Stecyk

Neil Munshi of the Financial Times wrote an interesting article "Poetry and motion: Mikhail Baryshnikov on Joseph Brodsky." Unfortunately, the article is likely behind a paywall. Perhaps you can read through a library subscription. The article is dated 3/17/17. This interview sets up Mikhail Baryshnikov for his performance in the UK premiere of “Brodsky/Baryshnikov”, Apollo Theatre, May 3—6.

@sandik I would expect Copeland to avoid specific discussions with Under Amour and focus more on her talking points. Plank has provided more commentary to the effect that while he supports a pro-business approach, he will oppose those measures that are harmful to the company's core principles as suggested in this Esquire article "Under Armour's CEO Pens an Open Letter to Clarify His Pro-Trump Comments." Here's a link to the Baltimore Sun article "Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank responds to Trump tempest with letter to Baltimore." I expect that Plank and the company's spokespeople have had in-depth conversations as their beliefs and values. I am confident that they understand and respect each others' positions. So comments now are likely to be forward looking in that they speak to core values as opposed to past statements. By way of disclosure, I should mention that I am a long-time shareholder of Under Armour. These past few months have not been pleasant--not only for Under Armour but also for most retail and apparel equities.

There was a recent discussion about Misty Copeland with regard to Kevin Plank's comments as CEO of Under Amour. Today I came across an article from Harvard Business Review that discusses how companies should handle situations where an employee or spokesperson speaks out. I believe readers are allowed five free HBR articles per month.

@AB'sMom, thank you for your response. When I saw your response come through in the email, I had meant to reply. It obviously slipped my mind until now. I like your description of "being lifted up from the inside." It certainly provides a good visual.

There have been some recent issues, which I will get to in a moment, that reminded of this thread. I recall this thread being quite lively. Before going further, those that recall this thread will remember that Helene and I seemed to take opposite sides. In reality, I believe our moral and ethical compasses are strikingly aligned. We might disagree on this particular "Ghomeshi" case; however, we both abhor violence and ill treatment of others. So with that, let's continue on with the new comments. I'd like to draw your attention to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation article by Neil Macdonald "You don't like the Ghomeshi verdict, fine, but don't take it out on the judge." The CBC and Neil Macdonald have solid reputations in Canada for fair reporting. Please go to the above article and read the CBC's instructions starting with: "'There are those who disagree strenuously with the outcome of this trial.'" Had the judge shown bias, I am confident that Madonald would have voiced his opinions, loudly and clearly. If you haven't done so earlier in this thread, please read the actual court decision (pdf link). Next, I encourage you to view an interview with Ghomeshi's lawyer found here at the CBC: "Marie Henein, Jian Ghomeshi's lawyer, denies she has betrayed women." Next, we note that Ghomeshi's second trial did not go forward. Please see CBC article: "Jian Ghomeshi to avoid 2nd sex assault trial by signing peace bond, source says." When I was watched the US presidential election process and watched the women who came forward against one of the candidates, I thought back to the Ghomeshi situation. In the US, the women were visible and accountable. In the Ghomeshi situation, the women could remain anonymous unless they chose to become public. I am not advocating that one is right or better. It's just an interesting observation. I also find it interesting that Ghomeshi who has not been convicted of any crime and who, to my knowledge, received no assistance from his union is not allowed to sue his former employer. So what brought me back to this topic? This past week a judge in Calgary resigned. Please see CBC "Justice Robin Camp resigns after judicial council recommends removal" and New York Times "Robin Camp, Canadian Judge, Resigns Over Handling of Rape Trial." The reason for highlighting this development is that we do go after judges who mishandle trials. That's not to say that every judgement is correct, but it does indicate that Canadians will not tolerate a judge who shows extreme bias. The Ghomeshi trial was a high profile court case. Had the judge shown similar bias, the furor would never have died down. In reality, after a couple of days when most had an opportunity to read the court decision, people moved on.

Ah, I am not familiar enough with your writing and your humor to catch your sarcasm. My mistake. And, I like your "dis-barre-d." Very good.

What if he had committed a violent sexual assault, would you feel the same? In most organizations, if an employee initiates a physical altercation, he or she is gone, permanently. In many cases, if an employee melts down in an extreme temper tantrum, he or she is gone forever, too. If a lawyer is convicted of fraud, he or she is likely disbarred for life. Most professions, in fact, expel their members if they are convicted of a criminal offence. Those who commit crimes must find an alternate career. As Drew suggests, he is free to chose another profession or find another employer or both.

For the benefit of others who might be reading this thread, I thought would add a few words. A friend mentioned that Morton's Toe is more difficult to dance on. As mentioned in this thread, dancers will often build up the inside of the shoe to fill in space and provide more stability. She mentioned the following product: Totally Toes by Gaynor Minden. I suspect that there are other brands, too. With respect to walking across the stage, she indicated that the ADs were likely looking for a sense of "lofty-ness." ADs are looking for how dancers hold their head up, chin up, and shoulders back. She wrapped up by suggesting that I should purchase a pair of pointe shoes to get a better sense of what the dancers feel. I could also deconstruct the shoes once I am done to see how they are made. I am curious, though I am not sure that I am that curious. I will let the idea percolate for a while. Perhaps I'll change my mind later.

Thank you Fraildove for replying. It's great to have your response because you are speaking with direct experience. Intuitively, I would expect that having Morton's Toe poses more of a challenge than having a big toe followed by tapered toes because the big toe can or should be able to support more weight? Is it not the primary load bearing toe? Adding a wedge or something to the other toes to help distribute the weight seems easier when the dancer doesn't have Morton's Toe. In a Morton's Toe situation, I suspect that the second toe "buckles" so that its length matches that of the big toe? I am asking for clarification as I have no experience in this matter. If we look at the x-ray in the Wikipedia link for Morton's Toe (enlarge to full screen size), we see that the bone structure for the big toe is significantly stronger than for the other toes. The diameter of the bone seems about double the size of the other bones. Stress is defined as force divided by area. Because the diameter is twice as large, the cross sectional area of the bone is four times greater. So, the big toe should be able to support four times the load of a smaller toe? You mentioned makeup wedges. I am surprised that there aren't specific custom made molds that would specific to a dancer's individual feet to help distribute the weight amongst her toes. I know absolutely nothing about dancer's feet and pointe shoes. So I am curious. You mention that some ADs ask dancers to walk across the floor in a diagonal and then make cuts. That seems absolutely brutal. My "normal" walk depends upon circumstance. Am I walking around in a mall waiting for a theater to open. Or, am I walking with purpose because I want buy something and get out? Or, am I walking to meet someone and make a positive first impression? Or any number of different situations. I suspect our walk changes depending on circumstance. So if dancers are to walk across the floor in a diagonal, what should he or she assume? What is a "normal" walk under those conditions? Do you want to show some personality and playfulness? Or, serious intent and assertiveness? Or, do ADs ask dancers to walk across the floor to judge their aesthetics or attractiveness? And, if so, is that fair or proper? I hadn't realized that for female dancers, one of the hardest things to master is to simply walk or run in pointe shoes. That's interesting. Thank you!

I might be mixing two separate topics that would be better treated separately. They do seem somewhat related, so I will raise both in this one thread. In some of the pre-show discussions held for a visiting dance company's performance, I have heard their artistic directors mention that they choose dancers based on their walks. Some of the dancers chosen had no prior dance experience and were instead molded by the current company. These dance companies that have mentioned this selection process have been modern dance companies as opposed to pure ballet companies. As an example, on Thursday I saw Life by BalletBoyz and one of the company's dancers had begun "raw." The artistic director, Michael Nunn, is a former Royal Ballet dancer. My questions are, what is the artistic director looking for in a dancer's walk? Is there something specific, or will the artistic director know it when he sees it? I assume ballet companies have a much more rigorous process in selecting dancers. What are their typical processes? My second topic, somewhat tangential, is Morton's Toe, a condition where the second toe is longer than the big toe. Because I have this condition, I am curious if Morton's Toe prevents a person from becoming a top-notch dancer? For female dancers dancing on pointe, I would imagine that having Morton's Toe would be more challenging and, perhaps, painful? Would this condition be a significant factor in selection process? Although I have the condition, I played sports in my younger years and never thought anything of it. I never enjoyed running, though I enjoy training and playing sports.

I wrote about an uncomfortable situation last year where a woman behind me would often eat during a performance. It drove me nuts. I haven't seen this couple during this season so far, which makes me believe that they didn't renew their subscription. So my problem is gone. Today while listening to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, I heard an interesting discussion about misophonia, the hatred of certain sounds, during the first twelve and a half minutes of "Quirks and Quarks," a program about science. Misophonia afflicts about twenty percent of the population. Although I am not an extreme case of misophonia, I am certain that I am a proud member. So for those of you who are bothered by sounds of people eating or whatever, you might find the podcast interesting.

While going through an old email, I came across this New York Times article "Hello, Stranger." I was reminded of this thread where some members wondered how to strike up a conversation with those sitting next to them at a ballet to enquire if they were familiar with the Bolshoi Ballet performances. Perhaps this article will encourage you to speak up. Happy reading.

Drew, you wrote a wonderful response. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. While I lack the ballet knowledge and experience of most everyone who participates in this forum, I enjoyed watching Alexandrova's performances on-screen. She was one of the few dancers that I followed reasonably closely. Like you, Drew, I hope great things await her.

I believe Maria Alexandrova has announced her retirement. Although I don't read Russia, I used Facebook's translate feature to interpret her message with her picture. She's a beautiful person and dancer. If I am mistaken, I look forward to being corrected. Actually, there is an English portion of her message that I skipped.

My pleasure, sandik. I hope you found the podcast of interest.

I listened to the podcast. It's an interview with Princeton music professor Simon Morrison about his book Bolshoi Confidential: Secrets of the Russian Ballet from the Rule of the Tsars to Today. For the most part, the interview skips along to highlight various scandals mentioned in the book. Your appreciation for the podcast interview will depend upon your familiarity with the Bolshoi and Russian histories as well as desire to hear about salacious or scandalous stories.

I am on my iPad, so my typing isn't the greatest, not that it ever is. Here's the information: http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/the-current/segment/11250944 Dancing through centuries of scandal and politics at the Bolshoi Ballet Dec 26, 2016 A history with twists and turns comparable to any of the stories brought to life by the Russian company. ---- i haven't listened to the 45 minute podcast, but I heard it is interesting. I plan to listen soon. I hope you enjoy the podcast.

cubanmiamiboy, I believe I have seen Hayna Gutierrez in that role, though I am not positive. In your post, you refer to her as "Miss." I believe she's married now with at least one child. I seem to recall something in the Calgary Herald about her wedding. The Edmonton Journal discussed her return after the birth of her child: Prepare to be bitten by Alberta Ballet's Dracula. She is a beautiful dancer.

While at the gym this morning, I thought more about this thread when I saw a new person I hadn't seen before. Every Saturday and Sunday for well over a decade, I am at the gym when it opens first thing in the morning. While I don't know everyone's full name, we regulars all recognize each other and know each other's first names. Where I work out on Sunday morning on the machines, there are usually only a few others present. And quite often, I have the area to myself. If there is someone new in the area, I can either continue with my normal routine. Or, I can take the first step by saying a warm hello while continuing with my routine. I have found that if I just go about my routine, when I politely ask people if I can "work-in" on the machines they are presently using, they are typically territorial. They might ask allow me to work-in begrudgingly or ask me to wait until they are done. If I have said a warm hello earlier, they are much more willing to let me work-in. The territorial attitude dissipates. Just a quick "hello" earlier seems to grease the skids to sharing the area in a cooperative fashion. So now, I make a deliberate point of saying a quick, warm hello to those I haven't seen before. So little effort results a meaningful benefit. I can continue to work quickly through my routine without worries of being delayed. Now, going back to the ballet conversation. If you approach others without ever having said anything to them previously, it's a bit more difficult than if you at least had said hello before. Once you are known to be a friendly person, the rest comes easy. In most circumstances, most people are friendly. I hope this message inspires you to make contact with those near you at the ballet.

You'll find people at Bolshoi Ballet presentations surprisingly open. You're there at an uncommon but cultural event, and you're there because you want to be there. There's already a bond between you and the other person. When I was canvassing other patrons at the last Cineplex performance, people were surprisingly polite to having me, a stranger, ask them questions about their theater preferences. They are enthusiastic about the Bolshoi and so are you, so it's easy to build a rapport from that. Even if you're just standing in line waiting to access the theater, you can start up a conversation. If I were going to see the latest Hollywood hit movie, I don't think it would be as easy. People are there because they want to see the movie and you might have very little in common with them. Here, however, it's different. You both share an appreciation for an art form and for a specific ballet company. So yes, please, just speak up. Take it as an interpersonal challenge to speak with someone you've never met. You will be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to have a conversation with someone new. And, as a side benefit, your day will be a little brighter.

Let me preface my comments by saying that I am an introvert. So if I can strike up a conversation with a couple next to us, anyone can. Often when the couple is arriving to their seats, our eyes will meet and we will say a cordial hello. Or, when we are clapping at the end of a performance, one of us will often say to the other, "That was an enjoyable performance," or words to that effect. As I recall from the last Alberta Ballet performance, there was lull in their conversation during an intermission where I mentioned that I was enjoying the performance. He likely replied in kind, and then I probably mentioned that I enjoy the Bolshoi Ballet, too. A bit of back and forth. And then I offered to send him the list of performances right there. He provided his email while I typed it in. He then checked his phone to verify that he received it. During our banter, he mentioned that he and his wife enjoy attending operas, too. Through familiarization of seeing each other over time, you acknowledge their presence. If convenient, say a greeting of hello and at the end mention some praise about the performance you've just seen. And when the opportunity is open, mention the Bolshoi Ballet. You can even be quite forward about it. For example, "We've seen each other for a while now and I wanted to ask you if you are familiar with the Bolshoi Ballet presentations shown at Cineplex. While they are delayed by a couple or few hours, they are almost live and they are incredible to watch." And then watch their body language. Are they interested in learning more or does their current dose of live culture fill their culture bucket? I enjoy watching the Bolshoi Ballet performances, as much if not more so than the Alberta Ballet. I've got great seats, too, for the Alberta Ballet. With respect to the Alberta Ballet, I enjoy supporting our local ballet company. I enjoy being a part of their community. And I enjoy learning more about ballet by watching them. I have got fantastic seats for their performances, so I am happy. With the Bolshoi Ballet, I enjoy seeing world class dancers perform at their best, along with beautiful costumes, sets, lighting, and music. Because of the camera, I feel almost as though I am on stage with them. While I am not viewing the performances live at the Bolshoi, I sometimes catch myself from wanting to clap. If you convey your enthusiasm for the Bolshoi Ballet, it is hard for the other person not to be interested. As mentioned in my prior post, he was genuinely appreciative for receiving the information. Speaking with those around you should not be too difficult. I hope my comments help.

Here's another small suggestion for everyone. When I was last at the Alberta Ballet, I mentioned the couple next to me about the Bolshoi series playing at Cineplex. Using Microsoft OneNote (similar to Evernote) on my iPhone, I opened up my page with the complete information, including Cineplex dance series url, Bolshoi dates, times, and titles, and forwarded the information to him by email on the spot. He was appreciative for the information. While I do have all the Bolshoi performances marked in my calendar, I find it helpful having all the information neatly written down in one location to share with others.

Thank you Jayne for responding. At the Chinook Theater, which is my favorite, a Cineplex employee Dino created a mail list that he sends out to those interested about opera or ballet performances. Now that ballet has largely been removed from his theater—only the Bolshoi Nutcracker is scheduled to show there—his list is just opera. He provides periodic emails to let patrons know if there are any scheduling changes or other worthwhile announcements. In terms of social media, that's a tough nut to crack. On Twitter, it depends on who follows you and are they using Twitter when you tweet. On Facebook, much the same applies. Most of my social media stuff relates to business or current events. I am definitely open to suggestions.

It's probably a scary first step for many to make—that is, going from a mindset of competition to cooperation. I agree with you, though. Fostering enthusiasm for the art form helps everyone.

Consider it done. I will be emailing Dianna on Monday with some follow-up information, and I will make her aware your post. In my conversation with her, I found her genuinely warm and friendly--the kind of person who you would enjoy having coffee with. So I hope that she responds and that you two can make some progress. Thank you for responding, and I wish you good luck!