Leigh Witchel

Companies tend to hire bankable names. That's going to be either ex-principal dancers from either ABT or NYCB - I don't think it has all that much to do with Balanchine. At this point I think some research is necessary. If you're convinced that Balanchine is overrepresented in repertory it's time to get out a spreadsheet and visit websites of companies throughout the country and check repertory for this year and next. How much Balanchine is actually being done, and in what proportion?

That's my anecdotal observation in SF as well. I think it's a stretch to call it a "Balanchine company" at this point. Even from the dancers one sees dutiful Balanchine performances and far more committed dancing in Forsythe or Morris. Which is why I don't buy Kaufman's argument - the more historical a figure Balanchine inevitably becomes, the more his influence wanes, even at City Ballet. That is also my impression. With the exception of "Jewels," SF audiences seem to regard going to see Balanchine as a little like eating your spinach. There may have been periods in Balanchine's career when he qualified as a cult figure, but no longer, I think, any more than you would talk of a 'Shakespeare cult.' You could if you stretched the definition far enough, but it doesn't really fit.

To add something else into the mix that has been discussed before, I think the emphasis on pyrotechnics (and the attendant competitions) have had a longterm effect on artistic quality. We've been in an age of technique over substance for a while, but more than that, to train dancers at that technical level we sequester them early and specialize them mercilessly. A few dancers "cross-train" in music and other visual arts, but often they get that on their own and late, so that you'll often see a new choreographer who's being so earnestly daring that you don't have the heart to tell him that Arvo Part isn't cutting edge. I think we'd have a shot at better ballets with dancers more broadly exposed to art and with the best education possible. Smarter dancers = smarter ballet.

I think Kaufman does have some very good points about the necessity of healthy "genetic diversity" in an art form. But I don't think Balanchine's overrepresented in American ballet. Would you rather see Valse Fantaisie or Dracula? THAT's overrepresented in American ballet. I'd also argue his influence - I could understand Kaufman saying that 20-5 years ago, but frankly, Balanchine's influence is waning fast. Most companies aren't working any longer on a NYCB model, even those that once did such as SFB are moving from it. I see a lot more faux and fourth-tier Forsythe derivatives out there such as Jorma Elo. Or just bad dansicals. Balanchine can look more third-tier than it is if the coaching and casting is bad, and that happens the farther we get from the source. I agree in many ways with Kaufman's observation of symptoms but not of cause. Balanchine is not stifling artistic creativity. Bad, insular artistic direction and lack of funds are.

For a wildly refreshing change, no.

Wow - worth traveling for. But will Cojocaru actually perform?

It took some work to get a correct ID, but the young man I singled out in my review on Danceview Times was in fact Maxime Quiroga, who is already with Stuttgart Ballet. All six were very talented and well trained, but sometimes, you look at one student and think, "that one." Quiroga is the one who had the stagecraft and the look.

Per the YAGP office - Daniel Camargo Norbert Lukaszewski Arata Miyagawa Miles Pertl Maxime Quiroga Christoph Schedler

Per the press release, those dancers are reprising their roles.

I'm going to take my prerogative as Editorial Advisor here. Alexandra and I are friends and we discussed this prior to the announcement. The decision was not due to working conditions at the Royal Ballet or to physical injury. It was her decision solely.

The Royal Ballet has further tours to Barcelona and Cuba. Is she not going on them per Mason?

It was announced today by Monica Mason at a press conference that Alexandra Ansanelli would retire from the Royal Ballet, and from dancing, in June. She will perform throughout the season and at the Kennedy Center as previously announced.

Martha Graham's section of Episodes told the story of Elizabeth and Mary - in contrast to Balanchine's non-narrative dances to atonal music.

Those dates are already available on Megabus, but someone already grabbed the absolute cheapest fares for some of the buses that weekend.

That's good programming (nice to see a program, whether it is or it isn't, that doesn't feel like retrenching) October and March look like potential bus rides

This has happened to people occasionally. Try going to the "Options" box - it's on the right hand side at the top of the thread and clicking on "standard view" - once or twice I've visited BT via a Google search for an older discussion and the search engine found it in "outline view" and my browser (Firefox) toggled over and kept the option.

Three in eight days makes you exhausted? Piker! Try flying three six hours and four time zones (leaping to five in the middle of the weekend) and do three in three days. You'll be hallucinating swans in no time, I guarantee.

I don't know from first hand experience, but a friend reported a half full house for Part's Friday night Swan as well.

Sorry folks. The moderators (at least one of them) happened to BE in London, seeing said Swan Lake. (Sitting next to a swan, to boot.) I'm writing for Ballet Review, so won't talk so much about the performance. Wiles does have an easy, pure line, but I'd agree with the general assessment reported. There also isn't much chemistry there between her and Hallberg. Sadly, the house was barely half full, at least in the Stalls (orchestra). This will not do well economically. Let's hear some more reports on the performance itself.

You'll hear different picks for different reasons. I've not seen any of these women's Odettes, but I've seen them do other things. Nunez is a strong, warm dancer. Her Aurora is radiant. Osmolkina is a guest star from the Maryinsky (Kirov) in St. Petersburg, so has beautiful Russian style. Cuthbertson is the newest principal, and the company's up-and-coming "English" ballerina. Her partner, Pennefather is her male equivalent, their new English danseur noble. There are reasons to see any of them. If you're new to ballet and not yet splitting hairs, I'd just go on the night that has the best ticket availability and suits your schedule. And report back, please!

Call me crazy, but I kind of expect Don Q to be over the top. I have a lot more tolerance for a Kitri who is showy to the point of vulgar than I would for a Giselle, or even a Swanilda. I also will admit the occasional soft spot for straight-on vulgarity if I feel the dancer comes by it honestly. This is just circus, I've seen this dancer in Don Q. pas de deux in London: vulgar beyond belief.

For the record, I definitely think so.

Cunningham's company has been around a long while and as implied in Helene's post, this isn't unheard of there. In the 15 years I've watched the company (a comparatively short time) there have been acrimonious departures. If my memory is correct, ironically enough, Becofsky was one of them. Helene also described Becofsky's perceived duties as an "enforcer" - Carlson is following in his footsteps.

Ballet Talkers who saw the piece at Paris Opera Ballet discussed it earlier - it's not something to go to expecting to see dance, but rather a discussion of dance. I've seen Bel's "Pichet Klunchun & myself" and respected it a lot as an intelligent examination of the gap between classical and contemporary dance. In any case - it's free! Go and report back on what you thought. --- BARYSHNIKOV ARTS CENTER PRESENTS A ONE-NIGHT-ONLY SCREENING OF VÉRONIQUE DOISNEAU A FILM BY JÉRÔME BEL AND PIERRE DUPOUEY SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 2009 AT 5:30PM New York, NY, March 2, 2009 — The Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) is pleased to present Véronique Doisneau (2005), a film by Jérôme Bel and Pierre Dupouey, on Sunday, March 8 at 5:30pm at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Howard Gilman Performance Space. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Mr. Bel. Program Information Véronique Doisneau (2005), 37 minutes Recorded at the Palais Garnier, Opéra National de Paris, Paris, France, October 2005 Conception and Direction by Jérôme Bel With Véronique Doisneau, Céline Talon, Sujets of the Corps de Ballet of the Paris Opera Ballet Extracts of ballets borrowed from Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot (Giselle), Merce Cunningham (Points in Space), Mats Ek (Giselle), Rudolf Nureyev (La Bayadère from Marius Petipa / Le Lac des cygnes from Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov) Music from: Le Lac des cygnes (Tchaikovsky), recording of files of the Paris Opera Orchestra, solo violin Frederic Laroque, conducted by Vello Pähn; Giselle (Adolphe Adam), recorded by the Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra, conducted by Richard Bonynge, Decca Editions Record Company Ltd., courtesy of Universal Music Special Projects France. Associate producers: Denis Morlière and Antoine Perset Véronique Doisneau is a co-production of the Opéra national de Paris and Telemondis in association with France 2; with the participation of Mezzo, Centre National de la Cinémantographie Baryshnikov Arts Center, 450 West 37th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues). Admission is free. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 646-731-3218. Jérôme Bel was born in 1964. Based in Paris, he works worldwide. He studied at the Centre National de Danse Contemporaine of Angers (France) from 1984-1985, and performed for many choreographers in France and in Italy from 1985-1991. In 1992, he was assistant to the director and choreographer Philippe Découflé for the ceremonies of the XVIth Winter Olympic Games of Albertville and Savoie (France). He began choreographing in 1994 with nom donné par l'auteur. His other works include: Jerome Bel (1995); Shirtology (1997), commissioned by the Centro Cultural de Belem (Lisbon) and Victoria (Ghent); The last performance (1998); Glossolalie (1999); Xavier Le Roy (2000); The Bessie Award winning The show must go on (2001), which brings together a cast of twenty performers, nineteen pop songs and one DJ, and is currently in the repertory of the Lyon Opera Ballet; The show must go on 2 (2004); and Pichet Klunchun & myself (2005) with the Thai traditional dancer Pichet Klunchun. In 2008, Jérôme Bel and Pichet Klunchun received the Routes Princess Margriet Award for Cultural Diversity from the European Cultural Foundation for Pichet Klunchun & myself (2005). Jérôme Bel was invited to produce a piece for the Paris Opera ballet: Véronique Doisneau (2004), a theatrical documentary on corps dancer Véronique Doisneau. He created a Brazilian version of this production, Isabel Torres (2005), for the Teatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro. In 2009, he will produce two new pieces, Lutz Förster and Cédric Andrieux, within the framework of questioning the experience and the knowledge of performers. Lutz Förster worked with Susanne Linke, Pina Bausch, the Limon Dance Company, and Bob Wilson; Cédric Andrieux was in the Merce Cunningham Dance Company for eight years and then at the Lyon Opera Ballet. Jérôme Bel will also create a solo monologue for himself, A spectator. In 2010, he and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker will create 3 Abschied, a performance based on The song of the Earth by Gustav Malher in the Schönberg version. The Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) opened its doors in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen in November 2005. BAC serves as a creative laboratory, meeting place, and performance space for a vibrant community of artists from around the world. BAC is also dedicated to building audiences for the arts by presenting contemporary, innovative work at low or no cost to ticket buyers. The organization recently purchased a 299-seat theater in the performing arts complex; the facility will undergo renovation in 2009 to be transformed into the state of the art Jerome Robbins Theater. Scheduled to open in 2010, the theater will serve as an organic extension of the existing center, featuring multi-disciplinary work, emerging talent, and international artists, and including artist-centered activity that fosters creative exploration. For more information, please visit www.bacnyc.org.

Opinions on NYCB's Balanchine versus other companies can vary as well. I've been to the same companies and performances (and others as well) as Macaulay and have not drawn the same conclusions at all.