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I just listened and came into post about the five Native American ballerinas commemorated in "Five Moon," but pherank long beat me to it smile.png

I loved listening to him speak after all of those years watching him dance. I had forgotten he was only 16 when Peter Martins choreographed "Concerto for Two Solo Pianos" for him, Watts, and Andersen.

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I just listened and came into post about the five Native American ballerinas commemorated in "Five Moon," but pherank long beat me to it smile.png

I loved listening to him speak after all of those years watching him dance. I had forgotten he was only 16 when Peter Martins choreographed "Concerto for Two Solo Pianos" for him, Watts, and Andersen.

It's been fun for all, and I'll just mention that Chrisitan Cudnik has updated the Ballet Initiative website rather dramatically (good job on the much improved interface) and added some new-old interviews. The one with Jacques d'Amboise is recommended by moi.

I love how Jacques talks about 'hanging out with the great people' by reading - and takes time to talk about Tanny Le Clercq.

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Just a reminder that there are great interviews collecting at the Ballet Initiative website. And the interviews can cover a range of topics depending on the interviewee. Christian Cudnik has recently posted parts 1 & 2 of his interview with Jacques d'Amboise. Even if you've read Jacques' autobiography, I think you will find the conversation adds to the story.

http://balletinitiative.com/podcast

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Argh, if she had gone to Ballet Arizona, I would have seen Debona all these years in Balanchine.

I did want to know more about why she chose BW over Ballet Arizona.

I kept thinking: she sounds very, very earnest. ;) I'm not sure why, but I somehow expected her "real" self to be different from her TV "character" self. But the Breaking Pointe TV show's depiction of her seems now to be fairly accurate.

My favorite part of the interview was actually Part Two, where she described how the show's episodes were devised and shot. And when she talked about why the show was done in the particular manner that it was.

It is certainly great to hear that DeBona doesn't think that anything bad came of BW's involvement with Reality TV. No publicity is bad publicity, I guess. We've all discussed this elsewhere, but I do think there's much room for improvement in how The CW approached their packaging of ballet the art form, and ballet the profession, and I hope this isn't the last time we get to see an "up close and personal" depiction of life at a ballet company on North American TV. I personally wouldn't want Breaking Pointe to be the last word on things.

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She didn't say that any publicity is bad publicity, though: she said that it's important for audiences to see the dancers as people in order to grow new audiences. She also said that the goal was to fill the theater in SLC. I have even more respect for Allison hearing that as an AGMA rep, when the dancers were being asked to take pay cuts and lose the full roster, especially considering the big and ambitious rep that Sklute plans for them, she thought this would be good for the company, and she put her money where her mouth is by making her own life public.

Maybe the Hulu audiences are different than the TV audiences, reported to be a young teenage demographic, but color me surprised that "Joe Next Door" is that interested in Beckanne's or Zachary's relationship woes. (Interested in Beckanne is another story.) I would think that more dancing in class and rehearsal that shows the athleticism and how hard it is would be more appealing to sports guys. I don't mean the perfunctory footage of barre, which don't come across as all that strenuous, but center work, particularly jumps, and the mechanics of partnering. The CBC documentary "Romeos and Juliets" on the making of the Ratmansky production on National Ballet of Canada did show how hard it was and the pressures the dancers and choreographer were under.

I'm also surprised about demographics, because while there is much greater acceptance of gay relationships among younger people, as much as Zachary's drama makes me press that fast forward button before he opens his mouth, Breaking Pointe is showing a real relationship between two men on screen and over time and is a great example of how two people support each other day-to-day when one is a dancer and a big career decision is about to be made. If it's true that this doesn't put off Average Joe in Salt Lake City and its suburbs, there's hope for Western civilization yet.

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I'm also surprised about demographics, because while there is much greater acceptance of gay relationships among younger people, as much as Zachary's drama makes me press that fast forward button before he opens his mouth, Breaking Pointe is showing a real relationship between two men on screen and over time and is a great example of how two people support each other day-to-day when one is a dancer and a big career decision is about to be made. If it's true that this doesn't put off Average Joe in Salt Lake City and its suburbs, there's hope for Western civilization yet.

As the young people say, "word."

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She didn't say that any publicity is bad publicity, though: she said that it's important for audiences to see the dancers as people in order to grow new audiences.

Hi Helene,

Did you mean to write that "no publicity is bad publicity"? (repeating my line above) - That was my statement on the matter, not DeBona's - sorry if that wasn't clear.

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I meant to say that she didn't say that any publicity, including bad, was good for the company. I did think you were attributing it to her.

I've tweaked the line a bit to make things more obvious.

Regarding Demographics: I had to laugh at the remark (attributed to DeBona's younger sister) that, "No one goes on Facebook anymore!" And her brother was touting the importance of Twitter. But those opinions are mostly about what is 'cool' to a young person and what their friends have decided is socially acceptable, and not so much about what is occuring in the society as a whole. It's pretty obvious that Facebook isn't going anywhere anytime soon. And I know of pretty much no adults who actually rely upon Twitter for their news of the world. Which suddenly makes me think about the NYCB and "city.ballet" that soon debuts on AOL On. To paraphrase a certain young girl, "No one goes on AOL anymore!"

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Ther is a certain younger demographic that's stayed away from Facebook after middle-ages women, ie Mom, took it over. Some kids even maintain PC-13 versions that their parents see, but have parallel internet lives.

I do know lots of people who are signed up for news tweets and get at least breaking news from them. Tweets are like modern day RSS feeds over the phone.

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Ther is a certain younger demographic that's stayed away from Facebook after middle-ages women, ie Mom, took it over. Some kids even maintain PC-13 versions that their parents see, but have parallel internet lives.

I do know lots of people who are signed up for news tweets and get at least breaking news from them. Tweets are like modern day RSS feeds over the phone.

Point taken - but "tweeting" is a luxury none of my friends and work associates can really afford. Teenagers, on the other hand, were truly created for such activities - and if I could only think of the next fashionable gimmick I could be living on my own island in the South Pacific...

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If pherank invents the next big monetized Internet thingy, he can have his own private ballet company on that island.

Precisely my first thought! ;) Suzanne Farrell Ballet South Pacific. Or maybe the Edward Villella Grass Skirt Initiative.

Yes, Christian would be welcome to set up a Radio Free Ballet station.

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Carla Korbes is a principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

In part one of our conversation, we talk about her injury and the road to recovery. We also talk about living and working in New York, and her relationship with Artistic Director, Peter Boal.

In part two, we talk about the keys to success in ballet. You may be surprised what recipe we've discovered! We also talk about her life in Seattle, and her thoughts about social media and ballet on television.

Listen, subscribe, enjoy!

balletinitiative.com/podcast

Twitter: @balletintiativ

and @christiancudnik

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Dr. Linda Hamilton successfully made the transition from a being Balanchine dancer to a respected doctor. She has dedicated her life to helping future generations manage the struggles of being a professional dancer.

Check out our conversation at balletinitative.com/podcast

Twitter @balletinitiativ

Facebook: Ballet Initiative

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