AuntPat

I am glad to see someone bring up this subject, but I didn’t get the impression that Nureyev’s comment was concerning modern dance costumes. It seemed to me to apply to costumes in classical ballet that were not moving with the dancer as they should. It is a great distraction for me to see a dancer pirouette or leap with a bunch of underskirt clinging between her legs. I imagine that it is distracting to her as well. One of the beauties of a longer full skirt is the twirl of it. Every woman who puts one on tries it out, so surely the dancers and wardrobe must be aware of the problem. After all, they do have dress rehearsals as well. In Danilova’s book, Choura, she mentions that the costume maker, Karinska inserted horsehair in the hems of her costumes to prevent them from clinging. Surely there is something in this technical age to easily and cheaply remedy this problem. Sometimes it appears that the skirt has not been gathered evenly and there is more on one hip than the other. Or perhaps the material is wrong and it sticks to their tights. Whatever the cause, it could be fixed easily by the wardrobe people. I have noticed this on my DVD’s from the 80’s to the latest ones in almost every ballet where long skirts are worn, regardless of the expense of the production. It happens to the corps members and the soloists alike. I would much rather look at what the dancer is doing with her legs than what her costume is doing to them.

Helene Thanks again. That was interesting. So many differing opinions.

Helene Thank you for your informative and thorough response. It answers my questions perfectly. From now on, I will take note of the Artistic Director’s name as well as the choreographer’s. In most cases, it is admiration that I feel for whoever did the casting. For instance, I have watched the DVD, The Rite of Spring with Alexandra Iosifidi, at least a half a dozen times in the last few days. Every time I am astounded at how brilliantly she fits the role of the Chosen One. I wonder if Millicent Hodson chose her or if she was picked merely because she was the tallest.

Having on a number of occasions said to myself, “who on earth would give that dancer such an unsuitable role?” I am curious to know who makes those decisions. Who in a ballet company decides which member of the company performs each role. Also, would a guest choreographer be able to choose his dancers?

I was just delighted to find that the Dutch National’s Don Quixote (Don Quichot) is available as a preorder on Presto Classical’s website. Scheduled release in Blu-ray is March 28th. This is an Arthaus Musik label, all regions. $42.25 + $3.30 airmail, 5 to 7 days. 122 mins. + 30 mins. (bonus). I believe the US release is one month later; I can’t find it on Amazon yet. www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Arthaus%2BMusik/101562 Also the new Blu-ray Cinderella by the Birmingham Royal Ballet is offered preorder on Amazon to be released April 26th. On Amazon US search “preorder Cinderella Blu-ray” It was hard to find. The price is $28.99.

I’m a novice ballet watcher and have only seen 3 Giselles on DVD and unfortunately never a live performance. Early in Act 1, all 3 of my Albrechts - Bujones, Kobborg and Vargas, each backs away from Giselle and puts his hand over his heart and then raises two fingers in swearing his love for Giselle. None of them points to his ring finger as mentioning marriage. I get the impression that Albrecht has no thought of marrying Giselle. It is just a flirtation or an expectant affair on his part. She is a naïve young girl who jumps to the conclusion that love and marriage are inseparable. I wonder if Albrecht has mentioned marriage to Giselle by pointing to the ring finger in other performances that I have not yet seen. If he has then is an even bigger cad.