cpaolucci

Thank you! This is a big help. Of course, I am having trouble getting through to a live person at Boston Ballet, but now I know where to look!!!

I would like to get in touch with Frank DeVita. I was told he was a Cecchetti teacher. If anyone knows him, or where I can find him, would you please pass on my information, or let me know. I would truly appreciate any help, as I have had no luck in finding him. Thank you.

I would like to thank you all for calling me on my observation regarding the performance I saw in Boston on Saturday. I have followed Boston Ballet for twenty years I have always been a supporter of the company and a fan of Jennifer Gelfand, having been particuarly inspired by her work ethic and artistic growth. I saw one isolated performance, and it was my first time seeing the company under it's new director.(I flew in specifically to see this show.) Everything about the production was excellent, and I am very impressed with how technically proficient the entire company is, and it is much more now than it ever was. I guess I should have said all this before but it was my observation and I am glad to hear other's feedback. I was not intentionally making an inappropriate "dig" at the dancers. What I saw was a difference between the "old" company (Jennifer) and the new dancers.... The company has alot to offer and I hope I get to see more performances. I also recently saw Suzanne Farrell Ballet in both it's Tallahassee performances. I have been seeing that company since it's inception. This might be another opinion, but I feel all of those dancers are very individual in style and technique and it is a pleasure to watch each ballet, no matter how many times I see it. That company reminds me of the old Boston Ballet. Each performance seems different, and never calculated in interpretation. I particuarly enjoy seeing how the dancers that have been with Ms. Farrell's company for a few seasons have progressed in their artistry and musicality.

Jennifer Gelfand danced her final Boston Ballet performance as she always dances...she has true expression , style, musicality and taste. She is not stiff, which makes her stick out because no one in the present company has any personality.

Les Mains Gauches will be danced (by an alternate cast) on Saturday May 10th, 7pm at The Dance Gallery. Dance on a Shoestring. Also on the prgraom is Tudor's Little Improvisations.

I think that Leigh's commentary on the Tudor ballets and the thoughtful questions he asked are important. Why did Tudor do it that way? Yes, Les Mains Gauches is a slight piece (to quote Jack Anderson, today, on-line in the NYTimes) why were the costumes that way (based on the original)? Why did the lovers jete off into different wings after it seemed clear they were going to be together? I wonder if the public had the chance to read a review, would they go to see the production? They might find it intriguing that there was a piece reconstructed from a silent video over fifty years later. There are obvious reasons why the ballet was only danced at Jacob's Pillow in 1951, but that doesn't mean the piece was altogether bad. I was told that Tudor was given his first bad review only once, earlier on in his choreographic career, and never choreographed again, I think until the 80's with The Leaves are Fading. Is this true?

Hi Leigh, I appreciate your reply...I was hoping you would so we can spark some discussion on this. I know that reviews aren't for the dancer, and I am not looking for feedback on performance quality, but do you think the public is jipted out of what is going on in smaller theaters? For instance, they don't have to only go to ABT to see a Tudor ballet...sit further away and spend more money on a ticket. Or what about the smaller companies that are producing works by lesser known choreographers? Do they only have to see the pieces by "named" choreographers? There is alot of creative stuff happening in the smaller houses.

As a dancer in New York Theatre Ballet's recent production of Tudor ballets, I have been contemplating a question and would love some feedback regarding the matter. NYTB produced this concert not to sell tickets or to appeal to the masses with lots of crowd-pleasing choreography, sets and costumes, but to expose NY audiences to some ballets that are not seen often. The evenings were an homage to Tudor and in celebration of a few ballets he made. Whether they are well-known such as Jardin, or rare like Fandango, or even lost like Les Mains Gauches, audiences were given the opportunity to see the ballets in one evening. They were also exposed to the great legacy Sallie Wilson posseses in preserving the ballets and staging them, almost all from memory, being the Tudor protege that she is. Why is it that with every major or up and coming NY dance critic in the audience, (some coming to more than one perofrmance) that there has been only one printed review? Does it seem like critics are not in support of small ballet companies? Any review, in my opinion, is a good review and can be used for numerous reasons. I feel that small dance companies need the feedback. It seems like only major companies are reported on. Is it political? I am curoius. Anyway, I was honored to be a part of the entire process and feel that preserving the ballets and giving our audiences a chance to glimpse into Mr. Tudor's world is an event that I was proud to be apart of.