glebb

At a gala in Miami many years ago, I saw an all male version put together by Ben Stevenson who also portrayed Taglioni. I was very young and couldn't help enjoying the part where the other (male dancers from National Ballet of Washington) ballerinas ate the marshmallow necklace of Taglioni. Taglioni also pulled out a gun and shot Cerrito for taking an extra bow. I have to say that certain balletomanes did not enjoy this parody.

I dug up and watched my old video of THE GRAND PAS DE QUATRE last night. Alonzo, Fracci, Thesmar and Evdokimova seemed perfect in their roles. Does anyone have any thoughts on the above performance? Though I'm pretty sure that we BA posters were not there, would anyone have anything to say about the original performance? [ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: glebb ]

Thanks Jeannie and all for your help!

Thanks Viviane. Victoria has already located something at ebay and I have bought it, so keep the info coming!

I just received, in the mail, my own edition of THE ROMANTIC BALLET in LITHOGRAPHS of THE TIMES, by C.W. Beaumont and Sacheverell Sitwell. I bought it from a bookstore in London called DANCE BOOKS LTD. It's a wonderful book with great information and many pictures of the Romantic Era Ballerinas. I still would like to own the big color prints of these Romantic Era Ballerinas that were sold in the 1960s. Does anyone know how to get these prints?

Maybe Balanchine said it both ways, but in BALANCHINE PART 1 AND 2, I recall the interview with him saying SerenADE.

Estelle, It was in Miami before Miami City Ballet existed, that I saw the full lengths performed by Ms Verdy. Thomas Armour, a former Ballet Russe dancer, directed a civic company called The Miami Ballet. He produced a full length every year and brought in such greats as Ben Stevenson and Frederick Franklin to stage the ballets. His ballet Mistress, Martha Mahr - teacher of Lourdes Lopez, staged GISELLE AND SWAN LAKE. In GISELLE, SWAN LAKE AND LA SYLPHIDE, Ms Verdy's partner was Edward Villella, and in SLEEPING BEAUTY, her prince was Peter Martins.

Violette Verdy was my first Giselle, Odette/Odile, La Sylphide, and Aurora. I even got to see some of her choreography when she made a solo that she danced at a gala for the celebration of my teacher's 80th birthday. She gave me a scholarship to SAB and I lived at her apt with her mother the summer of 1970. Madame Guillerm showed me home movies of Violette dancing. In 1975 when I moved to NYC from the Miami, there was upon my arrival at JFK airport, a mix up with my accomodations. I called Violette and she invited me to stay at her place until my situation was remedied. What a lady!

I'm pretty sure I saw that one live and it reminded me so much of Paul Taylor's ARDEN COURT.

The Joffrey Ballet's production of THE NUTCRACKER does end in true Victorian fashion, with Clara in a hot air balloon. The scenery was Oliver Smith's last project and the costumes are by John David Ridge. You might have noticed that the Victorian Bouquet of flowers given to Clara in the party scene transformed in to live flowers dancing the Waltz in Act II. Each flower has a name, i. e. Pansy, Rose, Cornflower, and her costume represents her flower. Both designers were very close to Mr. Joffrey, and worked to create his vision of Victorian America. THE NUTCRACKER was sadly, Mr. Joffrey's last project. [ January 04, 2002: Message edited by: glebb ]

Violette Verdy was Nelly Gueillerm.

Thanks for the info Juliet. It's hard for me to imagine that a designer would not want to make the production look as true to the period as possible, except if the choreographer was doing a real departure version. I'm involved in a production of Nutcracker that takes place in Victorian America. All details are taken from the period: costumes, hairstyles, sets, toys etc. Even the choreography nods to the styles of the era. In Act I the party guest parents dance a Virginia Reel.

I agree as well, about Larissa Ponomorenko. I worked with her and she was never a diva. Always trying to get it right, with total grace and humility.

What is the proper length of the Romantic tutu? It seems from lithograph reproductions I've seen, that the tutu should be very long, almost to the ankles. Makes sense in a Victorian world. I was watching Royal Danish Ballet's LA SYLPHIDE on video and Lis Jeppesen, who is gorgeous, wears a rather long tutu. Not to the ankles but long. I then watched English National Ballet in another production of LA SYLPHIDE and Eva Evdokimova,who is also gorgeous, wears a tutu just below her knees. Why do you think the tutu went to the knees? Was it a choice to make the legs look longer? It doesn't seem as pretty as the longer tutu, to me.

I prefer that dancers choose or are given steps that are appropriate for the role. I posted in an earlier thread that the fish dives in the Aurora Wedding Pas performed by Nacional Ballet de Cuba were a circus trick and out of place, vulgar. At the same time, I can forgive anything if the performers are projecting honesty and love for their art. It is a turn off when dancers have an air of being better than everyone else in the theatre.

I prefer that dancers choose or are given steps that are appropriate for the role. I posted in an earlier thread that the fish dives in the Aurora Wedding Pas performed by Nacional Ballet de Cuba were a circus trick and out of place, vulgar. At the same time, I can forgive anything if the performers are projecting honesty and love for their art. It is a turn off when dancers have an air of being better than everyone else in the theatre.

The thread about "Heart-stopping balances", made me think about the qualities of a Ballerina that attract me. My first favorite was Violette Verdy, partly because I lived in Miami and she performed there at least once every year. We had many other great Ballerinas come to town including Fonteyn, whom I had the incredible good fortune to be in class with and to meet, but Violette was my first Giselle, Sylph, Odette/Odile, Aurora. Later I lived in NYC and loved Kirkland, Makarova, Farrell and Nichols, Watts, Lopez, Tcherkassky and Messac. Even though all of the above Ballerinas were the central figure of every ballet in which they appeared, they never for one moment projected anything but humility and consideration for the ballet as a whole, truth. They were super beautiful, super talented and super musical, and projected complete respect and consideration for the choreography, music, sets, costumes and cast. For the art! Because I am so busy with work in Chicago, I don't get to NYC but once or twice a year. I always go to the ballet, but I wonder who the total Ballerinas are these days. Who will balance, but not over balance at the expense of the music and other dancers? I always think of Makarova balancing a little too long in Don Q, but making it musical. Remember Farrell's curtain calls? She always projected thanks to the audience, and retreated behind the curtain a little earlier than the public would have wanted. It was humility projecting to the back of the house. Who are today's humble, true Ballerinas? [ November 17, 2001: Message edited by: glebb ]

I saw Nureyev as the prince with National Ballet of Canada at The MET. I mostly remember thinking that his choice of ending his wedding variation in fifth position was interesting. Many years before that, I saw Peter Martins as the prince with my civic ballet in Miami. We performed Ben Stevenson's version with National Ballet of Washington's sets and costumes (plus many of their soloists and principles). I was mostly interested in watching Violette Verdy as Aurora, so I don't remember much about Martins except that he seemed very noble in the hunting scene.

The program for opening night at Chicago's historic Auditorium Theatre, was called THE MAGIC OF DANCE. The insert explained that this program offers the opportunity to appreciate in a single performance, the accumulated wealth of centuries of classical ballet developement. Bringing this program to Chicago was a good idea since Joffrey does not present SWAN LAKE, SLEEPING BEAUTY, GISELLE,COPPELIA or DON QUIXOTE. The evening consisted of excerpts from the above ballets. Scenery was changed behind a show drop that would lower during bows while the principles continued to bow (a lot of bows!) in front. This system made the program move very well. All music was recorded by the Orquestra Sinfonica del Gran Teatro de La Habana, which makes me wonder why there were such obvious pitch changes from one section to another. The dancers were superb. All gorgeous bodies. All incredibly trained. Each ballet was rehearsed to the most ultimate perfection I can imagine. It seemed that every corps member, male and female, could become a soloist at any moment. The principles were more than worthy of their position. I especially liked Galina Alvarez as Giselle. She had beautiful everything, but I especially liked her port de bras, so old world looking. Lorna Feijoo as Aurora, was a perfect technician with beautiful arms and an honest quality and love of dancing that projected to the back of the house (where I was sitting). Alihaydee Carreno as Kitri was also a perfect technician who was exciting and flirtatious. She turned, balanced and smiled with ease. Joel Carreno as Basilio was amazing and brought down the house. I must stress that every dancer was wonderful with a near perfect body and perfect technique. It looks to me as if Alonzo teaches the dancers to have Balanchine footwork with a classical feeling added. There is no sloppy footwork in this company, anywhere! They all turn and balance and jump with perfection. Every excerpt was credited with having been choreographed by Alicia Alonzo, after Arthur Saint-Leon, Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa etc. I did not care for her takes on these ballets and it made me sad that her choreography, along with the poor scenery and unattractive costumes were what these amazing dancers had to work with. In the wedding pas de deux from SLEEPING BEAUTY, I did not think Alonzo captured the French manners I had seen The Kirov, The Royal Ballet or American Ballet Theatre employ. The pirouette/fish dives, which by the way I first saw performed by Victoria Leigh with perfect French manners and proper English reserve, in Alonzo's version were a circus trick. Lorna Feijoo found herself in a position that had her legs and head all the way to the downstage right first wing. It was out of place and dangeous. Her partner almost ended them both in the pit by the third set. The corps of GISELLE was unbelievable. It seemed in my opinion, that the Cubans have a unique understanding of this ballet. On the other hand they didn't seem to connect to NUTCRACKER at all. The evening closed with an excerpt from SINFONIA DE GOTTSCHALK choreographed by Alonzo. It sort of looked like her version of WHO CARES. Once again, it was so well danced that I couldn't not like it. The company will perform COPPELIA this weekend. I heard through dancers I know that the Cuban dancers don't have enough shoes. I went to the Joffrey studios after the performance with one of the Joffrey dancers and he gathered all of his old dyed performance shoes. We went to the pointe shoe station and cut off lengths of elastic, and the Production Stage Manager gave us ten Joffrey crew t-shirts. We put it all in a shopping bag and it will be taken to the dancers before they leave, this weekend. I saw Alonzo dance with ABT twice. One time in the summer of 1975, when she danced the White Swan pas de deux, and again in the early eighties when she danced CARMEN. It was wonderful to see her on stage last night, bowing again! [ November 05, 2001: Message edited by: glebb ]

Sorry to disappoint you Vincent, but Emily Patterson, who is in my opinion prettier than the young Elizabeth Taylor has a boyfriend, also a dancer with The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago.

On Wednesday, we dedicated our first studio run through of Le Sacre du Printemps - Act I, to the brave victims and brave survivors in NYC and DC.

We're okay in Chicago. Most people went home early this morning for saftey reasons. My dance company did not work so people could use the day to sort out their feelings of fear and grief. I don't think there is one dancer who does not have a dancer friend in NYC or DC. We plan to go on with work tomorrow, as usual and to be thankful that we can. [ 09-11-2001: Message edited by: glebb ]

I'd like to add that there is a film of Fonteyn in SWAN LAKE with Nureyev that shows quite a nice technique even by today's standards.

I was nine when I had my first lessons because a friend of my father suggested ballet. In my case I think ballet classes were a substitute for Ritalin. At first I had a take it or leave attitude toward the classes, but one day my teacher invited me to watch a studio run of LES SYLPHIDES. I was affected by LES SYLPHIDES the way James was affected by his Sylph in LA SYLPHIDE. The musicality, movement and symmetry were more beautiful than anything I had ever imagined. From that moment I worked my hardest to become a dancer some day.

Angela Snow is a product of The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre, Haydee Gutierrez - Artistic Director. Angela has a perfect Giselle hair line, huge brown eyes and gorgeous legs and feet. She reminds me of The Joffrey Ballet's Lisa Bradley.