Ivy Lin

I saw the whole thing on the Bolshoi website and totally loved it. Here's my complete thoughts:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2020/01/ratmanskys-new-old-giselle.html

Shen Yun is not a Chinese ballet company. They're American. I object to however the wholesale dismissal of Chinese "dancers" in a way I find offensive, even when the dancers in question are not Chinese, as I mentioned.

Can we stop the racist comments about Chinese people? They're very hurtful.

Actually I've stood next to Zakharova (I'm 163 cm) and was surprised that she wasn't particularly tall. She was willowy for sure but in terms of actual height she wasn't an Amazon. 

I saw the cinemacast. I loved Fumi as Aurora and Bonelli as the Prince. I thought Kaneko was lovely in the Rose Adagio and Vision Scene. I did notice that in the fishdives of the Wedding pas de deux the timing was not as snappy as it's been in the past. The working leg free leg didn't go up at the same time as the free leg. For an example of impeccable fishdive timing here's Cojocaru and Kobborg:

I agree about Gina Storm-Jensen as Lilac Fairy. It wasn't that her variation had some bobbles (I've actually never seen anyone do this variation without some gear-shifting). It was that she didn't exude any graciousness or charm. She looked rather stern and businesslike. 

I loved Naghdi and Ball as Florine and Bluebird and thought that the production remains the crown jewel of Sleeping Beauty productions.

So I decided to compare Megxit with several unhappy operatic princesses:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2020/01/megxit-unhappy-operatic-princesses.html

Yoncheva has two tiny kids at home, one of whom is only a couple months old. It's very typical for new moms to get sick easily. Cut her some slack. 

I saw this (don't ask how but I did). I thought it was overall well done. I only objected to a few things: 1) the wind machine during the balcony scene. Thought it was overdone and really obvious. And 2) the shooting behind the bars in the crypt scene. I thought it was a good visual metaphor at first (R&J are now locked in forever) but I would have only used the bars in the beginning and the end, not the entire scene. Thought it obscured some of the most expressive moments of the ballet. 

I thought Hayward was absolutely beautiful and the outdoor setting worked very well.

Highlights:

- The Giselle performances of Alina Cojocaru, Natalia Osipova, and Diana Vishneva were all very different but set a standard of excellence that I'll always hold as a benchmark

- The Superjewels with the Bolshoi, Paris Opera Ballet, and NYCB was a very special once-in-a-lifetime event

- The Merce centennial -- all the performances got me into this rather difficult choreographer's work for the first time

- La Bayadere at the Mariinsky with Viktoria Tereshkina and Kimin Kim was fantastic

- So blessed to have seen Uliana Lopatkina dance Swan Lake. Mesmerizing.

- Wendy Whelan's Farewell at NYCB.

- So many performances at NYCB. Highlights include: Sara Mearns in the Gypsy Rondo of Brahms-Schoenberg, Sterling Hyltin in Mozartiana, Teresa Reichlen as Tall Girl and Reichlen/Russell Janzen in Diamonds, Tiler Peck in Allegro Brillante, Adrian Danchig-Waring as Apollo

- the final farewell performance of many Paul Taylor veterans this past November

- Ratmansky's reconstruction of Sleeping Beauty and Harlequinade made me see these works very differently

Lowlights:

- Jane Eyre. An awful ballet. Can't believe I sat through it.

- The sexting scandal at NYCB 

- The racism in many ballet fans I respected. I was shocked to see so many defending blackface in ballet and also saying that they didn't think the lack of diversity was a problem.

- Benjamin Millepied's ballets. Every time I see one, I sleep. Have no idea why he still gets so many commissions.

For me it was the final Esplanade performance at Paul Taylor Dance Company with the farewells of Sean Mahoney, Robert Kleindorst, Jamie Rae Walker, Michelle Fleet and Parisa Khobdeh.

Also loved Sara Mearns in the Gypsy-Rondo of Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet.

1 hour ago, Peony said:

it’s free at the Opera House but practically everywhere else charges per item in my experience. 
I don’t see any problem with taking items in if they fit under your seat or on your own seat. I expect people avoid the cloakrooms because they want to make a quick exit. During the building work I waited about half an hour, I hope things have improved now!

In the U.S. also I often have a late train to catch. In this case I always have my coat with me. I also am a teacher and go straight from work to the theater, in which case I might have that "teacher bag" of ... well, stuff. Like pencils, papers to grade, etc. I put my bag under my seat so I don't know why it's a problem.

5 minutes ago, penelopesimpson said:

This is a bugbear of mine.  Coats, hats,scarfs, rucksacks, briefcases, shopping bags have no place in the auditorium and the ushers should take action.,  As I predicted, Open Up made the situation worse with its constant emphasis on limited cloakroom facilities when the truth was that there was plenty of storage space but problems with queues.

Idk how it is in the UK but in the U.S. coat check is usually priced.

Catch this in HD! It was tremendous!

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2019/12/mets-new-wozzeck-waltzing-into-misery.html

One thing I am shocked at is the CGI "cat" look. They give the cats a smoothed out skin look which is certainly not very feline fuzzy. This is my cat:

I know Michelle Dorrance had a very successful season in Sadler Wells. If she ever tours Nutcracker to London see it because it's wonderful:

https://bachtrack.com/review-dorrance-nutcracker-suite-joyce-theater-new-york-december-2019

I also wrote about the various other Nuts I saw:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2019/12/dorrance-dances-nutcracker-and-other.html

Anyone listen to the broadcast? I thought she was even more amazing this afternoon than she was last Sunday.

I saw the cinema relay of the Coppelia. I really enjoy the Royal Ballet production. I thought Nunez was caught maybe a few years past her best in this role. She now has a mature glow to her dancing. Can;t explain it but it's like she seems like a wise, knowing woman now rather than a feisty girl. I also thought Vadim Muntagirov seems too sensible as the foolish Franz. Still happy to see this production. 

I can'twait to hear her Ariadne. Her voice is really so much different live.

I saw her in Queen of Spades yesterday afternoon and she is the real deal. Londoners are in for a treat when she sings Fidelio with Jonas Kaufmann.

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2019/12/queen-of-spades-revival-is-aces.html

I saw the interview. I thought it was pretty cute and standard format for US late night talk shows. Jimmy Kimmel has actually done some interviews with ballerinas. He's one of my favorite late-night comedians. 

Here's the full interview on YT:

David Hallberg implies he might be retiring:

This post is a good example of how one can make your Instagram an engaging place for fans and not turn it into a walking billboard. Svetlana Zakharova is not oversharing, she's not really advertising anything (other than that cake which looks delicious) but it is a fun post that simply shares an experience and expresses gratitude towards her fans. 

This is another example: a nice peak into rehearsals and it does advertise an upcoming debut but not in an obvious way.

I have read some complaints on dancers' boards that Gaynor Minden platforms are not flat and it's very hard to darn the platform to increase stability. No idea how true that is though -- I suspect for professional dancers they would have custom made shoes. These sounded like girls just using pointes for the first time.

1 hour ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

Personally I follow Svetlana Zakharova (along with 121K other people) because she has a habit of posting a short video of herself being driven to work, with her eclectic choice of music in the background, usually in a woolly hat in winter but still looking perfect, and the way she glances into the camera and blows a kiss melts my heart

 

Thus Instagram does seem to lead to fame to an extent, although it is not always a guide to 'quality'.

Svetlana Zakharova's Instagram is a surprise. Not the usual glamour shots, but a lot of candids of her family. I like following that account too. 

I also like Sara Mearns' Instagram because she often gives herself feedback over her performance and it's sometimes very candid.

Many of the common endorsements: pointe shoes (with Capezios, Blochs and Gaynor Minden wearers being particularly eager to advertise -- I notice that Freed and Grishko wearers don't advertise as much maybe as the pointe shoes are worn by so many dancers?), leotards and dance wear, and for some dancers cross fitness tools like rolling pins for muscles and pilates balls. Also Tiger Balm and other ointments dancers often use to alleviate pain and injury. I really don't mind the advertisements as a dancer's life is short and if they can make extra $$$ go for it.

Sometimes the "professional photographers" IMO veer dangerously close to ana chic with their photos or the dancers who choose to photograph themselves in somewhat ana chic ways. I have seen these photos circulated online in ana forums for "thinspiration" and I think dancers do have to be mindful that a photograph of them that purposely shows off their entire ribcage can be construed the wrong way.