pherank

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq9d3QgD7Lw Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CDONdtghCQ

Meet Katya at the Mariinsky - and she speaks English. ;)

Some nice image slideshows (with good-sized images)... Maria Kochetkova and Ivan Vasiliev in Don Quixote (Kremlin Gala/Ballet Stars of XXI century) http://lostnene.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/maria-kochetkova-and-ivan-vasiliev-in-don-quixote-kremlin-galaballet-stars-of-xxi-century/ Maria Kochetkova in “One Overture” from “Reflections” http://lostnene.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/maria-kochetkova-in-one-overture-from-reflections/ Maria Kochetkova in “Cinque” – Reflections http://lostnene.wordpress.com/2011/11/26/maria-kochetkova-in-cinque-reflections/ The San Francisco Ballet in Possokhov’s Classical Symphony http://lostnene.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/the-san-francisco-ballet-in-possokhovs-classical-symphony/ Balanchine’s Pas de Trois from “Reflections” http://lostnene.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/balanchines-pas-de-trois-from-reflections/ Maria Kochetkova and Taras Domitro in Wayne McGregor’s Borderlands (Benois de la Danse 2013) http://lostnene.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/maria-kochetkova-and-taras-domitro-in-wayne-mcgregors-borderlands-benois-de-la-danse-2013/

Does anyone happen to know if the complete Grigorovitch/Balanchine interview is available somewhere (in English)?

Thanks KFW, I was in fact trying to figure out where this essay appears in print. It's good to remind everyone about the Amazon donation too.

I would definitely want to see some ballets that are forever out of reach to me (but nice to imageine what they might have been like). So many choices, but I'll start with Mr. B: Cotillion (1932), Ballet Russes with Tamara Toumanova, and George Balanchine in the supporting cast Caracole (1952), cast: Diana Adams, Melissa Hayden, Tanaquil Le Clercq, Maria Tallchief, Patricia Wilde, Andre Eglevsky, Jerome Robbins, NIcholas Magallenes Seven Deadly Sins (1958), Allegra Kent, with Lotte Lenya singing the role of Anna La Valse (1951), cast: Diana Adams, Tanaquil Le Clercq, Yvonne Mounsey, Patricia Wilde, Herbert Bliss, Frank Hobi, NIcholas Magallenes, Francisco Mancion... Ashton's Illuminations with Tanaquil LeClercq, Melissa Hayden, Jillana, Jacques d'Amboise and others And then there's ballets like Figure in the Carpet and Card Game that hold a certain fascination for me.

Grigorovitch states his position rather well I thought, and like Balanchine, I see no need to argue against it (as Grigorovitch no doubt expected would happen). But like Balanchine, I enjoy the introduction of new viewpoints and shifted focus to see "what happens". The interesting thing is that the interviewers argue from a defensive position - that Balanchine's explorations might be harmful to what they love: a union of dancing, music and stagecraft. I happen to think that fear is missplaced, and foolish, but that's my opnion. The key line for me, is, "It is possible to stage a ballet without scenery or costumes by dressing dancers merely in practice clothes, but why limit yourself?" Grigorovitch remains hung up on the lack of stagings and doesn't see the increase in attention to choreography and 'the dance'. And doesn't seem to see how that might be a worthy exploration in itself. The concept of 'pure dance' means nothing to him, as if that is something you argue about at university, in class, but no one should be so foolish as to waste time concentrating on dance alone.

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1984/mar/15/beliefs-of-a-master/?pagination=false I don't know how many forum members have read this essay, but it is quite interesting reading, and happens to include a portion(?) of a Balanchine interview that appeared in Nedelia, the weekly “cultural” supplement of the newspaper Izvestia. The interview exchange is very thought provoking in itself, but Kirstein's surrounding essay is worth wading through.

"La Danse, c'est une question morale." Taken from Lincoln Kirstein's Beliefs of a Master: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1984/mar/15/beliefs-of-a-master/?pagination=true

Very sad that Tchaikovsky experienced none of this overwhelming popularity. So many companies rely upon their Nutcracker receipts to pay for much of their season - Who would of thought?

Any rare Tanny photos are always welcome!

Excerpt videos are not available for all the ballets in the repertoire. Here are a few more that I found: Mozartiana (two new NYCB excerpt videos near top of page) "The prayerful opening of Mozartiana will touch your spirit, while the upbeat theme and variations that follows is pure exhilarating elegance." https://www.nycballet.com/ballets/m/mozartiana.aspx Orpheus "An iconic Balanchine work that was part of NYCB’s inaugural performance in 1948, this highly-stylized, narrative ballet depicts Orpheus’ journey to rescue his beloved Eurydice from the underworld." http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/o/orpheus.aspx La Sonnambula "Deceit, desire, and death shadow La Sonnambula's aristocratic masked ball, entertaining with its fanciful divertissements and haunting with the image of a somber sleepwalker and the tragedy following in her wake." http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/s/la-sonnambula.aspx

Yes, they do a generally good job here, although the dancers on the sides still tend to disappear in the closeups. Looks like the NYCB is putting up more and more of these longer excerpt videos. Good for them! But I would still love to see this as part of a DVD series with dances like: Kammermusik No. 2 "Requiring great energy, speed, and precision, the striking choreography for Kammermusik No. 2 echoes the intricacies of its modernist score with jagged lines and stylized gestures." http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/k/kammermusik-no-2.aspx Episodes "Perhaps the most avant-garde of Balanchine's "black and white" ballets, this work uses Webern's edgy tones as the basis for a series of four arresting neoclassical interludes." http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/e/episodes.aspx Duo Concertant "This lively dance for a couple, set to onstage piano and violin accompaniment, ends with a poignant play on light and shadow." http://www.nycballet.com/ballets/d/duo-concertant.aspx and Bugaku

I'm reviving this thread to get some real content going... Sunday Profile: Yuan Yuan Tan http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Sunday-Profile-Yuan-Yuan-Tan-3217847.php "Yuan Yuan Tan likes getting her nails done, but forget about pedicures. The prima ballerina won't let anyone near her toes." Prima Perfection: Yuan Yuan Tan http://www.pointemagazine.com/issues/december-10january-2011/prima-perfection Giselles Stepping Out - interesting comparison of dance styles in this review https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/giselles-stepping-out Dispatches from Tan (while on the London tour): http://www.sfballetblog.org/2012/09/dispatches-from-london-yuan-yuan-tan/ http://www.sfballetblog.org/2012/11/a-whirlwind-dispatches-from-d-c/ Nice photo collection http://spenceralley.blogspot.com/2011/01/yuan-yuan-tan.html Dancer Yuan Yuan Tan with SFB board member Carl Pascarella and his wife Yurie

A New Aurora Who’s Been Around the Block posted by Wendy Perron on Sunday, Jun 30, 2013 http://www.dancemagazine.com/blogs/dance-glance/5245

NYCB performing Monumentum Pro Gesualdo (excerpt) https://www.nycballet.com/ballets/m/monumentum-pro-gesualdo.aspx [video is near top of page]

Strange, but funny, little animation: Stagehand VS Pit Musician (no doubt based on many real lilfe exchanges) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUNHHmrX5sA

The Constance (Connie) Clausen chapter of Mason's I Remember Balanchine talks about the Circus Polka. It's quite a fascinating read. Clausen was one of the "elephant girls" riding on the elephants. She wrote an autobiography of her experiences at Ringling Bros., which *may* include more information on the elephant ballet, but I haven't been able to get a copy myself to confirm that. I Love You Honey, But the Season's Over by Connie Clausen http://www.amazon.com/Love-You-Honey-Seasons-Over/dp/B000NX73CM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372647280&sr=1-1&keywords=i+love+you+honey+but+the+seasons+over There is a short Russian documentary on the subject: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zc9Zmol3Z8 [EDIT] I recalled that this polka was the reason behind one of Stravinsky and Balanchine's more famous exchanges -

This is great Sandik - thanks! I have a friend who used to be involved in film industry stage and prop work (he's since moved up a bit), I know he would love to see this...

It's a fascinating subject, but seems little documented. For some reason your comment made me think of "Road Construction" videos which were all the rage among parents a few years back - for some reason children (especially boys) will sit transfixed and watch open-mouthed as earth movers, bulldozers and the like move earth about and build a road. I've seen this same effect myself with a number of friend's children. So why not have a "backstage at the Met" video? ;) We can all "just watch, without moving, without talking". From the backstage comes 'deus ex machina', and we are rightly fascinated.

Agreed. Thanks for the report, Swanilda.

I made certain to link to the original versions of the films - her "fans" like to add their own music soundtracks, which simply ruins things.

It sounds to me like Doug Fitch tossed in everything, including the kitchen sink, and produced a confusion of visuals. So his actual 'direction' was the main thing to go wrong. It would be his job to create a cohesive whole.

The films of Maya Deren often contain a number of aspects of 'dance' within them - in the editing style, in the camera movements, as well as actual depictions of human dance and ritualized movement. Her films are few, and generally short (often under 15 minutes apiece), as they were made on the smallest of budgets, but are held in high esteem by those who study filmmaking. Her first film, Meshes of the Afternoon, created with then-husband Alexander Hammid, a Hollywood cameraman, continues to be her most well-known work, followed by At Land, her second film. I recommend checking those out on YouTube. Below I'm including links to her most obviously dance-oriented works. From the Wikipedia bio: "Maya Deren (April 29, 1917 – October 13, 1961), born Eleanora Derenkowskaia (Russian: Элеоно́ра Деренко́вская), was one of the most important American experimental filmmakers and entrepreneurial promoters of the avant-garde in the 1940s and 1950s. Deren was also a choreographer, dancer, film theorist, poet, lecturer, writer and photographer." "In 1943, she moved to a bungalow on Kings Road in Hollywood and adopted the name Maya. Maya is the name of the mother of the historical Buddha as well as the dharmic concept of the illusory nature of reality. In Greek myth, Maia is the mother of Hermes and a goddess of mountains and fields. Also in 1943, Deren began making a film with Marcel Duchamp, The Witches' Cradle, which was never completed. In 1944, back in New York City, her social circle included Duchamp, André Breton, John Cage, and Anaïs Nin." Online Essay about Deren's life and work: http://sensesofcinema.com/2002/great-directors/deren-2/ A Study in Choreography for Camera (1945) danced by Talley Beatty http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcBWt0tm6AI Ritual in Transfigured Time (Maya Deren is the first actor that you see) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctFPrLtSWg8 Meditation on Violence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-cR2hJneFs The Very Eye of Night (with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXFk67gU-X4 And if you've an interest in her other works...these feature less obvious dance references, but her editing of movement is still quite novel: Meshes of the Afternoon (the film that inspired a thousand film students...music by Teiji Ito, Deren's 3rd husband who composed for stage and screen, and even Robbin's ballet Watermill) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S03Aw5HULU At Land http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD088nkJlD4