There’s quite a bit of interesting, wide-ranging stuff to report.
Irina Dvorovenko will star as “Elizaveta Grushinskaya - The still-beautiful, world-famous, about-to-retire Prima Ballerina” in New York City Center Encores presentation of Grand Hotel, the Musical from March 21-25. Oh, lord. Not to be missed. She’s gonna kill it again. Who could possibly have more material to give to this role than Irina?
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Lar Lubovitch Dance Company will present its 50th Anniversary Season from April 17-22 at the Joyce Theater. Lar Lubovitch, himself, doesn’t look a day over 50 — how could he possibly be having a golden anniversary for his company? But he is, and he’s creating another new dance called Something About Night which will be performed on each date. The Martha Graham Dance Company will guest during the 50th Anniversary Season performing Lubovitch’s The Legend of Ten on Program A. Program B include Act III from Lubovitch’s Othello. Lubovitch has invited some Joffrey Ballet dancers to come in to perform it. Well, not just some Joffrey Ballet dancers – SOME, as in, Fabrice Calmels, Rory Hohenstein, Victoria Jaiani, and Temur Suluashvili. Holy night of murder that will rock Chelsea, Batman.
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Angel Corella has formally announced Pennsylvania Ballet’s 2018-2019 season. We previously "scooped" that the season would open with Kenneth MacMillan’s extraordinary Romeo and Juliet, and we thought that would be the biggest news about the season. But oh noooooo! Angel is going to present Giselle in March! The company has so many potential heart-breaking Giselles that it isn’t fair to the rest of the ballet world. No doubt we’re going to have to borrow a penny from someone to check the treads on the Gisellemobile. And Angel is presenting an all-Stravinsky program that includes Apollo, The Cage, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto. Oh, and throw Robbins’ Glass Pieces into the mix for the end of the season when the dancers have all but danced their feet off already. This is a huge, huge season that will also include four world premieres.
We’re very excited about going down to Philly next month for a couple of Swan Lakes. This new production based on the Petipa version and staged by Angel is not, repeat, is not a replacement for the production which Christopher Wheeldon made for the company’s 40th Anniversary Season in 2004. Both productions, vastly different, will remain in the company’s repertory. It’s unusual but not unprecedented to have two productions of the same ballet in a company’s rep. NYCB runs two very different Swan Lakes.
The opening night cast includes Cubans Dayesi Torriente as Odette/Odile and Arian Molina Soca as Prince Siegfried. Sterling Baca, who will dance Prince Siegfried to Lillian Di Piazza's Odette/Odelle the following night may be Von Rothbart on opening night as well. We’ve been looking at Soca lately and wondering whether Placido Domingo spent time in Cuba in the late 1980s, because, well:
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Speaking of musical Spaniards, there is a published rumor from a well-placed source that Santiago Calatrava will be adding something big to Phase II of the Hudson Yards development on the West Side of Manhattan, a.k.a. Dubai on the Hudson. Both he and Frank Gehry are said to have major roles in the upcoming building projects that will include massive structures atop the rail yards.
Most known for his bridges, transportation hubs, and of course his wonderful scenery for New York City Ballet's 2010 season, Calatrava is the architect for what will be (in a couple of years) the most beautiful modern tower on earth. We can only hope that he will design something for our little neighborhood that will approach the beauty of the Dubai Creek Tower – a spaceship-like structure with harp-like strings for wings that practically reaches into heaven. Oh gosh, this is going to be one beautiful monument:
Friends and I saw both the Philly and New York coaching sessions for Swan. Angel's Swan is not to be missed. He has the head and the heart to produce a wonderful show. Friends and I plan to see three which includes Torriente/Soca, DiPiazza/Baca and Pineiro/Liang. What great talent. Angel seems to bring out the best in each. New York...go to Philly!
Posted by: SherryD | February 21, 2018 at 03:33 PM
"Grand Hotel" runs March 21-25.
Posted by: Ed | February 21, 2018 at 04:36 PM
Thanks, Ed. I corrected it.
Posted by: Haglund | February 21, 2018 at 04:39 PM
Sherry D --
All the PA Ballet Swan Lake casts are so strong that it's hard to choose. Steadily rising toward my A-list of ballerinas to watch is So Jung Shin. Her Fairy of Purity in the Sleeping Beauty Prologue simply blew me away. Such lovely arms.
Posted by: Haglund | February 21, 2018 at 04:41 PM
If the Eiffel Tower was a 7 (and that's arguable), this is definitely a 20. What a gorgeous structure!
Posted by: angelica | February 23, 2018 at 02:47 PM
PA Ballet admirers--PBS's "Pennsylvania Ballet at 50" is free to view with Amazon Prime. It aired in 2014 and has 55 minutes of dancing with not too much chit chat. Of the cast featured, two are still dancing with PA Ballet: Under the sun (Pas de deux) --Alexandra Hughes and Ian Hussey.
This is a 70's piece about Calder, the artist. Visually it reminds me of Ashton's Monotones. The first is Wheeldon's After the Rain where the dancers struck me as well-matched and so healthy! And the finale is GB's Diamonds. The camera work is dodgy in Diamonds. Overall this was a very pleasant way to spend an hour.
I might have passed on this video if Haglund hadn't been praising this company so thank you for doing so.
There is also an ABT doc which I haven't watched yet and some other free ballet programs to view.
Posted by: Laura | February 25, 2018 at 05:44 PM
Thanks for this, Laura.
Posted by: Haglund | February 25, 2018 at 07:48 PM