Marga

What interesting responses to the question I posed to start this thread last Thursday! I am sorry for my own absence since then, but as soon as I posted, I drove off to Toronto for a few days of ballet showcase watching and the morning after I arrived home I fell down the stairs injuring my back and wrist so badly that I could barely move. Hence, I'm a little embarrassed at being AWOL. As soon as I can use my right hand again, I will contribute more to the discussion. Thanks, all, for the wonderful responses and ideas to ponder!

arrogance: a feeling or an impression of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or presumptuous claims In a May 15th Boston Globe article (see the links thread for that date) about the rise of the Boston Ballet under Mikko Nissinen, we read in the 3rd paragraph: I, for one, have witnessed this attitude to quite an extreme degree the whole of my children's 11 years of dancing, and even became a willing proponent as I saw the results in their training. Still, having been trained myself in Cecchetti, and seeing the new wave of "latin" dancers taking the spotlight over the last few years, there's no question in my mind that there is more than one way to reach the top in ballet and more than one "perfect technique". The emerging preference in the upward-spiraling direction of ballet seems to be with the Latin contingent, no matter what their training, and granted, many have had Vaganova training. However, their inherent cultural intensity is vastly different from that of the Russians and adds a delicious complexity to the whole picture. further in the article: Where in a ballet company in the United States has pure Russian style been a "lasting success", or is it too early to tell, given that the influx of Russian teachers, coaches, and dancers is less than 15 years old. I think Ballet Internationale under Eldar Aliev is too young yet to be considered lasting (and if they end up making the desired move to Los Angeles, I'm afraid that will be their swansong). still further: Will "Scandinavian style" have more of a lasting influence in Boston, at least, than Russian style? (It seems to be working with IKEA, worldwide ) Will the American public prefer and help sustain a style that does not constantly wag its finger at us, saying it's better than we are, simply for its origins and long ballet history. Members of the American ballet public, as a whole, are huge Balanchine supporters, and one of the reasons may be that Balanchine did not come here to convert us, but to use Americans and build on them a new style that began where the Russian style left off for him. So, do you agree that the arrogance is there, and if so, has it reached (or is it approaching) its surfeit?

Sylvie Guillem's MARGUERITE ET ARMAND and EVIDENTIA are both available on ebay right now, but they are playable only in region 2 (Europe, Japan, etc., but not the U.S. or Canada). Maybe some British members of BA are interested. If you enter "Sylvie Guillem" in the basic search field, these two auctions will come up (same seller).

The Bolshoi began as a dancing school for Moscow's orphans.

Here is the list of NBoC's ADs: Celia Franca, 1951-1973 Celia Franca and David Haber, 1973-1974 David Haber, 1974-1975 Celia Franca, 1975- 1976 Alexander Grant, 1976-1983 Erik Bruhn, 1983-1986 Valerie Wilder and Lynn Wallis, 1986-1989 Reid Anderson, 1989-1996 James Kudelka, 1996-2005 I remember being surprised when I heard on the news that Reid Anderson was leaving the National. I also remember that there were news reports of an unamicable parting.

I am too stunned to speak. .......... or maybe, for some ??!!?

Was it Olga Maynard's Bird of Fire - The Story of Maria Tallchief ? It's about 200 pages, published in 1961. I have this book and it is written for children.

Thanks for your response, Dale. The seatholders always eventually showed up and because it was a school performance they were able to be seated during the performance. The house was always full to the rafters, so it surprised me that some folks would think that the front row seats were unsold or unwanted. As for my daughter, she would have danced for any size house, the dance being the thing. Had the seats ever remained empty after intermission, I would have preferred to invite people I knew to move down and take them.

sandik, I've been mulling over this news for a part of this afternoon as well, and discussing it with my hubby. I have more than a casual interest, in that a young dancer friend of my daughter's has just been given a corps contract with Ballet Internationale and is moving to Indianapolis to begin her professional career there at the beginning of August. Despite the fact that many in the ballet world know who Eldar Aliev is, and that the legendary Irina Kolpakova works with the company, the Los Angeles public, ballet as well as otherwise, probably doesn't know, and the general public probably doesn't care. I foresee a big, fat failure for Aliev. After all, if John Clifford couldn't make it -- twice! -- with his connection to Balanchine, how can an unknown Russian, no matter how well-trained and coached his ready-to-roll company, do any better? Add in the immediate competition presented by the other two companies -- Ballet Pacifica and the new Los Angeles Ballet -- that are set to plant, water, and grow themselves into the L.A. cultural landscape, and you have a mixture where only one company, IF THAT, can take root and flourish. The other seedlings can't help but be choked out. Okay, enough gardening metaphors. (It's the beginning of planting season where I live ) Besides, Aliev's idea is still mostly a grandiose dream -- an ideal fantasy -- in his own head, despite the proposal that he commissioned someone to write using plenty of superlatives to describe what he would bring to the table. The problem is, there is no table, unless Aliev brings his own portable, folding one and sets it up in the Music Center's offices (an idea which makes a good metaphor for his intentions with his troupe ). The Music Center has responded to his proposal that it is not looking for a resident ballet company, that the cultural community it serves couldn't support a classical ballet company, no matter how young, energetic and enthusiastic its dancers are, and that if they were to be in the market for a dance group, they might not necessarily choose a ballet company. My money's on Stiefel, although I wish Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen a heap of good luck. In today's celebrity oriented culture, Stiefel is the only one with name recognition and huge celebrity in the ballet world, with some minor fame in the outside-of-ballet world as well, all because of THE MOVIE. If Stiefel can't revive Ballet Pacifica into something really wonderful that will attract all sorts of audiences for more than one or two weeks a year, then I guess LA is not ready for a substantial resident ballet company yet. That Aliev has been able to sustain his company outside of the ballet-savvy and critical environments of New York, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris, San Francisco, Stuttgart, and London is quite a feat. Ballet, regretfully, is not baseball, which everyone is aware of whether they follow it or not. The team names all have recognition factor with anyone who watches the news or reads a newspaper or hears people in conversation. I felt betrayed when "my" team, the Brooklyn Dodgers moved across country and became the Los Angeles Dodgers, yet I had never been to a single game and never watched baseball on TV or even went to any of my high school's games. Still, I identified with the team and knew who some of the players were. I'm sure Los Angeles knew what they were getting, too. Trying to move a ballet company in the same fashion just won't work. No one in LA is going to know -- or care (as in style of training, what kind of ballets performed, what luminaries are involved with the company) -- what they're getting. So, Aliev's contention that the City of Angels would be getting a ready-made troupe set to perform at the "pinnacle of excellence" (! pinnacle? -- no one challenged that statement in the proposal?) means nothing. Good grief, "the only company in the world that can move to LA, change its name and give itself over to Los Angeles..." !!?? -- this is not the way to win friends and influence people, to burn bridges or sever ties -- and especially not the way to leave your lover, the city of Indianapolis.

No, she was also born in the 1920's. She is only four years younger than Maria Tallchief and three years younger than Marjorie.

I don't know quite where to post this since this thread and the "creative ways to find a seat" thread seem to have traded places judging by the recent responses, so I'll just put my contribution here. It's on a much smaller scale that I write, but my situation could apply to the feelings of the well-heeled patrons at large theaters such as the Met and the State Theater who buy more than one ticket only to be left with absent friends or family members and their paid-for empty seats. When my daughter was still in ballet school she often had starring roles or solos in the ballet school's productions. These were full-scale complete classical ballets such as Don Q, Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère, Swan Lake, Giselle, etc. I bought as many as 20-25 tickets for each production in order to get really good seats and went about selling them to family and friends after I had the tickets in hand. On some occasions, ticket-holders were late arriving (my husband's family never arrived on time, this being a genetic trait passed down from his maternal side) and their front-row seats would often be unfilled until well after the overture. I was constantly shooing people out of these seats as they descended like fruit flies on a day-old peach to claim them. I couldn't believe the audacity of some of these folk, bold to the point of insisting they could sit there as long as they were empty, as if they didn't believe that anyone would be arriving to fill them, and further, that that gave them the perfect right to these top-dollar, best seats in the house. I had to tell them that I had paid for these seats and they were mine whether the family members slated to sit in them got there or not. I was often amazed at the temerity and sheer gall I witnessed! Perhaps there are those who go to see ABT or NYCB who can afford to buy a few tickets for family members who boorishly don't arrive on time. I know how it greatly diminished my enjoyment of the ballet being performed in front of me (as well as greatly adding to my stress) to protectively keep vigil over my purchased seats as well as hope the errant family members or friends showed up at all to prove to the nervy patrons who tried to usurp their seats that I was telling the truth.

Thank you very much, oberon! I've been interested in Suozzi ever since I was told he was a second or third cousin of my daughter's friend (from here in Canada) who dances with the Hungarian National Ballet. His face is uncannily similar to hers -- he looks like he could be her brother. They're the same age and have the same passion for ballet. My daughter's friend danced 3 years with the Universal Ballet and for the last 2 years has been a demi-soloist in Budapest. They even have Vaganova training in common (which I learned reading this article). I don't think they've ever met! I hope there are many more interviews coming soon!

Tallchief's father was a full-blooded Osage Indian and her mother was of Scottish, Irish, AND Dutch heritage.

Okay, from the horse's mouth -- make that "ballerina's" mouth -- Merrill Ashley is 5'7". She states her height on the webcast of "Balanchine Teaching and Technique" filmed last year during the Balanchine 100 celebration.

Yes, they were both very great and very famous -- the superstars in ballet at the time. Maria Tallchief was THE star of New York City Ballet and Nora Kaye the star of ABT. Each appeared briefly with the "other" company, Kaye spending 3 years with NYCB and Tallchief guesting with ABT, but they were the icons of the NYCB and ABT, respectively, during the heydays of their careers. Unfortunately, Nora Kaye died of cancer at the age of 67. Tallchief, 5 years her junior, is still teaching ballet.

:blush: Of course you're right -- thanks for the speedy correction! I guess my image of Carabosse doing the ghastly deed got transmogrified in my mind to the King, who does interact with Catalabutte, but indeed as a good King, to console him. In different videos I have seen it done different ways (when I was still looking at the act ). It's been shown as one abrupt removal of hair down the middle, from front of scalp to back, as well as the way you describe in your post, the pulling out of tuft after tuft until the poor fellow is completely bald.

For whatever it's worth, Mazzo is wearing heals in the video. I know Dance Spirit magazine lists 4'10" as her height at age 14 in 2003, but a lot can happen height-wise to a young girl between the ages of 14 and 16. In watching Part One of the "Balanchine & Ballet Technique" webcast yesterday where Suki Schorer stands next to Tiler Peck as she has her demonstrate steps in center, they are about the same height. Suki Schorer is 5'1" tall and she is wearing a very low heel, no more than 1", in this video. So, that would make Miss Peck about 5'2", I'd say.

Catalabutte is the guilelessly guilty character who has a swath of hair heartlessly torn off his scalp by the good King when Carabosse arrives at the christening party. This action makes me so queasy that when the scene is imminent I look away because I can't bear to watch it. When the hair-costuming and acting is well done, it seems so much like a real scalping. I could do without that part, integral to the story as it is!

It's Rachel Piskin. Thank you for drawing this video to my attention. I just finished watching Part I, and was totally enthralled. These girls are wonderful representatives of the Balanchine style. At their advanced student level (this was filmed during the Balanchine 100 celebration) they already dance like full-fledged company members.

I just found a reference to Ashley's illusion of height in a DanceView Times (DC) review written last year by George Jackson about the Miami City Ballet. In fact, the question of emploi is touched on here and there in the review: From Miami, Spunky Balanchine and Villella's The Neighborhood Ballroom

I saw Merrill Ashley around SAB, and watched her teach a class, while my daughter was auditioning for different SI's there 3 years ago. I was surprised that she didn't seem that tall! 5'6" or so, I'd say.

I remembered another Russian veteran: Nina Timofeyeva She retired at 53. On one of my videos, which includes an 80th birthday tribute to Asaf Messerer, she is one of his former students who dances a variation for him. She should be about 48 then, and is in fine form. Then again, it's only one variation, not an entire ballet, but I was impressed nonetheless.

I like your phrase "gratitude bleeding into regret" -- the word "bleeding" has a multi-layered appropriateness.

I thought of him right away and I'll let you in my thought processes to explain why I didn't mention him. I found his later performances so embarrassing given his earlier strength, bravura, and amazing stage charisma, that I kind of "vetoed" his candidacy for its lack of quality. That's a terribly bad reason, but my mind (in my second half century of life) works in funny ways sometimes. Of course, he deserves mentioning, as he is on a par with Plisetskaya and many of the others who danced in their 50s as far as proficiency is concerned. I think it's utterly wonderful for anyone to attempt dancing onstage in front of thousands of people at that age, much less an audience who remembers you when and is examining your every move. That Nureyev segued into orchestra conducting in his later life is also fascinating and a natural progression for one with his vast talent.

Martine Lamy, born in Trois-Rivières, Québec, entered The National Ballet School of Canada in 1975. In 1981 she won 3rd prize in the Junior Women's category in the 4th Moscow International Ballet Competition and, together with Serge Lavoie, the medal for best partnership. There is a partial clip of her dancing Swanilda's variation from Coppélia on the video "Holiday in Ballet", filmed at the competition. You can also see her as an intent student on the National Film Board of Canada's Oscar-winning documentary, "Flamenco at 5:15", recorded at the National Ballet School. Lamy graduated from the National Ballet School in 1982, continued her dance studies in Europe and New York on a Canada Council grant and joined the National Ballet of Canada in 1983. Her rise through the ranks was rapid as she was promoted to second soloist in 1985, first soloist in 1987 and principal dancer in 1990. Many roles were created on her, including the lead in James Kudelka's controversial "The Contract". Personally, I admire Lamy's fierce independence in both her onstage and offstage life. She is not the quintessential classical ballerina, nor the embodiment of the modern ballet dancer either, yet she performs in both styles with high technical proficiency, theatrical prowess, supreme self-assurance and stage charisma. Offstage, her breezy, busy, matter-of-fact, pragmatic personality has a lilt to it that is attractive and charming to all who see and interact with her in her everyday life. Her petite physique is pared-down-to-the-bone slim, physically rock-hard and visibly muscular. Martine Lamy is exceedingly fleet-footed, giving her a sprightly allegro, yet she's no-nonsense all the way, both in studio and onstage. With perfect line and clear, beautiful transitions between positions, she is the breviloquent Strunk and White, dancer's version, whose ballet signature, instead of the grammarians' "omit needless words" is "omit needless movements". Lamy will be very missed by her fans. She has no equal in persona on any stage in Canada. There are a lot of dancing years left in her. It's unfortunate that her retirement is another one hinged on the economic concerns of the company. The tumultuous ovation given her prior to her official sendoff on Mother's Day has exhibited the love the audience, fellow dancers, and all others at the National have for her. I am eager to see what she will do next! For one thing, I hope she will do more teaching than she is already doing. For anyone interested in taking class with her, the latest news from Kevin Pugh's "Dance Teq" website is that on May 10th, 2005, Martine is taking over Kevin's Tuesday morning advanced classes. Pugh is Lamy's colleague, former formidable NBofC principal dancer and senior silver medal winner at the 1981 Moscow competition mentioned earlier. Kevin Pugh's open-classes program "Dance Teq" at the Walter Carsen Centre studios of the National Ballet has been immensely popular since he began it nearly a decade ago. It's Toronto's concise version of "Steps on Broadway", commensurate with the dancer population ratio of Toronto to New York. To Martine Lamy, a hearty and appreciative thank you and brava! for all the pleasure and special moments at the ballet you have given us. May you spur on countless others to follow in your footsteps.