diane

wonderful! I love it! Oh, for a good laugh! Thank you! -d-

thanks for that link! Very interesting! -d-

quote cubanmiamiboy: One way I find easy in my workplace while dealing with female doctors of all ages, is by addressing them as Dr. so and so,hence eliminating the confusion of the Miss/Mrs... there is a program on bbc radio (I get the podcasts) called the "Naked Scientist" and they have "phone ins", where people can ask questions and discuss mainly scientific matters. Everyone who phones in is referred to as "doctor" so-and-so. At first I thought that everyone who phoned in WAS a doctor, but then it got to the point where I realised that this was probably not the case. -d-

thanks for this! Very inspiring indeed! I love her humor and perseverance. Wish i could do a barre every day... perhaps I will have to install one in my apartment, too. -d-

Just a perspective from Germany here: Dancers are generally referred to by their full names, and then, if in a review, after having been named, and in further discussion, perhaps just by "he", "she" or the surnmane. First names are not generally used in such instances, neither is Mr., Mrs., or Ms. (Herr, Frau, Fräulein, the latter which is qutie antique! ) As for myself, my students generally call me by my first name (school policy), but I also answer to "Chief" or "Boss". ;) -d-

thank you so much for these memories! What charisma! What soul! -d-

I agree, Amy. They were magnificent! There are many, many excellent dancers around, and I am sure some of them would quite welcome a chance to continue to perform, though not at the same technical level as when they were in their prime. It is sad that that there is not the support for it, though. (NDT III had only a few dancers and nearly always played to sold-out houses, but that was still not enough to cover costs. -sigh-) -d-

Thanks! I recognise in a few of those excerpts the "kleine ballettsaal" (small studio) in the Wiesbaden theatre, where I danced many, many years ago. He is indeed a remarkable dancer. -d-

Yes, doesn't it? ("sounds American") -d- p.s. yeah, an interesting. rather unusual curtain - nothing one would see over here, I think...

Nice. Thank you! :) Where and who is that, do you know? -d-

Wow. thanks for the link. -d-

I am sitting here just smiling, thinking about all of this. What a pleasure and a treat to be able to share thoughts on dancers and dances like this, continents and also years away. We are lucky, indeed. Paul, re. fondus: that is an interesting observation, and I think it is probably correct. I really like fondus and think highly of them ;) , so I put them into quite a few exercises for my students, who do sometimes tire of them. But, all to a good cause, I hope! -d-

That "plush quality" is something which sort of went "out of fashion" for a time, it seems. Not sure if it is "back in" now or not, but I do like it. Cristian, how nice that Molina's father invited you to view his videos of the company dancing! What a treat! Helene, I was also very pleased to see Molina doing those gorgeous, wonderfully elevated double tours to both sides. (I am one of those teachers who insists that students practice each side at least equally, which is not what many of them want to do. -sigh-) -d-

I am so glad to have these dancers brought to my attention. Thank you. I would probably never had known about them otherwise, living and working as I do on another part of the planet, in a cold-climate with little sun. (oh, how I sympathise with this dancer who preferred to stay in warmer climes!) Thank you again, Cristian, for posting these videos and sharing your knowledge and experience of these and other dancers. -d-

This was very interesting, thanks for posting. I think that McKenzie's first sentences was quite telling: "It soon became pretty evident that every good artistic decision is a lousy business decision. And vice versa." I think that can apply to personal-relation decisions within a company, too. -sigh- Does anyone know how it works - pay-wise - in ABT and other US-American companies? Where I am, usually if one does not have "solo" in your contract, then anytime one does solo work, one gets a bit of extra pay; and if one does principal work (as "just a soloist") one often gets even more extra. (though of course it does depend on the individual workings of the contract) Just curious. -d-

I love it! How marvelous! It is so good that she is able to get tickets which do not cost her a huge sum of money. That is encouraging. I also like the way the ushers speak of her. -d-

Thank you for posting! This was great! I am sorry I never got to see Mr. Dolgushin dance live. He was quite something! The "Butterfly jumps" - what a good name! - we did in school, way-back-when, but I do not remember them being called anything in particular. -sigh- (yes, pas de chat-like, or temps de fleche derriere-like.... anyone know for sure? They are charming and fun.) -d-

Bart, I have heard several reasons for not whistling in the theatre. One of them was that in former times - before electronic means of communications backstage between stage hands and stage manager, etc., there were special "whistles" used to convey information about cues and set changes, etc. So, if a "different whistle" is heard, it could confuse things no end. There are surely other theories, too. About the loud clapping: my husband is one who can clap extremely loudly; so much so, that I have to cover my ears when I am sitting next to him - it really hurts me! Myself, I cannot clap very vgorously anymore, as I have already developed arthritis in my fingers, and vigorous applause is - sadly - rather painful to do. The stomping is also done here a lot, especially if the floor is hollow enough to make it really satifying. Hmmm, I guess we should get back on topic, before we are told to go somewhere else. ;) It is a good thing we watched these video clips before most of them were removed due to whatever it is that causes youtube to remove them. :/ (most are not able to be viewed anymore, but some still are!) -d-

Re: whistling at the ballet (because Bart Birdsall asked a few posts up) - where I am (Germany) whistles from the audience are used to show appreciation, whether in opera, ballet or acting-theatre. The performers are not supposed to whistle backstage, though, due to superstitions. ;) -d-

Wonderful! I love it! I wonder if it was perhaps part of the show? ;) "chasing the big, black bird" is great!! -d-

Oh, this is very disturbing! I wish them well! How awful to be depedent on people who are unreliable and dragging their feet, as Corella said. -d-

He wrote for the past ten years at least once a week for tanznetz.de, and was an important member of the team there. He will indeed be missed! (for those who read German, here are a few links to his columns there: http://www.tanznetz.de/koegler.phtml - and his last one, which should have been the first in a new series: http://www.tanznetz.de/koegler.phtml?page=showthread&aid=200&tid=22914 ) -d-

oh, I would love to see this! But, I am on the wrong side of the planet. Whoever gets to go, please write about it, o.k.? Thanks. -d-

Aww, I am just back from visiting my "babies" (full grown, but - hey - you know how Mothers always see their children!) and find these marvelous reminders of all the Mothers-in-Ballets. Thanks! Happy be-lated wishes to all the mums out there! -d-

I also like the idea that these films appear to be mainly "short" films; I am of the opinion that, at least in art and chocolate, less is often more. As good 'ol Picasso said: "Art is the elimination of the unnecessary." -Pablo Picasso, painter, and sculptor (1881-1973) (not that all films must be art.... ;) ) -d-