14 replies to this topic

[Jane Simpson]

Kirkland did a couple of Auroras in London very late in her career and I came the closest to crying that I've ever been at the ballet at the way she put her foot down in 4th after a pirouette - such vulnerability!

[Jane Simpson]

Kirkland did a couple of Auroras in London very late in her career and I came the closest to crying that I've ever been at the ballet at the way she put her foot down in 4th after a pirouette - such vulnerability!

[Alexandra]

Oh, Jane, I envy you.  She did one Aurora in New York when she was ill, and at her lowest weight, and a friend who went told me it was the bravest performance he'd ever seen in his (long balletgoing) life because she refused to cheat and did every step, though it was hard to watch, because of the condition she was in.  
I didn't know she had done so many in London.  With whom did she dance and how was she received?

alexandra

[Jane Simpson]

She danced with Stephen Jefferies - lucky her: he was a wonderfully sympathetic partner. I remember standing ovations, quite rare in London, going on well after the house lights came up. There were people who found her disappointing, but heaven only knows what they were looking for - blood, I shouldn't wonder.

Incidentally an e-mail gremlin crept in - when I said 'in 4th' I should have added 'position' - she only did 2 Auroras!

[Dale]

It's a shame that Kirkland is so under-represented in videos.  But I gather she was better to watch in person.  I saw her when both she and I were very young but I hardly remember that mutch.

[Margot]

I feel very sad that I never had the chance to see Gelsey Kirkland dance on stage. I say that not only because of everything I read about her but also because a friend of mine once saw her... At the time, that friend was a member of l'École Supérieure de Danse du Québec (which is the school of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montréal)and the students were asked to dance as the corps de ballet in an excerpt of Giselle which was being taped for television (I think it was Radio-Canada) as part of a documentary on Anna Pavlova (I think it was 1983). Maybe I should get my facts straight before I write... Anyway, in the final taping, Marianna Tcherkassky was Giselle, but my friend told me that Gelsey Kirkland was supposed to do the part (I don't know what happened), but they had at least one rehearsal with Kirkland and she said she was amazing. She said: "I was supposed to keep my eyes low and not look at her, but I could not keep my eyes off of her. She WAS Giselle. I had NEVER seen anything so beautiful. It was kind of a spiritual experience..."
I would also like to point out that I think those performances of Sleeping Beauty with the Royal Ballet and Stephen Jefferies are the ones, Gelsey Kirkland talk about in her second book: "The Shape of Love", and there are photos too.
If anyone knows about videotapes featuring Gelsey Kirkland, could you please let me know
about them and are they still available? I only have the tape with Baryshnikov at Wolf Trap in 1976 (Coppélia and Don Quichotte).
Thank you  

[This message has been edited by Margot (edited 11-20-98).]

[Margot]

How could I have forgotten The Nutcracker??? Of course I saw it on television, and taped it, and looked at it again and again each year around Christmas time. But thank you so much for answering my request and giving me the site adress.

[Margot]

How could I have forgotten The Nutcracker??? Of course I saw it on television, and taped it, and looked at it again and again each year around Christmas time. But thank you so much for answering my request and giving me the site adress.

[Hollyberry]

This summer I was lucky enough to attend a ballet summer program that Gelsey Kirkland as a guest teacher.  She was amazing.  She stressed head and arms and upper body even more than feet and turn out. I was very surprised.  She was incredible to watch.  She just had on a black t-shirt, black jeans and jazz tennis shoes and she could have gone on stage right then and still looked beautiful.  Gelsey's class had a lot of character, folk dancing steps in it.  Character gives you a better idea of how to use your head.  She also was very picky on how to use your hands and arms.  I love that stuff.  To me the upper body is more lovely to watch when dancing than the legs.  I can't wait until the audition for the summer program because she is going to come back next summer. I really want to go back.
  Oh and one question.  How do you get that little smiley face that some people put on their posts?
Holly

[This message has been edited by Hollyberry (edited 11-21-98).]

[Alexandra]

Thanks for posting this, Hollyberry.  It's good to know that Gelsey Kirkland is teaching.  I think it would be all right to post the name of the summer program where she is teaching; some people reading this might want to know.
Instructions for using the smilies (which come with the program) are in the Frequently Asked Questions; go to the righthand top of the board, right under Post New Topic, or Post Reply, and click the faq button and smilie away.

alexandra

[Hollyberry]

The summer program Gelsey teaches at is Southern Ballet Theatre in Orlando.  Sorry I didn't post that earlier. Thought I had.  Thanks for directions alexandra.
Talk to you later
Hollyberry

[Hollyberry]

Kitsker,
  What is your real name? Mine is Holly.  I was in level C.  What level were you in? Yes but I think the Kit Magno was an incredible teacher as well...Didn't you? Do you go to SBT during the year?
Can't wait to hear from you.
Holly

[Hollyberry]

Kitsker,
  What is your real name? Mine is Holly.  I was in level C.  What level were you in? Yes but I think the Kit Magno was an incredible teacher as well...Didn't you? Do you go to SBT during the year?
Can't wait to hear from you.
Holly

[Alexandra]

Just posting to pull this thread back up for all the Kirkland fans.

[Alexandra]

Just posting to pull this thread back up for all the Kirkland fans.