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duffster

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Everything posted by duffster

  1. Rudolf Nureyev for his intensity and commitment to the art. Anthony Dowell for his elegant line. I know there is some video out there of his solo variation from Act 1 of Swan Lake that I thought was beautiful. I also admired Laurent Hilaire for his elegant virtuosity.
  2. Maya Plisetskaya was my first favorite ballerina. As a dance student I saw a wonderful film about her. Her Dying Swan was unforgettable! I also admired Antoinette Sibley, her performances with Anthony Dowell were just magical.
  3. It is so true that dancers in a company class, stand somewhat according to rank. I remember in the center, starting with the adagio some principals, would take the same spot for years. Also some dancers would stake their claim, as to where they would stand at the barre. Pity the new dancer looking for an unclaimed spot there. I think every dancer goes through this, almost as a rite of passage. These things seem so trivial now but at that time,they were very important!
  4. Pennsylvania Ballet did perform The Duel in the late 60's and early 70's. I remember it being danced by Barbara Sandonato and her husband [the now deceased Alexie Yudenich] I was in the school at the time. It was beautifully done and quite moving. I'm surprised that more companies have not performed it.
  5. I had the honor of working with Mr. Franklin several years ago in Washington DC. He never used any notes when setting a ballet, it was all from his memory. He had hilarious stories about the Ballet Russes. His classes were very tough but gave you the strength needed to survive the one night stands. I asked him once what his most difficult ballet was to perform, he told me it was The Red Poppy. Compliments from him were not given freely. Once I was thrown on as the pigtail girl in Graduation Ball and thought that I had ruined the performance. While getting on the bus after the show, to go back to the hotel, Freddie was sitting there and said to me -very good! That was a moment I will always treasure.
  6. I agree it took alot of courage for Sophie Flack to speak about her situation. In a ballet company you are totally at the mercy of the director's opinion about you. It is a shame she was not shown more respect - 9 years in a company is a long time. How painful to finish the season alongside your colleagues that have a job and you have lost yours. I wish her all the best in the future.
  7. Thanks Dale and Jack for this info about Violette. I was one of the fortunate ones to receive a Ford Foundation scholarship awarded by her. I believe that because of this award I was able to have a professional career. My parents did not want me to be a dancer. However years later they became very proud that I did.
  8. What drove me ,in the past, to see a performance, were specific dancers. I remember traveling to see the Royal with Nureyev, also Sibley and Dowell. Nowadays, as a former dancer, it would be the repetoire- also to see my former company.
  9. I loved the dancers but I could not persevere in watching it. I tried, I really tried. I think the costumes got to me. A moving crayola box .
  10. Thank you Leonid! When I was a member of the National Ballet of Washington, Dame Margot guested with us quite frequently in Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.She always would talk to me, which at first made me very nervous, however her charm put me completely at ease. She would take company class with us, watch us from the wings and after the end of her tour with us, gave a dinner party for the company. She was the perfect hostess. I remember her walking up to my table -I was sitting with another company member- and asking if she could join us. So I had the honor of sharing not only dinner, but her charming conversations about every subject except ballet. She had a tremendous sense of humor. Once after coming off stage after a variation in the last act of Beauty, she startled me by saying- "that was lovely, but I think you should burn the gloves!" The costume was a very bright orange tutu with full-length orange gloves. I think I wore them for only a few more performances after that. I had forgotten about all of these memories until I had read Leonid's tribute. Also thank you BT for your interesting topics!
  11. After stopping dancing professionally, I did not see a live performance for fifteen years. Changing careers is not easy, so I think the reason for the lapse was my total involvement in my new job. I still would watch ballet videos and read all of the magazines on dance. What brought me back, was an invite to an anniversary reunion of my former company which included a performance of a robbins ballet. I now try to go to performances when I can. I think I enjoy watching dance with a less critical eye after such a long time. Even some of the ballets in which I performed. I do get annoyed sometimes, that I can't go to see the companies during their seasons because of my job commitments. I wonder if this qualifies me as being a sort of balletomane.
  12. After the Harkness Ballet folded-in the 70's-Marina Eglevsky and Sal Aiello invited some of the dancers from the company, to dance in some performances with the Eglevsky Ballet. It was wonderful, as it kept some of us working until we were fortunate to find work in other companies. [ How I wish the dancers of today could have the same opportunity! ] We performed many Balanchine pieces, Glinka pas de trois, Minkus pas de trois, A la Francaix, also Les Sylphides, Pas de Quatre and Les Patineurs. Fernando Bujones had his debut with Gelsey Kirkland doing Don Q pas. We would rehearse all day with Andre at his studio in Massapequa, then all of us would go to his home for a magnificent dinner hosted by he and his wife Leda. Such wonderful memories!
  13. Ekaterina was the first ballerina I ever saw in a live performance. I was 11 yrs old. She was dancing in a fulllength Don Q with her husband Vasiliev. I still remember to this day, her tremendous warmth and joy in her dancing. Ekaterina RIP
  14. I enjoyed dancing in: Les Sylphides, Raymonda Variations, Stars and Stripes and Serenade. The russian section in Serenade was especially tough stamina wise. My special favorite, although not really a corps role, was in Lilac Garden. It has a very special atmosphere, unlike any other ballet I had performed in. I still feel privleged to have been cast in it.
  15. I enjoyed dancing a Wili in Giselle. Allegro Brilliante and Scotch Symphony were my Balanchine favorites. Swan Lake was the most challenging, being a cygnet was fun.
  16. amy You are right the first Forsythe was performed in 1988 it was Steptext It was listed in Pennsylvania Ballet's 40th anniversary program My apologies to all!
  17. Is this PaB's first Forsythe? Yes Carbro,This is PAB's first Forsythe.
  18. duffster

    welcome

    thank you for your kind reply and your interest about my background in dance. I started to study ballet locally in suburban pennsylvania with a teacher named Ursula Melita. I was awarded a Ford Foundation scholarship to the School of the Pennsylvania Ballet by Violette Verdy and danced with the company as an apprentice,all through high school. I auditioned for the Harkness Ballet and was made a trainee by Patricia Wilde. I later became a member of the company.This was the first company ,our principals included Larry Rhodes and Helgi Tommasson. After the company folded in europe, I was invited to join the National Ballet of Washington as a soloist, with Freddie Frankiin and Ben Stevenson as directors. Sadly that company folded as well. I was invited by Ben Harkarvy ,then director of the Pennsylvania Ballet,to return to the company where I ended my professional career.I taught locally for a few years , then as fate would have it I was hired by Estee Lauder.They felt that because of my experience with stage makeup ,I would have some of the skills required to work with them. Presently I am a counter-business manager with them.They are a challenging and wonderful company to work for. I am happy to have joined Ballet Talk as I do not have much contact with the dance world-because of my job-however I try to see Penna. Ballet when I can. I hope this reply is not too long winded but I still get excited talking about dance.Also my computer skills are at the kindergarden level. All the best to you. Duffster
  19. duffster

    welcome

    hi everyone, happy to be here. from duffster new member
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