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carolina

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  • Connection to/interest in ballet** (Please describe. Examples: fan, teacher, dancer, writer, avid balletgoer)
    dancer,writer
  • City**
    Charlotte, N.C.
  1. To have Monique back at NYCB would be a treat but, if I remember correctly, it was rather shocking when she left City Ballet because she took a demotion to soloist to join ABT. She wasn't dancing much at the end of her tenure at CIty Ballet. Why would she want to go back to that. I think it would be great if she joined Pacific Northwest Ballet, now under Peter Boal. She could work with the 6'3 Bulgarian Stanko Milov, who can lift a small building, and form a great partnership.
  2. If you can include Pilates in your school's curriculum, that's great. Pilates mat exercises are ubiquitious for most dancers now and help to develop greater flexibility and core strength. I wouldn't necessarily start to invest in the Pilates machines like the "Reformer" and the other paraphenalia because it's quite expensive, and you don't know the demand from your students yet. As for trading off ballet classes for Pilates classes, I would stick with ballet classes but make students aware of Pilates. Many of the exercises students can learn quickly and do on their own. You may give an orientation class or two and see who takes to it. But Pilates shouldn't take the place of technique class. It will definitely build the muscle groups that will help with pirouettes and jetes, but it doesn't teach students to move or approach technique. Only old-fashion ballet class does that. Pilates is a great resource and builds allignment, strength, and flexibilty. but it does not take the place of technique class.
  3. Concerning the where abouts of Monique Meunier. It looks like Colleen Neary and her husband Thor are at the helm of the new Los Angeles Ballet. I visited the site, and there was an old picture of Monique from her days at Yvonne Mounsey's Westside Ballet Academy. I assume their is a partnership between Westside and the new company since Colleen has been teaching there for more than a year. I know we are not supposed to gossip, but I wonder if Miss Monique is headed home to the West Coast. What a treat that would be for L.A. audiences. It really is a crime that a ballet company never took hold in that city.
  4. I was obtusely referring to NYCB. You caught me on that one. But I find that to be the case in most Balanchine companies (e.g. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet Chicago, Miami City Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, etc.). The Balanchine rep offers plum roles for men and women, but some directors take Balanchine's oft-repeated motto "Ballet is woman" too far. The reason I brought up the men of SFB is that Helgi seems to have a type. Many of the male principals look similar to each other physically. Long and lanky, the complete opposite of Helgi, who was short and stocky when he danced. Nicholas Blanc, Yuri Possokhov, Damian Smith, Gonzalo Garcia, Pierre Francois Vilanoba and many more in the soloist and corps ranks have the same look. It leaves me to wonder whether Helgi has a preference for taller men on stage.
  5. I've just been looking at San Francisco Ballet's website for the upcoming season, and I was struck by how handsome most of the men in the company are. I hope this doesn't sound pervy -- oh who cares -- these hunks are unbelievable, and all are exceptional dancers. There is absolutely no dead-weight in the male ranks. Helgi runs a tight ship and has an eye for the guys (and I don't mean anything by that except he focuses on the development of male talent in the company, unlike others that seem to focus obscessively on women). Damian Smith, Yuri Possokhov, Pierre-Francois Vilanoba, Stephen Legate could all grace the cover of GQ. SFB's marketing department should capitalize more on these beauties.
  6. Monique Meunier is in transition again! I hope she finds a company that gives her safe harbour. She's far too young and talented to retire. I remember Monique when she was at the School of American Ballet. She was the unqualified star of the school in 1989, so confident and beautiful. When she performed the second movement from "Symphony in C" at Workshop that year, she was so accomplished that she took your breathe away. Her sensual, full-movement poured off the stage. It was hard to believe she was only 16. What happened to this amazing talent? Ever since she became a Principal at City Ballet, I've read more about her weight struggles than about her wonderful performances. This is unfair. There is more to a dancer, much more, than just being a twig on pointe. I had hoped, along with many, that ABT would revive her career. But unfortunately, she became a rarely-seen soloist often cast in smaller roles. Why an artistic director didn't cast her immediately as Myrta or Sylvia right after she walked through the door remains a mystery and a sad reflection on the powers that be in ballet today.
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