Farrell Fan

I read Dance View and Ballet Review. For many years I not only subscribed to Dancemagazine but saved every issue. But I stopped saving them when they threatened to bury me. Then I stopped reading it because I could no longer tell the articles apart from the ads.

I was in Saratoga only for the second week of the season, so didn't see the program that was your favorite, Vienna Waltzer. But if I had, it probably would have been my favorite, too. The fact is, I liked everything I saw. None of it was new to me but it just seems better, more enjoyable somehow, at SPAC, where even the most familiar ballets take on a sense of occasion not always present at the New York State Theater. Although the annual gala is not necessarily the best time to become acquainted with NYCB, I'm curious if anybody on BT went and what you thought.

Perhaps I'm being silly, but it seems to me that "buttock placement" would be more of an issue with male dancers. Has there also been a falling off in this regard?

Nor I. Maybe this project might not seem so depressing if Tchaikovsky's music were used, or Delius's, or Berlioz's. How about Bellini? Zingarelli? Zandonai? Some of these scores might not be suitable for a "full length" ballet, in which case the new music director could be put to work filling in the blanks.

Having recently returned from Saratoga where Martins's Swan Lake was well-received, all I can think of is that Romeo and Juliet would probably boost the attendance there considerably next year, for at least a week. For myself, I'll stick to the few minutes of Bejart's love duet for Farrell and Donn in the Elusive Muse film.

From her book:"I felt a special affinity for him because I thought we both devoured space with the same passion, and I would have liked to dance with him, but it was impossible because of the great diference in our heights."

Arlene Croce once wrote that if not for Balanchine, Farrell might have become another Isadora Duncan.

I heard an audience member describe Wheeldon's "Evenfall" as "the one where the ballerinas moon the audience." This is not quite correct, since they're "mooning" upstage. Nevertheless, the ballet proved popular in Saratoga. In fact everything NYCB does is popular -- that is, with the audience that shows up. During the second week of the season, the audience seemed to grow slightly with each passing night (I skipped the Thursday and Saturday matinees which I know are usually well-attended. Marcia White, the SPAC President, makes a little curtain speech before each performance and seems genuinely admiring of Balanchine, Robbins, and, as she calls him, Balletmaster Martins. And every night, the response at the end is a standing ovation. But no huge increase in the SPAC audience has materialized. And no banners across Broadway hail NYCB's Saratoga residency, as once was the case. Darci and Nikolaj Hubbe gave a lovely, autumnal glow to "Duo Concertant," and "In the Night," which was performed In the Dusk because of the new curtain time was a highlight of the week -- Rachel Rutherford and Tyler Angle, Sofiane Sylve and Charles Askegard, Wendy Whelan and Sebastien Marcovici. Nilas was charming in Western Symphony, and Damian still evokes the squeals of the budding ballerinas in the audience. I liked Craig Hall and Rachel Rutherford in the Passage for Two of N.Y. Export Opus Jazz. But it bothered that that when the girl was thrown off the roof (Sorry, I didn't see who it was) it got a laugh. Tiler Peck and Daniel Ulbricht dazzled in Frandises. But the Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux (Ana Sophia Scheller and Benjamin Millepied), while nicely danced, lacked fireworks. The balletgoers of the Capital District seem worried that the NYCB season may be cut from three weeks (or two-and-a-half weeks, as it is this year) to two weeks. This is a rumor and we don't usually deal in rumors, but it seems to me important to mention it. The Lyrical Ballad Bookstore on Phila Street (the best bookstore in the United States, according to Lincoln Kirstein), was an even nicer place to hang out this season. Wendy Whelan and her husband were spotted there more than once.

Yes, the search has come to a happy ending. I talked to a long-time member of the NYCB orchestra in Saratoga last Thursday and he, as a professional musician, and I as an amateur listener, were both rooting for Mr. Karoui. I add another "Bravo!"

Thanks, Jack, for sharing your high after a wonderful performance. As usual, the Farrell Ballet seems to improve on the second night. Interesting about Mladenov's and Magnicaballi's smoldering glances and his air of disdain. Back in the day of Farrell's icy smoldering at Peter Martins, the disdain was all the ballerina's. She must have given Momchil a few pointers.

Thanks for the report and the roster, Jack. Mostly familiar names and some new ones -- but no more so than for any established company. This is certainly no "pick-up" group. Sorry you were incapacitated for the first performance, but glad you're back in action. Looking forward to your next report.

I'm sure Suzanne will say a prayer for you, Paul.

From "Nothing to Hide," by Robert La Fosse, (1987) -- "Then there are the famous fans--famous, that is, among the dancers. 'Coffee-Shop Charlie' Wigler, after years of unfailing devotion to the New York City Ballet, eventually got himself a job at the School of American Ballet. I think that's a great accomplishment. He's happy. He loves dancers, and now he's around them all day long."

Hello Hans, I am a member of your target audience -- a balletomane with no classroom experience. (Although I did observe a class by Danilova and another by Stanley Williams years ago at SAB). I think you've succeeded admirably in your aim of providing some rudimentary knowledge, and I thank you for it. Bravo. Lou D'Angelo

One of the greatest dancers of the 20th century has already established herself as one of the leading ballet company artistic directors of the 21st. This month she is taking her company to one of the landmark sites of dance in America, Jacob's Pillow. And in September, her company will make its first international appearance, at the Edinburgh Festival. She's bringing Balanchine's "Don Quixote," which many had considered unworthy of revival, and which she, along with the National Ballet of Canada, triumphantly restored to the repertory last year at the Kennedy Center, the home base of her company. I'm talking, of course, about Suzanne Farrell and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet.

Do I detect a softening of Mr. Gottlieb's tone about NYCB generally and Peter Martins specifically? Or is the softening in my head? In any event, I love reading him, and I certainly agree about "Cut to Sharp, " the cheers for which had me mystified on its opening night.

I agree about the Six Balanchine Ballerinas film by Anne Belle -- it's wonderful, and Merrill is one of the wonderful things abouts it. The end is particularly touching, as she tearfully tries to come to terms with her part in the mystery that was Balanchine. I would also recommend Merrill's book, "Dancing for Balanchine" (1984), which is part memoir, part coffee-table book, and part instructional photo-manual.

Merrill Ashley once held the door open for me at the Lincoln Center library. We New Yorkers lead such glamorous lives.

Reviewing three different ABT Manons in today's NY Times, Gia Kourlas writes of Diana Vishneva, "If only she had worn tights! Bare legs don't befit a ballerina." Do you agree with this dictum? How can you tell the difference?

One thing I don't like to do is read long program notes before the curtain goes up. The lighting isn't good and and neither are my eyes. This is not a problem at NYCB where there usually are no notes. Sometimes this presents a problem, as in "Orpheus," where most of the audiemce can't tell what's happening. For a ballet like "Agon," reading up on it beforehand is to be encouraged. The more you know, the more you'll appreciate it. Years ago, after a good performance of it, a stranger came up to me on the promenade of the NY State Theater and asked "What fo you think of Stravinsky? Why were those people applauding? I think he's a phony."

I'm not sure The Red Violin was a highlight of the Diamond Project, although In Vento and Slice to Sharp were. Russian Seasons (Ratmansky) was another highlight. Anyhow, two out of three ain't bad.

I'd follow Suzanne anywhere, preferably to NJPAC or the Kennedy Center. But I can't make it to Edinburgh or to Jacob's Pillow for that matter. Like Juliet, I'd love to read some reports.

According to Heather, in the administrative office at SPAC, they had a lot of complaints about the length of NYCB performances from people who want to get home early. When I asked why they want to get home early, she kept saying "I'm sorry?" When I mentioned the restaurants, she said they liked the idea too, since they will stay open later, after the performances. In other words, Heather may well be in line for a job at the Pentagon. At any rate, I did register my complaint. I don't suppose it will mean much since everybody else is so eager to get home or have a late dinner in a restaurant. And, she indicated, NYCB and the Philadelphia Orchestra are "all for it."

Rockwell has yet to establish a clear profile as a dance critic. Before he took over, there was fear that he'd downgrade ballet in relation to other forms of dance. This hasn't happened, but sometimes his reviews give the definite impression that he's learning on the job. His predecessor was definitely learned but sometimes her prose was not up to the task of conveying her thoughts clearly. Besides, as alluded to above, she was said to have her favorites. There was a time up till a couple of years ago when I could tell whether a Times review was written by Kisselgoff, Anderson, or Dunning, without having to look at the byline. With the addition of some new bylines, it's no longer possible. I guess that's a good thing. I'm still favorably disposed to Rockwell. After all, he reviewed Farrell's revival of Balanchine's "Don Quixote" at the Kennedy Center and and clearly recognized the importance of that event. I shudder to think what Kisselgoff would have written.

Farrell is not noisy. But she is omniscient.