Haglund's Heel

observations 6/30

English National Ballet will stream a full performance of La Sylphide (from 2017) tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. Here's the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUuHmJKotWQ

There's still plenty of time for some ballet company to announce a stream of a full performance of Stars and Stripes on July 4th. Any takers out there? (We doubt it.)

 

 

observations 6/29

Lincoln Center at Home will stream the Live from Lincoln Center Tribute to Balanchine at 8pm tonight.  The 1983 program is comprised of Vienna Waltzes, Mozartiana, and Who Cares? It will be available through July 14th.

http://lincolncenter.org/lincoln-center-at-home/show/tribute-to-balanchine-1983-926

Available on Etsy.

Pennsylvania Ballet Front Row Festival -- Giselle

Here's a reminder that Pennsylvania Ballet's Front Row Festival continues with its marvelous Giselle starring Oksana Maslova and Arian Molina Soca.  This is a fabulous performance which can be viewed on Vimeo for a month. But one does need to register in order to receive the link and password. So register, darn it!

Pennsylvania Ballet just announced today that it will cancel the fall and Nutcracker seasons due to the COVID pandemic and expects/hopes to restart in the winter season. Here's hoping that this talented collection of artists manages to hold it together over the next six months and reunites with new strength in January.

 

 

observations 6/23

The delayed All Balanchine Program from Lincoln Center at Home's Dance Week is now available. It features New York City Ballet's performances of the fourth movement of Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, Concerto Barocco excerpt, The Man I Love from PdD from Who Cares, and Act III from Coppelia:

http://lincolncenter.org/lincoln-center-at-home/show/coppeacutelia-858

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pFz5e2XufM

No begging for money in this video.

 

observations 6/21

We want to remind everyone of the fantastic Front Row Festival that is going on right now at Pennsylvania Ballet. It's free. All one has to do is register so that the Vimeo links and passwords can be sent via email. The emails (generally sent around 6pm) include the past performances although some will only be available for seven days.

Last night's full length Don Quixote led by Mayara Pineiro and Arian Molina Soca was a persuasive argument for supporting this company right now. What a mood lifter! They are truly giving their audience their best under the current circumstances -- which cannot be said for New York's own companies.

Register here today: Pennsylvania Ballet Front Row Festival

 

 

observations 6/20

This morning many New Yorkers are wondering: Since there is no briefing by Governor Cuomo today, what's the point in getting out of bed?

I know. I know. We're on our own for the first time in 112 days. We can do this, People. We have to.

Take a swig of hot coffee and meander on over to Mariinsky.TV/e and poke the framed box below the main attraction that says Documentary - June 18th. Skip to the 40' mark in the video for about 10 minutes of documentary about the Mariinsky Ballet featuring Diana Vishneva and other great ones along with historical clips of Pavlova, Plisetskaya, and others.

Haglund just checked the governor's schedule on his website. He clocked into the office at 8am on this Saturday morning. Maybe he'll pop out later to say something...anything...

 

 

Pennsylvania Ballet Front Row Festival opens tonight

Pennsylvania Ballet opens its 10-day digital season with an outstanding selection of classical, contemporary, and premiere ballets. It's free, but you have to register so that they can email you the Vimeo link (there might be a delay with that email even though they say it will be sent shortly): 

http://paballet.org/front-row-festival/?fbclid=IwAR0YJT96Hbp4ewt2_0nNU-CGUziFPoksNlFM7mJL1RLuViJJOwCSdXfVIzY 

Look at this lineup!

Connection

Available June 19 – 26

Choreography by Juliano Nunes
Music by Ezio Bosso

Don Quixote

Available June 20 – July 20

Choreography by Angel Corella (after Petipa)
Music by Ludwig Minkus

Episode 31

Available June 21 – 28

Choreography by Alexander Ekman
Music by Mikael Karlsson, Ane Brun & Erik Satie

A Trace of Inevitability

Available June 22 – 29

Choreography by Yin Yue
Music by Michel Banabila

Rubies

Available June 23 – 30

Choreography by George Balanchine
Music by Igor Stravinsky

Giselle

Available June 24 – July 24

Choreography by Angel Corella (after Jean Coralli & Jules Perrot)
Music by Adolphe Adam

Trigger Touch Fade

Available June 25 – July 2

Choreography by Jorma Elo
Music by Franz Joseph Haydn & J.S. Bach

Glass Pieces

Available June 26 – July 3

Choreography by Jerome Robbins
Music by Philip Glass

I AM

Available June 27 – July 4

Documentary directed by Glenn Holsten
Featuring Artists of Pennsylvania Ballet II and Students of St. Katherine’s School

D.G.V.: Danse à Grand Vitesse

Available June 28 – July 5

Choreography by Christopher Wheeldon
Music by Michael Nyman

The Front Row Festival will also feature a Q & A with Artistic Director Angel Corella and Preludes for each ballet, featuring Pennsylvania Ballet artists.

 

 

observations 6/18

New York City Ballet announced today that it has cancelled the fall and Nutcracker seasons in the face of COVID-19. Not good news, but expected. More digital programing is in the works. That's good news, and expected.

We can do this, People. It is but six months until January. Look, few people have money to spend on ballet tickets now anyway. New York City has lost 851,000 private sector jobs since last year. Job loss was on the rise even before COVID-19 hit. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are on unemployment, can't pay rent, are food insecure -- going to the ballet doesn't make their list of needs. Also, we don't need tourists coming to Lincoln Center from any of those states that are not being as careful as New York and bringing along new virus.

So let's chill. Take whatever NYCB can provide in the way of digital performances. Stay home and don't get sick. Hang loose and be ready to dash out the door to get in line for the first approved COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. Wear a mask.

Wear a mask.

 

observations 6/16

Rumors are swirling again in Uruguay that Maria Riccetto will soon take over the direction of the Ballet Nacional del Sodre. The Minister of Education and Culture, Pablo de Silveira, just informed Ballet Artistic Director Igor Yebra that Yebra would not continue in the position in 2021. Yebra replaced Julio Bocca in 2017. At that time, Bocca and many others thought that Maria would make a fine artistic director. Word was that her wish to continue performing as a member of the company made her appointment difficult.

Maria officially retired last December and has been Academic Coordinator for the Sodre Training Schools. However, she still occupies a huge space in the hearts of Uruguayans. The populace is not going to let go of Maria. No way. No how. Every time something comes up with regard to the Sodre Ballet, she gets mentioned as its most celebrated dancer ever and its most loved. They're not going to give up on her as a director of the ballet company -- ever.

El Observador tried to squeeze info out of the Director of the Soder's Board of Directors, Martín Inthamoussú, but he said that the announcement of who would run BNS next year would be made by Minister de Silveira.

Stay tuned.

Pictures from El Observador. The last photo is from her ABT days - Clark Tippet's Some Assembly Required which she danced so perfectly with the also perfect Jared Matthews:

 

observations 6/12

The Royal Ballet has put its charming 2005 La Fille mal Gardée up on YouTube for a limited time. The performance stars Marianela Nuñez and Carlos Acosta -- and as keenly observed by a Haglund'eeler -- includes Gemma Bond as one of the Hens.

Here's the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbZEYzrPnLc 

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The Coppelia and Tribute to Balanchine which were pulled from Lincoln Center's Dance Week have been rescheduled for June 22nd and June 29th, respectively. Details here. Here's hoping that NYCB keeps its begging low key or eliminates it. Begging for more money while standing atop a heaping pile of $220,770,500 is being disgracefully grabby during a time when there are so many people who have real needs. [The $190M which we referenced in the June 3rd post was the figure at the start of 2018. The $220M is what they had at the end of the year.]

How much money is too much money? NYCB is not like the Met Opera (whose endowment was only $240,161,784 at the end of 2018) with its massive-beyond-belief full length productions, high-priced stars, and 3X the revenue and expenses of NYCB. There are no evenings at the Met Opera where singers stand around singing on a scenery-less stage while wearing Reid & Harriet earth-colored leotards and bike shorts--the likes of which one could assemble at the Salvation Army Thrift Shop.

How much money is too much money? When a company can boastfully pay all of its dancers and staff full salaries and benefits NOT to work but to stay home and doodle on Instagram, isn't that an example of the Privileged being pampered? What next? Are they going to pay Uber to chauffeur dancers to and from the studio?

How much money is too much money? NYCB is lounging on a mountain of cash in excess of $220 million and they feel compelled to continue increasing ticket prices and grabbing at the wallets of the longtime Fourth Ring Society members (now known as Society NYCB members) through higher fees and ticket prices. If a company is lounging on a mountain of cash in excess of $220 million, it should RESTORE and REVIVE the Fourth Ring Society and make it once again truly affordable for the people who are NYCB's most faithful. It should reduce ALL of its ticket prices to recognize the financial suffering of the New York City audience.

How much money is too much money? Is this even a true endowment if NYCB can withdraw $19 million just to pamper its dancers and staff with full salaries and benefits while the rest of New York goes on Unemployment? Enough already.

NYCB should stop begging. There is no $8 million "shortfall" as claimed in the solicitation received in the mail today -- there is a cash pile of $220 million dollars. NYCB hasn't truly been hurt by this pandemic and shutdown. True, they have less money, but they had so much in the first place that it hardly makes a difference.

Hopefully, the video streams on June 22nd and June 29th will exclude NYCB begging for money and simply provide a couple of hours of happy dance for the suffering masses to watch in isolation.