Marga

Silly use of props in ballets such as La Bayadère. I remember Universal Ballet's version from about 8 years ago at the State Theater (Lincoln Center). The sets and decorations were the finest money could buy, but what I remember best is the long row of seated parrot girls before (or after?) their dance, each with an identical plastic parrot sewn to the right shoulder of their costumes. They sat there motionless, like their parrots, feet crossed at the ankles, stretched to maximum arched point, seemingly oblivious to the feathered friends perched just inches from their heads. It looked ridiculous.

A true icon of film, Paul Newman garnered respect and admiration from people of all generations and walks of life. I adored him and will miss his appearances on talk shows such as David Letterman's. I thought he was gorgeous and that he looked a bit like my father. He was riveting to me in all his movies, the great ones as well as the not-so-great ones. I wish I had seen him in "Our Town". Paul Newman, you were a class act and I bow down to your greatness and your humanity.

Okay, I'll bite! Was it Martins?

They have done it before.

My husband still wears them! apologies for continuing the off-topic topic....

What a well-considered review you wrote, Paul Parish! I like the words and phrases you review with. Thank you for the link. Referring back to the Giselle excerpt on youtube, Smolen's foot, first the right then the left, in Act II Giselle, as she jump-floats supported by Helimets is, as you say, creamy, buttery, ....strongly pliant... articulating the wispy, yet forceful, nature of the Wili she has become. The use of the foot is one of her fortés. Her arabesque leg during that sequence is a perfectly-timed wonder, too. One can "see" the air stream she is floating on!

You may be right about her being off the roster last year, although she was listed in the booklets that are given out at performances as a principal who joined in 2006. Also, she danced with her husband during the New Works Festival in Caniparoli's Ibsen's House. Peggy From Molly and Tiit's website, I linked to reviews from earlier this year, 2008. It shows that Molly Smolen was still ON the roster. Since the article "Blood, Sweat, and Tutus" was written last month, the author of it was referring to her present status, not her status at the time of the anecdote. I am sorry if I misled anyone with my initial interpretation of the article. The article confused me by referring to her as a former principal when recounting an incident from 2007. Here's a reference to Molly's performance as Myrtha at the War Memorial from February 21st, 2008: There are also several mentions of her as Nora in reviews of "Ibsen's House". glebb's post about Molly is interesting. She is one of those "smart" ballerinas we like to talk about when called upon to defend the art. Whatever she does, she is great, and I wish her everything wonderful.

Molly's Giselle is the lightest I have ever seen. She infuses each of her roles with the right characterization to bring you right into the story. Watch her Aurora, for another stunning example. It's unembellished, as originally intended, absolutely appropriate to the age and stature of the character, and perfectly performed, with simple beauty, musicality, precision, and the regal bearing of a princess. My daughter was dancing with the Estonian National Ballet when Smolen and Helimets guested there, and told me how incredible it was to watch her on stage.

From my own daughter's (and some of her friends') experiences in today's companies, it has not changed for the better at all. The death of Heidi Guenther 11 years ago, for example, does not seem to have made a bit of difference to many artistic directors and their assistants today, who still demand impossible weight loss goals for some of their dancers, forcing the dancers to adopt starvation diets and other means in order to comply. For anecdotal evidence, many company dancers can tell you what it's like today. Even reading their blogs will give one insight. ABT dancers, for example, "get skinny" for Met season. Sounds cute, but it shows that the mindset of yesteryear and the basic requirement for ballet dancers to be bone-thin hasn't changed. I know several dancers in our major local company who report that they were all told by the AD to lose 5 pounds before last season began. I consider conditions even worse than in the past, measured against the fact that we know so much more about proper nutrition and emotional health today, and, because of the internet, there is so much information available to us. On our sister forum, Ballet Talk for Dancers, more than one thread's been started over the years for Dancing on My Grave as new young dancers discover the book. Many young ballerina hopefuls read it as a manual for weight loss and control. The moderators on BT for D always have to do damage control when discussions of the book arise.

Tiit has posted 27 videos on youtube, almost all of Molly and himself. The early ones of her as a teenager are remarkable. Tiit and Molly videos

From a recent article Blood, Sweat, and Tutus, on injuries and the injured at SFB, this excerpt about a need for a replacement dancer when Tina LeBlanc "snapped her ACL in front of an audience of 3,300 at the 2007 finale of "Don Quixote" shows that Molly Smolen was already off the roster a year ago. I remember an earlier article in which Molly was interviewed where she spoke of how hard it was for her to be separated from Tiit as he worked at SFB and she freelanced, mostly on the east coast, waiting until SFB could hire her. I was so happy when she finally got her principal dancer contract. It seems it lasted for only a year -- am I right?

I bought 2 copies (different sellers) of "Ballet with Edward Villella" on ebay -- as 16 mm reels. I had one of them made into a VHS tape so that I can watch it. It's wonderful! Eddie Villella was wonderful, still is, and I remember his dancing so fondly. He was everyone's favorite. The Tchaikovsky pas de deux with Patty McBride is a real treat. And, because I never saw him dance Albrecht anywhere, the excerpt from Act II Giselle is a precious gem.

Kyle Davis

Martha Swope was the foremost dance photographer of that time. Those pictures are indeed valuable. I remember Diana Adams -- I revered her as a child. I am so sorry to hear about the fate of her and Ronald Bates' daughter.

Lucky you! I would have loved to have seen them, but opted for Dvorovenko/Beloserkovsky. Tomorrow night is, of course, sold out.

Let me add my voice to those who mourn a great ballet icon who inspired and motivated so many of today's dancers. Mme. showed the modern world how ballet dancers should be regarded and treated. The old-world values she instilled in her school's students are never outdated and have given her graduates that extra something which informs and defines their regard for their chosen profession. May she rest in peace knowing she enhanced the ballet world immeasureably by her presence and her devotion.

I was a bit nonplussed reading the negative posts about The Merry Widow until I came to yours, Colleen Boresta. I was at the Saturday matinee as well and couldn't have been more charmed. I agree totally with your brief comments. Unlike Haglund's implication, though, I loved every note of the music. (Give me more "waltzonoxious" music, please. Or did s/he mean that in a good way? ) My seat on the side of the dress circle (partial view) did not allow me to see many nuances of facial expression (I forgot my binoculars back home in Canada), but, interestingly, Marcelo's facial features always come through, even from such a distance. The previous Saturday I saw his Solor and the same held true. I though Maria Riccetto was wonderful, just wonderful, such beautiful lines and technique. Even her characterization of the role was evident from the heights. I was truly pleased I got to see her as Valencienne. Sascha Radetsky (another reason I came to the afternoon performance) displayed his accomplished, soloist-status well. I hadn't seen him dance for years. His Kirov Academy-honed technique is still visible under the layers of maturity he has gained over the years of his performing experience. Mikhail Ilyin, whom I had seen the week before as the Golden Idol, was terrific as the lead Pontevedrian dancer. I was thinking that, boy, those character classes he's had certainly held him in great stead here. He was electrifying, and I wanted MORE! Paloma was my biggest concern, as in "would I like her in this?" I've never been her biggest fan, although I can't quite say why. She is certainly exceptional. What a pleasure, then, to see her as Hannah. She danced the part perfectly. I wish I had had a closer seat in order to really "see" her. This performance raised her value as a versatile dancer to me. About the marshmallow puffy wrap. What fun! I was eager to see what was underneath it. The waiter/host who carried it away backstage after she undid herself from it certainly had an armful. I watched him go, nonchalantly, as if this were an everyday occurrence, completely at the mercy of the garment and almost enveloped by it. It contrasted with the end of the scene when Marcelo brought it back to wrap around her again. He held it with aplomb and respect, as a debonair suitor would do. So, there were no difficult variations as in classical ballet. For a ballet as fluffy as the widow's coat, it was immensely satisfying and memorable (yes, it lingered for me, and I had sweet dreams going over it in my mind while falling asleep). Call me an old romantic.

The MOT (an acronym for the former Ministry of Transportation) test, assesses, on an annual basis, an older (3 years or more) car or other vehicle's roadworthiness and safety.

22, and he's 5'8", in case anyone is wondering (Sarah Lane is 5'2")

I used to watch Lauren in class at the American Theater Dance Workshop, school of the Eglevsky Ballet and as a child performer with the Eglevsky. She was about 12 years old when I first saw her. If ever anyone had a perfect body and facility for ballet, she did. I've seen her only once as a member of the corps de ballet at NYCB (since I live in Canada), but I mainly watched her, since I "knew" her. So nice that she's gotten a mention in this thread. I, too, love her dancing.

If only we still could....

Really???? Not over Thanksgiving weekend? You're teasing me, aren't you? October 12-13 is Thanksgiving here in the Great White North. Those dates give Canadians the opportunity to go see Farrell Ballet and return home on their day off. I would love to see Ragtime again! Who needs a big turkey dinner when we can have ballet instead?

A copy of Prodigal Son is always within reach in my house. I have several copies, both soft and hard cover. I've given copies to my mother, with whom I watched him when young, my daughter, who studied one summer at Miami City Ballet (Eddie taught her Thursday class) and others who have shown even a little bit of interest. I grew up loving him. From my front row subscription seat at the State Theater, it was thrilling to see him appear on stage. The first time I saw him at such close range, it was a little jarring to see the veins so prominent on his pale, sinewy, muscled arms. His was a body pared and shaped by ballet to the extent that we could see the battle scars. The cumbersome title of the book does, nevertheless, inform us of what's inside. Detailed passages abound which describe the pain -- and the magic. That we are teased, before even breaking the spine, with what is about to be revealed to us, is a bit titillating. Here is a passage (page 210), where Villella tells what it was like to dance the role of the Prodigal as he returns, crawling, to his father: "Shaun O'Brien (who usually plays the Father) gently lowers me to the ground. I can hear the applause from the other side of the curtain. The performance has taken its toll on my body: my knees are skinned, my insteps are bleeding, my elbows are bruised, there are welts on my arms, and my back hurts like hell. Usually my toes are bleeding, and dirt from the stage clogs my nose and mouth. I'm covered with grime from head to toe. I'm gasping for air. I have just enough energy to bow." That's an incidence of pain (and pleasure, too, as he goes on to describe, in the après-danse euphoria). Now, for a little bit of magic, via Jerome Robbins and Dances at a Gathering (page 218): Robbins: "I see something in you no one has used yet," he said, "but the music has to be just right." ..... "When you walk out onstage, you're actually beginning the ballet. You look around. It's as if it's the last time you'll ever dance in this theater, in this space. And this is your home, the place you know. It's familiar, and I don't want to overstate it, but it's almost as if the atom bomb is going to fall. Everything is going to change." ...... Villella: "In fact, the variation opened Dances at a Gathering and was essential in establishing its mood. The curtain rises on an empty stage. .....On my third step, the music starts, and I dance. There was no doubt in my mind once it was completed that Jerry had created what had to be one of the most beautiful solo male variations ever choreographed. I felt so emotional after dancing it that some nights I wanted to go home immediately -- it seemed as if I should leave the theater at once. Often it was hard for me to get back onstage for the rest of the ballet." Bravo to Larry Kaplan for helping Edward Villella tell his profoundly intimate story.

Here is the official Orlando Ballet picture taken just a few months before Bujones died: Orlando Ballet 2005-2006 On Fernando's right, with his arm around her waist, is Jessica Sibley, one of the tallest members of the company, at around 5'7". Of course, she is wearing 2 or 3 inch heels. On his left is Katia Garza, around 5'3". One can see that her shoes are about 2 inches high. Next to Katia, on her left, is her husband Israel Rodriguez, who is 5'8" - 5'8½". Draw your own conclusions. In any case, isn't it a great picture? You can see the affection Fernando Bujones had for his dancers, who loved him so much.

I know you mean Carlos Molina.....