Natalia

Thanks, Alexandra. I just saw your link a minute ago...sorry for the repeat. Still, it would be interesting to hear from folks in our group who may have known her. Since the Post obit mentions her Puerto Rican roots, I'll ask among my San Juan friends. If she danced in Puerto Rico, it most likely would have been in Ballets de San Juan, which was the only professional ballet troupe on the island until the founding of Ballet Concierto ca. 1978.

Given the huge losses of life in Tuesday's tragedy, it is not surprising that at least one member of the professional ballet world is among the known casualties: This from several AP lists, published Sept. 13, of the known dead from the American Airlines plane that crashed into one of the WTC towers -- " Sonia Morales Puopolo - age 58 - Dover, Massachusetts - retired professional ballet dancer." Did any of you know Ms Puopolo? God rest her soul.

My husband and I are OK. We just flew back from China on Monday and this is my first day back in the office. This is senseless...surreal. Thanks to all who have sent messages of sympathy and thoughts/prayers for the American people.

A quick message from the southern city of Guilin, nestled among the lovely karst mountains. The 26-hr train trip from Shanghai was amazing; we went from flatlands with rice paddies to tropical hills rimmed by palm and banana trees. Interesting dance-related note: the Chinese population seems to be really into dancing. Old and young alike practice some sort of dance in groups, at public parks or along the waterfronts.Groups of old ladies practice a form of martial arts with big red fans...teenagers take western-style ballroom dance lessons, etc. - Jeannie

The modernistic, glass-and-steel Shanghai Grand Theater was the setting last night for a televised Gala, in which the winners of the 2nd Shaghai IBC were announced. The awards ceremony was produced in a showy 'Oscars' manner complete with the Chairman of the Jury asking 'The envelope, please' as the drum rolled in the background. As winners came forward to collect trophies, the Radetzky March was played. The awards portion was followed by a performance of comepetition-variations from each winner...with dry-ice pumping in the background and other special effects. All in all, a slickly-produced, tight show running no longer than 1 and one-half hours. THE WINNERS: Grand Prix ($10,000) - no prize given this year Senior Women: Gold - WE Haiyan of Beijing - my top choice...who displayed tremendous versatility throughout the competition. Ethereal Giselle - frisky Kitri - seductive Esmeralda. WE Haijan would be a magnificent addition to any international-class ballet troupe. Gorgeous dancer...not overly tall & hyper-expended; very 'Makarova' in her physique and ethereal manner. Expressive & emotional dancer. Silver - FAN Xiaofeng of Shanghai - tall and sleek dancer who is a tad reserved in showing emotion on her face. This 2000 Varna IBC gold medalist was obviously disappointed...and her adoring Shanghai home-town fans a bit sedate. But this was a very tough fight between two highly talented & very different ballerinas. Bronze - JIN Jao of Beijing - the curvy ballerina who 'survived' a near-disastrous drop by her partner in Round 2. Senior Men: Gold - SUN SHenyi of Shanghai - Tall and elegant. Attentive partner (to FAN Xiaofeng). Expressive. The 2000 Varna IBC Sr men's gold medalist repeats those honors here. Silver - KE Da of Shanghai - This relatively unknown dancer has gained many fans throughout this week, with three excellent rounds of dancing, topped by Rnd 3 Solor in Bayadere which will remain in my mind for a long time. Bronze - Anton BOGOV of Slovenia - Tall and powerful dancer, yet with plenty of finesse. A big audience favorite throughout the event. Jr Girls: Gold - FANG Zhenjing of Shanghai - From the get-go, local balletomanes told me that this contest would be between FANG and another Shanghai ballerina, YAO Wei. FANG won Prix de lausanne Gnd Prix last year...YAO won Helsinki IBC gold two months ago. I admit that I far prefered that gutsy and mercurial 'prima donna' among the two, YAO Wei, over the somewhat bland (to me) and error-ridden technique of the reed-thin FANG. But Fang won...and I salute her. Silver - YAO Wei - the queen of this competition, for me. Would be a star of ABT of any other top company in the world. Charisma to the nth degree - a gorgeous sex-bomb beauty - did not falter in technique for one minute. I'm still scratching my head over this decision but that-is-that. YAO Wei wins my personal crown. Bronze - DENG Mi of Beijing - The delicate porcelaine-princess Aurora. I had my eye on her from the beginning. So happy to see that calm, elegant perfection is rewarded. Jr Boys - ...now for the fun part... Gold - no award Silver - DANIEL TIDWELL of the USA (Wash, DC's Kirov Academy of Ballet) - Although I feared that Danny had lost ground with a slightly-underdanced DON Q variation in Rnd 3...in retrospect, he truly was the best all around, pulling together three solid rounds of performances...especially in Round 2, where he totally electrified the audience with a powerful Ali var from CORSAIRE and his 'killer modern dance' in slinky black pants, 'SNAKE.' If Danny continues his progress he can become one of the 'greats'. The face & charm of Jose-Manuel Carreno with the pizzazz of Rasta Thomas. Kudos to Danny and to his coach from KAB, Vladimir Djouloukhadze. Bronze - TIE in this category for two talented young men from the little-known ballet academy of Liaoning, in Shenyang province: JIAO Yang and LV meng. Remember my praises of the two lads in the contemporary round? Well deserved medals. As the awards ceremony was not fully translated AND, as usual, no press releases provided in English (not that I could find, anyhow), I was unable to get all of the names of the winners of nimor awards. here are some that I could hear: - Best Contemporary Choreography: for 'FATE' - the pas de deux in which a loose white shirt in cleverly passed between a man and a woman. Danced by the Beijing couple JIN Jao (bronze medal) and ZHANG Yae. Name of choreographer never put in print, so I cannot cite; impossible to hear over louspeaker last night. Perhaps one of our Chinese readers can provide the name of this choreographer? - Best Couple - Shanghai's FAN Xiaofeng and SUN Shenyi - Hope Prizes for young dancers - won by five jr-level finalists...Anna Shepelyeva of Ukraine, and four Chinese boys whose names I could not hear...except for SHI Chao (I think). Again, perhaps our Chinese friends can fill in the gaps. - A prize - I don't know quite what - was also given to a young French dancer from the Jr Girls category: Klara Houdet. She is not from POB, I know, but is nonetheless quite talented, in a showy style (huge jetes, for example). Estelle or Catherine/Francoise, do you know of her? Thus ended the 2nd Shanghai IBC - the first was held in 1995 - the next is promised for 2002, just two years from now. It was great fun - a pleasure and honor, in fact, to have been here. Long live China's flowering art of ballet, and its incredibly talented dancers. They're out to conquer the world! My travels through China are just beginning...on to Guilin & the scenic karst-mountains region tomorrow, via a 30-hour train trip (this time in comfy sleeper ¬ 'hard seat' like my train from Beijing to Shanghai!)...then the ancient walled capital of Xi'an...then following the Silk Route on steam locomotives to the northwest Muslim territory. What a country - what a people! I'll try my best to find internet cafes and post a thing or two in the coming weeks but, if not, I'll resume communications back in DC in mid-September. Enjoy the rest of your summer! - Jeannie Szoradi [ 08-19-2001: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

Thanks, Kevin. I got your messages by the way...hope that Wa-Wa &/or Xin-Xin contacted you. The gala - also televised - was last night. Full list of winners follows. A few surprises...but most of my senior-level predictions were spot-on. Juniors brought the main surprises - a delight in Jr Boys (for this American fan...my face is red for selling Danny Tidwell short after round three!) and a bit of a shocker in Jr Girls (the clear fave for me was topped by someone who didn't really impress me at all throughout the competition). List of medalists in the next post.

Quick note - just to get the headline up! Full report in the Shanghai IBC thread. The USA's Danny Tidwell -- student of Vladimir Djouloukhadze at the Kirov Academy -- copped the highest medal awarded in the Junior Boys category at the Shanghai International Ballet Competition. No gold medal awarded; no other silver medal...Danny was the undisputed winner of that category. He wowed the capacity-audience at the Gala last night, at the Shanghai Grand Theater with a reprise of his electrifying dance from the contemporary round - 'Snake.' It was the highest honor won by a non-Chinese competitor in this contest. The only other top medal won by a non-Chinese dancer was the Sr Men's bronze nabbed by Anton Bogov (Slovenia).. This is also, I believe, the highest IBC medal ever won by an African-American dancer. So let's add Daniel Tidwell to the list of African-American ballet dancers of note! Watch that name...a fine classicist with personailty oozing from every pore. Hip - hip - hurrah!!!! (Can you tell I'm having fun on this trip??? hee-hee...) - Jeannie [ 08-19-2001: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

Report on Round Three - August 18, 2001 I just returned to the hotel/internet cafe after tonight's Round Three competitions. As hubby & I have an all-day excursion to the city of Hangzhou tomorrow (about 2-3 hrs drive south of Shanghai), I am typing this report very quickly, around 11:30 pm Saturday night. QUICK PRE-NOTES: * Surprise - surprise! The IBC set up a small 'press room' in the back of the Shanghai Art Theater lobby, making available the list of tonight's contestants...i.e., those who passed on to Round Three. The only huge omission, IMO & other fans, is Hungary's Zsofia Dora Pasrcsen (of POB corps) who mysteriously failed to make Round 3. All other favorites progressed. * I have to laugh at Xinxin's comment about my being the off-stage star. Well...let's say that I proudly displayed the colours of nations of my favorites! Yes, my husband and I came with flags of the USA (for Danny), Hungary (for Zsofia) and the PRChina (for umpteen favorites). We really got the rooting sections going!!! There's a follow up to all this - tonight's competition was televised nationally and guess who was interviewed on Chinese TV??? Moi! I sure hope that one of my Beijing or Shanghai friends got this on video...hint-hint! TONIGHT's COMPETITION SUMMARY, BY CATEGORY: Senior Ladies - WU Haijen of Beijing was the best, IMO, dancing ESMERALDA pdd with LI Jing. They gave me goosebumps in the adagio, they were smooth as silk. WU danced the Ben Stevenson version of the tambourine solo - middle section of double pirouettes in attitude instead of simple 'slide-around' on the feet. She was simply brilliant and displayed great personality. This, I think, gives her the edge for gold over the also-wonderful FENG Xiaofeng - the pride of Shanghai. - FENG was also lovely, in Gnd Pas Classique with pasrtner SUN SHenyi...who, I think , will win Sr men's Gold. FENG, though, displayed a tiney bit of nervousness in her solo...not quite taking command of the stage, as did WU. We'll see which of the two women wins gold. - Bronze will be a toss-up between the young Beijing ballerina WENG Ningning - wonderful in DON Q pdd despite shortish partner YU BO - and JIN Jao (also of Beijing) who is a very elegant mature stylist, tonight in DIANA & ACTEON pdd with ZHANG Yae. I find it hard to believe that the other sr ladies in the finals, WANG Jitong, JIN Jia and YU Xiaowei, bested Sophie Parcsen...but... Sr. Men: - SUN Shenyi of Shanghai all the way. He alone, among the various pas de deux partners/sr men soloists, was 'clean' neat & elegant in all aspects. - Anton BOGOV may challenge for a gold, probably a tie with SUN. Bogov exploded in Flames of Paris tonight, igniting the crowd. - KE Da may challenge for a medal. He gets better & better with each round - wonderful tonight in Bayadere Solor. Jr Girls - - YAO Wei all the way...nobody close. She was absolutely gorgeous - physically & technically - as Esmeralda in tambourine dance. - the gentle DEN Mi, YI Failing and Ukraines's Maria Abushova may also cop medals. Jr Boys - Now the sad part for me, as USA's Danny TIDWELLL was not as brilliant as before...he'll be lucky to medal. He seemed lost in his DON Q solo. - Loook for the elegant HUANG Yi to win top honors with LI Ye also at the top. - Jeannie

Notes on Round Two/Day Two - August 17, 2001: The second half of the round two competitiors performed last night. The greatest excitement for the audience lay in the big rivalry between two stellar senior-level pairs from Shanghai and Beijing. Jr Men - For this American, the highlight of the evening was the soaring performance of the USA's one remaining competitor -- Danny Tidwell of Washington, DC's Kirov Academy of Ballet, who has just soared to the top of the Junior Men's category...besting even my big favorite from China in Round One, Huang Yi. Tidwell -- a caramel-skinned dancer with a bit of Jose-Manuel Carreno in his face and a dash of Rasta Thomas in his style -- set the audience at the Shanghai Art Theater on fire and sent this city spinning on its tail with his HOT-HOT-HOT modern dance, titled "SNAKE," shaking his hips in tight black shiny pants and performing lightning-fast pirouettes and jazzy jetes. The audience howled and I was right there with them. [choreographer unknown - no printed programs or announcements - perhaps it is Danny's own choreography or even that of Rasta Thomas? It is very 'Rasta-ish.'] Oh...and I almost forgot to mention that Danny was brilliant - technically perfect and full of macho charisma - in his classical variation: Ali in Corsaire. Much more secure than his two Round One variations (Coppelia and Flames of Paris), which were short of perfect. Also wonderful among Jr Men: - HUANG Yi of Shanghai - a classical god as Albrecht in Giselle. A tall, lean, and handsome dancer. He's the one who so impressed me in Round One with his endless string of entrechats-six at the end of Paquita variation. A born Bluebird...I hope that he dances Bluebird tonight for Round 3. - WU Hushing, also of Shanghai. He appears to be very young...a baby-faced Albrecht tonight. The technique is not all there, yet, but he shows enormous promise with his natural grace, elegance, and lean body. And that face!!! Overview of this category - It is now a tight race for gold between Danny Tidwell, HUANG Yi and LI Ye (the wonderful James-Sylphide in the previous night) Junior Girls - There were four stand-outs among the eight performers last night. - Korea's Soo-Young CHO - soared as Gamzatti with high jetes and picture-perfect middle segment of double-pirouettes in attitude...no shaky poses. - YU Fanglin of Shanghai - tall elegant beauty in the Raymonda clapping variation. I also loved her real Lilac Fairy in Round One. - Maria ABASHOVA of Ukraine sizzled in Kitri's castanets solo (end of Act I), although her stag leaps weren't quite as high and spectacular as I've seen them performed by others. - DENG Mi of Beijing - gentle elegance & perfect classical positions in Aurora Act III solo. Overview of this category: I still give the gold medal of YAO Wei of Shanghai, who performed the previous night. Nobosy comes close, IMO. Senior Men - two excellent performers last night in this category: - Anton Bogov (Slovenia) - soared as Solor...OK in pirouettes, if not outstanding. But his jumping can carry him to a medal. - SUN SHenyi - one half of the glorious Shanghai pair who won gold in Varna last year and are on their way to more gold here. SUN delivered in every respect last night, in the CORSAIRE pdd with his partner FAN Xiaofeng. He is a steady secure partner, as well as brilliant soloist. On the other hand, other top faves had troubles last night...such as the male half of the top Beijing pair, LI Jun, whose solo in the Giselle pdd was full of errors in landings, which he 'saved' thanks to his 'cat feet'...but errors nonetheless. Wildest of all was his final pose in his solo - flubbed the pirouette and had trouble steadying himself in the final pose on the knee...so he pulled a quick change in the choreography and sank to the floor (it was hilarious). On the other hand, he was a wonderful partner in adagio. Russia's lone survivor to Round 2 - Albert Davydov - exploded onto the stage in Flames of Paris, then flubbed his pirouette, only to nod his head & milk the crowd for some applause. Also, I find his always-wide-open hands distracting. Overview of this category: The gold is between BOGOV and SUN, plus last night's sr male stand-out, HAO Bo (who performed Acteon). Senior Women - The obvious stand-outs last night were the women in the top Shanghai and Beijing pairs...plus another surprise from Beijing. WU Haiyan of Beijing - Giselle pdd...gorgeous positions - light - floating. Nothing exaggerated or over-extended. A real gem. This was in wonderful contrast to her Round One Kitri. Better variety, so far, in her selections than that from the top Shanghai female. FAN Xiaoweng of Shanghai - Medora in Corsaire pdd. Unlike WU Haiyan, a real 'queen' in her commanding presence...but a bit 'prima donna' perhaps? Tonight, much steadier fouettes in the coda, in contrast to Round One's weak fouettes. The young Beijing dancer, MENG Ningning, was also wonderful in Flower Festival pdd. Delightful presentation - clean technique. IAfter her problems in Round One I was amazed that she continued to Round Two...but she certainly earned her spot tonight. Possible bronze meda??? Overview of this category - Beside the three Chinese ladies cited above, I see as possible medalists JIN Yao of Beijing (who danced beautifully the previous night despite a poor partner) and Hungary's Zsofia Parcsen (of POB - with picture-perfect classical variations in Rounds One and Two). IMO, the highly-touted WEN Fang of Beijing shouldnt pass to Round Three...but she'll probably be there. Ciao for now! - Jeannie [ 08-19-2001: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

Good morning from beautiful Shanghai! Quick answers & comments to the above posts, before I write my report on last night's events. I honestly believe that the biggest problem with this IBC has been the lack of quick-response communications. Last summer, there was a 'blitz' of publicity surrounding this competition at Varna....glossy brochures passed out...a slick website opened. Big to-do about the competition being held in the gorgeous new opera house of this city - the Shanghai Grand Theater (where Round 3 was to have been held, in addition to opening & closing galas). Lots of dancers and journalists got excited about this. Then the communications stopped. I know of three specific instances where young dancers -- students of Tatiana Legat in Boston-- tried to enroll in the competition and their e-mails and faxes were ignored. Same thing with the international press. I began my e-mail communications with IBC staff last January....no answer (even though I always attached a 'router search' to all e-mails to confirm that they were received at the other end). I wrote multiple e-mails to different people named in that slick brochure that was distributed at Varna. Finally one e-mail answer in MAY - three months after my initial e-mail request! Without going into nitty-gritty details, I was never informed of vital details...such as the fact that the VENUES of this competition had changed! Were it not for one 'angel' who sent me a fax the day before I departed DC to China, I would have showed up at the wrond theater. I kid you not...that sort of thing. This is really sad because I honestly believe that the depth of balletic talent in China is extremely rich. Shanghai is a world-class city with magnificent theaters, intelligent public, lots of hospitality and warmth. But the IBC folks really need to get their act together when it comes to communications - not only corresponding with dancers, journalists, etc....but also making available something as basic as a simple printed programme or leaflet to the audience, showing names of dancers, numbers to be danced, choreographers, etc. Even if not in a western language - for goodness sakes, how about a little printed leaflet in Mandarin??? But, no, this is apparently all 'top secret.' OK - enough of that. Last night's competition was spectacular...especially for this American who saw Danny Tidwell soar above the rest and electrify the audience! [ 08-17-2001: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

Report on Round Two/Day One - Fifty-four out of 107 competitors made it on to Round Two, which commenced tonight: Sr Ladies - 10 of 16 (1 non-Chinese, Hungary/POB's Sophie Parczen) Sr men - 12 of 22 (3 non-Chinese: one Russian, one Slovenian & one Vietnamese) Jr Girls - 19 of 50 (4 non-Chinese...one Korean, one French & 2 Ukraineans) Jr Boys - 13 of 19; only 1 non-Chinese, Danny Tidwell of USA, who dances on Friday night Approximately half of the above performed their Round 2 pieces last night...and a LONG night it was, due to the mostly-very-long contemporary pieces, which comprised the second half of the evening. Earlier, all Rnd 2 competitors appeared in a classical variation (or a classical pdd, in the case of the few contestants who are competing as pairs). HIGHLIGHTS OF CONTEMPORARY PIECES, as there is a separate choreography prize to be given to the best...although the names of choreographers were never announced; neither were programmes of the evening supplied to audience...so it was a big guess as to who choregraphed each work. Noteworthey pieces were few & far between. My faves (judging only the choreography & not the dancer...some wonderful dancers performed some of the least effective pieces): * Among juniors, I liked only two pieces performed by men...and both happened to be dancers from the little-known Liaoning Ballet troupe in Shenyang Province. LV Meng in 'Joy' (a short, upbeat & crisp rendition of a baroque - Bach? - tune) and JIAO Yang in 'Jumping Over' (a short 'muscle man - body beautiful show-off' piece reminiscent of Nijinska's athletes in 'Les Biches' of the lead bather in 'Train Bleu.' * Among seniors, I thoroughly enjoyed four pieces...which happen to be the SHORTEST and least angst-ridden works on view: - Beijing couple JIN Yao and ZHANG Yao in a moving pdd involving the exchange of a loose white shirt between the two of them...he wears it & puts it on her a certain way, she then takes it off & puts it on him a different way...clever manipulation of a prop. - Beijing's Mr. KE Da in a work that (I swear!) was announced as titled 'Constipation'....must be a mis-translation! Anyhow, there was nothing constipating about it. It's danced to an Afro-percussive beat & the leitmotif is a shuffling-forward step performed in demi-plie, 2nd position. Audience loved it. Nice & shot & effective. - Mr. LI Jun of Beijing in 'Broken Heart' - in which he portrays a 'company man' who gets fed up with sitting in his office & the daily routine. In the end, he takes off his tie & pulls out a gun & shoots himself. Oddly, the audience laughed & cheered when this happened...I guess that it took us all by surprise. - Hungary/POB's Sophie Parczen as a delightfully flirty mademoiselle in black miniskirt & stockings and flower-print top, in 'Holding Your Own.' BEST OF LAST NIGHT's DANCERS, BY CATEGORY: Junior Girls - 10 girls danced last night. To me, the real stand-outs were: YUAN Wenqi (Shanghai) - gracious Giselle Act I solo, with spot-on turns XING Dongting (Liaoning...I think that's the name of this girl...hard to understand!) - wonderful ballon in both the classical & modern. Special surprise to see her commendable job in Ashton's version of Lise's solo, in FILLE! YAO Wei (Shanghai) This incredibly beautiful girl is a huge fave...winner of Gold Medal in the recent Helsinki IBC...and she did not let down her hometown fans last night. Wonderful PAQUITA Harp variation - except that I could not detect the entrechats at the start; she simply leaped up & didn't cross he feet in entrechat, an BOTH instances wehen it occurs in the choreography. other than that, she was perfection, especially the tough middle section of pirouettes into 'back chugs'...no switch of feet, like many women do. Sexy & effective in an otherwise banal modern work. ZHANG Mingqiang...again, I was straining for the name...(Beijing). The word for thistall beauty is 'dreamy.' She folated in both her classical (Raymonda dream solo) and modern (a sleepwalker in a beige negligee) solos. ...now the surprise...as for the highly-praised FANG Zhongyang (2000 Prix lausanne gand prix winner, etc. from Shanghai), I was quite disappointed with her Raymonda pizzicatto solo...faulty finish to all her pirouettes...blah presentation, etc. Cute modern solo in a long red-silk nightgown with gold bodice to Gorshwin's 'It Aint Necessarily So.' Junior Men - Many boys who were great in the modern piece had major problems with the classical. Hence, I give my personal endorsement to only one jr boy from last night, who gave two fine performances: LI Ye (Guangzhou/Canton) - AMAZING James in Bournonville's SYLPHIDE! WOW-WOW-WOW!!!! High leaps, neat beats, and - best of all - he was actually connecting with the audience and seemed to be enjoying himself! Bravo! He's the dancer mentioned earlier in the effective 'Broken heart' modern solo in which he shoots himself and causes chuckles among audience... Senior Women - Two standouts and one 'so-so's' among the five sr women of tonight: JIN Yao (Beijing - danced as a pair) - sultry dark looks and beautifully-chiselled 'Vaganova-curve legs.' She survived horrendous partnering by her male counterpart in 'Gnd Pas Classique' and was spot on in the solo of that pdd. Audience cheered her for having overcome the obstacle of the partner. Both she & partner were nice in that duet with the white shirt, described above. Zsofia Dora Parczen...a.k.a. Sophie Parczen of the POB corps (representing her native Hungary here) - Another magnificent Grand Pas Classique female solo...probably better than the Chinese girl because Sophie added a calm-grace and charm, engaging the audience with flirty looks and such. So-so among sr women was a highly touted fave, WEN Fang (Beijing - 98 Varna bronze medal as a junior) - too wide ribcage and shortish legs; however, rock-solid technique in Corsaire pdd solo YET traveled half-way to Hong Kong in her fouettes in the coda. Alas, this was, all in all, another Beijing couple with shoddy male partner, last night. Another fine female soloist not best served by the male...Too bad. and finally.... Senior Men - for me, only one standout among six sr men performing last night: HAO Bo (Beijing) - good high leaps in 'Acteon' solo...wish he would 'connect' with audience a bit more, though. On the other hand, he was magnificent in his modern piece, 'Revolving' which featured his zippy, crist, centered pirouettes. Tonight come the final group of Round Two competitors, including the USA/Kirov Academy's Danny Tidwell. Ciao! - Jeannie

Quick answers to the above, before my second report - Huge 'thanks' for filling in the gaps, Wa Wa. It was nice meeting all of you (Lili, WaWa, et al) last night, during the contemporary round intermission. Let's talk tonight. Yes, Wa Wa, I agree about Sr Male competitor KE Da...he was wonderful in the modern -- those shuffling steps in 2nd-position demi-plie really got the crowd going -- but he must have been off in his classical variation. On the other hand, the new name that really impressed me among Sr Men was HAO Be of Beijing...wonderful high 'Acteon' plus the modern piece 'Revolving' (and, my, does he know how to revolve with those quick, well-centered pirouettes!). Terry - I give numbers of Chinese-vs-non in report that follows. We are all calling this the Chinese National Championships...although the Chinese are, on the whole, fantastic dancers, so this is a delight regardless. However, note that not one Japanese competitor made it to round 2. Only one American (the boy - Danny Tidwell...none of the four girls), etc, etc. Joszef - You cannot imagine my surprise last night, when I entered the theater & saw Sophie Parczen's coach, Mme. Erzsebet Dvorsky!!! On Wednesday, I asked an IBC official point-blank if Sophie had already performed her Round One, and he told me 'She's not here. No Hungarians.' You can't imagine how my husband & my hearts sank, as we actually carried a Hungarian flag with us to cheer her. Then. last night, I see her coach as I enter the theater , who tells me that Sophie made it to Round 2 & would be performing. So much for asking the IBC officials for information... You can read my detailed report shortly (separate post) but Sophie -- who is one of only 10 senior women to survive to Round 2 and the ONLY non-Chinese woman to do so!! -- was brilliant in Gnd Pas Classique and in her peppy modern solo, 'Holding Your Own.' She definitely held her own... Again, my deep apologies to Joszef and all others for the initial misinformation...but such has been the nature of information (or, rather, LACK of information) available not only to the press (my credentialed friends) and to the public at large. No nightly programs available - no lists of who-made-round-2 posted - no names of choreographers of the modern pieces cited - no press room - you get the picture. My Japanese friends among the press have received zero - zip - nada. Thank God for a couple of unamed 'angels' among the junior-lelvel IBC staff who literally 'snuck' us into the backstage area last night to allow us TWO MINUTES to write down the names of the round 2 competitors. My report of Day One of Round Two (last night) follows. [ 08-16-2001: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

Notes from Round One/Day Three (my first day here) - The new, modernistic and 'intimate' Shanghai Art Theater is the setting for the second Shanghai International Ballet, which began last Sunday with the first of three Round One sessions. I am joining the competition-audience at the 3rd and final day of this initial round, which took place last night. First off, let me mention that, unlike all other IBC competitions on which I've reported via internet in the past -- such as Vaganova, Jackson, Varna, Moscow -- I am doing this one in a somewhat incognito fashion. In short, I've had to handle making ALL arrangements, including purchasing tickets/hotel, etc myself, as it was very difficult to communicate with the Shanghai IBC organizing committee in a timely manner. [Don't get me wrong - some really nice folks there. ] Instead of a Journalists Visa, I obtained a simple Tourist Visa...so these reports are coming to you in a - ahum - incognito manner. 'Nuff said about that but wanted all of you to understand that this is quite a different IBC competition experience for me. But lots of fun nonetheless...and probably far more fun than I would have had otherwise! ;) As Hu Xinxin mentioned in another thread, most of the 107 competitiors at the Shanghai IBC come from the host country. There are 38 Senior-level competitors (16 women & 22 men) and 69 Juniors (a whopping 50 girls and 19 boys...of which America's Danny Tidwell, of DC's Kirov Academy, is the lone non-Chinese lad). After each round, the number of competitiors will be whittled down. Later today, I expect to see the list of those who passed to Round 2, which commences tonight and continues through tomorrow. Then that group will be trimmed to a few finalists, who compete on Saturday night. Awards will be presented in Sunday night's closing Gala, to be held at the huge -- and also relatively new -- Shanghai Grand Theater. BEST COMPETITORS SO FAR; this is a blend of my own look at last night's competitiors, about whom I write a few nuggets beside the name, and the thoughts of a couple of journalist-frinds who have been here since Day One. SENIOR LADIES: FANG Xiaofeng (China - Shanghai) - No big surprise here. The tall, redheaded Xiaofeng, and her partner SUN Shenyi, nabbed Sr Gold medals at Varna last year; they are better than ever here, as displayed in their DON Q pdd last night. Technically perfect...except for her fouettes in the coda. Their best feature is their artistry, musicality & interplay with each other...they've really loosened up since Varna. The very knowledgeable -- and usually stoic -- audience went crazy cheering for them. Curiosity: Last Saturday night, the official 'Opening' of this competition was a full-length performance of SWAN LAKE (ENB version) by Shanghai Ballet...starring this couple. So perhaps they have been crowned already???? A bit odd - but you can't take it away from them. I really admire this pair. WU Haiyan (China - Beijing) Also competed last night. A bit shorter than Xiaofeng and markedly stronger in technique...this gal explodes! WEN Fang (China - Beijing) I missed her round one but am told that it was terrific. She's the 1998 Varna bronze medalist. A bit shorter & more muscular than other Chinese top ladies but supposedly will be fantastic in the contemporary solo in round 2. SUN Xin (China, Guangzhou-Canton) Also missed but she & her partner are said to be very strong. ...and a note about a pre-competition fave who ran into hard luck last night: MENG Ningning (Beijing). She has gorgeous long line & fine technique but suffered from a too-short & smallist partner, YU Bo (also Beijing). Ningning also had back luck in solo segments, especially the coda, where she came completely off-pointe during the fouettes. Sad. Wonder if the judges will still pass her on to Round 2? SENIOR MEN: Anton BOGOV (Slovenia) - Not only the hands-down best-senior-man last night, but of all three rounds, according to friends. Explosive Ali & Basil solos. I haven't seen a dancer obtain so much 'air' in jumps since the young Mukhamedov. Gasps from audience. SUN Shenyi (China - Shanghai) Local fave...mentioned above. Varna 2000 gold medalist with partner FANG Xiaofeng. And he is wonderful in characterization and good-if-not-spectacular in technique. LI Jun (China - Beijing) Very strong & zippy. Albert DAVIDOV (Kazan, Russia) looks a lot like ex-Kirov danseur Serge Berezhnoi. Fine Don Q solo...but those above bested him. JUNIOR GIRLS: YAO Wei (China, Shanghai) I missed her rnd 1 performances but she is no surprise. Recent gold medalist at the Helsinki IBC. Said to be the hands-down gold-medal choice here...no contest...especially since POB's Aurore Cordellier dropped out of the competition (did not 'show' - neither did POB's sr lady competitor, Sophie Parczen...quelle mystere... ;) ) YU Fangling (China - Beijing Acad) possible medalist; lovely line in her Lilac Fairy solo last night. Maria ABASHOVA (Ukraine - lives in Austria) - strongest of 'the non-Chinese.' Majestic Gnd Pas Classique last night...but weaker in 2nd dance, Raymonda. Lovely dancer, though. Junko OOSUKI (Japan) - I missed her rnd 1 but she is supposedly fabulous. Strong technique. I look forward to seeing her in rnd 2. ...and a word about this year's 'Wilting Lily Prize' for the skinniest contestant: China's SHANGGUAN Yuhing of Shanghai Dance Academy. Somebosdy get an IV to this girl. Down to bone. Painful to watch & her face was 'screaming' pain. JUNIOR MEN: POSSLE GRAND PRIX WINNER HERE, FOLKS!!! I refer to China-Shanghai's HUANG Yi. Remember the name of this lad, folks. Picture-perfect Siegfried-Black Swan and Paquita solos last night. Spectacular arched feet - floating leaps - natural ballon - musical & gracious - beautiful line - a Bluebird to die for, judging by extended series of entrechats at the end of Paquita solo last night. Audience went bonkers with 'bravi'! Are we in France or Italy...could this rowdy audience be truly Chinese? ;) Danny TIDWELL (USA - Kirov Academy) Only US male competitng & the ONLY non-Chinese jr boy. Danny soared graciously through his 2nd solo, Flames of Paris. Overcame missed endings of pirouette sequences in his first solo, Coppelia, which was also very good otherwise. SPARKLES on stage - true charisma! Tidwell is a huge audience favorite among this mostly-Chinese audience. It warms my heart to hear this cheering for the good ole USA. WU Bin (China - Shanghai) To me, Bin is the only other jr male with a possibility to medal, among those I saw last night. Seems very young & shy...but lovbely natural line &, like HUANG Yi, beautiful feet and a nice on-stage personality. So there you have it. Let's see who progresses on to Round 2. next report will be on tonight's Round Two/Day One performances, which will include both classical & contemporary pieces. p.s. - I counted four USA ladies competitng here, going by the souvenir programme. Two danced last night: Jennifer OWEN(sr division - trained in Russia & other places; now principal in Kansas City Ballet) and Suzanne Miriko TAKAHASHI (jrs - lives in Calif of Japanese background). Neither lady had the best of luck last night. Two other Jr ladies - Holly HASELTON and Kathleen HOWARD - competed on earlier evenings...no word on them yet. - Jeannie

Greetings from China!!! I just got to Shanghai yesterday morn, after a 14-hour, overnight train ride from Beijing...'3rd class carriage' in the 'hard seats' compartment. Not much sleep but chock-full of 'local color'. Actually, it's been a blast. I climbed the Great Wall at Badaling {the best-known section of the wall seen in all the posters, etc.}...no photo does it justice. All of you need to see it for yourselves someday...and don't forget to work out prior to your trip. I feel that my hubby & I earned gold medals just for surviving the one-hour climb to the highest point...LOL!! Anyhow, I know that all of you are waiting for a Shanghai IBC report. I attended the 3rd and final day of Round One yesterday (yes - after the train ride) and will begin a new topic shortly. By the way, it was wonderful to meet our member-in-Beijing, HU Xinxin. Thanks for your insights, Xinxin!!!! - Jeannie [ 08-15-2001: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

Thanks for the update, Hu. This is a fine supplement to information provided to me by our friends in the Shanghai IBC office. I'm off to Beijing, then Shanghai, in a couple of days. We shall see what we shall see.... ;) [ 08-02-2001: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

I seem to recall hearing Pope John Paul II talking openly against homosexuality in many televised speeches...and never a word from the Rev. Moon or anyone in his organization (although I know that the Unification Church is basically conservative, so I wouldn't doubt what Felursus writes). And, of course, I beg to differ with Felursus in that the arts institutions founded and supported by the Roman Catholic Church -- such as the Vatican Museum -- can be compared to arts institutions founded & supported by other religions. Great paintings - great ballet - great TV broadcasts...whatever. With this, I'll excuse myself from further comment in this discussion, as I know the human being behind the name 'Felursus,' who happens to be one of the sweetest people I know in my circle of ballet friends. This is a great discussion topic but I don't want to hurt nice people, unintentionally. [ 07-26-2001: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

Should we boycott the Vatican Museum because it is "owned" & sponsored by the Pope? By going to the Vatican Museum and admiring the work of Raphael, are we silently 'blessing' the Inquisition or applauding Pope Pius' alleged anti-Jewish stance during WWII? Weren't the Tsars considered the civilian heads of the Russian Orthodox Church? Ah...then anyone who admires 'The Nutcracker' and 'Sleeping Beauty' is tacitly blessing the Pogroms which decimated 1,000s of Russian & Ukrainean Jews, as those great ballets were fully sponsored by Tsar Alexander III, who implemented the pogroms during his reign, right? Let's all boycott Nutcracker & Sleeping Beauty as anti-semitic works. And let's not even get started on Wagner operas. No, Hitler did *not* commission them...but you'd think that he did, judging by the boycotts... Sometimes, common sense has to prevail. [ 07-24-2001: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

Thank you, Alexandra & Juliet. Some folks seem to get a real joy out of pointing out the 'Moonie Thing' every now & them. I prefer to judge dancers, teachers, choreographers on their own merits, thank you.

Delightful review, AM! I am so happy to see young Irina Golub receive more and more solo roles & attentions. She was, for me, the 'star' of the February 1998 performances of the Vaganova Academy at Brooklyn Academy of Music...and, indeed, the most promising of the Class of 1998 Vaganova graduates. In Brooklyn, she sizzled as Carmen in an excerpt from Igor Belsky's version. I can well imagine her Kitri!

I'm with Giannina. Instead of "in my time..." I'll write "in my home town..." I grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where it was (still is) a *huge* deal for audiences to dress-up for any classically-oriented performance, be it opera, ballet or symphony. It's part of the tradition from the old country (Spain, in this case) that includes a wee bit of 'snobbery' that persists to this day. Yes, Puerto Rican society is still into debutante balls for all 15-year-old girls and women who belong to the city's social clubs stil wear linen suits and wide-brimmed hats. I kid you not! Back to ballet attire... Personally, I prefer 'neat-and-clean, day-into-night business attire' if not overly fancy...the look that I see at many northern European opera houses, such as Holland & (yes) Russia, where most people are very well dressed and neat even though many may come from humble circumstances. Even the little girls, with bright bows in their hair, look like a million bucks, even if from working-class families. Dressed to *respect* the performers on the stage. I see it as a sign of respect.

Name any Medici ruler in Renaissance Florence...any French King from Louis XIV on down...any Tsar in 19th-century Russia...the Danish royal family...etc.... Mere commoners get into the mix primarily during the 20th century, although wealthy private citizens maintained household "serf ballet troupes" in 18th-century Russia.

Thanks for the further insights on Tidwell, Terry. I have never seen Misty Copeland 'live' - only on those TV programs during the troubles with her teacher, a few years back. She was in none of the ABT programs that I saw this year. She's very young & just beginning her prof'l career.

Another lovely Ashton work is 'The Two Pigeons.' What a shame that this one is so neglected. Wonder why? The Canadian video, 'Ballerina: Lynn Seymour,' offers an enticing look at the main pas de deux in rehearsal, by Seymour & Gable. I can picture an Alina Cojocaru & an Angel Corella in the leading roles. ;)

And what about Misty Copeland, a new corps member of ABT this season? She was the object of much media interest (on TV's 20/20 & other news shows) a couple of years ago, due to a problem with her initial teacher, plus her 'raw' talent & extraordinary beauty.

You're right, Alexandra. It is indeed a lower-case "a."