Old Fashioned

Oh yes, there are a ton of dance studio ads in our local publications and phone books that always list pointe separately from ballet.

Alas, I had to witness most of the above at a recent recital of my little cousin's. As rude as it was, I had to leave during intermission simply because I couldn't stomach any more of it. I made the excuse of feeling somewhat ill, which I suppose was partially true. :rolleyes: Thankfully my cousin doesn't take dance seriously and only uses it as an aid to her figure skating training (and if I may brag on her behalf, is progressing along quite impressively at the age of 8 ).

Any word on what they'll be performing? A couple of my friends attending UT would be interested.

Swann's Way, part 1 of In Search of Lost Time- I'm disappointed in myself for finding Proust such a tough read. Meh, I'll try picking it up again later. Lauro Martine's April Blood- I bought the book because the Medici documentary on PBS intrigued me, but I haven't gotten around to completing it yet. Maybe when I'm studying Italian Renaissance? Carlos Eire's Waiting for Snow in Havana- I got about halfway through and then stopped. I'm not sure if I want to start over and finish. I feel guilty about buying all these books and not finishing them, and then moving on to other books. I think I've done a decent amount of reading so far this summer, though, as much as time allows. I've completed Blue Angel, Birth of Venus, Answered Prayers, In Cold Blood and Half-Blood Prince, with The Historian on the way.

I also watch most movies at home now, too. I don't have to deal with crying babies or that stale popcorn stench. Those aren't the only reasons I rarely go to the movies now. Most of the new blockbuster films being released don't interest me (the only two I've seen this year at a multiplex are Batman Begins and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). I would much rather spend my 7 dollars at someplace where there's an inviting atmosphere (usually ends up being a restaurant ) and where I can converse with friends. However, I do enjoy going to an indie arthouse theatre and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston to see screenings of lesser known or older films. It's a shame nothing like that exists in my suburban town and I have to drive half an hour into the city to see those.

http://cubahora.co.cu/galerias/festival_ba...est_ballet.html Ack Aside from the crotch-splitting extensions (including a 6:00 penchee in Giselle), here are some lovely pictures of the National Ballet of Cuba. I wonder if it's a matter of coaching and if this extreme flexibility is encouraged...?

I <3 Shades. I've never seen Bayadere performed live, but watching the Nureyev production for POB on video was a life altering experience. Haha, not really, but like everyone else has said, I also find the entrance hypnotic and mesmerizing. Watching the POB corps girls coming down the ramp one by one with their lovely hyperextended knees and high insteps creating those beautiful lines was enough to convince me this must be one of the most brilliant moments ever created in ballet, regardless of the repetition.

Very exciting. This will be the first time I'll be able to view the company on a regular basis!

Hahaha I was thinking the same thing.

What a shame. I just came across another message board (I dunno, same one?) where someone expressed a similar sentiment, except this time it came from a young dancer.

I thought she would have, but she expressed timidity about the scene where she's teaching class to the professional dancers.

I can't answer your questions, but I was just recently thinking about actresses portraying ballet dancers in films and how their body types are more or less convincing as dancers. Julia Stiles- neither convincing in body type or acting in Save the Last Dance. Leonor Watling- could very well be a dancer, but I only hear Pedro Almodovar refer to her as an actress in the director commentary for Talk to Her. She doesn't look at all out of place among the Nacho Duato group while stretching at the bar, although we can only see her upper body. She has the "look" of a dancer. Geraldine Chaplin- made a convincing ballet mistress in Talk to Her. Very elegant. Greta Garbo- we never get to see her dance in Grand Hotel, so it's hard to say. editing to add When I think about it now, her body wasn't the right type. She has those (lovely) hunched shoulders. Her acting, however, is unsurpassed. I would have likely been disappointed in a Grand Hotel remake with Margot Fonteyn in the Garbo role.

I'm addicted to Netflix. I think I've seen more classics in the past few months I've been using it than I have my entire life. I've recently been cutoff from TCM so Netflix has become my main movie source. I know I wouldn't be able to find that kind of selection at my local video rental stores. The one frustrating thing is Netflix doesn't carry movies currently only available on videotape, like Fred and Ginger films (I know! Coming out on dvd soon) and Garbo films (other than Grand Hotel).

Hmm, reminds me of a discussion in my English class we had awhile ago. We were discussing the difference between iambic- where a short accent is followed by a long- and trochaic- long followed by short. Someone mentioned the iambic is most commonly used in the English language and the trochaic is profound in French, although I don't think it's a very good generalization since I came up with plenty of words in the French language with either an iambic or trochaic pronunciation. *scratches head* By the way, Canadian French can sometimes sound like an entirely different language from French French.

Although it's not much, here's a link to a lovely picture of her as Giselle: http://www.houstonballet.org/Ticketing_Sch...lendar/Giselle/ It's disappointing how few online images there are of HB dancers. I can't find a single decent one- at least one large enough to see details- of the legendary Janie Parker. Someone want to do a mass e-mail to Ballerina Gallery and ask the site owner to add Houston ballerinas?

Barbara Bears is one of my favorite dancers. Unfortunately, you won't get many replies since there aren't too many HB fans here, but for those who do watch the company on a regular basis can attest to her talents. I believe she used to be a student of Victoria Leigh's. Bears may not be the flashiest dancer, but her understated elegance and classicism are what make her such a standout. She left the company for awhile to raise a child and most of us thought it was a permanent retirement until Stanton Welch asked her to dance again. IMO, that's one of the best things that has happened to this company in recent years, bringing back such a gifted and much missed ballerina. After her comeback, she was even better than what I remembered of her; there seemed to be an added dimension, more maturity, to her dancing. Perhaps it has something to do with one's changes in real life, and it makes me wonder why more dancers don't have children.

I agree, which is why I should always prefer Kwan's long-held and change of edge spirals to Cohen's which are skated on a rather flat edge, even if she has the better extension. I also hate the charlotte, which is required to perform on a flate blade. It's a hideous position and doesn't require the effort of an upheld back. This has nothing to do with legs in the air, but in terms of positions of blades on ice, I don't think there could be anything more exhilarating than a beautifully executed, deeply held eagle.

As much as I like Malakhov, I don't think he's handsome enough for the role of Nureyev. Konvalina, while he is less well known, bears a stronger resemblance to Rudy and also has those nostrils.

Well, you can do any of the 5 positions in parallel. 6th is basically 1st in parallel.

I think either Igor Zelensky or Zdenek Konvalina would suit the role of Nureyev.

Definitely not. I see Javier Bardem.

Allegra Kent.

Really? I don't recall that.

I would say that's probably it. I've only seen her on video, but in the RB one with Dowell she completes a strong set of fouettés but travels quite a bit.

That's one of the things I loved most about him when he was still dancing with Houston Ballet. He may not be a dramatic dancer, but he expresses a true joy of what he's doing, and he never failed to bring a smile to my face.