scoop

I still haven't stopped screaming over the prospect of "just one," but I'm inclined to go with Concerto Barocco. Divine music, and choreography that is Balanchine distilled to its essence.

Oberon, I remember the Baryshnikov staging of the Nutcracker because it used to be shown every Christmastime on PBS -- I never saw it on stage.

The best thing about the TV production, I thought, was Gelsey Kirkland and Baryshnikov as Clara and the Prince -- what a great partnership (at least on stage B), and this captures them at their peak. Kirkland was just beautiful -- I still remember how delicate her footwork was and how she really captured the character of a girl growing into womanhood. Baryshnikov is his usual breathtaking self, and it was quite touching how protective he seemed toward her as Clara.

What I didn't like was the heavy psychodrama surrounding Drosslemyer -- he seems unnecessarily dark and almost creepy. I especially disliked how he floated in and out of the final pas de deux for Clara and the Prince (what in most other Nutcrackers is the Sugar Plum Fairy's dance with her Cavalier); it seemed a bit heavy-handed. Like, got it, she's caught between two worlds, childhood and adulthood, reality and fantasy, yadda yadda. Still, writing about the production makes me want to see it again.

Thanks to everyone for your fascinating stories. I must have missed this thread when it started, so to add my late two cents...

Of all the many reasons I take ballet, right now the one that comes first to mind is the way it connects me to things and people I never otherwise would encounter. Paivi, I love what you said about ballet connecting you to something larger and more beautiful. So many of us work in non-artistic professions, and studying ballet makes us less the spectator and more the participant.

I also love the connection to other people who feel the same way as I do about ballet. My job requires a lot of traveling (I'm in Santa Fe now) and taking a class in a strange city makes me in a small way less the stranger. It's great to interact with people in a way that isn't a business transaction. I really think someday I have to write a book or something about "Travels with Ballet" -- it's quite heartening to find so many teachers and students across the country who believe ballet can be part of an adult's life even if they never perform or "do" anything with it. To simply do it is the point!

I recently re-read Suzanne Farrell's autobiography, "Holding On to the Air," and it really is splendid on her career and working with Balanchine. There's a new edition out.

The other autobiography I've enjoyed is Edward Villella's "Prodigal Son,"

which manages to show the ballet world warts and all but without bitterness.

Further displaying my NYCB bias, I also like Toni Bentley's "Winter Season," a very charming behind-the-scenes look by a corps dancer.

Bravo, Jack, for your excellent re-cap of Farrell's comments -- I'll never need a notebook if you're in the audience!

And Mary Lynn, you'll be glad to know that Farrell is planning to stage the entire Don Quixote in 2005. It hasn't been performed since the 1970s.

And wasn't it neat when she walked to center stage before Stars and Stripes and -- after a bit of technical problems that she wryly noted were the price of live theater -- lifted both arms overhead in time with the rising curtain, crisply executed a quarter-turn and strode off-stage in her red stilletos!

(Oh good, someone else has posted about Friday night's performance -- I lost the program insert identifying who danced what. )

I agree, Ari, that Suzanne Farrell's best remarks were when she went off script and spoke so movingly about Meditation, the first ballet Balanchine choreographed on her. As for the quote you don't quite remember, same here: As I recall it, she told Mr. B she felt awkward. was ruining his choreography and would he like to change the step. Mr. B. said, "It's OK to sometimes be awkward" (followed by, and my memory is less clear on this...) when we are in love, or when it comes to love. Then she said, to the audience, how grateful she was to be allowed to learn on stage. Throughout her remarks, I was kicking myself for not bringing my notebook to jot down some notes.

The program, I thought, was a bit problematic -- I don't think Balanchine's ballets lend themselves very well to excerpting. Without context, the Apollo pas de deux, for example, makes almost no sense. You really need to see Apollo in his just-born incarnation, callow and youthful, to get the impact of the entry of the muses into his life. The culminating pas de deux with Terpsichore didn't have its usual power for me without it.

Agon worked better for me as an isolated pdd, perhaps because there's less back story to miss. Natalia Magnicaballi was quite impressive in all the bend-me, shape-me moves. I also thought Medidation was lovely -- Chan Hon Goh and Peter Boal were very moving. She seemed a little overly tragic to me, though, but I've never seen the ballet so I'm not sure what "air" it generally has. I had the impression from Farrell's autobiography that it was more of a wistful, lost-love sort of ballet, while last night it came off as more despairing.

My biggest disappointment was not seeing more of Peter Boal, or rather, Peter Boal dancing. Because of the nature of the program, he was largely lifting and supporting (not to make him sound like something out of the Victoria's Secret catalog! ). I agree that Unanswered Question was pretty awkward -- Cheryl Sladkin seemed uncomfortable up there in what is undeniably a challenging role. (For those unfamiliar with the ballet: Four men support and pose the ballerina, who never touches the ground, often just holding her up by the ankles or handing her off to one another.) It reminded me of a mosh pit where you worry that they're going to drop the poor girl.

After all the excerpts, I really enjoyed Stars and Stripes -- the company did the pas de deux with the male and female variations, plus the finale. As much as I love Balanchine's pdd's, I just adore the way he moves a crowd of dancers on a stage. The company looked sharp and saucy. I kept thinking how only an immigrant would think to choreograph a ballet to Sousa and so happily capture that oh-so-American strut and swagger.

I picked up a novel this summer that I still haven't read: ""The Four Temperaments," by Yona Zeldis McDonough. She's a former SAB student, and the title refers to the Balanchine ballet of that name. It sounds kind of melodramatic, about a young New York City Ballet dancer and a violinist who falls in love with her, but I thought it might have some interesting behind-the-scenes stuff given the author's background.

As a Baltimorean, I loooove Hairspray and have fond memories of the filming, opening, etc. of the movie. In addition its celebration of dancing, of course, what I adore is its uniquely Baltimore sensibility -- you're fat, you talk funny, so what?!

Has anyone seen the Broadway show -- it won just about every Tony. I think it's touring now, although I missed it when it came "home" to Baltimore for its first stop.

I went Friday night and thoroughly enjoyed the mixed -- very mixed! -- program. What struck me was this is a company searching for its style, and beginning to find it -- which was fascinating to watch as the program unfolded.

To get them out of the way, I wasn't much taken by two small pieces that came in the middle of the program. "The Poet Acts," a pas de deux by artistic director Septim Webre, seemed slight -- inoffensive, sort of atmospheric, but going nowhere in particular. There was also a solo, "Nocturne Monologue," that was quite impressive in a gymnastic sense -- I wonder if the dancer/choreographer Jason Hartley has thought of developing it into something more, ie part of a larger piece.

The program opened with "Momentum," which I watched with great fondness -- to me, this is part of the company's institutional memory, and it was great to see a new generation of dancers performing something by the late Choo-San Goh. It's one of those neoclassical, unitard ballets, but surprisingly it's held up quite well over the years and the company looked quite sleek and elegant.

The highlight for me, though, was the last piece, "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated" (which, come to think of it, describes my seat as well!), by William Forsythe. Many on this board seem familiar with this piece, but to describe it just briefly: In a big, harshly lit space, to equally harsh, banging music, a group of dancers in leotards and tights dance dance in various groupings or simply saunter about. I love how the dancers suddenly would break into a very taut, tensile bit of dancing, then just as suddenly stop and walk away. It was also amazing to watch how most of the movements were classical in origin, yet re-imagined into something totally inventive and unexpected. The pacing was just breathtaking -- there was something -- or rather many somethings -- going on constantly on various parts of the stage that it was hard to choose who to watch. The dancers were totally on -- even though I knew better, I would have sworn Forsythe had choreographed the piece specifically to each one of them -- it fit them that perfectly.

Gotta run, but maybe I'll have thought of something to say about "Firebird" later. Over all, I must say I was stunned at how much improved the company is from even the last time I saw them, less than a year ago. It's an exciting time to watch them -- the house was packed, by the way, so I hope others will chime in....

Hi Susan, I used to live in Fort Lauderdale (coincidentally on one of those isles off Las Olas that you and Jack were talking about) and on a trip back several years ago I stayed at the Riverside. I really liked it -- it's historic and yet simply and elegantly decorated, not frilly and flowery. One thing re taxis, in most parts of town it's hard to find one. You generally have to call ahead, they're not just there on the streets. But I'm sure the hotel can call one for you. Have a great trip!

Oh, WOE! A couple of Saturdays ago I stopped by the Kennedy Center to buy a ticket for this and was told they couldn't sell me one because it was part of a package. I didn't have time to sort through which package, how many events, etc., so I took a brochure and thought I'd deal with it later. Well, between Isabel and just general life-clutter, I only got around to checking the KenCen website today to find out the class is SOLD OUT!

So to echo Cabro, anyone who goes, many details please!

I picked up a novel at the beach this summer that I never got to -- "The Four Temperaments" -- which I hope will survive the change of seasons. Ie, seems like the kind of book you might enjoy on the beach but maybe not otherwise! I seem to recall not-glowing things about it on previous threads but picked it up anyway since it was written by a former SAB student and thought it might have interesting scenes, etc., from that world.

The book I really want to read, though, is "Triangle: The Fire That Changed America," by David von Drehle, who is a superb newspaper writer (at The Washington Post). It's about a fire in a sweatshop in New York in 1911 that killed about 150 workers, mostly young immigrant women, and led to much political and social reform.

Being a member of that esteemed profession that runs towards rather than away from disaster (journalism) I joined Isabel in Richmond and Norfolk, VA. To those who have been to the adult ballet camp in the former, I stayed at the Crowne Plaza that you all stay at and can report it kept power, ice, etc. throughout. The rest of Richmond is another matter -- just about everyone lost power, trees were down everywhere and traffic lights were out. I actually spent the storm proper in Norfolk, where there was massive flooding and near total power outages.

It was among the scariest couple of days I've been through -- at night, with no street lights, it was heart stopping just trying to get around. It was hard to see a huge downed tree in the road until you were practically on top of it.

The next day, everyone was out looking for ice and gas -- and there were so few places that had either, lines formed around the blocks and fights broke out. Just awful! I was down to an eighth of a tank when I finally found a gas station and waited two hours in line so I could get the h--- out of Dodge and go home!

Then, arriving home in Baltimore yesterday ... I discovered my power out. Still out, grrrr. One friend in the county is out of power AND water, poor thing. I did manage to make it to pilates this a.m., but reluctantly decided not to go to ballet this p.m. since I have to go to Chicago for a family event... At least there's electricity there! :grinning:

I think if it were someone else teaching, I'd worry that it would be one of those awful things where the unsuspecting are indulged into thinking they're "dancing," but given that it's Suzanne, I have higher hopes. I'm slightly giddy at just the idea of being in a class setting with her! :grinning: Presumably I'll settle down before December!

Um, I thought the class sounded, uh, worth taking. Am I a total geek?

Really good points about the nature of atonement in "Atonement" that hadn't occured to me when I read it. There really ISN'T much atonement, is there, on Briony's part. I wonder if that's McEwan's point, that atonement doesn't really exist? Hmmm. Now I'm interested in reading some of his previous works -- any recommendations? "Amsterdam?"

A totally engaging book!

I was glad that it received much love, warm fuzzies, etc. since it's timing could have been disastrous -- it's about a group of terrorists that takes hostage a lavish party for a Japanese businessman featuring an American opera singer as its guest. These terrorists, though, are more hapless than violent and murderous, and the story of how they end up captive, and captivated, with one another is just delightful. The ending totally caught me off guard -- don't you hate when you can spot the ending too soon?! -- and basically took my breath away.

I can't stop talking about this book, even a year after reading it and worry that I've become something of an "Atonement" bore!

There's something just so true about this book. I found the characters and their relationships so dead-on believable, that even as the amazing plot unfolded, with all its twists and coincidences, I never once thought: No way! And it is a dazzling story: A young girl mistakenly interprets something that happens during a family gathering, to tragic consequences. It's set in England, beginning in the time between the two world wars, and it manages to tell the big story of that era through the prism of this one family's experiences.

For anyone who has read the book, I'd love to hear what you thought of the ending. (I won't reveal the ending, in case anyone is midstream or is thinking of picking it up, so sorry for the following obliqueness...) I think there were reviewers who felt betrayed by how it ended, but I thought it was amazing -- heartbreaking, and yet totally in keeping with the book's sensibililty. I felt it really captured how we organize our own realities, and, in fact, that's the only way to survive the vagaries of life, by writing your own ending.

Treefrog, I LOVED "Atonement" and I'd be interested in what you and any other readers think after finishing it. Particularly about the ending ...

Farrell Fan, I just finished Laura Hillenbrand's piece on her illness in the New Yorker. Wow -- I don't think I've ever cried at the end of a magazine article before. Three cheers for her sweet and loyal Borden! It made me want to read "Seabiscuit" even though despite all the praise it's gotten it never seemed like my cup of tea.

I think for an upcoming trip, I'm taking "Empire Falls," a novel by Richard Russo that I started on a previous trip and never got around to finishing. It's about a man with all sorts of family-job-malaise-in-a-small-town sort of problems, written with a lot of humor and compassion. If it weren't for airplane rides, I'd never get anything read or finished!

Ha, love that one: Yo Mama!

I guess the artist who has it easiest is the pianist Lang Lang. Although I heard him on the radio once saying the two names were actually pronounced slightly differently, one being the family name and the other his given name but when translated to the Western alphabet they both became Lang Lang. I can't even begin to figure out how to spell it the way he pronounced it though!

I loved the drama of this piece, more so than the choreography. The principal dancers were dazzling, I thought, but I wish they'd had more to do. This was my first look at Yuan Yuan Tan, and WOW! I'd like to see her in something that does more with her amazing liquidity. I thought too many of the times she was lifted, for example, the choreography called for her to strike these splayed, stiff-legged positions. The times she got to really dance, like the final scenes with her lady-in-waiting and with Othello, were just breathtaking, like watching a feather caught in a breeze.

I did like the piece as a whole -- the mood and the set and the way the Othello story was distilled into a dance piece. I'm glad to have finally seen it -- in typical Baltimore public TV fashion, it came on later than advertised. Luckily I watched it live rather than taping it, since the times I've done that I've ended up with tapes featuring the end of a Yanni show and the beginning of an Antiques Roadshow!:confused:

I thought the aforementioned "Bel Canto" was quite beachy (or maybe that's because I sunburned myself on a Maui beach because I couldn't stop reading it!). Other good beach reads, I think, are those beleaguered-single-girl books like "Bridget Jones' Diary." One I'm thinking of reading is "The Quality of Life Report," about a New York-based TV reporter who goes out to Nebraska or some such state and finds ... oh, do you think it's love?

I'm hoping to, finally, get time to read a wonderful Christmas present, "Stravinsky and Balanchine." Also, a book that caught my eye recently by a favorite author, David Halberstam: "The Teammates," about a couple of old baseball players who take one last trip to visit Ted Williams. I like "journey" books.

And, this will tell you how long it takes me to get around to reading books instead of the newspapers and magazines that clutter my life, I plan to read other novels by the author I raved about in last year's version of this thread: Ian McEwan. I read "Atonement" last year and can't recommend it highly enough -- it's in paperback now. The story is about a British family, in between the two world wars, and turns on a misperceived incident one summer night that ends up having devastating consequences. The writing is just sweepingly beautiful and the story will haunt your imagination for a long time. I'm trying to decide which of McEwan's other novels I'll pick up next -- any suggestions? "Amsterdam?" "Comfort of Strangers?"

Even Baltimore gets Othello on June 18!