Haglund's Heel

Stiefel's ABT retirement (and other) plans

Ethan Stiefel told reporter Valerie Lawson of The Australian that his 2012 spring performances in Le Corsaire and Swan Lake with ABT at The Met will probably be his last with the company. 

The new artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet spoke more about his collaborations with Johan Kobborg which include a new La Bayadere that the two will prepare for the National Ballet of Canada's 2015 season.  Designs will be by Robert Perdziola who is well known for his opera sets and costumes at The Met Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Opera Australia, and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

The article in The Australian, which has an interesting typo in the penultimate paragraph, also seemed to confirm that Stella Abrera's Aurora in RNZB's Sleeping Beauty later this month is still a go.  Fist Pump, Baby!!

 

Ratmansky will create Romeo and Juliet for The National Ballet of Canada

Haglund is going to pencil-in on his calendar the November 16, 2011 world premiere in Toronto of Alexei Ratmansky's Romeo and Juliet for The National Ballet of Canada which is marking its 60th anniversary this year.  Richard Hudson and Jennifer Tipton, who collaborated with Ratmansky on The Nutcracker for ABT, will be part of the production team which will have use of the company's brand new $4.4 milllion (Canadian) 59,000 square foot production center.  The music will be Prokofiev's score. 

Here's the NBC's press release.  Haglund will keep a close watch on this event and bring you the details as they evolve.