Jayne

I saw the movie and participated in the Q&A afterwards with Sy and Anne. I thought she tried to put truth on the screen, even when it did not fit a traditional "arc" storyline: Young kid with a dream to dance ballet, someone gives him a helping hand, he becomes the next Nuriyev. Sy's story is taking a different route. But how different is his route than any other child prodigy? Jennifer Capriati in tennis? Freddy Adu in soccer? numerous young violin / piano / chess / math whizes who grow up to doubt their passions? I think this is a complicated story and the arc is incomplete, Sy must write the remaining chapters. I was encouraged to learn he was signed as a soloist at Carolina Ballet. He will have opportunities for more singular roles and work on his partnering. He is still young enough to develop his dance qualities.

Yes, I think this is why modern women have a difficult time identifying with certain literary female heroines, and find them rather spineless: Lucy in "A Tale of Two Cities", Cosette in "Les Miserables", and Fanny in "Mansfield Park". Most of my classmates just wanted to shake some backbone into them. But we have the ability to act on our own, women of that time had far fewer rights, opportunities for self employment, or personal decision making. They were entirely dependent on their male protectors. And when those male protectors made decisions, for better or worse the women were subject to them. A modern day Giselle would have had a successful heart repair operation as a child in socialized-medicine Germany, done well on her final exams and gone to a major city for university. Or, since she danced so well, she would have enrolled in summer intensive at a major contemporary company, and probably ended up a muse to Pina Bausch. Albrecht would be a Eurotrash German who's family was stripped of their titles after sympathizing with the Nazis. Instead of hunting and slumming in a German village, he'd be slumming it at the Ibiza discoteques and tempting "common" girls with cocaine. Hilarion would have a mullet and mustache, and watch Bundesliga and Premier league soccer after working at the BMW factory. And he'd talk on and on about how he "could have had" Giselle.

Here is the link to the artwork for the 2012 medals. http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/London-releases-design-for-heavy-2012-Olympic-me?urn=oly-wp527 Personally I'm not a fan of the art, looks like my eye sight when I have a migraine. But I like that they are heavy, and that they have a traditional shape. That said, if I won one, I wouldn't complain about the back art, at all. At least they don't look like Turin's donuts. If you see any additional links related to cultural festivals, architectural design of new buildings for the games, or other aesthetic matters, please post in this thread.

haha! A certain NYT reviewer has written repeatedly that mediocrity is present and accounted for. I do think the commodification of ballet (everyone looks the same) is part and parcel of the willingness to hire such a wide range of dancers from a wide range of schools.

To expand on an earlier post that I made, it seems to me that Maryiinsky managers are treating Ms Somova like a young second soloist. She gets fewer international roles, and when she does, they are at matinees, and in roles that do not require extensive acting (Tsar Maiden and Balanchine plotless set pieces). I suppose this is a demotion, but it might be the best thing possible for Somova in the long run. She can slowly grow up to the stature of a prima ballerina. Or not. Perhaps she will retire before then, or will never gain the skills truly needed o blossom. Ms Somova reminds me of a young athlete who "goes pro" far too soon, and then doesn't live up to the hype, and then the arm chair quarter backs make fun of the athlete for disappointing them. No one talks about all the adults around the young person who pushed him/her into going pro so soon. There is just echo chamber back biting. I do have some compassion for Ms Somova and hope her English has not improved the point where she can read this thread, which wouldn't necessarily help her improve her dancing.

I've been following the articles in the NY papers about this storied organization. I am sad to read there have been recent protests by the orchestra and chorale in front of buildings, because they will no longer have full time positions under the new program. While I do understand their quite natural disappointment and grief at losing full time positions, I have to wonder at what they hope to accomplish by the protests? The NYCO was simply unsustainable at the budget, debt load, and the foundation had already been drawn down quite drastically. Would they have preferred to continue employed but have their checks bounce? The funding simply wasn't there. There are many people in other parts of the economy (including myself) who were laid off and then went on to find new careers or made lateral moves within our careers to carry on earning income. As Michael Kaiser has said, if you continue to talk about the problems of the past, no one will get excited about the programs of the present and near future, and therefore no one will donate if they think you will soon fail! The best thing at this point is to wish the NYCO well, subscribe if you can afford to, buy single tickets if you can, and enjoy the art. Hopefully this retrenching will succeed, and perhaps in future seasons, more programming can be added, bit by bit.

well, for starters, we don't subsidize a state ballet, all tuition for Russian nationals to attend ballet school full time, as borders, is subsidized by the state.

puppytreats: does your library have a method to request new DVDs for purchase? Sometimes library systems have computerized "recommendations" where members may make requests. Regarding the scalping issue, modern Russia has all sorts of organized ticket scalping for popular events, so I don't think this necessarily a "Russian" disapproval of scalping. I think there are factions from all societies that participate in scalping (as buyers or sellers) and factions that disapprove of scalping and believe it ought to be illegal. Some professional sports clubs have organized alternative methods for reselling tickets, that bypass disreputable middlemen and the risk of forgeries. It works like this: owners may return tickets to the sports club's ticket office for resale at the box office. If the ticket sells, then the original owner receives full payment via paypal, minus a reasonable handling fee. Other sports club do essentially the same thing, but utilize online auctions for the tickets, which might not always sell at full price, or might sell for more than full price. Everything is done under the wing of the sports club, and ticket numbers are vouchsafed. This gives securities to both buyers and sellers. Once, my mother could not attend a Symphony event, it was a one-off, so no chance to exchange tickets for another date. the symphony took back the tickets for resale, and sent my mother a letter stating the ticket return counted as a 501c3 donation to the symphony. The box office was able to resell the tickets at full price, and my mother was able to claim a deduction on her taxes.

I love the all-Shakespeare idea, I would fly to NYC (from Seattle) to see that in a heartbeat! I would add a revival of John Cranko's "Taming of the Shrew" to the list. NYC has "Shakespeare at Central Park", so why not "Shakespeare at City Center"? ABT needs to play to its strengths, and I see a lot of requests for Ashton. I suggest a one-off spring rep of all-Ashton ballets, or maybe in the summer when the tourists are in the city. It's muggy, and a night (or afternoon) in air conditioned atmosphere, away from the din of the city and the polution, sigh...sounds fantastic. Another idea is a Russian Stories arc: Onegin, Anna Karenina, Bright Stream, and American debut of Ratmansky's Little Humpback Horse.

I've met a tremendous number of foreigners who have expressed to me their passionate frustration when dealing with US Customs on visa issues - both for business and play. So much so that they prefer traveling to Europe instead of the US. This is a huge loss for the US economy, hundreds of millions of tourist dollars lost to an unfriendly agency that is not held accountable by US voters. Because we don't deal with them as foreigners, we have no idea how difficult it has become to travel into the US. You have to apply for your visa at least 6 months in advance from many nations, and meet for an interview in person at a US Consolate office at their convenience. For people who travel often (such as Osipova) this can be very difficult. In addition, they can demand additional documents, which the state department inconveniently loses track of. There must be some other, efficient and friendly manner to run this department, and still keep out the terrorists.

I read this yesterday and wasn't surprised, not because I know them, but because most younger Europeans I've met have a more permissive attitude about cocaine than people from other continents. Please don't take this to mean I agree with that attitude, because I think cocaine is no different than buying blood diamonds.

I see zero evidence of Sylvie Guillem developing people from school through principal status. Particularly men. Also, considering that the 3 act story ballets earn 85% of ABT's ticket income, I don't think Ms. Guillem is a good fit because she likes risky modern choreo that doesn't pay the bills (at least when she's not performing in it).

ABT is not supposed to be a clone of NYCB.

I've been reading this thread, and here are some observations: Dancers are like any other artists, they take time to grow as dancers, actors and athletes. While many of you say "promote from within" and "give them chances to dance principal roles" - are you also willing to watch a few years of perforances that are not virtuoso before they grow into principal "stars"? ABT pays the bills with story ballets, which means feast or famine for dancers - especially the men. Either you're carrying an entire ballet, or you're carrying a speer on stage right. Not much in between. I wonder if ABT could leverage ABT II to somehow include these growing dancers, maybe with more performances around the country where they are not expected to be at the standard set by the "stars", but perhaps some sort of tours that allow them to work out those principal roles repeatedly while on the road. The younger dancers are less likely to be tied down by children, so their schedules would allow it. Another idea would be to set up a formal exchange program with another large company, such as Royal Ballet for some one-offs, pairing a "homer" with a guest. Examples: David Halberg guesting at RB with - say Marianela Nunez - and then some sort of return exchange at ABT.

I agree the little girls were adorable! Charlene certainly had some minor work done on her face (lips, nose, maybe some sun wrinkles erased). Her physique is amazing, her new husband looked like he didn't even try to disguise the brie belly. Charlene looked fantastic, especially loved the hair, it looked finished but not "overdone". I wish her well, it's a lot of pressure to live up to, and she doesn't have Princess Grace's theatrical training to help with public speaking and appearances.

Didn't get to watch the event on TV, just reviewed a couple of youtube links to the ceremonies. Fashion: Didn't like the Chanel palazzo pants for the bride's civil ceremony, but loved the color, and the tailoring. Loved the Armani dress for the religious ceremony, especially the simplicity and the veil. Also loved the celebration dress (not sure of the designer). Music: Only caught a few snippets on youtube, but the musical choices struck me as "pops" choices, star quality of the singers was clearly important in their selection. Atmosphere: I'm sure the Monagasques were happy with the party, but it did seem strange to get married under a parachute silk tent over a court yard, and pretend it was a cathedral religious ceremony. Very odd. Guests: The hats and fascinators were far too conservative! I was looking for some risks, but everyone went safe. booh. Rumors: Since the claim of a 3rd child seems to have some traction, I'm also giving some traction to the rumor that Monaco almost had a runaway bride. The papers aren't backing down and claim they have excellent sources. That said, everyone gets cold feet, and rumors of a bastard child would do me in too! Best of luck to them. They certainly won't be lacking for funds for a down payment on a starter home!

It would shock me if Peter Martins was the only decision maker - or even an influential decision maker on ticket prices. The business manager for the company is probably the main decision maker, along with the chief accountant, and all of it approved by the BoD exec board. I think you need to go through the BoD to get the results. So ultimately, what do you want to happen?

I happened upon this 1988 broadcast snippet earlier today, notice the top comment (bolded comments are my addition): Natalia is amazing, maybe has 5% body fat

mathematics on the water: 3000 people x $0.25 = $750 per performance x 206 performances = $150,000 per year (plus or minus a few people not buying water) not going to solve a $6million budget. There have been many times when I needed a quick fix of water, and it was lovely to have it for free, because I was either broke, or didn't have any cash - or change - on me at the moment.

There was a mention by the union rep that the subscription system is "broken". NYCB has a $6m deficit. So I'll put it out to the interested posters on this thread: How would ycou fix the subscription system, and how would you resolve the deficit? It's easy to say "oh, all seats should be $5.00 and I should get two vouchers for wine". But that model is not sustainable. I think we've aired out all the disgruntlement. But what is the solution? I'll start: If full lengths ballets help resolve the budget deficit, then by all means, NYCB needs to do them, and embrace them, and use Balanchine ballets as much as possible (Coppelia, Nutcracker, La Sonnenbula, Swan Lake, etc). Create a "storybook" season ticket package for parents, with additional kids getting half price if they show some sort of proof of age. Have an All-Balanchine "balletomanes' choice" rep - where the season ticket holders get to nominate and then vote on the weekend's selection in advance. Maybe once in the fall, and once in the spring. It would engage the audience, and allow them to see some of their favorites. Surely there is a way to engineer an election system online that is fair. Dancers could even campaign in youtube videos for their favorites. Have an All Waltz rep for New Year's - Viennese Waltz mixed with a few others for New Year's Eve, or Valentine's, or some other holiday type of time. Make ballet a "date night". Create some sort of outreach program for tourists, so that seeing NYCB in person is a "must do" while visiting the Big Apple. I'm not sure how to go about this, still an idea I'm working out. One way to make NYCB more visible is to do an outdoor concert, Morning Chat show performance, and/or follow the lead of Ballet in Cinema and do an HD Broadcast. Has NYCB recently done a joint exhibition with a museum to show off their Karinska costumes? Maybe do something with the met museum, and offer a special deal entry fee - see the costumes first and get a discounted ticket to a Balanchine ballet? I don't know how to "fix" the subscription series, except to say that I'd rather sit center in the bleacher seats, than orchestra far far right or left with 1/3 of the stage obstructed, but a great view of the far wings and the loitering dancers waiting to go on.

To inform the conversation, per the NYCB website, I found a link to their annual reports, the most recent is 2009. Revenues are reported as follows: 46% Performance Ticket Sales & Tour Fees 36% Public Support (see below) 15% Investment Income / Foundation earnings 3% Other income (this is usually merchandise sales, etc) The public support slice of the pie is subsequently broken down as follows: 44% Individual Donations 17% Special Events 12% Foundations donations 8% Government support 6% Estates & Trusts Expenses are broken down as follows: 69% Production Costs 10% Administration (most executive directors / artistic director salaries are included in this slice) 8% Facility Expenses 7% Production Management Expenses 6% Public Support Expenses Another Interesting Numbers: 206 total performances NEA listed as a donor in the 75k - 99k category 60 Minutes journalist Lesley Stahl is in the 50k - 74k category The MSNBC's Money Honey Maria Bartiromo, Macy's Foundation, Hon. Kimba Wood (would be Supreme) and ELLE Magazine are in the 25k - 49k category Chanel, Inc is in the 15k - 24k category Walt Disney Company in the 10k - 14k category I could not find Ms. Parker listed as a donor, although she could have donated anonymously in 2009. I hope this information is enlightening.

In my observations at social events for the arts; musicians, dancers, even singers in general have a higher rates of smoking than the general population. Dancers in particular smoke to stave off hunger pains and deal with stress. The pressures to remain ridiculously thin are not to be underestimated. The social barriers to smoking in Europe are very low grade in comparison to the US. While it is banned in many restaurants in Europe, most people flaunt these rules as a form or rebellion. In comparison in Seattle, the pressure *not* to smoke is tremendous, and social mores make smokers feel deeply uncomfortable. I abhore smoking, and my father also died of lung cancer in his early 60's. He was diagnosed the Friday before Mother's Day weekend, and died the week before Father's day. Those 4 weeks were the worst of his life, and the worst of ours, watching him suffer. There are significant smoking cecession options available now, including Chantix, which I understand is very effective. I hope Ms. DuPont is able to quit for the sake of her own long term health.

Amazing man, I salute his courage, his tenacity and his longevity!

Care to name names as to the "rubbish" dancers you would like to see made redundant?

ticket prices rarely cover all of the ballet company's expenses. Sometimes they don't even cover 50%. The difference is covered by individual donors and corporate donors. I deduce that NYCB has received fewer donations during the 2010 / 2011 season, and therefore must charge more in ticket prices to make up the difference in 2011/2012 season. If not for private and corporate donors, your seats would probably be in the $300 range, which is what one would pay to go see a major rock n roll or R&B concert with a good seat. I had to pass on tickets to see Britain's national treasure Adele in concert, because the only remaining tickets were $269 each. A ballet performance includes upwards of 50 dancers, 50 musicians, a conductor, lighting technicians, stage hands, licensing fees, stage managers, theatre facility rental, ushers, and others to pay. It is not the cheapest form of entertainment, and prices will never approach what we pay for cinema tickets. If money is a serious issue, I recommend that you go to the Ballet in Cinema performances to get your "fix" of high art, and otherwise try to support local groups that perform Balanchine but are less expensive. I believe if you go to the Balanchine Trust website, they have a calendar of upcoming performances of their works, and there will be opportunities to see Balanchine works, located within a 3 hour driving radius of New York.