glebb

I worked with Mr. Grant in the late seventies and in the eighties when Mr. Joffrey was alive. Mr. Grant coached me in the roles of Puck and Alain. He was a very kind teacher. He also created the role of Drosselmeyer in Mr. Joffrey's THE NUTCRACKER. Later as a ballet master for Joffrey in Chicago I was given the opportunity to accompany six dancers to Birmingham, England to perform Monotones as part of a BRB "Tribute to Sir Fred and Mr. B". Though I had rehearsed the dancers to bend like the Royal Ballet dancers, I warned them that his one criticism of our performance would be "They don't BEND" and when it happened I had to smile.

According to BroadwayWorld.com, this project is off.

Violette Verdy - The Miami (regional) Ballet circa 1969.

I remember loving her farm girl disposition in ACT I and I swore at the time and for years that Edward Villella jeted over the heads of the Wilis to exit in Act II.

Quite petite. I thought she was very lovely.

Saw SB too. I think it was opening night. Again Seh Yun Kim replaced Julia Moon. I met Julia Moon a few years later in Helsinki and she told me that UB worked on Shim Chung for several years to get it right. What a luxury!

Saw this ballet at the Chicago Lyric Opera House in 2000. Wonderful Seh Yun Kim stepped in to replace Julia Moon. It was a gorgeous production.

For the 2010/2011 Season, Artistic Director Adam Sklute has promoted 13 dancers, welcomes 8 new company dancers and 4 new Ballet West II Dancers and we say goodbye and farewell to 7 company dancers and 3 Ballet West II dancers.

Promotions:

Annie Breneman - promoted to Senior Soloist

Katherine Lawrence -promoted to Senior Soloist

Thomas Mattingly - promoted to Soloist

Elizabeth McGrath - promoted to Soloist

Christopher Sellars - promoted to Soloist

Jacqueline Straughan - promoted to Soloist

Christopher Anderson - promoted to Demi-Soloist

Beau Pearson - promoted to Demi-Soloist

Rex Tilton - promoted to Demi-Soloist

Arolyn Williams - promoted to Demi-Soloist

Lindsey Duerfeldt - promoted from Apprentice to full Corps Artist

Whitney Huell - promoted from Apprentice to full Corps Artist

Alexander MacFarlan - promoted from Apprentice to full Corps Artist

New Dancers:

Haley Henderson - joins Ballet West as a Soloist

Easton Smith - joins Ballet West as a Soloist

Sayaka Ohtaki - joins Ballet West as a Demi-Soloist

Adrian Fry - joins Ballet West as a Corps Artist

Jenna Herrera - joins Ballet West as a Corps Artist

Kuei-Hsien Chu - joins Ballet West as a Corps Artist

Katherine Meeusen - joins Ballet West as an Apprentice

Elizabeth Weldon - Joins Ballet West as an Apprentice

Kathleen Martin - Joins Ballet West II

Ryan Sargent - Joins Ballet West II

Beckanne Sisk - joins Ballet West II

Ronald Tilton - joins Ballet West II

Departures

Soloist -- Kate Crews retires

Demi-Soloist-- Victoria Lock retires

Senior Corps Artist -- Aaron Orlowski retires

Senior Corps Artist -- Josey Silva retires

Corps Artist -- Megan Furse retires

Corps Artist -- John Frazer moves on

Corps Artist -- David Kim moves on

Ballet West II Dancer - Robert Goodman moves on

Ballet West II Dancer - Stephen King moves on

Balet West II Dancer Kaleigh Schock moves on

Principal Guest Artist Sara Webb will return to Ballet West (courtesy of Houston Ballet) for The Sleeping Beauty in February.

Though this may have already been posted in links, I thought Heather Thackeray deserved a thread of her own.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_14839273

I can picture lots of dancing to his songs from 'A Little Night Music'. I'll double check my thoughts on that when I see it this Saturday night!

We (Joffrey) recorded Sacre at DaneRadio in Aarhus, 1987 or 88, just before I left the company. Mr. Joffrey had already passed.

Petrouchka with Nureyev was filmed many years earlier (I don't remember the year but it would have been the early 80s) in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry film studios. Mr. Joffrey was very much in charge of that one artistically.

Is this the Taina Elg who played Guido's mother in the original Broadway cast of NINE?

If so I saw her live on stage.

I went to the art house movie theater to see it again on Valentine's Day.

In Helsinki for the 2005 competition, I was able to see the Finnish National Ballet dance Patrice Bart's TCHAIKOVSKY. The full length and company were both very good.

You should enjoy them in Cranko's TAMING.

I was on stage at City Center for the Joffrey TAMING premiere. Dancing with Marcia Haydee and Richard Cragun was an inspiration and then a spiritual experience when they returned for Joffrey's opening night ROMEO AND JULIET.

Thank you Leonid. Ulanova was the first great dancer I knew of. My first teacher Millenoff gave me a tiny paperback book about her when I was 9. She was very beautiful. I no longer have the book but the pictures are etched in my mind. In the book there is a photo of Ulanova taking a reverence efface pose from Les Sylphides and the image of her very turned out ankle and foot is still an inspiration to me. Often during my twenty five years with Joffrey Ballet I heard from Arpino that when the company toured to Russia in 1963 (the first American Ballet Company), Ulanova asked that Joffrey ballerina Lisa Bradley remain behind in the Soviet Union to be coached by her.

"White Goddess" Korbes was flawless last year in Diamonds.

I wish I could have gotten myself to Seattle to see her Anita.

Forget NINE. See THE YOUNG VICTORIA!

Didn't like NINE much. I saw the original Broadway production, the National Tour (in LA) and the Broadway revival. Loved the original Broadway and Broadway revival productions. NINE was never showy like CHICAGO and I don't understand why they wanted to make a film and yet take out the beauty and try to hip it up. I also don't like musical films in which no one can sing well. I was actually surprised at how well Daniel Day Lewis sang, but the film didn't work for me. I'm sure I'll enjoy it on HBO as I have Mamma Mia and Dreamgirls.

THE YOUNG VICTORIA is fantastic. It seems a natural for ballet lovers. After all these are the fashions of the Romantic Era! Let's hope they make an older Victoria film and there is a recreation of the command performance of Taglioni, Grahn, Grisi and Cerrito!

THE YOUNG VICTORIA

Jean-Marc Vallée - Director

Julian Fellowes - Writer

Emily Blunt ... Young Victoria

Rupert Friend ... Prince Albert

Paul Bettany ... Lord Melbourne

Miranda Richardson ... Duchess of Kent

Jim Broadbent ... King William

Thomas Kretschmann ... King Leopold of Belgium

Mark Strong ... Sir John Conroy

Jesper Christensen ... Baron Stockmar

Harriet Walter ... Queen Adelaide

Jeanette Hain ... Baroness Lehzen

Julian Glover ... Duke of Wellington

Michael Maloney ... Sir Robert Peel

Michiel Huisman ... Ernest

Genevieve O'Reilly ... Lady Flora Hastings

Rachael Stirling ... Duchess of Sutherland

I'm not much of a writer but I look forward to reading other posters opinions.

Sad, sad news indeed. I met her for the first time last year when Ballet West's Artistic Director Adam Sklute brought her in to work with the company on LES BICHES. We all adored her in the studio and her stories around the dinner table were hysterical. What a great star she was! May she rest in peace.

I'll will always be grateful to George Zoritch because he wore that 80s Joffrey t-shirt in the Ballets Russes film. If not for that t-shirt the film would have been completely devoid of any mention of Robert Joffrey, the man who was responsible for so much Ballets Russes interest in the U.S.

Farrell was so chic in IN G MAJOR - great ballet!

I also remember Farrell in OTHER DANCES.

Saw him many times live. He was wonderful in the role.

I love when Luise Rainer imitates Louis B. Mayer in "When The Lion Roars". "Rainer, I made ya and I can kill ya."

I worked with Celia Franca three times when I was a dancer with the Joffrey Ballet in NY in the seventies and early eighties. She staged 'Pineapple Poll' and 'Offenbach in the Underworld' several times for Mr. Joffrey. I learned all of the male corps parts from 'Pineapple Poll' when I was in Joffrey II and then Jasper when I was in the main company. I learned the part of a waiter in 'Offenbach in the Underworld'. I remember Celia Franca as being very beautiful - perfect Ballerina Face and hair. She loved to laugh - especially when she cracked herself up.

And I've never forgotten how my friends and I admired her intelligence. A movie called "Brimstone and Treacle" starring Sting opened in theaters one of the times we were working with her and my friend James Canfield went to her to ask the meaning of the word treacle.

Marjorie and Jonathan met at the Joffrey when I was a dancer in the company. She was teaching company class, he was an accompanist. They later collaborated when he wrote the music for a ballet she made for Joffrey II. I received this letter today from Kim Sagami who keeps former Joffrey dancers abreast of current events.

"Dear Friends,

I’m writing you with the sad news that Marjorie died peacefully this afternoon at White Plains Hospital. She was not in great pain or distress. She was very weak towards the end, and communicating with her was difficult in the last days, but she was aware of what was happening and at peace. Katherine Gallagher and I told her as best we could about the love, thanks and prayers of all sorts from all of you that were sent to her.

I saw Marjorie frequently in the last months of her illness. Her beloved mutt, Eddy (a true gentleman of a dog), now lives with us.

A graveside service is planned for a later date at the family cemetery in Maine.

Remember her well.

With love and sadness,

Jonathan"

Just to let you know that some of my Facebook friends have it and can lend it to me. Phew!

I know there are two recordings of Dowell in THE DREAM - one with Sibley and one with Park. Years ago I had his TV version with Park. I've searched on google but can't seem to find it and I need to work with a lefty dancer on Oberon before Dowell gets here. Any info?