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tango49

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Everything posted by tango49

  1. Kate...Thankyou for such a detailed answer to my question! Some of the information I was aware of and some I was not. You have been a great help and am getting on top of this immediately! Wow, how utterly complicated and tricky this can become...especially for the common lay people! You seem to know your stuff and I will contact you if I get in trouble along the way! (If you don't mind that is)? Hoping your entry goes smoothly! Tango
  2. I've been reading this thread with great interest as I know the difficulty of the situation from talking to dancers and teachers who work here. I do have a question that I hope someone could answer for me. My son will be spending the next year studying in England and on the net I was told that he didn't need a student visa. We just got his passport but want to get a visa for him anyway as he might be doing some travel to other countries through his school and just want to play it safe. I've tried countless times to call the British Consolate to speak with someone but can only get recordings. My question...can he apply for a visa when he gets to England? Time is not on our side at this point and this seems our only alternative. Thanks, Tango
  3. glebb...I too spent the last hour or so watching Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy, something I try not to miss every 4rth! He's always been a favorite of mine since I can remember and watching his dancing in that movie always puts a smile on my face. My Grandfather and Grandmother made their living in vaudeville and played some houses with him in N.Y.when he was making his living as a hoofer! One of my prized posessions is a beautiful charcoal portrait I had made for my Dad of Cagney. Glad to see I'm not the only one who will opt to miss the fireworks and stay home to watch Yankee Doodle!
  4. Good Luck to your son Denise! I also know one of the competing couples and know that they are rehearsing Flower Festival and La Bayadere at the moment. When I can get more details I will certainly post!
  5. tango49

    Paul Sutherland

    Yes I also enjoyed Paul Sutherland! Does anyone remember Brunhilda Ruiz as well? Were the two once married and does anyone know of her and what she is doing today?
  6. Calliope...Let me add to what Victoria said about the Contemporary pieces. The students can also 'hire' choreographers to do these pieces for them as we were supplied with a long list of them to call...but ONLY if we couldn't find someone to choreograph our piece. If that were the only alternative for us we would not have entered at all. We were fortunate to have two very talented people we knew who wanted to help and they ended up choreographing a beautiful piece for us. There were several students who did hire choreographers as well as students who bought the rights to use choreography that had already been done( these were listed in the program). That aspect was abit unnerving. Lastly...it wasn't quite like 'best in show' but more similar to the olympics when it came to judging. There were two scores, one for technical and one for artistic and we were were given them at the end. It was interesting to see each judge's name and the scores they gave as well as their personal comments on the variations.
  7. Dale...Since YAGP was mentioned in relation to this discussion it was certainly valid to bring the pointe of these pictures up and to voice my opinion on your comments relating to them. IN NO WAY do I feel Victoria blamed YAGP as I know she was speaking of competitions in general. I certainly hold the same beliefs that she does about ballet competitions and the values they project to our students today of higher/faster which I feel is distorting so much of the art that I love. Coming from the 'golden era" of ballet (60's and 70's) I too cringe when I see this on stage and wish it were different. I miss Fonteyn and all the wonderful ballerinas that were valued for their pure expressive dancing and not their amazing circus feats. But companies and schools are the biggest culprit in allowing this and for trying to create 'stars' and not artists. I feel in the end the ballet competition world does adhere to a standard of excellence and allows for great opportunities for these young dancers to find their way into the professional world. For that it is a good thing!
  8. I don't think Dale's comments about the four pictures on the YAGP web site says it all about competitions. There are some very beautiful pictures of many of the dancers from this years YAGP at www.exploredance.com and they certainly don't show any of the distortions that Dale mentioned. I agree with Balletmama that artistry did win out in the end when choosing the YAGP winners. The 'Flash' and 'Tricks' which seemed to be very pleasing to the audience obviously didn't please the judges. I certainly agree that competitions in general can pose many problems, especially for the younger dancer who is being pushed by teachers and coaches. Entering one is a big responsibility and undertaking as it takes away a great deal of your daily ballet routine. The older dancers gain a whole lot more than the younger ones as their training is almost complete...they know their bodies and the pressures they can withstand . For us the unexpected happened and many doors opened as a result. I feel we entered this competition at the 'right' time and for the 'right' reasons.
  9. Thankyou MJ for your thorough description of marketing strategies in the arts. One hand washes the other and hopefully some profits are made by all. I suppose now even regional companies are getting on the bandwagon to promote profits as PA Ballet and Pittsburg are small in comparison to Boston. Again thanks for your valuable input.
  10. Hoping everyone at Ballet Alert enjoyed a wonderful Christmas! I've been enjoying the wonderful La Bayadere CD that I bought for my son, full lenghth ballet with the English Chamber Orchestra...truely a gem to have! As I was looking for inexpensive flights to N.Y. today on US Airways site I was startled to see (under specials) Pittsburg Ballet Theatre and Pennsylvania Ballet advertising their season! Is this a new venue in marketing? I've never seen this before and was quite impressed. Any thoughts?
  11. A favorite of mine is 'Troy Games' by Robert North. It's a highly energetic ballet that more or less spoofs the macho athlete often one against the other. It's quite a sight to see the entire male corp de ballet in skimpy trunks dancing and showing off their athletic abilities to the audience and to each other. The music is extremly rhythmic and the entire ballet is really very funny. Has anyone seen it ?
  12. This will be the eighth year of Nutcrakers for our family. It's become a wonderful tradition ever since my son first stepped on stage as a party boy. When I wasn't volunteering back stage I was working in the boutique where they allowed you to grab a free seat as long as you worked during the intermissions. I sold many a Nutckracker during those years! Happy Days, this is the first time we've gotten 4 free tickets because my son is a company member now! Don't have to worry if I'm sitting in someone's seat this year! For us it looks like it will be 4 performances plus 1 Nutty one! Certainly the best part of our holidays.
  13. Wonderful question ronny. I've certainly experienced many 'thrills'at the ballet and the music has definately played an important role in my 'thrill'. For example listening to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Pas coupled with gifted expressive dancers, add a pinch of my own yearnings and emotions= my recipe for the 'thrill'. The music seems to be the mystery as well as the gifts bestowed on the dancers to express themselves thru the music. One of my thrilling moments was seeing Margo and Rudi dance Romeo and Juliet at the Metropolitan. I was young but will always remember the 'thrill'. You've got me thinking! I need to see more ballets and hear more symphonies! Food for the soul!
  14. Hi Kate... Sorry about mistake in spelling Saratoga (Sarasota). Living here in Florida doesn't help the situation! Anyway after getting Pointe Magazine in the mail yesterday and reading about Amar Ramasar I'm beginning to see this as a common occurance at NYCB (bringing newly appointed corp members into principal roles). If the role fits why not use them. Amar (a friend of my sons) is so nice and we're so very happy for him. He even got a pas de deux choreographed on him by Martins! What a great opportunity for these young dancers. Lets hope they don't burn out too quickly with all this responsibility at such a young age. Keep us posted here in Florida of NYCB happenings! I knew it when McBride and Villella were on the bill and I'm sure it is a different co. today in many ways.
  15. I've been curious about the casting practices of N.Y.City Ballet for awhile so I thought I might jump in! Was this an official debut of Daniel Ulbricht (as I know he's been given solo roles before Sarasota). Perhaps he was debuting in his first Principal role. Is this the normal practice of N.Y City Ballet to bring students, apprentices and corp members into leading roles before they've even worked their way up into the ranks? How do you think this affects other members of the company such as seasoned soloists and Principals? Love to hear your opinion.
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