diane

I am constantly in awe of people who take it on themselves to do this sort of thing - upgrading and software and hardware and all of that exotic stuff with which those of us born before 1960 sometimes tend to have "issues". So, thank you for doing all of this! I am still learning what to do and how to do it. -d-

http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/41343-almost-40-of-dancers-to-leave-pennsylvania-ballet/page-7 I think it is still there? did you mean this one? -d-

Lovely! I will never get there to see it, so this was really a treat! I love the speed and the epaulment and the upper-body movement overall in what I have seen here; I do not miss hugely high legs or things of that sort at all. The costumes are really quite scrumptious, too; though I am not a fan of wigs; but they have their place. I guess. (is it even legal to have these things online??) -d-

just pointing out a few things.... as I have been in Germany for so long..... As far as I can make it out, in German theatres there is always the possibility - especially if one is a soloist, as are all actors (DH, for example) to work out an "extra contract" which enables them to keep working past the 15 year mark (has to be the same theatre), but without the benefit of being "unkündbar" (irredeemable?) for the years after that time. So, just before the fifteen year mark arrives, they would sign a special contract stipulating that they would be allowed to work for X more years but then would have to leave and perhaps get "guest contracts". They can also get special contracts, worked out individually, as they are soloists and the company is not (necessarily) bound to follow the contracts drawn up by the unions, etc. The fact that there are quite a few dancers in some larger companies who have been there far longer than the fifteen years is - I think - very nice. As to the rent for the buildings, that is - usually! - taken care of by the state or city or a combination of both; part of the substantial subventions of cultural institutions. -t-

Wonderful! I like it. Thank you for the link. -d-

"....and another one down, and another one down; another one bites the dust!" So sorry to hear this. Yes, influenza, should it turn out to be one of the things which killed him, can indeed be deadly. (we often forget that nowadays) He will be sorely missed. -d-

I understand the problems involved with putting up actual performances, but I also completely agree with MadameP, as I also do not live in the USA, and so have quite limited access to Balanchine ballets. That said, I very much enjoy coaching sessions and also often prefer to watch rehearsals over actual performances - most fo the time, anyway - so I am very pleased to have this link and information! thank you! -d-

Thank you! -d-

Thank you! That last link worked! What a story! I can just imagine it! It seemed that Dame Margot was a very adventuous soul and had a healthy sense of humour, even regarding herself, which is sometimes rare, -d-

Aw, shucks! I cannot access this as I have no account and am not a subscriber to the paper. Could you paraphrase it at all? After a ballet performance in which Fonteyn and Nureyev were performing in Tokyo in the early sixties, my parents, who had been very impressed by their first ballet, had a chance to meet both of them afterwards. This heightened their sense of awe regarding ballet dancers. -d-

I think that in most countries where the artistic companies (opera, dance, symphonies, theatre, museums, etc. etc.) are largely supported by tax-monies, the politics play a much larger, or at least much more visible role in deciding who has "power" to direct and run the various institutions than they do in, say, the USA. that said, this is all quite mysterious - and the timing of the various announcements does seem somewhat odd. I hope for the best for all concerned! -d-

oh, yes... another one bites the dust. So sad. So hard for his friends and family left behind. Great stuff was done back then. Not so much now; but I am an old curmudgeon. -d-

Ah, memories! We grew up listening to those songs, and I regretfully, honestly, never really paid much attention to who "produced" (or "arranged") anything. Thanks for the post and the comments! -d-

I love it! Thanks for the run-down of the gowns and such. I love hearing about what other people thought of it and their impressions. (though I never watch the show, being as I am on the other side of the ocean and all that...) -d-

Thank you! Very interesting! -d-

That is good. Some of my students attended one of the shows. The general tenor of the few reviews I read here was that, well, the company is becoming "another pretty decent contemporary company", of which there are actually quite a few. That is why I was a bit surprised by the decision to hire someone totally not from the "Bausch" camp. So, it will be interesting to see how things continue for them! -d-

Thank you! That was helpful. I wonder what the reasoning was in hiring her to take over? Perhaps they have had enough of trying to "be" Pina again and again; perhaps they really want to start something new? -d-

This is fun to see, thanks for the link! Unfortunately, I do not understand any French besides "ballet-ish", but ohe can get the gist - I think. And, I agree, having once-upon-a-time lived in the SF-Bay Area, it is really cool to see the various signts again .... and the OCEAN! -d-

Can you paraphrase what was said in the article? It appears to not be available to those who are not signed-up for the NYTimes? Thanks. -d-

Oh, yes; I can sure imagine how odd it must have felt to take bows when not having a "real" audience to see and feel! Please don't get me wroing: I do think it is a great idea to do this sort of thing! I only was curious if I was the only one experiencing atrocious sound or not. -d-

Did anyone here watch most of it? I started to (I am in central Europe, and it went late, so I had to quit in the middle) but was pretty disappointed with the sound quality, especially during the dancing segments. I got so frustrated, that I could not continue to watch after awhile. Was this only MY connection; did everyone else enjoy flawless sound and vision? -d-

I understand. A common misconception, it would appear. On the other hand, especially Graham modern is so closely related to classical ballet, that it is in fact possible for some well-trained ballet dancers (if properly coached and in possession of some excellent movement intuition) to very nicely dance some of the Graham rep. I am not so sure it would work the other way, though? -d-

I, too, was surprised to hear the news this morning here in Germany. I guess we all sort of thought he would "be around forever". He is missed. RIP Starman. -d-

Interesting! Many young dancers I know tell me that modern dance /contemporary /zeitgenössisch (in German) is meant to be watched (as opposed to "looked-at"), and the movement itself is what is important, not the poses. So, any photographs of such pieces of choreography may well appear odd or unsettling or - yes - ugly; but they cannot really be taken as examples of the MOVEMENT. I guess. That said, there does indeed seem to be a large amount of "crotch to the audience", as well as "bums to the audience" in many contemporary pieces - whether danced by males or females, from what I have seen over the past years, anyway. (when I was a dancer, we did mostly classical ballet and some modern, but not in any way as much as there is done nowadays in most companies. So, I am surely biased.) -d-

Oh, I am sorry to read this. RIP. -d-