zerbinetta

In response to Mel's last post (got pre-empted by an intermediate post): And how odd that the Kirov in their last Met outing, didn't "get" either the Emeralds or the Diamonds sections, only the Rubies, at least with the Vishneva cast. Perhaps with Lopatkina this was corrected, as one would have thought Diamonds would be a piece of cake for them.

A sibling to the Second Thoughts on Ballet thread. Did you ever fall in or out of love with a ballet dancer after repeated viewings? I didn't "get" Alessandra Ferri at first; saw only her weaknesses. Then, after several viewings, kaboom! Now the very sight of her feet alone is enough to make me tremble.

I didn't mean to imply that I didn't adore Merrill Ashley in other roles. I did - hugely! But she seemed to be cast in "Emeralds" for such a long time & the purpose of casting her in the role didn't take. It became one of Mr B's endearing perversities.

I never saw Violette Verdy in the role but would imagine the magic/perfume was much the same as Thesmar's.

Giannina: did you not see Ghislaine Thesmar in Emeralds? After all those years of Mr B trying to teach Merrill Ashley some sort of lesson by casting her in Emeralds, along came Thesmar & what magic she brought to the piece. All of a sudden the French perfume became apparent & everything fell into place.

With PBS airing the DC "Fledermaus", posters can view for themselves the beauteous June Anderson.

Do we have any posters in Brazil (Gomes/Korbes fans?) who can let us know how the situation shakes out? Will he pay the fine, go to jail? or will they come to their senses?

Two ballets I initially disliked & came to love: Opus 19 The Dreamer: Robbins ballet made on Baryshnikov & McBride. First viewing: interesting but minor piece, I thought. On subsequent viewings it became less interesting & no less minor; then avoided it .. UNTIL I saw it with Boal & Whelan. Zounds, what a difference! All of a sudden the poetry, melancholy & deep heart of the piece was revealed. With a lesser pair, I might revert to my earlier assessment but with an appreciation gained by the Boal/Whelan insight. Spartacus: First viewing: "Oy, what a trashy piece!" Subsequently seen with Vassiliev & loved it. No less trashy a piece but fabulous trash! Now I'd love to see ABT do it. Four great principal roles. It's amazing how the right cast can enlighten a work.

Thought of two ballets I changed my mind about but will take it to the other thread as only one is NYCB.

"Monkey in the middle"? Does this refer to the trio who see, hear & speak no evil? and which of these might I be? I love the expression, just don't understand it. :-/ I'll have to give this some thought. I can think of a pile of ballets I hated first time out & still do. Oddly enough, I was thinking of dancers I changed my mind about but that's another topic.

"Sneak a peak" AT? Was that from the last row of the top balcony?

Very good! or perhaps "attitude lunaire"?

I'm surprised Frank Corsaro didn't think of it first .. or perhaps he did!

complete with a photo of the moon: The Case of the Operatic Moon http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/arts/mus...MOON.html?8hpib

Perhaps when NYC Opera moves out of the State Theatre, there could be a rearrangement of Ballet Theatre's schedule so that they can be in the theater in which they belong in NYC? The Met was built for opera; the State for ballet. No amount of tinkering with the acoustics of the State can make it an opera house & very few seats in the Met are ideal for ballet watching. My only fear is that this would lead to more of those pointless comparisons of these two very different companies.

Murphy should be about 24 now & seems to improve by the moment. She is developing the gracious manner & has become a wonderful actress. I wish I could share some posters' enthusiasm for Irina D but I find her totally lacking in harmony. musical depth & expressiveness. Yes, her curtain calls were amusing in the Grand Pas but the whole performance smacked of burlesque by a ballerina who seems already a burlesque of ballerinas, so it became redundant. I much preferred the performance of Reyes/Cornejo. At least they seemed to be genuinely having fun. It isn't as though I haven't tried with Irina & I will keep trying, I suppose, but I just don't get it. I have enjoyed vulgar ballerinas from time to time: Raissa Struchkova or Timofeyeva of the old Bolshoi, for instance, were quite a treat in the right roles. But all that remains in my memory after an Irina performance is the Cheshire cat grin that stays behind .. & is the only memory of the performance. Feel free to argue with me.

Thanks for this, moebiusloop. I hadn't kept up with my Dance Times. :-/

I think I've seen every Hagar at ABT since Sallie Wilson &, for me, Amanda takes first prize. It was a searing performance (the Friday one) which brought me to tears for only the second time in this ballet (Lise Houlton being the first). She seemed one great pent-up scream waiting to happen; no theatrics, no making faces, no imposing of "drama", just truly expressive & beautiful dancing. She was brilliant as the Younger Sister many years ago, also the best in that role, such an oblivious & self-involved little minx! It seemed so out of character at the time as she was the classical hope for the future. I've loved her since I first saw her at age 15 with the Washington Ballet in a Choo San Goh ballet called "Fives" - an airborne feather of a girl. The following year she won her big prize in Russia & shortly thereafter suffered a hip injury which has plagued her ever since, leading to cancellations &, eventually, to a curtailment of her repertoire. But please oh please, Terpsichore, let us have one more Amanda Giselle!

Beautiful jump! Split jetes without .. erm .. the pooch hanging down; soft landings; partners well. Good line, good feet, musical & lyrical. Not a baby, probably 27? Didn't see his Dorian; wish I had but couldn't sit through two in a single week. Anyone see his Dorian?

Ah well, I did promise to post about the Forsythe, so .. I just wish I liked Forsythe as much as I appreciate his craft & technique, but don't see any humanity in those works I've seen so far. They are too much about alienation & disaffectation. His works are not at all pretentious or untruthful but seem to be all about bodies, kinetics & competition; souls do not enter the equation. One can look at Agon & see those strengths which Forsythe possesses but Oh what a difference!

Indeed. let's not forget Nina but she, too, is a senior ballerina although showing no signs of wear & tear as yet. One can only hope her strong technique & relatively few injuries will allow us the pleasure of her dancing for some time to come.

mar-SELL-oh is correct, but Gomes is GO-mesh, not too heavy on the "eh" sound as it is almost "ih"

Well, having heard Dessay both pre- & post-surgery (she did a remarkable recital with orchestra this past summer in Santa Fe), I can tell you she doesn't seem to have lost a thing!

I feel there are more differences than similarities between Acosta & Carreno. Other than having that wonderful Cuban pride, macho in the best sense, & that both are wonderful partners. they are very different in personality, stage demeanor & overall impact. Carreno is arguably the more beautiful floor turner, Acosta the more beautiful leaper. Acosta's air turns land more accurately; he lands (from a great height) without a sound. Both are innately musical & lyrical but each uniquely so. I suppose one could say they show the signs of being of the same school but encouraged to seek & develop their individual strengths & stage personae. There are similarities between Jose & his half brother, Joel, as well but, again, two totally different types. Carreno & Acosta might be cast in many of the same roles; Jose & Joel not so much. As a sort of sum-up: when Jose does something wonderful, I say "aah"; when Carlos does, I say "omigod".

Agreed except that Corelli knew when to quit.