Roberto Bolle and Greta Hodgkinson (NBOC) in X-mas Gap Ad!

[FauxPas]

Looking up at the staggeringly handsome young model in a Gap ad posted in the bus shelter in Manhattan, I had a shock of recognition. It was Roberto Bolle! He was lifting a lovely young woman who looked like a dancer and his shirt was opened at the bottom showing chiseled abs. Some googling has revealed it is indeed Bolle and the lovely young lady is Greta Hodgkinson of the National Ballet of Canada. Here is a related article:

http://www.thestar.com/living/article/278204

Here is the pic (scroll down to close to the bottom of the page)

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/17808954.html

Here is another smaller pic:

http://saturdaymatinee.wordpress.com/2007/...es-in-the-mail/

I can copy the picture on my computer and would love to post it here but it doesn't seem to work properly on this message board system.

Joy for All, Indeed!

[87Sigfried87]

Roberto Bolle seems very concerned about advertising his image in the last period.He started posing for "Tissot",then he did some spots for water,the Italian campain for D&G....everybody knows him now because of his appearences on tv and advertisment.It's been a good choice;-)

[zerbinetta]

Roberto Bolle seems very concerned about advertising his image in the last period.He started posing for "Tissot",then he did some spots for water,the Italian campain for D&G....everybody knows him now because of his appearences on tv and advertisment.It's been a good choice;-)

Probably not bad for his savings account, either.

[Marga]

The weekend's Globe (Canada's national newspaper) had a small pic of the ad in its Globe Style section as part of its "Person, Place and Thing" column (the online version doesn't show the picture). Bolle is unidentified!

Globe and Mail

[carbro]

The Gap is using a different photo in their windows. In the highly unlikely event that where you live has no Gap, I inaugurated my flickr page (at long last) with a photo I took a couple hours ago.

[Mashinka]

Here in London many would consider a career change to modelling for Roberto Bolle to be a wise move.

[FauxPas]

Now Mashinka, naughty, naughty! Tell those wicked trifle eaters across the pond that is it Christmas season and we shouldn't be so unkind to little Bo-Bo! (Bo-Bo is my newly coined nickname for Bolle)

(Seriously he has limited virtuosity but is a very nice lyrical dancer from what I saw from him guesting with ABT last summer)

Here is the other shot as posted on Flickr by Bolle's fan club:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertobollefanclub/2061884501/

I guess given the warmer climate in Italy the wool scarf and bare chest and midriff look is de rigeur for this time of year.

[Andre Yew]

(Seriously he has limited virtuosity but is a very nice lyrical dancer from what I saw from him guesting with ABT last summer)

What?! Is this the same Roberto Bolle we're talking about? Limited virtuosity is hardly the term I'd use to describe his very secure, solid technique. Perhaps he makes everything look a little too easy and clean, but his technique can hardly be faulted. His line is also one of the most beautiful and articulated out there.

--Andre

[FauxPas]

What?! Is this the same Roberto Bolle we're talking about? Limited virtuosity is hardly the term I'd use to describe his very secure, solid technique. Perhaps he makes everything look a little too easy and clean, but his technique can hardly be faulted. His line is also one of the most beautiful and articulated out there.

--Andre

Andre, you may have seen many more Bolle performances than I have (I just saw two). There is a difference between technique and virtuosity though you can't have the latter without the former. There is virtuoso technique (high jumps, complicated footwork, fast turns, quick renversés, barrel turns, pirouettes, batterie, etc.) and then there is lyrical technique (long line, perfect arabesques, placement, port de bras, epaulement, turnout, etc.). I have seen more of the latter from Bolle in his dancing. He is very tall with long limbs that don't seem made for the kind of quick, airy footwork and leaping that we have seen from Bocca, Corella, Cornejo, Tetsuya Kumakawa, etc. One dancer who had both was Antony Dowell though we think of him more as a danseur noble type.

[Paul Parish]

THanks, Carbro. That's right neighborly of you.

I thought Bolle was swell as Aminta; hadn't seen much more of him than that (though I think he wore less onstage in that ballet than he does in this ad) till now -- it's good to see he's as good in contemporary looks as he is in classical.

[puppytreats]

THanks, Carbro. That's right neighborly of you.

I thought Bolle was swell as Aminta; hadn't seen much more of him than that (though I think he wore less onstage in that ballet than he does in this ad) till now -- it's good to see he's as good in contemporary looks as he is in classical.

I review the criticism with an open mind, and an attempt to release any prejudices I may have, and then take a second look at the subject dvd or film. I try to suspend my judgment and observe the claims of the negative reviewer. I am an observer and an analytical person and should be able to witness the criticized activity if it were genuine. That does not preclude legitimate observations that certain expressions or placements or decisions, which are open to discussion and ripe for opinion. My conclusion regarding the oft-repeated mantras that conflict with my own observations is that the criticism is not genuine, but rather, amounts to negativism, displays of jealousy, or efforts to promote one artist at the expense of another. (This is a typical sales tactic, used even when selling sophisticated professional services and investments). By way of example, Bolle is criticized as cold or inexpressive. However, he has the most expressive eyes, mouth, hands, and feet; he responses (where possible) to partners' emotions and actions with a range of emotions, from teasing, to joy, to celebration, to remorse, to sadness, to loss, to a search for solace, to an evaluation of duty and a rebellion against duty, to suffering over the deliberation processes. I think often his initial love is unexplained, other than as a function of beauty, but I believe that results from the story book, not the character. Nevertheless, I have preferred specific pieces of work by other dancers using superior moves (e.g., higher leaps) and expressions in certain instances. In sum, the prejudice and jealousy derived from his physical beauty must be acknowledged in evaluating the validity of criticism, and beauty (including a beautifully developed body created through hard work, in large part) should give rise to praise, not criticism.