lmspear

I can see the sapphires representing a clear night sky.

I've been having fantasies of ABT doing Philadelphia Story as a ballet with Marcelo Gomes in the Cary Grant role, Gillian Murphy in the Katherine Hepburn and Sascha Radetsky as the Jimmy Stewart character. I'd like to see Ratmansky try something with an "all-American" setting.

Enjoyed the small rehearsal clips of Balanchine's Emeralds and Petipa's Paquita.

I've haven't had the chance to watch the program, but your comment gives me hope that the Balanchine Trust may have begun to find a way to work with others to allow the pubic to see more of the choreography. I hope that others can other groups can use whatever process the producers/network/Ballet West used as a road map.

Cheers.

Speaking of the roman à clef form, remember how Nora Ephron skewered Carl Bernstein and his inamorata in Heartburn.

Martha Graham did "The Owl and the Pussycat" based on the poem.

Mark Morris's Renard features a cat, fox, cock, goat and three hens. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it and can't offer a description or opinion.

If we count Icarus as a bird-boy there are several versions. The first one that I'm aware of is Lifar's.

"The Nightingale and the Rose" by Wheeldon for NYCB

Can't really comment on my choice, but let us PLEASE give mention to one of my favorites, Roman Z, when we are bringing up the Character Dancer category. Even though his hard work and tremendous talent maybe won't land him at the Principal's table, He is a vital part of their program, and I too think there should be some sort of promotion possibilities when considering, the many "solo" character parts he so brilliantly plays!

There is a precedent for this. I don't think William Carter or Terry Orr ever danced a prince role between the two of them, but their talent and contributions were considered worthy of principle status.

Has there ever been a woman who hasn't been a founder or co-founder and who was chosen to run a major US ballet company? Karen Kain is AD of National Ballet of Canada. If Lopez is chosen, I think she'd be the first to not have had a career with the company in question.

If I remember correctly Violette Verdy directed the Boston Ballet for a short period of time not long after her retirement.

In ultra Orthodox Judaism now, at a wedding celebration the sexes are segregated, usually with a screen separating the men and women. The bride and groom are raised on chairs, and each holds an end of the handkerchief, the only time during the reception that they see each other, and, of course, they are not permitted to touch in public.

The ritual is performed at many Jewish weddings of all persuasions, but the purpose in ultra Orthodox Judaism is still the same.

They use a screen now? I have not been to one in years, and of course, the sexes were separated, but not by physical barriers.

I was thinking of "Fiddler on the Roof", which I saw close to 40 years ago...(ouch).

The key word is ultra Orthodox, usually this indicates one of the Hasidic sects. Modern Orthodox Jewish weddings might have the sexes segregated at the ceremony, but wouldn't at the reception.

Dr. Coppelius sells the doll he could not animate to a band of gypsies passing through town on their way to Russia. The gypsies try using their brand of magic on the doll that they then sell to the charlatan in the long robe they meet at that year's Shrovetide fair. In the next scene we learn that Coppelia has given birth to triplets, those human-doll hybrids, Petrushka, the Ballerina, and the Moor.

Will Streep ever be able to equal Hepburn or even surpass her on winning times...? (Hepburn=4 vs. Streep=3)

I've heard Streep, with her self-deprecating humor, point out--accurately, I believe!--in interviews that she's lost the Oscar for Best Actress more times than anybody history.

She still has a way to go before she her won/lost record for the Oscar matches Susan Lucci's record in the Emmy contest.

Irving Stone spent his whole career doing exactly that.

Excellent question, in re the flat artistic direction model. Reminds elders of the Denham/Novak mess for Ballets Russe. Wherein the mildew and rodents appeared to be, albeit in cahoots with Miss Nina, the only contented. Locally the other AD out model was the Oakland company, of some few years past, or so I am told. At that locus there is now a new feller doing the job, however. Can it be true that the Fry was essentially the only support of the Company?

And don't forget the Joffrey company's experience with Rebekah Harkness.

This has just given me a nightmarish image of bookshelves full of series of novels based on Balanchine and his wives just like the seemingly endless supply of fiction based on Henry VIII.

Someone will build a tiny turntable counterpart to the contraption that allows the Sugar Plum Fairy glide in the Balanchine Nutcracker.

There was a program insert listing Craig Salstein as the Bronze Idol.

I agree with everybody else.

Back in the mid-seventies I saw a Bolshoi "Highlights" program at the Met where Plisetskaya encored the Dying Swan twice for a total of three repetitions of the whole dance.

I saw Shen Yun last Nov. There were about 10 short selections for each of two acts that were too repetitive for my taste. There was also a pair of MCs who introduced each piece with corny patter. There were some lovely moments. I'm glad I saw it, but I didn't have to buy my ticket, and I have no desire to see it again.

The company is related to the Falun Gong movement.

Imspear, you made my day -- what a treat!

:-D

The Homecoming with Patricia Neal and all those red-headed Walton children.

And speaking of The Shop Around the Corner . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/19/movies/dance-review-2-youthful-debuts-in-the-nutcracker.html?scp=2&sq=nutcracker%20glide&st=cse

This link is to a review of the debut performance of Fairchild and De Luz in Nutcracker. Bouder was Dewdrop and Hendrickson was Drosselmeier. It doesn't seem like much has changed. I haven't seen the broadcast yet. My PBS station, WETA, will show it on 12/20/11.

theo, what did you think about the grown men punching or killing the babies when they came out of Mother Gigogne's skirts? That surprised me. I still don't understand what the point was. Everything else was okay as something different. I found it fascinating, but I don't think it should be someone's first Nutcracker. There were things I liked and things I didn't like. I really didn't like the men abusing the babies. It was the main thing I really did not understand. Why would they do that in the land of sweets? It made no sense. There was a dark element to this production but harming babies is way too dark for Nutcracker, in my opinion. Or did I misinterpret this? I wish someone knew what it meant and could explain it to me.

This is from the Wikipedia description of a typical "Punch and Judy" show:

As performed currently in the UK a typical show will start with the arrival of Mr. Punch followed by the introduction of Judy. They may well kiss and dance before Judy requests Mr. Punch to look after the baby. Punch will fail to carry this task out appropriately. It is rare for Punch to hit his baby these days, but he may well sit on it in a failed attempt to "babysit", or drop it, or even let it go through a sausage machine.

Here's the link to the full, very detailed article: http://en.wikipedia..../Punch_and_Judy

Punch is a descendant of the Comedia Pulcinella