Wednesday, June 19

[dirac]

American Ballet Theatre revives "Onegin."

Quote

Lost love is a timeless theme in ballet—Giselle and Swan Lake are just two familiar examples—but while Cranko created Onegin using classical steps, Onegin is a modern ballet. It has ballroom scenes and bedroom scenes, but there is no grand pas de deux, no fish-dives, no 32 fouettés. “Instead of the emphasis being on the technique,” says Seo, “the emphasis is on the storytelling side of it.” 

Principal Dancer Cory Stearns agrees. “This ballet is a dancer’s ballet,” says Stearns. “It is beloved by artists throughout the world—it says something that so many master artists love performing this ballet.”

 

[dirac]

 Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia are among the dancers performing in Detroit this weekend.

Quote

Local ballet-lovers are in for a treat this weekend when New York City Ballet stars Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia headline this weekend’s World Ballet Festival at Detroit’s Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts. The touring ballet festival features a mixed repertory “Ballet Blockbusters” program performed by ballet dancers from some of the country’s most prominent ballet companies, including San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet, in addition to New York City Ballet.

 

[dirac]

A review of the National Ballet of Japan in "Aladdin" by Naomi Mori for Bachtrack.

Quote

Aladdin was created before Bintley’s tenure (2010-2014) started, but he already seemed to know the company well and focused on featuring the strengths of the dancers, especially the technically skilled soloists. A spectacular string of divertissements in the Cave of Riches appears in the first act: Pearls and Onyx, Gold and Silver, Sapphire, Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds, and where the mischievous street boy Aladdin is lured by the evil Maghrib and finds the magical lamp. The Djinn of the Lamp is attractively depicted, with several bravura solos that steal the show, initially floating on stage suspended by a wire, with a puff of blue smoke.

 

[dirac]

The Joffrey Ballet will perform in Sun Valley for the first time.

Quote

While it is the first time the Joffrey Ballet will be performing in Sun Valley, one of its dancers has been to the area while performing with the San Francisco Ballet.

Basia Rhoden has been hyping up the area for her colleagues and is excited to dance again for Ballet Sun Valley audiences June 29-30.

 

[dirac]

A report on the Sarasota Ballet's reception in London by Carrie Seidman in The Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Quote

In 1990 Margaret Barbieri, having retired after 25 years dancing with the Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet in London, was offered a job to direct abroad. She and her fellow dancer and husband, Iain Webb, went to visit their great friend and mentor, Royal Ballet founder Dame Ninette DeValois, often called the mother of British ballet, to share the news.

“It was the only time in Maggie’s 25 years with the company when ‘Madame’ got angry,” recalls Webb, using their respectful title for DeValois. “She said, ‘You cannot go anywhere else. You must stay! Your job is to pass this all on!’’