Farrell Fan

One of the greatest of all Italian tenors is dead at 86.

Interesting observation, thanks. The phenomenon of the farewell performance at NYCB began with the farewells of of Patricia MacBride and Suzanne Farrell. But even after those landmark occasions, some important dancers were allowed to slip away uncelebrated. I'm thinking in particular of Maria Calegari and Bart Cook.

This is something I've wondered about, too. Years ago on the crosstown bus to Lincoln Center, my wife asked the question of Delia Peters, a wonderful dancer who spent her entire long and memorable career in the NYCB corps. After thinking about it for a while, Delia shrugged eloquently and said "I dunno." Perhaps others have some thoughts.

It was easy, all I had to do was type in the letter writer's name -- Bettijane Sills.

There's a brief, pointed letter to the NY Times today by Bettijane Sills. It's about Times columnists vs Hillary Clinton, and though I agree completely with it, I know to keep politics out of our discussions here. Just want to say that when I looked up Ms. Sills on the internet to see what she is up to these days (she is a professor at Purchase College) I was led to a discussion on Ballet Talk titled "corps dancers we love as if they were stars." It made my day.

And I can't let any extremely favorable reference to Shaun O'Brien pass without seconding it. Mel's post reminded me that in the days when the NYCB Guild trip to Saratoga Springs sometimes included a visit to Shaun's home, he told my wife and me of a party he'd recently given for the company, at which Peter Martins had seen an old photo of Shaun and remarked, "I didn't know you were a classical dancer." Recalling the incident, Shaun simply shook his head. He apparently had taken great pride in his classical technique.

I am scheduled to see this tomorrow night and look forward to it. I've seen it at least half-a-dozen times over the years and don't disagree with Michael's description of it as "terribly dark and moving." But it is also filled with charm and nostalgia for a bygone America. The early scenes in particular are almost Norman Rockwellian in their sunny "morning in America" quality. But things do turn tragic soon enough, and I am thrilled to hear it is getting such a good performance.

A nice surprise -- thank you, Aurora.

From Alistair Macaulay's review of "Divertimento from 'La Baiser de la Fee," NY Times, 2/9/08: "Watching this, as so often when watching the Balanchine repertory, I think it is reasonable to suggest that Balanchine and Beckett were the two supreme dramatists of the 20th century."

drb, you are such a wit that I can't tell whether your reference to Wheeldon's "Rocco Variations" is simply a typo or some sly allusion to yesterday's raid by the authorities on the Gambino family.

The complaint (from the New York City Opera) has always been that NOT ENOUGH sound reaches the audience from the stage.

I have no direct knowledge of this, other than watching him dance, but it seems to me that in the seven years since he was still a promising teenager at SAB, Daniel Ulbricht has gotten a bit taller. Certainly he has grown considerably in artistic stature.

I remember the latter three the best, and was particularly fond of Govrin, "Big Glo." I"m distressed to say that if I ever saw Suzanne in the part, I don't remember.

I saw Daniel Ulbricht's Prodigal Son Tuesday night, and want to add my bravos to those biblically initiated by drb. Comparisons have been made to Baryshnikov in the role and, while these are no doubt warranted, for me, THE Prodigal Son will always be Edward Villella, and in Danny's performance I saw the second coming of Eddie -- from the audience's audible gasp at his first jump to his heartbreaking return home. I too look forward to his increasing mastery of this signature NYCB role, as well as to Teresa Reichlen's powerful Siren.

I'm looking forward to Nancy Goldner's book. At the same time, it brings up the perennial question of what happened to Arlene Croce's book.

I've enjoyed all three ballets Mauro Bigonzetti has choreographed for NYCB. I think one reason is that he's Italian, and I am an Italian chauvinist. (I use the word in its original sense.) My parents and grandparents came to America from Sicily in the early years of the twentieth century, so I was naturally caught up in "Oltremare," although to tell the truth, I wasn't always sure what Bigonzetti had in mind. There seemed to be some spousal abuse going on aboard that ship, and I wondered if that's what the northerner Bigonzetti considered the norm for his southern co-nationals. Be that as it may, Bigonzetti chooses the cream of NYCB dancers and they go all-out for him. But I think the main reason I like his works is the music of Bruno Moretti. Theatrical and evocative, it as essential to a Bigonzetti ballet as that of Nino Rota was to a Fellini film. And I was pleased that the audience was as enthusiastic for "Oltremare" as for the earlier "Vespro" and "In Vento."

Nowadays we might say that Mazo was "embedded" with the company. His book was published in 1974 and is especially valuable for its glimpses of NYCB corps members, among them the incomparable Delia Peters. Unfortunately, the book was written during the time Suzanne Farrell was away from NYCB.

In Dancing for Mr. B, Mary Ellen Moylan recalls visiting Balanchine in the hospital toward the end of his life when he no longer spoke much. But she chould see he remembered her and "forgave me for leaving his aegis." It is greatly moving.

Thanks for the loving review, drb. What of the paternal Capulet slap that reverberated through the pages of the New York Times last year? Has it been toned down at all?

sz is right on. This Friday night's "Jewels" was infinitely more enjoyable than last Friday night's, in all three sections. I think that in addition to the committed cast, much credit belongs to Maurice Kaplow, who led a wonderful performance.

I'm glad you're back too, drb, and you too, bobbi. :blush:

The film contrasts life in New York City, where Jock hobnobbed with the likes of Andy Warhol, to that on the reservation (lots of imposing scenery), where not much ever happened. Jock preferred the big city and, as a consequence, stayed away from his Arizona roots for something like twenty years. I wish the film had gotten into a little more detail about that and about why he finally returned and reunited with his extended family. Life as a star of NYCB was not all glamor by any means. There is a somewhat startling sequence where toward the end of his dancing days, Jock is reduced to tears contemplating his numerous aches and pains, injuries and infirmities. I was reminded of the 1968 documentary, "Man Who Dances," about Edward Villella. Having done nothing else in his life, Jock was eager to do something different from ballet. His great achievement was to graduate from the Culinary Institute of New York. In the scene where he holds up his graduation certificate, the audience at the State Theater broke into heartfelt applause. But ballet is still the dominant part of Jock's life. He is a full-time teacher at SAB, and no sooner had he retired, than Peter Martins prevailed upon him to portray Capulet in his production of Romeo + Juliet. We all might wish for greater emphasis on this or that aspect of Jock's life and career, but the film is well-worth seeing no matter where one is coming from. A special treat for the audience at the State Theater was that it was introduced by Wendy Whelan, who received a tumuluous and prolonged ovation.

That would be "Rodeo." It meets all the criteria.

The circus ballet Arizona Native alludes to is "Circus Polka." It uses the music Stravinsky composed at Balanchine's request for young elephants. In this latter incarnation, the choreography is by Jerome Robbins and the dancers are 48 little girls and a ringmaster. It is performed only on special occasions. As for Robbins's"Dances at a Gathering," there is whimsy to be sure, but the ballet is also romantic and dramatic, though it tells no explicit story. I think the funniest ballet ever choreographed is also by Jerome Robbins -- "The Concert."

I found the spirit of "Rubies" largely missing. Perhaps the fault was in Karoui's conducting. Normally I like what the orchestra does for him, but there was a lack of excitement, tension, and musical playfulness in the Stravinsky last night which washed out the whole thing for me. I agree with Michael about "Diamonds." The last couple of times I've seen "Jewels" it's provided a nice climax to the evening, and it certainly did last night in the performances of Whelan and Neal. But after gasping with pleasure at the decor for "Emeralds," the audience attended quietly througout the movement and remained quiet when it was over. Some of us veteran applauders had all we could do bring out the dancers for a single curtain call. I thought Bouder was fine, but all-in-all, this seemed to me one of the most tepid performances of "Jewels" I've seen at NYCB in forty years.