puppytreats

kfw, thank you so much for the flowers! One is right now at my desk - just plucked the last rose from the garden before the frost sets in.

Yes, "by a long chalk". Must confess I do not know much about the expression, it is English, might be a London cockney one. But I remember we used it quite a lot when I was living in London and not only cockneys said it, but also educated people. It is one of those idioms that is untranslatable - if I were to translate that into Swedish and use it in conversation, nobody would understand me. Similarly, there are a lot of idioms in Swedish which translated into English would sound as absolute gibberish. What interests me is, where is the boundary between an idiom and a slang expression? My own views on the subject is that an idiom has a longer life span than a slang expression. And remember that nothing dates you more effectively than outmoded slang words - like you have been living in your own little bubble for the past decade or so:blushing: I try to keep it in mind, but do not always succeed.

No really, puppytreats, I do not feel like arguing with you any more, you have your ideas, I am perfectly entitled to mine. With respects.

If anyone wants to discuss Ms. Jelinek's work with me, they are welcome, I did after all try to plough through a couple of her works. With very limited success.

Couldnt stand the ---- , same with the film maker Lars von Trier's work. No, life is too short

I am not arguing. I just feel an obligation to object to prejudice and injustice.

You are entitled to your opinion, but (a) you stated your were relying on the opinion of the press, not your own and (b)racism, prejudices, and misinformation call for response.

I am sure many people hold the "opinion" that certain races are inferior, or that certain impaired people do not deserve rights or a voice of support. Newspapers may even make certain similar claims under certain political climates. Making such statements on a public board prompts (hopefully) corrective responses.

If you perceive this to be an argument, then I invite you to get the last word. I achieve no satisfaction in these discussions, just a moral imperative to stand up for the unfairly accused, those who suffer from misrepresentation, and the powerless.

Sorry that puppytreats took took it so badly - however it was not my personal opinion - it was simply what was on radio, television and in the press - everybody thought that she behaved abominably.

Having some inside knowledge of the whole Nobel Prize procedures - my late brother who had served in the Swedish corps diplomatique in Canada told me about it. The laureate is welcomed by a special host for what is called The Nobel Week. That host is Swedish but must have profound knowledge of the country of the laureate, who by the way is allowed to invite a party or family of ten people. If he wants a greater entourage than that, he must pay himself for those people exceeding the stipulated ten. There are no expenses; fares, hotel, food and everything is paid for by the Nobel Foundation. As you can see, the party is very well taken care of and catered for during their stay in Sweden, the host being at hand (day and night as my brother put it).

This is one of the most splendid and well organized events during the year in Sweden.

As many of the recipients are quite elderly and maybe not in perfect health, yet there are very very few who dont attend. There really must be a very good reason to be absent, this year one of the laureates passed away the day before the announcement. Then we have had people who were not allowed to collect their prize for political reasons, f.ex. Solshenitzyn, Pasternak as well if mem. serves. But to stay away on a ridiculous whim - never heard of before. Agoraphobia is not considered a valid excuse. But when it came to pocketing the money, she was neither shy, nor wanting to be left alone. In that respect Sartre was more honest, he didnt take the money as it was against his political principles taking cash from a capitalist foundation.

The professed opinion of media does not validate something. To the contrary, media profit from controversy, real or self-generated. In any event, media do not constitute the arbiter of morality.

Your statement about what constitutes a "valid" excuse also lacks merit. Mental illness is no less "valid" than physical illness. I hope that neither you nor your family suffer its curse.

I doubt she applied for any prize, and she has no obligation to anyone; therefore, she need offer no "excuse", whether "valid" or not. The unconditional offer of money does not create an obligation on the part of a recipient. A gift requires only donor intent and delivery.

Nothing you have written has suggested dishonesty, so to attribute a greater degree of "honest[y]" to another also represents an improper conclusion.

Thanks, Helene. I really wanted to see this. I saw Arun on the Guggenheim series and was amazed by him.

I was very intrigued by "Episodes." While I watched, I kept repeating to myself Balanchine's directive to "see the music." However, the dance did not reflect the danger expressed by the music. Several interpretations arise from this. One could conclude that black and white positions eliminate any threat. Alternatively, rigid, polar viewpoints may obscure danger. I remember being surprised by the music of the final movement, and would like to see the choreography of this movement again, to assess the resolution of the piece.

I did not expect to enjoy "Western Symphony," but found it more appealing than I anticipated, even though it is not my style. Did I see references to "Giselle" and "Sylvia" in the second movement, or am I seeing things?

"Diamonds", of course, was beautiful. I found Maria's extensions distracting, however. Are her legs supposed to create straight lines or circles in the air? I did not expect the curves or think that they fit the theme.

The seminar on Tchaikovsky was very informative. I particularly loved the discussion of and demonstration of "Serenade" and cannot wait to see it in full. Suki is a wonderful teacher.

But I did - http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/changing_of_the_askegard_R5W3htjIkD1hhHX4dsaThP

The Post had only limited room (Stefanie Cohen did a companion interview) so it's a very tightly written piece.

Thank you. I don't know how I missed it. I must have been distracted by Stefanie's piece.

On a very superficial level, I admit that I was distracted by all the balding male heads when I sat upstairs.

I would have liked to have seen "Jewels" once from the orchestra and then once from the fourth ring. The geometry would have been interesting to observe from above.

Great pity if he will not be able to attend and I feel sure that he will not. Now, he has a valid cause, not like that Jelinek woman a couple of years ago who "was terrified of crowds and rather stayed home with her stuffed toys". Yes, it is actually true

Pamela, That is a startlingly judgmental comment. I suppose you are not familiar with psychological or emotional pain or the terror and pain of shyness.

I sat upstairs at the NYCB yesterday and missed seeing the dancers' faces. I felt I was missing a lot of the emotion.

Leigh, I am surprised you did not write about yesterday's performance by SAB or NYCB. I was looking forward to your commentary.

The "New York Times" review of Jose's finale stated: "David Hallberg as the sorcerer von Rothbart. (Isaac Stappas played his nonhuman alter ego)." Since I have not seen this version, please explain this statement. The version I have seen also does not include Rothbart seducing anyone. Please describe this. Thank you.

You can see the Purple Pimp in action for yourself!!

I finally got around to watching this and I now feel like I need to take shower. So evil.

I obtained this DVD from Netflix, without the booklet. Is the booklet posted online anywhere?

What are the sets like at NYCB, or elsewhere?

With the discussion of feet and arches, I am surprised no one mentioned Eleanora's. They really attracted my attention in Emeralds.

Abatt. In your opinion, does this work have legs (in the sense of remaining in the repertory after the publicity has passed)? Will new audiences, attracted to a pleasant McCartney score and elaborate costuming, stick around to experience more serious work?

I ask partly because I am still befuddled by Miami City Ballet's investment a few years in a costly, elaborate and much-hyped Elvis Costello/ Twyla Tharp work which went nowhere and which, it's my guess, will not return.

Your question could start an interesting thread. Is "pop" music suitable to ballet? What should come first? The music or the dance? What are some examples of successful ballets done to pop scores? Who has or could in the future write a great pop score? Can great choreography transcend and enrich a pop score? Is Gershwin a "pop" composer? What about Mozart?

What happened with the Pet Shop Boys' ballet?

I have an extra ticket to tonight's HD showing of "Caligula" by POB at BAM. Let me know if anyone would like it.

Tangential to the main thrust of this topic, but regarding Balanchine - the original cast members that I interviewed on Agon back in '97 seemed to think that his primary fascination with casting Mitchell and Adams was not social, but aesthetic - he was fascinated by the design possibilities of dark skin against light skin. Mitchell echoed this in a coaching session in '02, when he regretted slightly using two dancers of similar skin tone - both light-skinned black, losing that contrast. It's not as if Balanchine could have been ignorant of the greater implications, but they didn't seem to think it was the first thing on his mind.

Does this have anything to do with representations of opposition?

Sometimes I have watched a ballet and thought it was racist or misogynistic. On reexamination, I thought that the ballet was asking the viewer to examine an issue and was conveying ideas through stereotypes for a reason.

It's not the word; it's that people don't always understand that racism and discrimination don't require animus. I remember the surprise I had when working years ago on a discrimination case. The lawyer on the case explained to me that the plaintiff did not need to prove that the defendant - an employer - did not dislike older/non-white/female/whatever people at all. The plaintiff only needed to show statistical proof (in a large enough sampling) of a trend of not hiring them.

That is what I thought when I read this thread: de jure vs. de facto discrimination.

.

Look at Misty Copeland, she's incredibly athletic, curved, muscled, she has a chest, she bursts with health. When you think of Giselle, Aurora, Odette, she isn't the image that springs to mind, but then again neither is Ashley Bouder who has all these roles in her rep.

I haven't seen her dance, but judging from photos she has plenty of personality for those roles.

I didn't notice her skin color in the peasant pdd in "Giselle."

the obligatory gynaecological crotch splitting camel-toe extensions...suffers from ... politeness... inoffensive

Not even a "dry British sense of humor and British accent" can save that juxtaposition.

They have a mandate to explore the context of the work they show, to bring the power of their intellectual home to the audience, but that this is also an obligation, and perhaps makes the job more thick.

I'm glad that she wants to take this approach. It think it makes it richer for the audience than a smorgasbord. Themes can be a double-edged sword with audiences: on the one hand, it's easy to dismiss a season if the theme doesn't appeal, but on the other, by adding a series of activities around it, it can broaden the audience's understanding and prepare them for performance, and someone who might not have been interested in performance might come to a lecture or seminar, and then become interested in the performance.

In truth though this strain of argument went from 0 to scary in sixty seconds.

Sorry to go to scary. Maybe I have just read too many scary cases, and learned too much about the sad abuses of power that people face. It had nothing to do with "Black Swan". I have seen the vulnerable suffer without adequate or any support, or even anyone to stand up for them, and that is why I felt I had to continue to respond when your question and comment became purposely "obtuse". (This is ingrained in post-Holocaust generations.) I prefer to talk about ballet, itself, and so, I am glad to end this line of discussion. At least I didn't ask you any overly broad, difficult questions this time, Simon

I only mentioned the question of sex as you brought up the issue of sexual harassment and I don't quite get what you meant by attorneys for ballet, why would an attorney practice slander? Most dancers aren't established, rich enough to hire personal attorneys, indeed why would they and if there's one thing guaranteed to ensure someone never works again in the arts it's to be perceived as a whistle blower or whinger.

You misunderstand. I was discussing the person in power/director hiring an attorney to protect him from allegations of harassment or other misconduct through any means, including blacklisting via spreading false rumors, threats, and financial incentives; we were not discussing the impoverished victim/dancer hiring counsel to slander the person in power. If you are asking why would an attorney practice slander, I would only suggest that people in power and lawyers they hire engage in negotiations. This may lead them to make all sorts of threats and use money to protect themselves or promote their goals, sometimes within the proper boundaries and sometimes overstepping those boundaries.

To answer your question, in certain cases, one may risk a job for principle. For example, people in the arts have lost jobs rather than naming names. Perhaps people do things to protect other, more vulnerable people. Perhaps the issue is intolerable racism, or something similarly venal. Courage and/or beliefs has lead many people to take risks or make sacrifices at times. Maybe other, more clever methods exist to protect people or achieve change, but I can imagine a naive person seeking help from HR or a superior and then being ostracized when the management closes ranks. By the way, complaining about sexual harassment does not make one a whiner. Telling HR that one heard about an alleged rape or abuse of power is not being a whiner or whistleblower. Refusing to protect an alleged rapist over a rape victim is, perhaps, not being a "team player". Maybe the employee thought he was doing the right thing by so doing. Anyway, this is going off-topic, but I wanted to clarify because I thought your response both misinterpreted what I said and drew a conclusion that ignored many factors.

There have been cases when dancers are blacklisted universally but that's more to do with their behaviour than far reaching power of a single individual blighting them wherever they go.

As you said above, one has to have personal, first-hand knowledge; the rest is just based on rumor. I don't know how one would quantify this or perform a statistical analysis. I just thought that in the case you initially raised, it does not make sense that one would remain in a dead end, miserable situation if options were available, unless other factors favored remaining for other reasons. That led me to believe that other options were not available, or he had personal, family reasons to remain in a given city. Options could disappear because of significant, vicious, false rumors, even without a single person having direct power over an industry.

"A director is absolute authority and power within his or her company."

-Within, but I guess my posting regarded the reach or the influence of the director beyond the company.

"All they have to do is not cast, promote and totally ignore a dancer and that's it, sometimes it's a passive aggressive means of telling dancers to leave and find another company,"

-Why, do they lack any respect or courage to be direct? Are they really so weak?

"there's no doubt he could have found a company which would have fully appreciated his talents, especially after glasnost when Russians could move around as they wished, but for whatever reasons he stuck it out in St Petersburg."

-Again, see my question the reach or influence of a "vindictive" person, to use your word.

"Sex stuff happens a lot less than you'd think, it's not all Black Swan. The most infamous case in recent history was Ross Stretton at the Royal who lasted a year as AD, he was sacked and a great deal of the rumours centered around inappropriate relations with ballerinas he fancied."

-Sometimes people are blacklisted for other reasons, too, not just sexual harassment.

Batalov was pretty phenomenal, he's kind of the Emmanuel Thibault of Russian ballet, an incredible talent hamstrung by a vindictive, incompetent director, but given that Vaziev is the man behind the inexorable rise of Somova it's unsurprising if depressing that such a talent as Batalov suffered under his direction.

You do wonder why Batalov didn't just take himself to another company where his talents would have been fully utilised and appreciated.

I have not performed any research, but is the ballet like other industry where people get blacklisted? Do "vindictive, incompetent directors" (even wrongly vindictive or baselessly vindictive) have the kind of industry-wide influence as in other industries? I can imagine sexual harassment being a big problem in the ballet, and attorneys for the ballet conceivably could have the kind of power to spread false rumors or otherwise exert influence to blacklist people.

Old and cheap, maybe free.

Apple stopped making iBooks in 2006. Do you mean Macbook?

For the record: even though I talk about iTunes alot, the fact is all of our titles are available on Amazon as well. In fact, we have more on Amazon than iTunes. I just don't talk about Amazon as much because it represents a very small portion of our overall sales.

To the original poster - you have a lot of options. Perhaps you can talk about some of the ways in which you would like to view the programming? At home, on the road, etc. The fact is you'll end up with more than one device eventually, even if you're only making a single purchase now.

To answer your question, I want to exercise on the treadmill or exercise bike while watching ballet videos. Presently, I tend to watch videos and dvds on a television that is in front of my treadmill. I watch clips on youtube on my computer and documentaries on Netflix on my desk computer, and would like to be able to watch them while I exercise.

The website discussed "Program A" (or a similar title) when I first looked at it. When I called the theatre on the day I made the post, I was told the program was not yet available. Thank you.