18 replies to this topic

[toeprints]

Hello everyone. I just discovered Ballet Talk, and I'm thrilled! I have worked for an airline for ages and traveled extensively; however, being from Boston, I naturally follow the Boston Ballet. Dancers always astound me.

I love dance and have been a huge fan of Rudolf Nureyev for many years. Because of his influence, I learned a lot about ballet and its history. It is unbelievable to me that it has been 15 years since he died. I miss him.

Those golden days of ballet were indeed glorious. I hope some of that excitement will return, especially in the United States. I cannot even find books on dance in book stores anymore. Thank goodness for Amazon.Com!

I look forward to reading and learning from all of you.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Hi!...and welcome. Mmm...Boston Ballet. How do you like my all time favorite ballerina Lorna Feijoo...? (I really hope she gets full recovery from her injury and comes back better than ever!)
Meanwhile, nice to have you here!

[carbro]

And I'll add a personal request for news about Erica Cornejo, whom we miss dearly in New York.

I'll bet your travel enables you to see a wide variety of companies. I hope you'll tell us about those, not only as they occur in the future, but maybe you share memories of some highlights of your viewing career.

Nureyev's passing has left a huge void.

Welcome to BalletTalk, toeprints.

[Helene]

And now Boston Ballet is getting the lovely Allison Basford, until last week of Pacific Northwest Ballet.

We want to hear about everyone

Welcome to Ballet Talk, toeprints.

[toeprints]

Hi!...and welcome. Mmm...Boston Ballet. How do you like my all time favorite ballerina Lorna Feijoo...? (I really hope she gets full recovery from her injury and comes back better than ever!)
Meanwhile, nice to have you here!

[cubanmiamiboy]

Hi!...and welcome. Mmm...Boston Ballet. How do you like my all time favorite ballerina Lorna Feijoo...? (I really hope she gets full recovery from her injury and comes back better than ever!)
Meanwhile, nice to have you here!

Toeprints, i suspect you're trying to type something that's getting lost along the way somehow...! Don't give up, you'll get there. (Oh, God, was i a mess when trying to post at first..! )

[toeprints]

Hi Cristian,

I hope this works this time! Thank you for the welcome - I'll be sure to let you know about Lorna as soon as I hear. There is a big shake-up at Boston Ballet - lots of lay-offs, plus they have to relocate to another theater - a smaller one. They haven't announced the names of the dancers affected by lay-offs yet.

Toeprints (Kathy)

[angelica]

Hello everyone. I just discovered Ballet Talk, and I'm thrilled! I have worked for an airline for ages and traveled extensively; however, being from Boston, I naturally follow the Boston Ballet. Dancers always astound me.

I love dance and have been a huge fan of Rudolf Nureyev for many years. Because of his influence, I learned a lot about ballet and its history. It is unbelievable to me that it has been 15 years since he died. I miss him.

Those golden days of ballet were indeed glorious. I hope some of that excitement will return, especially in the United States. I cannot even find books on dance in book stores anymore. Thank goodness for Amazon.Com!

I look forward to reading and learning from all of you.

Yes, toeprints, it's true that the Golden Age of ballet, at least in my memory, was in the 1960s and 1970s. Remember all those performances that were broadcast "Live from Lincoln Center"? Those were the years that Nureyev and then Baryshnikov were dancing, and Makarova was mounting La Bayadere for ABT. During the 1970s I lived in Bloomington, Indiana, a university town with a very fine music school. At that time I was home raising my children (in those days a family could still live on one income) and I used to run what I whimsically called a "Ballet Alert" service. Whenever ballet was going to be on TV, I rounded up all the girls and boys on the street and we would gather around the biggest TV we could find and watch all together. For awhile I taught the little girls ballet in my living room, just for fun.

But I think we're due for a revival. For one thing, although it appears to me that Alistair McCauley, the new dance critic for the New York Times, prefers Balanchine and NYCB to ABT and the 19th century classics, we are definitely seeing more dance reviews than in recent years. For another, I think the quality of dancing at ABT is going up all the time, especially the male dancers, but the women as well. As they say, there is talent "deep within the ranks." The male stars, e.g., Corella, Cornejo, Stiefel, Gomes (and when are they going to promote Sascha Radetsky to Principal?) have that "superstar" quality again, in addition to their exquisite ballet line, like Nureyev. I think Malakhov must be one of the most underappreciated dancers of all time. He was thrilling to watch. Where is he now?

Looking ahead to the future, on a personal note, I've been playing the DVD of Nina Ananiashvili and Alexei Fadeyechev dancing Swan Lake with the State Ballet of Perm (Nina was 29 years old when it was made) for my now 3-year-old granddaughter since she was a year old, and she was and still is completely mesmerized. She also knows Giselle, Nutcracker and La Bayadere. When she watches Swan Lake she dances along in her white tutu for Odette and her black tutu for Odile, and makes her father (my son), who never had a ballet lesson in his life, play the role of Prince Siegfriend, supporting her and lifting her at the appropriate moments. It's a hoot to watch them. I am grooming her to carry on the torch.
Angelica

[carbro]

I think Malakhov must be one of the most underappreciated dancers of all time. He was thrilling to watch. Where is he now?

He is listed as one of three "intendanz" for the Staatsballett Berlin -- the Artistic Director triumverate? Google translate won't, but I can be sure that BT-ers in the know will provide a better English version of his title.

I am grooming her to carry on the torch.

Good work!

[toeprints]

Hi Angelica,

I agree that the Golden Age was during the 60's and 70's - but also the 80's. It really began to fizzle as Rudi's performances slowed. I believe he was the catalyst, and when he died, Ghislaine Thesmar said it best - that there was nothing remarkable left in their world. I hope there will be a revival - Boston Ballet has a lot of difficulties now, laying off 30 dancers, plus moving into a smaller venue. I wish PBS aired more ballet, well, Boston PBS seems to have forgotted the art. I wish I lived in New York. WNET still cares.

I love the image of your granddaughter dancing in her tutu. You're doing a great job! You said that you lived in Bloomington - Violette Verdy is a dance professor there, and she still travels the world teaching as well. She has hopes for a dance explosion also.

I occasionally enjoy Mr. McCauley. He is rather acerbic and, yes, he does favor NYCB. Lately, there are a few British critics who think they are Simon Cowell. Your Ballet Alert service appears to have been a terrific concept. Good for you. I wish there were more dance magazines around. I suppose I'll have to revert to the British mags again. Have you ever read "Culturekiosque.com" - it is really terrific for artistic revues. Their dance critic, Patricia Boccadoro, is fabulous.

Toeprints

[cubanmiamiboy]

When she watches Swan Lake she dances along in her white tutu for Odette and her black tutu for Odile, and makes her father (my son), who never had a ballet lesson in his life, play the role of Prince Siegfriend, supporting her and lifting her at the appropriate moments. It's a hoot to watch them. I am grooming her to carry on the torch.

Sweet...here's my applause for your little one!!

[4mrdncr]

Welcome toeprints to BT from a fellow member from Massachusetts, who also has many memories and viewsings of Boston Ballet and other companies. Maybe I will see you next season at BB performances? I haven't been in their new venue for a zillion years, so hope it's okay for BB and our views of them.

[Giannina]

We have some good discussions going here, but since this is a welcome forum it doesn't get much traffic. If other topics come to mind put them on a pertinent forum and they'll get a larger audience; they get lost on Welcome.

Giannina

[toeprints]

We have some good discussions going here, but since this is a welcome forum it doesn't get much traffic. If other topics come to mind put them on a pertinent forum and they'll get a larger audience; they get lost on Welcome.

Giannina

Hi Giannina,

I don't know if this will work or not. I'm not doing very well in responding to people who are nice enough to reply to me. I guess I'm just having a difficult time figuring out how to manage the forum. Believe it or not, I really am a smart person; I have just never been involved in an internet discussion group before.

Toeprints

[cubanmiamiboy]

Believe it or not, I really am a smart person

He,he...no reason not to believe you, right?

(BTW, if I got to manage the forum, you'll get there too...)