Marga

Here is a link to a site with info on this year's competition (be sure to click on the links in the right sidebars for competitors' bios and pics, and more): Eurovision Dance Competition

Tessdixon, you took the words right out of my mouth! I was going to post something about my disappointment with all the criticism, but decided against it, especially when I watched my tape of the performance again -- after reading through this thread and the one on BT for Dancers -- with a more informed eye.I wrote immediately after the ballet ended (mine was the breathless post at 11:02 pm) and was still in love with everything I had seen, and deliriously happy that ballet was seen on television again! And then the nit-picking began in a torrent of posts, and it reminded me of how my hubby reacts to a movie, concert, even ballet, the minute it's over, analyzing what he has just seen while my head is still in the clouds, in the wonderful place that a great performance should take us to. (I also remember how jarring it always was over 35 years ago when I attended the NYCB every weekend, to exit the State Theater and turn into the subway entrance, i.e. the real world, to see people going about their business, while my whole universe had just changed.) In re-viewing the performance a couple of days later, I started to see more and have more to "criticize", or rather, critique -- both positively and negatively. And that's where Ballet Talk becomes a vital aid to us balletomanes. Where else can we instantly find a group of informed people who know exactly what we are talking about, whether they agree with it or not? Where do we go with our ballet passion and need to talk about every little thing we saw? There are few others in our homes or among our friends who know (or care) to discuss such minutiae. I think we can all agree that we love the dancers very much. And there are few among us who could go out there right now (even if we could in the past) and do any of what they are doing so that armchair critics could have something to comment on. What makes me feel bad is the chance that the nastier, non-constructive comments get to the dancers about whom they were made. The last thing I would want is for any of them to be hurt, knowing the fragility of some of their souls. I hope to send out the message that we absolutely love them and the fact that we are able to dissect their performances means that they have truly arrived and been placed on pedestals. Anyone up that high is bound to have every inch of their being and movement examined in microscopic detail. The dancers we talk most about have the enviable position of having reached the top of their profession at a very young age. We are so proud of them and privileged to be entertained and transported to other worlds by them. My sincere appreciation goes to each and every dancer who has moved us to speechlessness as well as extreme verbosity!

When I referred to Murphy's mouth in my post, it was not from the TV perspective alone. I saw this while in the audience (side balcony) during her Don Q grand pas with Ethan Stiefel in Toronto last year. I had an excellent vantage point at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, as the single row of chairs in the side balcony enables one to pull right up to the bannister and lean over. From where I sat it felt like I was almost above the dancers, looking down. Her funny expression was one of the things that bothered me about her performance as Kitri. With Sunday's Swan Lake I can see that it's not her fault. She is doing the best she can facially with what she's got. I rewound and rewatched half of Swan Lake last night. I found Gillian's expressions as Odette to be sincere, although not heart-wrenching. The depth of emotion required to portray Odette must start from inside and come naturally to the surface as the ballerina grows into the role. I think we will see true facial expression in Gillian Murphy's Odette after a few years of embodying the character, as more of Odette's identity enters her soul.

Thank you very much for your report, Natalia. It's wonderful to hear that Maria Seletskaja did well yesterday. She has been dancing with the Estonian National Ballet for two years, following a year of study at the Vaganova Academy after her graduation in 2002 from the Tallinn Ballet School. Just before joining the Estonian Ballet, she won 2nd prize at the Eurovision Ballet Competition in July, 2003. Masha was given solo roles, starting with Myrtha in Giselle, as soon as she joined the Estonian Ballet, where she was ranked as a second soloist last year. She won an "Encouragement" prize at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition earlier this month. She is joining Malakhov's Berlin Ballet this year.

Oh, it's not the dancers, it's the ribbons who have rehearsed their choreography very well. For an old folk dancer like me, it is not an enigma at all. We can even entangle ourselves while holding hands -- as many as 16 couples -- and bring ourselves out of it in a nice straight line, right before your eyes.

Yes, welcome, Terry!nySusan posted Igor Zelensky's name and jose manuel had Zaklinsky on his list, but they're worth mentioning again!

Gillian Murphy has the kind of face that can't stretch its features as much as some characterizations would require. Given her plasticity elsewhere in her gorgeous body, her face suffers from lack of it. Her Kitri has a hard time coming off as a fiery Spaniard. Her facial aspect gives the look of a pinched-face Victorian librarian instead. The same problem befalls her Odile. Her lips go into a sneer, indeed, which works here (as it definitely does not in Don Q!), but at their widest are not able to project vividly enough to the audience. As the sides of her mouth pull down, her nose scrunches up and the resulting expression is more comical than sinister. The closeups on TV helped us see her face whereas sitting in a seat at the theatre we miss a lot of what she is valiantly trying to do.

Mireille, that entrée was one of the changes that thrilled me! Only the first four swans did it, so it wasn't a significant modification, but I thought it was just delicious and enjoyed it immensely (I remember letting out a cry of delight when the first swan entered!).Likewise, the "carousel" was a cheerful addition/reconstitution. Unnecessary? Maybe. But "unnecessary" is in the eye of the beholder. So unnecessary has been deemed the jester that this production didn't even hint at his existence. Black cygnets seemed to be unnecessary to this version as well. So, why not insert something as charming as the maypole if it doesn't hurt the story in any way? Visually, the effect is stunning. I just loved it! It was a smart move for television.

Are you maybe confusing von Rothbart at the lake (Isaac Stappas dressed somewhat as a swamp creature with bulging thighs) with von Rothbart at the ball? I think Marcelo looked gorgeous in his costume!

My heart is so full, it's hard to draw breath! I was so lucky to be able to see this in Canada!!!!!! (Thank you, Rochester!) Who would have thought: von Rothbart (Marcelo Gomes) performing the Russian dance! How perfect it was! So many other thrills, not the least among them Gillian's incredible fouettés!

What a coincidence! I have Farrell's book at my elbow right now and was just rereading parts of it over the weekend (I read it through once years ago and find myself continually referring to it). Mainly, I was reading about her Russian coaching adventure and read the part you mention. I am quite sure she is referring to Komleva.

Yes, they are cygnets (my daughter has danced the role several times, being of the shorter persuasion), although in Act II the same cygnets are never black, which is confusing, too. Looking for the deeper meaning is what I do to reconcile the fairy tale with real life, as fairy stories often have a moral to them. Choreographers who revamp traditional ballets do the same, sometimes mercilessly toying with the elements of the original. Has anyone seen what James Kudelka did to Swan Lake?

Not finding any information on the subject elsewhere (I'll bet Major Mel has something!) I'll give you my own thoughts: 1) after the confusion of Act III, the poor prince really can't tell black from white anymore, making it all the harder to find his own beloved swan queen among all the Odette/Odile lookalikes and heightening his state of angst as he tries to sort out good from evil, which thrills the audience with the ..... 2) exciting visual choreography: black swans counterbalanced by white, traveling in opposite directions, encircling and prohibiting access to Odette, which initiates the ..... 3) psychological effect, particularly as they auger the coming (usually) tragic climax, which promotes the idea that ..... 4) everything in life is, after all, simply black and white -- and that is something that even a child can understand!

What you probably felt was the response one has to the typical Russian Don Quixote character. I saw Balanchine as Don Q, too, and know what you mean. Atypically, his was the first Don Quixote production I had ever seen. I didn't see the Kitri/Basilio original version until about a decade ago.Despite Balanchine making a new, very different Don Q, perhaps the befuddled characterization was due to his earlier acquaintance with the well-known version. As soon as you used the word "tentativeness" I thought of the usual Russian interpretation of the role. He made the ballet for Farrell, so it is understandable that he was not going to do anything to steal the show from her. He remained her (er, I mean Dulcinea's) faithful servant, if you will, throughout, in awe of her presence and became a shadow following it.

There was a book called "The Rise and Fall and Rise of Modern Dance" published around 1969 or 1970. I've thought about this book occasionally over the last few decades, always with the mental note that we could add another "and Fall" to the title. Throughout the 1970s, modern dance lost the fervour that had theretofore accompanied it and these days it's hard to find anyone involved in dance, but not with modern, who really understands it. What passes for "modern" in some ballet schools is offensive, even an embarrassment, if I may be so bold as to make such a statement. My concern is that today's young dancers think they know what modern dance is when they don't have a clue. That is not their fault, of course, but it bothers me nonetheless. This ignorance has caused them to present what "modern" choreography they have learned in sometimes quite inappropriate ways that are directly antithetical to the tenets upon which modern dance was originally based. Graham technique, which was very difficult to learn properly, was so carefully thought out that dancers had to apply themselves to the study of it with the same focus ballet students must have to achieve their technical skills. Yes, muscularity and weight were emphasized, but there was so much more. Graham took Isadora Duncan's idea of making all movement originate from the solar plexus further by giving it the form of rhythmic, sharp contraction and release, which became central to her work. Feet flexed, not pointed, angular arms and hands, spirals to put weight behind and between the contraction-release all served to carry the concept throughout the body. The popularity of this style, and of the other major techniques and styles (Cunningham, Hawkins, Taylor) rose dramatically in the 60s, coinciding with the anti-establishment political movement and the beginnings of women's liberation. The rapid changes occurring in those arenas helped feed the public hunger for alternatives in culture, as well, and modern dance was well placed to receive the attention it deserved. Besides being for many adherents a place to express themselves, it was for some of its audience a vital counter-culture gathering place, not unlike the great jazz clubs of the time. As society returned with a vengeance to the mainstream we find ourselves in now, with women's liberation also a misunderstood concept by today's young women, modern dance began to fall by the wayside, too. With audience and dancer passion waning, the original disciple-teachers aging, and truly knowledgeable newer teachers slowly declining in number over the years, the window began to open for the bastardization of the art form. This is just my personal sociological obervation over the decades and I'm open to hearing other viewpoints!

I'm doing it, too! And the words are running through my head in two languages: English and Estonian (my hubby still performs it and the audience always joins in for the refrain!)

There are a few on Ebay, some "Post Card" 33s and a few 45s of "Those Were The Days". They are all located in the States or Canada and I see you are in Europe. I didn't check ebay U.K. -- perhaps you'd find some there. I still have both of those recordings from when I bought them in the 1960s. I was a fan of hers, too. If you "Google" her name, you will find some sites which sell the newer CDs made from the old recordings.

Paul, Margot Fonteyn was my first, gut-reaction, response. But, I thought, hey! that's too easy -- and so I went digging further into my brain! She certainly does resemble the Royals, and she could easily be their very elegant cousin who always behaved royally, in interviews and the TV shows she hosted.atm -- Has the Russian Tea Room become the "Rush In Tee Room", now that is is owned by the USGA (United States Golf Association). I remember how aghast I was a few years ago when news of the sale came out. What is being done with the property? Is it still a restaurant? Talk about ballet styles! Another era ended. Where do ballet people hang out now? As for Treefrog's original question, I think if such a video could be conjured up, many of us would be able to ballpark the time periods of the dancing. What an interesting experiment it would be!

Dame Alicia Markova (aka Alice Marks) always reminded me of the young queen. She bears a resemblance to the young Princess Margaret as well, now that you made me think about it. And its seems that Princess Anne adopted her trademark ballooned hairdo!

It's gotta be Suzanne Farrell, with that wonderful look-of-innocence-and-mystery overbite!

Thanks, carbro, that was fabulous! I love reading dancer interviews!

In response to Alexandra and carbro: Correct, and correct! One point to Alexandra for Rudi Gernreich's topless swimsuit (it was mid-60s, not 1970s), one to carbro for Mary Quant's miniskirt. As a flower child of the 60s (actually, I was just an onlooker of flower child age, as I still am to all that unfolds around me), Quant was famous for introducing the miniskirt. While others came up with the idea of the miniskirt, she acheived the worldwide marketing coup. The smokey eyes and pale lips look which launched her cosmetics line were triggered by the miniskirt craze. Gernreich's swimsuit was widely debated as to whether it was a publicity stunt, especially given the times. Whatever it was, it's what put him on the map and into people's consciousness.

Why does any style change? The people want change! I think the answer, in simple terms, can be seen all around us. Everything that is visual has changed: fashion, architecture, gourmet cooking, hair. We, as humans, crave improvement and variety. We are not content to have things remain the same. "A man's reach should exceed his grasp". We'd still be living in caves if it weren't human nature to strive for more, better, enriched, improved -- and aesthetically pleasing. In ballet, we are only restricted by the body's physical limitations which are constantly being challenged in all kinds of physical activity and sports. Seeing that what was formerly thought impossible may not be so -- at least not with everyone -- we go higher, longer, pointier, more sculpted, turned-out, lifted, gymnastic, to achieve the more astonishing and the more sublime. Over the years, our eyes and brains acclimate and re-develop our artistic sense. Audiences today, I think, will continue to appreciate the ballet of previous centuries for its historical significance and for specific dancers they have seen or heard of. Much as we now look at the counter-culture fashions of the 1960s (ironed-straight hair, Twiggy-inspired bodies, go-go boots, minidresses and micro skirts, bell bottoms, granny glasses, leather sandals, fringed vests) as dated and even ridiculous -- no matter how enamoured of them we might have been in the day -- the ballet of that time has become iconic as well, especially to those who never saw it because they weren't born yet. Our idols from then will forever remain Suzanne Farrell, Jacques d'Amboise, Edward Villella, Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, Anthony Dowell, Maya Plisetskaja, Galina Ulanova, Carla Fracci, Erik Bruhn. Time will probably do little to change their status or appeal. Ballet in general, and despite the truth, will, as years go by, be thought of as less demanding and less difficult, less beautiful visually, and perhaps less stressful in the "past" than it is today. It is apparent, already, and not only in students, but in the remarks of former star dancers who say, "I would never have been accepted into "_________ Academy" or "_________ Company" if I were a young dancer today. I have offered a simplistic view, of course, and have not gone into the details which may disprove parts of my argument. Still, I stand by what I say, simply as one who has lived long enough to see many waves of style come and go in all areas of life. Ballet, in all its purity, is not at all immune to the vagaries of style. It contributes its own elements to cultural vogue. Mini-off-topic-quiz: What were Mary Quant and Rudi Gernreich each famous for?

There's a short piece on Daniil's win in this online newspaper. It gives a little bit of info on his background and the HIBC as well. Daniil Simkin article Congratulations, Daniil! We are all very proud of you. A reminder: Daniil and his father Dmitri Simkin are both on the roster of performers for this year's Gala des Étoiles at Montréal's Place des Arts on September 8th. edited to add: I just saw that the article on Daniil was already referenced by Mme. Hermine earlier this morning in the "links" thread. Sorry for the repetition, but as they say in Estonian: "toppelt ei kärise" ("it won't rip if you double it").

Thank you so much, carbro and dirac, for your well wishes. I'm doing better in the hand department, worse with my back today. I'm still typing left-handed, though, but mousework with the injured right is pretty okay! That makes it a heap easier -- mousing with the left hand is really difficult for us non-ambidextrous. At least I can scroll and read things, and that to this BTalker is a godsend. I've been doing lots of editing in my mind of thoughts on this subject. I wonder how many of you also frame most of your ideas as articles or essays....?