puppytreats

Hi all of you! I just discovered this AMAZING site thanks to an Internet friend of mine who is an active member on this forum, too. I'm 28, female, and I'm from Italy, I'm a long time balletomane and a beginner amateur ballet student. Since my English is very poor (unfortunately!) I don't know if I will be able to partecipate in discussions very much, but be sure that I follow and enjoy immensely all of your threads, especially the ones concerning US and UK companies.

Congratulations to the admins of this fabulous community!

Bye,

golden_slave (despite of the nickname I'm a female, yes )

Dear Golden Slave:

Welcome. I am a new amateur beginner, as well. I have watched a lot of Italian ballets. I would be interested in learning about the perception of ballet in Italy. Recently, Silvie Guillem was quoted, during a press conference given in anticipation of a performance of Manon at La Scala, criticizing the administration of La Scala and indicating it did not support artists. I was interested in the basis for this commentary. Also, I am interested in the perception of Roberto Bolle and Alessandra Ferri (and to a lesser extent, Beatrice Carbone) in Italy, both inside and outside of ballet circles. What is the celebrity culture like and why do ballerini seem to considered so much a part of the celebrity culture (e.g., appearing in tabloids and on so many red carpet events)? Perhaps my perception is off based on the few articles I have read, and the poor translations I have obtained of these articles! Thank you, pt

I wonder if her collection of articles, information, notes and observations, which she discusses in one interview, will be donated to the Library of the Performing Arts or the ballet company. I am sure it is a treasure trove worthy of review and possible publication in some sort.

Is it proper to send a thank you note to NYCB (or, for instance, Mr. Martins and the students of the SAB class) for their invitation, their free demonstration of their class, and for their generous sharing of their knowledge and insights with the audience? I was a minute late to the class, when Mr. Martins announced the level of class. Does anyone know which class(es) participated?

I am learning so much from this board and wanted to say, "Thank you." I attended the SAB class this weekend and left with a glow. I am 44 years old and am just starting to learn the language of this great art. I feel like I am being taught by experts here. While I learned a great deal from the SAB class and am picking up a lot from these discussions, I am frustrated by not being able to understand or observe as much I would like to, given my lack of vocabulary, experience, and ability. I am embarrassed to say that I lived across the street from Lincoln Center for 3 years while attending Fordham Law and never attended the ballet (although I was an impoverished, overburdened student with a job!) I likewise wasted my 4 years at Columbia without taking advantage of my access to the arts (except for a class trip to see "Carmen" at the Met.) Is there any way to accelerate my learning at this stage?

I am an adult beginner who has become absorbed in and devoted to the ballet during the past year. I have purchased and repeatedly viewed a dozen or so dvds, taken classes, read books, and performed other research on the ballet. I was preparing to attend the ballet in the Spring. I wanted to buy tickets to see Roberto Bolle at the ABT, but feared changes in scheduled performers due to injury or other issues. The posts on this topic discuss "bait and switch ticketing." This caused me to to perform a search on this issue, and I found similar commentary in posts on this website about the ABT in 2009. Does anyone have any advice regarding how to approach purchasing tickets?