Natalia

Thanks for the reports! I look forward to seeing tonight's performance, keeping in mind your comments. - Jeannie

Thanks, Jack, for your observations & the great detailed report on last night, which I missed. Back to that flag - There was some sort of projection-play there. Didn't you notice, during the bows, that a superimposed projection of star-clusters was shining on the flag? It was like a multi-layered light show. Maybe there was some white projection cloth on which the red-and-white stripes, plus the superimposed star-cluster was shown? Whatever--it looked plain phoney from the first row of 2nd Tier. I tried to keep my eyes on the conductor's wild vest. Now THAT was a showstopper! - Jeannie (p.s. - Saw your quick report later, Juliet. Great stuff! This is fun, isn't it? Toodles!) [This message has been edited by Jeannie (edited September 15, 2000).]

Indeed, Leigh. I don't have my program handy but I believe that I saw Victoria Simon's name as stager for this piece. I'll correct this, if need be, when I get home. [Missing the show so I hope that somebody out there will tell us what words rhyme with "Letitia" and "Calvin"!]

Alexandra - Perhaps the Joffrey added the 1976 solo to provide a second break to the caller (& to allow audience hearts to resume normal beating)? The two breaks seem evenly spaced. First break (the pdd) after big ensemble opening; second break (during the 1976 solo) after the "mini-group" dances & before the ensemble ending. Yeah, it did seem a bit odd, but it didn't bother me. I'm trying hard to remember what we did when "allemanding." It begins with a hand extension; hence, "allemand with the ol' left hand" (or "ol' right hand"). I believe that the boy & girl face each other, extend & join whichever hand is called, and walk around in a circle...clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on which hand is joined. OK--I remember: "Allemand left with the ol' left hand, then swing your partner." So the allemand is most likely the extension of hands prior to swinging round in a circle. [Yeah, we even did it in Puerto Rico, believe it or not, between flamenco & Filipino 'stick dancing.'] - Jeannie [This message has been edited by Jeannie (edited September 13, 2000).]

Estelle, I'll try my best to explain. Square Dancing is a North American type of folk-derived social dance, most likely stemming from Irish or Scottish social dances. (Experts, please help me!) It is taught to probably every US student in elementary school physical education classes. They are lots of fun & not-so-hard to do (but very hard to do smoothly & in unison). It is danced usually by clusters comprised of four couples, forming a "square" & facing each other at the start. They have to listen to a "caller" to get their moves. For example, almost every square dance commences with the caller calling out "Bow to your partner. Bow to your corner." After initial bows, promenades (four couples follow each other in circular pattersn), and such, the dance becomes progressively complex, so that the four couples are forming intricate star patterns and such. [For "Square Dance" ballet, it is a great advantage to sit a bit up in the balconies, so that one can enjoy the patterns formed by the dancers. The Joffrey dancers were EXEMPLARY in their unison...such as when all of the corps ladies formed star patterns. This is unison of the very highest order.] Toe-tapping country music plays in the background--usually a banjo and/or violin (fiddle). The caller gives instructions throughout the dance, in time to the music. The REALLY GREAT callers--such as the guys in the ballet--give instructions as a sort of funny poetry, making sentences rhyme. For example: "Allemand left, with the old left hand - spin your partner, ain't it grand?" Silly, funny stuff. But it takes real skill to give instructions & improvise. Now, imagine, in this ballet, a caller doing this relating to ballet steps (he doesn't really try to call out every step..."entrechat here - entrechat there - entrechat around the square!") Vivaldi--not American country music--in the background. WOW! You have to see & hear it to believe it. I feel truly priviledged to have been there last night to see this unique melange-work of art. Oh-- I should note that there is no calling during the very slow parts of the ballet, the pas de deux and that 1976 solo that you have on the video. In fact, I breathed a small sigh of relief when, as the pas de deux was about to commence, I saw the caller make an exit into the wings! - Jeannie [This message has been edited by Jeannie (edited September 13, 2000).]

In this morning's Washington Post, S. Kaufman's review also terms the Joffrey's "Square Dance" the "highlight" of the evening. As I waited in line at the taxi stand in front of the Kennedy Center, ALL the 'buzz' was about "Square Dance." A young lady beside me, who was a tourist from North Carolina & had never seen this level of ballet before but knew all about real square dancing, kept saying breathlessly, "that was genius, that was genius!"

Just raced back from the exciting opening night of the "Balanchine Celebration" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. This is written in a quick-highlights style. Just want to provide the initial scoop! MOZARTIANA - Bolshoi Ballet Lovely, emotional performance by Nina Ananiashvili in the opening "Preghiara" (prayer) She was not quite as effective in the 'Tema e Variazione' pdd but lovely in the phrasing of her solos. (Sorry guys--I have the film of Farrell imprinted in my brain & it's hard to erase. Farrell staged this Bolshoi production, incidentally.) The male soloists were Dmitri Belogolovtsev ('98 Jackson silver medalist) in the demi-caractere '1700s-style' Gigue; and noble Sergei Filin as the more classical danseur in the Tema e Variazione. Both Bolshoi male principals were as good as I've ever seen them. Non-acting becomes them, as both are beautiful 'lightweight' abstract dancers. Filin was a particular revelation, so light & airy in his dancing but not much of an actor, as we saw earlier this year in Romeo & Don Q. Belogolovtsev was also liberated in his style--Cast Spartacus to the Inferno, please! Delightful ensemble of four Russian young ladies and four American little girls. Unfortunately, the port-de-bras of the latter betrayed their origin. Costuming note (for Juliet!): Is it my imagination or does the Bolshoi version of the female lead's costume differ from that of the original NYCB version? Nina's has black glitter on the bodice, a little extra 'prima-donna razzmatazz'? As for her hair, I am certain of the difference. Nina wore a Renaissance-style upsweep-do held in place with glittery netting, not unlike the hairdo of Juliet in McMillan's "Romeo & Juliet." Where are the ringlets at the back of the neck, which are so distinctive of the Mozart-era style & which Farrell & all NYCB ballerinas have worn? That Renaissance hairstyle was out of place, IMO. A big plus: NONE of the usual "Nina Affectations"-- the famous "Five Facial Expressions" -- were in evidence during her bows. Rather, she was very natural. Brava! RUBIES - Miami City Ballet Dog-gone it, the Kirov does this better. Honestly! (Just saw 'The K' in London about a couple of months ago.) I base this mainly on the two lead principals tonight, who were, IMO, totally bland & a bit too "stocky-proportioned' for my tastes. Sadly, the male is my "Favourite Jester of All Times," POB's Eric Quillere. The ballerina is Jennifer Kronenberg. No Vishneva she! (Neither is she McBride, Whelan, Watts, etc., etc.) *However, this lapse was more than compensated by the second female lead, the drop-dead-gorgeous, long-limbed & scintillating Sally Ann Isaacks. The Miami ensemble was wonderfully synchronized & energetic...dare I say, better than those folks up north? But even Miami was not QUITE as perfectly in unison as The K! SQUARE DANCE - Joffrey Ballet Heeee-hawww!!!! I think I've died & gone to heaven! I have lived to see the 1957 original version of this ballet, square-dance caller, on-stage fiddlers, and all. Yes, a caller stands on the side & recites--sometimes improvises--the most clever rhymes, perfectly matched by the solo couple and ensemble AND the lilting tunes by Vivaldi & Coralli. Amazing, eh? But it works. NYCB regulars, you must RUN--don't walk--to DC to try to see this amazing performance during the next two nights. Otherwise, I strongly suggest that you get hold of the Joffrey Ballet-Chicago's schedule to see it for yourselves. Loudest 'bravos' of the night went to the fabulous caller, John Oldfield, who is not quite as old as the crusty Elisha Keeler from the 1950s (a legendary performance that exists on film, in private collections). Among the dancers, the highest accolades--not just in this ballet but for the entire night--go to a REAL FIND, the long-limbed & perfectly-musical Tracy Julias in the lead female role. Rmember her name; she is magnificent. Almost as impressive was Willy Shives, the lead male (whose slow Sarabande solo was an anachronism to this staging, as Mr. B created it in the non-caller version of 1976). Funny aside: I shudder to think what rhymes we'll get tomorrow. It's easy to set rhymes to "Here comes Tracy - her legs look lazy" or "Look at Will - what a thrill." Tomorrow's lead cast have first names of "Leticia" & "Calvin"...will it be "Look at Cal - he's our pal"? STARS & STRIPES - Miami City Ballet Great ensemble & fantastic 'secondary soloists, batton-twirling Paige Fulleton, Ms. Isaacks (again) AND--especially--Cuba's Luis Serrano. Luis was the 1998 Jackson IBC bronze medalist, right behind silver-medalist Belogolovtsev of the Bolshoi, whom we saw tonight in "Mozartiana." Alas, once again the Miami lead couple was off-par. Although both are quite muscular & can be dynamic, Ileana Lopez & Franklin Gamero tonight lacked that 'extra oomph' that I've seen in the McBrides, Whelans & Ashleys (and D'Amboises, Vilellas & Woetzels) of this world. It is hard to describe but it was simply missing. Besides, the choreography was somewhat watered down for those two, missing a lift here or there, not quite spliting legs 180-degrees, timing a bit late. I loved the loudly-sequined All-American vest of conductor Akira Endo, when he came out for his bows. On the other hand, a "boo" for the solo trumpeteer, who truly botched the fugue at the start of the Liberty Bell pdd...must be a guest from NYCB's orchestra. (Sorry--couldn't resist!) Bummer of the evening: IT WASN'T A REAL AMERICAN FLAG THAT WAS SHOWN AT THE END OF THIS BALLET! Instead, we get a fakey projection. They can't even syncronize the red-and-white stripes with the rectangle of white stars against navy-blue! The rectangle of stars remains in-situ as the stripes continue to move. Gee wiz...get me to NY, please, where a true flag made out of cloth is dramatically unfurled at the end of this ballet! Minor glitches aside, it was a de-lightful evening at the ballet. - Jeannie [This message has been edited by Jeannie (edited September 13, 2000).]

Thanks, T. I appreciate your pointing this out. I stand corrected!

Yep, Pfmeja - Carberry won the silver medal, junior division, at the 1979 Jackson IBC. Alessandra Ferri, in fact, won the Gold Medal at the 1980 Prix de Lausanne at the age of 17. She was already a two-year 'veteran' of the Royal Ballet School when she competed. Ferri did not lose to Raffa...they competed in different years. Raffa won gold in Lausanne in 1981, at age 15. [That's the year when Washington Ballet's Amanda McKerrow won Gold at the Moscow IBC. ]

Nancy Raffa danced with the Ballet de Santiago (Chile) for a long time following her ABT stint. Ivan Nagy was director of the Chilean ballet at the time. Lost track of Raffa after Chile.

Regarding the Helsinki IBC (26 May - 5 June 2001), the following information comes from a recent press release: Contact Info - Helsinki International Ballet Competition Meritullinkatu 33-A FIN-00170 Helsinki, Finland Tel. (+358-9) 135-7861 Fax (_358-9) 135-5522 E-mail: ballet@teatteri.org Components of the competition: DANCERS - The programme will consist of both classical & modern dance. There will be both Senior & Junior categories. Juniors, age 15 - 18; Seniors, age 19-25. CHOREOGRAPHERS - A special Choreography Competition for works created after January 1, 2000, utilizing Finnish music, will be held on the 2nd of June, 2001, in one round. The selection to the competition participants will be made from video-cassettes. *Dancers participating in the competing choreographies need not be participants of the Ballet Competition. INT'L SYMPOSIUM ON DANCE & MEDICINE - to be held 3 - 4 JUNE, 2001, covering psychological, nutritional & medical aspects of dance. As you see, there will be some interesting twists to this competition. Also interesting is the fact that this event will end just before the venerable Moscow IBC commences in the neighboring country of Russia...so could we expect to see some of the same dancers in both contests? - Jeannie [This message has been edited by Jeannie (edited August 27, 2000).]

I've just received competition-dates for a couple of events previously designated as "dates to-be-determined" (as per original post above): 2002 Rudolf Nureyev Ballet Competition, Budapest, Hungary: March 9 - 16, 2002. 2002 Jackson (Mississippi, USA) IBC: June 15 - 30, 2002. - Jeannie

The Paris IBC is the newest addition to the CID/UNESCO-sponsored series of competitions, having been inaugurated ca. 1990 (with the Kirov's Makhalina & Zelensky winning top honors, if memory serves me). Due to its relative youth, it is a tad lower in prestige than the "Big Three" oldie-goldies, which are: (1) Varna - began 1964, (2) Moscow - began 1969, & (3) Jackson - began ca 1978. Besides those mentioned above, other CID/UNESCO-sponsored IBCs include those held in Helsinki & New York. Both of these were created in the 1980s, Helsinki ca 1983 & New York ca 1985. Helsinki was originally intended to take the place of the now-defunct Osaka IBC. [The original 'vision' of CID/UNESCO was to have the four sites--Varna, Moscow, Osaka-cum-Helsinki & Jackson--rotate...a different venue every four years...never happened for a variety of reasons.] Nowadays, there is no logical pattern to when each is held. Some every four years (Moscow & Jackson), some every two years (Varna & Paris), some every three years (New York)...and some whenever the funding materializes (Helsinki). I've stopped planning beyond two years. Rather, when I see the poster or advertisement for a competition, I mark it on the calendar. No guessing! To answer another of your questions - No, I have never attended the Paris IBC. I've attended two Moscows & one each of Jackson and Varna. My autumn is packed with 'regular work' commitments, so I won't make it this year. Besides, I had long-ago planned the trip in January to see the premiere of 'Paquita' @ POB (free Delta air ticket!) & the Moscow and Shanghai competitions in summer...travel budget for Fiscal-Year 2001 has already been allocated. Can't do it all. [This message has been edited by Jeannie (edited August 15, 2000).]

This from the press release, issued by editor of BALET magazine (which always gives lavish & extensive coverage to this IBC): 9th Moscow IBC to be held 8 - 18 June 2001, under the sponsorship of the Bolshoi Theater & the Russian Federation's Ministry of Culture. Junior-level competitors: born between 1 January 1983 & 31 December 1986. Senior-level competitors: born between 1 January 1974 & 31 December 1982. May enroll & compete as either solo or couple. Choreographic prize also to be awarded. For more information, please contact: Moscow IBC Arbat Street no. 35, suite 561 121835 Moscow, RUSSIA Telephone: (095)248-34-94 Fax: (095) 230-24-27 E-mail: intermedia@mail.tcnet.ru This is a very prestigious competition which, like Jackson, occurs only every four year. Budding Bolshoi star Maria Alexandrova won the senior gold last time. Not quite sure how Bolshoi dancers will be able to enter next year, as this competition will coincide with the Bolshoi Ballet's London tour. Then again, only one-third of the Bolshoi troupe came to America, so I suspect that a similar number of dancers will make their way to Covent Garden, leaving lots of colleagues back home in Moscow, able to enter this competition. To answer an earlier question, Terry, I seriously doubt that Mr. Grigorovich would be involved in a competition sponsored by the current Bolshoi administration. Times have changed. [This message has been edited by Jeannie (edited August 10, 2000).]

I just received a press release from the organizers of the next Moscow IBC competitions -- yes, it appears that it will occur. Thus, I am updating my earlier list of upcoming UNESCO-sponsored International Ballet Competitions ("IBCs") & what I term "IBC Clones." I have received MANY an e-mail from prospective competitors/teachers/family, etc. since my Varna2000 reports. Rather than e-mail everyone separately, I hope that the following list is read by all interested parties. If anyone wishes to have details on entering any of these events, then e-mail me privately @ <szoradi@erols.com> I have details & contact info for all events except for the one in Kazan, for which the best option is to contact the Grishko company (see www.grishko.com for a start). YEAR 2000 Paris IBC - classical portion: Nov. 25 - Dec. 3 YEAR 2001 Prix de Lausanne: Jan 21 - 28 Kazan, Russia (halfway between Moscow & Perm, in Western Russia): April 9 - 14 Helsinki IBC: May 26 - June 5 Moscow IBC: June 8 - 18 Vaganova Prix, St. Petersburg: ??? usually every three years, so the next should be this June 2001, but no info yet Shanghai: August 12 - 19 YEAR 2002 Prix de Lausanne: January (dates TBD) Nagoya: Feb. 10 - 17 Budapest/Nureyev Prix: TBD, late March Jackson IBC: TBD, June Varna IBC (20th Jubilee edition): July 15- 30 Paris IBC: TBD, Nov/Dec - Jeannie

I saw Laurencia in Perm, in 1995. A recent (within last couple of years) issue of BALET magazine mentioned a full-length production in Tblisi, Georgia. None of the St Petersburg troupes perform the ballet. Several excerpts from Laurencia Pas de Six are in the rep of Washington's Kirov Academy....saw some of them last month.

Fantastic news, Jane. Nunez must be truly special..on my 'must-see' list now. - Jeannie

Thank you for the insights, Johny! Well, I am now dying to see both young ladies dance. Perhaps the "White Nights Gala" will be filmed for video/DVD on Phillips...a rumor that I heard from a little birdie while I was in London. Not televised but simply filmed. It would be great to have the 'Diana & Action pdd' (Carlos Acosta & Marinella Nunez) saved for posterity. By the way, I was very impressed by Mara Galeazzi in the telecast of Coppelia, back in February. She danced the first solo in Act III ("Dawn, I think) and impressed me far more than the Swanhilda or any of the others. I'm keeping my eye on her.

My pet-peeve is not so obvious and, in fact, probably reflects an unfair intolerance of 'new audiences' on my part: I tend to get upset when a fellow audience-member sitting near me (usually behind me...easier to hear) makes it known that s/he is in attendance only because of corporate or family obligations. Especially guilty in my mind are corporate big-wigs who are in attendance at a cultural event only because their corporation is a major sponsor & they "have to make an appearance." Case in point: at a recent ballet in a major European opera house, two Yankee male corporate big-shots sitting behind me kept asking each other what was going on in the Super Bowl back in the US! They couldn't wait to run back to their hotel rooms to turn on cable TV. It drives me nuts to think that those choice-location seats would be better-appreciated by more intelligent lovers of the art of ballet, who could never afford them.

Michael - I couldn't agree with you more. On the other hand...Ringer's case is the exception & not the rule, at least by Russian standards. At the Mariinsky or any other one of the great Russian opera houses, principals dance full-length ballets only two or three times a month. Obviously not the ideal situation for a star performer who is itching to get out on stage.

This was for the Kirov-Mariinsky, Estelle. One of the very fine qualities of then-Director Oleg Vinogradov was a desire to revive great productions from the past, e.g., his "Romantic Ballet Evening" including Saint-Leon's "Markitanka" (Vivandiere) & "Pas de Quatre," a program which is now available on video. Unfortunately, he could only go so far, due to the need to walk a political tightrope which necessitated maintenance of the Konstantin Sergeyev/Natalia Dudinskaya versions of ballets. As Sergeyev/Dudinskaya had never put their imprint on "Esmeralda," "Markitanka" or "Naiad," Vinogradov was free to go-ahead with their recontructions, with Lacotte & others in charge. Even if the Harvard Manuscripts would have been available on a silver platter to Vinogradov, a revival of the 1890 "Sleeping Beauty" would have been out of the question back in the "Commie Era". In fact, the old guard at the Mariinsky Theater are very upset that the Konstantin Sergeyev & other Soviet productions are being supplanted. As many of you know, next up for decapitation is Vasily Vainonen's "Nutcracker." Very interesting, isn't it? Only six months left, folks, to see the infamous pink cotton-candy wigs on the corps dancers in the Waltz of the Flowers (a.k.a. "Rose Waltz")! Those wigs will be a thing of the past soon. [This message has been edited by Jeannie (edited June 22, 2000).] [This message has been edited by Jeannie (edited June 22, 2000).]

Indeed, Alexandra - Perrot staged Giselle for Grisi, on the occasion of her Russian debut. In fact, it was quite a challenge, as Petersburgers had vivid recent memories of their favorite foreign ballerina, Elssler! Perrot's most famous Petersburg production was perhaps the 1851 staging of "The Naiad & the Fisherman" (new title for Russian edition of "Ondine") in the gardens of Peterhof, on the occasion of the birthday of Tsar Nikolai I's favourite daughter, Olga. During one of my journeys to Russia, I discovered the exact spot where this ballet was staged! Unlike reports in English-language accounts (Wiley, etc.), this production did NOT take place on Olga Island. Rather, it took place in a lovely wooded locale on the southern reaches of the Peterhof complex, in an area called "ozerki" (lakes). I found the remains of the orchestra pit depicted in the famous lithograph of the event...the wrought-iron grill is an exact match! My Russian friends-- scientists, not ballet-nuts -- wondered why I was crying & making a big deal ("I am standing on the spot where Grisi danced the Naiad!"). Anyhow, that is my Perrot-Naiad story. By the way, Naiad was 'revived" by Lacotte in the early 1980s & a lovely television film of the production exists in private collections. AntoP - Perrot did not last very long in Russia, in part, due to his indifference to the Russian ballerinas, such as Andreyanova. He did not exactly win friends & influence people at the Imperial Theaters. [This message has been edited by Jeannie (edited June 22, 2000).]

OK, I was thinking "Ed Sullivan Show" mixing Toppo-Gigio puppets with Rudi & Margot! I know that Diaghilev did some "mix-and-match" (opera/ballet/orchestral) programs in the earliest years. Obviously a hit. Wasn't there a similar ballet-plus-opera, all-Stravinsky program at the Met a few years ago, featuring Makarova in the ballet offering..."le Rossignol" among the works? If memory serves me, it didn't fare too well at the box office. Great concept, though.

Alexandra - I recognize the very positive intentions of your proposal for a mixed-bill program of classical ballet, music & drama. Nonetheless, wouldn't this be a bit like an "Vaudeville for Hi-Brows"? Maybe it would work if there were a common theme linking the various segments, e.g., Romeo & Juliet love scene as interpreted through different arts; Swans - a scene from Lohengrin, Act 2 of Swan Lake, orchestral rendition of Swan of Tuonela.... - Jeannie [This message has been edited by Jeannie (edited May 23, 2000).]

Well, I won't write much just now...let someone else run with the ball. All I will say is that I am pleasantly surprised by Kaufman's article, in that it appears to be pro-ballet (not to say that anyone should be ONLY pro-modern or pro-ballet). There has been an obvious lack of pro-ballet sentiment at the Kennedy Center Programming Office for a long, long time. This couple from North Carolina obviously don't give a hoot about tutus-and-tiaras. Guess what? It's the tutus-and-tiaras danced by world-class troupes like ABT & the Kirov (or Bolshoi) that fill the house...try getting a ticket for the Bolshoi's run next week & see what I mean! Paul Taylor & the other modern dance masters can carry their unitards and audio-taped music around to other venues. Leave the Kennedy Center stages--certain the Opera House--for the big-scale classics requiring elaborate staging! That's what the subscribers to glamorous series at the Opera House expect to see. Unfortunately...as we saw with "Dracula"...fancy costumes & classical music doesn't necessarily mean better....but that's another issue altogether. My leitmotif in all of this is: if you're gonna sell a CLASSICAL BALLET SERIES then, for goodness sake, make sure that (a) it's the TOP classical ballet troupes that we see (plus DTHarlem, for obvious demographic reasons in Washington, DC) and (B) that the series does not include items such as ice-skating theaters or modern dance troupes (Morris' Dido & Aeneas last year or St. Petersburg Ice Ballet recently). Somebody else chime in, please!