70 replies to this topic

[mouse]

Hi!
Natalie wrote:  "I won't attend but I hope that BalletTalkers who will be in Jackson may post impressions."

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!  Do post, those of you fortunate to be making this trip!  I cannot count on my competitor having his cell phone with him at the moments of available time.  He doesn't say much when competing anyway!  I had no intention of missing this and looked forward to it (with fear, doubt, and excitement) since 2002 when my neighbor, Joseph Philips, won the junior men's gold.  Now, I'm unable to attend.  I guess it's okay because I really don't know anything about ballet.  (It's like in another language, and I'm not just referring to the French terms!)  I've learned so much from the posters on this board that I doubt that I could have written anything worth reading anyway.  So, please, those of you going, post messages!  I will be anxious to read anything about the competition and promise to continue learning as I go!  

I will definitely miss seeing Daniil Simkin.  Even an "idiot" like me knew to be blown away each time he took the stage in both Vienna (2004) and Helsinki (last summer).    

I quite agree with Natalie's statement:  "Sinitsina absolutely 'wowed' me at the recent UBA graduation show, dancing an amazing 'Nikiya's Snake Dance' from Bayadere."  Again, I know nothing about technique; but she is quite stunning and very beautifully expressive.  

By the way, Joseph Gatti is competing in the senior men's category, not the juniors.  I so very much wanted to see him perform.  Hopefully, that day will come soon!
mouse

[Natalia]

Oops - my error. Sorry. Mack & Gatti are both seniors. Well, that makes the senior men's category even more of a Battle Royale! I'm correcting the above post now.

By the way, here are the jurors:

Bruce Marks, Chairman, USA; Julia Moon, South Korea; Thomas Lund, Denmark; Konstanze Vernon, Germany; Doris Laine, Finland; Nina Novak, Venezuela; Tetsuji Adachi, Japan; Gizella Witkowsky, Canada; Denise Schultze, South Africa; Lita Beiris, Latvia; Simon Dow, Australia; Bruce Simpson, Great Britain; Zhanna Dubrovskaya, Russia

Mouse, I'm so sorry that you won't be able to make the trip. Let's hope that some of our friends can report. Jackson is lots & lots of fun. A very intense two weeks, sweetened with Southern Hospitality!

[Helene]

Mouse, please do post when you see something.  It's great to hear what people like and don't like, and when you think someone blew you away or was beautifully expressive.

[chauffeur]

Please forgive my ignorance, but who exactly is this?

Natalia, on Jun 6 2006, 06:23 PM, said:

here are the jurors:

...Julia Moon, South Korea;....

[Alexandra]

Julia Moon is director and prima ballerina of Korea's Universal Ballet Company.  (Washington Ballet fans might remember her as Hoon Sook Pak some years ago).  Others may know this -- I'm not sure if she is still dancing.  She was two years ago. (I'm sure this is a coincidence but I can't help pointing out that Simon Dow was also a Washington Ballet dancer in the late '70s and '80s.)

[Helene]

Alexandra, on Jun 6 2006, 09:45 PM, said:

(I'm sure this is a coincidence but I can't help pointing out that Simon Dow was also a Washington Ballet dancer in the late '70s and '80s.)

He's no stranger to ballet competitions:  he was Amanda McKerrow's (non-competing) partner the year she won in Moscow.

[tango49]

Hello everyone...I wanted to add a few names to Natalia's "drop" list that I know of who are no longer participants.  

I was sad to see Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun (Senior) from San Francisco Ballet not listed anymore.  She is a stunning dancer and I'm sure she would have done very well in the competition.

Also Joseph Gorak from Orlando Ballet (Junior) is no longer a competitor but will still partner one of the Junior competitors.

Emily Ellis (Junior) fom Cincinnati Ballet has withdrawn as well.

Like Mouse I'm hoping to be there but our plans are unsure at this time.  If we do go it will be for the 3rd round and Galas.  There was extensive coverage at Ballet.co.uk for the last Jackson Competition and I'm hoping they'll do the same for this one.  So between this site and Ballet.co it will be wonderful to follow the events for those of us who won't be able to make it and have family members or friends who are competing!

[BecBR]

I will be attending the whole time, and I plan to post as often as I can.  I was fortunate enough to go in 2002 as well.  There seems to be a huge amount of talent this year.  I am so excited I can hardly wait!

[ami1436]

tango49, on Jun 9 2006, 03:27 PM, said:

I was sad to see Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun (Senior) from San Francisco Ballet not listed anymore.  She is a stunning dancer and I'm sure she would have done very well in the competition.

Wow, I missed this when I read the list, thanks tango49.  I completely agree regarding Nutnaree.  Stunning is an apt word to describe her.

[mouse]

Hi!
Thank you tango49 for the tip about the site in the UK.  I found it and the very nice, day-by-day, dancer-by-dancer group of posts for the entire 2002 competition.  It was very interesting to read about which I'd only heard tales, stories, and highlights.  I posted a question too, asking if the same sort of coverage was planned for this year's competition.  The answer came almost immediately and was YES.  Now, like tango49 stated:  "it will be wonderful to follow the events for those of us who won't be able to make it and have family members or friends who are competing!"  Yes, it will be wonderful!
mouse

[tango49]

Ami...I doubt that many would disagree that Nutnaree is a major talent and I was so looking forward to seeing her dance in Jackson if we made the trip.  I hope that her withdrawal is due to something other than a major injury     

Mouse...Yes the coverage was simply wonderful in 2002 and I particularly loved the personal interviews...some with several competitors.  There's no doubt that Jackson roles out the red carpet for this major event and I'm sure the excitement is beginning to build for everyone involved being only a week away.  We're still on hold but we do have hotel reservations for the week of round III just in case!

[Tiffany]

I have a really dumb question.  Is there a listing of who is dancing each night &/or a listing of what round is being conducted each night somewhere?  I need to decide what night I will go or if I will go.  If such a list does not exist I guess I will just call the ticket person & pester her with questions.   Oh I cannot get the ticket order form to load on my computer; I thought it might contain additional info too.

[Helene]

Here's a direct  link to the competitor's list by country, seniors listed first, juniors next.  (Gatti and Mack are both seniors.)

http://www.usaibc.co...competitors.htm

There's also a .pdf file with short bios of the competitors from the competition home page.  (The link text is, Click here for more!)

The ticket order form is also a .pdf file, which requires Adobe Reader, which is free and available for Windows and Mac users:

http://www.adobe.com...readermain.html

The order form itself lists the round and session number for each date/time, but no levels.  The FAQ states, "How can I find out the performance order so I can follow my favorite dancer?
Numbers are drawn randomly at registration, and the competitors keep their number throughout the entire process. They will perform in numerical order," but I don't see the order or session breakdown on the site.

[vrsfanatic]

Tiffany the list is posted in the jurist's hotel and the dining hall of the competitor's college site. There is no public list. Until the eliminations on Wednesday evening (late at night) even the competitors and the coaches do not know who will go on to the 2nd round.

There may be a problem in purchasing tickets in advance for the 3rd round and the closing events. For now the shows are sold out. Even the coaches have been left  in the dark so to speak. The hope is that tickets will be turned in every day before the event to be sold to the coaches and the public.

It is a very worthwhile event to attend. I saw fantastic ballet. Well worth the trip to Jackson. Take a chance and go!

[its the mom]

I have watched several of the sessions of Round I.  I have also seen some really beautiful ballet.  One of the concerns I have, however, is something I have noticed mostly in the junior boys round.  Variations are being changed for the sake of tricks and we seem to be losing the "flavor" of the variation.  Also, I have a question about Paquita that maybe someone can help me with.  I have never seen the Paquita male variation danced as if it was the Don Q, i.e., a very Spanish, bull-fighter type dance.  Maybe Mel can help me with this one.  I felt as if the junior boys were disappointed to not have Don Q on their rep list, and used Paquita as the substitute.  Anyone else have any thoughts on this?