Ballet Foot

I am not certain that The Kennedy Center has much control over either the repetoire or the cast. I remember several years ago when Bolshoi was scheduled to perform a certain ballet, & then changed their schedule at last moment. This caused much consternation, especially among the season ticket holders. Of course, recent contract negotiations might have taken this unfortunate situation into consideration.

I have only gone to Exhibit four times! I did an overview twice, & have been focusing on different aspects on subsequent visits...the latest being in conjunction with the lecture on specifics of the BRusse costumes The focus was on the fabrics & the influences of Diaghilev's stage costumes on Parisian high couture of the era, & visa versa. It is amazing what the eye sees when once made aware; patterns etc. I never thought to look at back of costumes. There was no skimping during that era ; even the insides of the costumes were interestingly made. Also, curator pointed out blue makeup around collar of one of Nijinsky's costumes (on exhibit), which was a result of his putting blue make-up all over his body for "Dieu Bleu". The detail on this costume is exquisite. There are some avant garde costumes as well by Coco Chanel & others. Picasso even signed one of the backdrops, being especially impressed. One of the corps costumes was flammable....rather hazardous for dancers, since they were using pyrotechnics. Many were made of flannel. Much of the collection is from Sotheby's auction in 1980's of Serge Lifar's artifacts. I imagine there are many more items still out there in vintage dancers estates.

You are so right about adhering to union contracts, Sandik. I remember when I worked for one of the networks in NYC, we were interviewing Alicia Alonso in conjunction with her performances at the Met with her company. We wanted to insert some rehearsal footage etc.. Fortunately, our union people knew their people & were able to come to some understanding without endless red tape & paperwork. I must confess that it didn't feel as if I were working that day or the next morning in the green room. I was on cloud nine.

Happy Mother's Day one day late. A special thank you to all of our mothers, who exposed us at an early age to the lovely world of ballet, and for nurturing our love for same. You have given us an invaluable gift. We love the Papas, too.

As Angelica & Marge's mothers did, so did mine. Every weekend we went to a concert or ballet. Many times travelling out of my home town to do so. The first ballet I remember vividly was Alicia Alonso dancing "Giselle" with ABT. I was smitten. My mother also bought me all the music of the different ballets, so even if I didn't remember the steps exactly, I would make up my own. Incidentally, coming full circle, I saw Alicia Alonso's last performance at The Met in "Giselle" with Jorge Esquival.

Thank you, Terez. Being a dancer is part of who you are.....no matter what happens in life. Once part of the "Terpsichore Tribe", always a member. The love for ballet never dies, even though at times it has to play "2nd fiddle"....sorry for mixing metaphors...or should I have said, "dance in the corps".

Wecomee to this very informative site. I can well understand your apprehension of returning to the ballet world. I was forced out of a career as a result of a severe injury on stage. It took me a very long time to adjust to life w/o dancing. It was quite difficult to even attend a performance without tears. I so very much loved ballet for itself, and not just me in in it. However, Now I can attend performances etc & enjoy them. Still, there is an occasional twinge to wish for the good old days, or dream of what might have been. I am gratiful that I had the opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful art. Glad you are now a part of our group of addicted balletomanes.

Thank you everyone...I am absolved from my indulgences, my conscience is clear, and I can go through the rest of Lent guilt free. Let's resolve tp give and not just give up something this Lent.

Happy Hearts Day to you all, as well. Why coudn't Lent have started next week, so we, who gave up chocolate, could partake without guilt? Hope everyone has a day full of love and kindness. I know we all wish this especially for Sergei Filin and his family.

Thank you, Helene. Interesting footage, inspite of not so stellar camera work. Heart-warming that a dancer of his calibre is already thinking of the next generation of dancers to help them in their budding/future careers.

Indeed, Barbara Fallis was a great teacher.....always gracious and constructive in her criticism. Incidentally, she could bourree across floor "sur le pointe" without pointe shoes. Inspiring! Back to subject at hand, there is a publication of the 1970's, ANNA PAVLOVA by Oleg Kerensky, that has some inteesting observations of both Pavlova and Karsavina in "Chopiniana". Also, includes history and evolution of this ballet. Surprisingly, I found this book in public library in Washington, DC.

This may be too much "inside the pointe shoe" information, so to speak,but Barbara Fallis was one of the very best teachers to help strengthen the feet of us who have those high insteps. We did exercises to strengthen the toes and part of foot between toes & front of arch. This prevented/alleviated "sitting on pointe" and provided the necessary support for the body. Fortunately, probably as a result of her teaching, I never sustained an injury. Also, I know that the earlier ballerinas use to darn the end of their pointe shoes which gave them more balance.

Thank you so much Natialie & Everyone....a must see & put in "futures" ticker file. Perhaps, we "Ballet Alerters" who will be in D.C. at that time could get together. A belated Happy New Year to all

I might suggest that you contact the Alumni Association of University of Arizona. They may have updated info. on you friend's whereabouts. Also, the Dance Dept may be an easier way to find the video for which you are looking. I would assume they have cataloged the student/professor performances for thieir archives. Thank you for the additional info re LaLa. Actually, I studied/perfomred w/Mr. Zoritch in Texas in summers, as well as else where. He use to take me w/him to the summer serminars, riding in his gray Jaguar convertible at 90mph. If I can be of help to you, pls. don't hesitate to contact me. through this site's member rooster. Would be delightful to exchange stories.

I called the Box Office.....tickets still available for rehearsal. Perhaps, some patrons donated tickets back to Kennedy Center due to personal scheduling conflicts. Yes, one must be nimble of foot to get the best seating (I knew my ballet training would once again come in handy). I have experienced some rather comical situations in this regard. I wondered if I were @ K-Mart or The Kennedy Center.

Thank you for the reminder. I will be there on October 25th. FYI: There is an open rehearsal of the company on November 7, 2012 @ 1:30pm. Seating still available.

I know how you feel, James PDX.....I found out about Mr. Zoritch's death 6 months afther his death. As you, this was how I was introduced to Ballet Alert. He was a very major part of my ballet training and experiences during my growing up years. He took me under his wing & was responsible for my having many wonderful memories of the Ballet Russe & Bolshoi dancers.. It is very sad when such a great artist grand jetes from this life, but we must be grateful that we had the opportunity to be exposed to his artistry & vast wealth of knowledge. You asked about Leila or LaLa.. If this is the same person who had a school in Texas, I believe that she lived in Zoritch's house after the death of her husband. She died several yeras ago. Did you also know Ashe King, who was a great friend of his? I am glad that you are going to be a part of this wonderful "Ballet Alert" site & its extraordinarily knowledgeable members.

Welcome Karen to Ballet Alert. I know you will enjoy the site.Thank you so much for posting the sad news about Tanja's passing.....I was her student in Cols. Ohio for several years before going out to California to study w/George Zoritch. She was a very strict, but wonderful teacher, and gave me most of my technical ballet base which was very similar to the great teacher in Paris, Madame Probraejenska. We were very close at one time, but after I left Ohio, we lost contact. I remember her w/great fondness. Would love to hear how you knew her. One could tell that she had been a great dancer in spite of all the political problems of her native country. She and her great wealth of knowledge will be sorely missed.

Welcome, Needlepoints! I recently became a Member myself. I know that you will enjoy this very informative, professionally maintained Site. I wish you many hours of happy reading and growing in the knowledge of this wonderful art form. So glad you enjoy going to and learning about the ballet.

Thank you....Ironically, I found this book just last Sunday at Barnes & Noble.....was raving about it to a friend....will refer him to your post

Thank you for letting us know about this new substantive book.....It should be fascinating and informative. It is of special interest for me, as I was very involved with BRdeMC and the wonderful dancers of that company during my growing up years. Happy to see that Mr. Blum and BRdeMC are receiving recognition for their contribution in shaping & developing ballet/dance in The United States. Full details are here: http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Music/Dance/?view=usa&ci=9780195399332

THANK YOU BONNETTE AND CARBO FOR YOUR KIND WELCOMING WORDS.....GLAD TO BE ON BROAD. JUST SPENT WEEK OGLING SEVERAL PERFORMANCES OF BALLET NACIONAL DE CUBA, SO ADEPTLY REVIEWED BY "NATALIE' ELSEWHERE. THIS WEEK IS THE ROYAL DANISH....NEXT WEEK I WILL BE HAVING BALLET WITHDRAWAL, I'M SURE! HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!. WITH A TRIPLE PIROUETTE LANDING ON MY ELBOW, I GRAND JETE INTO CYBERSPACE :)

Hi, Cubanmiamiboy: Brings back fond memories of this company.....will never forget Alicia Alonzo's final performance of "Giselle" with Jorge Esquival at the Met. The audience went wild with enthusiasm. I believe that she was in her 60's, but her artistry and that of Esquival etc. would rival any of the young stars of today. I am sorry you couldn't be with us this past week at The Kennedy Center.

Thanks,Natalie, for all of your great insights re performances last week at Kennedy Center of BNC. I was disappointed that I was unable to attend Thurs. "Don Quixote", so I appreciate your review all the more. I was there for 3 of performances and concur with your well-expressed assessments. This is one of my favorite companies as my training was very similar. One of my teachers in NYC was Leon Fokine, who had been one of Alonzo's partners and colleagues at time of revolution (Incidentally, expected us to do triple pirouettes from knee). I remember one of the directors of Bolshoi very wisely saying that a dancer doesn't become an artist until they are 35 years..... great technique, yes,....but not matured or experienced enough to be a true artist. One can't make a flower bloom too soon; it needs nurturing. Otherwise, will blossom quickly and fade just as quickly. This is my concern for those who have defected and become superstars in other companies. Yes, we should cherish all these precious moments of Cuban ballet stars while we have the opportunity to do so. Alas, globalization will invade their ballet training and repertoire soon enough. [

Hi, Cuban... Some fellow members of this board I'm sure would expect me to contradict your statement, but reality is...I do agree with it. Long story short, I haven't seen my homeland company since 2001, when I left. Back then the company was facing was it is said to be the very last breath of the old school wave. The "Four Jewels" were not longer dancing-(two of them had passed away, sadly)...the "Three Graces" were in exile after years of neglect and were not actively dancing any longer, and only-(for me)-Miss Lorna Feijoo personified that aura that characterized those great ballerinas. Same with the danseurs, after the departing of Acosta, Carreno and Sarabita. I never got to see Barbara Garcia-(I think she came from Ballet de Camaguey, another company), and as I have said already, Miss V was "the enemy" . Anyway...I've seen the videos and I do agree with Natasha that Garcia and Valdes have strong technique, but to be honest, I haven't seen dancers of the caliber of Esquivel , Josefina, Charin, Acosta, Ofelia, Marta or Sarabita. Miss V could be a potential candidate, but she still misses the "princess" demeanor onstage for the Auroras and Raymondas.