2018 has been an action packed year in the New York ballet scene. My highlights and lowlights: ABT Young Women Emerge American Ballet Theatre featured many great young women in 2018, particularly Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher, Skylar Brandt, and Cassandra …
Story of the Nutcracker Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Top photo: Sabina Alvarez, Gelsey Kirkland Ballet Nutcracker, December 2015. One of my favorite YouTube channels is Polyphonic, which explores popular music. The videos by a Canadian music journalist are sometimes technical and always interesting. Examples include discussions of Freddie …
Sleeping Beauty Dreams: An Odd and Entertaining Dream
Nice to see Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes back in action in Sleeping Beauty Dreams at the Beacon Theater. They last performed together in New York in Diana’s final American Ballet Theatre performance in June 2017 in an emotional farewell. …
Nutcracker in New York
Photo: Gelsey Kirkland Nutcracker, 2014. It’s the Holiday season with plenty of Nutcracker ballets on tap. In addition to the Balanchine New York City Ballet version, here are a few very affordable New York City Nutcrackers: Dances Patrelle presents its annual …
Why Do Boston Red Sox Fans Chant “Yankees Suck!”?
I have had more time this fall to work on Balletfocus.com given that the New York Yankees bowed out to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Divisional Series. I despised the Yankees growing up in Kansas, cheering on …
Hungarian National Ballet Don Quixote at Lincoln Center
The Hungarian National Ballet’s programming at Koch Theater this week combines tried and true, safe crowd favorites (Swan Lake Wednesday, Don Quixote Friday) with more innovative fare Sunday (three works of choreographer Hans van Manen). Michael Messerer, currently the Artistic …
Balanchine City Center Festival Concludes
A few notes from the Friday and Saturday evening performances of the City Center Balanchine celebration. Check out my photography website notmydayjobphotography.com for curtain call photos. San Francisco Ballet performed Scotch Symphony Friday. The work drew inspiration from New York …