lmspear

No need for the sorry. I thought you'd enjoy reading everybody's comments.

Hi Neryssa,

Here's a link to a recent thread on this film that several members contributed to:

Lisa

Le Corsaire???

Is it possible to get great seats for ABT at KC without becoming a member, since member tickets go on sale first?

The only requirement that I recall reading about over the years is that the recipients must be present at the awards. In the early years there was a lot of discussion and horror over Irving Berlin, who was homebound by that point, not being eligible.

Thanks, Aurora. My one New Year's resolution is to respond to people who have commented on my posts. My apologies to everyone who contributed to the Western Symphony video thread.

I have 2 more names to add my list of honorees, Frederick Franklin and Marge Champion. Time is an issue for them.

I feel intense pain and anger for every year that honoree isn't named for dance.

For the future, I'd like to see Violette Verdy, Cynthia Gregory, and Damien Woetzel to the list. I'd also add Ben Vereen and Tommy Tune for their Broadway work.

I'm sorry you had to deal with this person's nonsense, Bart. During my membership I've always found Ballet Alert to be the most considerate and politely toned recreational forum that I've participated in.

I learned about it by watching "The Great Zigfield." Myrna Loy and William Powell were taking a break from the Thin Man series as Zigfield and Billie Burke and the dance was used in the scene about their meeting.

According to the Oxford dictionaries web site it was! http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/Paul%2BJones

There was a mixer style dance names after John Paul Jones.

Thanks all for your good wishes. I transplanted myself from NY to DC for college and never went back. My father is on Long Island has been without power since Monday. There is one town between his community and the beach. Many of the cars in his condo complex, including his, were flooded and ruined. The winds brought salt water from the ocean along with the rain. When some people tried to start their cars, the cars started to smoke. Anyway, dad is sheltering with my brother who lives further inland and was not affected by anything. I was supposed to go home this weekend for an engagement party at the bride's parent's home on the north shore of Long Island, but the party had to be postponed due to damage to the property. The New Jersey relatives are not close to the shoreline and there have been no bad reports from that sector.

I was told to stay away until thing straighten themselves out a little.

Remember this point, Koch did not build this theater or establish the companies that perform there. He paid for renovations, he did not buy the building. He acts like an owner, not a contributor. You have to wonder if he personally contributed enough to close off the 4th and 5th rings. A few years down the road I can imagine him saying that he does not see the need for two large major ballet companies and somehow manipulating a merger between ABT and NYCB. (This is just a nightmare scenario. I will continue to indulge in this horrible fantasy until it's clearly far outside the realm of possibility.)

That's exactly it. He loves his name better than the art form.

I find myself wishing that he would take a lesson from Nancy Walton (Walmart) Laurie and her relationship to Cedar Lake Ballet. It's a matter of philanthropic style, not politics. There's no need for him to stick his name all over everything.

I may be reading the release in a paranoid manner but the way Koch is quoted in the release, “To have a ballet company that I love, perform in the David H. Koch Theater – which bears my name – that I am proud of, is a dream come true,” reeks of ego and a desire to make it appear that he owns the building and everything in it. It's a horrifying contrast to funders such as Lincoln Kirstein who served the art and not the ego.

I just have a footnote to add to the discussion of the Sat. matinee with Pavlenko. (First time I've seen her. I'm impressed!!) Anyway during the Summer fairy section, the hat of one of the entourage flew off and landed about 10-12 feet from where Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother were sitting on the floor. Staying in character Bazhenova shuffled over and picked up the hat (a deep rose-colored turban with feathers), returned to her seat, modeled the hat, handed it over to Cinderella who held it over her head, but was too shy to put it on and returned it to the fairy who then placed the hat in one of the large bags she was carrying. It was a lovely humorous little bit of business that was done subtly enough that it did not upstage the summer fairy and attendants, but was delightful to watch.

Dancers Over 40 usually posts these panels on their youtube channel.

There was a documentary of Jock Soto that showed up on PBS a few years ago. It looked at his background, professional and peronal lives. I'm drawing a blank on the name. He was another openly gay dancer who was perceived as "masculine" and treasured by his partners.

I'm with the Gish group.

WoW. Thanks!!!

http://www.ina.fr/vi...ymphony.fr.html

This is from a French site, dated 1954. I haven't watched it yet. Is this the original cast?

from 1973

The lack of filmed performance, especially of the New York City Ballet, really is frustrating.

I did a brief Google in search for videos of Lopez dancing, but so far have only found a guest appearance, with Jock Soto, dancing a snippet from Stars and Stripes. The choreography is explained by Big Bird as an opportunity to learn about "Up and Down." The dancers, possibly intimidated by the miniscule set and the limited time allowed them, are untypically stiff and low-wattage.

Villella was, among other things, a great showman. When he was performing, he was bursting with energy and passion for movement -- the same qualities that he tried, as a ballet master, to instil in his dancers.

What about Lopez? I wish I had a stronger visual and emotional memory of what she was like on stage. That unforgettable Firebird is, for me, the exception. Does anyone have memories that they can share?

I found her doing I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise from Who Cares? at a little past the 33 min. mark at this link -

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/9A19-O6Iehw . It's the Live from Lincoln Center broadcast of the Balanchine Celebration. I'll leave the commentary to you folks. I don't think I ever got to see her live.

Will be checking our excellent and relatively well-funded county library system today- Thanks for the suggestion, Birdsall.