Los Angeles Ballet has modified its March performances slightly: first they won't be using the Wilshire Theatre anymore (good news) but will instead be performing at UCLA's Freud Hall (better news). And instead of Duo Concertant (aww) they will be performing Agon (omigod you guys!). You can be sure my butt will be in a seat for at least one of these performances! Go here for their full performance schedule.
In recorded performance land, two major ballet DVD releases have just shipped from Amazon.com: the recent Paris Opera Ballet recording of Swan Lake and a performance of La Bayadere from Teatro alla Scala. The Paris Swan Lake stars Agnes Letestu and Jose Martinez in Rudolf Nureyev's Paris production - a production which, it should be noted, is considerably different from the Nureyev production on video from the Vienna State Opera ballet with Margot Fonteyn. This newer production restores the mime and has far fewer quirks (though it being a Nureyev production, quirks still abound, though they are far less weird). The La Scala Bayadere features Svetlana Zakharova and Roberto Bolle in Natalia Makharova's staging of the ballet. Zakharova is brilliant in the role of Nikiya so this should be a wonderufl recording. My DVDs arrived on Monday, but I haven't yet gotten a chance to watch - will post when I do!
Meanwhile, you must watch these Royal Ballet Masterclasses on the BBC web site! (Click here - the masterclasses are the last three items on the list.) They aired in January on BBC Television in the UK as part of a month-long Tchaikovsky-fest. In these masterclasses, past legends coach young dancers in Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. The insights they give into the ballets and the roles are very interesting, and it's great fun watching the young dancers pick up the information and try out the steps. Though what's really interesting is how much less emphasis is given to the steps and how much more emphasis is given to the drama, mime and story. Priceless: Sir Peter Wright, coaching The Nutcracker, keeps stopping Ludovico Ondiviela mid step to ask "What are you saying right now?"
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