Marta

I was just about to respond similarly, BalanchineFan. Martins added the "in Chief" to his own name and Robbins's. Grasping and self aggrandizing.

“Peter Martins ran NYCB for 35 years, the same tenure as Balanchine.” That bothered me too. It sounds so petty. I will read the book if's available at my library.

FPF said: I'm happy to have seen this since I haven't seen the ballet yet, but not a fan of this new format for Speaking In Dance where the dance is chopped up into individual clips rather than a single, continuous performance. I would also have preferred to see Gordon's entire body--there are a number of shots that cut off his legs. Oh, so true. I saw the ballet and loved it, but I lost patience when I realized it was chopped up that way. Why??

Thanks for posting this info. I wasn't aware that Martins had written a new book and I look forward to reing it.

Happy to hear she's finally a principal!

Here's that interview of Gordon abatt mentioned: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/22/arts/dance/joseph-gordon-new-york-city-ballet.html?unlocked_article_code=1.X00.-b0d.a0G7i3fXp-Sr&smid=url-share

I thought the performance was really good. I was impressed by Smirnova's Giselle and thought it was much richer than when I saw her in the Bolshoi transmission pre-pandemic. I also wish a full cast list had been published somewhere - anywhere. I looked on the Dutch National Ballet site and after looking at the dancers' photographs decided that the Myrtha was Floor Eimers. https://www.operaballet.nl/en/dancers

I agree. From what I've seen of him on YouTube, he's an exciting dancer. I saw Smirnova in the Bolshoi Giselle in cinema and I was underwhelmed. I'll go anyway because I love Giselle.

abatt has posted a comment on a topic, 2023-2024 Season I think they must send the code out to people who are younger. Old folks like me who are already subscribers are not the target audience. I just tried a bunch of different possible passwords that would make sense in relation to who the art series was presenting and eventually figured it out. The David Michalek is Wendy's husband. He did the slow dancing videos that were projected on to the Koch at the gala in the fall. How do they know who is younger? I didn't get the email either. I'm perplexed by how you tried passwords ... on the NYCB site?

That's my opinion too. He never really appreciated her dancing or valued her. Same goes for his sour attitude toward Veronika Part.

I liked the movie very much, and I knew in advance that it focused on LB's marriage. So I was not disappointed although more attention to his music would have been welcome. I'm a little surprised at the negativity toward Felicia's character because I just didn't feel that way. Frankly I have to admit I was glad there was nothing said about Wolfe, "radical chic" and the couple's support for the Black Panthers. There are a lot of valid crits and comments here, but as someone pointed out, there's only so much you can cram into a two hour movie.

I agree completely. I also loved her in Ratmansky's Sleeping Beauty. I think that was the last time she danced with Cornejo.

Thank you, Helene. I was too lazy to look up that section!

California said: I would have trouble tracking down the source, but Baryshnikov reportedly spotted Kirkland on that 1972 tour and asked for her when he defected in 1974,. True. I think I read this in a book written about Baryshnikov when he was director of ABT. In Kirkland's book, she writes about visiting a men's class at the Kirov. She comments on Baryshnikov's "extreme turnout" or maybe it was "freakish turnout".

Takumi Miyake is impressive! Recently been watching him on YouTube and IG.

@FireDancer and everyone: Kirkland/Baryshnikov Theme and Variations

4 hours ago, California said: What is so important about that performance is that it has been so widely available, first on the bootleg tape for many years on YouTube and then on the release during the COVID lock-down by Lincoln Center. Most of us have never seen the other performances people mention. But the tape does give us a "baseline" for what's possible when we do see it in the theater.

I agree completely. I love the Kirkland-Baryshnikov film of T&V, and I think it can never be equaled. I try not to make unfair comparisons but I was expecting more from Fairchild and Huxley. Her gargouillades didn't have the right shape, and his second variation seemed to omit one of the turns. Both dancers have the technique for this ballet, yet something was missing. I wish I could have seen Peck and Gordon but couldn't get to that performance. Orpheus is definitely dated but I liked the music and enjoyed the Noguchi sets and costumes. Thought Gordon was excellent, and preferred him to Garcia whom I saw last year. However, I also saw Orpheus Wednesday night so ...

Baryshnikov around 6:40 jumps on every fourth turn in second. I do recall seeing Woetzel doing that in Western.

It would be great to see the entire Villella Apollo. My own favorites are Martins, Baryshnikov, and Boal.

Thank you, Vipa. I'll also be in NY seeing the same program except on Oct. 11 and 12. I'm really eager to know who will be dancing T&V. I'm hoping Peck and Gordon. Can't wait either!

He was a thrilling dancer! I'd never seen his Apollo and enjoyed the film you linked to above. Would love to have seen his Albrecht too.

abatt said: That casting of Apollo in the third week with Chan and the All Tall Girl muses should be great. Surprised that Taylor Stanley is not doing Apollo. And do they really need to put Unity in as the lead in two consecutive ballets in one night (Terpsichore followed by Sleepwalker). The Apollo casting sounds stupendous! Agree about Phelan, as much as I like her, I'd prefer to see a different dancer in Sonnambula.

Quiggin said: Added: Villella's Apollo, with its incredibly pure lines, is also available here and there (it's part of a television documentary on V). Might give an idea of what his Prodigal Son was like. Will look for that Apollo! The two people having the discussion about Villella's Prodigal had both seen him dance it, one in mid-sixties, one in 1970. We were marveling that it was so difficult to find even a one minute clip of Villella in the iconic jump .

Thank you very much! What a find, and fascinating to hear Balanchine's own words about the ballet.