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Birdsall

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  • Connection to/interest in ballet** (Please describe. Examples: fan, teacher, dancer, writer, avid balletgoer)
    fan
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    Gainesville
  • State (US only)**, Country (Outside US only)**
    United States

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  1. Does Gramilano count as a legitimate news source?: https://www.gramilano.com/2022/10/ten-leading-bolshoi-dancers-suspended/
  2. Hello! Just wondering if anyone on BA will be in Orlando for this: https://www.drphillipscenter.org/events/tickets/2022/ukraine-ballet-benefit/ My partner and I will be there so if anyone else is going, maybe we can meet at an intermission. It takes place in the new Steinmetz Hall which is being billed as having great acoustics but that might be mainly for orchestras. Sometimes great acoustics can cause loud landings! LOL But nevertheless it should be interesting. They do not really say what the program is, but it doesn't matter. It's for a good cause.
  3. Buddy, when I saw Kovalyova as Nikiya on the Bolshoi's tour of Milan, I was surprised at the unexpected feeling I got. It was like this lovely young person totally in love. It was youth......her exuberance, in my opinion, made a difference compared to the other two Nikiyas (Smirnova and Zakharova). It made the story come alive. It was like a breath of fresh air. She probably has been promoted too early and with that comes nervousness and mistakes, but if she gives some people pleasure then she's done her job. I have only seen her live that one time and do not actually follow her that much, but that night I sat up and watched. I saw someone who loves what she is doing. That makes a huge difference for me.
  4. No one will or has to live up to our expectations. I am very disappointed in Anna Netrebko, but I also know some Russians view her as a traitor now that she has condemned the war and Putin stronger than she originally did. This is not a black and white issue, imo. She was being cancelled in the West when she wouldn't condemn Putin and now she's cancelled in her birth country b/c she did condemn him finally. Yes, I would love for her to have condemned the war and Putin from the beginning. Everyone loves a strong 100% ethical human being. They are very admirable. 100% ethical and perfect people are admirable, but where are they? In a movie maybe. Occasionally in real life. But I don't live in Netrebko's shoes. I don't know what it is like to make that decision when your family still lives in Russia and I have read the climate there now is even more pro-Putin than before. A young woman like Kovalyova (is she 25 or around there?) is for me still a "girl" just as a 25 year old man looks like a "boy" to me. But I am 55 and had numerous deaths in the past 3 years and feel older than I am. But that's beside the point. They look so young when I see college students (I live in a college town) and I wonder if they are high school kids most of the time ("Omg! Those university students look like they are freshmen in high school!") Anyway, I remember being 25. I lost my sister at 25 and had NO IDEA what I wanted in life, what I wanted to do with my life, went out and drank and partied too much despite tragedies around the world and despite losing my older sister. I took forever to finish my 3 Masters degrees and luckily had parents who didn't mind that I went to live in Germany and then Austria just to learn German on a whim. It is natural for 20somethings to not even think of the horrors of the world and to be wrapped up in their own little world. Yes, I remember being sad for the starving people in Africa, but I didn't do anything about it. Maybe thoughts and prayers b/c I was a dumb "boy" at 25. I think with age you start to donate to charities (I tell even my partner and mother I would rather they give donations to the needy instead of a present at Christmas or my birthday), but that is probably not what a 25 year old thinks to say (at 25 or even 30 you want the car, the laptop, the crocodile attache case for Christmas, when you are young even though there are starving people in the world), and only later do you occasionally help out in soup kitchens or go to protests or give donations big enough that hurt your wallet. Some do all this at 25. I didn't. I was selfish and I was in college and partying every other night and sleeping around and having the time of my life. I arranged most of my classes to be late so I could sleep in and took forever and took a long time to get all my degrees (back then you could take forever if you wanted....today they want you churned out and don't like you to linger). Like every young person I didn't think anything bad would happen to me in life. It is not how every young person thinks or feels, but I think it is actually quite normal for many of us. I lived in my own selfish world having fun and I don't regret it after experiencing what I have in the last 3 years. If I die today at 55 I am happy I had a lot of fun and in the last 3 years an almost intolerable amount of personal tragedy (family, friends, pets, acquaintances). Personally, I can not fault a 20something posting on social media about wanting things to be back to "normal" (and it is never normal....she will find that out the hard way), but I remember being 25 and the most important thing was which bar to go to that night and what to wear. I am male, but I can imagine being a young woman around 25 with today's social media and wanting to post the latest pic of me in a fancy dress or out to dinner at a famous restaurant. That to me is youth. I am lucky to have had a wonderful youth with little pain (except for my sister) and plenty of fun and nice things and an easy life. Now in my 50s I am experiencing such emotional pain that I never knew you could feel.....depression that makes you wake up and say, "Why didn't I die in my sleep last night?" and so I have to see positive right now. I have to see young people making their dumb mistakes and just stare in awe at the beauty of that.....the careless, frivolous 20something existence that is so DUMB yet so beautiful and glorious. It is the first time in my life that I see a young person on the street acting silly or laughing or twerking (which I normally hate) and I stop and stare in awe. That is living. That is beautiful, glorious living, and we older people are bah humbug. I am bah humbug often but I am trying to stop and see the beauty of silly youth. To me Kovalyova is just being a normal 20something when she posts on Instagram despite war and starvation. I can't judge that. Now at 55 someone should judge me if I don't care people are dying in Ukraine, but I don't judge a 20something.
  5. I wish Russians would speak out about the war too, but I suspect they are afraid of going against Putin. I don't live in that climate, so I am trying not to judge. I also think a young girl is going to say things and post pics of herself on Instagram and not quite think it through. It happens all the time all over the world no matter what is happening in the world. Not everyone can be super serious and deep 24/7 especially a young person. Young people are always looking on the bright side. It is natural and normal and in a way it is beauty. When you see a new puppy running it is amazing. When you see a baby giraffe stand for the first time it is amazing. When you see young people kissing, laughing, smiling, it is beautiful. I think our world needs that energy even if at times it seems deaf to the world.
  6. https://www.miamicityballet.org/2021season This has been announced today. Ratmansky's Swan Lake will be in Feb./March
  7. Ivy, thank you for your wonderful review! I loved Wozzeck! When I first became an opera lover maybe some 28 years ago Wozzeck interested me somewhat b/c I studied the Georg Büchner play Woyzeck. The play was left unfinished and is actually fragments, but it matches the fragmented and deteriorating state of the character. It is a prime example of Naturalism that showed the plight of the working class and showed how environment can influence an individual. Alban Berg did what no one else could have done. He created an opera based on the play. Well, having studied the play and knowing Wozzeck was one of the few modern operas that is in the standard repertoire I tried for years to like it. I just didn't for the longest time. But when I saw it was playing this season at a time when I could also see the Anna Netrebko New Year's Eve Gala, I decided to go. In preparation for Wozzeck I listened to the opera over and over and over again. Maybe 15 times in the last month. I suddenly found myself humming portions of it. I fell in love with the opera. It basically underscores how the masses are really screwed by the people in power and they can't get out of the endless cycle of misery. There are a lot of metaphors of circles in the libretto and even the end of the opera could reattach musically to the first few bars of the beginning. So there is this circular nature to the music and the themes of the libretto. Ongoing cycle of misery (story). However, it is an opera that requires study or you do not "get" the opera. Once you "get" it you absolutely love it. That's why so many important conductors around the world want to conduct it over and over even though they know it is not a crowd pleaser. It is definitely not an opera for a beginner. Omg! The Netrebko Gala was everything I had hoped it would be. Her Mimi is looking back at her past as a more lyric singer, her Tosca is in her current spinto repertoire, and her Turandot was her first staged debut in the role (even if not the whole opera), so that role is looking to her future. Most Turandots I have heard are screamers. This was a lovely toned Turandot which is highly unusual. I was worried her Mimi would sound matronly at this point since she has taken on so many "Big Girl" roles. Well, she did a wonderful job lightening her voice and using piano singing, in my opinion. She was believable as the young Mimi. Her Tosca was super jealous and fun. But her first foray in a staged Turandot was so exciting. And confetti rained down us in the audience at the end. I saw Angela Gheorghiu during intermissions. I hope the Met is planning to stage something for her soon!
  8. I have actually seen Parish mess up so many excellent ballerinas during partnering especially during turns. I have witnessed him almost cause Anastasia Kolegova to fall onto the floor, and she is a rock solid technician, and she has no such problems with Korsuntsev or Shklyarov. During paddle turns for years the moment he put his hands on the ballerina's waist she practically stopped or slowed down considerably. He has gotten better as far as that is concerned (paddle turns), but I have seen the exact moment people are discussing concerning Batoeva and her leg hitting him causing her to put her leg down via alternative means. This is a bad mistake. A partner is supposed to help the ballerina shine. This is not an isolated event for Parish. It has been ongoing. In my opinion, this is a serious issue, because he could end up injuring a ballerina due to his partnering issues that, I repeat, are ongoing.
  9. Palmer House is a historic hotel within walking distance (minutes) to the Auditorium Theater. The lobby ceiling is beautiful.
  10. Here's what the Mariinsky website (very easy to google) says about this Paquita: ABOUT THE PRODUCTION Continuing to revive titles that are significant for the playbill of St Petersburg ballet, the Mariinsky Theatre is presenting a new version of Paquita. This is not a revival of the 19th century production, created in Paris by the ballet-master Joseph Mazilier and which was performed in St Petersburg from 1847 with choreography by Marius Petipa. Choreographer Yuri Smekalov is working on a new three-act ballet using his own libretto based on the plot of the novella La gitanilla by Cervantes. The basis of the score of the new ballet comprises music by Édouard Deldevez that was composed for the Paris premiere of Paquita in 1846. Yet today this one-and-a-half-century-old opus will sound different: the order of the numbers has changed, several of them have been re-orchestrated and, moreover, Deldevez' score has been added to by excerpts from works by Minkus and Drigo. The famous wedding Grand pas staged by Marius Petipa to music by Minkus, which triumphantly crowned the plot of the St Petersburg production, will occupy its place of honour in the new ballet, too. This parade of classical dance that demonstrates the skill of the corps de ballet and the virtuoso qualities of the ballerina and the soloists appeared in the 1881 production, and as an independent piece, unconnected with the ballet's plot, it has survived to this day. It is true that over the decades Petipa's choreographic text has undergone many changes. In the contemporary Paquita, the Grand pas will be included in a version brought close to the historic original – Yuri Burlaka is reviving Petipa's choreography using surviving records of the production from the early 20th century. The new ballet, which combines dances and scenes created by Yuri Smekalov, together with historic rarities, will be a hommage to the golden age of classical ballet, a mark of respect and gratitude of the new ballet generation to the aesthetics of the unsurpassed master of classicism – Marius Petipa.
  11. I do think you have to suspend disbelief a little during the Nikiya/Gamzatti cat fight. However, remember that Gamzatti (at least in the Mariinsky version) is basically saying that Nikiya is nothing but some lowly person (you can really watch and rewatch it and you will see this) and being pretty aggressive toward Nikiya. So tempers are flaring and when people get hot headed they do things they normally wouldn't. I believe in the reconstruction that the Mariinsky did a while back Nikiya comes back as a ghost or spirit and tries to mess up the wedding ceremony, so she's not a complete innocent, wilting flower. She's bound and determined to get her revenge, if I remember correctly. I am not sure how Ratmansky staged that in his reconstruction. But I do agree that the grabbing the knife and running/chasting Gamzatti all the way across the stage seems extreme especially when at that particular point she thinks Solor has pledged his love to her and sworn over the sacred fire and she even tells Gamzatti that during the cat fight. So she could have simply told Gamzatti off and left the building. She didn't really have to go after her with a knife. I guess it is supposed to be sort of like how people get road rage and act in ways they normally never would. From a theatrical standpoint it probably made the scene more exciting for audiences when it first was staged. The first time I ever saw La Bayadere I actually didn't question it, but as I have seen it more and more I have to admit I also find it sort of out of character for Nikiya to chase Gamzatti with a knife. I could see if Gamzatti were throttling her and to get away she grabbed the knife nearby, but it is a bit weird that way it is usually staged. I just think we have to view it as a rage moment like road rage.
  12. Drew is giving good advice. I noticed that the reconstruction is being played nowadays whenever Sleeping Beauty is being performed at the historic Mariinsky Theatre. When Sleeping Beauty is played at the M-2 theatre it is the Sergeyev version. Somova has danced the reconstruction. And, of course, Novikova has too. I think I would lean toward Novikova like Drew says, but Somova is delightful too. Some people have held perceptions of her young years against her, but she is, in my opinion, a different ballerina nowadays.
  13. How sad! Too young to die! I enjoyed the costumes and sets of the MCB Nutcracker!
  14. Once again, nothing is black and white. There are shades of gray. Life is complicated. And the reality is that people have bills to pay. So, yes, sometimes people sleep with someone they normally wouldn't to get a job or keep a job, but THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT RIGHT for the boss to demand or request sex. Why is the person who feels harassed often the one who was wrong in some people's minds? Shouldn't people in positions of power control themselves? Or are they simply dogs in heat? And when multiple people come out to speak against someone the old adage fits, "Where there's smoke there is fire." It boils down to this........would any of us want a daughter of ours told, "Sleep with me and I will help your career!" and "If you don't, I will see to it that you don't get a job anywhere!" DO WE WANT THAT FOR OUR DAUGHTERS??????
  15. I have told this story before on BA, but after reading this thread I feel I need to tell it again. I was taken advantage of by a doctor after a long illness in college. I was at my wit's end being misdiagnosed by many people and I was GRATEFUL to finally get the right diagnosis and the right medication by an emergency room doctor who then suggested a doctor for a follow-up. Frame of mind plays a role. I am giving my story so that some people on this thread know that it is not just black and white. I went to the follow up doctor who helped me completely recover. I was grateful to the emergency room doctor as well as the follow up doctor. I felt sane after months of being told nothing is wrong with me. I thought, "Finally, I have a great doctor!" Well, a phone message was left on my machine (back in the days when we had answering machines. It sounded urgent and to call right away. I called and the nurse said the doctor wanted to see me right away. I was worried. I thought my blood work had uncovered some other new problem. I rushed over to his office. He went over my blood work and it was fine. Then, he said since I am a new patient he needed to do a full physical. I agreed assuming it was all legit. I won't go into details but it included hernia check and prostate check. Everything seemed to take too long and at some point I got aroused. He then asked if he could give me a "medical massage." My immediate thought was, "Okay, up until now I have been pretty stupid, but I am not THAT stupid to think this is a medical massage!" But to be honest I agreed to it. I left his office feeling horrible. I kept saying, "Why do I feel so awlful? I agreed." My jogging buddy back then found out and told me I must have been wanting it to happen. Another friend said the same thing. By sheer coincidence I had a counseling appointment the next day and she was outraged and gave me a number to call when doctors cross the line (sex, drugs, drinking). I took the number but did not call. She did help me understand what I was upset about. She said, "How can you ever go back to this doctor for sound medical advice?" I think I considered calling the number for weeks, but I just didn't want to ruin the doctor's career. I thought, "Except for crossing the line he seems like a good doctor, but I have to admit I don't want to go back to him." I was actually "okay" with what happened AFTER I agreed to go through with the altercation, but I was upset that I was set up and manipulated into becoming aroused during a medical exam, and it was all planned out. Maybe a month or two later I received a letter from his office saying he has consulted with his wife and decided to close his practice. Up until then I thought I was the only one. Maybe it was the one and only time he acted on homosexual feeling and I felt sorry for him. But I suddenly thought, "What if he's doing this to men, women, and CHILDREN???? What if he's in trouble and someone needs another witness to step forward?" So I finally called that number and reported him. My point is that it is NOT black and white. People have very mixed feelings. Sometimes you actually don't want to harm the person's career if you think it was a one time slip on the person's part. But when you find out others had the same problem then you want to speak up......not for money at all......but to help others. Domingo is not a doctor, but a famous artist who you admire holds a lot of power over how you feel about the person. I can totally picture someone even going through with sleeping with him or letting him touch her inappropriately and hoping it is the one and only time. And if they tell even their close friends they will say, "You wanted it!" like my two friends did. People who haven't experienced it do not understand and probably never will. Nothing in life is black and white. There's no "You do this or you do that. Case closed." There is no, "You either report it immediately or shut up." I also personally feel like I was harassed at my previous job (not sexually) and I finally left. I feel like the boss should have been fired. I complained to everyone I could (people above the boss, people on my level). I did not stay quiet. I watched as people who I thought were friends start to avoid me because I was not getting along with the administrator. Yes, sometimes we choose to "go," but we shouldn't have to go. The one harassing should be the one to go. What happens is that the harassing person often has "favorites" who think the world of that person, and that is that person's PROOF that you are just a troublemaker.
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