Single tickets for NYCB's spring season go on sale tomorrow – in case anyone needs a reminder. The first ticket that Haglund picks up will be for the premiere of Alexei Ratmansky's new ballet on May 5th – also Cinco de Mayo which commemorates the Battle of Puebla where the underdog Mexican army whipped the French occupiers. Ratmansky has chosen to use the French composer Edouard Lalo's composition entitled Namouna.
An interview with Ratmansky from the April issue of Dance Magazine where he discusses the new work is online here.
Generally, NYCB casting is only available a couple of weeks before performances. However, in the DM interview, Ratmansky discloses that some of the dancers he is using in the new piece are Wendy Whelan, Jenifer Ringer, Sara Mearns, Megan Fairchild, Abi Stafford, Daniel Ulbricht, and Robert Fairchild. Nice list.
The Prelude from Namouna as arranged for two pianos can be heard here. The entire orchestrated composition can be downloaded from the Naxos catalogue.
Earlier choreographic versions of Namouna were created by Lucien Petipa (Marius' brother) for the Paris Opera and Peter Wright for the Stuttgart Ballet. The original libretto told the story of a Lord who gambled away all of his belongings including his favorite slave girl who had a talent for rolling cigarettes. Just let the imagination run with that one. Don't know if Ratmansky is sticking with this libretto, but we do know that there will be a cigarette in play on the stage.
Haglund is eagerly looking forward to this little story ballet and its smokin' hot cast.
Yankees. Red Sox. CC. In 1 hour and 25 minutes! Go Yankees. Point those toes!
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