ronny

Again, it seems that the thing that touches people the most are the "stops" and eye contact. It is a very interesting phenomenon.

Yes this commercial use of great music is a bother, but it may be helpful for some since many people have never been to a ballet and if they do happen to go, they will hear some things they are familiar with... so if it helps them feel more at home at the ballet, it may be a good thing for them... and hearing the music for the first time in its proper context may even be a thrill for them, I hope.

Dear Podiumstar,

This is not a ramble at all, you are speaking from the heart and I enjoyed every bit of it along with all of the others responses that have come to this simple question.

Reading all of these responses has been a great joy.

What's the payoff for you?

Why do you go to the ballet?

Yes Mel, that is terrific. You really know your stuff. It almost sounds as if you have organized a few of these tours yourself!!

Thanks for the very comprehensive reply. That clears up the whole thing.

How do ballet companies pull off a fine performance on the road?

Lets take an example of the Kirov company and lets say that they are performing "Sleeping Beauty" in a number of distance locations. They cannot possibly take EVERYONE along. I have seen recordings of some of the Kirov over the top productions and there must be 50 to 75 people on stage at one time! And this is not to mention the supporting personnel and of course the orchestra.

So I would like to know how a traveling company does it. Do they borrow the local philharmonic... and hire local dancers for the smaller parts... or do they just scale down the whole thing to make it more "portable"?

How does the traveling ballet company pull off a decent show "on the road"?

Ballerina rules... as it should be. Thanks Doris.

Yes, the triumph... I feel it right along with them and I didn't do a darn thing but watch! Its a nice moment. Thanks BW

Thanks Watermill, I really enjoyed your post. Thanks for sharing it... a wonderful heart felt observation and well written. Very nice.

Nice addition Dolphingirl, thanks.

Another vote for standing still. I have never seen the scene you are speaking of Old Fashioned, but I have noticed the sweat before. It was the recorded version of the Australian Coppelia. A wonderful performance and the primary dancers were soaking wet at the end. Probably just an air conditioner problem, but it caused me to realize how much work the dancers were doing there.

That is very interesting... standing still gets two votes! Choreographers take notice. It is a very nice moment, I have to agree also.

That's interesting to me ATM since I really haven't thought much about how the partners really feel about one another.

And to Nadezhda, thanks for your observation also, very beautiful.

Yes, that lift in Romeo and Juliet got my attention as well. In this recording of Alessandra Ferri and Wayne Eagling the lift has an authoritative look to it like a male "take charge" moment. So it got my attention also, but maybe in a little different way. That small lift does stand out in the scene, very much so.

Yes felursus, this is exactly what I was thinkng of... little things that make the people and performance "more real". Intersting how something like this can make such a big difference. You are giving very nice example of it. Thanks.

Yes Farrell Fan, these little subtle things make such a difference, they can make or break the whole scene. The one I noticed was in the Rose Adagio. I saw two different versions of it and in both versions the queen comes up and takes a handfull of flowers from Aurora. In the first, the queen looks at her daughter with loving eyes and in the other performance the queen just takes the flowers and walks away. Its a small thing, but what a difference it makes in the entire scene!

Farrell Fan, Thanks for your interesting example of small things that make a big difference.

Funny how a feather could be a delight to me and may have you (Juliet) on the edge of your seat wondering if a second one might fall! But with your care, I'll bet every one of them is secure.

And no, I haven't seen the trocks, but I just read about it and it sounds like a real riot. I can just see the fluff flying all over the place!

What is your favorite "small thing" in Ballet?

For me, its is the tiny little feather that seems to get liberated with each Russian performance. "OH!... they use REAL feathers!!". And, it reminds me of the long hours it must take to make these hand made costumes. Its a little thing, the feather, but it has quite an impact on me when I see one float to the floor!

So what about the little things that have a big impact on you? Do you have any you want to share? Or maybe it is something that you notice that others don't. So here is some space for the "little things". I would like to hear about the small things that get your attention.

Thanks John, I think I will look into it since the Nutcracker will be performed here close to my home.

Now that I have had both a good and a cautious review of the Moscow Ballet Co., that will make it all the more interesting.

Holy Smokes!! Very professional answers.. thanks..."who could ask for anything more"

OOps, I better check copyright on that quote!

OK, thanks. The answers surprise me a bit, especially copyrighted choreography! Sounds like a very messy area since the choreography in so many ballets look so similar to me (but that is just probably due to my inexperience) Also these things you mention here may explain why more recent works (there must be a few really good ones out there) don't get repeated all over the world. Almost sounds like the system doesn't allow great things to live on without paying a fee. I know the creative types need the royalty, but too bad it can't be done some other way.

How far back do you have to go for public domain? For example what about the music of Prokofiev.... is that still protected by copyright?

Does a Ballet Company have the freedom to perform anything they want, or do they have to be concerned about Copyright law?

I assume that choreography cannot be covered by copyright, but what about a new prodution that has a new musical score? Just what does a ballet company have to consider with regard to copyright law. Do they need to be concerned about ANYTHING?

And maybe in the same context... Are there unspoken taboos about copying something that another company does? Are there any traditional kind of rules that apply to one ballet company copying the performance of another.

This last part of the question is a puzzle to me since I would think it is not so good to copy, but in the case of wanting to copy something that was done a hundred years ago... to some that may be considered admirable! So what do you think about this issue of doing something that another company has already done? What are your feelings on it?

The construction of the floor has to be a big factor. If the floor is made of wood planks, they would resound just like a drum. And although the sound may be bothersome to the veiwers, I would think that it could be a blessing to the dancers to be on a floor that gives a little... since it would absorb some of the shock of steps on the toes and feet. IF a soft noisy floor helps to protect the dancers from injury to the feet I think that this noise would be an acceptable tradeoff.

And Alexandra, these comments you make on creativity present some wonderful insights. You are quite a deep thinker, I want to look at them a bit longer and reply later.

ARI, your answer was quite a surprise!! Having a typical male point of view, I thought that the female side was already being expressed in Ballet! But surely you have to be right here since choreography has been dominated by males in the past and if a female does choreography, she usually has to have it accepted by a male.

I surely want to see a ballet that shows the female point of view. That would be essential to a balanced view of life. We must see both sides. Very interesting answer Ari.

During the recent broadcast of the Diamond Project, Peter Martin mentioned that... there must be progress in ballet. That comment caused me to wonder, just WHAT IS PROGRESS in terms of ballet? Do you have any ideas on it?

OK, you all have convinced me... I have to see something live. I will look into Orlando and Atlanta. Thanks for the tip on the Moscow company... doesn't surprise me a bit since Panama City is not known for cultural events, I guess they just went for whatever they could get. I'm not too interested in the Nutcracker anyway, I'd rather see Giselle or Swan Lake.

Hey y'all, hope this live stuff doesn't spoil me, I'm having so much fun with these videos!