Marga

Thanks bart, Natalia, and mouse. I always enjoy knowing more about things and doing the necessary research to find accurate info. bart, I've known about the Peter Ustinov "connection" since I first heard of the Benois Prize, and, like you, that meant something to me. I remember seeing Ustinov on some filmed presentation (was it one of the Benois galas??), seated in the balcony, and being identified as to his relative affiliation. I've always admired and respected him. mouse, I know who your prize-winning son is. I've yet to see him dance and eagerly await the opportunity. I hope he gets a Benois nomination one day, too. It seems like a distinct possibility, since he is making waves already at such a young age! carbro, I love your attitude. It is indeed a goal worth pursuing. Who knows where BT will be 5, 10 years from now?!

The Benois de la Danse is not referred to as the "Ballet Oscars" for nothing! While very different from the usual ballet competition, where the assembled competitors have the added elements of urgency and "can-I-top-the-previous-competitor" angst, the Benois is still a valid award. It concentrates on finding (by having ballet directors present) first-time danced performances of extraordinary merit. The dictionary definition of "extraordinary" is "going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary". On this basis, dancers and choreographers, established or just beginning their careers, are brought forward (nominated) to be considered as prize-worthy. That is just like the Oscars, which bases its awards on the past year's performance achievements. While many of us may have had enough of the Oscars and the movie industry patting itself on the back in front of the world via television and enormous media attention, I, for one, would be in seventh heaven if the Benois de la Danse was televised worldwide and received more than a jot of North American media attention. Here is some background info on how the Prize came into being: The idea for the Benois de la Danse was initiated in Moscow and the founders succeeded in obtaining the patronage of UNESCO in the autumn of 1992. The Benois de la Danse is always held at the end of April, as close to April 29th as possible, since that is the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), already celebrated as International Dance Day. The Benois de la Danse recognizes with monetary awards exceptional events occurring during the previous year on stages around the world. These include dancing roles of all kinds as well as choreographic accomplishments. There are three goals to be met: 1) to show the audience the best performances, regardless if they were by famous choreographers, ballerinas, dancers or their younger colleagues 2) to bring the best representatives of different dance styles and schools together and, aided by this event, allow them to continue this creative interaction 3) to support veterans of ballet financially with funds from gala concerts The Prix Benois de la Danse was named after Alexandre Benois (1870-1960), whose work combined all kinds of art in one: music, theatre, stage design, art sciences. Benois was one of the most prominent figures of the ballet world during the Diaghilev years. His lineage includes a long list of various artists: at least 45 actors, architects, composers, sculptors, and poets. The painter Nicolas Benois (1901-1988) is his son. French sculptor Igor Ustinov (one of the artistic representatives of the younger Benois generation) created the statuette of the Benois de la Danse award in 1992. He is the son of the famous actor/playwright Peter Ustinov (who is the great-nephew of Alexandre Benois). As for wasted bandwidth, I don't see it. BT is meant for critical discussion of all events in ballet from an audience perspective, which we are engaged in here on this thread. With so few contributors compared to other threads, we make but a mere dent in the bandwidth. The Benois is a spectator event after all, a big deal, full-house show in Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre every spring, complete with gorgeous program books. That alone makes it worthy of our attention and our research in order to comprehend it fully. And, as far as I know, none of our money is being directed to the Benois. The interest of a few BT members in discussing the Benois Prize doesn't take any money away from the day-to-day operations of any ballet company.

You're welcome, bart and Natalia! Yes, it sounds tough -- like a regular jury trial! What an interesting way to do things in ballet.

I hope I can offer a more lucid explanation of the chain of events leading up to the 2-day Benois Prize gala in Moscow. Because of all the supposings (my own included, though not posted) I phoned Nadia Veselova-Tencer (Benois Prize jury member in 2003) and asked about the procedure. This is the play-by-play (unfortunately, this is not published anywhere accessible to the general public): 1) Members of the jury present their nominees via videotape to all other jury members through the mail (Nadia nominated Lucia Lacarra (who won), José Martinez and a choreographer in 2003.) Jury members review the tapes in the comfort of their own homes in their own countries. 2) All taped nominees are definite contenders. It remains for the jury to pretty much sequester themselves (it took 2 days in 2003) in Moscow prior to the gala so the individual jury members can present arguments for their choices in person to the other members of the jury. 3) After the hours and hours of deliberations, the winners are decided and proceedings continue to the "envelope, please" stage. 4) Prior to the gala in Moscow, certain nominees and past winners or past nominees have been asked to come to Moscow to perform at the gala. Those nominated for the year's prize do not have to come to Moscow, but are very welcome if they are able to make the trip. Not all nominees have been invited to perform at the gala. Some of the present nominees may have been asked to perform, but it is up to them whether they go to Moscow. Their presence or non-presence in Moscow will not affect the outcome. So, after the winners are announced on the first day, the invited-to-perform dancers dance on the second, some of them having just won the Benois Prize the previous night, some who are going home with the honour of having been nominated, some from past years (both winners and past nominees). 5) To sum up, the jury members decide on the winners on the basis of the videos they've seen and the arguments they've heard by the presenters (the jury members) of each nominee. The Artistic Director of the Benois de la Danse 2006 is Nina Kudriantseva-Loory and the General Manager is Regina Nikiforova.

Cornejo was nominated for Spectre de la Rose for last year's Prize. I suppose he could have been considered again, but it doesn't seem a likely thing to do, and not for the same piece, since the governing rules state that the nominations are for a "first-time" performance in a role. See: Herman Cornejo Alina Cojocaru won the Benois de la Danse Prize as best female dancer in 2004 for "Cinderella". I don't know if a dancer can win the Benois twice. No one has yet. Actually, Joseph Gatti did not compete at the Moscow IBC. This was a mistake in reporting. He won the gold medal at the NYIBC last June. His performance of Le Corsaire with the Cincinnati Ballet must be the one that is up for the prize. CB's AD Victoria Morgan is on the jury.

bart quoting Natalia: When Nadia Veselova-Tencer (Artistic Director of the Stars of the 21st Century Ballet Galas) was a judge for the Benois Prize a few years ago, she nominated Lucia Lacarra (who went on to win it) for the award. So that might explain some of the seeming randomness of the selected nominees. You have to have someone in your corner! This reminds me of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" which they run every January. I know that one of this year's gifted "25" was chosen because she happened to dance in the right place at the right time and was seen by the right person who nominated her for the list. Sure, there are many others of like caliber who would have been chosen had the planets lined up right for them. I'm afraid that the Benois is run a bit similarly.

Oh my goodness! Thank you for posting that quote, dirac -- it's validation from The Man himself!.

Suzanne Farrell. The mere mention of "water" brings her to mind. And to consider the four elements, she certainly wasn't fire, air, or even earth, at least not to me. Farrell danced as if in a bubble, onstage with others but really by herself, buffered in a way from all else that was happening around her. I saw her relate to her partners, but still felt she was mainly relating to herself (if that makes any sense). Even her movements, ever so musical, seemed to have a built-in resistance to them, as if moving through water.

Another dancer with extremely arched feet is Anna Antonicheva. My daughter has one of her pointe shoes. The shank on it is completely unbendable (this after dancing a full-length Giselle in them). It is rock hard. Her feet are so flexible they just about spill out of her shoes when she points them. I can see why she needs such a strong base in her pointe shoe to keep her upright! Anna Antonicheva as Kitri

Both Orlando Ballet and Ballet Internationale performed it as their season opener this past autumn. Fernando Bujones was very involved with its production in Orlando, albeit long-distance from Miami, where he was undergoing treatment. It is the most delightful ballet and extremely well-done by Orlando Ballet as staged by ballet mistress Samantha Dunster. I was gushing over it then just as you are now, Amy. I heard from a BI dancer friend that they had a wonderful time with it in Indianpolis, too. I am quite sure other regional companies have it in their repertoire as well, but don't have time to do a search right now to verify.

I agree with you, carbro. I was going to address that aspect, but confined myself to the classics because that seemed to be the point of Volkmar's question: Of course, most dancers will not learn all the classic roles while still studying. It depends on their status in class and the opportunities given them -- there are always the "chosen" students who are given more to do than their classmates. Still, having learned scads of variations while in school (several of Kitri's, Giselle -- at least Act I, Giselle Act I Peasant, Myrtha, Odile, Odette, Medora, the Odalisques, Aurora, Princess Florina, Sugar Plum, Lise, Swanilda, Gamzatti, Nikiya, maybe Juliet, Diana, several from Paquita, Flower Festival, perhaps Flames of Paris, Spartacas, Cinderella, Raymonda, Esmeralda), and performed many roles in school productions, by the time the professional dancer reaches the ranks of soloist or principal, she can usually learn the choreography of any new ballet quite easily and quickly, her body being so well honed in the ballet movement vocabulary. It's the interpretation of all roles where the ballet dancer reveals to us the ballerina living inside her. If a video can be of some help at this point, that's fine. But as you stated, That's where the artistry is added. It also helps to have a wonderful partner who can draw things out of the ballerina (and, the ballerina out of him) that neither knew they were capable of. That is the icing on the cake, wherein lies the magic.

When a dancer learns a role, s/he has usually been working up to it for years in many ways. By the time a dancer has reached the advanced level of training in school, the class exercises (primarily centre work) include sequences which are combinations of movements that are sometimes parts of variations of well-known classical roles. After years of study, the flow of movement of these sequences becomes ingrained in the student dancer. There are also years of variations (and in some schools, pas de deux) classes where a young dancer learns many of the major classical roles. When the student becomes a professional, there are years of observing principal dancers in the main roles and of absorbing the nuances they bring to their interpretations. When the dancer has progressed to soloist or principal status, they are learning roles that are already quite familiar to them. This is the time when a coach becomes indispensible. In America, the luxury of having a personal coach is not a given, as it is in many European countries. Sometimes the teaching of the role is entirely up to the artistic director and/or ballet mistress or balletmaster. In any case, the role is rehearsed person to person. Never have I heard of a classical ballet dancer learning a role from a book, Labanotation, or even entirely from video, although sometimes videos are referred to for specific choreography. Passing ballet roles on to dancers is completely "hands-on". It is a privilege for every dancer to learn a role from a great ballerina or danseur who performed it often during their own dancing career. Intangible qualities such as interpretation or the impetus for a particular movement within one's body cannot be learned from a book or notation. It takes a living, breathing person who knows to impart such wisdom.

Yes, you are right. Angelina Armeiskaya is a ballet teacher at UBA. Angelina Armeiskaya Prior to teaching there, she danced with Colorado Ballet and taught at its school. She also teaches at the Bossov summer intensive in Maine. After graduating from the Vaganova Academy she danced in Tbilisi and other Russian companies.

There's not one person here in Canada among my dance friends and acquaintances who has anything good to say about it. The reactions have ranged from mere dislike to disbelief (as in, "what has he done to our SL???") to disgust. It has generally been considered a man's Swan Lake as well as James Kudelka's personal statement (whatever that may be -- lots of juicy gossip has passed through balletgoers' lips). Perhaps Kudelka was given carte blanche when the revision was funded, based on his status. I don't think he had to show anyone anything in advance, and the powers-that-be who fund the NBoC may not have had enough ballet knowledge to protest. As for it being sent abroad, all I have to say is that serious Canadian balletomanes are embarrassed that this production has been taken on tour. Who's big idea was this?

When I was young I used to wish that I was Suzanne Farrell. She is only 2 years older than I am, and that dream seemed plausible when we were both hovering around the age of 20. Now, having read her autobiography a few times, and hearing her tell her side of the Balanchine/Farrell story in interviews and articles as well, I still uphold her life as an ideal and keep it on a permanent pedestal in my mind, even with all its ups and downs. (No one who reaches the age of 60 gets there without traveling over peaks and valleys!) I used to watch her (from my front row seat at the State Theater) in absolute awe. Then, I'd get on the subway (being jarred back into the real world of jostling, busy people who had no idea of the magic I had just witnessed) and ruminate about her dancing, her charisma, her appearance -- oh, how I wanted to have pure porcelain skin like she had, which is just about my natural skin colour anyway, but not quite as lily-white as hers .....later in life I wanted to be more tanned looking, but's that's irrelevant here -- her expression (including the later-named over-the-shoulder "glinch") or lack of, which was more commanding than a manufactured face could be (but you had to be Suzanne to pull it off -- it just doesn't work for most other dancers) .....disembarking from my stream of consciousness..... I only wanted to dance with the NYCB, dance for Balanchine, dance with Jacques d'Amboise, dance at the State Theater, and dance as uniquely as Suzanne Farrell in every ballet she danced! In the ensuing 3+ decades, I've admired many, many dancers and found many to be more accomplished technically and artistically than Farrell was, but she is still the one I daydream about. For one dancer to sustain such longevity in the mind of one balletgoer must mean something! To those who have only seen her on video (and especially to those who wonder what all the fuss was about when they compare tangibles such as contortionist flexibility, flawless technique, hip-splayed turnout and fierce fouettéability) I can only offer the time-hackneyed expression: you had to be there!

I am sorry to hear such news, walboi. It is very hard when someone dies who was an important part of our lives.

Here is an example of differences in training. The first picture is of my own daughter when she was 13 (she's the one in front, but this was a pretty standard achievement for all the students) and at the Kirov Academy of Ballet summer intensive. Her cambré deepened even more over the next several years. The second picture is one I found by googling "cambré" in Google Images. It's from a dance school's website somewhere in the U.S. These girls look to be at least 13 -14, too. The difference is not only in the backbend but in the fifth position. By that age, for students who aspire to dance professionally, the fifth position should be tightly closed and fully turned out. Perhaps these dancers are recreational. I am not judging them, only comparing training techniques. Also, none of these girls are lifted off their legs. It's all in the training. (Note the juxtaposition of the photo of the dancer on the studio wall.) http://www.boomspeed.com/nurturing/VaganovaCambre2.jpg http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6kvdq/images/cambre.jpg

Part of the mystique comes from the Russian training of the back at the barre. The cambré must first lift up and then back, over an imaginary bar or plank (sometimes imagery helps). Of course, you must be lifted well up off your legs as well. The ribcage protrusion that you see in some dancers as they do this is more a result of their particular anatomy, I think, rather than lack of strength. Here's an example of that: Uliana Lopatkina

And for further comparison, the uber-flexible Lucia Lacarra (note the plumb line from her elbow to her heel!): Lucia Lacarra Odette

I did ask what some of the others were dancing, but since most of the choices hadn't been firmed up, I only reported on the two that were known for sure. Solomon Tencer thought Sylve was doing a Robbins for her solo, but he was not 100% sure. He said that Lacarra and Pierre were probably doing Dame aux Camelias for one of their PDD, but that wasn't the last word either. I've been around since the galas began (I mean around the center of operations, which is the dance school Tencer runs with his wife Nadia Veselova), and have for years been privy to who's coming, who's gotten injured and has to be replaced, what is being danced, etc. I've seen the program change right up to the last minute, so I guess that what I reported earlier could also change if something unexpected happens. One of the most niggling things in the past has been with the dancers from Russia having to wait until the last minute to know if they've been granted a visa by the government. There is always the possibility of injuries, too, as was the case last year when Guillaume Côté (National Ballet of Canada) had to suddenly partner Svetlana Lunkina in La Sylphide pas de deux with little preparation. When the dancers' choices are as completely set as possible, I'll post them.

Andrian Fadeyev is partnering Sofiane Sylve in the Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux. That is the only piece he is in. Sylve is also doing a solo.

Absolutely gorgeous! I love the mood shot of Vishneva.

I just spoke to Solomon Tencer and he said the tickets were "flying", meaning sales have been swift today. I suppose, drb, if you were a line of one, that most folks are phoning CenterCharge to purchase theirs. I suggest that those who want to go start thinking about getting their tickets. Last year, there were people outside before the performance trying to buy tickets from anyone who had an extra one. It was a sold out event. Edited to add: I just got off the phone with CenterCharge. My seats are in the second ring side at $85 each. Third ring sides are $75. There are great seats to be had right now.

And continuing .... How nice to see Delia Peters name mentioned! She was always a favourite of mine. I looked for her specifically every time the corps stepped onstage. I've sung her praises before on BT and it's great to be able to talk about -- and think about -- her again!

Yes, we've discussed her training with the National Ballet School here in Toronto when the film came out. In fact, that thread turned into a list much like this thread has become, except that it wasn't confined to TV. ("The Company" isn't TV either, of course, but Campbell did star in the TV drama Party of Five). "A new ballet movie" aka list of actors and actresses who danced