pherank
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Posts posted by pherank
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17 hours ago, dirac said:
I was more puzzled by the treatment of Farrell, who is accused of "wily manipulations" that go undescribed and with "unerring instinct" helps herself to a choice place at the barre occupied by a "rising young dancer," which readers of Merrill Ashley's "Dancing for Balanchine" will identify readily, since Ashley complained therein that when Farrell came back she took Ashley's favorite spot at the barre. (Farrell says in her own book that she just wanted to stand next to her old comrade and partner d'Amboise for support, as they had always stood together, a perfectly reasonable explanation.)
All of which could have been cleared up with a few words of explanation to Ashley. Certainly lends credence to the old assumption that dancers aren't great communicators (with words).
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On 5/27/2023 at 3:07 AM, volcanohunter said:
Or take a look at the DVD of the Vainonen Nutcracker and the very sloppy exit of the snowflakes, presumably because the tempo was all wrong. The corps had their backs to the hall and couldn't see what he was doing, but they were clearly confused by what they were hearing.
I rather thought he only had one tempo: fast.
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It's just interesting that both SFB and ABT have lost their executive directors, all of a sudden, this year.
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From today's e-mail:
Fjord's Next ChapterAs many of you will know, over the past decade the majority of dance publications have folded, and most newspapers have laid off their dance critics. There is a crisis in cultural coverage, as yet unabated. Fjord Review has stood against the tide, commissioning original reviews, interviews, essays, features and more, and has sought to provide rich coverage of dance, worldwide. We remain dedicated to expanding our coverage of the endlessly changing art of dance, with expert writers and a commitment to excellence at the heart of our enterprise.After a decade of providing free access to our online articles, to protect our work and maintain our standards, a few changes are necessary. Dance Digest articles will remain free to access this week, however after that, you will need a subscription to access our full article and podcast library.We are providing two subscription options: for those reading only online, we suggest the Digital Subscription for $49.95 annually; and for those who enjoy an analog experience, we suggest the Print + Digital Subscription, providing excellent value at $99.95 annually, which includes two beautiful print magazines shipped anywhere in the world, plus unlimited access to our online content.Becoming a reader-supported platform means two things for us as an organization - we are committed to providing the content that you want to read, in a way that is convenient and accessible to you. To that end, we have designed a beautiful new website to provide a seamless digital experience across all devices. It also means that we are here to take care of our subscribers - you can expect support in managing your subscription, and exclusive offers from our fellow creatives in the dance world. I hope you will join us by becoming a subscriber today, and look forward to welcoming you to the new Fjord Review.Sincerely,Penelope Ford -
Yes, welcome and have fun!
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2 hours ago, Marta said:
I agree with all your comments. "Plain-faced" Diana Adams made me wonder if we were talking about the same Adams. I found a lot of Homans' writing gossipy, and she seemed positively hostile toward some dancers, e.g., van Aroldingen. Mindy Aloff has also written a critique of the Homans book:
I too had a similar reaction to the book. The absence of information about Alexandra Danilova was another one of those head scratchers for me. We still need to go to Elizabeth Kendall's book and the various autobiographies to get a decent picture of Balanchine's early school days (and the various important relationships).
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Rachel Howard reported on the SFB School performance in the latest Fjord Review online. She was impressed with performances by "stars of tomorrow" Mimi Lamar, Raphaël Brunais Besse, Sofia Albers (all three are now apprentices with the company), and Henry Reed.
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Sasha De Sola, Aaron Robison and Myles Thatcher flew to Athens, Greece to perform Thatcher's 05:49. Photo #6 shows the dynamic trio with Alexei Ratmansky backstage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs1cg3vrILt/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Csyy0U5uc1K/
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34 minutes ago, volcanohunter said:
Dudamel is leaving Paris tout suite.
It seems to be difficult to last in Paris, or sit comfortably there. Although this may be entirely Dudamel's doing.
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Thamires Chuvas and Cavan Conley traveled to the North East US and spent some time with Madison Keesler and Ben Freemantle:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CspAozJJlzN/
Angelo Greco had some ankle surgery but he says all is well:
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Congratulations to Sasha De Sola on her graduation (with honors) from St. Mary's College - another LEAP program success story:
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Congratulations to Frances Chung and husband John Flaherty on the birth of their daughter, Faye Ella Flaherty.
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1 hour ago, Phrenchphry11 said:
Are they doing any additional promotions this year? At the very least, I would have expected Jimison to get promoted.
Promotions generally come at a different time of year/season. Of course, it's all up to Rojo now, as to how she wants to handle it. Jimison was promoted to Soloist in 2021, I think.
Great to hear that Pascal Molat is going to be on stage again.
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MK's pregnancy images by photographer Betty Nansen Teatret:
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The Magic Within the Living Legacy of Virginia Johnson
American ballet pioneer, cultural icon, and change maker.By Djassi DaCosta Johnson
https://enfacemagazine.com/blog/2023/04/19/the-magic-within-the-living-legacy-of-virginia-johnson/
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One of the PBS commentators mentioned that Kate and William were "wearing the formal mantle and dress asked for specifically by the King". As for hairstylists, I don't know who made the determination.
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TCM was airing "Another Thin Man" tonight - a film I've seen a number of times, but I always manage to forget about the great rhumba dance performed in the obligatory nightclub scene:
René Rivero Guillén and Ramona Estella Ajón perform a Rhumba dance
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Rachel Howard's review of SFB's Romeo & Juliet (in the Fjord Review) mentions that Danielle St.Germain "took the top fundraising job at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco", so it may be a case of St.Germain being offered her dream job, and she leapt at the chance.
Boards don't much like being jerked around though, so there will be no going back.
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As Volcanohunter mentioned, Froustey is in her final few years as a dancer, so it's really a shame she couldn't finish things on a high note at SFB. But a collection of problems conspired against her.
At this point, I think Tamara Rojo would be more of an excuse than a catalyst for the various leavings/retirements. It's simply a time of change. Every company that brings in a new A.D. sees some upheaval. At other companies, there have been A.D.'s that massively restructured things and let go of a lot of dancers, but I doubt Rojo is looking to do that - she has enough open positions to work with. I would think that she would want her first year to have as little drama as possible since there's so much for her to learn. Too much craziness and the board members quickly become disenchanted.
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Things did seem to get messed up for Mathilde over the last 3 years (as happened for various dancers around the world). Likely her marriage is kaput. She's going back to her 'home town' basically - an area of France she continues to love.
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SFB posted a YouTube video celebrating the career of Tiit Helimets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_4hHM603AE -
14 minutes ago, naomikage said:
And here is Froustey’s post. She says she will leave SFB and return to France.(I think she was from Bordeaux)
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr1X1N2vd-2/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
I must have looked at her Instagram page 5 minutes before she posted. 😉
14 minutes ago, Roseann said:Sad to see her go. She was one of my favorites.
Yes, it's more sad news. Her generation of dancers is disappearing from SFB in any case. I believe Mathilde's favorite partner was Tiit Helimets, and he's gone now. And there's been plenty of outward signs that her life had been totally disrupted during the pandemic and U.S. visa hassles. We don't know officially what the state of her marriage is, but there are few good signs there. Who knows what all happened.
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5 hours ago, naomikage said:
It seems Mathilde Froustey is joining Bordeaux Opera Ballet, according to Danses Avec La Plume. (journalist Amelie Bertrand) She will be dancing Kitri on June 30th there.
Although I've heard nothing official on this side of the Atlantic, this announcement would make it official:
"Mathilde Froustey previously held the position of Principal Dancer at the San Francisco Ballet and we are delighted with the return to France of this great artist."
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Mathilde Froustey posted some great photos from the SFB rehearsal studio - with son Claude playing on a mat.
SFB 2023 Miscellaneous
in San Francisco Ballet
Posted
Tiit Helimets mentioned that Chloe Helimets is going to the ABT Summer School:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CtnrkvDOi2y/