Ray

The publicity was bad all around. We stumbled upon this seminar, catching only the last half hour or so; we had come just to see the show from Philly, but could have (and would have) come earlier to attend it! Will have to see if they podcast/archive it....

Here is the NY Times Obit. I'm sorry that I hadn't seen this sooner. I remember him well from my time at NCSA, but for whatever reason, he did not teach much that year.

I agree that this could be a factor in some, usually less familiar repertoires (i.e., Polish or Czech). But in general, I disagree heartily, if only by the evidence of the diverse international cast of the recent Ring cycle at the Met. Electrifying singing (if not setting).

Kathleen, your comments about Handel and countertenors is fascinating and enlightening--the idea that we use them partly out of squeamishness w/gender of course sheds a whole new (and disappointing) light on things. That said, I really thought Christophe Dumaux as Ptolomeo was fantastic!

Well, no matter what one may think of his work, Webre is usually pretty savvy when it comes to marketing.

I am repeating a friend's words; they told him straight out that because he was Asian he would not be considered for membership in the corps. Nothing about his skill level or ability. So perhaps exceptional dancers were allowed as soloists/principals, but not into the corps, where uniformity is valued? The exceptions that support the rule? Yes, racism is a slur, but one better dealt with honestly than elided. And my original question still stands, but slightly altered: do these non-white dancers represent a veering away from the "English style"? So jjust how do you account for the successful careers of the likes of Ravenna Tucker, Rashna Homji, David Yow? All of these were Asian and did extremely well in the RB companies in the 1980's. Possibly there were more, I'm not a 'stats' person so apologies if I've left someone out. Perhaps it's easier to use race as an excuse for personal failings than to face the fact you are not up to scratch.

This is purely speculative, but I can't help but think that Webre was trying to capitalize on the success of the theater company Elevator Repair Service (most famous for their production of Gatz), who also staged a version of Sun Also Rises back in 2010. ERS's production, in my opinion, was innovative, and actually included movement in very interesting ways. Impeccable production values, including subtle sound design for the fiesta portion (no flamenco dancers, though).

Sorry, but I have to disagree here. I know several non-White Brits who were told that in no uncertain terms that their nationality (in one case, a Hong Kong native who was actually a UK citizen) would prevent them from entering the company. It was no secret, even if it may not have been printed policy. That was probably back in the 80s. It's not that anyone was hateful; it was just the norm. I am well aware that things have changed now; my question is simply can the "English style" accommodate the new diversity?

I think Jayne's questions below (re defining "international company") are well taken; we absolutely should interrogate that term. I guess I am less enamored with the nostalgia of an "English style." If we look at what that has meant historically, it equates to white (i.e., the RB has only very recently allowed non-white dancers into their ranks). So to those of you who mourn its passing, I ask: can we expand "English style" to mean something that's teachable to all who go through their training academies?

The headline to this article reads "Bryony Brind: foreign ballet dancers risk loss of British quirks." Is this something we should worry about? Is this something one would ever say about a classical musician? Should classical dancers have national qualities, anyway? I doubt an expression of xenophobia was intended here, but it sure sounds like it: "The former Royal Ballet principal dancer, claimed that the company had been "infiltrated" by foreigners instead of local home grown performers." I mean, the RB is an international company, right? I guess I understand this on some level, as the Russians have inundated all ballet companies after the fall of the wall. And I think there is certainly a point to be made about local arts education, which I'm sure has been cut back in the UK almost as much as in the US. Thoughts?

I think all of the comments above re our desires for more knowledge about Balanchine register the need for more, and varied, writings about him, his work, the cultural context(s), etc., etc.! No one work (i.e., Homans's) is going to be the end of it but, I hope, the beginning. I just think there need to be more heavyweight scholarly works on him/his work right now, from which other, perhaps smaller/more incisive studies/essays/articles could flow.

How can I put this respectfully... From my personal point of view, Tallchief certainly did "move on" with her personal life, no doubt about it. But I think when she was in the studio, she more often than not replicated the scene of her own intense training with Balanchine. (Again, this is my own observation.) In the best cases dancers whom she favored (few and far between) were able to learn something from her first-hand knowledge of working with Balanchine. In most cases, though, her approach sometimes made no sense (i.e., most of the young bodies Tallchief had to mold were far more flexible and well-trained from the start than hers ever was); sometimes it was just cruel.

Today's reviews: Robert Johnson: http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2013/05/in_nikolai_and_the_others_russ.html Ben Brantley: http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/theater/reviews/nikolai-and-the-others-by-richard-nelson-at-the-newhouse.html?ref=arts&_r=0

And easy on the eyes, always a plus for a radio personality!

In Septime Webre's Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises. More details here.

Jack: no, sorry; I'll have to take a deeper look.

Also, on a much smaller level, I wonder how future biographers will track Tallchief's years in Chicago, as an artistic director. I notice in her most recent autobiography, she doesn't spend much time discussing the work she did there, both at the Lyric Opera and Chicago City Ballet (which she co-directed with Paul Mejia). Those of us who danced for her have got to start writing things down, I guess!

Has anyone ever read "Tallchief in Orpheus" by Tallchief's daughter, the poet Elise Paschen? Tallchief in Orpheus (1998) You were all of twenty-three, married to Balanchine. The nights he spent, absorbed, at work on “Orpheus” you felt alone, and stayed at home, stitching an Indian patterned skirt. But when you danced Eurydice’s last pas de deux, you wrapped your arms and legs around your poet husband, “Orpheus,” willing him to look into your eyes. As Balanchine wrote, “tormented because she cannot be seen by the man she loves.” Attempting to seduce, you dance the dance till finally he tears away his mask, and you collapse to earth and die. During rehearsal Stravinsky asked, “How long to die?” In the score he scratched five long counts. The time of the ballet, “the time of sand and snakes,” “of Greek earth legends” wrote Balanchine. And Kirsten saw (describing their Gluck’s “Orpheus”) “the eternal domestic tragedy between an artist and his wife.” Your husband, armed with song, lays siege, enchants the gods to claim you back, vowing he will not look. But you persuade him. Therefore Orpheus throws off his mask, and loses you. His mask becomes a lyre. Mother, when I was young, I watched you from the wings and saw the sweat dripping from arms and neck, your gasp for breath. I thought it was your last. But no. You’d towel off, and then step into the spotlight, smiling.

Seconding Bart's idea, I would love to see a dance bio that could include clips. Much as a composer's bio would include quotations from scores. I do hope Homans is rigorous here. I don't know if my sentiments will be shared here, but I want to see an exhaustive, scholarly tome here, full of facts, footnotes, analysis, and arguments (and counterarguments). A critical account, as objective as possible; not a hagiography. Or if not that a narrowly focused but deep study of a particular aspect of B's life. Not something in between, as many bios are.

A better obit than the Chicago one.

The Guggenheim Foundation just announced that Jennifer Homans, author of Apollo's Angels, received a Fellowship. Because the last line of her bio on their website says she's working on a biography of Balanchine, I assume that that's what she's using the money for. Good for her; a new bio is overdue, I think. For all its virtues, I'd hardly call Taper's exhaustive.

So sad! When I was a kid--before I started dancing--I was a child singer in a local production of Carmen, and she was the director--along with Dennis Wayne.

You're right, I should be more direct: people should have been more critical of the Stowell-Russell regime long ago. There really was no "conversation"; the press (mostly) loved them, and detractors were mostly silent.

Candid interview with Mark Morris in the Seattle Stranger. (Strong language used in the article fyi.) What do people think of his characterization of the Stowell years at PNB? While I appreciate MM's frankness, it's too bad some of the issues he alludes to here couldn't have been part of a larger conversation long ago. As ever, he's making a very large splash in a shallow pool.

It's one of many unforgiving (=challenging) moments in Balanchine: once she's up there, that's it, there's no adjusting possible. Another is the promenading ballerina in Serenade where the kneeling man rotates her by her thigh. He's not in a great position to help (in terms of leverage) if she's not on her leg.