Marga

Yes, she is at least 5'10". I believe she is the tallest ballerina the Kirov has ever had.

I have been looking for my first ballet teacher for years, to no avail. I would like to know what became of Karl Klauser. I don't mean the composer, whose name does come up on google, but the dancer, choreographer, and teacher who danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. He would be about 74 years old. He opened the Dance Academy of Rockville Centre in 1959. I was one of his first students. The last time I saw him was 1973. He sold the studios to Marty Morginsky, who had taught jazz there, soon after that. One of my first teachers there was Marie Adair (who died in her early 60s), with whom I not only studied as a young teenager but years later, when she was hired by Harry Bernstein to teach ballet at Adelphi University. Did anyone here know Karl or any of the other dancers/teachers I mentioned?

This is the most recent info I could find on Clive Thompson (I googled only him because I took his classes in the 60s -- dynamic teacher!): Clive Thompson interview 2003 It's a lovely interview. Maybe the Jamaica Gleaner can tell you where to contact him.

I see they're also at the National Ballet and in Montreal. I didn't know such videos were available in Canada! I will be in New York to see the Bolshoi but now I won't have to make time to nip over the square to see the tape. Thank you very, very much.

Additionally, the longer the bow, the more time the Russian dancer has to catch his/her breath! They welcome the respite.

Thank you very much, Leigh! I went to the Royal Ballet site to read more on Miss Loots. She was born in Johannesburg and finished her training at the Royal Ballet School. She moved up to First Artist 2 years ago, in 2003. Now I've got to go to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts to see the tape!

Mother Ginger and Mother UnGingerly! P.S. I am a Republican but this is very funny.

I just ran across this topical passage in a Mindy Aloff review while I was searching for something else: I wonder who the lucky Royal Ballet student was? It is part of the review of "Dance on Camera Festival 2004", 4 Emperors & 1 Nightingale Letter From New York

The caption under Reichlen's picture reads:

I wonder if that was Carlotta Zambelli? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I've got my copy of Theatre Street open in my lap. The teacher is Signora Beretta (her first name is not given). Karsavina writes in Chapter XIV: Karsavina continues to describe the classes, taught from Signora's chair, and how difficult they were, with no rest at all permitted during barre. In fact, Karsavina fainted at the barre during her first lesson. She wrote that she improved considerably during the two months she took class with Signora Beretta. As to my post about the disgruntled mother, I went back to read new posts on that board and realized that I had attributed the "out to pasture" comment to the original poster whereas it was made by a replying poster who thought that Melissa Hayden should have been put "out to pasture 20 years ago" and that teachers ought to be able to demonstrate everything. I juxtaposed her post onto the original one (sort of like sandik's having Karsavina's teacher chomping on her leg of chicken while actually teaching, when in fact she ate first and taught later. ) I am glad to report that a slew of posts supporting Melissa Hayden (some from mothers of her former students) and other revered teachers came in response to the moms who were concerned about their SI dollars. It seems that most parents do realize there is more to ballet training than learning the steps. Mme. Hermine, I agree totally with you that No one who was fortunate enough to have been there could forget Valentina Pereyaslavec's barking commands! The greatest dancers in the world took her class at ABT when they were in New York. Margot Fonteyn said "if you can survive Madame's barre, you can survive anything."Marika Besobrasova, another difficult teacher, in whose classes survival of the fittest, physically and mentally, seems to be the goal, has world-famous dancers seeking her out in Monaco. Leon Danielian inspired scores of dancers from his wheelchair (when he was recovering from hip replacement). What a memorable teacher he was! David Howard teaches sitting down now, and the studio is overflowing with professional dancers and serious ballet students who flock to his classes.

Here is my post earlier in this thread. It is indicative of many European countries. Estonian Ballet dancer's salary The dancers in Russia earn even less.

Quite so!This mother's main concern was the money being spent on the SI. While she perfunctorily acknowledged the ballerina/teacher's former greatness (before readily identifying her upon prodding by other posters), she felt that she wasn't getting the proper return for the big bucks she was paying for her daughter's summer training. Wide-eyed me ......I'd pay just for my daughter to be in the presence of these former greats every day. But I'm not your average ballet mother.

Melissa Hayden, at 82, teaches year-round and is presently teaching at NCSA's SI. An unhappy mother on an unmoderated ballet board slammed her pretty badly because of her daughter's frustration with Hayden's classes. The mother thought that teachers who can't demonstrate should be "put out to pasture" and suggested that no one over 62 should be allowed to teach. This made me think of all the great teachers, from Russia and throughout Europe and Asia, to the West, whose incredible knowledge and skills we would be without in a world where ballet teaching was left only to the young and wholly physically able. I don't think we would have gotten anywhere near as far to the level of ballet we now enjoy without the venerable "old" teachers. Their rich history adds so much depth to the training of a young ballet dancer. To be in their presence (and to consider the connections they had in the ballet world to other historical figures -- all the partners they had and dancing colleagues and the teachers they had) is such a privilege that I can't begin to imagine what the dancer who never had one of these teachers in their life is missing. My daughter had the unique opportunity to be taught by Eddie Villella 3 years ago. Ludmila Morkovina was her teacher at the Kirov Academy. For the past 2 years she has studied and been coached by Estonia's former prima ballerina and highly respected ballet pedagogue Tiiu Randviir, who is in her late 60's. These oppportunities were such precious, invaluable gifts, for both my daughter and me! Can you imagine where ballet would have been without the dancers who were taught by Alexandra Danilova, Felia Doubrovska, Alexander Pushkin, Natalia Dudinskaya, Vera Volkova, Margaret Craske, Stanley Williams, Alla Osipenko, Irina Kolpakova? I'd trade 10 spunky, energetic, able-to-demonstrate-everything younger teachers for one who has the wisdom of the ballet ages to impart to my child.

:deal:

Now, that's an interesting sentence fragment. Sources that diminish health, in order to survive, are putting survival of the fittest -- our athletic young dancers -- to the test!Many hospitals are guilty of similar reasoning. They need to stay alive, too, and in order to do so are "killing" their patients with health-endangering rather than health-bolstering meals. Something is very wrong when we have to compromise the health of active young dancers by succumbing -- even for a short period -- to such jeopardizing influences. Is it really our job to bend over backwards and give in to questionable corporate sponsorship to help them "clean up their image"??!! What message are we giving our young artists with this kowtowing? That in addition to learning technique and developing artistry, they must add truckling to monied businesses, no matter what they're selling, to their ballet studies?No amount of well-written or well-articulated rhetoric can conceal or whitewash the intentions of corporations that acquired their billions by capitalizing on the unhealthy habits of vast amounts of our human population. Sam Miller, for all his personal entrepreneurial success, displays a lack of belief in the creative abilities of arts movers/shakers-to-come with this pronouncement. 1986 was a long time ago -- almost 20 years. That the arts are still in trouble is not a good sign, but that we haven't sunk so low as to wear the golden arches on our tutus is a good sign! It may take another 20 years to make the right associations, but dance arts are not in danger of dying out in the interim. Integrity has to rule our decisions.We've come a long way as a populace in the knowledge and application of healthy living. We have a long way to go yet. I contend that a flourishing future for the arts will be assured by the skills of health-concerned leaders to come and that some day the tail won't be wagging the dog in this regard. addendum: Philip Morris, to whom Sam Miller referred, also owns Kraft cheese, which in turn owns Maxwell House coffee. Arts administrators have their work cut out for them! Research assistants needed!

Rolando and Daniel are brothers, Natalia.

Women: Suzanne Farrell's neck. Oh heck -- Suzanne Farrell's everything! Okay, maybe not her feet. to continue with body parts: Svetlana Lunkina -- face Irina Dvorovenko -- face and knees Larissa Lezhnina -- face and smile Diana Vishneva -- arms and back Maria Allash -- torso Darcey Bussell and Yulia Makhalina -- legs Anna Antonicheva and Svetlana Zakharova -- feet skills and intangible qualities: Alla Sizova -- ballon and height of jump Lucia Lacarra -- flexibility Michele Wiles -- balance Gillian Murphy and Sofiane Sylve -- turns Altynai Asylmuratova -- precision, technique in general Melissa Hayden and Merrill Ashley -- speed Allegra Kent -- mystique Suzanne Farrell -- mystique and allure Gloria Govrin -- sensuality Men: body parts: Rex Harrington -- face Marcelo Gomes -- neck, buns Farouk Ruzimatov -- profile, arms, torso Igor Zelensky -- legs, face, line Tiit Helimets -- feet; watch for him in San Francisco Ballet next season -- he's just been contracted as a Principal Dancer from Birmingham Royal Ballet where he was the same (to which he went from the Estonian National Ballet) skills and intangible qualities: Eddie Villella -- jump, speed, musicality, verve Jacques d"Amboise -- energy, speed, carriage Fernando Bujones -- pure technique, line, carriage, stage command, explosivity Mikhail Baryshnikov -- jump, turns, charisma Angel Corrella -- turns, smile Conrad Ludlow and Jock Soto -- partnering Rudolph Nureyev -- jump, batterie, animal magnetism I'm still trying to narrow down best hands.

I recall Farrell's performing this with solemnity, certainly not sensuality, at least not for me. Some may have found it sensuous, I suppose. I remember it quite clearly: her long hair swung over her head and down, held in her hand, one hand lifting each of Balanchine's feet in turn -- it was more a nurturing motion, as a gentle nurse would do it, or even reverential, as Mary Magdalene to Jesus! Slow and deliberate, intently focused on the task -- one of the most memorable parts of the ballet!

Alayeva is from Ukraine, not Estonia. Maria Seletskaja is from Estonia and I'm happy to hear you were impressed by her. Thank you very much for all of your reports! I read them voraciously.

Not silly at all! I've been confused about the expression ever since I inadvertently wrote "here, here" on a forum of dictionary devotés about 5 years ago, and was too embarrassed when I later realized my mistake to go back to edit it. The posters on those boards were vicious, regularly and gleefully decimating selected posters for their stupidity.Since then, I don't care which homonym is used -- they both make sense to me! I'm sure I'll have cause one day to use "heir, heir"! I can't wait. I've started watching my other Swan Lake videos (8 different ones) and the first one I put on after rewatching ABT's was Makarova and Nagy in 1976. I had not rewound it since last viewing and it started in the middle of Act IV. As soon as I saw Makarova move it put the entire PBS ABT SL in perspective for me. Here was the real thing. No question, no contest. I had forgotten just how great she was as Odette. The next day it was Evelyn Hart with Peter Schaufuss and the London Festival Ballet to Makarova's choreography. Another transcendent experience, so different from Makarova's, but supremely wonderful. I still love Gillian Murphy's bold portrayal, but do prefer the ballerinas who become swans inside and out.

Just for balance, in Estonia the corps salary is just under $500 U.S. a month. The soloists do not earn much more. The contract year is 12 months with two months off (mid-June to mid-August). The dancers have class and rehearsal 6 days a week, with an average of 2 performances a week.

Hi and welcome to Ballet Talk, Jennymi17! There is already a thread where all news of the Moscow competition is being reported. The results for Round 1 are posted there. All discussion of the competition is on that thread as well. Please click on the link below: Moscow International Ballet Competition

Thanks, carbro, for your thank you's, and bart, for your "here, here". I'm glad I was triggered to respond. May the observations and opinions continue, but let there be no calumny!

I'm glad you posted that link, Bart. I forgot to. That's the site that led me to the link I posted!

There is really a lot of information on that site. I've been enjoying reading the competitor's histories and seeing their pictures. They also have a "Where are they now?" section, which, although quite good, does not have current info on everyone who won prizes since the competition's inception 20 years ago. I noticed that they have "no info" on Rut Miro. Rut has a website -- looks like no one checked the internet, at least not thoroughly enough. That might explain this entry (made me chuckle), bold emphasis added by me: 2nd Eurovision Young Dancers, Schwetzingen, Switzerland, 31 May 1987 1st Prize – Rose Gad Poulsen (Denmark) Soloist, Royal Danish Ballet, Denmark Nikolaj Huebbe (Denmark) No information available It is indeed a glittering list of names, though.