Ballet trip to San Francisco Booking Now

Carlson Wagonlit Victor Travel

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

TICO Ontario registration #1892647

presents

Tours en l'air

Ballet Holidays

escorted by

Canada's Word Lady, Katherine Barber

San Francisco

10-14 April 2013

5 days, 4 nights

2 ballet performances

(+1 optional)

San Francisco Ballet,

North America's oldest ballet company, in a variety of passionate, classically beautiful, and vibrant works by

Balanchine, Petipa,

and SFB's resident choreographers

Wednesday 10 April

Arrive San Francisco; check in to Inn at the Opera Hotel, a charming 3 ½-star boutique hotel 3 minutes walk from the Opera House. 6-7pm: Pointes of View: a salon-style interview about the Friday night mixed program with SFB artists.

Thursday 11 April

Morning: Visit Smuin Ballet. Afternoon at leisure to explore beautiful San Francisco on one of its famous cable cars, take a ferry across to artsy Sausalito, or enjoy whatever this wonderful city has to offer.

6 pm: dinner before: San Francisco Ballet: “Meet the Artist Interview” followed by performance of Francesca da Rimini (Possokhov), Criss-Cross (Tomasson), Symphony in 3 Movements (Balanchine)

Friday 12 April

Morning at leisure. Afternoon: Visit San Francisco Ballet studios and the Opera House. Evening: San Francisco Ballet: Raymonda Act III (Nureyev after Petipa), Ibsen's House (Caniparolli), Symphonic Dances (Liang) 

Saturday 13 April

Morning: Private guided tour of Girl with the Pearl Earring special exhibition at the de Young museum. Vermeer’s enigmatic Girl with a Pearl Earring has intrigued art lovers for centuries. See this masterpiece and more than 30 others by artists of the Dutch Golden Age—including Rembrandt, Hals, and Steen. Don’t miss Rembrandt’s Century, a companion exhibition featuring more than 200 rarely seen prints and drawings of the same era. Spend the rest of the day visiting the permanent exhibition of the art gallery or enjoying Golden Gate Park.

Optional second performance of Francesca da Rimini (Possokhov), Criss-Cross (Tomasson), Symphony in 3 Movements (Balanchine)

Sunday 14 April

Check out of hotel and depart San Francisco.

Total Package CA$1225 per person

based on double occupancy

Single supplement: CA$375

All prices valid till 14 January 2013

REGISTRATION AND DEPOSIT DUE DATE:

14 JANUARY 2013

LAND-ONLY PACKAGE allows you the flexibility of travelling from your most convenient departure point, on the dates and times you prefer. CWT Victor Travel's experienced agents will be happy to assist you

For more information on this or other fabulous escorted vacations for ballet lovers, or Katherine's fun, informative, and popular ballet appreciation classes: toursenlair@gmail.com or 416.693.4496

Package price includes:

Premium seats for 2 ballet performances

One pre-performance talk by aSan Francisco Ballet artist

One “Pointes of View” event

Visits to Smuin Ballet and San Francisco Ballet

Four nights accommodation at the Inn at the Opera, rooms with one queen bed

Hotel porterage

Daily continental breakfast

One 3-course dinner

Admission to the de Young museum and private guided tour of the special exhibition “Girl with a Pearl Earring”

Enrichment program: ballet notes, informal post-performance reviews with tour leader

All taxes, service fees, and surcharges

Not included:

Airfare

Items of a personal nature,

e.g. telephone calls

Meals and transfers not specifically mentioned in this itinerary

Beverages with meals

Cancellation and hospital/medical insurance

Terms and Conditions:

Deposit of $500 per person is required at time of registration, no later than 14January 2013.** Single supplement and optional cancellation and hospital medical insurance also payable at this time.

Total package price is fully non-refundable.

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

RBC out-of-province health insurance and trip cancellation insurance are available through CWT Victor Travel and STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. Price will vary according to birthdate. Premium must accompany the deposit and is non-refundable.

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

GET MORE BALLET OUT OF LIFE

Huge Ballets Russes exhibit at National Gallery in Washington

The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC will be hosting a special exhibition, “Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909-1929: When Art Danced With Music,” from May 12 to Sept. 2.
This is an expanded version of the "Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes" exhibition held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2010, including more than 50 additional pieces on loan from museums around the world, including Dansmuseet in Sweden and the National Gallery of Australia.
In addition, the Gallery will present an array of activities celebrating the dynamic Ballets Russes, including on-site ballet performances and instructional programs, an online brochure, lectures, concerts, and a symposium as well as film screenings, gallery talks, podcasts, an audio tour, and a variety of offerings in the Gallery Shops.

For more information:

http://www.nga.gov/press/exh/3413/index.shtm

I am looking into the possibility of a trip to Washington June 5 - 8 to see this exhibition plus the three programs of the Dance Across America festival: If you are at all interested, please contact me at toursenlair@gmail.com.
Program A (June 5)
Richmond Ballet Ershter Vals features music based on poems from the Jewish ghettos of World War II. The captivating choreography focuses the ballet on the moments of light that can be found in even the darkest of times, creating a penetrating message of hope.
Oregon Ballet Theatre presents James Kudelka's riveting Almost Mozart, which juxtaposes a gorgeous Mozart score with stunning moments of complete silence.
Boston Ballet brings Balanchine's complex and energetic Symphony in Three Movements, set to Stravinsky's music and marked by its turned-in movements and athletic sequences.

Program B (June 6)
The Sarasota Ballet brings Les Patineurs, in which Sir Frederick Ashton's choreography brings a skating rink to life on stage, complete with vivid scenes of couples skating hand in hand, the bravura "blue boy" dazzling the crowd, and beginners clinging onto the nearest support.
Pennsylvania Ballet offers the purity and angular architecture of Balanchine's The Four Temperaments, set to Paul Hindemith's commissioned score and inspired by the medieval belief of the four humors.
The Washington Ballet performs Edwaard Liang's dazzling Wunderland, known for its mesmerizing partnerings and performed to an alluring score by Philip Glass.

Program C (June 7)
North Carolina Dance Theatre's Rhapsodic Dances is a contemporary take on romantic, classical ballet with inspiration from Rachmaninoff's music.
From Texas, Ballet Austin Artistic Director Stephen Mills's enlightened and inspiring Hush, organically entwines dance with a spiralling score by Philip Glass.
Dance Theatre of Harlem (including First Position's Michaela Prince) returns to the stage after closing in 2004, bringing Robert Garland's urban/post-modern/neoclassical confection Return, which uses the music of Aretha Franklin and James Brown in a brilliant tribute to American social dances of the '60s and '70s.

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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National Ballet of Canada Alice casting Washington

Casting has been announced for the National Ballet of Canada's run of Christopher Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland at the Kennedy Center, Washington DC, this January

	Alice	Jack/Knave of Hearts
Friday 18 @ 730 pm For special ticket offer, click here	Jillian Vanstone	Naoya Ebe
Saturday 19 @ 130 pm	Heather Ogden	McGee Maddox
Saturday 19 @ 730 pm	Sonia Rodriguez	Guillaume Côté
Tuesday 22 @ 730 pm For special ticket offer, click here	Jillian Vanstone	Naoya Ebe
Wednesday 23 @ 730 pm For special ticket offer, click here	Sonia Rodriguez	Guillaume Côté
Thursday 24 @ 730 pm	Heather Ogden	McGee Maddox
Friday 25 @ 730 pm	Jillian Vanstone	Naoya Ebe
Saturday 26 @ 130 pm	Heather Ogden	McGee Maddox
Saturday 26 @ 730 pm	Sonia Rodriguez	Guillaume Côté
Sunday 27 @ 130 pm	Jillian Vanstone	Naoya Ebe

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

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Discount on Royal Ballet Onegin tickets

Travelzoo UK has a special discount offer for some Royal Ballet performances of Onegin. For casting, click here. 

By Isabel Plumbly
Travelzoo Staff, London
Updated Wednesday, 9 January 2013

For £38, spend an evening at the Royal Opera House watching the Royal Ballet's production of Pushkin's classic love story Eugene Onegin. Set to beautiful music by Tchaikovsky, the ballet tells a tragic tale of  love  and loss.
We have found tickets in the Amphitheatre for £38 -- that's a saving of up to 32% on the regular price. What's more, there are no additional fees. The offer is available for Travelzoo subscribers for performances at 7:30pm on:

• Friday, 25 January
• Thursday, 31 January
• Thursday, 7 February
• Friday, 8 February

Alternatively, tickets in the Orchestra Stalls -- some of the best in the house -- are available for £60, saving up to 36% on the regular price. These tickets usually cost between £84 and £93, depending on where you sit.
"Highly recommended... Four stars" -- The Daily Telegraph

How to Book This Deal
	Click here to book online with Royal Opera House Choose one of the performances listed above Enter promo code travelzooonegin (case sensitive) in the box on the top right-hand side Choose Amphitheatre or Orchestra Stalls depending on what ticket type you want, then select the number of "TZOO Offer" seats you want Click "Add to Basket" and proceed to the checkout Please note: The Royal Opera House website is not optimised for mobile use. We recommend you book online or by phone
	Call Royal Opera House on 020 7304 4000 Quote 'Travelzoo Onegin Offer'

*Terms/Conditions:
Restrictions may apply. Subject to availability. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or on tickets already purchased. Offer applies only to performance dates and times listed. 

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

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May Ballet Trip to NY now booking

Please note that 21 of the available 29 places for this trip have already sold to priority booking. To secure your space for this trip, please phone Lucy Nati at 

Carlson Wagonlit Victor Travel  

 416-736-6010; toll-free: 1-800-699-0199 

with your credit card information.

Carlson Wagonlit Victor Travel

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

TICO Ontario registration #1892647

presents

Tours en l'air

Ballet Holidays

escorted by

Canada's Word Lady,

Katherine Barber

New York

23 - 26 May 2013

4 days, 3 nights

3 ballet performances

(+2 optional)

A feast of Balanchine from

New York City Ballet, plus

American Ballet Theatre

performing one of Ashton's rarely seen masterpieces and 

pulling out the virtuosic stops in  

Don Quixote

Thursday 23 May

Arrive New York; check in to 3-star Hotel Belleclaire, 15 minutes walk from Lincoln Center. **Upgrade to 4-star Midtown East Kimberly Hotel available on request.

3-course welcome dinner before American Ballet Theatre performance: Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes (Morris), A Month in the Country (Ashton), Symphony in C (Balanchine)

Friday 24 May

930 am – 12 noon: Private guided tour of the highlights of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, followed by visit with audioguide to special “Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity” exhibition. Afternoon at leisure (your ticket entitles you to admission to the rest of the museum all day, as well as to the Cloisters museum).

630 pm: Pre-performance chat with a New York City Ballet dancer in New York City Ballet studios.

800 pm: performance of New York City Ballet: Serenade, Ivesiana, Tarantella, Firebird (all Balanchine)

Saturday 25 May

Morning at leisure.

1230 – 130 pm: Meet a New York City Ballet dancer, who will give you a personal guided tour of the David H Koch theatre, NYCB's home.

200 pm: Optional performance of New York City Ballet: Fancy Free, West Side Story Suite (both Robbins), Carousel (Wheeldon)

630 pm: Meet an American Ballet Theatre dancer before the performance of American Ballet Theatre: Don Quixote

Sunday 26 May

Check out of hotel. 2 pm: Optional performance of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: works by Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, and Aszure Barton. Depart New York.

REGISTRATION AND DEPOSIT DUE DATE:

21 JANUARY 2013

GROUP SIZE LIMITED!

Total Package CA$1399 per person

based on double occupancy

Single supplement: CA$275

** With hotel upgrade $1659 p.p.double occupancy, single supplement $750

All prices valid till 21 January 2013

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.

Package price includes:

3 nights twin share accommodation in the 3-star Upper West Side Hotel Belleclaire (travellers wishing to share will be put in touch with one another)

Daily full American breakfast

Premium orchestra seats for 3 ballets

Pre-performance chat with a New York City Ballet dancer in New York City Ballet studios.

Private guided tour of David H Koch theatre given by a New York City Ballet dancer

Meet an American Ballet Theatre dancer

Admission to Metropolitan Museum of Art plus private guided tour of highlights of the museum's collection and an audioguide for the special “Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity” exhibition

One 3-course dinner

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

This program must be sold as a package. Extra hotel nights can be added (subject to availability), but 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 meals

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

Cancellation insurance

Hospital/medical insurance

All items and activities listed as optional in this brochure

Terms and Conditions:

Non-refundable deposit of CA$750 per person is required at time of registration,

no later than 21 January 2013,

to secure your space for this package**.

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

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 to receive a registration form: 

 

email toursenlair.gmail.com

phone: 416.693.4496

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

Bolshoi Live Broadcast La Bayadere casting January 27 (US broadcast date Feb 17)

Nikia	Svetlana Zakharova
Dugmanta, Rajah	Alexei Loparevich
Gamzatti, his daughter	Maria Alexandrova
Solor, the noble warrior	Vladislav Lantratov
The High Brahmin	Andrei Sitnikov
Toloragva, warrior	Alexander Voytyuk
A Slave	Denis Rodkin
Magedaveya, fakir	Anton Savichev
Aya, slave	Anastasia Vinokur
Gumpe	Yulia Lunkina Svetlana Pavlova
Grand Pas	Karim Abdullin Ivan Alexeyev Alesya Gradova (Boyko) Elizaveta Kruteleva Anna Leonova Yulia Lunkina Anna Okuneva Yanina Parienko Svetlana Pavlova Maria Vinogradova
Dance with drum	Anna Antropova Vitaly Biktimirov Igor Tsvirko
The Bronze Idol	Denis Medvedev
Manu (Dance with Jug)	Maria Prorvich
Scene "Shadows" First Variation	Anastasia Stashkevich
Second Variation	Anna Tikhomirova
Third Variation	Chinara Alizade

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

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$59 orchestra tickets for Alice's Adventures in Washington DC

Don't miss the outrageous, eye-popping theatrical ballet event that is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland—begins January 18!

	Special offer: $59 orchestra seats* Buy online or mention "149730" code by phone or at the Box Office. Tickets regularly $85-$99. Offer available for the following performances:
	Fri., Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Tue., Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Behind the looking glass Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon gives us a glimpse into what inspired him to bring Lewis Carroll's classic story, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, to life through ballet. Watch the video here.  Plus: Read The Daily Telegraph interview with Wheeldon on Tumblr.

The National Ballet of Canada Karen Kain, Artistic Director with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra Alice's Adventures in Wonderland "A brilliantly theatrical, superbly designed extravaganza of color and costume, madcap action, and fluent dance"-The New York Times The National Ballet of Canada returns to the Kennedy Center with an outrageous, eye-popping theatrical production of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that is "certain to impress, delight, and amuse" (Toronto Sun). A co-production with London's Royal Ballet, the work was a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic when it premiered in 2011, enthralling and astounding audiences show after show with its mind-boggling stagecraft, startling choreography, and perfectly nuanced blend of classical dance and sheer entertainment. Lewis Carroll's perpetually winsome, subversive, cunning, and hilarious children's classic is given a glorious ballet treatment by British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon that is the very measure of the original, set to an energetic, riveting, original score by Joby Talbot. Bolstered by striking sets and costumes by Bob Crowley, Wheeldon revisits and brings to the stage many of the tale's beloved characters in brilliant choreographic arrangements that will undoubtedly create fresh impressions of these familiar faces. Jan. 18–27 | Opera House

*If ordering by phone or in person at the Kennedy Center Box Office,
mention Offer Number "149730" to receive your discount.
(202) 467-4600 | Toll-free (800) 444-1324 | TTY (202) 416-8524 | Groups (202) 416-8400 

*$59 offer valid on select orchestra seats for performances of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on 1/18, 1/22, & 1/23 at 7:30 p.m. Offer subject to availability. Not valid in combination with any other offer or on previously purchased tickets. Offer may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Service fees may apply.

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

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Wheeldon's Cinderella photo gallery

There is a great photo gallery on Dance Europe's website.
http://www.danceeurope.net/gallery/cinderella-dutch-national-ballet/

Matthew Golding
Anna Tsygankova
Larissa Lezhnina
Nadia Yanowsky
Megan Zimny Gray
Remi Wortmeyer

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

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Ballet-themed dinner party

With the holidays just behind us, probably the last thing on your mind is eating some more. But for the new year, I thought I'd share with you the menu I devised for a dinner party I threw for some ballet-loving friends and fellow ballet students, complete with a few groaner puns. Recipe notes at the end.

Ballet Bistro

The restaurant that guarantees you

a great attitude and no contretemps

so there's always a good turnout

MENU

1^st position

Ruby Red grapefruit and Martini rosato frappé

2^nd position

Swiss fondue

(make sure to repeat many many times for optimum effect)

3^rd position

Buns for bunheads

4^th position

Vegetable sauté

5^th position

Pavlova with crème fouettée

Pas de chat

(the cat is not allowed on the dining room table)

Pas de cheval

(no horsemeat will be served)

Pas de bisque

(no lobster soup)

After dinner:
Pas d'action
(I'm so full I can't move) 

1) Grapefruit frappé: buy ruby red grapefruit juice. Freeze in ice-cube trays. Whirl frozen grapefruit juice in a food processor with a little Martini rosato (if not available, use red vermouth or some other fortified wine, or leave out for a non-alcoholic version). 

2) For fondue recipe click here.  Cut the buns in bite-sized pieces and dip them and vegetables into the cheese sauce.

3) Vegetable sauté: I stir-fried broccoli and cauliflower florets until still crunchy.  

4) For pavlova recipe click here. 

Bon appétit! Do you have other ideas for what could be served at a ballet-themed party? I'd love to hear about them in the comments. 

May your 2013 be full to the brim with ballet!  

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

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