Mme. Hermine

a little OT, but i can't help thinking of alexander woolcott's review of a play called "Wham!" which read in its entirety: "Ouch!"

i've always felt that you have to look at things like that through two sets of eyes: your own and those of the period. it's a pity that she doesn't seem to be able to do that, because i think that when you aren't you miss a lot. her criticism might be more valid if such a ballet were produced for the first time today, but even then if it were addressing a situation that was foreign to us but familiar to another place, it would be just as valid. so i think the criticism is ultimately misdirected. to the people that i know that make the same complaints about the stories, i make the point i just did. my feelings, anyway.

here is the detailed listing from the New York Public Library: ******* Title A New York City Ballet tribute to George Balanchine (Videotape) Imprint 1983. Telecast on WNET-TV Channel 13, New York, on October 16, 1983. Producer: John Goberman for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Director: Emile Ardolino. Choreography: George Balanchine. Performed by members of the New York City Ballet Company at the New York State Theater. Introduction and commentary by Patrick Watson. Contents CONTENTS. - Vienna waltzes Music: Johann Strauss, Ferenc Lehár, and Richard Strauss. Scenic design: Rouben Ter-Arutunian. Costumes: Karinska. Performed by Kyra Nichols and Sean Lavery, Heather Watts and Helgi Tomasson, Elyse Borne and Bart Cook, Karin von Aroldingen and Peter Martins, Suzanne Farrell and Adam Luders, with other members of the company. - Mozartiana Music: Tchaikovsky on Mozart themes. Costumes: Ter-Arutunian. Performed by Suzanne Farrell with Ib Andersen, Victor Castelli, 4 students from the School of American Ballet, and other members of the company. - Who Cares? Music: George Gershwin, adapted and orchestrated by Hershey Kay. Scenic design: Jo Mielziner. Costumes: Ben Benson. Performed by Patricia McBride, Lourdes Lopez, Sean Lavery, Heather Watts, and other members of the company.

the program included 'vienna waltzes', 'who cares' and 'mozartiana'. it was not released on video, so you'd have to find someone who had it, i guess!

sasha dmochowski is a girl and comes to abt from the boston ballet.

interestingly, on a list of the graduating class of the imperial school for the year 1915, i find that ekaterina geidenreikh was in the same graduating class as anatole vilzak, whom i am sure many people will remember. just as a sideline, the class list was: anatole vilzak ekaterina geidenreikh zenaida zaitseva maria kozukova elena kusova olga oblakova sergei rizhkov all of these spellings, except for the first two, are from badly 'translated' reading of the russian characters, and are probably somewhat incorrect. but interesting to note a graduating class of a total of 7 people!

perhaps the parrot girls could be taught to use lariats?

i was going to suggest a ballet about an accountant when i realized that i had already seen one about michael milken...sigh.

an article in the february 1998 issue of the dancing times makes mention of an exhibit in st petersburg dedicated to her. i don't have the article here, but found it listed in the new york public library dance collection's on-line catalog. it is the only reference to her there. the article might be helpful. additionally i did a search on her last name only, and found a link to a history page of the perm school, which has a paragraph about her and what i think is supposed to be a painting of her in later life. http://www.balletschool.perm.ru/History-E.htm [ 08-03-2001: Message edited by: Mme. Hermine ]

i recently read an interview with albert evans where he spoke to this very point about classical ballet. this is a quotation from the interview (which is found on-line at http://www.timeoutny.com/dance/301/301.dan...ance.open.evans AE: I've never been inspired to do the classics. [Whispers] I always thought they were so boring. You don't even get a chance to dance. So many of my friends that I went to school with are still in the back, you know, being peasants! It's not for me. I never had the inclination to join ABT. I have a hard time going to watch things there, but I go in support of my friends. [ 08-01-2001: Message edited by: Mme. Hermine ]

at some time in the 1970s, ruth page had lydia abarca and paul russell in as guests to dance sugar plum and cavalier in her nutcracker.

i guess, tho, that if there had been pressure to change it, it would have consisted in making him somehow not touch her at all, but the way it is, he (as the arabian) partners diana adams as sugar plum in just the way the other three do. when i saw it i thought it was rather brave, considering the way some might have reacted. remember that years later, when captain kirk kissed lieutenant uhura in star trek, there were places where that episode was not shown at all! [ 07-22-2001: Message edited by: Mme. Hermine ]

i always felt that at least these days, a company would do better to have a director who was not a choreographer, and not necessarily only a conservator but a combination of conservator and nurturer. another balanchine (in the sense of the scope of his genius) would be nice, but i'm not sure that it could happen again these days, not for all practical purposes. and if that is the case, then someone with love for what came before and enthusiasm for what is coming ahead, along with a nurturing spirit for what is, might be just the thing.

in a film clip in the two-part balanchine biography from pbs in the 1980s, he talks about being at a party at lady cunard's in london and complaining about there being nothing to do (in england or europe, i'm not sure which), upon which, he says, this big american said "what are you going to do?", his response being 'i've got to get to america, because there's nothing here'. big american said, 'i'll get you to america!", balanchine's response was 'who are you?" and american's response was 'i'm an american!', and, as balanchine says in the film, 'and that was lincoln." (slightly paraphrased because i'm on first cup of coffee).

here is a link I found to a page on janet collins that includes a photograph: http://www.isomedia.com/homes/bhd2/janet_collins.htm as well as one on raven wilkinson: (but you have to scroll down a bit, i picked this one because it has a nice sylphide picture, though there are sites with more biographical information). http://www.csmonitor.com/atcsmonitor/speci...012999arts.html

misty copeland was one of the four swans in a performance i recently saw of kevin mckenzie's 'swan lake'. she did well. she's a talented girl and as she grows it would be nice to see her in more.

ruth page's chicago ballet did facade in the 1970s, and i saw ben stevenson perform the 'gigolo' or whatever one wants to call him.

ashton and fonteyn did the fred step when they appeared together at the metropolitan opera's 100th birthday gala in 1984.

the solo that leslie browne does under the credits at the end of the 'turning point' was choreographed by ashton, to, i think, a chopin etude.

as well as a girl named Anne Bena-Sims. (sp.?)

pardon if he's mentioned somewhere, but i also recall keith lee.

albert evans?

does anyone remember nora kimball? she was at abt briefly and i remember she was quite beautiful.

here is some more information about arthur bell, mel: a link that includes information about a reunion with his family and photographs of him and his sister: http://www.s-t.com/daily/04-98/04-14-98/a05wn028.htm one which gives an account of his reunion with his brother: http://www.th-record.com/1998/04/04-16-98/ballet.htm

not to mention eddie's wife, endalyn taylor, who trained for a long time at the ruth page school in chicago and danced for dth as well.