The Company in Justin Peck’s Copland Dance Episodes. Photo credit: Erin Baiano Saturday, July 22nd at 7:30pm There’s much to like about Justin Peck’s Copland Dance Episodes. Peck is the resident choreographer and artistic adviser of New York City Ballet. A masterful choreographer, he creates pieces for large ensembles on stage just as easily as…
NYCB Saratoga 2023 performances, July 18-22 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center: Swan Lake, Fancy Free, and Firebird
Daniel Ulbricht, Joseph Gordon and Jovani Furlan in Jerome Robbins’Fancy Free.Photo credit: Erin Baiano The NYCB Saturday matinee program of Balanchine/Robbins classics was sheer delight. Focusing on the dancers, the Act II of Balanchine’s Swan Lake demands and embodies exquisite dancing—and the dancers deliver. Standouts were the agile Megan LeCrone, a quick-spotting and precise turner,…
A beautiful research trip to NYC, with an important message about food
In this trip, I was able to use archives and visit the NYC Botanical gardens, researching plants for a new book. And eat good food, as here:
Returning home from Europe—to a world of cheesemaking
Each year, I take students to Europe….where we cook, as below…. And tour the countryside, as here, in San Gimignano: But, exciting, too, is returning home to milk sheep and make cheese…and chickens that love cheese rinds and cats that love baths.
Beautiful wedding, beautiful food in South Carolina
Beautiful food…casseroles, fresh roasted vegetables, heirloom tomato salad…. …and as lovely days after: cornbread, chicken salad, sautéed vegetables…
Gigi cutting cheese for Ian and Drewsy’s South Carolina wedding!
This was pre-departure, cutting three different cheeses: Manchego I, Manchego II, Buttery Jack, Washed-rind style Télème… …and, in South Carolina…
PNB’s Worlds to Come
“Worlds to Come,” PNB’s last set of performances for its 50th Anniversary Season, streamed digitally June 15-19. The program, with its two world premieres and a live performance premiere, was one of the best I’ve seen at Pacific Northwest Ballet. All three choreographers are extraordinary storytellers—Edward Liang, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Kiyon Ross—Liang and Ochoa…
FoodWISE, resilience, safety, and caution—a throwback to the 2020 videos in lockdown
I read FoodWISE (with a nice selection of paper towels used for my sheep as a setting) on being informed and making good decisions—one of which has to do with social distancing, needed now more than ever: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/virus-taking-stronger-hold-in-us-other-populated-countries/ and https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/26/more-young-people-infected-with-covid-19-as-cases-surge-globally
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Season Encore
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Season Encore June 11-15, 2023 celebrating principal dancer Lesley Rausch’s career as a dancer was indeed bittersweet. But, with eight separate pieces (many, excerpts) on the program, it was indeed a reveling in Rausch’s rich career as a dancer. The first four pieces of the program featured huge talents—Elle Macy in Penny…
Part of our farm ecosystem—bath loving kitty
This is Paka, the water-loving cat. See Insta—gberardicat@ for the live video