Farrell Fan

I was reporting my observations as an audience member -- not implying any policy on the part of NYCB. For years now, it's seemed there's been just one female African-American there (although I might have missed some). Happily, the situation is better among the men. There are some half-dozen in the corps, and, of course, principal dancer Albert Evans. Perhaps the women may catch up. But it's difficult when they keep leaving -- Debra Austin, Andrea Long, and now Aesha Ash. In going to dance for Maurice Bejart, Ash is following in the footsteps of Suzanne Farrell. I hope that, like Suzanne, she'll come back one day better than ever.

Grace is obviously very fond of West Australian Ballet, but is uncomfortable about the direction in which it may be headed under its new CEO. Said CEO has a cozy relationship with politicians and business leaders, who are delighted to provide relatively modest financial support provided they get immodest amounts of credit for it. The attention span of the gala opening night audience was not strained by the program. Even the most "classical" item on the bill, "Corsaire Variations," was tarted up with a vulgar sit-com routine. It's clear that Grace admires the company's dancers and is chagrined at what they have to put up with.

bellepoele 5, When you say Andrea Long "wasn't the most popular at NYCB," are you talking about within the company (not that I want to get into gossip) or with the audience? My impression is she was quite an audience favorite. She was the token female African-American corps member -- the one chronologically between Debra Austin and Aesha Ash. (If I've left one out, I hope someone will correct me.)

I was lucky enough to have seen his Tony-Award performance in "Jelly's Last Jam." He was a wonderful actor as well as great dancer. His portrayal of the complicated, tortured Jelly-Roll Morton was unforgettable.

Right you are, Roma. Both Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev were nasty to Balanchine. Richard Buckle writes in his Balanchine biography that when Mr. B suggested he might make a ballet to Rachmaninoff's music, "Rachmaninoff exclaimed, 'A ballet! To my music! Are you crazy?' and threw them all out. Danilova later recalled that for the rest of his life, whenever the composer was mentioned, Balanchine would say, 'Lousy music,'" In Bernard Taper's Balanchine biography, he says Prokofiev hated the Prodigal Son choreography. and when Balanchine asked for a share of the royalties, "Prokofiev shouted at him, 'Why should you get money? Who are you? You're nothing but a lousy ballet master. Get out!' Balanchine apologized for having broached the subject, and left. For the rest of his life, he never again used a Prokofiev score."

This must be a very scarce item. I looked it up at abebooks.com, which lists tons of out-of-print books. They listed two copies of it -- one for $350, the other for $400.

Balanchine and Shostakovich, that's me. In his biography of Balanchine, Richard Buckle wrote about Mr. B and Solomon Volkov, who conducted the interviews that became "Balanchine's Tchaikovsky" -- "Balanchine did not like the music of Shostakovich, whose pupil and friend Volkov had been, so he never referred to him at all. Volkov thought this showed tact and good manners."

I've been waiting several years for Suzanne Farrell to be nominated, but since her company is a project of the Kennedy Center, I wonder if that now diminishes her chances. Incidentally, sorry to be so obtuse, but what is a Q rating?

I answered somewhat deviously, too, so that I'd turn out to be Balanchine. Has anyone heard of any plans for my centennial?

I'm glad you mentioned that foot injury, Alexandra. I'm sure Darci got sick of talking about it long ago, and they might never have heard of it in St. Petersburg, but as far as I'm concerned, it affected her entire career. She developed into a very different dancer from the one she might have been.

As it stands now -- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Dec. 2,3,4,6 -- 8 p.m. Mozartiana, Tschaikovsky pas de deux, Serenade, Meditation. (All Tschaikosky program.) Friday, Dec. 5 --8p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 6, Sunday, Dec. 7 -- 2:30 p.m. "The Balanchine Couple...exploring the evolution of the pas de deux at the heart of Balanchine's choreography." Performances will be at the Eisenhower Theater.

Brava, Calliope, from me too. A day or two after the Centennial plans were announced, I got a call asking me to renew my NYCB Guild membership. I explained that I was upset about the Balanchine plans and so I would not. The response was "You don't like Balanchine?" That had me spluttering incoherently, but eventually I got my point across, and was told that I should write a letter to Mr. Martins. I did, on July 3, and have yet to get a reply. (With the Saratoga season, followed by St.Petersburg, I suppose that's understandable.) But then I got another call, from someone in the NYCB administration. He knew nothing of my letter and was calling to see if I'd increase my annual contribution to the company. He gave me the same kind of story Calliope got. Apparently business-as-usual is really an homage to Balanchine. I told him I'd continue attending NYCB but would no longer contribute anything beyond the price of tickets.

Thanks for the particulars, dirac.

It seems a little strange to me to get the most famous dancer alive today and not have him portray a dancer -- particularly since the character's name, Alexander Petrovsky, is somewhat reminiscent of one Fred Astaire played long ago. But, speaking as a certifiable Dirty Old Man, I love Sex and the City too. :rolleyes:

Thank you, Estelle. I'll certainly keep an occhio out for this film.

Do you know the photograph of Balanchine indicating his pointed foot? NYCB is employing a barely-recognizable black and white illustration based on it to promote "Balanchine 100," which is what they call the centennial year. This graphic might have been considered "modern" in the 1950s. Mr. B's right hand has become a sort of paddle with thumb attached. The other hand has disappeared, leaving only his left thumb stuck to his pants. His face has been reduced to a pointed nose, chin, and eyebrow. The loafer on his foot has acquired a lethal-looking point. Having already been shocked by NYCB's Balanchine centennial plans, I consider this "adaptation" of the great Cartier-Bresson photograph a predictable act of vandalism.

I've also seen it at the large newsstand in the Pan-Am Building (or whatever that building is called now) at the head of the escalators from Grand Central Station. But that doesn't help you in Ontario, does it? I really don't know the answer to your question, Paquita. But for subscriptions: Ballet Review Subscriptions, 37 West 12 Street. #7J, New York, NY 10011. It's $23 a year (4 issues) or 2 years for $41.

Leigh Witchel reviews the National Ballet of Canada; Mary Cargill reviews Alexandra's biography of Henning Kronstam -- "a significant work of twentieth-century ballet history...meticulously researched, beautifully written, and generously illustrated"; Evgeni Scherbakov reviews NYCB stars in St. Petersburg; David Vaughn on the Royal Ballet's new Sleeping Beauty; Alice Helprin on the Graham season at the Joyce, with photos by Tom Brazil; Toni Bentley on Degas; Clement Crisp's London Report; Ann Hutchinson Guest on her experiences with Balanchine and Labanotation -- and lots more, including a conversation with Moses Pendleton, and photos of ABT onstage by Rosalie O'Connor.

It was a pleasure to read this report -- thanks, rkoretzky! One of the things I miss from the days when NYCB attendance at SPAC was so good, is the welcoming banner (I don't mean Mae) that used to be stretched over Braodway during the residency. About the only display of NYCB-consciousness I noticed in town this year was the wonderful window display at the Lyrical Ballad Bookstore. I'm already looking forward to next year, too.

Good question, atm711. I hope the news won't be as disappointing as NYCB's was.

Thanks for finding this, Mark. It's an interesting letter, the point of which was to ask candidate Eisenhower to pay more attention to the arts. "I ask you to recognize the American artists in one of your speeches and to appeal to them and you will get a million votes!" As Buckle says, Eisenhower's answer, if there was one, has not survived. But I don't recall any specific appeal to artists by Ike, and I suspect that most voted for Stevenson.

I'm sure we all hope Megan comes through this with flying colors. But she should never have been placed in the position of having to dance two performances of Coppelia in one day! That's what's terribly unfair.

In the middle, somewhat elevated?

It's appalling that a company with the resources of NYCB can call on only one dancer (a corps member, at that) for four consecutive Coppelias, including two in one day! Megan Fairchild is a very appealing young dancer and I hope she comes through this ordeal okay. Thanks for the report, rkoretzky.

Estelle, according to my very old "Complete Opera Book," by Gustav Kobbe, published in 1919, "Le Villi" was actually performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1908. (The 1884 premiere had been in Milan, at the Dal Verme Theatre, not La Scala.) At the Metropolitan, the leading roles were sung by Frances Alda (a renowned soprano of the time, originally from New Zealand), the tenor Alessandro Bonci, and the great baritone Pasquale Amato, in the role of Anna's vengeful father. (Amato later originated the role of Jack Rance, the sheriff in Puccini's Fanciulla del West.) The aforementioned "Harper Dictionary of Opera & Operetta," published in 1989, says that "Le Villi" "is still occasionally performed." I would love to be present at such an occasion. I don't know of any recordings.