9 replies to this topic

[Jane Simpson]

Marina Harss has a very long interview with Nancy Reynolds on DanceTabs , covering the Balanchine Video Archives, her own career and much else.

[Helene]

Thank you so much for posting this, Jane!

When I looked at the first photo, of the "Waltz of the Flowers," my eye went straight to Reynolds:  there's some much life and movement in her pose.

[bart]

Many thanks from me, too, Jane.  Reynolds has been central to what we know about ballet in America, especially the artistry of Balanchine .   She has been a chronicler, teacher, advocate.  I'm glad to have the opportunity to learn more about her own personal journey, and what motivated her to devote so much of her life to the mission of "Bringing Balanchine Back."

I've printed this article (photos and all)  and will preserve it inside the pages of my copy of Repertory in Review.

[Helene]

I wonder how many other dancers struggled with being tied to a company, whether for a person like Balanchine or for the prestige, when another would have been a better fit and a longer career.  

I recently re-watched "Fame" and thought of Antonia Francheschi, who could have been promoted in both senses after achieving recognition from the movie, but went to back to the nunnery and retired in the NYCB corps.

Of course, with Reynolds, the stage's loss is our great gain through her books, as editor and writer, and through her video projects.

[bart]

I wonder whether any real-world company could have held Reynolds for long. In addition to some physical problems and technical limitations ....  

Quote

.... I didn't like the life.  I didn't like all the hours spent waiting around the the fct that you never knew your schedule until the night before, and I didn't like the dieting and all that body stuff.  I didn't like being exhausted and depressed all the time.

Fortunately, she had many other skills and interests, got a Columbia education, and turned to editing, writing, and the creation of some of the most important projects for the preservation of American ballet history..  One of the bonuses of this interview is what she tells us about the process of writing Repertory in Review and her excellent survey of 20th century dance, No Fixed Points (with Malcolm McCormick), and the creation of the Balanchine Video Archives project.

[sandik]

Thanks so much for the heads-up about this -- a very satisfying read.

[Amy Reusch]

If her love was Balanchine's choreography, would she have been any happier elsewhere, even if she danced more?  It seems the muse called her back and we all benefitted.  The work she is doing with the interpreter's archive is priceless.  Would that all great choreographers' work received similar care.

[sandik]

"Would that all great choreographers' work received similar care."

Your lips to the gods' ears!

[jsmu]

Jane, it was terribly kind of you to post this. Reynolds is an indispensable marvel.

[pherank]

I just happened to read this article - one of the best I've seen in a long while. Thanks!