Old Fashioned

Oh la la...

More recently, has anyone seen John Malkovich's directorial debut, "The Dancer Upstairs"? I have not because it is only playing at one discreet theater in all of the metropolitan area of Houston.

I've seen people of different ethnicities other than Hispanic (or people who look like they could pass for being Spanish) dance the role. Last year, Lauren Anderson was featured in it and in the new issue of Pointe it has photos of Yuan Yuan Tan performing in Don Q.

Prince Daniel?

I plan to, and I agree with Calliope about it being a "teen" magazine. I only send for it because of the pictures. The new issue came out with a lovely poster of Jenifer Ringer.

Mr. Johnson, I don't think the writer was speaking of any single ballet in particular- it was an article on "musical awareness"- or maybe s/he didn't know or care much for Balanchine. Now, in the issue that came in today, there is something entirely opposite of what was stated (coming from a different writer, though): I have to wonder if comments like the first one are just to add volume.

I received it in the mail awhile back, and I was flipping through it again just yesterday and read this in one of the articles on music that I had passed up before: This obviously came as quite a shock. I doubt sincerely, when (or if) he said that, it was meant in that context. What do you think Balanchine was trying to say?

I was on my high school dance team for a year, and whenever we would go on a long road trip to a competition, I would attempt to play a video that I felt dancers might enjoy, whether it was ballet or a musical. The reaction I would receive would be "Ugh! Ballet!" Dancers who didn't even like dance. One of the team directors (who was reluctant to put it in in the first place) would immediately pull it out without any defense of what I was trying to share with my fellow teammates and ask if they wanted to watch "Signs" or "Harry Potter." Some of us (my friends and I) were appalled at her rudeness and lack of appreciation for the arts (especially since she was teaching one! Well- now I don't even consider what they do art anymore; I'm not sure I ever did). That was one of the many reasons I quit. Ed Waffle- Thank heaven for rush tickets and my friends who understand the wonderful power and importance of art, and also for those friends who may not be completely absorbed in it as some of us are but are at least willing to give it a try. For some reason, the "opera is hip" trend has not hit Houston- probably the whole of Texas- yet. I have taken advantage of super cheap tickets (see my excitement in the "Renée at HGO" thread), now all I need is a car.

I would like to learn how to engage my parents.

Yes, I've had to apologize a lot to my parents for liking the arts. They have absolutely no interest whatsoever, and whenever I tell them I would like to see an opera or ballet, we have to go through this big fuss. They think it's a big waste of time, I should be home studying academic school subjects, the theater district is too far away, etc. Their list of complaints is a long one. If I suggest they come see something with me, they laugh it off and say they don't like that kind of stuff. That's when I become really disappointed. I'm trying to introduce something to them that they're not familiar with, and they've already made their judgements about it. I tell them listening to opera on radio or watching a ballet on tape is a completely different experience from being there in the theater witnessing the real thing. There is not much I can do about it until next year when I will be able to drive myself downtown.

Most modern dancers do dance barefoot.

I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned this already, but I picked up an OperaCues magazine from the HGO booth at the Houston International Festival, and inside it says that the New York City Council has just passed the first law for banning the use of cell phones during public performances in the US. Dancermom2 said something about it being debated over and being vetoed by the mayor, so I'm not sure if this information is true.

My teacher claimed that the movie was "vital" to her teaching plans. At least it's historically accurate, unlike most recent (and not so recent) ones I've seen. I would love to read the book on my own time; unfortunately, it cannot be done in class because we have others to read- All Quiet on the Western Front and Night. Sorry to get so off topic.

Glebb- I just saw what you described in "Nicholas and Alexandra" today in history class. The film only shows them as background and one can't see much of them. Do you know who the two dancing the pdd are?

A review by Charles Ward. Masterful Fleming comes out singing in HGO debut

In the movie soundtrack it lists her as Ekaterina Chtchelkanova.

Wow, that's the third variation I've seen of her name. The song is the "Cell Block Tango," and she plays the Hunyak. Sorry, I don't know anything about her.

I had the pleasure of attending opening night of La Traviata yesterday to hear Renée's first Violetta. This having only been my 3rd opera going, I am not discerning enough to know if she did "good" or not, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and she was very well received by the audience (I'm not sure if it's because it was great performance or because she's a big opera star, or maybe both). Alfredo was played by Paul Charles Clarke and Bruno Caproni replaced Dwayne Croft as Germont. Clarke didn't get as enthusiastic applause as Caproni did. Everyone loved his Germont. It was truly something to look forward to, and I will be talking about it for ages to come. Glancing around at the audience, I still did not spy a gradual growth in numbers of teenagers attending the opera, despite the discussions about the trend on this board. Perhaps it was where I was sitting, which was third row from the orchestra pit, what I like to call the "rich donors' section" (I still cannot believe I sat there for a mere $25! Adults around my paid $200+ more than I had to; I feel like such a cheat). The only people I spotted around my age or younger, besides my friend and myself, were a few girls with their parents. It could have also been the night I attended, whereas teens might prefer matinees. When Fleming said awhile back that Houston was a "cultural backwater," despite our second largest theater district in the country, I thought this was probably why, but she has since taken that comment back. However, I saw a crowd of teens (looked like dancers to me) lining up for tickets to Dance Salad. Maybe the trend here is still "ballet is cool and popular." I hope to go to Dance Salad tomorrow night; I can hardly wait to see the Het Nationale in action!

Alas, I missed HB's recent Cinderella. I really did plan on going during my spring break, but then my parents decided to take me to Galveston. Cinderella is always a huge hit here, though, selling out like the Nuts.

Thank you all for your comments! Estelle, what do you mean by this?

Does anyone else plan on watching the new A&E movie being presented on April 8th? I've read that people think it is bad timing, but I never even considered the politic views that could play into this. I could care less about what others say; I am so excited about it, two of the greatest actors I've ever come across will star in it-- Depardieu and Malkovich. Hey, current events hasn't stopped my history teacher from discussing Napoleon and showing an A&E Biography on him, so why should this be any different?

Chicken feet are a very popular Chinese dish. They should be included in any dim sum.

The pictures are awesome. Did you notice Barbara Bears in the Apollo page? She must be coming out of retirement; I read an article on Welch becoming the new AD and how he was trying to persuade her to start dancing again. I can't wait.

I just received my brochure for next season in the mail. I don't think it has been posted on their website yet, so I'm listing all the scheduled ballets. World premiere by Trey McIntyre In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated The Sleeping Beauty World premiere by Julia Adam Divergence (Houston Ballet premiere)- Stanton Welch Four Last Songs Tales of Texas (world premiere)- Welch (this should be interesting...) Apollo (HB premiere), La Valse, Theme and Variations (yay! A Balanchine Celebration, something I thought would never happen here) La Fille Mal Gardee The Nutcracker

Cleopatra Williams is a favorite here.