Marga

I just stumbled on to the HET Nationale Ballet site and found that they have little under-a-minute video clips of their soloists. I'll link you to the one for Sylve, where she is shown in two excerpts, including part of a Sugar Plum variation in which she exhibits her incredible turning ability, including doing a "septuple" pirouette to the audience's great amazement and pleasure. Sofiane Sylve videoclip

Oh, do go! My daughter, who dances in Estonia, would love to be there but doesn't know if she'll have any time off then. For her, it's just a ferry crossing, as well. I wanted her to apply to compete, but she decided not to. The amount of variations and contemporary pieces one must prepare require a lot of time and hard work, not to mention coordinating your rehearsals with choreographers & ballet coaches and, often, getting permissions for the music being used. The participating dancer must make a serious commitment. Three soloists from the Estonian National Ballet, all very gifted dancers, were accepted to compete. I recognized a number of other names as well, some from U.S. companies like Boston Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, others from previous competitions. One young man from Kazakhstan, who tied for Bronze at Varna last summer, will also be competing. There are a few dancers from Finland whom I would like to see....all in all, quite a roster! I'd love a detailed report, please! P.S. I think the tickets have been on sale for some time already. You know how popular these competitions are.....

The list of competitors for the Helsinki International Competition to be held May 26- June 3, 2005 has been released today (click "read more" link under announcement, lower left, then the word "here" at "You will find the list of competitors here"): List of competitors for Helsinki International Competition BA poster Daniil Simkin is among the juniors who made it through to the competition.

I wrote a whole long post on this, with all the answers and questions when they were fresh in my mind, but, as sometimes happens, the post went "poof" into cyberland, never to be found again. This, as usual, removed all desire on my part to write it all over again. In the days since, I have forgotten the "answers" but I do remember some of the "questions". Perhaps we can come up with some new "answers" for them! • Who is Maria Tallchief? • Who is Tanaquil Leclercq? • What is Midsummer Night's Dream? • Who is Terpsichore? (the contestant pronounced it "terpsicoor" -- the "answer" asked for the the third muse, the muse of the dance, after listing Calliope and Polyhymnia) • Who is Gershwin? (the "answer" mentioned "Who Cares")

Here's the link: Giselle video on ebay whoops! ... I guess both of us were trying to help at the same time!

I love your turn of phrase, scoop! You've put in a nutshell, with those few words, what has been much discussed on these boards of late. Pretzel ballets! I've got to remember that ..... I've had my smile of the day!

Ah, yes, but at a cost, which she details wistfully and poignantly in her autobiography.

The perfect example for this topic, for me, is Alessandra Ferri. Before I read all about her lack of technique as a young principal, and her struggle to achieve it, I thought she was the epitome of what a dancer could be: a complete blend of superb artistry and technique. That's a testament to how well her technical limitations were hidden by her consummate artistry.

To try it out, say "e" with your lips pushed forward.

The candle dancer -- La Sonnambula!

The first one: Dee-a'-gi'lev

Definitely Aishwarya Rai! The young Elizabeth Taylor. Rita Hayworth Sophia Loren Claudia Cardinale Capucine Grace Kelly Catherine Deneuve Pier Angeli Yvette Mimieux Natalie Wood Shirley Jones Audrey Hepburn Jacqueline Bissett Jane Seymour Julia Roberts Demi Moore Gwyneth Paltrow Julianne Moore I am not at all drawn to male actors younger than I am, and cannot be objective nor subjective about whether they are good looking or not, so cannot comment on the likes of Jude Law, Brad Pitt, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, and other young'uns that many find attractive today. Since some of them are the same age (and some younger than) my own children, I look at them as just kids! However, I was gaga over No. 1 -- Fred Astaire!!! (talk about "je ne sais quoi"!) and... The young Albert Finney, Richard Burton, and Sean Connery Paul Newman at ALL ages Robert Redford Tom Selleck !!! (of 20 years or so ago) Harrison Ford and I would've keeled over Patrick Swayze had he been just 5 years or so older!

I understand that you are probably thinking of the kind of outfits worn in the past by Cher, for example, but I would not call the backless gowns of Jennifer Garner and Melanie Griffiths, and the reveal almost-all, in-your-face cleavage of many others, conservative. Maybe I'm showing my age, and the word "conservative" certainly is a relative term, but, as currently stylish as these stunning gowns were, the only thing they left to the imagination were the shape of the actress's legs!

The article is basically saying that when children are accepted into the Vaganova Academy, no one really knows if they will end up being dancers. Parents who dream about a ballet career for their children must remember that acceptance guarantees nothing. As students grow and hormonal changes occur, physiques can become unacceptable for a life in ballet. Even specialists cannot predict how a child will change in 2, 3, and 5 years. The parents are told that there will be a trial period when their child is accepted. Only around 50% will finish the full course. The regulations of the Academy define these criteria, and the children are assessed accordingly as they go through their training. Weeding-out of students is based on physical, psychological, and creative abilities. This child's mother presented the counter argument that her daughter's transfer is against the laws of all educational establishments governed by the state. She said that the Vaganova Academy states that their job is to prepare artists for the Maryinsky Theatre. However, this mother says her child does not want to dance at the Maryinsky. Maybe she wants to choose another company, or maybe she will teach. It was also said that this child's foot was found to be wanting in the "arch" department, and that it would be overtaxed as the work got technically harder. The Academy says that teachers and physicians should not continue with the professional training of this child in order to prevent future foot problems.

Here is an opportunity to bid on center orchestra seats T 123, 124, 125, 21 rows from stage for the March 5th, 2005 evening performance: Link to ebay listing for 3 tickets for March 5 evening performance

I did some digging for you and found the following page on the Bolshoi website (you have to register first before you can see unsold seats):Information on buying Bolshoi tickets and seeing seating chart with available seats

I was born in 1947 and grew up during the Cold War, hearing the occupation stories my parents told (my mother fled Estonia at 19, my father's father, working in America, knew to bring his large family over sooner). I probably share the feelings you have given our upbringing. That my daughter has been dancing in Estonia for almost 2 years still bewilders me sometimes. My daughter's friend went to study at the Bolshoi at the age of 14 and spent 2 years there, graduating from the Academy at the age of 16. Her mother made the comment back when she went that our children are now running to the countries we ran from!I state the above as a preface to my bit of advice on etiquette at the Bolshoi, and other matters of concern about communicating and dealing with Russians in these post-Communist times. We don't have to be afraid anymore! They won't detain us for questioning if we don't know the "rules". Travel to Russia, Estonia, and other formerly captive nations is the same as travel to any foreign country. There are always people willing to help you navigate the morés. My daughter had her share of mishaps and misunderstandings as she began her first year overseas at the tender age of 17. She faced surly store clerks who refused to help her figure out the coins in her hand as they moved to the next customer in line. She paid for tickets to the ballet before she found out that as a company member she could see all the ballets she wanted for free (and from backstage if she wished). But for every clerk who treated her badly, there were 5 who were overly generous with their help, and for every theatre staffer who didn't explain things to her, there were five who went out of their way to make sure she understood what to do in every situation. People are basically the same everywhere, and in Russia they are no longer recording your conversations in hotel rooms nor are there soldiers posted at the theatres to apprehend you if you keep your coat (but watch out for those babushkas!). Have a wonderful time and tell us all about it when you return! Edited after reading Natalia's warning below about the grandmotherly-types watching your coat behaviour!

That was only one of the ideas offered up in Canada's Globe and Mail a few days ago. From bed sheets for the poor and emergency clothing for disaster relief to dew collectors , life jackets for Third World countries , and ground cover for Yankee Stadium , there is no end to people's (questionable) creativity as they imagine the post-exhibit uses of the cooked buttery sweet potato {Notice I did not say saffron! } coloured swaths of fabric!Recycling ideas for Christo's Gates

I miss Delia Peters and Paul Mejia, too. Delia was one I always singled out to watch from my front-row subscription seat in the mid-60s. That was the best vantage point for observing technique, expressiveness, energy and dynamics, even physical highlights such as protruding veins (the first time I saw Edward Villella's sinewed arms and neck I was astonished), muscle contours, facial expressions, perspiration, as well as week-to-week changes in such varied and uniquely wonderful dancers as Suki Shorer, Patricia Neary, Gloria Govrin, Mimi Paul, Marnee Morris, Sara Leland, Susan Hendl, Anthony Blum, Conrad Ludlow, Deni Lamont, later Jean-Pierre Bonnefous, Helgi Tomasson, John Clifford.... I never got enough of them, and miss seeing each and every one very much! (I am not mentioning any of the obvious beloved dancers, either, all of whom I expected would dance forever!)

No doubt that is why many newbie and infrequent balletgoers think that the boxes are made of wooden blocks! I remember only a few years ago hearing a father watching a National Ballet of Canada rehearsal on their annual Open House Day telling his young daughter that the reason the ballerinas can stand on their toes is because the ends of their toe shoes have wooden blocks in them. It's not the first time, by any means, that I have heard someone offer up this explanation.

from the Tom Phillips article: ..."With the wind at your back on a blustery day, the saffron fabrics feel like sails straining ahead, pulling you forward. Going into the wind they can be the wings of a mother hen, gathering in her chicks." The above reflects another effect my friend mentioned, since she walked through the gates on a blustery day. When walking with the wind, she felt blown through the gates, hastened along by the flapping drapes; when walking against it, it was like an invitation to enter the orange world. Now I wish I had been able to stay in New York longer!

My only view of the Gates was after the Stars of the 21st Century gala as we drove toward the Triboro bridge in the rain. My friend was doing the driving so I got to look at the visible parts of the installation as we drove along Central Park West. Because of the rain and wind, some of the drapes were wrapped around the top bar (as often happens to flags left out in the rain) and looked pretty bad. My friend "did" the walk through the park in the driving rain before the ballet, while I was watching the dress rehearsal, and found it interesting, if not particularly stunning. She said that viewing it from different aspects lets you see either a wall of saffron? pumpkin? tangerine? (definately not terra cotta, peach, canteloupe, salmon, coral or shrimp) or undulating waves. People walked under the drapes with a hushed reverance or awe, she sensed, in contrast to the usual mood in Central Park. Personally (and after going through the obligatory pooh-poohing), I think it was a nice diversion for February. I don't know if the "emporer has no clothes" analogy is quite apt, despite the clever political cartoon in the New York Post that week (or was it the Daily News?) because in the emporer's tale everyone was too afraid to speak out and we have no end to opinions pro and con on this thread or in the media!

My daughter has one of Anna Antonicheva's shoes which she danced in when she performed Giselle with us a few years ago. The shank and tip are as hard as cement! I don't know how she was able to get it to bend with her foot at all. But, then, that's the reason for her hard shoes. She has two of the most flexible, arched feet in ballet! She needs the hardness for support.

Do you mean Megan Fairchild? Her height is listed in her Discount Dance profile as 5'3½". The questionnaires that make up these profiles are answered by the dancers themselves.

I saw Leticia Oliveira dance back in September (just over 5 months ago). I was not distracted at all -- didn't even think about her height -- rather, I was enchanted by her strong, lyrical performance. Of course I can be partial to shorter dancers, since my own daughter, who is a lovely dancer, is not quite 5'2", but I do acquire feelings for each dancer I view based on her merit as an artist, not on her physical stature. I have yet to be utterly distracted by a dancer because of her height, short or tall. There have been qualities in some dancers that have distracted me no end, but never their height, which is merely relative, after all.