Ballet

Very gay thread OP

Ballet is trite shit for women, gays and brainlets
Watch some opera you fucking faggot

I enjoyed this thread OP. The Nutcracker book by Sendak was one of my staples as a kid. I said you were spying on me because I've been watching a lot of ballet recently.

GAY AS FUUUUUCK

Turbopleb

>watch some opera like some high school dropout who was denied entry into art school and totally wasn't gay

Like all ballet, Russian ballet is corrupt, just perhaps a bit more intense in how that corruption shows sometimes. Aka, acid attack.

In the 19th century, Russian ballet dancers were often mistresses of wealthy people who could support the company. This tradition continues, although exactly how far it goes is unknown. The Bolshoi, at least, holds company galas and dinners where dancers are encouraged to cozy up to patrons. To the point of sex? We don't know. But dancers who don't frequent these galas or don't find patrons to befriend find themselves with less stellar roles, or months of no roles.

I don't think the core of Russian ballet corruption-- I guess I should say Bolshoi Ballet and to an extent the Mariinsky Ballet, aka the two biggest companies--is extensively different from ballet corruption in America or the UK or anywhere else. The primary difference is that the patrons of Russian ballet are somewhat often wealthy politicians, rather than simply wealthy people, so there's this added layer of potential corruption mixed in. If a wealthy politician is a patron, and his favorite dancer is so-and-so... well, she better get the roles she wants, hadn't she?

Also Bolshoi and Mariinsky though different in many ways, share the Russian ballet love for intense competition and strictness. Instructors and directors will call you worthless, even if you're a teen. They will slap your legs/arms to get you into position. They will physically grab your body and move you into position. They will push and pull your fat around and tell you where you need to lose it and where to gain it. One Bolshoi academy instructor says it best: when parents talk to him, they say: "You can kill them. Just teach them." He was shocked when he was offered a guest spot at a California ballet company and he was told he can only touch the students gently and with permission, and to never slap them, and that he had to take out an insurance policy in a case a parent sued him.

What have you been watching?

If you haven't seen Bolshoi Babylon, you should. It goes into a lot of detail about corruption at the Bolshoi, including interviews with former dancers. Here's the trailer, I'm not sure if the full thing is online anywhere yet: youtube.com/watch?v=_TK8uth06SQ

I'm more of an opera fan but I do like ballet too. I saw the 80s film version of the Nutcracker on TV a few days ago but my favorite ballet is Copland's Rodeo.

youtube.com/watch?v=8PGkJkpK1yU

The dancing scene in Nixon in China is good too if that counts.

youtube.com/watch?v=5jr0i_4jW9w

Good Wagner arias.
youtube.com/watch?v=qBmivwgp5oA
youtube.com/watch?v=syLhrx1Ogbo
youtube.com/watch?v=Z2H8JGIJRH4

What's streaming Live in Cinemas in 2018:

*Bolshoi

Romeo and Juliet (January 21st)
The Flames of Paris (March 4th)
Giselle (April 8th)

*Royal Opera House

The Winter's Tale (February 28th)
New Wayne McGregor / The Age of Anxiety / New Christopher Wheeldon (March 27th)
Manon (May 3rd)
Swan Lake (June 12th) New production!

Anyone know of any other productions? Some other companies do cinema screenings (the Australian Ballet did some last year, they released their Sleeping Beauty screening on DVD but so far not Cinderella) but it's not always consistent.

I'm annoyed that the Royal Opera House productions only show in a theater an hour away from me on Tuesday... I can never get to them.

Kirill Serebrennikov's Nureyev finally premiered the other day, after being delayed for months because of Russian censors due to its depiction of Nureyev's homosexuality, defection from Russia, and his death from an AIDs related illness. The creator was arrested for supposed "misappropriation of cultural funds" aka he didn't kowtow to the politicians who wanted the ballet stopped completely, and is still under house arrest.

bump

Speaking of The Nutcracker. Li Cunxin, the dancer famously known as "Mao's last dancer" returned to the stage after 18 years as Drosselmeyer at the Queensland Ballet, where he is the current artistic director. It was a special one-night performance due to his age (he's 56) and his injuries, which is one of the reasons he stopped dancing 18 years ago. Despite this he apparently added more intense choreography for Drosselmeyer--according to a review of his performance, "Dr Drosselmeyer is traditionally a character role. For this performance, however, Li has added in his own choreography, undertaking impressive pirouettes and jumps that hint at the artistry in his past. In one spectacular moment, in particular, he twists with glee in front of the Christmas tree."

The Nutcracker holds special significant for him: it was the first ballet he performed after being sent to America on a scholarship. It was also the ballet he performed in for his parents in 1981, after years of separation from them after he defected in 1981. And it was also the ballet he danced his final pas de deux with his wife Mary, 26 years ago.

>died from an aids related illness
Why are gay people too retarded to use condoms? At least for straight people if you get the bitch pregnant you can ditch her, but you can't ditch getting aids.

Because he contracted AIDs during a time period when no one really knew what it was or exactly how you got it. That's one of the reasons it became an epidemic. People in general didn't use condoms as much in the 80s, gay or straight.

It is a shame that the Houston Ballet's premiere of Mayering--the first time an American company has produced the show--was fucked because of the hurricanes. They ended up doing 3 shows at a different theater, less than half the original run, and it was apparently a revelation. I'm hoping they will do it again next season when they're able to find more permanent lodgings for their shows. Or maybe they'll do what they're doing for Nutcracker and split it between several theaters.

Seeing a ballet live for the first time: what do

1) Find a production playing near you

If you're super lucky, you'll live within reasonable driving distance of a professional ballet company. If you're plain lucky, you'll live within reasonable driving distance of a theater where professional ballet companies tour to perform at once a year or more. If you're not lucky, you will have to be a bit more creative--are there any smaller (amateur) companies in your area? Many dance schools will have their own companies, and they're worth a shot--depending on the company and where you live, they can put on very nice productions. You should also see if any (probably smaller) theaters host productions by companies like The Moscow Festival Ballet and The Russian National Ballet Company. Their productions aren't always the best, but, you make do.

2) Pick what show to see

Your options will of course depend on what's playing! For first-timers and beginners, the classic narrative ballets (The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Nutcracker) are great choices because the stories are easy to follow and they are performed more often. But don't feel like you have to limit yourself to the classics--if you see a ballet that seems interesting, try it out! I've seen ballets based on Edward Scissorhands, The Wizard of Oz, Dracula, Anna Anderson, just to name a few, and they've all been fantastic experiences.

Where to sit: this really boils down to personal preference... well, and budget. I personally prefer to sit within the first 6 rows whenever I can afford it, because I like to focus on facial expressions, precise movements, costume details, etc, but when you sit this close you don't always get the full effect of the choreography since you're missing the bigger picture. For a first time, I would probably try to sit somewhere in the center, maybe halfway through the theater? Or in the first rows of the balcony. It's really up to you.

1/2

2/2

3) Be prepared before the show

If possible, read a full synopsis of the show before you arrive at the theater. Familiarize yourself with the plot and characters, so you will be able to follow along and connect more with the story without having to figure out what's happening. If you want, listen to the music before you see it as well; being familiar with the music can help you appreciate it more when you're hearing it live. (It's also sometimes fun to see what's happening on stage to your favorite pieces. The first time I saw The Sleeping Beauty live was basically an entire evening of "so that's how this was used in the original ballet vs how Disney used it in the film!" Most productions will also offer a playbill with a synopsis at the show, but it's not guaranteed.

4) Watch the show

Enjoy. I'm not sure what tips to offer here other than to let yourself get caught in the story, the dance, and the world of the ballet. One tip I do remember from a ballet director before one of my first shows was "Imagine that you live in a world where there is no speech, and everyone must communicate everything--from what they want for breakfast to what they're afraid of to their feelings for one another--through dance and movement." It helped me connect with the world in the story more fully.

The Royal Ballet has an in-depth video series exploring the history of ballet that is definitely worth the look: youtube.com/watch?v=auDNcfK0Wcs&list=PLFEuShFvJzBww3lVbFABGB0HbIxNQ2TiA

I hope one day we get a tell-all book about Misty Copeland. Or ABT in general. The company's actions in the past 4 years have been horrendous, and not just regarding Copeland.

*outdances your entire company*

WHAT THE FUCK AM I LOOKING AT

BALLET DANCERS

BLACK ONES

YES THEY EXIST

AND THERE ARE SO MANY UNDERRATED BLACK DANCERS WHO AREN'T MISTY COPELAND

Girly millennial hipster shit. Its no wonder you liberal freaks like history so much because you can act out in your sick perverted fantasies and dress up like a sissy. Ballet is for sissies. You should be hunting bears, shooting rabbits, shoveling coal with your bare hands and work the farmland and serve the military instead of doing ballet shit and talking about safe spaces while drinking a latte from starcucks.

>Girly millennial hipster shit.

Damn 16th century millennials and their ballet.

Mme Parisot, a French ballerina who caused a scandal with her "indecent" dancing. She designed flowing dresses which allowed her to lift her legs higher than typical ballet gowns at the time (which were more or less normal restrictive dresses, just a tad bit shorter so you could see ankles). While today her positions are nothing out of the ordinary, they were considered so scandalous in England that she was the inspiration for a new law for dancers on the British stage. One critic wrote of her English performances that she created a "stir by raising her legs far higher than was customary for dancers," and caricatures of her depicting her flashing an eager male crowd were produced.

why do people like this

Well, why does anyone like what they like?

I enjoy ballet because it's an interesting way to tell a story. No words. Everything is based on movement, on facial expression, on the way someone moves their arm or positions their legs or spins. Love is never expressed in words, but in the turn of a head, or a hand to the heart, or a gentle lift during a pas de deux.

I appreciate the physical work and dedication it takes to dance, especially for a lead dancer who may not be off the stage for very long during many ballets.

I also love lush costumes and pretty backdrops, so there's that too.

You seem to know your shit, user. What is the most interesting/outrageous ballet performance ever? Something along the lines of that time that the army of the Austrian Empire fought itself and lost.

I had tickets to see the Nutcracker with my girlfriend this friday...
Then she dumped me.

The premiere of Vaslav Nijinsky's The Rite of Spring in 1913 is certainly one of the more memorable ballet controversies!

So, a bit of background: Nijinsky joined the company Ballets Russes in 1909 as a dancer. Within a short period of time, Nijinsky became the lover of the company's founder, Sergei Diaghilev. Diaghilev allowed Nijinsky to experiment with choreography, particularly for male dancers who had receded into the spotlight behind the ballerina in the past few decades. Nijinsky became well-known for trying new things, but once he started choreographing his own full works, he began to experiment a little too far for the classical taste, both in terms of ignoring classical ballet choreography/composition and trying out risque themes. His first choreographed work was an erotic depiction of a faun going after nymphs, and he proposed his second choreographed work be a dalliance between 3 gay men, which was rejected.

So, Nijinsky had a controversial reputation for wanting to go outside the box at the point when the Rite of Spring premiered.

Onto the Rite of Spring: the Rite of Spring was considered a reverse on traditional ballet in pretty much every way possible. The music was jarring, intense, violent. The choreography was jerky and chaotic and flew in the face of normal ballet composition. The dancers were dressed up as primitive "Northern savages." The plot was that they are celebrating the coming of spring, so they prepare a young girl for sacrifice to the gods in the spring, and kill her. Sacrifice in June, corn be plenty soon--that sort of thing. It was also the antithesis of classical ballet up until that point, where ballet was intended to tell these sweeping stories of love, questions of morality, of forgiveness, whether to take vengeance, etc etc. There was none of that here. To quote Stravinsky: "there are simply no regions for soul-searching in The Rite of Spring." There was a lot going against it, basically.

1/2

At this point, the Ballets Russes was already known for controversy, Also I should note that French ballet audiences were--and still are--a vocal bunch. They will cheer. They will boo. They will shout. They will, on occasion, throw things. And in 1913, the French audience definitely came prepared.

There were two factions in the audience that night. The people who were protesting the Ballets Russes modern choreography and deviation away from classical ballet, and the avant-garde set who celebrated anything new.

The booing and general noise from the audience started with the orchestrations and only got louder when the dancers took the stage. According to a former dancer who was on stage that night, Nijinsky had to start yelling out commands from backstage because many of the dancers could no longer hear the cues from the orchestra. By the middle of the performance, some audience members had started throwing vegetables and other objects towards the stage. There were scuffles between the people protesting the piece and people who were cheering for it. Police--who were normally present in some capacity at ballet performances, due to the aforementioned passion of French ballet audiences--ended up escorting a few dozen people out. At least 40 of them were arrested. The ballet managed to finish, and there were "competing ovations and boos" from the audience, according to people who saw it and former dancers

2/3

The French critics hated The Rite of Spring, but they took it on tour to London for a few performances where it received slightly more favorable reviews. The original version ultimately played only 9 times. Generally, audiences were mixed. One critic wrote the audiences both "hissed and applauded."

Unfortunately, the original choreography was lost because it was considered for performance by the Ballets Russes until 1920. By that time, no one could remember the original choreography, and Nijinsky had been committed to a mental institution after his mental health deteriorated (he had schizophrenia). So the Ballets Russes hired a new choreographer to create brand new steps, and the original show was lost... for a time.

In the 1980s, the Joffrey Ballet premiered a reconstruction of the original Nijinsky choreography, including replicas of the costumes and staging, based on about 2 decades of research.

They recorded their performance for posterity

Part 1 is here: youtu.be/jF1OQkHybEQ
part 2: youtube.com/watch?v=iH1t0pCchxM
Part 3: youtube.com/watch?v=iH1t0pCchxM

Oh, and perhaps a "modern" Rite of Spring! There are multiple ballets based on Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. I don't know anything about the original 1953 ballet, but there is a 2012 ballet choreographed by Val Caniparoli.

As far as I know, no controversy with this one. Today controversy is reserved for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas ballet.

This thread makes me sick to my stomach

That sucks, I'm sorry.

Go anyway? Or post in a local community site advertising your ticket for free, make a new friend!

Fouettés make me dizzy, too.

There's also a 2005 BBC film, Riot at the Rite, depicting the creation and premiere of Rite of Spring. It's not very well acted at times but it's good for a rainy afternoon. The audience dialogue during the intermissions is hilarious in that "this is what pretentious audience members really say" sort of way.

fun fact: in the US, profits from The Nutcracker performances make up the majority of funding for the ballet company's entire season. Without The Nutcracker, most smaller ballet companies in America would have gone bankrupt years ago.

you sound like a girly man

I have a pantyhose fetish, and like watching pretty women with amazing legs while I jack it. I only watch it online so I can skip past fags fagging it up on stage.

uh no

sorry sweetie

Speaking of Copeland! I was stunned her management team allowed an entire performance by her to be filmed at La Scala. Normally they try to hide her dancing to avoid criticism. But I guess since it was her Juliet, which doesn't require as much classical technique, they let it go.

This image just made this thread even more snooty and fucking annoying. Kys OP, I've met so many faggots like you in the art community

fuck ballet because it ruins women's feet

>The Game

You're entitled to your opinions, but everyone else is entitled to letting you know that you're an idiot.

>even more snooty

The only people being snooty up to this point were the people coming in and whining about how ballet is stupid, though?

Thanks, Marie Taglioni!

Imagine the feet of 19th century ballerinas who wore regular satin slippers en pointe, before the hard pointe shoes of today were invented. Although to be fair, the extensive pointe work expected of modern ballerinas is pretty much the fault of the ballet directors of the 1950s-1960s. Ballet prior to that era was not nearly as destructive to the body.

forgot my pic

Related: youtube.com/watch?v=0DGp0qUcuuM

OP do you work in the industry?

nope! just really into ballet.

Do go into more detail, danceanon

That's neat. I'm glad you appreciate the artform so much. If you are ever in Toronto I encourage you to see a ballet at the Four Seasons Centre. Last season's Cinderella was excellent.

I'm seeing Sleeping Beauty there in a few months! I haven't see the NBC before so I'm pretty excited.

I've seen photos of her ballet shoes and I don't understand how they did it back then.

to be fair her Juliet is really nicely done. But she's better at acting in ballet than classical dancing, so it's kind of a win-lose sort of thing.

Didn't see The Nutcracker this season though I want to see a good production of it. Only seen community productions. I saw a performance of Swan Lake performed by the Russian Grand Ballet company. Dancing was great though the production was a little low budget. It looks like that group is still touring on the west coast now so I recommend anyone interested to see their shows.

Oh I forgot to mention the production of Swan Lake I saw they changed the ending which was strange. Odette and Siegfried ended up surviving in the end.

So, MIsty Copeland. Misty Copeland has made her career by manipulating the media and public through the creation of a carefully constructed persona, that of a ballerina prodigy who faced years of discrimination despite her astounding talent which should have guaranteed her an instant rise to stardom. It's all bunk.

When she was first promoted to soloist in 2007 (it took her 6 years to improve enough to get a bump up from corps, mainly due to her frequent weight gain and slacking on training) she booked herself on tons of talk shows and radio programs to talk about how she was the first black soloist at ABT, framing it as she hoped that she would "pave the way" for other black dancers at the company. The problem? There were black soloists at ABT before her--Anne Benna Sims, Nora Kimball, and Shelley Washington---yet she didn't so much as name or acknowledge them paving the way for her.

Coincidentally, around this same time, she began promoting an upcoming book documenting her ballet career. The book tour was specifically framed around accusations that her entire career had been held back by her race, which is what most of her book is peppered with. She claims that she couldn't get into dance companies because she was black... but she was only rejected from one (one!!) of the 6 companies she applied to. She claims that she was deliberately kept from being spotlighted in the filmed Swan Lake with Gillian Murphy, but she was randomly assuming that she would be cast in the danse des petits cygnes when there are only 4 dancers in that piece and casting had yet to be announced. So when she wasn't cast? It was because of her skin. And so on.

1/2?

She also--coincidentally, of course--frequently brought up that she felt she should be a principal dancer because she's been there for years and she felt there was... SOMETHING... keeping her from getting her promoted. But what, she wondered? She didn't outright state it, but with the tours and talk shows, the implication was there: she wasn't promoted because she was black. Not because she couldn't execute the necessary movements required in principal roles. Not because she still struggled with even simple things like arm positions. Not because there were other soloists who exhibited higher quality dancing who deserved a promotion before her.

And wouldn't you know it, after her story got picked up by major news outlets, and a documentary about her struggles was announced, and there was all this intense media pressure on ABT: she was promoted to principal at ABT! And now her management buys big blocks of tickets to all her shows to give to various businesses as freebies to help advertise her. And because of her blow up in pop culture, she's heralded as the most amazing black ballerina ever, and her shows sell out tickets. Which leads to her being cast multiple times in just about every ABT run, which takes away opportunities from other principals.

2/3

Oops, 3/4...

It's so frustrating because she did have a lot of promise as a soloist and she's not a terrible dancer by any means. But she is not nearly qualified to be a principal dancer at ABT, and it shows in her performances. Her Odette/Odile was embarrassing--and they gave her two shows!

Not that most people would know it because her primary audience are children in ballet class and their parents, as well as people who fell for her PR hook, line and sinker. I saw an ABT performance of Sleeping Beauty where it was totally sold out, and a good chunk of the audience I saw were people who likely had not been to one before--lots of parents taking their children to see her, people who even came from states away despite finding out that she only had a small, 4 minute role. But by god, she was cheered like she had just done 32 perfect fouttes simply for doing light footwork in the Bluebird pas de deux.

And despite it being unprofessional, I saw another dancer roll her eyes when Misty got thunderous, house-shaking cheers at the end. Not her partner of course, that would be silly, just her. Now she was pretty charming in this! She could do most of the steps, they didn't have to alter the tempos... but it was just one of many charming pas in a series towards the end of Sleeping Beauty. Worth applause, of course, but not the insane reaction she got.

It's also frustrating because there is no doubt that black dancers have a harder time in ballet.. It's hard enough for dancers with white skin who are too short, too tall, or who have stumpy legs or are simply too wide--for black dancers it's even harsher. Yet Copeland didn't train in Russia, or Paris, or any place where this type of treatment for black dancers is adamant. She trained at a predominately black ballet school in her youth and then went to NYC for ABT's school, where there were other black ballerinas.

Copeland is basically a wet fish slap to the face to all of the genuinely talented black ballerinas out there who aren't constructing a false narrative in order to get the media to pressure their companies into promotions before they're ready. Or hell, who are already principals and who are ignored because they don't use the media to sell sob stories and get more fame. Or who paved the way for dancers like Misty, but are ignored by the media. pic related: Debra Austin, one of the first black soloists and principal dancers in a professional company; she was NYCB's first black soloist; Copeland would later accuse NYCB of being racist for not accepting her application, despite NYCB being one of the first companies to not just accept a black ballerina but promote her.

I'm sorry this got so long and ranty. I have a lot of damn feelings about Misty Copeland and how her media push to get promoted has left talented black dancers in the dust AND fucked over other dancers at ABT who were either held back from principal for years (Sarah Lane, who just now in 2017 got promoted--but is only being given scraps this season because of-fucking-course Misty gets 2-3 shows for every ballet they do) or who are otherwise given Copeland's leftovers each season.

SORRY FOR THIS BEING SO LONG, DANG. Bless anyone if they read all this crap.

Lower middle brow guy is my favorite.

Was it the Russian National Ballet? They're a touring company that makes the rounds every year along with the Moscow Festival Ballet! They unfortunately use the same sets as they did years ago, so they get a bit worn.

The Russians typically use one of the happy endings for the ballet. There are dozens of different endings, ranging from the double suicide to suicide pact to Odette remains a swan and Siegfried marries Odile to Odette marries Rothbart and Rothbart drowns Siegfried, and so on!

During the Soviet Union era, companies were encouraged to ditch the suicide ending, and most Russian companies today still give it a happy ending.

This is satire right?
The only things I agree with in high brow are:
Useful objects, Salads, and (maybe) reading criticisms of criticisms (though this is pretty much the equivalent of reading an op-eds).

It would only make sense if every ascending tier included everything below it. To be highbrow is to be well-read and seasoned, so limiting yourself to any subset of books or other forms of comfort or enjoyment is kind of low brow.

The Russian National Ballet and Moscow Festival Ballet are a nice alternative if you live somewhere without a profesional company or don't have the money for the professoinal companies, since tickets to see them are usually much cheaper--about $50 compared to $100 for other companies. They're not all that bad, either, although they just about always use a pre-recorded CD so you won't be getting lush orchestrations or anything.

I wish they would spend some money on cast lists to give to audiences. Or at least put up a big board in the lobby.

Wow that sounds horrible

>Debra Austin

I was so happy to find these clips on Youtube because, my god, what a difference between her level of dancing and Misty Copeland's.

Debra: youtu.be/Du8wKqYakfE?t=132

I mean, look at her pointe work here: youtu.be/Du8wKqYakfE?t=638

Graceful, almost no dips or breaks. It makes me think of the "Versailles glide" or that Russian folkdance. Her port de bras--arm movements and poses--are very controlled, light, graceful, embodying the character she is playing while keeping with the elegant composition required for ballet.

Compare to one of the few videos of Copeland's dancing: youtube.com/watch?v=ga994lIm96A

She has no idea what to do with her arms. It's very evident between 2:15 - 2:30 in particular. She's letting them swing around so haphazardly, no control, no attempt at poise. Her pointe work is all right, but overshadowed by her inability to do anything remotely elegant with her arms.

Thanks, danceanon. It seems like her reception among people who don't really like ballet has been a lot stronger than her reception among ballet experts, is that true at all?

I'd say that's right on! If--and I never thought I'd suggest this--you check out Youtube comments on the few videos of her dancing, you can see quite a lot of specific critique followed by some people going "omg! your wrong!! she's amazing" with very few people actually challenging what people note about her port de bras, the general lack of videos of her performing any sort of challenging choreography, etc.

It's actually sort of... bizarre when she's playing a principal role, because the critics usually attend those showings for review due to her popularity, but very rarely do the critics actually mention anything specific about her dancing like they used to. It's all just "Copeland wowed audiences," "She was graceful," etc. Whereas in the past ballet critics actually talked about techniques in their reviews.

Here's 52 minutes of Swan Lake endings! The guide is a little off though, they skipped a few.

youtube.com/watch?v=RuHI30slv6A

It's this company

russiangrandballet.com/

And yeah they used a CD but our puny little concert hall doesn't have an orchestra pit.

Good thread, didn't expect this.

Does anyone here have a ballerina fetish? I wish I could massage a cute Russian ballerina's feet after her performance.

Also, I saw 3 ballet performances since I started going to the theater a couple of years ago. This year I saw a ballet adaptation of Casanova's life.

Oh cool, that's one I haven't heard of.

Also wow! They not only have a cast list on their site but little profiles and such. Good for them! That's one of the things I dislike about the other traveling Russian companies, they're so impersonal about their dancers.

We're getting yet another Giselle live recording from The Royal Ballet--no word of whether it makes it to DVD/blu-ray, but it will be in theaters next year--yet the stunning alternative production of Giselle by Akram Khan at the English National Ballet will never be recorded because, according to the director, they do not have enough funding to do so.

It's a shame when we get almost identical recordings from the Royal Ballet but we can't get one of this. The peasants are not sweetly clad go-lucky dancers who perform for the nobles like puppies, but sad and struggling and bitter. The willis are, instead of the traditional ethereal ghosts in beautiful white romantic tutus who glide weightless in their search for men to kill, dirty and harsh and bloody and armed with weapons to kill. The relationship between Giselle and Albrecht isn't just romantically tragic but representative of the vampiric nature of the story's elite living off the blood of the poor. Just overall an interesting take that will never be seen outside the stage...

Teaser footage: youtube.com/watch?v=ciYBcF-VSwM

>It's also sometimes fun to see what's happening on stage to your favorite pieces. The first time I saw The Sleeping Beauty live was basically an entire evening of "so that's how this was used in the original ballet vs how Disney used it in the film!

One of my favorite live ballet experiences was seeing Sleeping Beauty for the first time and, along with most of the rest of the audiences, recognizing that one of the creepiest music scenes in the Disney film was originally...... two cats chasing and fighting each other. The sound everyone made when they realized this was hilarious.

youtube.com/watch?v=omIZgkAPsPU

Whereabouts are you at? I might be able to recommend a good production near you for next year

Maryland. There's good productions in DC and one occasionally in Baltimore just I'm normally out of the loop unless I hear about it on NPR or something.

For The Nutcracker specifically then, keep an eye out of Lincoln Center in DC! They bring in different companies each year though, so some may be better than others. This year NYCB came which is one of the best American Nutcrackers in my opinion!

Oh also check Lincoln Center in general for ballet. I believe they got The Red Shoes earlier this year and the American Ballet Theatre frequently tours there.

anything in Michigan?

What's are the most famous places to see ballet? I mean, like the most prestigious theaters in the world