carbro

A Barbie Giselle is problematic -- daughter of a poor , rural, single mother, dearth of consumer goodies. . . However, consider the possibilities of a Barbie Bathilde!!!

The variation Fonteyn dances in the film with Nureyev is not the real Corsaire variation; it is the Queen of the Dryad's variation from the Dream scene of Don Quixote.

I can't imagine that NYCB would go to all the effort of participating if it were not getting a piece of the pie. This puts the Calvin Klein issue ("The Selling of ABT" http://www.balletalert.com/forum/showthrea...&threadid=11152 )into a whole new perspective, doesn't it? I have not watched the Barbie Nutcracker, but have been in NYST Lobby while it was playing. Truly dreadful. Barbie/Odette as Joan of Arc?:confused: :eek: Alexandra, I can't find the screaming "smiley." I've needed one with increasing frequency this season.;)

Well, at least the review was entertaining! Assuming this account to be reasonably accurate, it recalls the "Selling of ABT" thread. I may have missed it, but scanning the major categories of the "recognition pages" in the Playbill, I see no mention of the Greek government, tourist board or Prince Pavlos. Anyone have a clue? :confused:

Said ballet company's artistic director. That's what. The article in the Playbill explains that KM wanted to use these two pieces of music, then found choreographers for them.

I was thrilled to read Paul's post before (tonight) seeing Piano Concerto. I know I am in a minority here, but neither it nor Ballet Imperial is a favorite piece of mine. Lop off the first two movements, and I'll reconsider. (I do love the third.) For a Balanchine/Tchaikovsky evocation of the Imperial Ballet, give me Theme, give me Diamonds. (N.B., I realize that, ballerina's choreograpy aside, Diamonds is a lesser work, but I just like it better. ) Still, watching it while imagining the jazzier feel of its earliest incarnation enriched tonight's performance for me -- and I'm sure all subsequent ones. Thanks, Paul!

I lost some motivation to see it after I heard Maddin on Fresh Air fess up to his lack of familiarity with concepts of seeing dance as dance. :eek: I'm still a little intrigured, but finding a time to see it isn't a big priority.

I, too, enjoyed the pairing in "Barocco". Kowroski's croise developes in the slow movement were breathtaking. van Kipnis danced with a glorious attack reminiscent of the 2nd violins of the '70s (C. Neary, Nichols, etc.). In those days, weren't the two women were generally cast for contrast? There is something to be said for both approaches. And yes, Fayette did wonderfully. Funny, last night was my best experience with the Ives. It was the first time it held together for me as an organic whole, rather than a suite. I attribute this to the great job Higgins did in quietly asserting his presence. Korbes was very lovely in the role Kyra originated. All I could think of during Darci's pas (strangulation included) in Martins' "Strange Places" was "This is how he presents the woman he presumably loves?!!" :eek: :eek: :eek: I would hate for their kid to see this. My seatmate had seen the preview, and liking the music, enjoyed the performance with his eyes shut. If there's a next time for me, I'll be sure to follow his knowing example.

Oh, goody! People to do my advance work. ;) I'll be looking for everyone's comments.

With the wealth and clarity of dramatic details in her Gamzatti -- an unusually complex charactrerization -- and a presence that ricochets against the furthest walls of the Met, I think she has fulfilled the critera. ::drumming fingers, tapping foot::

Farrell Fan, do yourself a favor and stop trying to understand. Bitter lesson: trying to understand Martins makes me angry , and trying to understand Kisselgoff is just so darned confusing! :confused: An out-of-towner recently asked me for a response to a Kisselgoff piece, and all I could say was that I believed she was responsible for a lot of cognitive dissonance in New York.

Cynthia Gregory was too robust for me to take her Giselle seriously. The Giselle who crystallized her appearance for me was Zhanna Ayupova. As soon as she came ballonnee-ing out of her cottage, I knew that THAT was the face. I adore Darci, and I haven't seen her Sleepwalker in many years, but she was very girl-next-door in a role that needs mystery and aloofness. This has the effect of making the poet into an absolute weirdo. I'd like to see her take another try at this role. For R & J, I like the idea of plain-looking leads. That would suggest that they had an immediate spiritual connection. No question in the Zeffirelli film that Hussey and Whiting would be so powerfully drawn to each other -- weren't we all? ;) I like to know that what's going on is more than just the joy of beholding a beautiful face while in the throes of adolescent hormonal surges. Of course, before we get to the face, we need performers who are up to the job.

Ansanelli and Taylor -- while still soloists -- are dancing principal roles in the new ballet (as well as others). I think Martins' meaning within the context of the interview was that there were no "lesser" (heirarchical) roles in the piece. It's like when a corps dancer is cast as Sugar Plum, as often happens. For that performance, she functions as a principal.

Also unable to put hands on my program, but I was overwhelmed by the high level of dancing by the group as a whole. For me, the extra-special standouts were Danny Tidwell -- duly praised by Kiki and Brokenwing -- and Zhong-jing Fang, who has the rare ability to project that wonderful sense of living the moment at some very deep level. In that regard, she reminded me of Farrell, Kirkland, Kistler.

Or it turns out that Odette suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder, and Odile is simply one of her other identities.

I think we need a little historical perspective to put a definitive answer on any such comparison. Inevitably, each artist's influence on subsequent artists will tell part of the tale. There is also the question of how well each absorbs from and throws back into the zeitgeist. My first Apollo (Baryshnikov, Watts, et al.) was so deeply stamped with Art Deco, that despite all the dozens of photos I'd seen of it, it was a complete and wonderful surprise. An epiphany, in fact. On this count, I think Ashton spoke eloquently for England, Balanchine for the U.S. And in the next generation, we see both of their influences in Wheeldon, a sort of MacAshtochine. Another test would be to compare failed works of two artists. There is no question that when Balanchine succeeded, when Ashton succeeded, they did so in a big way. Conversely, Balanchine's failures were bigger bombs (but more intriguing for having been so) than Martins' bombs (which are only incrementally worse than his "successes" to my eye). I would think that the greater artist is the one with the bigger bomb. The problem would be reviving a bomb. Anyone volunteering to mount PAMTTG? Where are the Bournonville bombs? I'd really love to see one!

No, not Mummy, but a few times he's looked more taken with Benno than Odette. :eek: :confused:

You can hear the interview at your own convenience at: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/episodes/05152003 Nice that it is available for interested listeners beyond the New York broadcast area.

Calliope, NYCB's houses are much less full during the summer months. Instead of presenting something of interest that contrasts with what's across the plaza (clever marketing, in my opinion), they seem to want to go head-to-head this year, with many full-lengths. There was a time when the companies agreed that one or the other would do a Beauty or a Swan and not step into each others' rep of that season. Maybe whipping the Balanchine rep into shape would do the trick. Or maybe that's just too much effort. (Sorry. Couldn't resist the cattiness. They do seem to be working on that, and I remain hopeful that the Centennial will be a great artistic high point of the [ahem] Martins Years.) Should NYCB do a traditional Swan Lake? Voted yes. Thinking here that Balanchine style has influenced everyone's dancing -- more aggressive attack, greater lower body emphasis, etc. Martins' keeps pushing them to sharpen the attack yet more, and more, and more. Enough, already! A dose of classical restraint would be good for this crew.

Oh, her! ;) I know just what you mean.

Hans, I don't know whether to thank you or not for that picture.

Far be it from me to run to Guillem's defense, but I was struck by Gottlieb's list of her attributes: " the fatal combination of tremendous ability, a ruthless determination to do it her way and a total lack of sensibility." The first two elements are shared by those whom we call "artists." Whether Guillem is afflicted by a lack of sensibility (or merely good taste) is an issue for debate. Seems to me that she has a definite -- if misguided -- sensibility, in fact. :eek:

(For the record, I thanked Hans privately. Did not want his post to hang unacknowledged.) ;)

Unless ABT submitted the photo (and press offices often supply the photos that are used), no. It's an issue of journalistic independence. If the Times' photographer took the picture, the selection is done by the Times. I don't know if the critic/reporter influences the selection or not. Strictly gut response: probably not. The Times is willing to sell photos (as is well known from their tireless marketing of big, framed prints from their archives). This must be what the modern dancers were referring to.

I was hoping not to be first to post on this cast, but I really wanted any ambivalent people who like this Solor and this Gamzatti (as do I)to know that Paloma has undergone an amazing transformation. There has never been any doubt about her technical abilities. She has lovely line and a good ear. But this dancer has often failed to engage either dramatically or with her partner, to project personality or dramatic action, or to fill out adagio passages. Forget that old Paloma. The new Paloma brought to Nikiya a passion, a freshness, and moments of great beauty. Every act revealed a new aspect of a newly mature ballerina. This was the performance of her career. Michele's Gamzatti was beautifully danced, as expected. But her characterization was original and intriguing and made one remember that these Indians lived unquestioningly in a stringent caste system. She was no obvious villainess, just someone suitable to be Solor's bride. In the confrontation scene, after motioning to Nikiya that "This, all this is MINE, and you're just a lowly temple dancer," she somehow conveyed that she felt not only better, but also smarter than Nikiya. I can't describe the moment, but it crystallized her characterization. Jose had his hands full -- literally and figuratively -- with two ballerinas both too large for him. His dancing was noble and elegant, if the surface was more patina than dazzle. Michele's inabililty to complete a revolution in a supported, arm-over-arm pirouette was due to the simple fact that when on pointe, her en couronne arms are several inches beyond Jose's reach -- basic mechanics. Although I was drawn to the performance by the evening's Solor and Gamzatti, there is no question that despite fine performances from both, it was really Paloma's night. Brava! :)