Morris Neighbor

A few messages back, Ari raised an important point: in the dance boom of the late '60s and early '70s, a million flowers bloomed in New York. For those of us who came of age in that period, the posiblities of choreography, in all its many styles and manifestations, blew us away. And when tickets went for $5 or $6 a pop, we got to see a lot of dance. Personal failings were not very important if the performance stretched our ideas of dance. Today, with tickets running $30 or $50 a pop, I am much more selective. Similarly with books. Kirkland chose to betray confidences and compromise friendships in order to maximize her profits. I've never read her book, I have no plans to do so (the reviews were more than enough) and I have lost all respect for her. Talent excuses neither crude vegeance nor criminal excess.

This thread raises many interesting questions. The first one that occurred to me is fairly simple: can older dancers find a constructive role? I think the answer is yes, but in a limited context. (Brief note to Estelle: I don't know the POB roster very well, but you can check the list at http://www.balletcompanies.com/NederlandsDansTheater/ for more details) Then there's the financial argument. Fonteyn, as it happens, had a husband who suffered serious chronic pain after a car accident in the 60's; her income was crucial to providing him continuous care. I don't doubt that other dancers, of lesser fame, found themselves in a similar situation and continued in lesser roles. There's also the classic Red Shoes "pull of the stage" question. Why abandon the one experience that has brought great pleasure to your life? Today, at least, few dancers choose the Red Shoes solution. Alas and alack, there's still no easy answer, and both gifted artists and loving audiences have suffered. Now that I'm approaching 60, I've come to think that it's all part of the human condition.

This thread raises many interesting questions. The first one that occurred to me is fairly simple: can older dancers find a constructive role? I think the answer is yes, but in a limited context. (Brief note to Estelle: I don't know the POB roster very well, but you can check the list at http://www.balletcompanies.com/NederlandsDansTheater/ for more details) Then there's the financial argument. Fonteyn, as it happens, had a husband who suffered serious chronic pain after a car accident in the 60's; her income was crucial to providing him continuous care. I don't doubt that other dancers, of lesser fame, found themselves in a similar situation and continued in lesser roles. There's also the classic Red Shoes "pull of the stage" question. Why abandon the one experience that has brought great pleasure to your life? Today, at least, few dancers choose the Red Shoes solution. Alas and alack, there's still no easy answer, and both gifted artists and loving audiences have suffered. Now that I'm approaching 60, I've come to think that it's all part of the human condition.

Nanatchka, please do not misinterpret my meaning. My point was not that dance is today in decline, but that the works many companies feel compelled to perform and the venues in which they feel compelled to perform are often ill-chosen. Absent these self-defined limits (as I have seen for myself attending performances in other venues), the companies have much to offer. At the same time, however, I must note that the increasingly commercial nature of support for arts institutions (at least here in the US, and from what I have seen, in Western Europe as well) has a constricting effect. For instance, the New York City Ballet has offered a Christmas-season Nutcracker for some four decades. Faced with four weeks of the same ballet, dancers tended to rebel, and the New Year's Eve performance became known for its high-jinx -- pink bows on the mouses' tails, multiple dancers leaping from the "Tea" box, a conducter (Robert Irving) appearing in full drag for the second act, and so on. In recent years, Peter Martins has forcefully discouraged such trickery, on the grounds that "the audience has paid too much to see anything but the real thing." OK, but he's also discouraged me from attending my umpteenth performance. When it comes to Nutcracker commentaries, Mark Morris has written the book. His The Cracked Nut, set to the original score and alluding to the original scenario, but including a black drag nanny and Freud to help Tchaikivsky deal with his fantasies, puts the work in a contemporary context. Its audience was limited but its insights are worth noting.

Nanatchka, please do not misinterpret my meaning. My point was not that dance is today in decline, but that the works many companies feel compelled to perform and the venues in which they feel compelled to perform are often ill-chosen. Absent these self-defined limits (as I have seen for myself attending performances in other venues), the companies have much to offer. At the same time, however, I must note that the increasingly commercial nature of support for arts institutions (at least here in the US, and from what I have seen, in Western Europe as well) has a constricting effect. For instance, the New York City Ballet has offered a Christmas-season Nutcracker for some four decades. Faced with four weeks of the same ballet, dancers tended to rebel, and the New Year's Eve performance became known for its high-jinx -- pink bows on the mouses' tails, multiple dancers leaping from the "Tea" box, a conducter (Robert Irving) appearing in full drag for the second act, and so on. In recent years, Peter Martins has forcefully discouraged such trickery, on the grounds that "the audience has paid too much to see anything but the real thing." OK, but he's also discouraged me from attending my umpteenth performance. When it comes to Nutcracker commentaries, Mark Morris has written the book. His The Cracked Nut, set to the original score and alluding to the original scenario, but including a black drag nanny and Freud to help Tchaikivsky deal with his fantasies, puts the work in a contemporary context. Its audience was limited but its insights are worth noting.

This may be a parochial view, but we don't get much Balanchine here in New York (the Kirov excepted, of course.) The National Ballet of Anywhere rarely stages works that are familiar locally. Do you want to show a third-rate Jewels to critics who have seen Farrell, Martins, MacBride, Villela, and Verdi? We mostly get the hip-hop Oedipus, the all-male The Women, the re-conceived national epic of Nowhereistan, sixth-generation xeroxes of Pina Bausch, and of course, the Artistic Director's re-interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream as a passionate plea against nuclear power. Thank God I never realized my dream of becoming a dance critic!

This may be a parochial view, but we don't get much Balanchine here in New York (the Kirov excepted, of course.) The National Ballet of Anywhere rarely stages works that are familiar locally. Do you want to show a third-rate Jewels to critics who have seen Farrell, Martins, MacBride, Villela, and Verdi? We mostly get the hip-hop Oedipus, the all-male The Women, the re-conceived national epic of Nowhereistan, sixth-generation xeroxes of Pina Bausch, and of course, the Artistic Director's re-interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream as a passionate plea against nuclear power. Thank God I never realized my dream of becoming a dance critic!

I think Baryshnikov has the right idea: don't give up altogether, but look for opportunities that suit your current talents. Of course, it helps if you're world-famous and can persuade a millionaire to create a company to your specifications. I've seen several performances by his White Oak Project and they have all been fascinating in their choreography (almost all especially commissioned from the likes of Jerome Robbins and Mark Morris) and world-class in performance. The only other company I know which tailors its repertory to older dancers is the Netherlands Dance Theatre's NDT III company. I've only seen them once, but they also have good choreography and dancers (many of them refugees from POB's rigid age rules) with commanding stage presences. In other circumstances, a dancer can choose the appropriate works in an established repertory. Approaching 70 and nearly blind, Alicia Alonso was still dazzling in Carmen and even Giselle in productions built around her. Farrell's post-surgery appearances were chosen with her doctor's advice in mind, but no one who was there will forget her Vienna Waltzes. Maybe it's because I'm American, but I'm really offended by POB's rigid retirement rules. Some dancers reach their peak at 25 and spend their careers dancing minor solos. Others stay at the peak of their powers for years. I can testify that Allegra Kent was breathtaking in La Sonnambula well into her 40's, and that Margot Fonteyn in her mid-50's needed only 30 seconds to convince an audience that she was the teen-aged Juliet. Obviously, time steals virtuoso technique but grants greater interpretive depth. Ideally, a dance company should have flexible retirement policies and a repertory that reflects the many materies of its members.

I think Baryshnikov has the right idea: don't give up altogether, but look for opportunities that suit your current talents. Of course, it helps if you're world-famous and can persuade a millionaire to create a company to your specifications. I've seen several performances by his White Oak Project and they have all been fascinating in their choreography (almost all especially commissioned from the likes of Jerome Robbins and Mark Morris) and world-class in performance. The only other company I know which tailors its repertory to older dancers is the Netherlands Dance Theatre's NDT III company. I've only seen them once, but they also have good choreography and dancers (many of them refugees from POB's rigid age rules) with commanding stage presences. In other circumstances, a dancer can choose the appropriate works in an established repertory. Approaching 70 and nearly blind, Alicia Alonso was still dazzling in Carmen and even Giselle in productions built around her. Farrell's post-surgery appearances were chosen with her doctor's advice in mind, but no one who was there will forget her Vienna Waltzes. Maybe it's because I'm American, but I'm really offended by POB's rigid retirement rules. Some dancers reach their peak at 25 and spend their careers dancing minor solos. Others stay at the peak of their powers for years. I can testify that Allegra Kent was breathtaking in La Sonnambula well into her 40's, and that Margot Fonteyn in her mid-50's needed only 30 seconds to convince an audience that she was the teen-aged Juliet. Obviously, time steals virtuoso technique but grants greater interpretive depth. Ideally, a dance company should have flexible retirement policies and a repertory that reflects the many materies of its members.

I agree with Paul that dancers face extraordinary tensions at a young age. Fortuantely, most of them find support systems, usually among fellow dancers. From all I have read and heard, these conditions have improved markedly in the past decade or so; there are even dancers who marry and have children in mid-career. But I cannot think of another dancer who chose to air her dirty linen so gaudily as Gelsey. I was toiling in the book industry (in a cubicle adjacent to FF) when Dancing on My Grace came out, and I do remember tales of the publication party: her publisher invited all her former colleagues at NYCB and ABT, plus other dance world luminaries, and they all refused. The invitation to Peter Martins, whom she portrayed as a callous, two-faced satyr, has to set a high mark in chutzpah. As for Chris d'Amboise's book, I knew the agent who placed it, and he was very pleased that the editor who took it under her wing was the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Disregarding modern publishing practices, Mrs. O. actually read manuscripts and gave authors extensive editorial notes. And the (at the time) quite young Mr. d'Amboise greatly benefited from her guidance. It's certainly an unusually eloquent, vivid account of a dancer coming of age.

I agree with Paul that dancers face extraordinary tensions at a young age. Fortuantely, most of them find support systems, usually among fellow dancers. From all I have read and heard, these conditions have improved markedly in the past decade or so; there are even dancers who marry and have children in mid-career. But I cannot think of another dancer who chose to air her dirty linen so gaudily as Gelsey. I was toiling in the book industry (in a cubicle adjacent to FF) when Dancing on My Grace came out, and I do remember tales of the publication party: her publisher invited all her former colleagues at NYCB and ABT, plus other dance world luminaries, and they all refused. The invitation to Peter Martins, whom she portrayed as a callous, two-faced satyr, has to set a high mark in chutzpah. As for Chris d'Amboise's book, I knew the agent who placed it, and he was very pleased that the editor who took it under her wing was the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Disregarding modern publishing practices, Mrs. O. actually read manuscripts and gave authors extensive editorial notes. And the (at the time) quite young Mr. d'Amboise greatly benefited from her guidance. It's certainly an unusually eloquent, vivid account of a dancer coming of age.

I, too, cannot recall actively booing a professional dance or theatre performance, though I do engage in selective applause and cheering, to give credit to artists who gave exceptional performances. While every performer deserves polite applause for a professional effort, those who go further deserve special recognition. On the other hand, there's what a friend calls "The Hamburger Test": would you rather see the next act or get a hamburger? Every few years, I do walk out, discreetly, at intermission. When it comes to slips and falls -- well, they can happen to anyone. Every great dancer is pushing the laws of physics and biology to the limit, and I've seen many of them hit the deck. (Peter Martins once described the act of partnering Suzanne Farrell as "utterly terrifying," since he had no idea what she might try, though he could almost always rescue her, with gallant grace.) Maybe it's just a New York phenomenon, but when a dancer falls here, there is always a gasp from the public. If she returns (as is usually the case; a dancer smart enough to just collapse on her tusch will do much less harm to herself than one who tries to fight gravity), she will get a round of applause, and extra applause at the curtain call. I guess we value resilience, this year more than ever.

I, too, cannot recall actively booing a professional dance or theatre performance, though I do engage in selective applause and cheering, to give credit to artists who gave exceptional performances. While every performer deserves polite applause for a professional effort, those who go further deserve special recognition. On the other hand, there's what a friend calls "The Hamburger Test": would you rather see the next act or get a hamburger? Every few years, I do walk out, discreetly, at intermission. When it comes to slips and falls -- well, they can happen to anyone. Every great dancer is pushing the laws of physics and biology to the limit, and I've seen many of them hit the deck. (Peter Martins once described the act of partnering Suzanne Farrell as "utterly terrifying," since he had no idea what she might try, though he could almost always rescue her, with gallant grace.) Maybe it's just a New York phenomenon, but when a dancer falls here, there is always a gasp from the public. If she returns (as is usually the case; a dancer smart enough to just collapse on her tusch will do much less harm to herself than one who tries to fight gravity), she will get a round of applause, and extra applause at the curtain call. I guess we value resilience, this year more than ever.

Leigh - Thanks for the clarification. The brochure I have is ambiguous on what constitutes an "event."

A brief note on the Lincoln Center Festival. Ticket orders will be filled immediately if you order more than one event -- e.g., the Kirov, plus one more. Coincident with the Kirov engagement are the New York premier of a Chinese-American chamber opera, the Japanese production of Stephen Sondheim's "Pacific Overtures" and other events; details on the website or in the free borchure. Orders for the Kirov alone will not be filled until June 10th, so buyers willing to venture into the eclectic stew will get better seats. Alas, no discount, but a free CD gets thrown in.

My mailbox is full of summer events of interest to dance enthusiasts living in or visiting New York. As announced earlier, the Kirov Ballet will be at the Metropolitan Opera House July 8-20. The repertory features four full-evening works: Swan Lake, Don Quixote, La Bayadere -- in what's billed as a re-construction of a 1900 production -- and Balanchine's Jewels. Dates, casts, and other details are available at www.lincolncenter.org (Click "Skip Intro," then "Lincoln Center Festival") These performances are part of this summer's Lincoln Center Festival, so seating priority goes to patrons who order two or more events. (Single ticket orders will not be accepted before June 10th.) It's quite an eclectic offering, from a Shi'ite epic to a Chinese-American chamber opera to the always provocative Laurie Anderson. The other major dance event is a brief Merce Cunningham season, July 24-27. Celebrating his company's 50th anniversary, each of the two programs includes a brand new piece, a work from the early decades, and a work from the '80s. The festival also features a number of free seminars, including one with "creative staff" of the Kirov, discussing the re-construction of La Bayadere (July 10 at 6:00 PM) and another with Merce Cunningham, his long-time muse Carolyn Brown, and film-maker Charles Atlas (July 25 at 6:00). Again, details are at www.lincolncenter.org (And again, click "Skip Intro," then "Lincoln Center Festival") Meanwhile, down at the Joyce, it's sui generis summer: Elizabeth Streb has her troupe dancing on vertical surfaces and jumping through glass panes; Pilobolus is, well, Pilobolus; and the Les Ballets Trocadero bring a diverse repertory including a new ballet by Peter Anastos, La Trovatiara. Details at www.joyce.org

First off, let me second FF's choices (though I will confess he has has a strong influence on my book-buying habits). And thank you, AT, for the tip about the Osato book; I will look it up. I would also respectfully differ from your reaction to the Taylor book. I really liked his efforts to explain how and why he became so obsessed with movement and its meanings. True, the book gets dull when it lapses into "and then I choreographed..." and it does not paint a very engaging portrait of its author. But as the brilliant documentary Dancemaker suggests, Taylor is more appealing as a dancer and dancemaker than as a person. Meanwhile, let me add one suggested title, mostly for those who have not spent much time in a dance classroom or rehearsal hall: Merrill Ashley's Dancing for Mr. B.. Its exemplary stop-action photos clarify basic steps and help explain how technique becomes dance. The text (as one critic wrote) tells us more than we ever wanted to know, but reading just a few pages helps us enter the mind of a dancer. For readers without access to major bookstores or libraries, I can suggest that www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com include not only books in print but books out of print as well.

First off, let me second FF's choices (though I will confess he has has a strong influence on my book-buying habits). And thank you, AT, for the tip about the Osato book; I will look it up. I would also respectfully differ from your reaction to the Taylor book. I really liked his efforts to explain how and why he became so obsessed with movement and its meanings. True, the book gets dull when it lapses into "and then I choreographed..." and it does not paint a very engaging portrait of its author. But as the brilliant documentary Dancemaker suggests, Taylor is more appealing as a dancer and dancemaker than as a person. Meanwhile, let me add one suggested title, mostly for those who have not spent much time in a dance classroom or rehearsal hall: Merrill Ashley's Dancing for Mr. B.. Its exemplary stop-action photos clarify basic steps and help explain how technique becomes dance. The text (as one critic wrote) tells us more than we ever wanted to know, but reading just a few pages helps us enter the mind of a dancer. For readers without access to major bookstores or libraries, I can suggest that www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com include not only books in print but books out of print as well.

Farieda -- Don't be bashful about expressing your opinions. One of the best things about Ballet Alert is that it brings together people from many different places and backgrounds. Tchaikovsky (as we choose to spell it here in America) is certainly a great place to start. Indeed, I might remind Jack Reed that he was the composer of the Mozartiana suite, based on themes written by the master of Salzburg. Vivaldi and other baroque composers - Corelli, Bach, Handel - have inspired many ballets with their clear structure and firm rhythms. But very famous works, like Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," are usually avoided, since an audience is likely to bring so many prior associations to the music that a choreographer has a hard time presenting his or her own interpretation. For instance, the American choreographer Mark Morris had long talked about his desire to choreograph the "Four Seasons." But when he finally had the chance to stage an evening-length Baroque ballet - in Brussells, by the way - he chose a much less familiar work, Handel's "L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, ed Il Moderato," inspired by the poetry of John Milton. It was (and remains) a marvelous ballet. If you don't see much contemporary dance in your town, you might check out a local video store. The range of works now available on tape is quite impressive. Enjoy -- Harry

Farieda -- Don't be bashful about expressing your opinions. One of the best things about Ballet Alert is that it brings together people from many different places and backgrounds. Tchaikovsky (as we choose to spell it here in America) is certainly a great place to start. Indeed, I might remind Jack Reed that he was the composer of the Mozartiana suite, based on themes written by the master of Salzburg. Vivaldi and other baroque composers - Corelli, Bach, Handel - have inspired many ballets with their clear structure and firm rhythms. But very famous works, like Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," are usually avoided, since an audience is likely to bring so many prior associations to the music that a choreographer has a hard time presenting his or her own interpretation. For instance, the American choreographer Mark Morris had long talked about his desire to choreograph the "Four Seasons." But when he finally had the chance to stage an evening-length Baroque ballet - in Brussells, by the way - he chose a much less familiar work, Handel's "L'Allegro, Il Penseroso, ed Il Moderato," inspired by the poetry of John Milton. It was (and remains) a marvelous ballet. If you don't see much contemporary dance in your town, you might check out a local video store. The range of works now available on tape is quite impressive. Enjoy -- Harry

For anyone not on the mailing list, here's the news of this year's workshop performances at the School of American Ballet. Tickets (at $30 each) are now available at www.sab.org The future of American classical dance in general (and NYCB in particular) will be on display on Saturday, June 1st at 2:00 and 8:00 PM (plus a benefit for the high rollers on Monday, June 3rd). Program and my own commentary: Ballo della Regina (Verdi/Balanchine). A technically demanding showpiece created for Merrill Ashley and Ricky Weiss. Its presence on the program seems to confirm reports that Ashley is playing a more active role in teaching students and coaching young dancers. Given her keen eye for details and analytic mind (displayed in her book, Dancing for Mr. B.) this should be good news indeed. But it may be difficult for young dancers to master the complexities of this piece of choreography. New Woetzel Ballet (Copland/Woetzel). Continuing the so-far successful trend of letting fledgling choreographers work with fledgling dancers. Les Gentilhommes (Handel/Martins). Martins created this elegant little all-male divertissement to show off an exceptionally strong male "recruiting class" at NYCB. Its presence here suggests that SAB has a bumper crop of what were once called ballerini. Brahms-Schoenberg QuartetThird and Fourth Movements (Brahams/Balanchine) A large ensemble and a flashy finale make this a wonderful curtain piece, affording many dancers the chance to appear on stage and enjoy the tutelage of Suki Schorer. If I may pre-empt FF, it's a pity the original "gypsy" isn't available for coaching.

The School of American Ballet has announced the program for its annual presentation of the future of American ballet. For anyone not on the mailing list, here's the news of this year's workshop performances at the School of American Ballet: The future of American classical dance will be on display on Saturday, June 1st at 2:00 and 8:00 PM (plus a benefit for the high rollers on Monday, June 3rd). Program and commentary: Ballo della Regina (Verdi/Balanchine). A technically demanding showpiece created for Merrill Ashley and Ricky Weiss. Its presence on the program seems to confirm reports that Ashley is playing a more active role in teaching students and coaching young dancers. Given her keen eye for details and analytic mind (displayed in her book, Dancing for Md. B.) this should be good news indeed. But it may be difficult for young dancers to master the complexities of the choreography. New Woetzel Ballet (Copland/Woetzel). Continuing the so-far successful trend of letting fledgling choreographers work with fledgling dancers. Les Gentilhommes (Handel/Martins). Martins created this elegant little all-male divertissement to show off an exceptionally strong male "recruiting class" at NYCB. Its presence here suggests that SAB has a bumper crop of what were once called ballerini. Brahms-Schoenberg QuartetThird and Fourth Movements (Brahams/Balanchine) A large ensemble and a flashy finale make this a wonderful curtain piece, affording many dancers the chance to appear on stage and enjoy the tutelage of Suki Schorer. If I may pre-empt FF, it's a pity the original "gypsy" isn't available for coaching.

I happened to see the performance in question (as did FF, who is free to correct me in any paritcular) and was somewhat mystified by Kisselgoff's review. Unlike her, I did not see the original production and cannot compare Orza to Ethan Stiefel, arguably one of the best male dancers of his era. But I did see a performance of sustained energy and spirit, well-matched with other dancers in what is essentially an ensemble piece. David Allan's choreography captures the style of the music in vivid images that engage the audience. It's also a great showpiece for young dancers, drawing on power and brio as well as technique. When it comes to reviews, however, it's worth noting how many dance writers, especially in the Times, are speaking well of older Diamond Project ballets. We may have some pieces worthy of a new repertory after all!

I, too, am fascinated and provoked by this dicussion. When it comes to scale, scope, and "feeling at home," I thing a lot of the change has to do with the necessity of raising public funds and looking like a profitable corporation, the better to enduce a profitable corporation to underwrite your activities. Leslie Stahl, whose income is in the high seven figures, is simply one case in point. When Kirstein was looking for a place to stage the first performance of "Serenade," he had only to phone a friend. I think NYCB is lucky to have Irene Diamond, who writes huge checks to be sure she doesn't see the same thing twice. Even the Schubert Organization, owner of two-thirds of all Broadway theatres, is seeking corporate sponsors. The Winter Garden Theatre, whose former tenants include the likes of Follies and West Side Story, and whose current tenant is the ABBA musical Mamma Mia, is now the "Cadillac Winter Garden," in honor of $8-million from General Motors. So I view today's managers more with sorrow than pity, since it's exceptionally hard to raise money in a hostile environment. P.S. When it comes to relative sizes, City Center is a midget. NYST, BAM Opera House, BAM Harvey, and even the Joyce offer almost twice as much stage room. The Joyce, however, has no fly space and no orchestra pit (though there's room for a chamber ensemble); the other spaces (including City Center) can easily accomodate live music.

I will certainly second PP's comments on the Taylor types, and add an interesting comment on Merce. I once had the pleasure of being part of a "Friends" events (when it only cost $40 to be a "Friend of Merce") and had the opportunity to ask him about the changing builds (and skills) of dancers. As usual with Merce, his face lit with fascination as he noted, "They can do things we never imagined in my time." This recognition has probably led him to replace his failing body with computer simulations, to the reported dismay of his dancers, who don't always accept the computer's definition of human possibilities. But, like Mr. B, he has come to value dancers with strength, technique, flexibility and a long, beautiful line. I'd point to another way in which Cunningham and Balanchine are similar: the effortless fascination of their best works has proved largely impossible for their acolytes to imitate. I cannot afford enough coffee to stay awake through the earnestly pointless works of former Cunningham dancers. Mr. B's followers at least deliver music worthy of our attention, but only occasionally steps we want to see again. But I'm showing my age....