BocaBallerina

I don't think that there is any fairness in having an "All-Star" season with 5 past champions! It should give those who did not win the first time around another chance to do so. There were so many incredible stars that did so well and didn't win simply because of popularity.

Don't think I will make time in my TV schedule to watch this.

I know that a lot of things produced and choreographed for dance today to produce the "cringe" among a majority of audience members. However, dance is meant to be exciting and thrilling. Dance is made to push the limits of the human body and that often means that the movements may be scary to watch or even scary to perform but I think that they make the development of dance progress.

An amazing dancer is the one who can perform these choreographic elements without making the "cringe" face themselves and make the move look easy and pain free. Pushing the limits of the human body is essential to this progression.

This is such a great topic! There are way too many amazing dancers out there to write them all down!

Legs: Sylvie Guillem, Maria Kowroski, Alexandra Danilova

Feet: Alessandra Ferri, Svetlana Zakharova and... me!

Arms/Hands: Nina Ananiashvili, Sarah Lamb, Amanda McKerrow, Nina Ananiashvili

I won't be watching!

I felt the same way but then I ended up watching a few of the couples perform. The show is always entertaining to us dancers because they have stars have no idea how challenging dance is until they get into it. I do, however, admire the work that most of the "Stars" dedicate to the competition. I also can not leave out the excellent work that the professionals do! It will definitely be an entertaining season and I'm looking forward to seeing how each Star improves and all of the guest performers!

Kevin McKenzie can't be happy. Hallberg dancing with ABT less, Murphy having strong ties to New Zealand Ballet, Correno retired. Could be an interesting time for ABT

I actually think that this is a great opportunity for Kevin McKenzie to reach out to his soloists and senior corps de ballet dancers and give them an opportunity to move up within the company. ABT does not change dancer's rankings to often and this may give some of the senior soloists a cahnce to bump up and explore Principal roles. I like to see this as more of an opportunity than a loss, although ABT is definitely losing some amazing dancers.

I imagine very similar things were once said about The Ballet Russes and even Balanchine's ballets.

Would you consider Balanchine as a contemporary choreographer?I'd not,if not for a time question.He's a modern-classical choreographer,but still classical.So far from being contemporary in the style!

Balanchine is definitely a modern-classical choreographer, as were Nijinsky and Fokine who come out of the Ballet Russes.

As a dance academic and college graduate with my degree in Dance-Arts Administration, I spent some time exploring this issue of classical vs. modern dance. Truthfully, as an artist and as one who enjoys dance, there is beauty in both forms. In today's state of dance, modern has to be respected and loved just as much as classical because these days, people are expecting greatness, versatility and artistic freedom when they either watch or participate in any dance production.

I believe that there is nothing wrong with modern dance. There is great freedom in it and isn't everything being created today considered "contemporary"?

What are we expecting from Millepied? After seeing some of his previous works and Black Swan who knows what he will come up with!

Maybe a cameo appearance by Natalie Portman? (Hopefully, she will just be in the audience)

Barbara Horgan has written me about the Balanchine Foundation's efforts to videotape coaching sessions - original Balanchine dancers coaching younger dancers - so the Balanchine interpretation is recorded and his original intent preserved. But it's very expensive and so she is searching for funding. To have videotape of dancers like Verdy coaching Emeralds would be wonderful, and I have seen tape of Allegra Kent coaching Darci in Sonnambula years ago. Miss Horgan wrote that she is working against time, as the older dancers, an irreplaceable resource, are dwindling.

Videos are definitely important. I was thinking however of written accounts by observers of these sessions. Several have appeared in DanceView in recent years, I believe. (Unfortunately I recently gave away my archives of DV and similar serious publications, and cannot recollect the specific works.)

There is a video of Verdy coaching dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet--it's quite amazing and, I believe, commercially available (edited to add: but it's of Liebeslieder, not Emeralds). But Bart is right about the importance of written accounts. I would add that I think more extensive scholarly work should also be undertaken to capture all of these voices in a systematic way.

There is also a fantastic dance computer software, "DanceForms" that Cunningham has used to preserve some of his choreography. It is an incredible software and I have worked with it some for a choreographer that I am a Regisseur for. The Trust really should consider using this software for Balanchine's works because some day those who work with him will be gone and we will be on to the second generation.

Also, just to comment, I've heard of the Balanchine Then and Now from one of my former Professors and he highly recommended that anyone passionate about Balanchine and Ballet should read the book.

I vote for Misha all the way! Although, I am a sucker for Sasha Radetsky's beautiful feet and adorable smile

Has anyone ever done a "Phantom of the Opera" ballet? That would be a stunning work with powerful music, costumes and production value!