Florence Christiansen, the widow of William, is dead at age 94.
Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake City native and mother of four was a lover of the arts and dance years before she met Christensen, founder of the American West’s most renowned ballet companies and institutions, at a 1972 neighborhood Christmas party.
A classically trained soprano who loved the operas of Puccini, she never missed a chance to travel with her sisters to New York City, where they stood in ticket lines for hours to see various plays and Broadway shows. She worked 17 years at the Utah Heart Association and was involved in the Salt Lake City Assistance League and Daughters of Utah Pioneers.
Deseret News
Their first date was “The Nutcracker,” and “Mr. C” swept her off her feet and Florence became "Mrs. C" within the year. They were married for 28 happy years until William died in 2001.
During her marriage to Willam, Florence Christensen adopted the Ballet West family as her own, her daughter said.
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Saturday, December 31
Started by
dirac
, Dec 31 2011 12:22 PM
4 replies to this topic
#2
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Diamonds Circle
Posted 31 December 2011 - 12:25 PM
A review of the Mariinsky/Kirov Ballet in "Swan Lake" by Sarah MacDonald in The Times of Oman.
The Mariinsky Ballet performed five shows of the classic ballet at the Royal Opera House Muscat between Tuesday and Friday. There are many strong ballet companies in the world, but the Mariinsky is in a class of its own. The dancers showcased once again how exquisite ballet can be!
The Mariinsky Ballet performed five shows of the classic ballet at the Royal Opera House Muscat between Tuesday and Friday. There are many strong ballet companies in the world, but the Mariinsky is in a class of its own. The dancers showcased once again how exquisite ballet can be!
#3
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Diamonds Circle
Posted 31 December 2011 - 12:27 PM
Former dancers tell their stories about life after ballet in this story by Jane Albert in The Australian. Photo gallery.
While sports stars tend to be protected through mentoring and retraining programs, it is a different story for dancers. Company budgets mostly don't stretch to assisting dancers into other careers; the Australian Ballet is an exception in having a formal scheme that includes subsidies for further study and access to careers counselling and financial advice. Until recently there was SCOPE, a five-year initiative run by national advocacy body AusDance and funded by the Australia Council that helped retired dancers find work within the arts sphere, but the program was wound up a few months ago when funding wasn't renewed.
While sports stars tend to be protected through mentoring and retraining programs, it is a different story for dancers. Company budgets mostly don't stretch to assisting dancers into other careers; the Australian Ballet is an exception in having a formal scheme that includes subsidies for further study and access to careers counselling and financial advice. Until recently there was SCOPE, a five-year initiative run by national advocacy body AusDance and funded by the Australia Council that helped retired dancers find work within the arts sphere, but the program was wound up a few months ago when funding wasn't renewed.
#4
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Diamonds Circle
Posted 01 January 2012 - 10:49 PM
A story on the recent history of the Mikhailovsky Theater by Luke Jennings in The Guardian.
Looking for an impresario who could bring the Mikhailovsky to the United States, Kekhman was directed to the Manhattan offices of Sergei Danilian. Danilian is at once an impresario, a packager of ballet stars, and an agent. One of his clients was choreographer Nacho Duato, who since 1990 had been director of Spain's Compañía Nacional de Danza. In July 2010, Kekhman stunned the ballet world by announcing that from the following January, Duato would lead the Mikhailovsky Ballet as artistic director.
Looking for an impresario who could bring the Mikhailovsky to the United States, Kekhman was directed to the Manhattan offices of Sergei Danilian. Danilian is at once an impresario, a packager of ballet stars, and an agent. One of his clients was choreographer Nacho Duato, who since 1990 had been director of Spain's Compañía Nacional de Danza. In July 2010, Kekhman stunned the ballet world by announcing that from the following January, Duato would lead the Mikhailovsky Ballet as artistic director.
#5
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Diamonds Circle
Posted 01 January 2012 - 10:58 PM
A review of the English National Balletin "The Nutcracker" by Jem Bloomfield for California Literary Review.
Still, Eagling’s production, designed by Peter Farmer, is a terrifically enjoyable show. The programme notes say they sought “a darker vision”, which makes the heart sink slightly, as it aligns the production with just about every lousy warmed-over fairy tale film, classic novel miniseries or “franchise reboot” we’ve sat through in the last five years. Aside from being a tall order for anyone trying to follow Gerald Scarfe. But they managed it...
Still, Eagling’s production, designed by Peter Farmer, is a terrifically enjoyable show. The programme notes say they sought “a darker vision”, which makes the heart sink slightly, as it aligns the production with just about every lousy warmed-over fairy tale film, classic novel miniseries or “franchise reboot” we’ve sat through in the last five years. Aside from being a tall order for anyone trying to follow Gerald Scarfe. But they managed it...
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