Haglund's Heel

On Haglund's Calendar – Bouder's NYC debut in 4Ts on Fri 9/16

A couple of important NYC debuts during the first week of the season:  Ashley Bouder in The Four Temperaments and Robert Fairchild in Apollo.

Don't miss these performances on Friday, September 16th.

Ocean's Kingdomonium has begun

Just want to reiterate how DISAPPOINTED Haglund will be if he cannot purchase a souvenir tee shirt at the NYCB premiere of Ocean's Kingdom on September 22nd with some version of this fantasmagorial artwork.  According to Sir Paul's website, "Though [the artwork] seems to suggest a city skyline, it is actually a digital readout of the notes from the ballet score."  Must have.

 

Look out

Vanity Fair's James Wolcott just dove into the Twitter pool yesterday and is already splashing around with more than 350 followers.   Well, heck, his Twitter photo is, eh hem, well, see for yourself:

 

YAGP Documentary First Position to premiere at Toronto Film Festival

Just reported by BroadwayWorld.com – The new documentary which follows five dancers as they prepare and compete in the Youth America Grand Prix will have its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Sunday, September 11th.  "First Position"  is being produced by Bess Kargman of First Position Films.  The film company's website already has a lot of enticing footage and photos, and has promised a trailer soon.  The FB page has additional photos and info.

Following Toronto, the film will make a tour of film festivals:  Boston - 3rd week of September; Vancouver - 4th week of September; Washington DC and NYC - 1st weekend in November; and other cities.

This whole effort looks fabulous!

 

NYCB – Ocean's Kingdom costumes

From the September issue of Vogue, here is a glimpse of what Stella McCartney has designed for the Martins/McCartney Ocean's Kingdom.  The costumes look kind of Merce-inspired, don't they?  Add some funky lighting, video images, and hopefully strong melodies and thoughtful choreography, and we could have ourselves a very interesting and pleasing new ballet. 

Haglund's excited.  Don't blame him if the Fourth Ringers start a group singout before the curtain goes up:  Naa, Na, Na, Na-na-na-naaa, Na-na-na-naaa, Hey Jude.  It could happen.

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Totally psyched about the NYCB Gala performance on September 22nd.  And to think that Haglund's Hunch-O-Meter was the very first to sniff out the Martins-McCartney collaboration more than a year ago - long before the NYT or anyone else. 

A souvenir tee-shirt with this blue image is a must have.  A cannot live without.

 

Why isn't this man a soloist?

WHY?

It's beginning to look like the B in ABT stands for Brainless.

Earthquake totally expected

A few minutes after ABT announced via the Segerstrom Center's Facebook page and BroadwayWorld.com that it was handing over a plum premiere performance of its new Firebird to a freakin' guest artist, the East Coast delivered a 5.8 earthquake.  Enough said.

Congratulations to Misty Copeland and Isabella Boylston for getting some well-deserved recognition in being designated as also-leads in Ratmansky's new production which will premiere in March 2012 in Costa Mesa, CA.  Regardless of the obvious pressure that will be placed upon them, it is hoped that neither of these wonderful dancers will feel the need to adopt any of the tasteless Osipovisms that the uninformed media goes goo-goo-gaa-gaa over. 

ABT's Chronic GAS continues.  Stay tuned for the announcement about Funani, the pirouetting baby hippo and ABT guest artist, coming to a theater near you. 

 

Maria Riccetto to dance Medora for Bocca

Julio Bocca has hired ABT's Maria Riccetto to star in his company's full length production of Le Corsaire.  El Ballet Nacional del Sodre will present El Corsario at the Auditorio Nacional Adela Reta in Montevideo, Uruguay from September 30 through October 11.  José Martin of The Royal Ballet and Avetik Karapetyan of The Royal Swedish Ballet will also perform.  Tickets go on sale this Monday.

When will the ABT soloists get the respect that they deserve from their home company?  Maybe when Julio Bocca becomes Artistic Director.  Let us pray. 

NYCB – A grand reunion

Together – unbelievably.

Helene Alexopoulos, Alexandra Ansanelli, Merrill Ashley, Yvonne Borree, Maria Calegari, Suzanne Farrell, Judith Fugate, Jillana, Allegra Kent, Gelsey Kirkland, Darci Kistler, Maria Kowroski, Sara Leland, Lourdes Lopez, Kay Mazzo, Patricia McBride, Yvonne Mounsey, Kyra Nichols, Jenifer Ringer, Melinda Roy, Stephanie Saland, Margaret Tracey, Violette Verdy, Heather Watts, Miranda Weese, and Wendy Whelan. 

The rafters of the theater will surely be tested on Friday, September 30th when all of these magnificent ballerinas gather together on stage during NYCB's evening performance to accept the 2011 Jerome Robbins Award. 

Imagine.  You really don't want to miss this.

 

 

Ballet Cop on the Beat – NYCB ticket marketing = the new Time Warner Cable service

If you appreciate and respect Time Warner Cable's fill in your own expletive "customer service" with its unparalleled attention to honesty and providing you with the best possible, most professional assistance, then you'll LOVE, LOVE ME DO the new ticket selling strategy at NYCB.

The mantra seems to be "everything's sold out but these crappy seats so take 'em or leave 'em" when IN FACT much better seats are available but are being held back while they try to push the crappy seats down your throat.

Exhibit A:

If one wanted to purchase 4 seats for September 22nd, one could sit in great seats in Row E of the Fourth Ring @ $89 ea.  However, if one wanted to purchase just a single ticket, one is shoved up to the top to Row M or Row O @ $89 ea.

 
Exhibit B:

If one then deleted those 4 seats in Row E from the shopping cart, thus making those seats immediately available for a single ticket purchase, NYCB still shoves the single ticket purchaser up in Row O.

Meanwhile, the humans at the theater's box office are telling people that certain tickets are sold out when the truth is that they have not been released for sale or are only available to certain profiles such as the multi-ticket buyer.  If you don't meet the right profile, then they shove you to the back. 

If you want to purchase tickets by phone for September 22, you must leave a voice message at the Special Events office telling them who you are and how many tickets you want and they'll assess, and get back to you in 24 hours - maybe.  Slippery slope here, folks.  Charging and seating customers according to their profiles; refusing to sell certain seats based on a customer profile.

It looks like NYCB's Katherine Brown thinks she's earning her hefty half million dollar paycheck by trying to micro-manage each ticket purchase while the pissed off ticket buyers are walking out the door. 

FYI – the Met Opera is selling lots of $25 tickets.  Joyce Theater – $19.

 

The New Deal – "Society NYCB" – not kidding

The Fourth Ring Society has become Society NYCB, according to the mailing received today.  It's no Great Society, though.

For a $20 annual membership fee, the Society NYCB member has the opportunity to purchase tickets for $15.  There will be Blackout Dates, but NYCB prefers not to let you know about them at this time - even though they know full well what those dates are.  And don't expect to be sitting with your Society member buddies in the center of the Fourth Ring.  For each performance, NYCB will allot a minimum of 70 seats "in a variety of sections of the house."  They want the new Society members to fill in the seats on the sides and in the back of the bus orchestra and lower rings.  Call it the Fill-in-the-Blanks Society.

Society NYCB seats for the first week of performances (September 13-18) will be available for purchase by phone or at the box office on August 29th.  Thereafter on each Monday, seats for another week of performances will be released for purchase. 

This offer is only open to 2010-2011 Fourth Ring Society members. 

Update #2.1 - The arts are building

From last night's starry opening night (note little stars in background and big stars in foreground) of the new and fabulous Tarkington Theater at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, here are ABT's Stella Abrera and Gennadi Saveliev in the Bedroom Pas de Deux from Le Corsaire.

Matt Kryger for The Indianapolis Star

 

NYCB – Did they lie to us?

Just asking.

Letters and emails were sent out to the faithful and the angry assuring one and all that NYCB was putting together a new program with similar benefits to replace the Fourth Ring Society.  Well, where is it?  Single tickets go on sale Monday.

Where is it?! 

 

Update: The arts are building

In regard to this post, we now have a little more information about this Saturday's opening night of the new and fabulous Tarkington Theater at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana - you know, the one named after Haglund's relative, Booth.  According to this press release, the ever lovely Stella Abrera and Gennadi Saveliev will dance the Bedroom PdD from Le Corsaire for the festivities.  That is a very good sign for the spring season at the Met.  Very good indeed.

Still waiting for that promotion announcement, however.

 

More of Tippet's Bruch Violin Concerto

This is pure treasure, that's for sure. 

Here are the last eight minutes of an ABT performance of Clark Tippet's Bruch Violin Concerto with Ashley Tuttle, Ethan Stiefel, Angel Corella, Yan Chen, Keith Roberts, Paloma Herrera, Robert Hill, and Julie Kent.  Try to spot Gillian Murphy in the very back of the corps de ballet, but don't look for red hair.

We need to see this ballet again soon – on a big stage.