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SWAN LAKE


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I did try a search about Mearns and found a little Q & A with her at the Discount Dance Supplies website. Several young ballerinas are interviewed there, including Bouder & Abi Stafford.

When asked what role she most wanted to dance, Mearns replied: Odette.

When asked what dancer she most admired, Mearns replied: Darci Kistler

When asked for a quote, Mearns said: "Never compare yourself to someone else because you have something no one else has."

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Debates about casting are good, but they are even better without boosterism.

I wish Mearns the best. However, I do respect those who question the casting, especially if one studies the careers of some of the other dancers pushed in this way. It's nice that we have posters who refuse to take the "hear no evil, see no evil" stance with NYCB.

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Like Giannina, I am envious of those who will see all of these debuts -- although not the production -- and I look forward to reading reports.

Parenthetically, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Leonard Pinth-Garnell on his choice of moniker. I dearly loved the old Saturday Night Live “Bad Playhouse” sketches, which ran in the early years of the show. Very clever theater parodies, with Dan Aykroyd providing judicious commentary – “Supremely poor taste!” “Awesomely misguided!” “Spectacularly ill advised!” Can’t imagine them on the current SNL.

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It's funny, so many people HATE this production of SWAN LAKE and think it is visually hideous (well, that is true) and a desecration of a masterpiece, etc. and then they are concerned about the casting. It sort if reminds me of the Woody Allen joke: "The food here is terrible." "Yes, and such small portions..."

What's boosterism? Thinking we should give her a chance before we decide how her performance is? I imagine some people, despite "wishing her well", are really hoping it doesn't come off so they can hate Peter even more.

How many people who think this is a casting mistake are going to go see it anyway?

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[snip]

Boosterism? I'll help you out with that one, oberon. The dictionary says it's the vigorous promotion of something. In this case, I would say it is a poster who swoopes in the the rescue anytime (and almost everytime) somebody posts something slightly negative about NYCB or Peter Martins.

I don't think somebody has to accept every casting decision to enjoy and care about a company and it's dancers. In fact, I think people are questioning the casting because they want Mearns to develop into the wonderful dancer her school performances promise her to be. I will be there to root her on -- and do wish her the best (for her whole career, not just one performance).

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Well, once I got her first name spelled correctly, Sara, a little Googling came up with favorable reviews for dancing the Mazurka in Les Sylphides and Lilac Fairy in an excerpts from Sleeping Beauty performance. Also, from a 2002 interview in Pointe:

" ... What kind of performance experience do you have?

SM: I danced with North Carolina Dance Theatre two years ago in The Nutcracker, and I've performed with the company at home, Carolina Ballet.

Pointe: What ballets have you done?

SM: The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, Swan Lake, Cinderella."

Maybe it is time to just say "Merde!"

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I think it's interesting in what seems to be the other end of the spectrum that's being posted about ABT's spring season. You have up and comers who can't get on the stage in meatier roles(Fang has been mentioned several times) and even established stars (Part as O/O or Cornejo as anything) when they appear to be more than ready. Meanwhile we have a nice heated debate about a youngster getting the chance when she may or may not be ready at NYCB. I think all posters have made good points and I enjoy reading them.

There's probably no comparison between the two but it emphasises how hard being an AD probably is.......I'd still take the job if they offered it to me though. :wub:

Above all I wish Miss Mearns well.

P.S.

You think she'll be nervous before that show?

Just a little?

Maybe?

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Oddly, the one time I really questioned something Peter did (the promotion of a young dancer to principal which I thought was premature and unmerited), I was taken to task by everyone else and even received a personal message from one of the moderators telling me not to say negative things about this dancer and to give her a chance.

If you read back over many of the NYCB topics here, L P-G, you will find that a great many people are very unhappy with the Martins administration at NYCB. Their displeasure comes thru not just in the big "how awful does the NYCB Balanchine rep look now" topics, but in lots of little jabs and digs every day. They don't like his choreography, they don't like his coaching staff, they don't like the way the Balanchine & Robbins repertoire look, they don't like the way he deals with dancers, they don't like certain aspects of his personal life. To an extent I agree with some of their feelings, but on the other hand I think we should be grateful that he seems to have been quite succesful in keeping the Company financially sound, and that he has some really fine & interesting dancers there now and he gives them lots of repertoire possibilities, and that he has stood by his dancers through injuries and various personal troubles. To me it seems, 20 years after Balanchine's death, that instead of despairing at the state of things we should feel some smidgen of thanks that the ballets of Mr. B are still alive and that they often looks pretty good (thanks largely to the talents of individual dancers). Balanchine spoke of knowing that his ballets would not be the same after his death; in my view, it is virtually impossible for ballets to become "fixed". By their very nature, they are always in motion. Balanchine knew this.

I don't consider that Peter needs me to defend him on any level; I've hated plenty of his ballets over the years. What I do love are his dancers, and there I will unabashedly plead guilty to bolsterism. I've been lucky to have met many of them, from top ballerinas to newbie corps kids, and I love their energy and their human side. It gives you a different perspective when you watch them onstage.

This entire topic about Ms. Mearns and her impending SWAN LAKE has simply stemmed from the fact that some of the women who would dance this role are not able to at this point due to injury, illness, whatever. Were they available, I don't doubt that Sara's big role in this revival would be the Spanish dance. Obviously someone at NYCB, be it Peter, Merrill, Karin, whoever, sees something is Sara Mearns that they think will work as Swan Queen. Yes, when I first saw her name on the casting I was dumbfounded. However, I would not venture to say whether she will make a success out of it or not, or how it will affect her one way or the other, until she is taking her bows. Believe me, there are people who will be waiting to trot out the "I told you so" line if she doesn't meet their expectations.

At the bottom line, it is simply a chance that is being taken on a young dancer and all I am saying is: let us give her the chance. Afterwards people may say whatever they want in praise or blame of her, Peter, or anyone else involved.

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Fortunately, we have always had a pretty big variety of opinions about Martins and NYCB on this board. Heck! I myself once put in a good word for his choosing to ask Kirkeby, who is a highly regarded modern artist, to design his Swan Lake.. But I admit, Oberon, that I was disturbed when you suggested that people actually want a young dancer to fail or are Martins "Haters" -- an expression I have never seen on Ballettalk though I have seen it on other boards...When defending NYCB or Martins on this board, I have certainly had people strongly disagree with me, but I have never felt they were policing my views or attacking me personally. So, likewise, I think it's important that people can criticize the company without feeling that they will be accused of bad faith or ill intentions. People who care about NYCB (whatever their opinion of this or that dancer, policy, or artistic director) have more in common, for the purposes of this board, than not.

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I imagine some people, despite "wishing her well", are really hoping it doesn't come off so they can hate Peter even more.

This is what I was talking about. So, if people don't agree with casting they are hoping the dancer fails? I didn't get that from any other post on this thread. If they don't like the way a ballet is being performed, they are living in the past?

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Everybody to their corners. Changing the discussion, I'm pretty excited to see Ellen Bar in the Russian section, in addition to Spanish. Bar has really been coming on in the last two seasons. I'm happy for her. Krohn also is cast in Russian. She stood out in the corps of Allegro on Thursday.

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Not surprisingly one did take a very hard look at Sara last night in Monumentum.

And what you see is that Mearns is obviously a very strong girl. Super strong feet, good balance, body very well turned out at the hip, figure very solid, makes you think of Monique Meunier back in the mid-90s. Only Sara points her feet.

On the physical side I expect she'll get through SL just fine.

But I must admit that something which troubles is the message this sends to all the other dancers in the company. Ballet companies are hierarchies. In any organization, people like to think they are going to be treated fairly, be rewarded for hard work, that things are going to be done based upon merit and not random whim -- You have dancers there, lots of them, who've worked very hard for years and who could reasonably be regarded as equally capable of doing this once the opportunity arose (whether they can do a triple fouette in the coda or only a double, who cares?) -- what do you have soloists for, or senior corps girls for that matter, if not to move into more prominent roles when the occasion demands?

Now I know that what I am saying is naive -- this is the way all Ballet Companies operate as a friend has even said to me. It's always the obscure Kafka-esque decree from the Kastle, somebody has a cheerleader, or the director has to choose, that's what they get paid for. But that doesn't mean I have to like it or approve of it. In a lot of ways ballet company culture can be pretty abusive for the kids.

That said, best of luck for Sara Mearns. You can't, and I don't blame her for being out front or for wanting to be. I think she'll do just fine.

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[MODERATOR BEANIE ON]

I've missed the latest developments on this thread due to an extra-long commute and lack of internet connectivity, and I find them disturbing.

In the "spirit of the board":

1. Please keep personal attacks on other posters to yourselves and keep to the topic.

2. Please keep moderating the thread to the Moderators. Long-time posters (and lurkers) know what is acceptable -- respectful debate -- and what is not -- ad hominem attacks on other posters, discussing the discussion, using blanket generalizations.

3. Discussion of casting in advance is subject to discussion. (Although I think we've flogged this one to death.)

[MODERATOR BEANIE OFF]

Please, please post about these performances, regardless of which cast you've seen.

http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.p...topic=21387&hl=

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Twenty years from now, we might be at the farewell performance of the great principal ballerina Sarah Mearns and, as the rose buds fall on her, we will say: "Hey, remember that first SWAN LAKE she did here?" Or she might quit dancing, move to New Mexico, and have 6 kids. Who knows?

This is slightly OT, but I woke up this morning thinking of the above comment. I'm looking forward to the 2026 threads entitled "Sara, We Hardly Knew Ye: Twenty Years of Greatness as Odette/Odile," and "George Who? Martins and His Muses, 2006-2026." Or not. Anyhow, merde to her and I look forward to the reviews. Thanks to the commenters for a thought-provoking thread.

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Let's hope that some of Patricia McBride's magic will come through when Sara performs. Sara has been taught/coached by her down in North Carolina. Maybe we will have a real treat in store for us next Saturday. When I saw some of McBride's group at a Guggenheim seminar, I was delighted by the sheer joy in dancing that came through. My only concern for Sara is stamina. We'll see.

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I would like to address the moderator's Beanie -- This is not aimed at anyone, I am quite often guilty of this --

Helene, I think the problems starts when the discussion veers to the "I'M RIGHT" and "YOU'RE WRONG" -- "La Sublimova was sublime in Corsaire, I saw the performance, How can you say she didn't project ..." etc. ..." variety of discussion.

When you allow that, you inevitably have ad hominem discussion, because the bias, or alleged bias of the person you are arguing with, and the knowledge base and taste, or lack thereof, of that person, are the key points in such an argument.

One person says this, another person feels attacked and responds in kind ... voila

It's ARGUMENTATIVENESS that is to be avoided. If everyone states their point and observations and then lets the other's live and let live ... that's the way to avoid it.

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I agree with Michael. I've also recieved moderator feedback when I noted that one dancer was not my favorite, feedback that urged me to "focus on the positive."

That approach chills lively debate, in my opinion. I'd rather read something I passionately disagree with than a string of happy talk.

Furthermore, positive comments mean a lot more when they are sincere. If other posters can openly say so when they believe La Sublimova was not at her best, it means a lot more when they say that she DID have a fantastic performance.

My point of view is that anything that takes place on the stage should be open for comment. We're not here to gossip about dancers' personal lives - unless they choose themselves to present them in the media - but paid performances should be open to honest comment from paying audiences.

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I agree with Michael.  I've also recieved moderator feedback when I noted that one dancer was not my favorite, feedback that urged me to "focus on the positive."

That approach chills lively debate, in my opinion.  I'd rather read something I passionately disagree with than a string of happy talk.

Furthermore, positive comments mean a lot more when they are sincere.  If other posters can openly say so when they believe La Sublimova was not at her best, it means a lot more when they say that she DID have a fantastic performance.

My point of view is that anything that takes place on the stage should be open for comment.  We're not here to gossip about dancers' personal lives - unless they choose themselves to present them in the media - but paid performances should be open to honest comment from paying audiences.

I very much agree with Kay here. First of all, I always try to infer that this is my OPINON, that it is subjective I'm not holding myself up as the ultimate authority .

No one can be right or wrong except when discussing objective issues (Sublimova did 30 1/2 fouettes and many other more subtle issues.)

And I agree if everyone falls into line like a cheery soldier it gets kinda boring and gee if I went through the trouble of buying a ticket and going to the theater, well I think I can say whether I liked Sublimova or not. Again, always in a civil context

(I see this last as being different than trying to be positive all the time)

Richard

.

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As a clarification, my post was not meant to squelch disagreement. I'm the last person who has pulled punches when describing what I see on stage.

We have straightforward but strict policies on how argument should be presented, which is respectfully, and that when there is an extended discussion between two posters, it should be taken to PM and email. In terms of the "I'm right," "No you're right" endless loops, I have two comments:

1. It takes two to tango. That's where, "we'll have to agree to disagree" is a good technique to avoid a perpetual debate. Alternately, if a poster is insistent on a point of view, it is possible to skip over the post and continue the discussion and not engage. People reading the thread have the ability to assess the arguments, without relying on who has the last word. They also may take up the discussion, because even though two posters decide not to continue the debate, that doesn't make it off limits to everyone else.

If a poster makes ad hominem attacks on another poster, our policy is to edit/delete the post when we find it. On rare occasion, we will either make an example of the post as the type that is What Not to Do, or leave it because the target of the attack has made an articulate, measured, and cogent response before we find the original, and it would be a crime to delete the response because it makes no sense without the original post.

It is not an adhominem attack, per se, to address a specific poster by name or quote and disagree respectfully.

2. There's a difference between a minority and a majority view. If the majority shouts down the minority, and the minority is not insistent on holding to it, others who are reticent to post for fear of being shot down will leave.

To be specific, on the NYCB Ballet forums, my reading of the Big Elephant in The Middle of the Room is: the majority view is "Peter Martins is Irredeemably Bad," and the minority view is "The Majority Is Too Uniformly and Knee Jerk Hard on Peter Martins." If we're going to have any level of intellectual honesty here, the minority view should be allowed express itself. One does not have to agree with it.

As far as criticism of dancers is concerned, I also have two points to make:

1. While, on the whole, I believe that what people post says more about themselves than the targets of their criticism, particularly when their "wit" gets the better of them, at a certain point, we will say, "enough, point made," partly because

2. From my reading, there are times when criticism of dancers starts to become less about the dancers' performances than the state of company management, artistic direction, and coaching. I believe that the dancers shouldn't be used as bludgeons against Company X's Artistic Director, and that criticism should be directed to the true target.

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