Stecyk

I spoke with Dianna from Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema (BBiC) yesterday concerning our theaters. I asked if she had any questions. With the responses she has received so far, she felt comfortable with her understanding and didn't have any direct questions. We then talked briefly about the theaters in general. Toward the end of our conversation, she asked for some information about Calgary and asked a general question with regard to helping to promote the Bolshoi Ballet.

I have no ideas on how to promote the Bolshoi Ballet in Calgary or anywhere else for that matter. A couple or few years ago, volcanohunter made me aware of the cinema presentations by the Bolshoi and ROH, which is no longer shown in Calgary. Without her comments, I never would have been aware of the cinema presentations.

Do you have any ideas on how to promote these cinema presentations? If you do, can you please respond. I will either pass these ideas back to Dianna or simply point her to this thread.

I am just sharing some information that might be helpful to others.

In Calgary, Cineplex reduced the number of theaters showing Bolshoi Ballet performances from two to one. The prior two theaters were located in the North and South parts of Calgary. Now, there is just one theater located downtown. Unfortunately, it isn't a great theater. After the first performance, I contacted Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema (BBiC) by Twitter, and got its email address. Then, I wrote an email to Cineplex with a courtesy copy to BBiC, and Chinook, my preferred theater. The following day I spoke to Cineplex and voiced my concerns. The Cineplex representative mentioned that I might wish to have my friends write or call, too.

This past Sunday, I brought approximately 20 forms to the theater. Each form contained the following information:

• A mention that I had previously contacted Cineplex, BBiC, and Chinook theater;
• Brief discussion saying that Cineplex and BBiC negotiate which theaters will carry the performances, so it is important that each be notified of any complaints;
• A brief sample complaint letter to Cineplex, which they were free to use or write their own, with courtesy copies to BBiC and Chinook;
• A request that they follow-up their letter to Cineplex with a phone call so that there can be a dialog;
• A request to be sincere, polite, and courteous, for we want Cineplex and BBiC to want to help us; and
• My contact information.

Prior the performance, I approached various patrons--who I consider friends--and asked if they were happy with the change in venue from last year. One or two preferred this new location because it was closer for them. Others were grateful. I actually ran out of forms to hand out. On my way out of the theater, a few people thanked me for taking the initiative.

I did not ask to be included in their correspondence. They were free to say or do as they pleased. A couple of women wrote back and indicated the BBiC is discussing with Cineplex our concerns. They will try to make changes to keep everyone happy. So I remain hopeful for positive change.

The key point of this message is, if you are not happy with your theater selection, you might wish to make your voice heard.

Quiggin, thank you very much for your comprehensive answer. I enjoyed viewing the YouTubes and reading the quotes.

6 hours ago, sandik said:

If I may suggest, take a look at the Gail Grant Dictionary of Classical Ballet or the ABT online dictionary for questions such as these. 

That's excellent—thank you sandik!

Just to add to my prior post, here's what a photographer wrote when I asked him nearly the same question.

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In many forms of art, Arabesque represents artistically-pleasing, curvy lines that show up in everything from ceramic decorations and paintings to calligraphy and photography. (You see it a lot in calligraphy.) It originated long ago in the artistic architectural decorations seen in the Arab world. Hence, the term 'Arab-esque.' Have you ever looked at Arabic language printing from an aesthetic POV? It's filled with lots of curvy lines, i.e. Arabesque lines. When posing models, I'm often directing them to form "S" curves/shapes with their bodies. That "S" shape they create is a curvy, S-like, imaginary line which you can imagine running from their heads to below their hips and/or buttocks. In other words, it's Arabesque. I often like to purposely add diagonal lines to many poses, including S-curve/Arabesque poses. Why? Because lines in visual art are powerful and diagonal lines are the strongest of the strong. Those diagonal lines are accomplished with the model's arms and legs. When Jay announced this weekend's theme, someone said they don't ever think about things like composition techniques when shooting. I think about them a lot. I don't overthink them and it certainly doesn't slow me down when I'm shooting but, when I'm directing a model, I'm often giving her posing directions driven by conscious, purposeful, thoughts of creating things like lines and other elements of composition/design. I'm also directing them in terms of expression, which reveals emotion and story. Lighting often serves to underscore those things. The best model pictures, IMO, are those where composition, pose, expression, and lighting are all working together in some way. In some purposeful way, some thoughtful way, some "by design" way. Here's a graphic of the sort of curvy Arabesque lines seen in calligraphy. It's often used because it's so aesthetically pleasing. Same holds true for a model's curvy poses. Hopefully, some of that makes sense.

He refers to a graphic regarding Arabesque, for which I have provided a link.

I asked about Arabesque with respect to ballet, and he replied as follows:

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Yeah. I'm aware of Arabesque in ballet and other forms of dance. It's a position I believe. Not sure how it relates to the elements of design and/or composition though.

Hence, my original question above. I have often seen the word "Arabesque" in ballet literature, but don't have an understanding or appreciation for its meaning.

I look forward to your comments.

What is Arabesque? Is the word always capitalized? I have heard the term and have searched to see ballet images of Arabesque. There also seems to be more than one form of Arabesque, for example, Third Arabesque. Are there many forms? I presume it is a classical set of positions?

Does Arabesque in ballet share commonalities with Arabesque in used in ceramic decorations and paintings to calligraphy and photography? When I look at Arabesque in these art forms, it is rather curvy. When I see Arabesque in ballet photographs, the form seems rather linear. This link goes to an illustration that seemingly demonstrates my thoughts. The legs and arms are seemingly linear while the torso is curved.

I would appreciate learning more about Arabesque. I have heard it commonly used in ballet but never understood its meaning or significance.

I am not sure that this post is in the correct section. If it should be relocated, moderators please move it.

11 hours ago, kbarber said:

 

can you summarize for those of us who are stuck behind the NYT paywall?

The New York Times is inviting readers to take advantage of its reporting, analysis and commentary from the lead-up through the aftermath of the 2016 election. Readers will have unlimited access to NYTimes.com for 72 hours from 12:01 a.m. ET on Monday, November 7 until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 9.

The above paragraph is a quote from the New York Times. 

You can read the article in its entirety soon. And, you can read about the election, too. 

Financial Times: Web links to pirated content ruled unlawful. (subscription required)

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Online publishers who knowingly link to illegally uploaded content are liable for copyright infringement, according to a European Court of Justice ruling that could have broad consequences for digital media.

 

The ruling, which marks the culmination of a five-year legal fight involving a Dutch blog, Playboy magazine and celebrity nude pictures, draws new lines around what has been a highly contested area of online copyright law.

 

Until now, Europe’s top court has tolerated the widespread practice of providing weblinks to unauthorised online content — whether films, pictures, video or text — concluding that this did not generally amount to a breach of copyright. Instead, the website that hosted the underlying content was liable.

Yes, Brexit might take a long, long time and might not ever happen. I agree, you should be able to post links without quotes. However, some of your members might accidentally post a quote with a link, not knowing that the rules have possibly changed.

If I spot anything else that provides more clarity, I will post that information here.

As far as I know, this board has allowed members to post up to three paragraphs from an article with a link to the article. Europe appears to be shifting in what it deems allowable. I thought this might be of interest to this board. Furthermore, I have no idea how these new copyright rules will affect this board. Anyway, I referenced an article below.

Financial Times: European copyright rules: what happens now? (subscription required)

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Brussels is ripping up its copyright rules. Everything from how video sites deal with copyright content to the rights of researchers to trawl through academic journals with software will be overhauled as part of the proposals coming out in September.

 

What is the biggest shift?

 

The European Commission will give news outlets the right to demand fees from aggregators such as Google News. Publishers will have so-called “neighbouring rights”, which will enable them to ask for a levy if an internet platform shows a snippet of their content.

 

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt
Citizenship in a Republic
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Thank you Helene for your comments this weekend. I hope you enjoyed the Rio Olympics and its closing ceremonies.

I’d like to touch upon some of your comments.

With regard to your comment on closing threads, thank you. What I should have started with was, “Now that there have been no comments in the last day or so, please allow me to provide my concluding comments.”

You also mentioned that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Paraphrasing, you further stated that efforts don’t necessarily translate into successes, artistic or otherwise. I agree. But, before addressing “successes” or “accomplishments,” I’d like to discuss “artistic” first.

I am going to provide a riff of rhetorical comments and questions in the next paragraph concerning “artistic.” I do not expect nor want any answers. Instead, the purpose is to demonstrate that there is no easy definition for something considered “artistic.” (If others want to explore or debate the definition of “artistic,” I encourage starting a separate thread where they can do so without my participation.)

How do we define something that is deemed to be “artistic?” Is defining it similar to defining pornography, where Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart wrote, “I know it when I see it” (Jacobellis v. Ohio, 1964)? Do all critics agree that any one work of “art” is, in fact, artistic? Is artistic artwork automatically recognized by all when it is created? Can artistic success be defined by how much someone is willing to pay for it? Are the most artistic creations always the most valuable? In other words, does value define artistic? Does the perception of what is artistic change over time? Does the perception of what is artistic change depending upon who is judging? Does everyone on this board agree or speak with one voice with regard to the quality of Misty Copeland’s artistic attributes, or any other artist for that matter? Just as Olympic athletes are at the very pinnacle of their individual fields and are usually able to perform at a high level in other sports—indeed, some athletes have participated in both Winter and Summer Olympics—can artists who have achieved both critical artistic and commercial success in one field appreciate artistic accomplishments in a different field, or are they forever constrained to judging works of art within their own narrow swim lanes? In other words, are Sarah McLachlan and k.d. lang capable of recognizing works of artistic merit outside of popular music? Would those who have studied, practiced, and performed classical music all their lives be able to recognize and appreciate the artistry in a Rolling Stones performance at Copacabana Beach?

Having briefly discussed how difficult and nebulous an “artistic definition” is, I am going to turn my attention to accomplishments or success and respect, dignity, integrity, and admiration.

Regardless of their station in life or their accomplishments, I respect those who work hard, are accountable, and conduct themselves with dignity and integrity.

Ethics courses teach us that if you’re in doubt about a course of action, ask yourself how you would feel if you were identified in the front page of the New York Times or your local newspaper with a thorough and complete vetting of your words and actions.

Having subscribed to Alberta Ballet for several years and having met Jean Grand-Maître, I know that he is hardworking, accountable and conducts with himself with dignity and integrity. His words and actions as well as successes and failures are chronicled in our local media. Therefore, he has earned my respect and admiration.

Regardless of whatever path Alberta Ballet might follow in the months and years ahead and regardless of whether I agree with his decisions or am critical of some of his ballets, I will continue to respect him and treat him with dignity, for he has earned it. It’s the honorable thing to do.

Alberta’s arts and culture are less refined than those in New York. We don’t have your population, history, and depth of talent. However, we know You Can’t Always Get What You Want (But if You Try Sometimes, You Get What You Need) (Link to a Rolling Stones performance at Copacabana Beach on YouTube.). We here in Alberta will continue to survive and thrive—we always have.

It’s time to close this ugly thread. Once again I am reminded that the internet is not always a friendly place, for some people will hide behind a veil of anonymity to write things about others that they would never have the courage to say to them face-to-face.

The ironic part is that I posted this information largely for volcanohunter’s benefit. We’re the only two on this board that I am aware of that live in Alberta and that have an active interest in Alberta Ballet. Because the links I posted were from Calgary sources, I thought she might have missed them.

In looking back on this thread, Martin Bragg’s name was raised. None of us here know how he performed his duties. Celebrating a person’s loss of employment or career is one of the worst forms of Schadenfreude, with only the celebration of death or divorce being worse. Me, I just hope that he is doing well in his new role.

Next, of course, we have Jean Grand-Maître (JGM). To assess his tenure, we would need more information. Although I am positive there are a greater number of relevant questions, below is a brief list of questions that I can think of:

·         What was the state of Alberta Ballet when he began his role?

·         What were the Donor’s and Board’s direction?

·         What were the annual objectives and did he meet them?

·         Did Alberta Ballet grow stronger during his tenure?

o   Were there more dancers?

o   Did the dancers have longer contract periods?

o   Did attendance to Alberta Ballet increase?

o   Did audience satisfaction increase?

·         Did the overall health of the Company increase?

None of us here know the answers to those questions. I do know, however, that JGM did not work in isolation. Like most people, he works within the direction set by others. That is not to say he lacks influence. I am sure his recommendations carried a lot weight when the Board provided its direction.

Next we have volcanohunter’s disparaging statements concerning the ballets. While I can’t speak to the artistic merits, like volcanohunter, I can say that as a season’s ticket holder and watching all the performances throughout the year, the year end “pop ballets” were always the crowd favorites.

How many “pop ballet” performances did you attend, volcanohunter? I am guessing that it is close to zero, because these ballets fell woefully short of your highbrow expectations—fair weather friends, indeed.

With regard to the “affordability” of these “pop ballets,” rather than being a drain on the Company’s resources, I suspect that they sustained the Company.

Furthermore, none of us here know where the company earned and lost most of its profits. As outsiders, we simply don’t know. This paragraph should be reread for emphasis.

volcanohunter went on to say that when the second Mitchell ballet collapsed, the patrons left en masse. When I look up “en masse” in the dictionary, I don’t know whether that means five percent, twenty percent, fifty percent, seventy-five percent, or one hundred percent. And, neither does volcanohunter.

Furthermore, did those patrons buy just one ticket to one performances, or several tickets to several performances?

What I can say is this: I noticed almost no change in the number of patrons watching the replacement ballet. I have opening night in Calgary and I believe it is largely sold out to season’s ticket holders. Obviously, there were others who did receive a refund.

Now as far as the conversion rate of “pop ballet” fans to regular attendees, none of us know the answer. However, I suspect that Alberta Ballet does have some idea. If there was zero conversion and the ballets were a cash flow drain, I doubt that the Board would have endorsed more “pop ballets.”

If the negative comments about JGM and his “pop ballets” are true, then I am surprised that any of the pop artists chose to work with Alberta Ballet. Who would want to be associated with Alberta Ballet? Artists who reached their level of success are usually fairly shrewd. Before committing to a project, they or their teams have done their research. Perhaps these “pop ballets” are not as bad as some purport them to be?

Words matter. Reputations matter. If you’re in doubt as how just a few words can have a significant impact on reputation, just ask Justine Sacco (link to New York Times article -- How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life – subscription might be required).

Anyway, I am disappointed by this thread. Negative comments based on half-baked truths were presented as facts without any supporting logic or documentation. Worse, disparaging remarks were made in regard to those who are earnestly trying to make a positive difference to not only to Alberta Ballet but also to the larger community.

During times of crisis is the greatest opportunity to make positive changes. If volcanohunter wants to provide positive, constructive assistance, now is the time. While I have no idea how much weight will be given to one individual audience member’s suggestions, this is time to provide input in hopes of creating positive change. If she doesn’t like the current program, she should provide reasons and rationale why and how it should change.

It's interesting reading volcanohunter's response. It's completely devoid of numerical support. Does she know how the attendance has trended over the past several years? Does she know which productions are money-makers and which are not? I doubt it, other than the Nut is a staple money-maker. The revenues and costs associated with a typical "pop epic" it "can't afford?" How about the financial condition when JGM took over?

Up until recently and with the exception of the Mitchell screw-up, how has Alberta Ballet done? Did it increase the number of dancers? Become stronger financially?

The answers to these questions and many more remain a mystery. Instead, it's better to start calling for people's heads. Yeah, hip-shooting behind a veil of anonymity is fine, especially when others' reputations are brought into the mix.

13 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:

To what end? It hasn't worked thus far.

And your solution is what?

50 minutes ago, sandik said:

Like many smaller companies, they're acting as a producer of their own work and a presenter of others.  I don't know what other dance events are usually available in Calgary or Edmonton, but this isn't an unusual structure.  As a presenter, they may feel they need to appeal to a broad audience -- as a producer, their rep looks very much like the Joffrey used to.  While both Joffrey and Arpino used classical technique, their works were often very contemporary in tone and content.  The difference here is that Joffrey would also program heritage works in his mixed bills.  The company brought all those facets of their repertory along at the same time, and brought their audience with them as well. 

sandik, I believe that's largely Alberta Ballet's goal--that is, the bring their audience along with them. Another part of its goal is to increase its audience. In a perfect world with more resources--time, people, and money--Alberta Ballet would offer a stronger program.

29 minutes ago, pherank said:

I think that you will find that on the forums most of us have strong opinions, and it's best to just take them in stride, since the motivations behind these opinions can vary considerably from day to day!

These financial problems, and the 'artistic choices' that can result from them, are hardly limited to Alberta Ballet. Most companies in Europe and North America are required to perform a balancing act between the purely popular (they hope) and the more risky presentations that may push the art form forward (we hope). If the company is making a sincere effort to straighten out their finances, and they have community support behind them, then that may be the best one can hope for. Nothing beats having a community that actually cares about a dance company - that is central. May it all work for the best.

pherank, I have no difficulty with strong opinions--in fact, I embrace them, especially when they are supported with facts. Never let cold hard facts get in the way of a really good story, though.

Where I have difficulty is when others suggest jettisoning those that are working especially hard under trying circumstances to make a company viable. If that's truly how a person feels, then great. Make your voice public with full disclosure (provide your name) and be accountable. If one feels that the company should be burned to the ground and then started from fresh, then one ought to be willing to meet with those who can shape the future. It's no big deal. Typically, those in charge want to exchange ideas with their audiences. That's why the Company opened itself up to solicit ideas to help make itself sustainable.

I am sure that there have been several people who have pored over every detail in trying to make this year and future years' experiences even better. In Alberta, times are very uncertain. The ballet company relied heavily on corporate donors and large donations. Much of those donations have disappeared or been reduced, for it is difficult for a corporation to provide large donations when it has laid off one-third of its staff and itself is struggling.

So for those that have strong feelings, especially those that believe that Alberta Ballet is heading in the wrong direction, speak up. Meet with Alberta Ballet executives and voice your opinions. Tell them where they, their donors, their volunteers, and their consultants have gone wrong.

• Why?
• What has he done wrong?
• Who would you replace him with?
• What would he or she do differently?
• Would a new candidate ensure the financial success of the organization?

4 hours ago, pherank said:

The Alberta Ballet article doesn't really make clear why they were unable to choose songs for the ballet - and gets those cleared for usage by Mitchell. Was there originally a greater degree of involvement from Mitchell, in the first ballet? I wonder what that consisted of.

Calgary Herald: Alberta Ballet looking for help from supporters with ambitious $1-million fundraising campaign

The Lightfoot production suggests that the cancellation of Mitchell’s ballet in 2013, which was to be based on the singer-songwriter’s love songs, has not dissuaded the company from these sorts of collaborations. They have had success with Balletlujah!, an original collaboration with k.d. lang; Love Lies Bleeding, done in partnership with Elton John; and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, done in collaboration with Sarah McLachlan. The Fiddle and the Drum, the first collaboration with Mitchell in 2007, was a great success for the company, Grand-Maitre says. In fact, he says he hasn’t ruled out revisiting a second production with Mitchell based on her love songs at a future date. Mitchell suffered a brain aneurysm in March of 2015.

“Joni Mitchell did wonders for this company,” Grand-Maitre says. “That ballet is one of the finest we ever did in the history of Alberta Ballet. It went around the world. We had people here in our studios from the New York Times, from the BBC. She opened the doors to Elton John directly, and that opened the doors to k.d. lang and Sarah McLachlan and now Gordon Lightfoot. So it’s been an extraordinary legacy she left for our company.”

Grand-Maitre says he is still in contact with her and is hoping to one day resume work on a new production.

In this latest article, Alberta Ballet once again leaves the door open to working with Mitchell.

As expected, Alberta Ballet is struggling with the poor Alberta economy. I recall saying to others that when Joni Mitchell canceled, it would be a real blow to Alberta Ballet. I further doubted that Alberta Ballet would collaborate with her again in the future, despite the warm and fuzzy statements that were issued. I am not surprised by comments in the article surrounding this issue.

Alberta Ballet was never rich to begin with. Now, with the recession, times will be even more interesting. If there is any good news it is that Alberta's economy should be in the process of bottoming.

Calgary's Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: Alberta Ballet trying to recover from financial misstep. There is also a seven minute audio segment that accompanies the written article.

Alberta Ballet is struggling to recover from a financial stumble that started three years ago with a canceled Joni Mitchell ballet.

Since then the company has slid into a substantial deficit, been forced to borrow to cover shortfalls and is now pre-spending a rising proportion of money raised against future productions before it ever mounts those performances.

It's a problem that has led to staff cuts, fewer dancers on shorter contracts and a big fundraising campaign.

The ballet ran an accumulated deficit in 2014-15 of close to half a million dollars on a budget of about $14 million.

Although not ballet, the San Francisco Opera, a perfectionist organization, is learning to experiment. I thought you might enjoy this article from the Harvard Business Review. I believe non-subscribers are allowed five free articles per issue or per month or something like that.

Harvard Business Review: What Design Thinking Is Doing for the San Francisco Opera

As one of the world’s leading opera companies, SFO has traditionally focused on perfection in all aspects of its performances. Matthew Shilvock, the company’s new General Director, described this drive for perfection as, “our blessing in allowing us to produce moments of exquisite theater, and our curse in terms of not giving us the flexibility to adapt quickly.”

Like almost every non-profit organization, SFO has limited resources. Ticket sales cover just a fraction of its production and administrative costs, with the balance coming from donations, grants and endowment. To survive and thrive with the conflicting demands of performance excellence and constrained resources, SFO has developed a highly structured organization.

Further to my prior reply, there's an article in today's online Wall Street Journal Athletic-Gear Makers Run Into a Problem: Their Workout Clothing Is Too Sporty. (subscription likely required)

The key takeaway from this article is that being merely supportive athletic wear is the minimum requirement. Instead, athletic wear must provide its function and look great. Fashion has become more important.

The big three performance brands—Nike, Under Armour Inc. and Adidas AG—which started out targeting men with high-performance materials, are turning their attention to the women’s market, which they see fueling growth in the years to come. Under Armour recently hired new executives to lead its women’s apparel and footwear divisions. CEO Kevin Plank in January forecast its women’s business to eventually outsell its men’s business.

Nike forecasts sales of women’s products will roughly double by 2020, though its share of total sales will remain about the same. In its last fiscal year, women’s gear accounted for 22% of Nike brand’s $25.8 billion sales.

Disclosure: I own Under Armour shares.

"Hot-button issue" is often a way to dismiss someone's argument as irrational. I hope it wasn't your intention in my case.

No, that certainly wasn't my intent. My apologies for phrasing my thought in a manner that could be misinterpreted. I hope my next statement doesn't put my foot further in my mouth. I meant that this is an issue that you're passionate about.

As I was having lunch, I realized that I forgot to mention our shared interest in ballet, the reason why we here. We have that in common, too.

Again, sorry for the clumsy and unfortunate wording.