Kennedy Center Dance Series: 2024-25

[California]

The Kennedy Center just announced their Dance Series for 2024-25.

Here's their dance brochure: https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publication/5f6bea6c#/5f6bea6c/1

Here's the ballet subscription: 

1. Philadelphia Ballet: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker^®

   WED. NOV. 27, 2024, 7:30P.M.

2. National Ballet of China: Chinese New Year (A Ballet in Two Acts)

   WED. JAN. 29, 2025, 7:30P.M.

3. American Ballet Theatre: Crime and Punishment

   WED. FEB. 12, 2025, 7:30P.M.

4. Complexions Contemporary Ballet

   THU. MAR. 20, 2025, 7:30P.M.

5. New York City Ballet: Coppélia

   TUE. MAR. 25, 2025, 7:30P.M.

6. Birmingham Royal Ballet: Black Sabbath – The Ballet

   WED. JUN. 4, 2025, 7:30P.M.

[volcanohunter]

That is a seriously New York-centric dance series, with a bit of Philadelphia thrown in.

[theo]

I'm pretty disappointed with with it; particularly where ABT is concerned.   With the exception of a Balanchine Nutcracker and Coppelia, neither of which interests me, it leans contemporary in my opinion.  I will pass.   Such a shame.  I'm sure others will be happy though. 

[YouOverThere]

It's a pretty cramped dance schedule. Not only is the bulk of the ballet scheduled from late January to late March (the Washington Ballet's sole production at the KC is in February), but they've slotted in a bunch of modern dance in the same time period (Alvin Ailey is scheduled for early February, Paul Taylor for late February, and Twyla Tharp will overlap with the NYCB). Is there really an audience for 8 dance companies in 2 months?

[maps]

On 4/23/2024 at 3:01 PM, California said:

The Kennedy Center just announced their Dance Series for 2024-25.

Here's their dance brochure: https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publication/5f6bea6c#/5f6bea6c/1

....

 World Premieres & More Set for 2024-25 Kennedy Center Dance Season (broadwayworld.com) 

 Pickett's ABT Crime and Punishment is OH W-Sunday evening. What's the market for that on Sunday evening? Anonomalies in the KC programming: 

1. Coppelia-NYCB- full length after Petipa programmed at the KC?   I'd prefer a 3/4 split: Program A [ie Errante, new Tiler Peck, Solitude, Sym in C, Tch pdd] plus Program B Coppelia: [weekend matinees for families].   
2. Balanchine Nutcracker  by Phila.

Edited Tuesday at 10:33 AM by maps
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[pasdecheval]

Others may be happy with next year's series, as Theo suggests, but I agree with him.  This is the weakest schedule in years as far as I'm concerned.  Where is Michael Kaiser when we need him?  The ballet series improved immensely during his tenure as he scheduled first-rate companies, added two imaginative series, and supported the remarkable Suzanne Farrell Ballet in Farrell's meticulous restaging of Balanchine and Robbins gems.  If I remember correctly, the Farrell company was cut adrift not long after his departure, one of his initiatives vanished, and the other was weakened before it seemingly disappeared. 

The current schedule appears to be the work of planners who 1) don't care too much about classical ballet or for that matter classical music, 2) are hoping to appeal to a different audience for other reasons, or 3) both.  (Maybe I've left something out?)  Companies once the province of the dance series have now migrated to the ballet series.  While the Russian companies are rightfully out of reach, why must the Birmingham Royal Ballet Ballet, a welcome addition, present a full-length ballet to heavy metal? Aren't Dan Deacon and U2 enough? The series was already light on classical music and classical ballet. 

When we're finally given a respite from ABT's years of Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, and Don Quixote on weekends (we live much too far away to attend week-night mixed bills), why not one of the full-length ballets not seen in DC or a weekend mixed bill, the latter almost unheard of under Kevin McCarthy? Crime and Punishment could prove interesting, but a ballet with more emphasis on dance per se would have provided welcome balance to the series. 

As to NYCB, I'll be happy to see Coppelia, especially given the nature of this year's series, but have long been grateful that the company usually programmed different mixed bills on Saturday and Sunday. I hope the practice won't be discontinued.

Any guesses as to ticket sales?  If this year's season sells well, will aficionados of classical ballet receive even shorter shrift in the future?  We'll renew this year, but next?  That depends.

[YouOverThere]

14 minutes ago, pasdecheval said:

Any guesses as to ticket sales?  If this year's season sells well, will aficionados of classical ballet receive even shorter shrift in the future?  We'll renew this year, but next?  That depends.

My forecast is that ticket sales won't be great, but that might be due in part to my not being really excited about the schedule. But also in part due to (IMHO) there being too many dance programs, especially from the more popular companies, in too short a time period. The lack of programs in the Fall is glaring.

I don't know anything about Crime and Punishment; maybe I'll like it and see it several times. I'll go to see Coppelia because of the quality of the dancers involved, but it's not one of my favorites. On the modern dance side, Paul Taylor might be interesting, but Alvin Ailey has gotten to be stale for me.

[pasdecheval]

I agree.  The fall schedule is unfortunately light.  The weather is usually lovely then but can be iffy for a longish trip to DC during the winter. Yes, Coppelia will be well worth seeing.  Of course, I love seeing pretty much anything by Balanchine and Robbins.  I'd also like to see Tiler Peck's Concerto for Two Pianos and Ratmansky's Solitude among more recent NYCB ballets.  And maybe somewhat fewer sneaker ballets (perhaps a minority opinion)?

We seize any opportunity to see the Paul Taylor company, but like you, have seen Alvin Ailey, with its somewhat overlapping programs, a bit too often in the past few years.  Similarly, Mark Morris's Pepperland and The Look of Love were a bit much in fairly close succession, enjoyable but rather similar.  I hope Morris brings something a little different to the Kennedy Center next time.  Meanwhile I'm still trying to unhear Sgt. Pepper played on a theremin.

As a somewhat related aside, Peter Boal has done a pretty remarkable job of blending contemporary ballet into Pacific Northwest Ballet schedules.  I can't tell you how grateful I am that the company offers digital subscriptions, especially given how rarely it visits the East Coast.  In fact, PNB's The Seasons' Canon program is currently streaming, which has made this by definition a fine weekend.  If only other companies would adopt the practice.  I realize that there are legal complications, but  SFB offered a digital subscription for a year during the pandemic, and I believe I read somewhere that Tamara Rojo might be open to the idea.

[volcanohunter]

2 hours ago, pasdecheval said:

And maybe somewhat fewer sneaker ballets (perhaps a minority opinion)?

For what it's worth, I don't like them either.

2 hours ago, pasdecheval said:

I realize that there are legal complications, but  SFB offered a digital subscription for a year during the pandemic, and I believe I read somewhere that Tamara Rojo might be open to the idea.

There's also the issue of cost and whether streams are economically viable. The Australian Ballet seems to have abandoned the idea recently after two years of streaming. A handful of companies tried it and threw in the towel after the first post-Covid season. 

[pasdecheval]

I hadn't realized that the Australian Ballet had abandoned the idea.  All the more reason to applaud PNB for sustaining the practice.  Words can hardly express how grateful I am or how much I've enjoyed my ongoing subscription.  Have any of you opted to follow the Paris Opera Ballet by means of Paris Opera Play?  If so, I'd love to hear about your experience. 

[fun en face]

I believe PNB will be performing at KC in June. 

[California]

38 minutes ago, fun en face said:

I believe PNB will be performing at KC in June. 

I'm not seeing PNB on the schedule. Birmingham is June 4-8, 2025. Is PNB part of an unannounced festival?

https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/season-announcement/dance/

[maps]

1 hour ago, California said:

I'm not seeing PNB on the schedule. Birmingham is June 4-8, 2025. Is PNB part of an unannounced festival?

https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/season-announcement/dance/

PNB is  doing Edwaard Liang's The Veil Between Worlds  Tues 6/18-Thurs 6/20/24:  10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography | Kennedy Center (kennedy-center.org) .  Choreographic Festival VI | Ballet West 

Edited Sunday at 05:40 PM by maps

[volcanohunter]

2 hours ago, pasdecheval said:

Have any of you opted to follow the Paris Opera Ballet by means of Paris Opera Play?  If so, I'd love to hear about your experience. 

I subscribe to Paris Opera Play and Royal Opera House Stream. In the case of the former, there were two ballet livestreams this season, and the first is already in the on-demand library. I subscribe to the latter because in North America there is no way to see the Royal Ballet in cinemas, and at least some of these broadcasts end up in the library eventually. For example, the live cinemacast of Cinderella from April 2023 was recently added to the on-demand library.

If I watch at least one production a month, the subscriptions are worth my while. And, as always, use it or lose it. Sadly, we've largely lost ballet in cinema.

[volcanohunter]

53 minutes ago, maps said:

10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography | Kennedy Center (kennedy-center.org) . 

That looks more substantial than most of the ballet series.

[pasdecheval]

Thanks very much, Volcanohunter!  Paris Opera Play has now become irresistible.  So, too, I think,  has a Royal Ballet subscription.  I've paid for some individual Royal Ballet performances in the past.  However, you make a compelling case for both subscriptions. Does this make you an enabler?  If so, a fine one, and I'm grateful. 

Being able to watch live ballet in cinema was pure joy for me, something I'd always hoped for; its loss was devastating.  Yes, use it or lose it.  (With that thought in mind, may I again remind fellow ballet lovers of PNB's digital series, please? The renewal process for the live series is already underway, so digital subscriptions should be available soon.)

The celebration of Asian choreography is one of the most interesting aspects of this year's Kennedy Center series and a sad contrast to next year's.  It's a rare opportunity to see PNB in live performance. (Incidentally, the PNB 2020-21 digital season included Liaang's The Veil Between Worlds.  I particularly remember a lovely PDD with Laura Tisserand.)  I also welcome seeing Choo San Goh's choregraphy again, as well as hearing the music he chose. 

[California]

4 hours ago, pasdecheval said:

Thanks very much, Volcanohunter!  Paris Opera Play has now become irresistible.  So, too, I think,  has a Royal Ballet subscription.  I've paid for some individual Royal Ballet performances in the past.  However, you make a compelling case for both subscriptions. Does this make you an enabler?  If so, a fine one, and I'm grateful. 

I just renewed my Royal Ballet streaming subscription for another year. Many classics and some special treats -- e.g., three performances of Giselle, three of Sleeping Beauty, two of R&J - typically over several years. Fun to see different casts. I don't think they sell a subscription for an entire season digitally, but actually haven't compared theatre and streaming offerings.

And I do plan to buy the PNB digital subscription this fall. Disappointed you can't buy individual programs, but I assume the record-keeping for that approach wasn't cost-effective.

Edited Monday at 12:13 AM by California

[volcanohunter]

The Royal Opera House continues to have an extensive cinema season in the UK, Europe and Japan, even Mexico, so I understand the need not to dilute the audience in those markets. I would love it, though, if it were to follow the lead of the Metropolitan Opera and make paid livestreams available to people who live far away from cinema screenings. At the moment that would include all of the United States and Canada.

[pasdecheval]

Thanks for the further information about the Royal Ballet offerings, California. That they don't represent a single season is just fine. 

I'm glad you're planning to support PNB.  😀