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Topic: Balanchine's "Jewels" at PNB
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Jim Demetre
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Member # 363
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posted 05-30-2006 04:35 PM
    
Peter Boal's amazing first season as Artistic Director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet will conclude with Balanchine's 1967 three-part ballet Jewels, a work inspired by a visit to the private collection of Van Cleef and Arpels jewelers in New York.According to the Ballet, Balanchine stated at the time, "Of course, I have always liked jewels; after all, I am an Oriental, from Georgia in the Caucasus. I like the color of gems, the beauty of stones, and it was wonderful to see how our costume workshop, under Karinska's direction, came so close to the quality of real stones (which were, of course, too heavy for the dancers to wear!)." While the Rubies section of the work has long been a part of the company's repertory, this will the PNB premier of the entire program. Emeralds is set to the music of Fauré, Rubies to Stravinsky, and Diamonds to Tchaikovsky. Performances at 7:30 June 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2:00 June 3rd and 10th, and 1:00 June 11th. I'll see you there this Thursday. http://www.pnb.org/ -------------------- Jim Demetre Artdish Editor
Posts: 2606 | From: Seattle | Registered: Nov 2003 | IP: Logged
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Jim Demetre
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Member # 363
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posted 06-03-2006 04:07 PM
Well, Ms. Ljilja, I think that you are actually on to something here. Knowing you as well as I do, I understand your attraction to individuals with "character." And in a strangely appropriate way, Ms. Barker does not possess it.Attending the opening night performance of Jewels on Thursday night, I got to see her dance the lead in Diamonds, after watching Louise Nadeau in Emeralds and Araina Lallone in Rubies. Nadeau is all radiant feminine beauty; Lallone, exoticism and charisma. But Barker is so good that her movement transcends such character all together. The quality and range of expression she can manifest when moving across the stage makes me think of Yeats when he asked the question "How can you tell the dancer from the dance?" I, of course, love character as much as you do, but these 'meta-character' properties are indeed rare and need to be singled out. -------------------- Jim Demetre Artdish Editor
Posts: 2606 | From: Seattle | Registered: Nov 2003 | IP: Logged
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Jim Demetre
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posted 06-06-2006 12:51 PM
If you go to see Jewels you will find Patricia Barker's performance in Diamonds the most expressive and unrestrained of her career. I think it may also be her best.Sure, she is no great beauty like Noelani Pantastico and probably looks like all of those horrible blonde girls you grew up with in Eastern Washington (Barker is a native of Richland), but her dancing is simply in a different category that these more lovely ladies. As far as the the Artist Directorship of the PNB is concerned, she simply may not have had the right personality for the job. But not every writer can edit, actor direct, or painter run a museum either. -------------------- Jim Demetre Artdish Editor
Posts: 2606 | From: Seattle | Registered: Nov 2003 | IP: Logged
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Jim Demetre
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Member # 363
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posted 06-13-2006 11:02 AM
I did go to the 8 Encores show Sunday: what a season it has been! The company ended the night with a surprise performance of Balanchine's Diamonds.The Times article, by John Rockwell, is here -------------------- Jim Demetre Artdish Editor
Posts: 2606 | From: Seattle | Registered: Nov 2003 | IP: Logged
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posted 06-13-2006 10:37 AM
