which bouquet came from whom). But now, sometimes bouquets are carried out on stage, sometimes they're simply delivered to dressing rooms--with wrapping intact.

I hope that all bouquets for Meiss will presented on stage. (But you never know: I brought a bouquet for Piotr Stanczyk's final performance, but it wasn't presented on stage, perhaps because there was a planned procession of bouquets from company brass and principals. It may be different for a soloist.)

Posted
9 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

In recent years the flower policy has been a little unclear. It used to be that all flowers were bound together into a giant bouquet. I used to tell florists not to bother with fancy wrapping, because the performers would never see it (nor would they know which bouquet came from whom). But now, sometimes bouquets are carried out on stage, sometimes they're simply delivered to dressing rooms--with wrapping intact.

 

Well however she gets them is fine with me - and I intend to tie my card firmly to several of the flowers so it doesn't get misplaced.   

I

 

 

Posted

Casting for Giselle, November 20-24

Giselle
Svetlana Lunkina (November 20, 22 at 7:30 pm)
Heather Ogden (November 21 at 2:00 pm/ November 23 at 7:30 pm)
Tirion Law* (November 21 at 7:30 pm/ November 23 at 2:00 pm)
Jurgita Dronina (November 24 at 2:00 pm)

Albrecht
Harrison James (November 20, 22 at 7:30 pm/ November 24 at 2:00 pm)
Peng-Fei Jiang* (November 21 at 2:00 pm/ November 23 at 7:30 pm)
Siphesihle November* (November 21 at 7:30 pm)
Naoya Ebe (November 23 at 2:00 pm)

Hilarion
Donald Thom* (November 20, 22 at 7:30 pm/ November 24 at 2:00 pm)
Ben Rudisin* (November 21 at 2:00 pm/ November 23 at 7:30 pm)
Spencer Hack* (November 21 at 7:30 pm/ November 23 at 2:00 pm)

Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis
Genevieve Penn Nabity* (November 20, 23 at 7:30 pm/ November 21 at 2:00 pm)
Koto Ishihara* (November 21, 22 at 7:30 pm/ November 24 at 2:00 pm)
Chelsy Meiss (November 23 at 2:00 pm)

* Debut

Posted

Finally!   I'm relieved and puzzled at the same time.   Relieved that my dates all line up and I get almost all casts (not Law/Ebe) but kind of puzzled as well.   Chelsey Meiss only gets one show - a Sat. matinee - for her retirement.   I wonder at that for sure and unfortunately that's not one of my dates.   I really would like to be there to wish her well but I don't think I can make that happen.   Also November and Ebe only get one show each.   It makes sense that Dronina partner with James (doing double duty with Lunkina ) but Tirion Law dancing her debut with both November and Ebe is unusual even though she has established partnerships/experience with both.  I'll see her with Siphe November and looking forward to both their debuts.    I'm beyond delighted my icon Giselle, Lunkina, will dance opening night and so looking forward to that.  

t

Posted
26 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

I'll note that in an Instagram story posted today, Jurgita Dronina included the hashtag #lastdressingroomselfie. 

Oh no! I thought Dronina would at least dance Swan Lake next March. Fingers crossed I can snag a last-minute ticket to see her in Giselle. 

Posted
On 11/4/2024 at 7:20 PM, Rosie2 said:

The casting for Silent Screen seems weird - it's the exact same cast except for Xiao Nan Yu and  Alexandra MacDonald.    Xian Nan Yu???  What?   How long has she been retired and why back for this....

On 11/4/2024 at 8:00 PM, julia_rose said:

Xiao Nan Yu is a pick I did not see coming 😶 that is wild...

The company published a dress-rehearsal photo today of Xiao Nan Yu wearing a stage-filling dress in which it would be impossible to do a whole lot of dancing. This all makes the long delay in posting casting for the program seem that much more absurd. In effect there is only one cast, with only a non-dancing role split between two people.

On 11/8/2024 at 11:53 AM, Rosie2 said:

It makes sense that Dronina partner with James (doing double duty with Lunkina ) but Tirion Law dancing her debut with both November and Ebe is unusual even though she has established partnerships/experience with both.

It would have made sense for Dronina to dance with Ebe. Law has danced with both Ebe and November, but realistically November can dance only with Law; other principal ballerinas are too tall for him. I feel for Law: in addition to the stress of preparing the biggest debut of her career, she has to juggle two partners. (I imagine that dancing with Ebe has to be easier, given his experience in his role, but it's still unnecessary stress for Law.) 

Likewise, partnering James with two ballerinas is a big ask, especially since Instagram posts suggest that he is currently in San Francisco.

Posted
21 hours ago, volcanohunter said:

Likewise, partnering James with two ballerinas is a big ask, especially since Instagram posts suggest that he is currently in San Francisco

Harrison James is cast in SFB's Nutcracker from Dec. 8-28.   I haven't determined whether he has time away within that time period to dance in NBoC's Nutcracker.  I assume that he performed Des Grieux in Manon with NBoC and will be dancing the role as well with SFB.   SFB will be performing Manon for the first time in January of 2025.  

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