BarreTalk

From my angle, the "splat" had the sudden oops factor of a fall, not the look of a voluntary drop in response to exhaustion.

Saturday night's performance was a series of firsts for me: - first time to see NYCB - first time to see Prodigal Son - first time to see a ballerina's onstage retirement - first time to see a dancer go SPLAT! A last minute work assignment took me to New York City for the weekend. Whenever this has happened in the past, NYCB has been between seasons, but a check of their website this time showed Saturday night's program not only met my tastes but a ticket was available. Arriving at the theatre at 7:59 I discovered the box office hadn't processed my online ticket order, but there was a single seat still available. Out came my credit card and I endured what seemed like an eternity as they completed the purchase. I found my seat and the lights dimmed before I even had a chance to open my program. Fortunately, Prodigal Son's plot was obvious. My seat was 101G right on the aisle, with some sightline problems. I don't think I missed anything onstage during Prodigal Son, but thought Viola Alone used pre-recorded music until the musicians appeared for their curtain call! Can I assume the musicians performed upstage right? My extreme side angle view into the stage left wings enabled me to see Alexandra Ansanelli do a full frontal fall onto hands and knees exiting the stage halfway through the pas de deux. I also caught the hickup during the promenade which proved to me that even NYCB dancers aren't infallible. Since I wasn't aware Helene Alexopoulos would retire at the end of the evening, I thought it quite odd for Peter Boal to share his final bow with her. At evenings conclusion, all eventually became clear however, as she was showered with flowers by a seemingly endless parade of former partners. I even managed to catch a glimpse of Peter Martins. Truly, a night to remember!

When attending a live performance of anything, I've always been a firm believer in sitting as close to the stage as possible. This year, my season ticket status finally got me to the first row, center section of the Colorado Ballet. Although I love the view - unblocked by basketball players or ladies with beehive hairdos - I've discovered a couple of downsides to these seats. First, the floor is slightly too high. You must sit at attention (no slouching permitted!) to see the point of contact between shoes and floor. When the ancient Auditorium Theatre closes for a complete gut-and-remodel next year, I have my fingers crossed this problem will be solved. I also learned the hard way which 2 seats have a great view of the orchestra conductor's back, but nothing beyond. The ticket office was kind enough to exchange my seats for future performances. If you could pick any seat, where would choose to sit? - First row to see the dancers' sweat? - Row 10 for a better overall view of the corps? - High up in a wing for a 3-dimensional view of the choreography? - Someplace else? This could be a fun thread, so let the debate begin!

"Theatre is life. Film is art. Television is furniture." I am a television director/camera person. Although most of my work is in sports, I am constantly seeking a way to bring my love for dance to the small screen. Unfortunately, as virtually every other writer has pointed out - ballet doesn't translate to TV very well. Some has to do with technical limitations, such as the 4 by 3 frame ratio which means there is far too much height for the desired width. If high-definition TV ever becomes generally accepted, the new standard will be a wide-screen 16 by 9, which will be better for dance performances. HD's increased detail level will also mean a wider shot will still show expressions and nuance. The TV audience can then choose which part of the picture to focus on instead of the current necessity of having the director zoom in on a portion of the action. TV also turns a 3 dimensional "experience" into a 2 dimensional "view". If you've ever used binoculars at a performance, the same thing happens. Finally, performances designed for TV must place the camera in desirable audience positions. A camera placed at the back of the house and zoomed in might make an OK reference shot for documenting a performance, but it's angle of view isn't as exciting as a row 3 seat.