Farrell Fan

But yes. in the old days, the emphasis was on the choreographer, one G.B.

After numerous postcards, letters, notes, and greeting cards over the years, my correspondence with Suzanne Farrell recently took a new and different turn: we exchanged e-mails.

I can't resist adding a true story I think I've posted before, about a woman who attended NYCB's "Nutcracker" every year and when asked about possibly subscribing to NYCB, said, "I don't like ballet."

Thank you for your translations of these notes, Cristian. Let me say, as a long-time devotee of Ms. Farrell, how much I am struck by and admire your devotion to Mme. Alonzo.

First of all, apologies, particularly to nysusan, who was understandably distressed at the information I posted sometime back that the screening of Don Q at the Performing Arts Library was not open to the public but was by invitation only. This information turned out to be erroneous, but since nobody at the library is likely to apologize, I will. I hope I didn't talk anyone out of going today. There were seats available when I got there and I walked right in and took one. Shortly after that many more became available, when the seats that had been "reserved for the press" were released. One rap (not Richard) on Balanchine's Don Q has been that there's not enough dancing. This film seems loaded with dances and wonderful dancers -- the Rigaudon Flamenco with Gloria Govrin and Arthur Mitchell; the pas de deux Mauresque, Suki Schorer and John Prinz; the Danza della Caccia with the trio of Patricia Neary, Conrad Ludlow, and Kent Stowell. What dancers these were! Today's NYCB isn't as good -- honest. The scenes between Balanchine and Farrell made my eyes mist more than once. What the film loses is the procession of knights and prelates in the last act -- it's just too dark at that point to tell what's going on. But Farrell is as magnificent as remembered, in every scene she's in. When it comes to Mr. B's Don Quixote, some things never change. A few audience members walked out long before the end.

I called the Performing Arts Library at about three this afternoon, and the woman who answered the phone said that indeed this was open to the public and to get there around twenty after five. Wish me luck.

I agree with Adam and his friends -- specifically with their first interpretation. I also have a taxi story. A few years ago when I came to Washington for the Suzanne Farrell season, my cab driver from Union Station to the hotel asked me what I'd be doing in Washington. When I told him, he couldn't contain his laughter. "You came to Washington for the BALLET?!? HA HA Ho Ho Ha! Now it occurs to me that, like that in the Garfield cartoon, his laughter was open to more than one interpretation. On the general subject of what the pop culture thinks of ballet, my opinion is -- why should we care?

Pat McBride was a friend of Tanaquil Le Clercq's and spoke at the memorial service held at the NY State Theater. There was a bit of a stir in the audience when she was introduced, possibly caused by those surprised at how much Patty McBride had changed.

Sounds to me like Peter Martins is going to be mad at The New Yorker again. Whom can he fire this time?

Now with Jennifer Dunning's Times article of Sunday, Sept 16. we have yet another printed reference to "a public screening" of this film on Sept. 18. I feel I should say something since I posted the original info (quoting my phone call to the the NYPL) that this event was not open to the public. What can I say? There has never been a notice of it on the NYPL calendar. So I don't really know what the press's "open to the public" means in this circumstance, with a 200-seat house. If it means what it appears to mean, there should be a monstrous mob scene outside the Bruno Walter Auditorium

Conrad Ludlow, a NYCB dancer in days of yore, and one of its most-acclaimed partners ever, had prominent ears which used to distract my wife, although they didn't bother me. When longer hair for men became fashionable, Mr. Ludlow got a nice haircut which covered his ears and the issue disappeared.

Okay. bart. Since I'm of a certain age, or maybe even past it, I just ordered this book from our Amazon connection, on your recommendation. Thanks.

Speaking of 18th Century literature makes me think of Tristram Shandy, written by Lauremce Sterne between 1759 and 1767. Has anyone here read it? Or even attempted it? It will demolish forever whatever ideas you may have about what an 18th Century novel is. It remains perpetually avant garde. Unfortunately, as is the case with more recent avant garde novels, I've never been able to finish it.

Great idea about a bus back to NYC after the night's performance, carbro! I still miss the NYCB Guild weekend trip to Saratoga, too. It was my introduction to the spa city and I fell in love with it. This was the first year in a long time that I didn't get there on my own -- the reason being my advancing age and the accompanying aches and pains. But I believe that if that weekend trip had still existed, with those dedicated Guild volunteers to take care of us, I would have gone.

The last row of the orchestra at City Center isn't bad, provided you don't require a lot of leg room. The next-to-last row is better. Both are preferable, in my opinion, to sitting farther front in the orchestra.

I finally got someone at the Performing Arts Library who knew about this. He explained that this event is not open to the public and admission is by invitation only. Sorry to break the news.

He was among the greatest singers of all time. My late wife Alice and I were lucky enough to have heard him in his prime, when he sang "Daughter of the Regiment" with Sutherland at the Met, and as Tonio dispatched his nine high C's with thrilling ease. I met him in 1981 when I was working at an ad agency for Doubleday, publishers of "Pavarotti: My Own Story," and was asked to write a radio commercial to be delivered by the man himself. I've always been called "Lou," but the given name on my birth certificate is "Luciano," so Alice took the occasion to send along a note for Pavarotti, assuring him that he was "my second favorite Luciano in all the world." The meeting took place in the divo's hotel suite on Central Park South. He seemed pleased both with my script and with Alice's note. He signed the script and recorded it on the spot. Then he autographed a photo of himself "Ad Alice, per caro ricordo." Now I have both, as dear remembrances of my beloved wife and of the King of the High C's.

Thank you for your consideration, Alexandra.

"Anything Goes" is an invitation to a banquet; "Everything Else Ballet," by comparison, sounds like an offering of table scraps and leftovers. I sympathize with the difficulties of coping with people abusing the banquet invitation for their own nefarious purposes, though, and trust the new name will insure they are never heard from again.

No one's brought this up, but it bothers me, so I will. Why did the "Anything Goes" forum, by far the most welcoming and inclusive on Ballet Talk, have to go?

I forget the occasion, but Watermill was also danced post-Villella at NYCB by Jean Guizerix..

I doubt I'll be posting a review of NYCB's Opening Night. In fact, what I was going to say was that I will in all likelihood, skip it. The "Guild Priority" mailing I wanted to comment on gave very little indication of what the program would be, except that Peter Martins would have a lot to do with it, and it "will bring to a close the Company's celebration of Lincoln Kirstein's Centennial." In effect, NYCB was asking us to buy a pig in a poke.

I was going to post something about NYCB's Opening Night (Nov. 20, 2007) on the NYCB forum tonight, but was admonished that I don't have permission to do so. Is that forum solely for NYCB publicity releases now?

This is one of my all-time favorite Ballet Talk threads. Since the original query in 2005, Ballet Talkers have identified Ben Huys in locations ranging from Shanghai to Madison, Wisconsin. He's a veritable Zelig or Kilroy for our time -- except that he's real and an artist. I remember him well with NYCB and, most fondly, with Suzanne Farrell Ballet. I wish him well in Seattle and look forward to his continuing appearances here.

One of my favorite pdd's is the slow movement of Jerome Robbins's "In G Major," to the music of Ravel. It's almost like being in love.