Farrell Fan

I hadn't read Alexandra's post before I wrote the above. I think I know now what's being talked about here. But I was confused by the reference to Farrell and Martins by atm711, one of our most erudite and interesting posters, IMO. I guess my confusion was the point, though -- whether the dancers are straight or gay doesn't matter in great partnerships. Certainly Fonteyn and Nureyev come to mind, where not only sexual preference but also the difference in age didn't matter. Certain dancers do have a special bond which transcends categorization -- I'm thinking of Farrell and Arthur Mitchell. The fact is, as Balanchine said, that when you put a man and a woman on the stage, there's already a story. And it's usually a love story.

This thread has me thoroughly confused. I don't know what "sexual orientation" means in this context. :shrug:

At a NYCB performance once, the man sitting next to me kept jiggling his leg. When I'd had enough, I said to him, "Must you jiggle?" His jiggling then tapered off, but at intermission he berated me for having spoken to him "sarcastically." The fact is whenever I'm disturbed by audience behavior, if I react with a shush or a comment, I find myself only getting more upset. So now that I'm approaching my dotage, I just concentrate on the ballet and hope the offensive behavior will cease. It usually does. While on this subject, I must say I usually find young dancers and dance students the very models of audience decorum. But occasionally there are those who maintain a running commentary on what's happening onstage. On these occasions, I do turn around, and glare of the stars of the future.

My impression is that Carla Korbes and Ashley Bouder are still favorites at NYCB. Bouder was out for a long time with physical problems but came back strong. I approve of writing love/appreciation letters to dancers. Congratulations on the nice response.

But blessings on Robert Greskovic.

Although I did no posting in situ, I saw all seven performances and am back in New York, basking in the glow. The programs have been well-covered by Jack Reed and other posters, so I'll just add some sidelights. First, boo hiss for the Washington Post, particularly for the headline writer who wrote: "Suzanne Farrell Ballet's Lifts and Stumbles." To make matters worse, when Sarah Kaufman's review was continued on an inside page, the headline was: "Farrell, Undone by The Odd Stumble." Nobody stumbled. I think the phrase this person was looking for is "highs and lows." Following that opening night review, there was no other until today. The review is a good one, too late to do any good. It evoked this from the headline writer: "Let's Duet: Farrell's 'Balanchine Couple'." Suzanne changed her delivery slightly from one performance to the next. Saturday afternoon she left out the part about how when she finally got the "Meditation" step right, it didn't feel right. And there was no physical business before "Stars and Stripes." By yesterday, she began by holding the closed notebook, and only had recourse to it a couple of minutes later. Two things that didn't change were her salmon-colored dress, and her odd pronunciation of "Terpsichore." I think Alexander Ritter had a marvelous week. Saturday night the lady next to me had yellow roses on her lap. I asked who they were for, and she pointed with pride to Shannon Parsley's name in the program. "Our daughter," she and her husband said. We became fast friends when I said how much I'd admired her in "Tempo di Valse," and so I learned that she's married to Jared Redick, who got a bum rap in the opening night review of "Mozartiana." Shannon's been dancing for Suzanne for years now, starting out in the corps of "Suzanne Farrell Stages Balanchine," in 1995. As a girl she spent two summers at Cedar Islands. After the Saturday matinee, Farrell signed the paperback of her book outside the Eisenhower Theater. I was pleased to see the long line, even though she wasn't wearing that salmon-colored number. For me this was the highlight of the ballet year, made all the more memorable by the phone call I got from SF herself. Couldn't resist mentioning it.

I'm with liebs -- I thought the lowering of the Cartier-Bresson photograph (not the nasty stylized drawing that's the official NYCB symbol of the centennial), with Mr. Martins offering a silent toast, and the mylar confetti swirling, was just right. In that moment, I forgave Peter Martins all his sins -- at least temporarily. I'd like to mention Hugo Fiorato, the venerable Hugo Fiorato, who conducted "Serenade" and "Bugaku" brilliantly. It did my heart good to hear the audience cheering him. In fact, I thought all the audience reactions were very good for a gala. Even the coughing at the beginning and in the middle of "Bugaku" was fairly civilized. Of course, in "Serenade" the places that prompt premature applause did so again. Some things don't change. I agree about Albert Evans in Fourth Movement Bizet -- it makes me wish he was cast more classically more often. Darci and Jock were appropriately sexy in "Bugaku." What seemed like a strange choice for Opening Night went over very well with this unusually responsive crowd. I agree with the superlatives re "Symphony in C," but thought the orchestra sounded better under Hugo. I remember when his tempi were judged to be too fast. Now with Quinn, whom I greatly admire, they seem almost stately. The opening remarks by Peter Martins, Mayor Bloomberg, and Libby Pataki, were brief and appropriate.

I'm Dancing Cats & Neglected Murderesses, too -- but the result is invalid because I had to pick between Madonna and the Beatles in the "favorite singer" category. I never heard of the others.

Very interesting list, Marga. For me, the unrivaled Carabosse from that era would have been Shaun O'Brien.

Alexandra posted a Kennedy Center press release concerning auditions for "Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell," which mentioned an Emmy award Farrell won in 1985. It was for "Eight by Adler," choreographed by Paul Mejia to the songs of Richard Adler from "Pajama Game" and "Damn Yankees." In Holding on to the Air, Suzanne says Paul's choreography was easy on her hip, which was seriously bothering her at the time. I forget what I was doing in 1985, but for some reason I missed this telecast, and have not seen it to this day. Does anyone remember seeing it? Is there a tape out there somewhere?

Another excellent documentary is "Dancing for Mr. B: Six Balanchine Ballerinas." This is a film by the late Anne Belle, who later made "Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse." The ballerinas are Maria Tallchief, Mary Ellen Moylan, Melissa Hayden, Allegra Kent, Merrill Ashley, and Darci Kistler. The playing time is 86 minutes. A favorite video of mine is Robert Schumann's Davidsbundlertanze, from 1981. The dancers are Karin von Aroldingen, Suzanne Farrell, Sara Leland, Heather Watts, Jacques d'Amboise, Ib Andersen, Adam Luders, and Peter Martins. It's 43 minutes long.

"The Balanchine Couple" program wasn't done on the tour. It's scheduled for the Kennedy Center during the first week in December.

Pardon me for butting in, Zerbinetta and Juliet, but an 8:45 dinner reservation seems overly optimistic, given the nature of the occasion. There undoubtedly will be speeches, and the evening is highly unlikely to start on the dot of 7. I hope there will also be some applause during the course of it, and aren't there two intermissions?

Nothing against the Garden State, but I'm a bit shaken by the news that Suzanne lives in Morristown, New Jersey! I wonder when she moved from the West Side of Manhattan.

I saw two programs, one of which I enjoyed very much and the other not so much. The former was "Master Works;" the latter, "Contemporary Works." The hit for me was "Pillar of Fire" with Gillian Murphy. "Diversion of Angels" and "Symphonic Variations" on that same program also came off well, I thought, unlike the Raymonda excerpt. I agree with something I read on this board, that you can't have a Grand Pas Classique without a central pas de deux. The two Kylians on the "contemporary program" were enjoyable, although some of the humor in "Sechs Tanze" just seemed silly. The one thing I really disliked was "Dorian." It seems to me that with this work, ABT once again dealt a blow to the cause of the story ballet. I'm sorry I didn't get to see more, because I'm always happier viewing this company in shorter works in the more intimate confines of City Center rather than in warhorses in the vastness of the Metropolitan Opera House.

Thanks for calling attention to this interview, BW -- I'd missed it in the links. It's a nice article. There's one slight correction I'd like to make. At the time of her farewell performance, Suzanne had had one hip replacement, not two.

The preface to the new (2003) paperback is alone worth the admittedly hefty paperback price ($21.95) for this slim volume. It's dedicated to the late Anne Freedgood, whom I had the privilege of being acquainted with. She was a literary editor who was devoted to ballet and to Balanchine, and to Suzanne and to Toni, whose books she edited. Anne is yet another in the ever-increasing number of NYCB fans whose presence at the New York State Theater I greatly miss. I wrote the ads for the original hardcover of "Holding on to the Air," and Anne rewarded me with a poster which Suzanne subsequently inscribed. I look forward, now that I've tearfully made my way through the preface, to rereading Toni's book.

What a great first post! Thanks, Peppermint. I know George Shirley was originally from Detroit (just looked it up). What were the Balanchine songs like? I'm curious about the Georgian elements in "Serenade," too, and Francis Mason's interview of Maria Tallchief...as a matter of fact, I'd love to read more about anything you'd care to expand on.

At intermissions, he used to hold court seated on a bench at the left side of the Promenade, surrounded by two or three acolytes. (Goreyphees?) It used to be amusing to see him, but one night I came within earshot and was shocked to hear him bad-mouthing Tchaikovsky's score for "Mozartiana," without so much as a word for the sublime performance by Farrell we'd just witnessed. I was less impressed by him after that. Nevertheless, I miss his presence, and still have a coffee mug and poster he designed for NYCB.

One of the greatest tenors of the 20th century passed away in Milan on October 29th. He was 82.

Great Halloween story! No moans, screams, or creaking doors in this haunted restaurant. Instead we have the sound of cards being shuffled. Now that's scary!

The University Press of Florida is the best thing that's happened to bibliophile ballet lovers in a long time. Toni Bentley's book certainly deserves to be reissued. And in 2002, Florida also reissued Susanne Farrell's book (written with Toni Bentley). But even more important in 2002, they published, in a splendid hardcover first edition, Alexandra's great biography of Henning Kronstam. Bravi!

Forgive this digression, but I know the feeling. Fortunately, my late wife had no such qualms. That's how we became friends with Suzanne Farrell.

Whenever I've watched the "Jeopardy" quiz show, I've noticed that contestants avoid the opera and ballet categories for as long as possible. This always puzzles me, because it's obvious to anyone who's seen the show that most of the questions (or answers, as their conceit has it) in these categories require no knowledge of opera or ballet. Tonight was a case in point, when the dreaded ballet category turned up on Final Jeopardy, and thus could not be avoided. The three finalists were asked to identify the 1935 ballet in which a dancer leaps toward the sun and comes crashing down on the stage. You don't need to know SAB from SAT to realize we're talking mythology here, not necessarily ballet. And all three got the correct "question" -- Icarus. But now I'm curious about Lifar's Icare, the work referred to. I know there have been other choreographic versions of this myth as well-- including Gerald Arpino's. I haven't seen any. If you have, can you tell about it?

Thanks for that marvelous description of Suzanne in Metastaseis & Pithoprakta, djb. I knew there was a reason why after 35 years I still vividly remember this ballet. I just thought it was the fringed bikini she wore.