tempusfugit

Thought it was interesting that Sandik mentioned that about Tallchief teaching Barker. Even though it was 1949, there are several people still around who were involved with that Firebird and might remember some of the corps choreography, etc. I think the NYCB version (which last time I saw it was, for the ballerina, Tallchief's choreography with or without various things Kirkland did, like the higher and higher split jete exit in the battle, gargouillades, etc) has a good bit of the original corps choreography-- you know Balanchine got all exercised over "you can't have a ballerina in a red tutu come in and start turning", not as much the ensemble stuff. Robbins did the Infernal Dance in 1970, which I think is still done.... in any case, Tallchief has an excellent memory for ballet. wouldn't surprise me if she remembered much of that Firebird, not just her steps--

If I might add my voice to the chorus of outrage-- :green: has anyone read today's Links, with another , er, article from the Saratoga paper? "Herb and the city are smart to replace it with something that's more of a draw..." "We sold more for Dave Matthews in two nights than for the entire ballet.." This is beyond Stepford. This is Babbitt-- except that Lewis never dreamed of this class of imbeciles. Apparently Saratoga WANTS to become another blip in the landscape of venues hosting one talentless and exorbitantly overpriced "draw" after another. Perhaps Tanglewood might also want to jump on this new cultural bandwagon? Next stop, Dry Gulch, Nevada....

And indeed Ashley and Nichols did dance most of Farrell's big roles : Brahms-Schoenberg, Diamonds, Chaconne, Vienna Waltzes, Mozartiana, Tzigane (Nichols appeared in all of these and Ashley in some) but, of course, were not Farrell, any more than any dancer in the company now is Ashley or Nichols. It's unfortunate that companies often seek to 'recreate', or clone, great ballerinas-- and how many times have we read critics to the tune of "The next Fonteyn! the next Farrell! the next Sublimova!" I agree with Toni Bentley-- "They are forever trying to replace people. Replace Suzanne Farrell or Patricia McBride?"

Michael, I liked your observations about Kowrowski; I think it's often forgotten just how strong Farrell was, and how hard that sometimes makes it to cast her roles. Meditation is formidably difficult, but anyone who saw Farrell in it remembers incorporeal and unearthly subtlety-- not the hellish off-center pirouettes. Until Farrell revived it for Christina Fagundes a few years ago I don't believe it had been danced by another ballerina. The only Farrell role which seemed to suit Kowrowski (in which I've seen her, of course) is Slaughter, and if you saw the Balanchine doc on PBS you know that really belonged to Zorina! smile Getting back to Jewels--and Diamonds in particular-- I agreed fervently with both Paul Parish and Mary Cargill that the Kirov's corps work in Diamonds was revelatory (Pavlenko was no slouch either) and THAT kind of dancing from the entire ensemble, as much as a brilliant ballerina, makes Diamonds into at least semiprecious material. All Balanchine's dazzling bows to the Maryinsky (Theme and Variations, Tchaikovsky Concerto, etc.) need that radiance in epaulement and deportment in order not to look like rhinestones.

Very jarring news. Not only do Stowell and Russell not seem "old" to me, LOL, as he says in the interview (and she looks lovely as ever in the published photograph); not only is she one of the best and most-requested coaches and stagers of Balanchine; this is MOST perturbing because of the EXTREME paucity of refined performances of Balanchine ballets now. PNB has been one of the only consistently excellent companies in this realm for many years. Will we all be forced to go to Miami now to see great Balanchine dancing? It has not been regularly available at NYCB for years...

Nanatchka, did you know Saland once did Square Dance? it was good, too. not Wilde, but GOOD. I miss Alexopoulos in everything she ever did, including Agon pdd which I'm not sure she ever got to dance in NYC (saw that when they were touring as two halves)... Saland was ravishing in the arms solo in Emeralds-- Actually, Croce never said all of Diamonds was second-rate. she wrote more than one long article praising Farrell's performances in it to the skies, finding comparisons to Cluny tapestries (unicorn), Swan Lake, and all sorts of interesting things. she found the opening movement pedestrian, which I think many of us might agree on... Many musicians and audience members who AREN"T balletomanes find Tchaik ballets and vocal music third-rate and only the symphonies (and perhaps string concerti) at his highest level. Chacun a son gout.

I'm agreeing with everything said.... what a dull post. LOL Oberon, I think Cavallo studied at SAB, or at least in New York. agree with both carbro and nysusan-- she's not objectionable but bland, rather effortful in difficult passages (she doesn't make them look easy...), somewhat stiff. actually, carbro, NYCB seems to have a crisis like this every few years-- once (Toni Bentley reported in Winter Season) 'ballets these days have virtually no one whose name appears in the program', and Balanchine was heard to say 'all my Danish pastries are out' (I think that would have been Martins, Luders, and Anderson at the time) Oberon, you HAD to mention three of the dearest departed. Alexopoulos, Allen, and Meunier, come back!!! :-) so glad someone else noticed Allen's dancing. she was exquisite in her variation in the Swan Lake pas de quatre.

Yes. Nichols was wonderful in this and other Verdy roles--Liebeslieder, Tchaik Pas, the divertissement pdd from Midsummer-- Fugate though not Calegari (who was stellar in the Paul role) was a pleasure to see as usual. Watts, well, if you can't say anything nice... lol. Kumery was good too. speaking of underused dancers... Less visible dancers than Bouder et al. How about Mandradjieff in various things? she was great in the turns in the Coppelia Waltz-- Saskia Beskow? the ever-neglected Elizabeth Walker, about whom it's been said "she has the technique of an Ashley"? just once, pretty please, could we have Bouder in Square Dance?

Nichols did indeed dance Emeralds.... and for some time. I remember a performance with Calegari which had McBride and Farrell in the rest of Jewels. it was glorious. How about Bouder and Somogyi in either Glinka Pas de Trois or Minkus Pas de Trois, Leigh? Ansanelli, Bouder, and Taylor in the 1953 Valse-Fantaisie? Korbes in the 1967 Valse-Fantaisie? Liebeslieder with Somogyi, Sylve, Weese, and Whelan? (that's alphabetical, as are all others, not in order of roles.

Yes, Goebel looks TALL until..... grin very true about Cohen and Kwan, who are both tiny. Cohen is gymnast size. Wylie's carriage is excellent and certainly belies his actual height... Karen Magnussen was a lovely skater, but IMO nowhere near Lynn in technical ability, imagination, originality, or versatility. Lynn could jump in both directions; she attempted triples when almost no other woman would have dreamed of it (in the Sixties); some of her footwork sequences would be hard for skaters today... and then there was her line. Slavka Kohout, her coach, was remarkable. alas, the one thing she could not give Lynn was command of figures.

hockeyfan, interesting you mentioned Trixi Schuba-- surely the dullest gold medalist ever in women's Olympic skating-- one of the reviews at the time said that she "clanked her way to a gold medal"... As one who was appalled at the deletion of figures from figure skating (and compulsories from gymnastics), I'm afraid it was the success of skaters like Schuba which influenced that lamentable decision. The brilliant Janet Lynn, who with today's rules would have won in a walk at both Olympics and Worlds, and who has been an idol of many great later skaters including Boitano and Orser, barely won the bronze under the 60% compulsory rules. it's been said that the invention of the short program was intended to benefit her in her last amateur year at Worlds (1973)-- alas, she fell on both her double axels there. Hamilton was usually so dynamic in his free skating that his Olympic performance was most unusual (surely the reason he apologized), and as dirac said he'd been ill (cf. Caryn Kadavy in 1988).

Lovebird, Seven Deadly Sins is an unusual mixture. it's more a theater piece than a ballet, although Allegra Kent apparently had a lot of dancing in it. it was originally done in 1933, music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Bertolt Brecht, and it evokes that era (Weimar, Nazi Germany, etc) in many different guises-- cabaret, ballet, opera, jazz, all kinds of things. It requires a singer/protagonist of similarly remarkable talents as its dancer/protagonist (they are called Anna I and Anna II); the German star Lotte Lenya, who was both cabaret performer and actress, played the singing role. you'll remember from Kent's autobiography that Balanchine thought more than once of reviving it but never actually did. The ballet is intended to be somewhat scandalous and shocking (if you've seen other things that evoke the period, such as Cabaret or the movie The Damned, you notice some similarities), and apparently Kent and Lenya were smashing in it --the still photographs and snatches of film of Kent in the role are amazing. There was supposedly a good deal more scandal in 1933, at the premiere, than in 1958, at the revival.

Oh, I don't think Petrenko's victory was even in the scandalous injustice category. Baiul, Lipinski, Tiffany Chin being denied the bronze in 1984, the original results of the 2002 Olympic pairs..... now those were scandalous.... it's also true that Wylie made mistakes; as has been observed earlier in this thread, rarely do skaters ace their Olympic free skates. I was only of the opinion that Wylie outskated Petrenko that night. Susanne's other performers listed are among my favorites, as are their performances which she mentions; perhaps in light of this discussion I'll even have to reconsider Petrenko.

Anyone who goes to NYCB tonight, please hold forth in detail?? Kills me to miss not only Ansanelli's Colombine but Somogyi's debut in the Tchaikovsky Concerto. Not to mention a supporting cast in Harlequinade of Fairchild, Bouder, and Sylve. Ansanelli and Somogyi seem, to me, especially well-suited to these ballerina roles--bet Somogyi burns up the stage.........

cygneblanc, I agree about Wylie. he had remarkable charisma on the ice. I saw him perform that routine to Schindler's List, which I didn't even LIKE, lol, and still found him riveting. I never understood what the fuss was about Petrenko. thought his footwork, for example (a much-neglected aspect in skating now, I admit) much more rudimentary and less difficult or interesting than Wylie's. also, many skaters have given an acceptable first half of their free skate and cratered in the second half (Nicole Bobek at the '95 Worlds, for example, where she had actually done a triple/triple among other things); Petrenko is one of the only ones to be rewarded with a gold medal for such a performance.

Kitrisomeday, I don't believe that Leigh meant that the Washington Ballet's PERFORMANCE of Act I Midsummer is or will be "distorted." Good as their show may be, unfortunately the ballet is seriously deformed and not seen as it was intended if only Act I is given. While it is true that Act II of Balanchine's Nutcracker is sometimes given alone, including by NYCB, this is the divertissement act, virtually all dancing and little story; imagine if you were to see only Act I of his Nutcracker without Sugar Plum, Dewdrop, or any of the other Sweets! The Act II Divertissement of Midsummer is the perfect balance to the hilarious and rustic Act I-- in Leigh's phrase, its "classical distillation" evokes the court of Shakespeare's play, and it is essential to the view of both high and low society which is so brilliant in both play and ballet. Aside from the necessary counterweight which Act II provides, and from the fact that no Balanchine full-length ballets are without passages of pure dancing, I feel sorry for any audience which is deprived of the Act II pas de deux. This masterpiece has been danced by one great ballerina after another-- among others, Verdy, Kent, Farrell, Kistler, and Nichols-- and its radiance cannot be put into words.

In Christine Brennan's Inside Edge, a very interesting look at skating and skaters, she discusses Wylie's Olympic performance at length, and says that one American judge in fact refused to put Wylie first (though he felt Wylie won, hands down) for fear of getting "national bias" censure. Many skating judges and fans shared the opinion quoted (credited to a well-known skating pundit) that Petrenko's was the worst Olympic gold medal performance by a man in thirty or forty years.

That's such a shame about Naomi Nari Nam. I can't imagine that any skater much likes the competitive arena, with its blatant improprieties and often glaringly unfair results. it is a matter of necessity if they want to skate professionally. no medals, no solo career. appalling, isn't it? the loveliest thing I recall seeing Yuka Sato do was a program for a professional competition several years ago-- a song called "Hatful of Stars". beautiful song, exquisitely sad, nostalgic skating. it was memorable.

I should say that everyone who saw Roma and wrote later about it (Denby, Garis, Haggin, et al.) raved. those are connoisseurs, though. the ballet may not have made much of a splash with the general public--- a shame--

wry smile. Poor, indeed. I think the Condition Alexandra mentions has to do, often, with the appalling poverty and money struggles of MANY great artists (sorry to be so obvious, but...). experiences such as Mozart's (being told your music has "too many notes") and Rodin's certainly don't bolster the self-esteem-- and then there was Dickinson, never even published or heard during her life. Joe, Roma was for Tanaquil LeClercq and Andre Eglevsky. everyone who saw the ballet (precious few, unfortunately) raved. it disappeared from the repertoire even before LeClercq's career was ended by polio, and has never been revived...

I think it's fair to say Lucinda Ruh is the greatest spinner in the world. she looks as if she's on ball bearings. she no doubt is an amazing turner on dry land as well. re great performances (not to take away from Hughes, who I agree gave the performance of her life at the Olympics-- and has never given a comparable one again--) what about Boitano at the Calgary Olympics? Flawless and much more difficult than Hughes' program (more triples including the axel).Wylie many times, including the Albertville Olympics? Ito at the 89 World Championships? Thomas AND Witt (surprise, lol) at the 87 Worlds?

IrishKitri, Symphony in C is a masterpiece, both in its original form and as one of the great Balanchine ballets. Bizet, who was a prodigy, wrote it in 1855 when he was seventeen (you won't believe that when you hear it.... . It was languishing in obscurity, not having been played in concerts for many years, when Balanchine made his ballet Le Palais de Cristal to it in 1947; the name was changed to Symphony in C when the ballet became a staple of NYCB's repertoire.

I found the discussion of Cohen and her personality/public persona interesting. I'll agree with Drew that Cohen does look better in person than on television, and that her technique and positions are unusually correct and refined; for example, she does the best forward scratch spin I have ever seen, period. However, I believe that the comments about her not having a "nice" personality, looking as if she is "swallowing bitter medicine", etc, are getting at a serious issue in Cohen's presentation of herself. Whether or not a skater, a dancer, or any other performer is "nice" is not important for the public, and Drew is probably correct that few stars are wilting wallflowers, to say the least. As a performer myself, I feel that what is important is a gracious and welcoming presence-- one which conveys confidence, poise, and an interest in the audience's potential pleasure, joy, and rapture. Alas, Cohen conveys none of these things when she skates in competition, superb skater though she is; she looks tense, edgy, slightly haughty (which is no doubt covering profound nervousness), and completely separated from the audience. Her audience does not seem to exist in her mind when she competes, nor does the response of said audience buoy her and lend her support, extra brio, increased passion, etc. she appears to be enduring an ordeal. I don't know if anyone who saw last night's telecast, in which Cohen waited a long time before even skating out to begin, also recalls Debi Thomas' performance at the 1988 Olympics? Thomas, a brilliant skater and favorite for the gold medal, had a complete meltdown in the free program, and the looks on her face, and her coach's face, were eerily similar to those of Cohen and Cohen's coach last night. That look of terror is unmistakable, and I hope that Cohen's obvious virtuosity, impeccable preparation, and beauty on the ice will someday carry the day and make it possible for her to skate with the freedom she has earned.

It was, however, great when Kent made Stern breakfast in bed, brought it to him, heard him say "where's my orange juice?"... she then brought a glass of orange juice and threw it in his face! Yes! I must admit the Bugaku photo is a work of art... Funny Face, two things-- you are right about the Kirklands' horrific home life, which GK details in Dancing on My Grave, and about her mental state. She has so often been a whipping girl, in some ways deservedly, but she was not ONLY a neurotic, solipsistic, drug-addicted brat. Dancing as exquisite as hers (at its best) stems from the generosity of an artist. And on a completely different thread, literally-- I realize this is in the wrong place and apologize in advance to the Powers that BE -- FF, I saw the thread in Books where you were mentioning Rumer Godden and think that thread may be more or less defunct, being almost two weeks old, so wanted to tell you here that she and her sister have a marvelous memoir of their childhood years in India called Two under the Indian Sun. if you have not read it I most highly recommend it. lapidary, profound, crystalline, I could go on and on.