sandik

Thanks for the heads-up on this -- I'll look for the DVD.

My commiserations on your front row seat. I was just a few rows back, behind a very tall gentleman with very wide hair, so I watched quite a bit of the program as you might watch a tennis game. I wasn't able to review the program -- my paper doesn't want to run reviews unless the program is still on when the paper comes out, so I'm very limited in my review opportunities. Some random thoughts. I've liked the Forsythe I've seen so far, but am curious to see some of the "not for export" work -- I understand it's very different than the works he's made for other companies. Second Detail seemed a bit more conventional than some of his more recent work set on other companies, but I was pleased to see it. I'm still trying to reconcile the stage work with the information on his CD-ROM, but I do think he's working in a particular kind of post-modern response to neo-classical ballet. This was the first time I'd seen anything by Russell Malliphant, and although he seems to have real skill at making movement phrases, I had trouble following some of the overall development of the work. I'd like to see it again, though. The Lyon performance of Jardi Tancant felt more grounded and harsher than the last time I saw it with Pacific Northwest Ballet, though that could be partially because it was a last-minute substitute for the Kylian Symphony of Psalms. It felt a bit less dancey and more personal, and makes me wonder what it looks like on Duato's own company. On a more petty level, I was peeved that there wasn't any casting information in the program -- I wanted to know who was dancing what. I also thought it was odd that there wasn't any information about the company itself or the director, but the presenter works with a significant number of different groups over the season and it's probably more than they can handle to get into more detail for any one event.

I agree with Alexandra -- traditional ballets are a much easier "sell" here than either modern dance or "contemporary" ballet. There are all kinds of elements that go into this preference, but it's definitely noticeable. And yes, I'd be interested in seeing some new ballets too!

I just finished printing this out so I could keep it around. Cunningham has been making dances for so long, I think that sometimes it's easy to forget exactly how radical his processes still are. Even today, there are few choreographers who are so comfortable with chaos and so willing to let things happen and just see what transpires.

Thanks so much -- I was a bit disconcerted when I couldn't find anything in the program about him.

I was at the same performance, though I think I liked much of it better than Helene, but I was wondering about the director, Yorgos Loukos. There was nothing in the program about him, or about the history of the company -- could you tell me a bit about his background, and about the background of the ensemble.

A sidebar. These are actually called "winkies," and they are collectibles, for those who treasure odd things.

The transition from "the founder does everything" to a more diffused structure is tricky, and has been a fatal process for several groups, but it has been many years since DTH has been small enough for that kind of administration to be efficient. I'm very concerned about the company, both for the current group, and for the long-term life of the institution, but it sounds like they have no choice.

I hope that they're able to tour with these, while they're out and around waiting for their theater to get rennovated. There's not a lot of Massine available currently, and I'd be very curious to see how they perform them.

Well, if there's a change the presenter hasn't said anything to the local press yet. I'm assuming they're bringing R&J as well as DonQ

An items in the news clips section mentioned that the Bolshoi would be doing a Massine triple bill in their upcoming season -- does anyone know which ballets?

Casting for the first week of the ballet is up on the PNB website. http://www.pnb.org/season/rj-casting.html

I'm handicapped by not remembering which film people have already been honored, but I have to say that Beatty seems like an odd choice. Some excellent work, and some really stilly stuff. "(They did induct Lynn Fontanne on her own, but Alfred Lunt was dead and so probably did not feel snubbed.)" Well, we can't really know that... "And why no one from the world of dance?" That is the $64,000 question.!

Could someone tell me please who the choreographer is for Barker's solo "Neither Do I" Thanks!

Oh, absolutely. One of the things I treasure about the Internet is that it's opened up so many more opportunities for marginalized writers to speak up. As print publications fall away, or cut their dance coverage, and established dance writers find themselves jostling for space, I'm glad that this venue continues open. I've seen a bit of the work they dismiss, and although it's not in my top ten (if I even have one) it's thoughtful and usually well-crafted. But it's always the case that if it's not your taste, no matter what it is, you're pleased to see the back of it.

Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. The house style on this site is indeed very lively, which makes for a fun read, but I'm not sure that the problem they describe here deserves the level of vitriol it gets. At its core, they're complaining because a group of mainstream choreographers continue to make work in their own style. They may feel that these artists have stopped developing, which would be an interesting discussion, but the sense I get is that authors just don't like their work. They also seemed miffed because some teachers insist on spending a long time on relatively simple actions (perhaps because the students aren't doing them as the teachers would like.) The short life-span of most dance careers tends to keep us on perpetual lookout for the next new thing, and I can understand how someone might get antsy at a slower pace, but rather than invite older or more established artists to fall on their swords, no matter how zippy an image that is, perhaps they should keep looking for work that resonantes with their own aesthetic. I can't say that I'm that enthused about every I see right now, but I know that things will shift soon enough, and other work will emerge. I can't make the new (fill in blank with your own preference for geniuses past) appear, but I can keep looking, and in the meantime try to see what others do in the work in front of me. sandik (aka Pollyanna!)

Is there anyone still around who knows some of the Kinch rep?

Visas continue to be a bear all over -- the presenter attached to the University of Washington here had to find a replacement for a Cuban company scheduled for this fall when they were denied entry.

I'm just riffing from memory right now, but it seems to me that Tudor works frequently get lukewarm reviews in Britain. Am I hallucinating, or does anyone else have this perception?

I've read so much about Christopher Wheeldon as the next savior of ballet that I'm getting a bit fried by it all, but this makes me want to hear a bit more -- why do you say this?

An Avian Evening Firebird The Two Pigeons Swan Lake White/Black pas de deux

I watched this in the same way that you look at a traffic accident -- you know you really should look away but you can't help yourself. I have great difficulty anticipating judging in gymnastics on a good day, since my taste varies so widely from the accepted style, but this did seem out of kilter. Whether the crowd reaction "forced" the change in score or just rode on the same momentum is hard to say, but I felt extremely sorry for Paul Hamm waiting for his turn as the crowd in the hall continued to boo. Nemerov seemed quite diplomatic -- I've no idea what he's actually like, but at that moment he was closer to the idea of an "Olympic athlete" than many of the participants I've seen.

Without going into the cliche aspect of "tortured artist," I appreciated the distinction that Bentley points out in her letter -- Robbins was greatly acclaimed for his accomplishments on Broadway, and yet chose to work next to Balanchine. He held himself to very high standards, and put himself in the position to be reminded of how high standards could go.

Thank you. Like Nanatchka, I'm posting this here and on alt.arts.ballet. It seems strange to use this verb, but Tom Parsons was one of the first people I “met” online, back in the early Usenet days before alt.arts.ballet was spun off of rec.arts.dance. I’d started reading the list when a student told me about it, and at the beginning it felt rather voyeuristic, but as I began to associate names and ideas Tom was one of the first individuals to come into focus for me -- he was smart, and verbal, and willing to admit that he could learn more about the art form that seems to obsess us all. Back then this world could easily devolve into snipe fighting or geeky one-upsmanship. Tom obviously knew his way around the technology and the language, and he didn’t seem to tolerate nitwittery, but he was always courteous if you were seriously trying to explain your point of view. I was surprised and flattered when he asked if he might include a couple paragraphs I’d written on Labanotation in his burgeoning FAQ, and I was always happy to contribute what I could. When my son was born and I became an at-home parent, the alt.arts.ballet newsgroup was a way I could keep talking about dance without having to leave the house, and I became very fond of that cast of characters, chief among them Tom. As the internet world grew, that connection became looser, and although I was still always interested in what he had to say, I didn’t always participate as avidly in the conversation. He continued to be a cordial and witty correspondent, though, and in losing him, the general level of intelligence and civility in my world goes down a little. I always liked the quotations that popped up in his online signature. Several of them have been pinned up over my monitor, but this is my favorite: If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. Chesterton I continue to do worthwhile things badly, remembering Tom Parsons.

Oh this is such an incredibly juicy topic -- I need to mull it over, but have some disconnected thoughts. I'm biased, I supposed, because I think I wouldn't be doing what I do (writing about dance in Seattle) without him. Both in the metaphorical and literal sense, D took dance "on the road" -- leaving a relatively secure place and bringing the art form to people who would otherwise have never seen it. He started a process that has, I believe, spread the art form far from the traditional dance centers, creating dance communities in cities across the world, including my home town. I think his influence can be seen all aspects of contemporary dance forms (not just ballet) in terms of programming, marketing, training, and choreography. You can argue that the times made Diaghilev just as much as he made the times, but I think that without him, we would be living in a significantly different dance world.