Marga

Thank you, Jennifer, for a very well-articulated response. Your words display an intellectual acuity which is also apparent in many of today's ballet dancers. Happy mothering to you and all new NBoC moms!

This is not Fournier's first child. Having a first baby at an "advanced" age is dicier than having a second or third or more. For me, there was nothing wrong with the article and I liked what was presented in the Globe. From personal experience I know how much editing goes on with such articles, sometimes making the interviewees come out badly because of truncated comments. There is also an excitement in being interviewed where one may say certain things which can have a polarizing effect on some readers, and innocently omit other, equally heartlfelt, statements. It's like being on live TV or radio, where you can scarcely remember what you said, much less backpedal to fix the blurted out ideas elicited by the interviewer's questions (whose job, when well done, is to provoke a little controversy, anyway). I have kept from entering this discussion because I used to have extremely strong views on this subject and dislike confrontation. Let me just say that before I reentered the world of ballet, I was the publisher of a magazine called "Nurturing" which I founded in 1981. It was about homebirth, breastfeeding, and 24-hour mothering. I was a non-aggressive activist as well, and had over a dozen letters published in the Toronto papers in reaction to issues such as universal day care and mothers who leave their children all day so they can work outside of the home. I was also interviewed on several TV and radio programs and was written about in a few magazines as a proponent for "my side". I enjoyed Treefrog's thoughtful response, based on her experiences with childbirth and bonding. I related to them with full understanding on a personal level, having given birth 6 times. I was one of those women who was born to be a "natural" mother -- it's what I wanted more than anything, including ballet, and I was very comfortable as a homebirther, decades-long breastfeeder, homeschooler, family bed advocate, and gentle mother. I have also tempered my thoughts over the years as my children have grown and become adults and I have aged and, with illness, have become less passionate about my formerly-held strong stance. We grow and mature, ourselves, as we raise our children and realize there is more than one way to achieve successful parenting, as well as successful lives without parenting (or the desire to parent) at all. We may all end up with only cats and memories anyway. I have two -- cats, that is; memories I have in the millions and they are still being made..... That's all I want to say at this time.

Karen Kain was pregnant about 18-19 years ago (she is married to actor Ross Petty) and happily anticipating the birth of their baby. Unfortunately, she suffered a miscarriage. She never announced any other pregnancies, leaving her fans to wonder whether she could have had a child later.

Well, yes and no. Definitely not 16-17th century. But not exactly 21st century, either. As is stated in the first article I provided a link to: "Plotnikov maintains that he has placed the ballet in 'no specific time -- it just hangs in space. It's like a chess play without the actual set; it's just the game.' " The modern references are my own, to give it a spin we can relate to in 2007.

Some online reviews of Festival Ballet's Cinderella, both pre-and post performance: The first two are links to pre-performance reports I found while looking for the third link, the post-first performance review, which I read in the Providence Journal, newsprint version , after I had seen Friday night's show. There are two pictures of Leticia Guerrero and one of Plotnikov. Festival Ballet's Cinderella Cinderella gets a passionate remake for Festival Ballet Magic, not just at midnight

carbro, I only hope that the ballet will be commissioned by other companies and travel to other venues soon. I would welcome others' opinions and assessments of it, and especially would like to know how many agree with me.

An incredibly innovative performance of a new contemporary Cinderella was performed October 19, 20, and 21 at the Veteran's Memorial Auditorium in Providence by Festival Ballet Providence, artistic director Mihailo (Misha) Djuric. Viktor Plotnikov was a principal dancer with Boston Ballet from 1993-2003 (his wife Larissa Ponomarenko is currently principal dancer with BB) and from 1998 has choreographed numerous works in Boston and for many other companies and schools, as well as choreographing pieces for major ballet competitions, for which he has also received many prizes. He has created many commissioned works for Festival Ballet Providence in the last few years. His Cinderella was a contemporary masterpiece, incorporating steps and movements new to the ballet stage. His use of props was striking and appealing clever, as were the special effects which created the magic that Cinderella needs, especially for today's children raised on Disney's version. This was anything but Disney -- as far from Disney as one could get -- probably much to the initial disappointment of Sunday afternoon's child-filled theater, many of whom came dressed in official Disney Cinderella costumes -- but there was magic -- Plotnikov's version. There was a fairy godmother whose entire dress lit up, huge soap bubbles in the air which changed to festive ballroom lights, a golf cart which whisked Cinderella off to the ball, an imposing mechanical clock made up of 13 children (students from the Festival Ballet Providence Center for Dance Education) and Cinderella's magic dress. Lest this leads you to think the piece was in any way fluff, let me dispel the notion -- pouf! -- as instantly as Cinderella's drab gray garment changed to a bright yellow dress when touched by the magic sunflower. The artful use of props like enormous balls, cubes, planks, and cones, and moving doors to change the set design, needs its own review. Think of Drew Carey's "Whose Line is it Anyway?" -- the segment where the panel of regulars shows the many uses and moods a single prop can convey. That will give you a rudimentary idea. Now imagine that made large scale, with several dancers moving props simultaneously to transform the stage set and to surprise and enchant us. Oh, and did I mention that all the costumes were black and white (with a few pleasant and necessary exceptions that were part of Cinderella's transition from real life to magical going-to-the-ball life), and so was the cat (admirably -- and very authentically -- portrayed throughout the ballet by Ilya Burov)? This was a modern Cinderella the likes of which no one has seen before. The music was indeed Sergei Prokofiev's Op. 87, there were an evil stepmother (although this one was more like an upper east side New York modern mom who treats her nanny like a slave) and two evil stepsisters (again, not so evil .... more a spacey sister and a wannabe young socialite sister), an adorably loyal cat, a fairy godmother, handsome prince and lots of dancers at the ball, but there was also Cinderella's father (after all, where does a "step"mother come from?) who softened the poor girl's soliltary existence and longed to spend more time with his daughter (whenever he could get away from the stepfamily). Three acts and two intermissions long, the ballet enthralled until the perfect ending, when the prince found his Cinderella and they were showered by, first, a dusting of yellow petals, then, a spring petal shower of torrential proportions that made the audience ooh, aah and squeal in delight. The intended prince was Gleb Lyamenkoff, but he was injured about a week before the performance and Mindaugas Bauzys saved the day. Borrowed from Boston Ballet, where he is a soloist (his wife Vilia Putrius, also formerly with BB, dances with Festival -- she was the stepmother), Bauzys had to learn the part in less than a week. He did a magnificent job (there was a lot of choreography for him to get into his mind and muscles) and was a perfect prince, from his beautiful line to his flawless technique and speedy execution of tricky steps. The company dancers had a few weeks to get used to the quirky head, neck, upper body and arm movements that Plotnikov devised, but Mindaugas had only days. He danced as if he, too, had been rehearsing for weeks and knew the ballet cold. Leticia Guerrero was Cinderella and, because of her unsylphlike lines, was a welcome new choice for the plum role. She is also a flawless dancer, with especial gifts in making complex movement look like a breeze and in drawing the attention of the audience (especially the children, who also glommed onto this new, shorter, dark-haired latino Cinderella and made her their new favorite). Guerrero is well known as a "principal" dancer with this rankless company and has a wide repertory of main roles in her arsenal. She was a wonderful Cinderella and seemed well-suited to the weird Plotnikov movements and pas de deux. There was one rather conventional PDD that she and the prince were given to dance during their falling-in-love scene, which showcased their smooth partnering and effortless flow through lifts and traditional steps. This was immediately followed by another pas de deux of the Plotnikov persuasion, which they also carried off with exciting, though odd, lifts and flexed-foot steps and intentionally jerky approaches to movements. Lauren Kennedy, one of the stepsisters (her role was shared with Jennifer Ricci -- each had 2 performances) was a beguiling spacey sister, who, with her long, long legs and arms really created a compelling caricature of a girl who can't be bothered to apply herself to anything, including standing up. She repeatedly had to be lifted out of a deep plié, only to sink back again, or out of a 180 degree sidesplit, or carried off as a statue because she was too fixated or spaced out to change the position of her body. Her comical rendition of this role was so much fun! Jennifer Ricci, who danced the same role at alternate perfs, made the part her own as well. The difference in appearance of the two dancers is like night and day. While Kennedy is long-boned and blond, Ricci is tiny and dark-haired. A veteran with the company (this is her 17th year), she is gifted in comedy, a regular Lucille Ball. Watching her expressions as she goes through the same steps is rollicking good fun, and her ballet technique is well-honed as well. Erica Chipp and Lauren Menger shared the role of the "wannabe" stepsister on alternate days, each dancing with aplomb the strange choreography while giving a definite personality to the character portrayed. They ran Cinderella only a little bit ragged as they were more focused on finding their own way to appeal to the prince. Every featured dancer exhibited strong technique and accomplished stage presence. There was always so much going on and so many places to look that it was easier as an experienced audience member (who enjoys watching the ballet training that went into each performer's development) to pick just a few dancers to follow rather than try to take it all in. It helped to attend three performances. By the third go, I had a grounding in this complicated ballet and enjoyed it even more than the first two times. The entire company of 23 is well-trained, be they from Venezuela, Russia, Canada, Europe, Asia, or the United States. Company class follows the Vaganova method, as does the school of FBP. These are dancers from diverse locations and backgrounds, most with experience in other companies before joining Festival Ballet, each with special abilities that are featured by the AD and the choreographers who work with them. The next productions are studio performances "Up Close on Hope" (the company is based on Hope Street on the east side of Providence) with ensemble and boutique pieces. There are 5 days of these performances, November 3rd and 4th, 10th and 11th and 17th. With much discussion of ABT's City Center engagement featuring "The Leaves are Fading", staged by Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner, I'd like to give a heads up announcement that Festival Ballet will also stage "The Leaves are Fading" in the new year. McKerrow and Gardner will be setting the ballet on FB dancers beginning after Nutcracker season. The ballet will be part of the "Masters of Motion" program being presented February 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2008. Here are the details from the Festival Ballet website, including the other works which will be performed: Masters of Motion A memorable program with stunning choreography and heart-felt themes. Viktor Plotnikov's Coma, Agnes De Mille's Rodeo, Antony Tudor's The Leaves are Fading VMA Arts & Cultural Center, 1 Avenue of the Arts Friday February 8, 2008 at 7:30 pm Saturday February 9, 2008 at 7:30 pm Sunday February 10, 2008 at 2:30 pm Free Pre-Performance chats Saturday and Sunday, 45 minutes before curtain. Tickets $17 to $62, discounts available for children, seniors, groups and family-four packs www.tickets.com, or the VMA Box Office, 401.272.4VMA Call Festival Ballet Providence for further details, 401.353.1129 For the only other mention of Festival Ballet on BT, see this one post thread from 5 1/2 years ago. It gives an idea of the "link" between Boston Ballet and Festival Ballet Providence, inasmuch as BB's dancers still emigrate to RI. http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.p...llet+providence

Reading your reply, I was confused until your last sentence about the edit! Thank you. This story has enough intrigue already.

It is not true that Nina Alovert "had seen no Russian dancers for a decade before the Kirov made the trip again", if I'm understanding correctly what you wrote. Nina sat right next to me watching Russian dancers guest with Canadian Ballet Theatre (I believe that time it was Dmitri Belogolovtsev and Anna Antonicheva in Giselle) and was involved in the Russian ballet community in the States in 1997 when Eldar Aliev, Irina Kolpakova and others were reviving Ballet Internationale. I had already met her for the first time a year or so before that because of her attendance at Nadia and Solomon Tencer's Stars of the 21st Century International Ballet Galas, which, annually, had dancers from both the Kirov and the Bolshoi performing, including a very young (17 at the time) Diana Vishneva and many others over the last dozen years, at 3 venues: New York in February, Toronto in April (the 2 cities where I would see Nina quite regularly) and Paris in September.

Specifically, the Universal Ballet in Seoul. He is the AD and Julia Moon is the General Director. Since Vinogradov assumed the artistic directorship in 1998, the company has become very much like the Kirov Ballet he left, with a precise and stunning corps de ballet and spectacular soloists.

Thank you very much, delibes, for the translation! Back in 1995 when it all came to a head, I heard so much "inside info" (aka gossip) from certain people, that the story became very intriguing. I haven't even read your entire translation yet, just had to thank you for doing the work. The ballet world continues to be a big soap opera. _____________________________________________________________________ My goodness, I've just finished reading the whole translation. Attempted murder, foreign bank accounts, masked bandits, arson, blackmail, greedy and corrupt ballet dancers, subterfuge, deception, humiliation, sinister plots, miraculous self-defense, it's all there! Holy cow! What to believe, what to believe.....

Here it is: Black swans in Swan Lake

She won anyway. Her name is Amy Finley and her show, The Gourmet Next Door, is slated to start this month.

Through personal observation and understanding of my daughter's training (who was lucky enough to have danced many major classical roles as a ballet student in her Vaganova school), a teacher who is a good one-on-one coach as well, will impart to a dancer the right facial expressions and the motivation behind them, so that the dancer does not have only the happy face/sad face choice open to her/him. What bart writes is what I have seen happen at my daughter's school. The dancer who has not had this advantage, but has somehow still made it to the professional stage, must have gained something else besides technique in order to get her that far. Top dancers are known for their intelligent, sensitive portrayals of the characters they embody. Left "on their own", to quote Alexandra and Helene, I think that most would find the resources needed to bring appropriate emotions to their roles. There are always some who don't seem to be doing this, but sometimes I think it is the fault of their particular face and how it responds to manipulation, rather than their lack of comprehension of the reason for the emotion (Gillian Murphy come to mind as a dancer who has difficulties with her face). Alexandra, I know you have tons of personal observations to bring you to your viewpoint, so I respect what you have written. All of us who discuss issues in ballet tend to generalize, I think, from the base of our own experience within a topic. I can't speak knowledgeably about those aspects of ballet that are not in my realm of familiarity. I guess that makes me somewhat of an empiricist. I still contend that those dancers who garner principal roles in "good" companies have more to offer in their interpretations than either a happy or a sad face. The fact of their getting so far in ballet hinges on more than their technique. I also acknowledge that is difficult for a soloist who is still a fairly young teenager to have much depth to her/his acting simply because of the time factor involved (it takes many years to grow a dancer and many more to grow an actor on top of that). It seems to me that these youngsters do have their mentors, though, and are hardly left on their own. Lastly, I give leeway to those dancers who, through no fault of their own, cannot get their faces to convince the audience of the feelings they are trying to unleash. They must rely on other parts of their bodies to make up for the lack of artistry in their faces. I have not been able to see much NYCB since the 1960s, although I follow them. I think that there we have a whole different kettle of fish, still inspired by the ghost of Balanchine, and that the aesthetic followed there, and its reason for being, extends to other companies -- not all, but some -- that are run by former City Ballet dancers (here I am guessing).

Daniel Mantei has joined the National Ballet of Canada as second soloist. Sasha Dmochowski is attending university.

I tuned in especially to see Jane Seymour dance. Years and years ago, when I heard that she had a ballet background, I glommed onto that fact and always think of her as a dancer ("once a dancer...."). She's also undeniably one of the most gorgeous women in the world! She showed tonight (last to dance and well worth the wait!) that proper ballet training is yours for life. What a lovely performance! And, folks, she's 56 years old! And has a back problem! I can't wait to watch her beautiful technique again next week. The men dance tomorrow. Wayne Newton is the only one I know. I remember him when he was a 21 year old, singing his signature song, a baby-faced boy who grew to be a baby-faced 65 year old man (with, it looks like, a little help from skin straightening agents?!) I've never been to Las Vegas (absolutely no regrets there ), so have only seen him perform on TV when he chanced to guest on a sitcom (Roseanne, for example). I'm mildly curious as to his dancing abilities.

Thank you very much, rg. You've done my footwork for me! It did take me directly to the watermark page. The site looks perfect for my watermarking needs. It will do the trick.

Well done, rg. I like your watermark! I know how frustrating/infuriating it is to see one's personal collection of photos appear on someone else's website. It has happened to me a few times. One brazen fellow lifted my entire photo album of pictures I personally took of my high school on Long Island and which I had published on my alumni website. He put them all on his own website -- including the captions I wrote! To photograph the school years earlier, I had on one of my visits to the States, driven around one afternoon (even risking arrest by the security guard now installed at my alma mater, who followed me around in his car as I photographed the school from all sides and, finally stopping me, tried to take my camera!), then edited, printed out, and scanned all the pics, uploading them to my site where they were very gratefully viewed by alumni who lived far and wide and hadn't been home to LI in decades. Then, one day last year, there they were -- my hardwon photos -- lifted in all their glory and passed off as this other alum's own collection. Your experience has prompted me to start watermarking my own photos. I'm sorry that you had to go through this -- I visited the site in question that stole your pics. It truly makes one feel violated.

Are we supposed to guess?

Lunkina is Giselle. Part is Myrtha. Try this link: Giselle poster Here is the press release (sic): It is a great pleasure to invite you to greatest ballet classic in history with the world's foremost ballet stars. This November, the international ballet mega-star Svetlana Lunkina comes to Toronto to perform the title role of GISELLE. Svetlana, a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet has spent the summer touring tirelessly with the most important ballet companies around the world including London, Paris, Rome and Tokyo. Honoured in her homeland with the Benois de la Danse Award in Moscow in 2007, Svetlana is an exceptionally skilled and graceful dancer, and an unparalleled example of Russian artistry! GISELLE, the quintessential story of unrequited love, will play the beautiful Elgin Theatre in Toronto for two nights only, November 10 and 11. Details: Music by Adolphe Adam Choreography by Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa, Rostislav Zakharov Set and Costumes from the Bolshoi Ballet Staged by Nadia Veselova Tencer Dates: Saturday, November 10, 2007 @ 8pm and Sunday, November 11, 2007 @ 3pm The Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge Street, Toronto Tickets range from $55/$75/$87 TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Tickets for both shows can be purchased in person at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Box office - 189 Yonge Street., Online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone: 416.872.5555 Yours Truly, Solomon Tencer

Veronica Tennant. Former Principal with National Ballet of Canada, Tennant has continued to work in the public eye since her retirement 17 years ago. She is a well-known television producer, broadcaster, director, and even an author of children's books (On Stage, Please and The Nutcracker).

That's right! It's today! Wow at 62!

Hans, you sound like me at 25. I've just turned 60 -- time for me to bring out the icon -- and with each new decade I entered, I felt less and less knowledgeable. Surrounded by amazingly intelligent family and friends, I also hobknob with those who haven't got much of a clue about anything except the weather and the things they personally experience. Watching Jeopardy, I am awed by the smarts of people of all generations, as well as their capacity for instant recall. Particularly gratifying is when the "ballet" category gets not only addressed (it's usually left for last when it appears) but is run through error-free. I marvel at those who can complete the Sunday New York Times puzzle in 10 minutes or less (online). It takes me at least two hours (on paper, in pen, such a pleasurable activity!) and sometimes much longer. People through the ages have been divided by those who love history and the minutiae of it and those who know no more than they knew the day before. It's what folks have done to better the lives of others that counts the most, in my opinion. Some of those with no world knowledge, to play devil's advocate, have done far more than I, using the skill(s) they have, even it's only one simple trait (compassion-driven help to the homeless), craft (knitting hats for preemies), or trade (carpentry for Habitats of Humanity). I wish I were more tolerant of everyone's spelling and grammatical errors and general lack of knowledge in subjects in which I am well-versed. Don't we all hate the know-it-all who is not at all endearing despite his or her scholarship? It takes too much effort to be a good curmudgeon! I, too, was screaming "Nijinsky! Nijinsky!" at the TV screen the other day, followed by some of this when no one rang in.

The first thing that comes to my mind is from the point of view of the technician -- the dancer who must execute the hops on point. For some ballerinas with (naturally) overly arched feet, it is a very difficult step! They fall off point because the flexibility of their feet won't allow a whole series of hops. I've mentioned before that my daughter has one of Anna Antonicheva's pointe shoes in which she had just performed Giselle (Giselle's Act I variation also has a diagonal of hops on point). Antonicheva has über-arched feet. The shank of her shoe is granite hard, even after dancing in it. She needs special made-for-her shoes to accommodate her foot's bendiness. So, perhaps the Odile choreography was partially influenced by this practical consideration? In the early 20th century, Russian ballerinas really had to have feet of steel because their pointe shoes were only hardened at the tip. Today's shoes offer so much more support and are made to fit any kind of foot. Dancers have their pick of many styles, not just one government-supplied issue. May I also suggest that, usually, Cuban dancers have feet that are more suited to hopping on point. They are not as long as the typical Russian foot, are wider and have shorter toes -- as a genetic rule, I hazard to submit. My own daughter has such a foot (I call it the foot of an Estonian peasant) which enables her to hop endlessly on point. Her Russian friend, however, has a long, elongated, super arched foot, and, despite being an accomplished dancer, she has trouble hopping on point because of the makeup of her feet. Personally, I'd love to see the hops on point done more frequently. It would lend a little comparative spice to the variation.

I do and I do.