Arabesque

I haven't heard any news on this in a while. Are the Kirov Jewels and Swan Lake DVDs still happening (or have they been released and I just can't find them?)? I was eagerly anticipating them since reading about this last year. Thanks for any info!

This doesn't appear to be broadcasting in the Los Angeles area. I checked all three public stations' schedules. :angry:

Yes, I agree, Ballerina is VERY melodramatic and soap-operish, but it sure held my attention and I enjoyed reading it. And thank you, Funny Face, for synopses of the Satin Slippers books!

Thanks, Funny Face, that would be great! It looks like I've read up to #9 (I just checked Amazon to see the titles). Although I don't recognize #8, "Stepping Out." I must have missed that one. How many books were there in all? Amazon lists up to #12. I read these books in early high school when they first came out, so it's been some time since I've seen them and they're all stored at my parent's house now.

There's another out-of-print book called "Ballerina" by Edward Stewart. The novel follows the lives of two friends named Stephanie and Christine and their ballet careers. The book is heavily detailed about ballet life (I don't know how accurate it really is or if it was exaggerated for dramatic effect) and is a very interesting, compelling read. It's one of my favorites that I like to go back and reread every now and then. Of course, I enjoyed the Satin Slippers series as a teenager, although I only have up to #8 I think. I'll have to see if I can find the rest so I can read what happened to Leah!

Thanks, BalletNut!

I saw the San Francisco Ballet perform Romeo and Juliet in Los Angeles in, I think, 1994. Tina LeBlanc and David Palmer were Juliet and Romeo. I don't remember what version SF Ballet dances, but that performance made such an impression on me. I absolutely loved it, the dancing was all so fantastic and I was riveted the entire time. It was one of the first full-length ballets I had ever seen (I had only seen Swan Lake previously). I think I remember more dancing in SF's version. I thought some of Cranko's version was a little slow and drawn out. It's hard to put my finger on, but I think I had such an idealized ballet in my head and Cranko's version fell short.

I saw her earlier this year when the Stuttgart Ballet came to Orange County to perform Romeo and Juliet. While I didn't really like Cranko's version all that much, I thought Sue Jin Kang was beautiful as Juliet. Along with her beautiful dancing, she was very believable. She danced so freely as the young innocent Juliet, you felt her turmoil when torn between her family's expectations and her love for Romeo, and her pain as she mourned Romeo's death. I had never heard of her before this performance and I was very impressed by her.

Where is Edward Liang now?

I am George Balanchine and Rachmaninov!