sandik

A scooter? Really? A scooter? I can understand some people wanting to leave once the curtain is down, especially those who have to deal with tight transportation schedules, but the idea of rolling through the theater on a scooter just seems dangerous to me.

Massine can be a bit tricky to find -- not too many companies dance his work, and so it doesn't surface on many new videos. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. Believe it or not, The Red Shoes is a good resource -- Massine choreographed most of the Red Shoes ballet, and appears in the film as the ballet master, which gives you a sense of his own physicality. One of his best known works is Gaite Parisienne, and there is an intriguing DVD of this work, performed by the Ballet Russe between 1944-54. You need to beware that this film was edited together from footage taken over the course of several years, so that performers will switch in the midst of the work -- this is not a through-performed example. It is, however, one of the best examples of Danilova's work (as the glove seller), alongside Frederick Franklin (as the Baron) and Leon Daniellian (the Peruvian). It's a fabulous documentation of their style -- one that we don't see much of currently. http://www.dancehorizons.com/store/product...051&cID=102 These are some of the most 'authentic' works I've been able to track down. If you have access to the New York Public Library dance collection, you might search out a Dance in America video that the Joffrey made in the 1970's -- it has excerpts from Massine's Parade, including the acrobats duet and the Chinese conjuerer's solo (off the top of my head I can't remember if there is footage of the two managers, or just photographs)

I'm very sorry not to be seeing Moore in this role -- I've seen Poretta and Foster once each, and will see Foster again on Thursday. They do indeed have very different approaches to the work, and I see strengths and weaknesses in each one. This is the third Sacre I've seen here this year (Shen Wei and the Petronio company both did their versions earlier in the season) and it strikes me how much baggage this score brings to any dancework. I love the music and know it quite well, but it does feel like an incredibly risky step to choreograph with this score. (tangentially, in a post-show q&a, Boal said that Fenley was obsessed with the history of the work, and that she often felt that Nijinsky was in the studio with her when she was making her version). I can't think of another version of Sacre that doesn't end with a death -- Fenley has created a journey, but not a sacrifice, or at least not a mortal sacrifice. The soloist endures great trials, but he/she emerges at the end by taking a step forward, into the light. It's an engaging moment all on its own -- in the context of this score, this dance, this historic artifact, it's an exceptionally daring choice.

Thanks for the heads-up -- I will scamper over and listen.

Yes, well, in a post-show Q&A this week Boal hinted that there might be other retirements besides Barker and Maraval, at the end of this season.

Well, Edwin Denby, who is a model for a significant number of dance writers, used to say "Don't tell me what you think, tell me what you saw."

Alongside Patricia Barker's retirement at the end of this season, Christophe Maraval recently announced that he will be leaving the company at the end of the season, moving to Montreal and a teaching position with Ballet Divertimento de Montreal. He's performing in the upcoming Stravinsky rep, and the June 9 evening performance will be dedicated to him (he'll be doing Symphony in Three Movements and a piece d'occasion pas de deux choreographed by Peter Boal. I'm very sad to see him go -- I've loved watching him dance and was hoping for at least a couple more years, but there it is.

Well, he's already been here to Seattle, so he's starting to clock in the frequent flyer miles.

I often get teary when I see really good work. It doesn't necessarily have to do with the theme or storyline of the work -- I'll cry at Dark Elegies, and at the end of Four Temperaments.

The reference is to the school -- originally in a strip mall and mostly offering little kid classes, and now in their swankier digs. The company did quite a big of regional touring in the 70s and into the 80s, but that slowed down when money got tight. Russell and Stowell felt strongly that if anyone was going, everyone was going -- they didn't like to send smaller contingents. Boal is fine with this -- I think he would rather tour with the full company, but realizes that's a major event and won't happen very frequently. This last year they went to NYC (Fall for Dance), Jacob's Pillow and some semi-private events in Arizona. This coming summer they're going to the Aspen Festival and in the summer of 2008 will be part of the Regional Ballet festival at the Kennedy Center. I think there are some additional trips planned -- those are just the ones on the top of my head. Vancouver BC is a wonderful city (yes the Chinese food is great, but that's just a tiny part of it) -- it's helpful to remember that it's one of the more temperate parts of Canada, so in many ways it functions for them as California does for the US. The ethnic mix is lively, the public transportation is quite good, like Seattle it has good access to outdoor stuff (skiing, water sports, etc), a couple of universities -- these are all elements that usually come into play in these kinds of ranking surveys. They spent a chunk of money on their infrastructure in the 1980s to prepare for Expo 84 (I think 84, maybe 86?), got another big infusion with Hong Kong immigrants in the 1990s, and are in the middle of another building push for the 2008 Winter Olympics.

Just a fast note to say that I was in Portland over the weekend, watching Oregon Ballet Theater, and saw Batkhurel Bold in Christopher Stowell's Eyes on You, which is a mostly charming romp set to music by Cole Porter. He was very technically adept, as always, but the treat was in seeing how animated his performance was. I saw several smiles, lots of flirting and some very convincing shimmying.

Damn. Between this, Michael Smuin and Kitty Carlisle Hart, it seems that we've lost a bright handful of people lately.

sandik, perhaps I'm in a time wrap, but isn't Inlets in Program A? You're right -- I'm wrong. Inlets and Remembrances in the same program.

You'll just have to wait until next year when PNB gets Upper Room.

I've seen A and B so far, and I'm writing for publication, so can't say too much right now, but thought that people might want to take a look at this article by Alistair Macaulay on Cunningham, since we just saw Inlets II in the B program. He speaks to a point I've been grappling with for awhile -- that Cunningham has, over his long, long career, really stayed at the edge of the artform, without really seeming to break a sweat about it. Macaulay on Cunningham

The entire post is at The Winger. Scroll down a bit.And, here's what they have so far on the company website: Morphoses. The Wheeldon Company I've missed following this -- does anyone know what Michael Clark work they're going to be performing?

Arpino is stepping down in July and they're just starting their search now (mid-April)? That's an extremely accelerated schedule. When Pacific Northwest Ballet embarked on their search for a new AD I did some research about other companies who'd had similar experiences, and I don't really remember anyone trying to turn the whole thing around in 3-4 months...

Ah -- the Wilis as the ultimate Mean Girls!

Ah, where's Scotty when you need him? "Set phasers to 'stun'."

There were quite a lot of flexed feet when I was studying baroque dance, especially in gestures during jumping.

The dance historian part of me raises her hand... In 1966 a group of Bell Lab engineers worked with choreographers and composers on one of the most influential events in the development of post-modern dance, "9 Evenings: Experiments in Art and Technology" Some of the work was cheerfully chaotic, the engineers contributing what in essence were special effects for what was often minimalist choreography, but some of it was a true collaboration, where the investigations of the physical world came from both scientific and the aesthetic perspectives. As they say, "everyone was there," and they had a fabulous time. look here and here

It might just be a coincidence that there are articles about both companies in today's links section (3/28), but I'm wondering if there are any connections. It's not just the "LA isn't a ballet town" thing I think -- it's probably more of the "mid-sized companies are doomed to fiscal chaos" thing, but with Ohio Ballet closing up shop last year I'm afraid we need to tread lightly around all medium-sized ensembles...

I saw the Matthew Bourne "Play Without Words" here a couple years ago up in the nosebleed seats and had no trouble with sightlines or obstructions. It seemed like a pretty functional place, though I was glad that my hotel was nearby and I didn't have to negotiate the traffic to get there.

I'm glad to hear good things of this, since I have a great deal of fondness for the books, and also for the television programs. There is indeed a difference between sentimental and gooey!

I don't know about this event specifically, but fundraising events often have shorter performances, all the better to schmooze during the reception, I guess.