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BalletIsLife

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  • Connection to/interest in ballet** (Please describe. Examples: fan, teacher, dancer, writer, avid balletgoer)
    teacher
  • City**
    mid-west
  1. There is an old PBS documentary about the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet that has an excerpt from a ballet "Twilanka" set to Mozart's variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It featuresa tiny Vanessa Zahorian (with Zach Hench? I believe). Sean Lavery is originally from CPYB.... I wonder if the piece for SAB is related to the piece in the documentary. The choreographer is not noted in the documentary. Either way, the piece in the documentary is lovely!
  2. I was also going to suggest Peter Boal. If Martin's has 20 or so years left as AD...maybe at that point Mr. Boal will leave PNB and move back to NYCB.
  3. Helene Alexopous (formerly NYCB) had twins!
  4. 1. This documentary sounds great! Do you think it will be released to the public at any time? 2. A while back there was a discussion on the word "boyfriend" in article on Miss Whelan's wedding. Interesting that in this interview Jock uses that same word. 3. I really got a kick out of his choice of least favorite word. "Again" is truly a word dancers come to both hate and love. It struck me as clever and quick on his feet.
  5. I attended the same performance and echo everything posted above. The substitution for Giselle was Christine Mangia. Her technique was very pure and she has an exquisite line. I was quite impressed. In terms of Act I, it seemed a little too condensed for me. Even the large waltz for Giselle's friends (normally 12 of them I believe?) was cut, as well as much of the miming, etc. It was definately rushed. The quick development between Giselle's entrance and the mad scene, would have made me wonder why she was going mad (if it was my first exposure to Giselle). I agree that Act II was beautiful. The corps was very well rehearsed. I was a little disturbed by Myrta. She seemed to severe. Her facial expression should have been commanding - but she seemed to lean more towards "possessed" then "commanding". Again, Christine Mangia was breathtaking as Giselle (particularly here in Act II). She should be featured more, and could easily hold her own in a larger company.
  6. I agree with Ashley Bouder..... she appears almost superhuman, outshining and outdoing everyone else on stage. That is what I would consider larger than life. Gomes as well.
  7. http://www.issuemanagement.net/marknym.html Who are the dancers on this page? They are amazing photos. I am especially blown away by the girl on right in the photograph on the far left.
  8. I second the finale of Vienna Waltzes and all of Serenade...
  9. Ballet Talk is truly a "twenty-first century" resource.... What an amazing opportunity. Thank you Ms. Holmes.
  10. the possibility of suzanne farrell staging for PNB is good to hear... here's hoping that more companies see the value in using her....
  11. I can only see a ballet fans finding humor in Korb's references. (If it can be called humerous at all.) I don't think he will attract any clueless spectators with this piece. The truly clueless would probably read this review and think ballet was all the more confusing and unappealing!
  12. Has Liturgy ever been performed by anyone other than Jock with Wendy? Will he return as a guest artist for this ballet or do you think it will be re-cast?
  13. I am in Indiana, but the company my husband works for always spends upwards of 100k on their annual Christmas party for regional employees. I imagine there is a company somewhere in Austin that would think hosting their annual Christmas party at an exclusive performance of the Nutcracker is a great idea! At my husband's company, the wives and kids would love it! I hope Ballet Austin finds a bidder!
  14. I hope that this is not considered gossip, It is first hand information. Please delete if inappropriate. Kaitlyn Gilliland was nursing a knee injury at the SAB workshop in 2004, which required major surgery over the summer and many months of recovery. She began carefully taking classes again at SAB and with NYCB just recently. It is another sad injury story, but I am anxiously awaiting her return to the stage later this year! ****Edited to add - Kaitlyn was seen frequently watching from the second ring "SAB section" of the State Theater during the Nutcracker and Winter Seasons****
  15. I attended ABT last night. Here are some impressions... Theme and Variations was a terible choice for the size of the Wexner Center stage. The outside rows of dancers were constantly hitting the wings, and in the finale where the lines of male and female corps are constantly passing through each other - it was like rush hour traffic.... Because of this, the dancing in Theme was (at best) reserved. Gillian has such beautiful technique, but in most of the sections she was adjusting her spacing and movements to work around the crowded conditions. It is hard for me to really access the dancing because they were not able to perform full out - and its not fair to think that was the best performance they could offer. Workwithinwork was fabulous. (and much more suited to the Wexner stage.) I am a HUGE fan of Forsythe, so the choreography always draws me in. I am curious to know who the tall girl was in the dark blue halter top dancing primarily with Misty Copeland. I particularly liked her use of feet and legs. She was tall and leggy, and let this work for her within the isolated movements. I think sometimes tall dancers cannot express the agility required of the isolations and twisting, and seem to stretch themselves out of control - but she was quite the opposite, making the distortions beautiful and contained within her tall body. On the other hand, I had trouble with Misty in this dance because her body type is completely ill suited for the costume (or lack of costume). I hope that is a "legal" statement... I will edit if needed. The Kylian was an audience hit. All of the people seated around me were raving. Of course Sinfonietta is so beautiful. The costumes and the backdrop scene alone create such a stunning "picture". I think the Wexner stage lends more beauty to this piece because of the way the stage set back against the stark black walls of the theater. I was happy that the group was truly an ensemble, and developed the harmony that is required of the piece. The men were great. Of course, it is a piece more for the men. Yet, during the two segments where two men chase eachother across the stage doing consecutive grand saut de chats, then change to repeat them in a cannon - I was literally holding my breath that they wouldn't kick each other. Again, a problem with the size of the stage. Overall, I think it is interesting that ABT hasn't been to Columbus in 35 years. I talked to a woman who was in attendance at the performance long ago, and she was noting how "Barishnikov was a part of Ballet Theatre.... etc." She was obviously an avid ballet goer and attended every show that came into town... and expressed that she planned to see ABT again in 35 years (she was about 80).... but really... what a strange glimpse at the company and of the state of ballet. Imagine if you only had the opportunity to see ABT once during the Barishnikov years, once during the MacKenzie years, and once in another 35 years. I spent the second intermission musing over the difference between the regular ballet goer in New York and this woman who will see them 3 times in one lifetime. It's so much different then a long distance sports fan who loves the Cowboy's football team, and will never see a game in real life, but still can watch them every weekend from his couch..... This really shows the seperation of art as a higher calling in life. Something that people can love and relate to, even if it's three times in one lifetime. What a gift.
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