California

Thanks for the clip, Canbelto. Her technique for getting up into the lift looks like Maria's, but he never lets go with the left arm. Do we know who these dancers are?

In this clip from Spartacus, there is a similar lift at about 4:50, but he doesn't get her overhead at all. Of course, this is a long ballet, so it could be elsewhere. I'd be interested in knowing from the historians when the lift was first used. It seems to be attributed to Grigorovich - is that accurate?

If you search google-images for "torch lift" you do get several images of what we're discussing. One site calls it "the Grigorovich lift," which I don't find helpful. Another, the Anaheim Ballet, calls it the "one-armed seat lift." They show it a few times here although it's difficult to see the entire sequence for comparison with the other clips on this thread:

Thank you for these insights - fascinating! I'm curious: what name do dancers give that lift? Grigorovich had many innovative lifts in his work, not just this one.

I'm seeing several casts next weekend at Segerstrom and will be watching for that lift. When a partner as experienced and super-strong as Marcelo struggles, it makes you wish for something you could enjoy watching! Isn't there a lift somewhat like that in Sylvia that is set-up off-stage before they walk on?

I've been looking at both clips again and again...Marcelo seems to struggle so much to get her up in the air from a very deep squat. It almost makes you wonder if the running start by Maria makes that a little easier -- although the timing and coordination have to be absolutely perfect. Marcelo and Veronica also seem to be struggling with her balance once she's overhead, which might be why he doesn't let go with his left arm. Maria and Alexei have a collection of one-armed lifts I've seen them do in other ballets. A truly amazing partnership.

I saw that, too. Please compare it with the one-armed lift that starts at 1:24 in this rehearsal clip from several years ago. Mosina and Tyukov are both Russian-trained (she at Bolshoi, he at Perm). I saw them do it again last weekend and it's as amazing as ever. I've heard this referred to as the (a?) Grigorovich lift, but am not sure where that name originated. In any event, Ratmansky's Russian roots are very evident in that passage:

There have been some well-publicized firings. Gelsey Kirkland and Patrick Bissell were fired by Baryshnikov in December 1980 on opening night at the Kennedy Center. I believe Kirk Peterson was "let go" by Baryshnikov. But with the transition to a new ballet artistic director, that's not surprising. There have also been well-reported stories about ballet boards firing executive directors.

Another recent example: James Whiteside. He was a principal for several years at Boston Ballet, joined ABT as a soloist and was promoted to principal the next year. http://www.abt.org/dancers/dancer_display.asp?Dancer_ID=300

Baryshnikov published a very nice book for young children Because. . . It's out of print, but Amazon has lots of copies available through book dealers at reasonable prices. I got this for my sister's granddaughter a few years ago and it's very timely - it's about people who don't fit in but who are urged to stay true to themselves. The book focuses on children who want to be dancers, but it has a broader message. Charming illustrations. http://www.amazon.com/Because-Mikhail-Baryshnikov/dp/0689875827/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448728061&sr=1-4&keywords=baryshnikov

Along with all the great fun, there's an important piece of cultural history in those clips and I'm glad to see it reappear: Bill "Bojangles" Robinson dancing with Shirley Temple in 1935 - the first interracial couple filmed dancing together. More, they hold hands! Imagine this, in the worst depths of Jim Crow, a little white girl holding hands with a big black man. I have seen reports that movie theaters in the south refused to show the film unless those scenes were cut. (I've never been able to find out whether the studio acquiesced to those demands or if the film simply wasn't shown in the south. Anybody know?) In this time of continuing racial tension, I think it's wonderful to be reminded of the pioneers (especially in the arts) who helped the arc of justice move forward, however slowly. Interesting story about them on NPR: http://www.npr.org/2014/02/14/276986764/shirley-temple-and-bojangles-two-stars-one-lifelong-friendship

I just wanted to note that several dancers from the Colorado Ballet were featured in a fashion photo shoot of the November issue of Denver Life. My first reaction: what a great way for the dancers to earn a little extra money and for the Denver community to be reminded of the Ballet. I think this is great, and I'm glad to see it popping up in other cities. (These were shot on the stage of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, where the company performs.) http://denverlifemagazine.com/2015/10/style-on-pointe-colorado-ballet/

I agree completely. I posted about this a year or two ago. I had the same reaction when I tried an ABT create-your-own subscription. Even for the most popular events, I have never had trouble picking my own seats in April when single tickets go on sale. If ABT is aiming to improve cash flow and audience loyalty through subscriptions, they need to take a serious look at how other companies handle subscriptions.

I agree -- and very smart to post these on Vimeo, as so many of us saw the disaster at NYCB, aka "Call Me Ben"

Too bad they aren't showing it at the Met next spring, but perhaps it wouldn't work on the bigger stage. I'm relieved that the responses are mostly positive -- in contrast with the brutal reviews of Carlos Acosta's Carmen at the Royal this season. Great dancers are not necessarily great choreographers - although that never stopped Peter Martins!

I'm curious, too, if anybody saw it. No on-line reviews (yet). Pre-premiere, there were some Instagrams from company members that spoke glowingly of the work. I really hope it was a success.

As silly as it was, it appealed to the mass market audience. I don't think it was any worse than Nureyev's pas de deux with Miss Piggy on The Muppets (still available on YouTube, I think). It's unfortunate if it gives little girls any ideas about moving into pointe shoes right away after a few classes. The real outrage was the fact that Gillian Murphy, the best dancer in the group, was relegated to the corps, while Misty Copeland was the star. But if that's what it takes to get people into the theater, so be it. This kind of popular entertainment is not unlike The Nutcracker - I can only take so much of it, but it sustains the finances of almost every company in the US, so that's okay.

Same thing in Denver. I tried a tablet, but it's no different from my laptop with a good internet connection. For Paloma's sake and her worldwide fans, I hope they post a tape for at least a day or two.

I just lost my connection, too -- error message "too many connections" - perhaps they didn't anticipate how many of us would be watching!

Click "all events" at the center top of the page and you'll see the casting in pale gray lettering.

Thanks for the heads-up on casting. Very interesting! Vishneva doing only two performances -- R&J with Gomes. Gomes not cast at all in La Fille, Corsaire, or Golden Cockerel - seems to be dialing back, alas! No Osipova. (I vaguely remember that the Met web site jumped the gun last year on ABT's schedule and casting and ABT asked them to pull it down. I was expecting the first ABT mailing with casting in another week. Look fast before it disappears!)

I had the misfortune of picking the week of its premiere to visit NYC and saw it several times -- and several of the Friends rehearsals devoted to it! Yuk! But I have always wondered if Robert Fairchild's leading role with both speaking and dancing gave somebody the idea that he had potential for a Broadway show.

I saw the Tuesday night performance at the Royal Opera House. This would not have been my first-choice of ballets to see, especially after seeing four performances with ABT last spring (two of those with cancelled performances by Osipova and Vishneva), but I'm in the UK for a conference, so I take what I can get. I'm not even sure where all the cameras were for the transmission, they were so discrete. I loved this pair of principals, although the professional critical response seems to be mixed. I was not impressed with McCrae in the ill-fated Giselle with Osipova last spring at ABT - he seemed pale and understated. But he seemed to have great chemistry with Lamb and they were a good match in size, demeanor, etc. His boyish charm and smallish size work well in this ballet. I haven't seen any notice of this, but during the first interval, two large banners were unfurled from the top tier right by the stage. BP had been introduced by the company director before the performance as sponsor of the big-screen viewings all over the UK. The banners referred to BP as "corporate criminals" and urged the Royal Ballet to stop accepting corporate funds from them. I was surprised it took so long for ushers to get the banners and the people who unfurled them out of the theater. The audience seemed mostly unfazed. Perhaps they are used to this. It reminded me of the ethical challenge of enjoying ballet in NYC even though David Koch provides so much money. Maybe we've all just accepted the necessity of getting money where ever you can find it. A small detail: At the end, at ABT, the first curtain "call" shows the two dead lovers still sprawled on the floor. Royal skips that bit of extra-drama. I was impressed that a survey about my responses to the ballet was waiting in my e-mail inbox right after the performance. Do ABT or NYCB ever do that? Seems smart!

Actually, as the good folks at VAI have reminded us, an enormous amount of great ballet was available on network over-the-air-free TV in the late 1950s and 1960s. Then it gravitated to PBS in the 1970s and 80s and then slowly started to disappear.

No one has mentioned this yet, but I wonder if ABT will also engage Ferri to do some coaching with principals in roles she performed herself, perhaps even R&J.