For Immediate Release

July 22, 2003
Boston Ballet Presents The Return of Rudolf Nureyev's Ballet Don Quixote
October 16-19 and October 30- November 2

WHAT: Boston Ballet's Don Quixote

WHEN: Thursday Oct. 16 @ 7p.m., Friday Oct. 17 @ 8p.m., Sat. Oct. 18 @ 2p.m.
& 8p.m., Sunday Oct.19 @ 2p.m., Thurs. Oct. 30 @ 7p.m., Friday Oct. 31 @
8p.m., Sat. Nov. 1 @ 2p.m. & 8p.m., Sunday Nov. 2 @ 2p.m.

WHERE: All performances at The Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont Street, Boston

TICKETS: available by phone through Telecharge at 800-447-7400, online at
www.telecharge.com, or in person at The Wang Theatre Box Office


(BOSTON, MA)- Boston Ballet's 40th Anniversary Season will open this fall
with the return of Rudolf Nureyev's celebrated production, Don Quixote, at
The Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. The original sets and
costumes have been fully refurbished for this exciting production, made
possible by a grant from the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation.

"Nureyev's exuberant Don Quixote is perhaps the most significant work in
Boston Ballet's history, because this ballet first brought international
attention to the Company," said Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko
Nissinen. "It is charged with the quest for noble idealism, with bravura
dancing that has thrilled audiences here and around the world. Boston
Ballet has not performed this version since 1986, and we are especially
pleased to bring it back for our 40th Anniversary Season. This year will
also mark the 10th anniversary of the Nureyev's death."

This recreation of Miguel de Cervantes'17th century classic tale is staged
by Aleth Francillon, after choreography by Marius Petipa, set to the music
of Ludwig Minkus with score arrangement by John Lanchberry, lighting by
Pierre Lavoie, and scenery and costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis.

This full-length, three-act ballet is set in the heart of the Spanish
countryside, featuring chivalry, passion, and comical adventure. It is a
warm human tale with likeable characters like Alonso Quejana, an ordinary
Spanish country gentleman, who is in search of an idealistic, moral world.
He is an elderly and slightly delusional Spaniard, who, sitting amidst his
books of knights, squires and beautiful women, dreams of the fair lady,
Dulcinea. Declaring himself a knight by the name of Don Quixote de La
Mancha, he believes that he must save his fictional lady from peril, and
sets off on his adventures in search of the Dulcinea, with the aid of his
comical squire, Sancho Panza. As the Don approaches an inn in Barcelona
square, he assumes it is a grand castle, and the innkeepers daughter, Kitri,
to be his beloved Dulcinea, unbeknownst to Kitri. Kitri is in love with the
young barber, Basilio, but, her parent's are determined for her to marry the
nobleman, Gamache, despite her wishes. This intricate storyline is humorous
with silly twists and turns, and complete with some of the most technically
challenging roles in ballet repertoire, including the beautiful wedding pas
de deux, danced by Kitri and Basilio.

Choreographer Marius Petipa originally created Don Quixote for Moscow's
Bolshoi Ballet in 1869, and was first presented in the United States by the
Bolshoi Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, in 1966. Don
Quixote has significant history in Boston. Boston's first, "Don Q" was the
Rudolf Nureyev version which premiered in 1982 and received critical
acclaim. Nureyev not only choreographed the production, but he also starred
in it as Basilio. A 1972 film of Nureyev's Don Quixote was made with the
Australian Ballet, in which he starred and co-directed with Sir Robert
Helpmann.

In George Balanchine's and Frances Mason's 101 Stories of the Great Ballets,
Balanchine describes Don Quixote: "Every man has a Don Quixote in him.
Every man wants an inspiration. For the Don it was Dulcinea, a woman he
sought in many guises. I myself think that the same is true in life, that
everything a man does he does for his ideal woman. You live only one life
and you believe in something and I believe in that."

A Fond Farewell
Cherished by Boston audiences for almost 14 years, Principal Dancer Jennifer
Gelfand will dance her farewell performance during Don Quixote. Gelfand made
headlines in 1989 when she filled in for former Principal Dancer Laura
Young, the female lead, who fell injured on the stage during the first act.
Gelfand, recently accepted to the Joffrey Ballet, was in Boston as a special
guest artist, and was sitting in The Wang Theatre audience. She was asked to
finish the ballet in place of Young. Then Artistic Director, Bruce Marks,
was so impressed with her performance, that he offered Gelfand a soloist
position in the Company. *Gelfand's performance dates will be announced in
early October.


# # #

Tickets for Don Quixote go on sale September 4. Prices range from $38-$95.
Tickets can be purchased by calling Telecharge at 800-447-7400, or by
visiting Telecharge online at www.telecharge.com, or in person at The Wang
Theatre box office, located at 270 Tremont Street in Boston's Theatre
District. The Wang Theatre box office is open Monday-Saturday from 10a.m.-6
p.m. Discounted group tickets (15 or more) are available by calling Boston
Ballet's Group Sales Office at 617-456-6343. Student rush tickets are
available for $15. Full time students, 30 yrs. old and under; purchased 2
hours before curtain (cash preferred) in person at The Wang Theatre box
office on the day of a performance. Student identification must be presented
at time of purchase, limit one per student I.D.

I love any and all DonQ performances. IMO it is really a perfect ballet for kids--in some ways much better than the Nutcracker.

Does anyone know
--How this DonQ is different from/similar to other productions?
In particular, it seems to me that BB has done DonQ in the past 5 years or so, but from the wording of the press release, they have not done the Nureyev DonQ since 1986.

--Who will be dancing Kitri? (A role tailor-made for Polyana Ribeiro IMO)

I'm sure they did Don Q in the early 90's -- they brought it to the Kennedy Center. March of '93, I THINK. That was Holmes' production, but, as I remember it, it was very close to the Nureyev production, which is close to the Kirov one. (There's a video of Nureyev in his production for the Australian ballet, but it's filmed like a movie, not a stage performance, so there are things in it that you won't see on stage.)

It is a great ballet for kids, koshka. Several friends of mine with sons chose that as a first ballet for small boys and it was a big success.

I'm not privy to the casting, but no harm in posting one's favorite candidates I hope you'll go and tell us about it. (Although October seems far away now.)

One thing I noted when doing the season's calendar is that the company will do a few performance of Don Q, then another program (a triple bill, I think, but that's from memory) and then another few performances of Don Q -- a good idea, I think. It will give the dancers more time, more chances, at the ballet, and also, from a box office point of view, it will give word of mouth some time to make the rounds. Often, when a ballet is done four times, and the review doesn't come out until the morning of the third performance, and there isn't enough time for friends to call friends, then the ballet is gone before people know it's there. This kind of split-scheduling is a good solution to that.

Thanks for the info.
I still have a season subscription to Boston Ballet after being in DC nearly 9 years, so I will be going.

The new schedule is apparently the result of budget cuts. It is rather inconvenient for those of us coming from afar, but it might be better for the production and the dancers.

About DonQ for kids: in Russia/former Soviet Union, DonQ seems to be _the_ ballet for kids--it was on the matinee program at the Kirov / Mariinsky this fall, and I once attended a weekday kiddie matinee of it (hundres of schoolkids and...me) in Moldova. The latter was extra-hammy and especially entertaining.
The exception would be the Eifman version, whose asylum scenes could be scary to kids.

"Cherished by Boston audiences for almost 14 years, Principal Dancer Jennifer
Gelfand will dance her farewell performance during Don Quixote. Gelfand made
headlines in 1989 when she filled in for former Principal Dancer Laura
Young, the female lead, who fell injured on the stage during the first act.
Gelfand, recently accepted to the Joffrey Ballet, was in Boston as a special
guest artist, and was sitting in The Wang Theatre audience. She was asked to
finish the ballet in place of Young. Then Artistic Director, Bruce Marks,
was so impressed with her performance, that he offered Gelfand a soloist
position in the Company. *Gelfand's performance dates will be announced in
early October. "

Actually the Publicity people haven't quite got it right. Jennifer had already been dancing with the Joffrey company. She made her first appearances with the Boston Ballet in March of 1989 as a special guest for the company's 25th anniversary gala, dancing the Don Quixote Pas de Deux with Daniel Meja, who had just joined the company in January. The full length Don Quixote was being done in May of 1989, and she and Daniel were one of the casts, and it is for that reason that she and her partner were in the audience watching Laura Young dance. By the time those performances were being done in May, however, contracts for the following year were already in place. Bruce did not offer her a contract based on that evening's inspiration. Their first performance was on May 16, 1989 at a school matinee, when they did the ballet without the second act. On May 17, 1989 they did the entire ballet for the first time. Laura Young retired at the end of the run with the last performance, dancing with Devon Carney.

And you're right, Alexandra, they did four performances of Anna-Marie Holmes' production in the spring of 1993 at Kennedy Center. I believe the casts then were Larissa Ponomarenko and Polyana Ribeiro dancing with Victor Plotnikov (all four shows!). They also did a Boston run that spring.

From what I've heard, Lorna Feijoo should make a crackerjack Kitri.

Wow! I can't believe that Polyana Ribeiro has been dancing soloist/principal roles for 10 years now! Time flies!

Costumes: I am vaguely recalling that there was a BB production, likely DonQ, with really awful thong-bottom tutus in the first act. Eek! My ballet subscription buddy and I were _horrified_, even as we noted with a teensy bit of catty satifaction that it was clear that not even professional dancers all have "buns of steel". Sure hope this production's costumes are different. Eek. I am squirming just remembering it.

pmeja: in the gymnastics world, errors such as you mention are referred to as "obligatory gymnastics article mistake"--there always seems to be at least one.

Is Daniel Meja still dancing? If so, where?

um, i don't recall any thong-bottom tutus.! boston ballet has never had another production of don quixote other than this one. it might lead to misunderstandings in that as i understand it, the nureyev choreography, settings and stage direction is what they haven't done since 1986, but the physical properties are just being "spruced up" and are the same ones they've always had. maybe someone will let the board know?
daniel has retired; he is teaching now.

About the scary tutus--maybe it was another ballet. It was definitely a BB production (maybe they were just badly cut and were riding up???) Whatever--happily, I never saw anything like it again, at BB or elsewhere. But we do still remember these costumes with a shudder.

If the scary costumes won't be there, perhaps we will consider taking my friend's 6-year old. She made it through the spring Balanchine program, so maybe she'll last through DonQ.

Thanks for the clarification on what will and won't be different, and for the update on my favorite Jester ever.

I just bought a dvd of the Paris Opera Ballet dancing Nureyev's "Don Q." It is great because it is so recent (April 2002, I believe.) The dancing is wonderful of course and yes there are some differences that I noticed when I thought back to the video I have of the Kirov (Terekhova and Ruzimatov.) Particularily with the musical orchestration. John Lanchberry arranged the music. There are even some excerpts from "La Bayadere," in Act II (or at least from Makarova's version.) But, the actual technical aspect of the dancing seems very difficult! However, it is danced beautifully by Aurelie Dupont and Manuel Legris.

Side note: When I was a student at the BBSchool back in 1993, I was a peasant in "Don Quixote." Opening night was danced by Jenifer Gelfand and Fernando Bujones. This was not the Nureyev version. Anna-Marie Holmes did in fact set it and then re set it in April of 2000. I also got to be one of the puppets in Act II.

One more thing-

Daniel Meja is a big idol of mine! He was such an amazing dancer, but the best part was he was so nice! I remember one show of "Midsummer's Night Dream" in 1992 when he was supposed to have a publicity shot of himself. He came running into the childrens dressing room and wanted all of us to join him. (However, the stage manager had different opinions!)

In the Spring of 2000 BB did Don Q--the same one that Joseph seemed to have done earlier-- students were urchins and marionettes. What was remarkable about this version was that a student (actually two students shared the role) danced the cupid solo (amour)--the cupid "corps" was also students. I seem to recall that a big deal was made of this--as it was supposedly an historically Russian casting choice but one that hadn't been done in Boston--I may be misremembering that bit! Choreographers listed as after Petipa/Gorsky, staging by Ms. Holmes among others.

As an aside, when I was in London last summer we went to the costume sale at the Royal Opera and acquired the Amour costume from RB's Nureyev's Don Q--which had literally just been performed( to not stellar reviews).

Yes, JBlste, a student did dance the role of "Amour / Cupid." When I was in it, I remember Jenifer Gelfand and Pollyanna Riberio dancing this role. The students who were the "corps de cupids" were also students in the 1993 version. In the Nureyev version that I just bought there are no children in this scene (I think?!?!)

I believe that Cupid was danced by students when I saw DonQ at the Kirov last October.

Yes , manhattnik -- Lorna Feijoo should be a FABULOUS Kitri.... I would make the trip from NYC to Boston t see her do it if I could.

Feijoo was a wonderful Giselle, and a wonderful Swanilda, which we saw her dance here with the Cuban ballet -- very different in each, and a marvellous dance-actress in both.

her sister, Lorena Feijoo, who is now a ballerina in SF, danced the best Kitri I think I'll ever see, really in the tradition of Plisetskaya and Terekhova, blazing with joy, in Helgi Tomasson's new production here - -which may be the best thing he's ever done. I realize these are lots of superlatives, but I've never seen such pure academic dancing given such idiomatic flair, made into such an emblem of personal consciousness.... She was a real heroine, and when Don QUixote put his lance at her service, everything made sense....

Can anyone point me to casting info for this weekend's performances?

Thanks.

Koshka - I'm sorry, I have misplaced the cast list my daughter gave to me. However, I do know that Lorna and Yury are dancing this evening, Jose Manuel Carreno and Polly Ribiero tomorrow evening, and Larissa Ponomarenko and Nelson Madrigal at the Saturday matinee. I can't seem to remember the other shows. Hope that helps. By the way, my daughter says that each couple is wonderful. I asked her to choose a favorite and she couldn't because she said each has particular strengths. So, this crazy mom is seeing all three.

All the casts sound great, it's true. :-)

My tickets are for Sun afternoon, so I'm still eager for a preview of the casting.

BTW there is nothing crazy at all about seeing multiple casts.

Koshka and all, I hope you will give us VERY thorough reports on the show(s).....

In SFB's version, Elizabeth Miner danced Cupid and was just perfect -- it's a lovely role, with an enchanting variation-- I think it always goes to a short dancer.

There are a lot of good roles in his ballet(Mercedes, Espada, the street dancer, just to start)

Koshka - I just found out that at the Sunday matinee Larissa and Nelson will be dancing the leads. I am not qualified to give a blow by blow description of the ballet last night, but I must say I was very impressed. Lorna Feijoo was, to sum it up, absolutely unbelievable. She was the right blend of young girl in love with just the right touch of sass. Her dancing was gorgeous. Yury Yanowsky was a perfect partner. Notable performances were given by Barbora Kohoutkova as Queen of the Dryads - beautiful and clean technique; Sarah Lamb as the Street Dancer; and Nelson Madrigal as Espada. Actually, I thought the whole company danced very well and everyone seemed to really be "in tune" with one another. Again, I am not a qualified critic, just a dancer mom, but I was really impressed to see such an opening performance. I would love to hear what others have to say.

Many thanks for the casting info.
Might have to try to get a Sat eve ticket at HotTix just to see another cast--as before, they all seem so great. I'm betting that if Ponomarkenko and Madrigal are doing both the Sat and Sun matinees, there will be a different cast on Sat night.

I will try to take notes in the theater--that's the only way I'll have anything to report...

Koshka - I just realized I made a mistake. Ribiero and Carreno will dance Sunday afternoon. Feijoo and Yanowsky dance Saturday evening. Ponamarenko and Madrigal are only doing one this weekend. If you can catch Feijoo, do so.

To the contrary of all the newpaper reviewers and all the expectations of the previous posters, I must say this Don Quixote was underwhelming.

The good parts: Lorna Feijoo was wonderful - she must have nerves of steel or just not be bothered by the that which would scare the daylights out of normal people. She was funny, poised and technically impeccable. I would love to see her do other things. The soloists in the dream sequence were impressive as was the Street Dancer in the first act. These were places in the ballet where Nureyev left the Kirov's version alone for the most part.

The worst part (from which all the rest of the bad parts flow): Nureyev's choreography. Overladen with meaningless steps, body giggling, it was too much of a not-very-good thing. My 10 yr. old daughter counted 54 ronde de jambe en l'air in the first act before she gave up. I thought that maybe this style was fun for the dancers, but the dancers didn't look like they were having all that much fun. They looked busy, but not very invested. Maybe it was first night jitters. Maybe it was the sparse crowd (the Red Sox were playing the night game that was about to lose them the pennant). Yuri Yanowsky, who I think was fantastic as actor and dancer last season as Onegin and Romeo and Tybalt and the Prodigal Son - that was a great season!) partnered well, but seemed technically insecure in his solos and looked like he wished he were somewhere else.

The corps, to me again, looked uncommitted, particularly in the first act. In the second and third act there was more "story" to tell and the choreography for them was less in the way.

The music was "improved" by John Lanchbery, which in this case meant taking pleasant, simple ballet-tune stuff and overloading the orchestration and juicing up the harmony to the point where the rhythmic impulse was almost gone. So, then he added more percussion.

It's only my opinion, but if Nureyev didn't kill this ballet, he gravely injured it. I can understand that the artistic staff of the ballet didn't want to do the same old Don Q yet again. But this version didn't do the trick for me.

I haven't seen it yet--I'm going Saturday afternoon.

I was a bit disappointed I must admit that BB decided to resurrect this version (although I understand why given its historical significance to the company). When I was in London the summer of 2002 the RB did Nureyev's Don Q choreography to very disapponting reviews--I didn't bother seeing it (choosing Coppelia instead).

We saw Don Quixote last night, and had the pleasure of seeing many of the new dancers in the company. Lorna Feijoo danced Kitri/Dulcinea. WOW! She has the fasted feet I’ve seen in a long time, and was rock steady on pointe. Yury Yanowsky as Basilio was more relaxed and in character than I’ve noticed in the past. I think she brought out the best in him. He made some wonderful leaps and turns. We enjoyed many of the other dancers – Sarah Lamb as the Street Dancer, Nelson Madrigal as Espada, and Barbora Kohoutkova as the Queen of the Dryads. But Feijoo was the best. Overall I thought the company looked really good, the corps in tune, and while we may miss some of our old favorites I’m looking forward to getting to know the new dancers and their talents.

I’m not a big fan of most story ballets. I haven’t really liked Don Q in the past and wasn’t especially looking forward to another one, but aside from the snoozer first scene found it really enjoyable. It’s the first time I’ve really been caught up in it - a happy surprise. In addition to the fine dancing and music, I found the sets and costumes appealing. The gypsy blacks and reds and oranges are fitting for a New England autumn….

Next weekend is the rep program, will be interesting to see that too. Then more Don Q.

I'm not sure of the casting for the second round of Don Q - Gelfand has her farewell appearances on the Thursday and Saturday nights. But if you have a chance to see Feijoo - go for it!

What roles are the BBII dancers doing?

I had the chance to see two more shows this weekend after the opener. I really loved Polly Ribiero and Jose together. She is a spitfire. I also saw Larissa Ponomarenko and Nelson Madrigal. I loved them all, but I have to say I fell in love with both Larissa and Nelson. I am a new member of the Boston Ballet audience, so all of those Boston Ballet goers will think it trite. But she(Larissa) is gorgeous and she is probably at the top of my list of favorite ballerinas. Nelson was adorable and his feet are "to die for." I think the company has a lot of depth - lots of really wonderful dancers. I was pleasantly surprised.

As for BBII, they danced the parts of gypsies, market women, driads, fandango, and women of Barcelona. I believe there were two girls in BBII who got to dance Bridesmaids. The boys did gypsies, fishermen, fandango and some of the acting parts.

I felt the company danced well together. My daughter said that it was a wonderful first experience dancing with a professional company. Everyone was supportive and caring.

So, I say congratulations to all of them. I am looking forward to the rest of the year.

Swanilda, BBII dancers are doing everything. Wherever they need a body.

I attended performances all weekend.
I dislike Don Q to begin with, dislike this choreography even more, but had a great time!!!!

Why? Is this Salsa in Beantown? No, it was the dancers.

By Saturday night, everyone was energised (magically, since they'd just done a matinee) and it maded for a rousing evening.

The choreography is cluttered, very difficult to dance (as in, it kills you) and yet somehow this company of dancers with disparate backgrounds showed that they could deliver a performance of first rank: character dancing, classical dancing, acting and above all: vigor and demonstrated commitment to an art form that could use a shot in the arm right now.

The theatre was nearly full on Friday night, houses were very good for the rest of the weekend as well and---surprise!!--it was not just old people, ballet students, or women. I was astounded. And they were enthusiastic!!


This is a refurbished production and not as cloyingly baroque as much of Georgiadis' work. The colours were the rich sunset tones (hurrrah! no more brown-kerchiefed peasants) of Barcelona, deep and vibrant. No one looked poor, despite the gypsy wagons lining the marketplace, and the fandango costumes of black and red were spectacular. (The men had the most dashing cavalier-type hats I have ever seen, with red bandannas on underneath and the women had black lace dresses withj red underlayers and flounces which will rank up there with everyones' Favourite Costume.) Lighting was superb, by Pierre Lavoie, a Canadian who has gotten it right. He knows how to light for dance, and this show should be seen for that alone----it was very, very good...atmospheric, dramatic (stunning skies) and a wonderful surrounding for all the activity on stage. It was not just backdrops--one could feel the coldness in the night air, the heat of the day dissipating in the sunsets---and with this choreography there is a lot of heat!

Pollyanna Ribiero is new to me--I have only seen her a couple of times--and she was quite surprising. I don't know why I expected her to be feisty and a spitfire (unless it was because she was dancing Kitri), but I found myself constantly admiring her line and thinking that I would like to see her dance Odette. She was a no-nonsense, take no prisoners sort of character, but the fact that she was dancing with Jose Manuel Carreno should soften anyone up.....
They are both very expansive dancers, well-matched in the way they carve out airspace for themselves. Carreno carved out some extra spaces for himself in the choreography, but it was not noticeable for the most part and he is such an elegant and engaging dancer that much is forgiven. Alright, I admit that I loved the kiss on the neck during the wedding pdd --(and he did it so well, you know!)...--but the credit for that goes to Nureyev, not Carreno.
He definitely wins the 'mas macho' contest for the weekend, although Yury Yanovsky wins the most-gorgeous-man-on-stage award.

I am again reminded of emploi .....Barbara Kohoutkova (whom I had seen before and like very much) was a very lackluster Mercedes but a STUNNING Queen of the Dryads. Ponomarenko (with newly and very attractive red hair) is beautiful in anything, but excelled in her Dryad role, and Sarah Lamb surprised me with the vibrancy of her Mercedes. Mercedes is much less a role in this production, but she did a very, very good job--especially with her carriage--shoulders and head are so important and I am happy to see that there is good coaching in Boston.

Speaking of coaching, the Dryads were superb. Every night. This was never a part of this ballet which I enjoyed (but you know it's Russian and so we have to have a vision scene of some ilk) but it was my favourite bit. The women were together, the variations were lovely (and Misa Kuranaga will go down in my personal history as the best Amour I have ever see. She was not coy, or arch, or cutiepie--how rare is that?) I thought Ribiero was superb in her Dryad guise, although she certainly did not disappoint as Kitri.

Lorna Feijoo did not disappoint anyone in anything. All the hype is deserved. The woman balances for days, acts up a storm, knows how to use those castanets and fan, can fouette enough even for you die-hards (we are talking triples and doubles, folks, all perfectly placed and strongly executed, thank you very much.) She is lovely. She is interesting to me because she's a little bit edgy: her lunges are a little stressful, her acting is not
predictable, she knows how to interact with a man onstage, and she projects a very strong persona. An interesting woman, rather than a caricature of a daughter fighting for her happiness.

Yury Yanowsky was not as bravura as Carreno, but he was beautiful in that killer choreography and that is a significant achievement in this ballet. I see him as Alfredo Germont or Siegfried---think Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights and you have it--with his lovely line and romantic mien.

I still don't like this ballet particularly, Nureyev over-embellished the choreography, John Lanchbery gummed up the musical order, and yet it was a wonderful vehicle to show off a company that is still finding its sea legs. The dancers were all very good--none of the unevenness one sees in several "major" American companies and I look forward to seeing future work which will show off individuals, rather than just massed dancing.

The company is doing Mozartiana, Stars & Stripes, and a new piece by David Dawson for 5 dancers, next weekend. It should prove an interesting counterpoint to Don Q, to say the least. I look forward to hearing other's opinions.......

I went Sat night (Feijoo/Yanovsky) and Sun afternoon (Ribiero/Carreno). Sat night I was in the center/rear orchestra and Sun I was in my preferred front-row seat.

In my opinion, Feijoo has nothing on Ribiero. They both looked great technically, but I thought Ribiero had more "spark" or energy. Even at the coda at the very end, she looked as if she was ready to start all over again. But it could've been my superior (for my taste) seat on Sunday or the fact that I've been a huge Ribiero fan since her first year in the corps at BB.

Other: I thought the mens and women's corps were both beautifully coached. It brought back memories of the then-pathbreaking Kirov-Boston Swan Lake of about 10 years ago.

Costumes: I liked the costumes and sets, though at times I felt like maybe it would've been nice to see a bit more strong, clear reds and blacks rather than more muted oranges and browns.

Minor notes:
I thought the music was too fast at times, but perhaps I am just accustomed to the slightly different tempo on my CD.

The front person on the horse was quite a ham--the horse did quite a bit of amusing pawing of the ground and wagging of the head.

I found Ponomarenko's new red hair distracting, but it is always a delight to see her perform in any color hair.

By contrast, it was refreshing to see few or no shaggy-haired men. It is kind of gross and unkempt when the men have long hair swinging and sweaty.

Nureyev was addicted to rond de jambe. Why was this man allowed to choreograph, and re-choreograph classic texts? The Soviets emendations were as nothing to Nureyev's in the West.

A good dancer is not necessarily a good choreographer. Nureyev had a great passion for the art and his own work was such that I would imagine he would not have found it difficult to work his way into a choreographic seat.

I don't particularly care for his choreography, but I will not go so far as to rank it against another's.....I certainly do not think he is remembered primarily for his choreography.

Does any one have casting for this weekend? I'm going to try to go twice, because I'd like to see Jennifer Gelfland one last time, but I'd like to see Lorna Feijoo too, I've heard such good things about her here.
Any help much appreciated.

Boston Ballet finally updated their website at http://www.bostonballet.org. Here's this weekend's casting info:

KITRI/ JENNIFER GELFAND (OCT 30, NOV 1e)
DULCINEA: LARISSA PONOMARENKO
(OCT 31e, NOV 2)
LORNA FEIJÓO (NOV 1m)


BASILIO: CHRISTOPHER BUDZYNSKI
(OCT 30, NOV 1e)
NELSON MADRIGAL (OCT 31, NOV 2)
YURY YANOWSKY (NOV 1m)

DON QUIXOTE: VIKTOR PLOTNIKOV (OCT 30, NOV 1)
ROBERT MOORE (OCT 31e, NOV 2)

Some observations from my spouse who was at every Don Q performance (finally he's been converted into a fan!):

Lorna Feijoo danced with her husband, Nelson Madrigal (sub for Yury Yanowsky who was sick), for the Sat matinee--apparently her performance was spectacular.

Laura Young ( the dancer Jennifer Gelfand replaced mid performance in Don Q oh so many years ago) was on stage as a super for Jennifer Gelfand's final performance Saturday night.
Ms. Gelfand was given a Juliet costume--said to be her favorite role.

Another thing that I am just remembering about my last trips to BB: there are soooooo many Russian speakers in the audience that I am just waiting for the first time a really good performance gets a Russian synchronized ovation.
Russian audiences clap in sync for good performances, with the speed ramping up for the most popular performers.

That's an interesting point! Russians are good for the arts, if I may be permitted an ethnic stereotype Look at all the great Russian musicians and dancers from the early part of the 20th century! There's a lot of hope that the New Russian Wave will wash over ballet and revive it. I didn't realize that there was a large Russian community in Boston as well. Thanks!

I know this is wandering off topic a bit, but ballet is just much more "mainstream" in Russia, and Russians who emigrate here seem to just continue that practice, though it's hard to know how it will be with the next generation.

In Moscow and St Peterburg, it seems that for educated people it is absolutely standard to be up on who the big names are even in the absence of any special interest in ballet. One of my friends _always_ knew who was in and who was out and always asked with great interest who I had seen dance, but never ever had any interest in actually attending a performance.

Kids are taken to children's theaters, then to matinees, then to evening performances. (Mariinsky tickets explicitly state that children under a certain age--11 I think--are not admitted to evening performances).

Anyway, there is much more "audience participation"--not just the synchronized ovations, but clapping expected at certain junctures where here the music simply continues.

I have several friends who were first generation Russian emigres in the 1930s or 40s and, as you wrote, going to the theater -- ballet, plays, concerts, whatever -- and museums was what everyone did on Sunday afternoon, whether the family was that of a bus driver or a physicist. May this tradition continue!

But not the clapping, please.
Yes, after the Preghiera of Mozartiana, we had a round of applause....eventually everyone Got The Point.

I know that everyone will clap in time for Odile and her fouettes, and I have no objection whatever to synchronized clapping, but I personally find constant breaks for applause a little irritating. I know, I know......

I do like it when the audience has a clue, though.

Ah, so true. And why does this bring to mind La Volochkova's performance in DC last spring?

All things in moderation...it is worth noting that a Kirov-in-Russia DonQ is a full hour longer than a Kirov-in-DC DonQ.

I remember going with my sister (a professional musician) to see the 4 Seasons a few years ago, and she was horrified at the clapping, because so much of the transitional music gets lost. I was never one for clapping until the curtain came down anyway, but the more I go see Boston Ballet the more I feel myself becooming unhappy, instead of just puzzled.

I do understand wanting to show admiration and appreciation for a particularly beautiful pas of whatever kind, but it seems more and more distracting. BB has one of the most outstanding orchestras I've heard, and it seems a shame to drown them out every 15 minutes.

(And yes. Clapping during Mozartiana seems all, all wrong to me.)