Susan Jaffe on Charlie Rose

[Alexandra]

Susan Jaffe is taping a Charlie Rose show. According to Reliable Sources, the show will air tonight or tomorrow.

[Alexandra]

The Charlie Rose site says it's today.

http://www.charlierose.com/index.shtm

(If you click on the Susan Jaffe link it takes you to the abt home page).

The show may be postponed because of news events, but otherwise it's scheduled for today.

[Alexandra]

Did anyone else see this?

I thought she came off very well -- very likable yet still an artist I was struck, of course, by her story on how coaching had made a difference to her career. Why should ballerinas need to run into old friends in a hallway in order to get good coaching? I also liked her generosity to her favorite partner (Carreno). It seemed genuine rather than dutiful.

A very, very graceful exit.

[justafan]

I agree that she came across as very likable -- also as a typical American rather than an ethereal ballerina.

It sounds like she is hoping for an acting career after her retirement from dancing, and one reason she decided to retire now rather than later. I found that interesting.

I also thought it was simply wonderful that Rose had a ballet dancer on the program. I wish he would do it more often -- after all, he seems to have architects and artists on quite frequently. I think I'm going to write a note to the program thanking them in hopes of encouraging more ballet-related guests.

[Alexandra]

Thanks for your comments, justafan, and PLEASE!!!!! write that note. There may be a quick and easy email option on his website:

www.charlierose.com

As someone who works in the news media, I cannot emphasize enough HOW IMPORTANT IT IS to send such emails. (They really don't care whether you like the show or article or review or not. They just need to know that you saw it or read it and that its existence matters to you.)

I thought Jaffe's comments about wanting to do more acting (in ballet) as one of the reasons for her retirement was telling, too. (She apparently feels that contemporary choreography does not offer that opportunity.)

I think the older dancers get, the more they want to do more than the steps -- and it's not because their technical facility is failing, it's because they're maturing.

[dirac]

I saw this, too. I would also be happy to see more dancers on the program, although older ones tend to have a little more to give to an interview, frankly. It would have been nice for Jaffe to have an entire hour, or forty-five minutes -- I realize she's not Julia Roberts, but she's just as attractive and rather more articulate. It was interesting to hear her relate how the bottom basically dropped out of her career when Baryshnikov departed ABT -- from first cast to fourth or fifth must have been a vertiginous descent. A reminder once again of how vulnerable dancers are to the vagaries of ADs. (Of course, there were those who felt slighted by Baryshnikov when he arrived, so what goes around comes around, I suppose.) I was also struck by her anecdote about coaching -- what if she hadn't bumped into her ex?

It's perfectly reasonable for a dancer turning forty to think twice about rolling on the floor and assuming pretzel positions, I'd think. And to want to do more roles that benefit from the presence of dancers who have done a little living. Oh, well.

Her praise of Carreño was more than genuine. That's called gushing, I believe. "He's such a guy !" she told Charlie, looking positively girlish. It was cute.

[BW]

True to form, I forgot about it... From what I can gather, it will be aired tonight in the NY/NJ area on channel WNYE which is 25 from where I live. It should be on at 8pm.

This time I'm writing myself a note.

[justafan]

There is a feedback button on the Rose site, and your link made it easy to send my kudos.

I too am and editor and journalist, so I make it a practice to send thanks for programming that is of particular interest to me. I know that just a handful of comments can make a difference -- particularly if I agree with it. LOL!

[casloan]

Thanks for the link to the Rose website. I've just used it to send my own positive feedback.

I had not seen the heads-up at the beginning of this thread; I simply was fortunate enough to stumble upon the interview while channel surfing on the satellite late at night.

In the Baryshnikov years, Jaffe was not among my favorites, but later, as she matured, she became one. I, too, found it delightful to see her on the program -- she was interesting to listen to and very articulate. I will miss her.