Marga

Personal congratulations to BT and BT4D poster Daniil Simkin on his gold medal win -- yet another in an unbroken record of first prize wins in ballet competitions, to BT'er mouse for her son, Mathias Dingman's, "Best Couple" win in the junior division, to BT'er tango49 for her son, Joseph Gatti's, Bronze Medal win in the senior division, to BT4D poster its the mom for her son, Jeffrey Cirio's, Bronze Medal win in the junior division. We are fantastically proud of you, both mothers and their dancing children!

A published news article with partial results revealed (although containing spelling errors and bad writing, as in this double superlative: "most hottest senior male competition field")

Kevin Pugh (National Ballet of Canada)! He was one of the world's highest ballet jumpers. (He can still shoot straight up like a rocket, despite the foot injury that ended his performing career early.) From his bio: Bluebird was one of the roles he danced in Moscow in 1981 that led to his medal win. Here's the link to his bio on Kevin's "DanceTeq" site: Kevin Pugh

Sousa Kid, your name is a tribute to this ballet! Here is a link to some info and an audio clip you can listen to. Stars and Stripes is a rousing, feel-good, all-American ballet with exciting choreography. Balanchine wanted to choreograph to Sousa because he liked his music. (Who doesn't?!) Stars and Stripes

I'm quite sure I saw Daniil's father, Dmitri Simkin, perform this in Montréal at the Gala des Étoiles in 2004. He danced with a partner (a rurally dressed girl, who dance/acted a whole section before Simkin's bird came out) but the piece could stand alone.

I get 33, not 32, when I count up the Round 3 names. Thanks for posting the list, Natalia!

"A danseuse noble". Alexandra, that's perfect, that's what Part is! Her body, which has provided much food for thought, is, in its natural standing state, a different kind of body than one would expect to see on a ballet dancer. She is S-shaped, from the side. Her shoulder carriage is bent forward while her upper back curves back to make the top of the "S", her hips completing the shape by tilting first forward, then slightly back at the top of her leg. I was a bit astonished at this when she walked to the barre for class. [she was guesting for Nutcracker (as Snow Queen and lead in Waltz of the Flowers) with the Canadian Ballet Theatre and took class with the advanced students (as did Svetlana Lunkina). We have big windows to watch from.] I wondered how she would straighten that strange shape when she began to work out. The transformation was at the first plié, of course, and everything pulled up and out, as it should. She was bone thin, but her bones themselves are larger than Lunkina's bones, for example. That is why she gives a larger appearance on stage, I guess. Her waist is actually quite small, her hips narrow, but the shoulders seem to be what focus the observer. Her height was somewhat of a detriment on the small stage we saw her on at Toronto's Wintergarden Theatre. It's more of a boutique theatre, certainly not intended for ballet, and Part covered its expanse in two grand jetés, ending right by the wing from which she left the stage. She needs to be seen on a large stage that she can really use to be appreciated. The audience only gave her polite applause, except for me!, and I was disappointed that she was not seen for the great artist she is. Lunkina, in the main role, brought down the house. As to her physical stature next to that of Gillian Murphy, she is taller and bigger-boned. Her curvaceousness also gives her more dimension in comparison to Murphy, for example, who is more flat-shaped, back and front, as well as in her leg and foot. (I've seen her take class, too.) Part has curves happening up and down her body. Her arms and hands do wondrous things with their ability to form shapes, her legs are ideally curved and toned -- she has the much desired "ballet leg" -- her feet are sensually curvy. There's nothing linear about her! I, too, wish ABT gave the audience more of her as she clearly has an unofficial claque -- rather, "fan club"-- and, it better be soon, given her advancing years.

Unless you define "very old" as someone in their 50s and 60s, there is a world of teachers who have "the experience and the eyes". Assuming Alla Osipenko, Alla Sizova, and Irina Kolpakova, for example, have this double "e", then would not their students have it as well? Osipenko was a student of Vaganova. My daughter's teacher was a student of Osipenko. She certainly has the two "e"s. That would lead to my daughter and her ballet peers around the world who are around the age of 18-28. Do I believe that some will be able to impart the same deeply-seeded knowledge and, perhaps more importantly, the "knowing"? Yes I do. The young dancers I knew as students have not only had training on this side of the Atlantic, but have trained (and even graduated from the schools of) the Bolshoi, the Estonian National Ballet, the Hungarian National Ballet, the Universal Ballet (under Oleg Vinogradov), the Stuttgart Ballet. They are well-prepared to carry on the age-old traditions of true classical ballet. And there is an entire generation of retired dancers in their 40s, like Altynai Asylmuratova, who are admirably passing on the torch. They are not "very old". I think we are in for the long haul, especially given the intense interest of today's ballet students. The true traditions of classical ballet are not in for an imminent demise. It is being handed down as before. We've had a few very interesting and exhaustive discussions on what is being lost in classical ballet today in general and what must be done to restore/retain the essence of the art. One thread in which I had a particular interest is the recent one on the interpretation of the character of Aurora. Because my daughter just performed the role (and she read the posts I printed out from that thread that were especially meaningful and instructive) and danced it in the pristine way it should be done (I know a little about ballet, ahem, having been a dancer myself and having had my own ballet school and the lifelong passion of the balletomane which includes research both visual and book-acquired), I am keenly concerned about the preservation of classical ballet. The subject of this thread -- "grey area" -- is stimulative, as well. As a student of modern dance in the 1960s, studying the techniques of Mary Wigman (brought to North America by Hanya Holm), Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor from members of their companies (Don Redlich, Yuriko, Viola Farber, Dan Wagoner, Taylor himself) and having in addition as teachers Pearl Lang, Clive Thompson, Martha Myers, and performing in the works of choreographers Jack Moore and Jeff Duncan, Dan Wagoner, Viola Farber, Don Redlich, even an avant-garde project of Robert Rauschenberg, I got a pretty good grounding in what modern dance was all about. I submit that there is not only a grey area between modern dance and ballet but within modern dance itself. The term "contemporary dance" is used interchangeably with modern dance by many dancers and teachers. Contemporary dance is more an umbrella under which all alternative dance styles seem to gather. Modern dance is based on techniques which were developed in the early to mid part of the 1900s by dance pioneers who devoted their lives to the study of how the body works and how to make it work for their creative visions. The history of modern dance is unknown to many today and the distinctly different techniques are a mystery. It pains me to see what is presented in the name of "modern dance" by some ballet companies.

Just a few examples: Mr. and Mrs. as well as ballet partners: Maxim Beloserkovsky and Irina Dvorovenko (ABT) Cyril Pierre and Lucia Lacarra (Munich Ballet) Thomas Edur and Agnes Oaks (English National Ballet) Tiit Helimets and Molly Smolen (Birmingham Royal Ballet for years; Helimets has been with San Francisco Ballet since last year and Smolen is freelancing) Israel Rodriguez and Katia Garza (Orlando Ballet) Andres Estevez and Zoica Tovar (Orlando Ballet) Luis Serrano and Katia Garranza (Miami City Ballet) José Martinez and Agnès Letestu (POB) Johan Persson and Jaime Tapper (NBoC and Royal Ballet; Persson changed careers to photography, Tapper still dancing) recently (in the last year or within the last decade) retired from the stage, but teaching and/or directing: Viesturs Jansons and Kaie Körb (Estonian National Ballet) John Gardner and Amanda McKerrow (ABT) Konstantin Zaklinsky and Altynai Asylmuratova (Maryinsky Ballet) and from a little longer ago: Salvatore Aiello and Marina Eglevsky (Hamburg Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet; Aiello deceased, Eglevsky teaching) Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride (NYCB; AD and AAD of Chautauqua Institute and North Carolina Dance Theater) Bruce Marks and Toni Lander (ABT, Royal Danish Ballet, Ballet West; Lander deceased, Marks AD Orlando Ballet) George Skibine and Marjorie Tallchief (Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas, POB; Skibine deceased) Vladimir Vasiliev and Ekaterina Maximova (Bolshoi; Vasiliev was AD of Bolshoi, Maximova teaching/coaching) Konstantin Sergeev and Natalia Dudinskaya (Maryinsky, both deceased) Alexander Lapauri and Raisa Struchkova (Bolshoi, both deceased) In what I've seen, I find that the offstage pairing enhances the onstage partnership quite a lot.

Oh dear! I'm afraid I have to emphatically disagree with you, omshanti. I am seeing a rapid rise in teaching of true classical ballet, in North America, Europe, and Asia. Witness the level of proficiency of teenagers and young 20-somethings competing in the myriad international ballet competitions. I don't think we've ever had such a worldwide climate for the proliferation of true classical ballet dancers, many who are technically far more virtuosic than some of their predecessors. With the fall of communism, the chains that bound Russian dancers and teachers have burst apart to release a huge contingent of pure classically trained individuals into the rest of the world. Hordes -- and I do mean "hordes" -- of them have made their way into the United States and Canada. They teach both in the top-notch and the not-so top-notch ballet schools of the nation, imparting their own training with all its significant balletic nuances, to a generation of dance students so hungry for this type of training that many of them devote themselves to it almost to the exclusion of everything else. Scads of young ballet students are homeschooled so as to have access to their ballet teachers whenever possible, many, many have moved from home, sometimes with the whole family but most often with one parent (usually the mother), in order to be physically near to their chosen ballet schools and teachers. Today's ballet teachers are mentors and coaches of their most promising students so as to give them everything that is needed for a career in classical ballet. If anything, there are far more highly-trained students than there are jobs available in the ballet world. The relationship between teacher/coach and student outside of Russia is now, in so many cases, the same as the traditional bond so treasured in Russia. The teachers are revered and in return they love their gifted students. This is not to say that the training is not harsh or demanding. It often is as archaic as it was back in Russia throughout the last century. I've come to believe (partly from the personal experience of my own daughter and several of her friends) that, in the end, a little fear going into class each day produces a superior instrument in the art of ballet. The skin-toughening doesn't hurt, either, during encounters in the cut-throat world of classical ballet, no matter where the dancer goes. I don't see that at all when I watch performances or tapes of classical ballet dancers today. Many of the highly-trained dancers I wrote about above are already dancing in companies all over the globe. They certainly dance with the "up in the air" quality and skill you mention. The liftedness that ballet requires, the ballon and the elevation are all second nature to them and in their muscle memory. You must be seeing bad ballet if you have not noticed this! See my second paragraph. And my third.

Épaulement is valued by companies that employ dancers trained in the Russian style. There are some in the U.S., many in Europe. Some major companies seem to not want it. I think when carbro spoke of Guillaume Côté's dancing with ABT, and mentioned his "square-torsoed" style as being that of NBoC, that is what she meant. I wouldn't say that épaulement It is still being strongly taught in many schools. When the student dancers become working dancers, they must adapt to the style that a ballet company's AD requires (perhaps sacrificing some artistic expression) or go looking for work where the style they were trained in is used. Here is Ballet Alert's picture of Maria Bystrova at 15 which shows her lovely épaulement. Maria Bystrova

I think I know what you mean about Côté's dancing style, but could you elaborate a little, carbro?

I'm confused. Deborah Hess has been teaching at NBS for 25 years and danced professionally before that. How old should one be to bring the right drama to the role of Madge?

A number of this season's trainees have been offered apprentice or company positions for next season and Marks has promised more performing opportunities for the company next season. It is an exciting youthful group of wonderful dancers, some of whom are extremely accomplished. Their continuing excellence is indeed a tribute to the AD they so loved, Fernando Bujones.

Thanks, carbro. I, for one, would love to see any and all discarded Balanchine choreography. Sonora, here's a thread from the NYCB spring season of 2004 which contains a few lengthy reviews of "Ivesiana". (Thanks again, carbro!) I cued the thread to the first post that reviews the ballet. Continue scrolling through the posts from there. I didn't check any other threads for more reviews. You might find the time to do so. I'm going to bed. Thanks for bringing up "Ivesiana"! I thoroughly enjoyed the research I did. I'll never forget Allegra Kent's account (in her autobiography Once a Dancer) of learning "The Unanswered Question". Ivesiana thread May 2004

According to Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets", "The Unanswered Question" was, at different times, the 3rd and the 2nd pieces of "Ivesiana". Complete Stories lists the 4 sections as "Central Park in the Dark", "The Unanswered Question", "In the Inn", and "In the Night". Balanchine explains, Repertory in Review mentions a second revival in 1975 (the first was in 1971). The ballet premiered on September 14, 1954 with all 6 sections -- if I'm understanding Nancy Reynolds correctly.

Hillary (Canary) Ryan doesn't dance with ABT now, so her pic is not on the website. She was a contemporary of Kevin McKenzie, Marianna Tcherkassky, Bonnie Moore, Peter Fonseca. Here's an excerpt from one of BT's reviews from 1998 (scroll down to October 1st): The whole review, written by Alexandra Tomalonis, is here: Review Here's a picture from 25 years ago where Canary's face is clearer: Hilary Canary Her name has been spelled both with one "l" and two, and I'm not sure which is right.

Oh, Amy, I beg to differ, based on personal viewing experience. My daughter's (and my) friend, who has been dancing professionally for 6 years (3 years with the Universal Ballet, 3 years with the Hungarian National Ballet), treated each and every class she took while training (I watched her in class from age 14) as a performance -- from the very first plié. She found a way to interpret every barre exercise as a role. Nuances aplenty! Granted, she was over the top, but she DID become a working professional ballet dancer (a demi-soloist now). She was the most over-dancing class taker I have every seen, but on stage her emoting (and technique) were perfect. She is a relatively quiet young woman, but ballet brought out the actress in her and despite the teacher's advice to tone it down, she just couldn't. I notice now, however, when she visits and takes class, that she does not overdo it in the way she did when she was aspiring to a ballet career.

In Rachel Howard's "Footnotes", Cornejo is height-identified, in 2004, by Joan Acocella: Rachel Howard's Footnotes

Here is a picture of Rudolf Nureyev in an unperfect fifth, but compare it to the dancer on the left (Nureyev's right) -- is it Francisco Moncion? -- and you can see a bit of what is being discussed in this thread. Nureyev's turnout goes right up through his legs to his upper body whereas the other dancer's fifth doesn't even seem to engage his thighs. Nureyev

Another strange thing about the article is the mention of ballet companies which were not represented and the omission of those that were: The actual companies represented by the male and the female dancers (in addition to Korea National Ballet) were Paris Opera Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Guanchou People's Army Ensemble, and the Compañía Nacional de Danza.

Thank you, Natalia! I was wondering about the outcome. Were Kondaurova and Sarafanov there to receive their awards, and do you know if they performed?

Thank you for reporting the results, Natalia!

When I heard this story the word used was "spatulas"!

According to a poster on BT4D, "he is now at the Russian Ballet Academy of Indiana (RBAI). She is the assistant artistic director and he is the principal of the academy". For over a decade they were with Ballet Internationale (Kolpakova as ballet mistress) and the Clara R. Noyes Academy (Semenov as principal), brought there by Eldar Aliev, AD of BI. On November 9th, 2005, both company and school suddenly folded due to financial difficulties. Swan Song