Cast changes for National Ballet of Canada Hamlet

Breaking news: Naoya Ebe is unfortunately injured, and his performances of Hamlet will now be performed by Robert Stephen instead. For principal casting for all shows, please click here.

Ballet and cats

Sleeping Beauty may have the Pussycat Pas de Deux, but this Mariinsky Black Swan pas de deux turned into a pussycat pas de trois -- with a real pussycat! Watch to the end. The joys of live performance. Oh, and the dancers, Vladimir Shklyarov and Viktoria Tereshkina, are pretty good too.

If you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet trips by clicking here.

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Bolshoi Coppelia Kennedy Center Washington casting

	Swanilda	Franz	Dr. Coppelius	Czardas
Tue., May 29 7:30 p.m.	Nina Kaptsova	Artem Ovcharenko	Alexey Loparevich	Kristina Karaseva, Vitaly Biktimirov
Wed., May 30  7:30 p.m.	Maria Aleksandrova	Ruslan Skvortsov	Alexey Loparevich	Anna Antropova , Vitaly Biktimirov
Thu., May 31 7:30 p.m.	Anastasia Stashkevich	Vyacheslav Lopatin	Alexey Loparevich	Kristina Karaseva, Vitaly Biktimirov
Fri., Jun. 1 7:30 p.m.	Nina Kaptsova	Artem Ovcharenko	Alexey Loparevich	Anna Antropova , Vitaly Biktimirov
Sat., Jun. 2 1:30 p.m.	Anastasia Stashkevich	Vyacheslav Lopatin	Alexey Loparevich	Kristina Karaseva, Vitaly Biktimirov
Sat., Jun. 2 7:30 p.m.	Maria Aleksandrova	Ruslan Skvortsov	Alexey Loparevich	Anna Antropova , Vitaly Biktimirov
Sun., Jun. 3 1:30 p.m.	Nina Kaptsova	Artem Ovcharenko	Alexey Loparevich	Kristina Karaseva, Vitaly Biktimirov

VISIT NBOC PRODUCTION SHOP AND NBS THIS WEEKEND!

As part of Doors Open Toronto this weekend May 26-27, you can visit both Canada's National Ballet School and the Gretchen Ross Production Centre for the National Ballet of Canada:

Gretchen Ross Production Centre for The National Ballet of Canada 155 Nantucket Blvd, Toronto, ON M1P 2P2 Telephone: 416-757-4121 District: East (former Scarborough) Architect and year: Unknown, Unknown Open: Saturday: 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Last admittance to building: 4:30 Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Last admittance to building: 4:30

Canada's National Ballet School 400 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M4Y 2G6 Telephone: 416-964-3780 District: South (former City of Toronto and East York) Architect and year: KPMB/Goldsmith Borgal, 2005 Open: Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Last admittance to building: 4:30

Bolshoi Raymonda broadcast casting

For the worldwide broadcast in cinemas of the Bolshoi's Raymonda on June 24, the cast is as follows

If you love ballet, check out my season of outstanding ballet trips in 2012-13 by clicking here.

GET MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR

24 June 2012

Countess Sybil de Daurice Yekaterina Barykina Raymonda, сountess' niece Maria Alexandrova Andrei II, the King of Hungary Andrei Sitnikov Knight Jean de Brienne, Raymonda's fiance Ruslan Skvortsov Abderakhman, Saracen knight Pavel Dmitrichenko Clemence and Henriette, Raymonda's girlfriends Anna Nikulina Yekaterina Shipulina Bernard and Beranger, troubadours Vladislav Lantratov Denis Rodkin Seneshal Alexander Fadeyechev Two Knights Georgy Geraskin Yevgeny Golovin "Raymonda's daydreams" Yulia Grebenshchikova Olga Kishnyova Olga Marchenkova Anna Okuneva Yanina Parienko Victoria Yakusheva First Variation ("Raymonda's daydreams") Chinara Alizade Second Variation ("Raymonda's daydreams") Anna Tikhomirova Saracenic Dance Yulia Lunkina Denis Medvedev Spanish Dance Anna Balukova Maria Zharkova Mazurka Kristina Karasyova Anton Savichev Hungarian Dance Anna Antropova Vitaly Biktimirov Grand Pas Yulia Grebenshchikova Olga Kishnyova Anna Okuneva Yanina Parienko Anastasia Soboleva Ana Turazashvili Anzhelina Vorontsova Victoria Yakusheva Variation (Grand Pas) Anastasia Stashkevich Conductor Pavel Sorokin

Joffrey Film to air on PBS

Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance  will air on PBS on Friday, December 28, 2012 9:00-10:30pm ET. This acclaimed documentary about the history of the Joffrey Ballet has been receiving great reviews. You can order the DVD by clicking here; save $5 by using the promo code DANCE. A beautiful illustrated history of the Joffrey Ballet is also available on the site.

Romeos and Juliets on CBC

The documentary about the making of Alexei Ratmansky's new Romeo and Juliet at the National Ballet of Canada will be aired on the CBC on Thursday June 7 at 8 pm.

Visit to Elmhurst School for Dance

I am delighted to announce that Jessica Ward, the Principal of Elmhurst School for Dance, and Robert Parker, the Artistic Director Elect, have invited Tours en l'air to visit the school as part of our September trip to England.

For more details on this amazing trip, for which the signup deadline is June 14, please visit my Ballet, Lake District & More post, by clicking here.

How is ballet like the Olympics?

Birmingham Royal Ballet's David Bintley talks about his new ballet Faster, Higher, Stronger. Sounds like fun!Click here.

Dance Day in Nice

• • July 7

• L’Association Libressence en collaboration L'Espace Magnan organisent une journée autour de la danse : * Cours Classique * Workshop avec le chorégraphe Samir Elyamni ( Marseille ) * Table Ronde * Spectacle Planning du 7 Juillet 9h30 11h00 : Cours Classique avec Thomas Gallus ( Opera de Lyon) 11h30 13h30 : Première partie du workshop avec le Chorégraphe Samir Elyamni 13H30 14H30 : Pique-nique plage 14h30 17h30 : Deuxième partie de l'atelier et préparation de la sortie d’atelier présentée le soir. 18h00 19h30 : Table Ronde 20h00:Spectacle (Sortie d’Atelier des participants, performances de jeunes chorégraphes, et Présentation de la dernière création du Chorégraphe Samir Elyamni « solo Carnets de route ») Tarifs : Journée Stage et spectacle : 33€ Journée de stage : 30€ Cours : 12€ Spectacle : 5€

Espace Magnan

31 rue louis de Coppet, 06000 Nice, France

View Map · Get Directions

Interview with Matthew Golding

Click here for a recent interview with Canadian dancer Matthew Golding of Dutch National Ballet.

Beautiful Dutch National Ballet Giselle video

Click here  to see Dutch National Ballet's beautiful Wilis, with Igone de Jongh as Myrtha:
Giselle - Wilis entrance from 3 minutes West on Vimeo.

If you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet trips by clicking here.

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Kevin O'Day's Hamlet at National Ballet of Canada casting

	Hamlet	Ophelia	Claudius	Gertrude
1 June @ 730	Côté	Ogden	Jelinek	Hutchison
2 June @ 2	Stephen	Lobsanova	Maddox	Perez-Gomez
2 June @ 730	Stanczyk	Rodriguez	Hirano	Jourdain
3 June @ 2	Côté	Ogden	Jelinek	Hutchison
6 June @ 730	Côté	Ogden	Jelinek	Hutchison
7 June @ 2	Stephen	Lobsanova	Maddox	Perez-Gomez
7 June @ 730	Stanczyk	Rodriguez	Hirano	Jourdain
8 June @ 730	Côté	Ogden	Jelinek	Hutchison
9 June @ 730	Stephen	Lobsanova	Maddox	Perez-Gomez
10 June @ 2	Stanczyk	Rodriguez	Hirano	Jourdain

Interview with Kevin O'Day: click here.

For reviews, click here.

If you love ballet, check out my season of ballet trips by clicking here.

GET MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR

Bolshoi Don Quixote casting Ottawa

May 23 -26, 2012, National Arts Centre

Kitri (alias Dulcinea) Ekaterina Krysanova (23, 26 eve)

Maria Aleksandrova (24, 26 mat)

Nina Kaptsova (25)

Basilio, a barber  Vyacheslav Lopatin (23, 26 eve)

Vladislav Lantratov (24, 26 mat))

Semen Chudin (25)

Don Quixote  Alexey Loparevich

an errant knight / chevalier errant

Sancho Panza, his squire / Sergey Minakov (23, 25, 26 eve)

Roman Simachev (24, 26 mat)

Gamache, a wealthy nobleman / Denis Medvedev (23, 25, 26 eve)

 Yury Ostrovskiy (24, 26 mat)

Juanita, Piccilia, friends to Kitri  Anna Tikhomirova, Yanina Parienko (23, 25, 26 eve)

Anna Rebetskaya, Anna Okuneva (24, 26 mat)

Espada, a toreador Vitaly Biktimirov (23, 25, 26 eve)

Ruslan Skvortsov (24, 26 mat)

A Street Dancer Anna Okuneva (23, 25)

Anastasia Meskova (24, 26 mat)

Anna Leonova (26 eve)

Mercedes Kristina Karaseva (23, 24, 26 mat)

Anna Balukova (25, 26 eve)

The queen of the Dryads / Anna Nikulina (23, 25, 26 eve)

 Anzhelina Vorontsova (24, 26 mat)

Bolshoi Swan Lake casting Toronto

	17/05/12	18/05/12	May 19 @ 2	May 19 @ 8
Odette-Odile	Anna Nikulina	Maria Aleksandrova	Ekaterina Krysanova	Anna Nikulina
Siegfried	Semen Chudin	Ruslan Skvortsov	Artem Ovcharenko	Semen Chudin
Evil Genius	Vladislav Lantratov	Pavel Dmitrichenko	Vladislav Lantratov	Pavel Dmitrichenko
Fool	Vyacheslav Lopatin	Denis Medvedev	Vyacheslav Lopatin	Denis Medvedev

BALLET, LAKE DISTRICT, & MORE! SIGN UP JUNE 14

Victor Travel

101 - 8800 Dufferin Street, Concord, ON L4K 0C5

TICO Ontario registration #1892647

presents

Tours en l'air

Ballet Holidays

an exclusive ballet-lovers' tour planned with care

and escorted by Canada's Word Lady, Katherine Barber

England

21 – 28 September 2012

8 days, 7 nights

3 ballet performances (+1 optional)

Sightseeing in the picturesque Lake District and Yorkshire Dales

and beautiful ballets performed by

Birmingham Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet

BALLET MAKES LIFE BETTER - GET MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE

Fri. 21 September: MANCHESTER

Arrive in Manchester's newly redeveloped docklands area known as Salford Quays, 20 minutes by taxi from Manchester airport or 10 minutes by taxi from Manchester Piccadilly central train station.

The Quays is now a major centre of film and TV production (a new studio for Coronation Street – set in Salford's fictional alter ego of “Weatherfield” – is currently under construction there).

Check in to the 4-star Holiday Inn Media City, 5 minutes walk from the very comfortable Lowry theatre. If you have time, you can shop at the Lowry Outlet Mall opposite the theatre, pop in to the nearby Imperial War Museum, take a studio tour at the BBC, or hop on the tram (tram stop 4 minutes walk from hotel) into central Manchester to visit the Art Gallery with its large collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings, or the Costume Museum. Football fans can visit the home of Manchester United just down the road.

Sat. 22 September: MANCHESTER

Morning: Watch Birmingham Royal Ballet company class, followed by a “Meet the Dancer” Q&A. Afternoon: Optional performance of Birmingham Royal Ballet: Swan Lake. Evening: Welcome 3-course dinner followed by performance of Birmingham Royal Ballet: Swan Lake.

Sun. 23 September: MANCHESTER

Day trip to YORKSHIRE

Our private luxury coach takes you to the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, Yorkshire to learn more about the authors of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Then drive through the elegant Regency spa town of Harrogate and the beautiful Yorkshire Dales before visiting the magnificent baroque palace and grounds of Castle Howard, where the TV series Brideshead Revisited was filmed. Return to Salford.

Mon. 24 September: MANCHESTER

Day at leisure. Suggested day trips (frequent train service): the well-preserved medieval city of York (90 minutes), home of the awe-inspiring York Minster, the largest Gothic church in England. Chester (90 minutes) is a picturesque city full of half-timbered houses. Or you can visit the centre of English ceramics, Stoke-on-Trent (40 minutes), shop for china at the factory outlets, and tour the Wedgwood factory.

Tues. 25 September: MANCHESTER

Day trip to the beautiful LAKE DISTRICT

Our private luxury coach takes you along Lake Windermere to Beatrix Potter's home. Morning coffee in the Tower Bank Arms, a traditional 17th-century Lakeland inn featured in The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck. Visit the enchanting medieval village of Hawkshead, then cruise on Coniston Water (the lake immortalized in the Swallows and Amazons children's books), in the completely restored opulent Victorian steam yacht Gondola, to Brantwood, home of the art critic John Ruskin. You can have a cream tea here surrounded by pre-Raphaelite art and looking out over the stunning gardens and spectacular view. Then proceed to William Wordsworth's home at Rydal Mount for a private guided tour of the gardens landscaped by the poet, a poetry reading accompanied by a glass of wine and some famous Grasmere gingerbread in his library, and a visit of the rest of the house outside of regular opening hours. Return to Salford.

Wed. 26 September: MANCHESTER

Day at leisure. Perhaps visit the museums and Manchester's Victorian downtown, or take a canal boat cruise. Evening: 3-course dinner, then performance of Northern Ballet: Madame Butterfly, choreographed by Northern Ballet's Canadian artistic director, former National Ballet of Canada principal David Nixon. Post-performance reception with Northern Ballet dancers.

Thurs. 27 September: MANCHESTER

Day trip to BIRMINGHAM

Our private luxury coach takes you to Birmingham. Morning: Visit to Elmhurst School for Dance, the feeder school of Birmingham Royal Ballet, for a tour and an opportunity to watch class. Afternoon: 3-course lunch and performance of Birmingham Royal Ballet mixed program: David Bintley's jazzy and fun Take Five, Hans van Manen's sexy Grosse Fuge (performed in the clip below by Dutch National Ballet), and Jessica Lang's Lyric Pieces, set to music by Grieg. Return to Salford.
 

Fri. 28 September:

MANCHESTER

Check out of hotel and depart Salford.

REGISTRATION AND DEPOSIT DUE DATE: 14 JUNE 2012

GROUP SIZE LIMITED! DON'T DELAY IN SIGNING UP

Total Package CA$2299 per person based on double occupancy

Single supplement: CA$675

All prices valid till 14 JUNE 2012

LAND-ONLY PACKAGE allows you the flexibility of arranging

travel from your most convenient departure point,

on the dates and times you prefer, and to extend your stay if you wish.

Victor Travel's experienced agents will be happy to

assist you with flight arrangements.

Package price includes:

7 nights twin share accommodation in the 4-star Holiday Inn Manchester Media City (travellers wishing to share will be put in touch with one another)

Daily full hot and cold buffet breakfast

Premium orchestra seats for 3 ballets

Birmingham Royal Ballet company class

Birmingham Royal Ballet “Meet the Dancer” event

Post-performance reception with Northern Ballet dancers

Northern Ballet souvenir program

One-year membership in the Friends of Birmingham Royal Ballet and the

Friends of Northern Ballet, including two issues of the BRB magazine Entrechat and the Northern Ballet magazine Inside

Day excursion by luxury coach to the Lake District

Boat cruise on Coniston Water

Day excursion by luxury coach to Haworth, Harrogate, and Castle Howard

Admission to Bronte Parsonage Museum, Castle Howard house and grounds, Beatrix Potter house at Hill Top, and Brantwood

Private guided tour of Rydal Mount

Day excursion to Birmingham

Two 3-course dinners; one 3-course lunch; one morning coffee

Ballet enrichment program: ballet notes and informal pre-performance talks and post-performance reviews with tour leader

Please note that this program must be sold as a package.

We cannot offer individual components separately

or break the package into shorter installments.

Not included:

Airfare

Meals and transfers not specifically mentioned in this itinerary

Beverages with dinners and lunch

Items of a personal nature, e.g. phone calls

Cancellation and hospital/medical insurance

Terms and Conditions:

Non-refundable deposit of CA$1000 per person is required at time of registration, no later than 14 JUNE 2012, to secure your space for this package**.

Single supplement and optional cancellation and hospital/medical insurance are also payable at this time.

Final payment due 1 August 2012, and total package price is fully

non-refundable.

All cancellations must be received in writing at Carlson Wagonlit Victor Travel to the attention of Lucy Nati (lucy@cwtvictortravel.ca).

RBC out-of-province health insurance and trip cancellation insurance are available through Victor Travel and STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

Price will vary according to birthdate.

Premium must accompany the deposit and is non-refundable.

For more information and a registration form:

email: toursenlair@gmail.com

phone: 416.693.4496

GET MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR

Visit www.toursenlair.blogspot.com

for more fabulous escorted vacations for ballet lovers

and information on Katherine's highly popular ballet appreciation courses

**The deposit is fully refundable in the event of cancellation of the trip by the travel agent

Cool tutus

The National Ballet of Canada has just posted some pictures of the tutus in its 60th anniversary "tutu project" on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/nationalballet/the-tutu-project/. I particularly like the Hudson's Bay Blanket tutu and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's beautiful "Prairie Seasons", which I can't wait to see up close.

Fascinating look at Petipa

Many ballets are credited with choreography “after Petipa,” but what does that mean? As part of the Guggenheim Museum's "Works and Process" series, Pacific Northwest Ballet’s education programs manager and dance historian Doug Fullington and company dancers look at three famous classical duets—the Black Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake, and the Blue Bird pas de deux and Grand pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty—to explore how they have evolved over time.

Etymology of the word "dance"

What does dancing have to do with falling over? Click here to find out.

If you love ballet, please check out my season of outstanding ballet trips by clicking here.

GET MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE WITH TOURS EN L'AIR

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