Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

KarenAG

Senior Member
  • Posts

    652
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by KarenAG

  1. I don't own a huge collection of videos and DVDs but my collection is a lot of fun and growing. I especially value the documentaries and selections of historical performances and want to expand my library in this regard.

    I own and love (and highly recommend) the outstanding documentary ballet DVDs by Dominique DeLouche (Katia et Volodia, Portrait of Maya Pliestskaya, Violette et Mr B, Yvette Chauvire: France's Prima Ballerina Assoluta); Dance in America's Balanchine and Bringing Balanchine Back; Born to Be Wild, which is great fun (love Mark Morris' Non Troppo at the end); Anne Belle's Dancing for Mr B; Also, Ballets Russes, which currently is my favorite ballet DVD (how I enjoyed Irina Baronova and the others recount their stories! = what a world it was back then for ballet), Bertrand Norman's Ballerina and a gem of a DVD by Virginia Brooks on Felia Doubrovska which I found delightful and poignant. These testimonials are bittersweet - they are illuminating, inspiring and the dancing is great but they are also sad because so many are now gone. Oh, yes,almost forgot: Tony Palmer's Margot.

    I don't have a lot of DVDs of performances: I have the two-set DVD Choreography by Balanchine, which I consider essential; One DVD of the Stars of the Russian Ballet series which I recommend; ABT's 2005 Swan Lake; Bolshoi's 1976 Swan Lake with Maya and Fonteyn and Nureyev's Swan Lake from the early 50's (Vienna State Opera Ballet, I think) - IMO a rather unsatisfying performance because of Nureyev's bizarre makeup and the sloppy corps de ballet but interesting nonetheless. Also, I would recommend the Royal's Sleeping Beauty from 2006 - it's gorgeous and Marianela Nunez and Alina Cojocaru dance beautifully.

    I would welcome DVD suggestions for Giselle performances.

  2. Hello, Everyone,

    Happy weekend!

    I haven't posted in awhile and this is indeed my 10th post and this thread seems as good an any other to which to add my thoughts.

    I really appreciate the care with which posters strive to post thoughtfully and considerately, bearing in mind the feelings of this wonderful community of dancers, artists and posters. I'm always dismayed and sometimes shocked at how cruel posters' comments can be on YouTube, for example. IMO, regardless if one dances supremely well or one has had a supremely bad night, their efforts and hard work should always be considered and acknowledged, as well as the performer's intent to give a great performance for the audience, and then provide constructive criticism, which can be extremely useful. I know that criticism isn't all touchy-feely and sometimes one must say what they feel/believe/know, etc., but it's always good to be kind.

    Also want to say that I am enjoying reading the threads when I can and really like this forum! Now that I've posted 10 times, I guess that makes me not so new anymore! I do want to start a thread on Tiler Peck soon when I have the time - I think she is a really exciting and dimensional ballerina.

    - Regards

  3. Beaumont's book was essential reading and I recommend it. My paperback copy came from a used bookstore and is pretty dog-eared; I prefer books in great condition (who doesn't) but regardless, it is a must-read! I'll read it again someday.

    I just purchased from Amazon (through the link below) Wiley's "Tchaikovsky's Ballets: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker" (finally found a seller with an affordable price), "Vaganova Today: The Preservation of Pedagogical Tradition" by Catherine Pawlick, "Russian Ballet Master: the Memoirs of Marius Petipa, " and Jack Anderson's The Nutcracker Ballet". Can't wait to dig into these! As my husband Joe, who is an astute book collector, says: [The library is] 'a little bit richer and a little bit sweeter...'

    On another Tchaikovsky note, we're attending SPAC's final night with the Philadelphia Orchestra. It's an all-Tchaikovksy program with the added delight of Tiler Peck and Chase Finley of NYCB dancing the Swan Lake and Nutcracker grand pas de deux. It should be grand! I'll be happy to report on it and if anyone is attending that performance, it would be great to hear from you! -Regards to All.

  4. To Birdsall, responding to this comment: At this point, just keep watching as much as you can see and reading as much as you can get your hands on. A standard history text might be useful ("Ballet and Modern Dance," either the one by Jack Anderson or the one by Susan Au) so you can get a sense of context and timeline, and fit what you're seeing into the overall development of the artform.

    I love Jack Anderson's book and would also suggest Grescovic's Ballet 101 (fun!) and the Cambridge Companion to Ballet. Also Apollo's Angels as previously suggested.

    Dancers are like singers and musicians - each has his or her own particular qualities that make them special, that's why it's so exciting to see and hear different performers. I marvel at the subtle differences in each of these soprano's vocal qualities, for example. Elly Ameling, Sylvia McNair, Dawn Upshaw, Kathleen Battle - each holds a very special place in my heart because I love, love, love the qualities of each singer's voice, but how different their voices sound from each other!

  5. I just voted for promoting within the ranks. I have always respected the way NYCB, for example, grows its own talent and promotes from within. However, NYCB does not seem to have a 'star system' like ABT, and I recognize the importance of bringing in talent from the outside sometimes.

  6. Good Afternoon, Members,

    My name is Karen and I am a serious ballet and classical music enthusiast from the Capital District in Albany, NY. I became interested in ballet 33 years ago, when I saw NYCB dance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (aka SPAC) for the first time. On that night I saw a Midsummer Night's Dream and became hooked. As a child I was fascinated with ballet (from books), but did not have the exposure I was able to gain once I became an adult. I've mainly seen NYCB, owing to its annual summer residency at SPAC, but I've also seen ABT and Corella Ballet perform, as well as a couple of regional companies. Unfortunately, I have not taken advantage of Jacob's Pillow as I would like, but I intend to take in one performance this season. I will also attend ABT's weekend at Bard. I am lucky and grateful that my husband Joe enjoys ballet as much as I do!

    I am not a dancer but I do love to dance and have taken adult ballet classes sporadically with Albany Berkshire Ballet and the EBA Center. I find taking ballet classes a lot like taking Yoga. It's very meditative but physical and one can block all out and just focus on movement and one's body. I often have fun at home putting on a ballet DVD, donning my pink slippers and dancing around the living room in my own way!

    This year at SPAC was terrific and I took in four performances. The highlight was seeing Symphony in C (TWICE!) which is arguably my favorite Balanchine ballet. I think it is just stunning. A perfect marriage of music and choreography, in my opinion. I also saw Concerto Barocco and Firebird, two other favorites, Kammermusik #2, as well as Martin's Romeo & Juliet, the Waltz Project, Jeu de Cartes, Robbin's In the Night, which I dearly love, and Ratmansky's Russian Seasons. I also had the pleasure of meeting Daniel Ulbricht, NYCB principal, who is a very nice person. Onstage he has enormous presence. If anyone would like to discuss these ballets with me or your SPAC experience, that would be great.

    I have learned a great deal about ballet and its history from my ever-growing library of books and DVDs and from YouTube. YouTube was key in providing me with a starting point for learning about Soviet Ballet, for example. I look forward to Tim Scholl's book on Soviet ballet, whenever it gets published. I enjoy Ballet Review, for which I have a subscription, and Dance View, to which I will soon subscribe. I don't believe I'll ever stop reading, seeing, thinking, learning or loving ballet. I would also like to write about ballet and performances someday.

    Some of my favorite dancers include Margot, Misha, Katia Maximova, her husband Volodya, Pavlova, Plisetskaya, Makarova, Suzanne Farrell, Patricia McBride, Merrill Ashley, Allegra Kent, Maria Tallchief (her Firebird!), Tanaquil LeClercq, Jock Soto, Jacques D'Amboise, Fred & Ginger, of course (who doesn't?), Gene Kelly, and currently in no particular order, The Angel (as I call Mr. Corella), Herman Cornejo, Xiomara Reyes, Misty Copeland, Gillian Murphy, Tiler Peck, Janie Taylor, Kathryn Morgan, Erica Pereira, Craig Hall and many others.

    Well, that's all for now and I look forward to hearing from you!

  7. I looked for Kathryn at SPAC this and last year and wondered why she didn't dance there two seasons in a row. Kathryn, the best of recoveries to you and I hope to see you dancing soon.

×
×
  • Create New...