Jeannette

Already in NYC early for this evening’s Eastern. US premiere of LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE. Woohoo! Good rail journey from DC. 🚆 Back to Puerto Rico on Saturday. ✈️

You’re right, Jan. There’s joy and art in the Literary Classics Genre but Met audiences expect a certain old style glamour…tiaras and tulle. Even the divide between the NYCB/Balanchine-Clean and ABT/Petipa-Bling audiences is notable. I believe that the rich and colorful design elements (by Bob Crowley and teammates Katz and Halls) will make a difference in the reception of LWFC. Grand in the RB film and, I’m sure, even more impressive live at the Met.

Benjamin, I’m going to the opening night to support the present ABT. It’s up to the new AD, Susan Jaffe, and the Board, to lead the company to a repertoire that pulls it up. Hopefully they realize that classics - pointe shoes, tutus, tiaras and grand Petipa-style set pieces - are the bread and butter of their existence. Ratmansky knew this when he crafted Whipped Cream - a new ballet full of old-style glamour. Literary classic Jane Eyre just told a tale, without a tutu or fouetté in place. I hope that LWFC strikes a happy medium with the crowd.

p.s. I’ll try to move this to the performances thread once that there’s a review. 😉

Opening a thread for the NY Met season premiere, featuring the Eastern US premiere of Wheeldon’s Like Water for Chocolate. I can’t wait to see and review this special event, with: Tita - Cassandra Trenary Pedro - Herman Cornejo Mama Elena - Christine Schevchenko Rosaura - Hee Seo Gertrudis - Catherine Hurlin Dr. Brown - Thomas Forster ??Juan - Aran Bell or Carlos Gonzalez?? (Bell danced Juan at the Orange County premiere in March.) Conductor - Alondra de la Parra Nacha may be played by corps member Courtney Levine, who was a co-presenter of ABT’s recent insight event - a pop-up Book Club - which can be viewed on YouTube (also with Trenary, Cornejo, Esquivel & Wheeldon and co-moderator Amy Brandt of POINTE Magazine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oqnMhJBCs0&pp=ygUpTGlrZSBXYXRlciBmb3IgQ2hvY29sYXRlIHBvcCB1cCBib29rIGNsdWI%3D Lets go, ABT! 🎉

Not to be too harsh, I’m a huge admirer of Prof Wiley. I have & adore his earlier tomes on the Tchaikovsky ballets, Lev Ivanov, and the history of 19th-C Russian ballet. As you can see, I was very excited at the beginning of this process. I am simply gobsmacked at the very long time since the initial pre-order time (March 2022?) and now….and the multiple times that the publication date has been shifted. By now, we are going through two of my birthdays (late August) and two end-of-year holiday seasons. It’s just an odd timeline. Maybe the eventual publication will help me to make up for my many years awaiting the publication of Arlene Croce’s biography of Balanchine (just via rumor; the Croce bio was never on the pre-ordering track, that I recall).

One month is fine. Not two years ahead of time. I’m thinking that perhaps Prof Wiley is waiting for sources (or OKs) from Russia?

In the US, no new date cited…”temporarily unavailable…” So when was it “available”? Were the $250 pre-orders returned (cancelled) to those who selected it? https://www.amazon.com/Petersburg-Noverre-Marius-Petipa-Russia/dp/1839984163/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=XS77NEV3PWOQ&keywords=petipa+Wiley&qid=1686805306&sprefix=petipa+wiley%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-1 My $250 pre-order from spring 2022 was deleted a long time ago.

Indeed, Emeralds! My husband & I are here for the first time since my retirement! Will also go to NYC for the ABT opening gala of LWFC…still hoping to see Aran Bell in the main dancing - true old-style DANCING! - as Juan the Rebel! I enjoy soft movements and miming but especially want, uh…old-style grand ballet dancing. 😉

NYCB at the Kennedy Center in DC at yesterday’s matinee: I cannot imagine a more perfect mixed bill than what we witnessed at yesterday’s old-fashioned All-Classical program, especially the three Balanchines: Square Dance (Vivaldi & Corelli) Megan Fairchild - gentle strength, not overdoing musical nuances a-la-Bouder - and Joseph Gordon - perfect placement, as in a classical dictionary. Concerto Barocco (Bach) extraordinary debut by Mira Nadon, of magnificent musicality and Fonteyn face/hair/airs, my now-fave NYCB ballerina; Isabelle La Freniere with luscious lines; and Russell Janzen’s superb partnering of Ms Nadon in the 2nd movement. Donizetti Variations - starring the leading whiz-bang leaping principal couple of the company, Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia. Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun provided a gentle pause, deliciously rendered by Unity Phelan and, in double duty, Mr. Gordon. Now wouldn’t this be a grand program for London? In place of the modern barrage.

As the link to the Ballet Herald’s article (in our Links, 6 June) did not work, try this. https://www.balletherald.com/pnb-livestream-season-encore/ The performance is this Sunday, 11 June 2023, at 6:30pm local Seattle time. That’s 9:30pm eastern US; I think it’s 2:30am in the UK? It’s principal ballerina Lesley Rausch’s farewell! I’m guessing that it’s free to subscribers to the PNB season…others too, maybe? It’s hard to tell with what I’ve read so far.

Correction: ABT’s performances at the Met will mark the Eastern US premiere of LWFC. Also, I heard from a California friend that one of the dancers who played the high-flying Juan Alejandrez at Segerstrom was principal Aran Bell…so he’ll maybe dance it at the opening gala on 22 June?

I watched my DVD of Wheeldon/Talbot’s LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE ballet last night, as I prepare to travel next month to New York City’s Met to see ABT’s US premiere! A handsome production, beautifully portrayed by the Royal Ballet! 💗 As for the ballet, my short takes: - This is the ultimate Celebration of Mime and story telling, most handsomely decorated! - There are almost no traditional dances, that could be included in a gala program. The one big exception: a two-minute dance by the revolutionary leader, Juan Alejandrez (Cesar Corrales here)during the Campfire scene near the end of the work. I wonder which fabulous ABT soloist or corps man will essay this role? - The ghostly head of Mama Elena (Laura Morera here) floating above the stage will be remembered by all! I’m truly looking forward to my trip next month! ✈️

That would be great. All six top named characters at the 22 June gala premiere are Principals on the ABT roster: Tita - Cassandra Trenary Pedro - Herman Cornejo Mama Elena - Christine Shevchenko Rosaura - Hee Seo Gertrudis - Catherine Hurlin Dr. John Brown - Thomas Forster

p.s. - My copy arrived today! Will watch tonight. So I’ll get to prepare for the ABT premiere ahead of time.

It’s also been on EBay for the past three weeks…and my copy just shipped!

In looking at my archival materials, I see that PNB used the Imperial-tutus version at least through the 1990s. I saw Patricia Barker as the lead in this.

Oh yes!!! Thank you. This was the 1988 production, with Rouben Ter-Arutunian designs. Best of the best!

Oh, I remember that excerpt from a gala during the ROH’s closing, around 1999. My main problem isn’t the white wigs but the little pointed peplum (with bells?) on the corps ladies’ skirts. Like little harlequins? Also, I don’t care for the dark nightmarish background! A complete opposite of the calm & serene blue-sky and Neva River embankment in the 1960s NYCB & 1988 ABT Imperial versions. I need to find a photo of Susan Jaffe in her magnificent Tsarina Tutu! No wig on Susan Jaffe. That ABT production looked 100% perfect. I hope that ABT can replicate that look.

Thanks and most fascinating! Oh…I usually love tutus but the Berman ones are unusual…with a little Comedia Dell’arte bite? The recent POB & DNB ones are more mature and regal…as were ABTs from the early 1990s, with the gorgeous imperial Russian tiaras (kokoshniks). Oh well, let’s see if ABT might restore the Imperial look next year. It might be too expensive.

Thanks! So lovely. I wonder if these are the same designs by M. Cherpin, used by DNB? The Imperial look really adds to the ballet, IMO, despite Balanchine having simplified the costumes at NYCB in the ‘70s.

A bit about the iconic Sea Shadow, to Ravel (with clip of the pdd included): https://arpinofoundation.org/ballets/sea-shadow/ The Imperial look of Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial, danced by DNB…as the old ABT version looked: https://www.francoisnoelcherpin.com/portfolio/ballet-imperial/ I may travel just to see this.

One of my favorite Balanchines will be revived by ABT next year - as Ballet Imperial…not Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto…so maybe with tutus & tiaras for the ladies? I loved their old majestic Ballet Imperial, as danced by Susan Jaffe! https://www.scfta.org/events/2024/american-ballet-theatre I also noticed that ABT will dance Gerald Arpino’s Sea Shadow within Program A in Chicago’s Auditorium Theater next September, during the Arpino Centennial Festival! https://arpinofoundation.org/centennial/

This sounds like the pathetically-sold “modern” mid-week programs that the NYCB brings to the Kennedy Center in DC. I’ll be in DC for the run and will attend only the all-classical program (all Balanchine/Robbins). Missing the modern program, which has barely sold.

A great recap of the Coronation Concert day, focusing of the highly-likeable Princess Sophie of Wessex, Queen of Grooving…and wife of very cool Prince Edward. I’m a fan of this royal couple! Move them to the front of the group of working Royals! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe1tkGVtKc0