observations 3/29

We are in the middle of watching Pennsylvania Ballet's Spring Digital Season. Concerto Barocco, Clear, Suspended in Time, and Penumbra are on the bill. There are two casts available. One can purchase a ticket to one cast for $25 or both casts for $30. The streams will be available through March 31st. The program offerings can be watched in any order one chooses.

After watching both casts of Concerto Barocco and Cast A of Clear last evening, we are eager to get back to this season tonight. Loved both casts of Concerto Barocco, which was performed in a smaller than optimal space, and was totally mesmerized by So Jung Shin's first violin in Cast B. Oh my goodness, what a gorgeously gifted artist whose beauty of correct form seems like an offering to the gods.

Don't know if there has been a better performance of Clear since 2001 than the one led by Zecheng Liang and Oksana Maslova that we watched last night. We'll be rewinding that reel a couple of times before access expires on Wednesday night.

Angel's company looks superb. What an outstanding collection of individual artists he has assembled and mentored.

 

 

Comments

[Georgiann]

I too got a ticket to watch both casts, and I was very happy that I did. What a lovely company with beautiful consistent quality of dancing in a variety of ballets. I love Oksana's dancing, and am in love with So Jung Shin's too. Most of the pieces are new to me. The ballet with music by the Electric Light Orchestra was delightful-- it made me feel young again! I hope there will be more opportunity to stream works from the Pennsylvania Ballet.

[Jeannette]

Just echoing Georgiann - delightful program from PAB! I knew that I’d enjoy the well-known Balanchine & Welch ballets but was completely bowled over by the unexpected surprise of Corella’s SUSPENDED IN TIME...such unbridled joy for those of us from - ahum - the Electric Light Orchestra era. Two more days to rewatch! Thanks for the tip-off, Haglund.

[Christina Skoski]

Yes, I agree with you both. I had never seen the PAB before, what a delightful surprise. I also have to complement them on their website. It was very user friendly, clear instructions. Even the virtual program was a treat, descriptions of the ballets, casts, pictures of the dancers, just click on their bios. Ballet book! get your ballet book in the digital era!

[Jeannette]

Indeed, Christina. Lovely program book!

I’ve watched Concerto Barocco - cast A - four times. It is extraordinarily well filmed, with perfect editorial choices...not just the standard front-of-house camera. Just the right mixture of routine & innovative views, without inundating us with close ups and odd angles.

[Minkus]

A very fine program, and the company looks great. My only gripe is the frequent cuts between camera angles.

[Rosa]

Wonderful program from PA Ballet! Both casts of "Concerto Barocco" were breathtaking.

[Kat]

I cannot stop rewatching So Jung Shin in Barocco!

[Jeannette]

Are you hungering for some truly neo-classical ballet created during COVID? The Joffrey Studio Co. is the answer to our prayers. They’ve just uploaded a little 19-minute gem titled BALLET DE COUR by one Durante Verzola, to music by Chopin-after-Mozart. Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y18f04LDAe0

For more on this promising choreographer, who got his start at Miami City Ballet’s and Pa Ballet’s affiliated academies: https://www.verzolaballet.com/ballets

As a bonus, he’s of Latino heritage...to tickle the fancies of the woke crowd...but he won’t be having dancers running around barefooted and raising fists in the air. 😛

[Haglund]

Thanks, Jeannette.

A very lovely piece, and the Joffrey trainees and students certainly all looked professional and stage ready. It was refreshing to see a ballet with ballet content instead of the uber-faux-woe and mindnumbingly dull, pretentious waste that NYCB laid on us this week in the form of Kyle Abraham's When We Fell.

I had to laugh when I read the NYT review which included no review of the choreography but lauded the quality of the film. LOL.

Some time ago NYCB posted Claire Kretzschmar's Rachmaninoff Suite which she created through the NY Choreographic Institute during a fall residency at Martha's Vineyard. Very pleasing to watch although the camera was trying to be the star. Here's the link to the NYCI page - Claire's is the second video:

https://www.nycballet.com/discover/stories/from-the-nyci-marthas-vineyard-fall-2020/?fbclid=IwAR1QXhpxXrlbWTUUIQAdNzk_IXOwIcmK68SlCUDzaV0HwLetagVxqtVpSUU

[Jeannette]

Haglund, I didn’t mention it earlier but it was precisely the Kyle Abrahms “ballet film” that was fresh in my mind as I watched the Joffrey Academy piece...watched literally with TEARS in my eyes for what I had so been missing. Vive la difference!

Thanks much for the link to Claire’s ballet!

[JENNIFER A GENERALLY]

Hope all is well ...looking for a comment from you about two recent events..the PBS Twyla Tharp program
...and the possibly frightening landscape changes at Lincoln Center
...😌😢😉 JH*Ballade

[Christina Skoski]

Orange County, CA has become the new out of town try out location of the ABT. Either live or streaming they are now offering Uniting in Movement.
https://www.scfta.org/events/2021/uniting-in-movement?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MKT_Movement10amPre-saleAPR12(213B)&utm_content=version_A

[Jeannette]

Great news about ABT at Costa Mesa, Christina!

The great thing is that folks from anywhere can attend virtually without having to travel. I sure hope that this becomes a trend around the globe. For example, the Royal Ballet’s upcoming in-person summer season at the ROH Covent Garden will include a streaming date for all programs!
(Scroll all the way down to the bulleted list)
https://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-opera-house-announces-packed-schedule-for-spring-and-summer-2021

Even Ballets de San Juan of Puerto Rico is returning to LIVE performance on April 24 inside the main theatre in San Juan, Centro de Bellas Artes - not to a tent pitched in a courtyard - and there will be a streaming option on May 1...triple bill that includes AD Nahir Medina’s new ballet to Rach Piano Concerto #2 with a corps of 30.
https://tcpr.com/es-PR/shows/ballets%20de%20san%20juan%2c%20temporada%20de%20primavera%202021%20live%20stream/events

This Wednesday, April 21, Carolina Ballet’s quadruple bill featuring the Mozart Symph 40 will premiere in person, with a streaming option:
https://www.carolinaballet.com/2020-2021-season/

So streaming of complete shows inside theatres is a delightful trend. We all prefer in-person shows but won’t it be great to save all of that travel money?

[Haglund]

Yes, it seems like a hopeful sign that ABT has found a stage that they might be able to broadcast regularly from. I wonder why ABT chose to run the same ballets that they have run on their website in recent months. Now everyone knows that the program content will be 50% Terrible, 25% Encouraging (La Follia Variations), and 25% Possibly High Professional Level (Grand Pas Classique). Is that 50:50 combination of annoyance and artistry worth $25?

[Jeannette]

You have a point, Haglund. While I haven’t seen a casting list per se, the dancer-bios section of ABT’s website indicates that the G-P CLASSIQUE will be danced by Catherine Hurlin & Sung Woo Han -
https://www.abt.org/event_dates/grand-pas-classique-4-25-21-130pm/

If one pokes around other dancer bios, one can see further clues to a concert of sorts at the LA Music Center during early June...Schevchenko/Ahn Don Q pdd and Teuscher/Stearns R&J pdd!

[Christina Skoski]

Here's the link to to ABT performance you referred to, with the casting. It will be live streamed for free June 6
https://www.musiccenter.org/tickets/events-by-the-music-center/american-ballet-theatre/?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=TMCOffstage4%2F16%2F21&utm_content=version_A

[Haglund]

Thanks, Christina. This looks promising!