carbro

Manhattnik, call Paul! He's a great host -- a complete joy to spend time with. No surprise there, though.;)

When he was alive and making those changes himself, yes. I miss that flat-footed promenade in Who Cares' "Embraceable You" pas de deux. It went on pointe when Heather started doing the role, and I'm sure was more flattering to her, but it never reverted back. There must be half a dozen versions of the male variation of "Tchaikovsky pas de deux" out in the world.

I take it as an homage to the ballet's French origins and a nod to Mr. B's francophilia. Another homage: The Act III bells are "engraved" with the initials of various people associated with Coppelia: ETAH, the story's author; LD, the composer; ASL, original choreographer; LK the chief benefactor of NYCB; and GB, either the original Swanilda (Giuseppina Bozzacci [sp?]) or the choreographer of this version. What a lovely touch. (It's almost like finding Hirschfeld's "Ninas")

I remember reading an interview Peter Martins gave during his dancing days. He mentioned requesting Balancine give him a chance to dance Franz, and Balanchine, noted that the set was suitable for more diminutive dancers and initially withheld the role. Perhaps Martins first danced it when no other suitable Franz was available. As a rule of thumb, I think the fewer discrepancies the eye has to "even out," the easier it is to enjoy the action. For example, I remember the blonde Judith Fugate dancing Swanilda when the doll was dark-haired. And the old doc's not going to notice something different?:confused: :rolleyes:

As an audience member, let me suggest that perhaps, dear Farrell Fan, the fault lies not in ourselves but in our stars. Or, more likely, the ballet masters who direct them. I'd love to see AE as Orpheus. Which brings to mind (and this would be totally awesome!) Apollo. Oh, God! I can hardly stand it!! I have always enjoyed the white curtain in Orpheus, though. Love those billows!

FF, I will admit that Heather was not to everyone's taste, but I agree with you that except for her last three or four years, she gave some very admirable performances, even when cast against type. I don't mind the jeans in either Carousel/R&J or the Harrison tribute, but disliked the bare legs look of the women, Calliope and cargill. I believe that both China Dogs and Red Angels had footless tights, but neither Dove nor Forsythe is gaining increasing domination over the "look" of City Ballet. I know the women in Stars & Stripes (except Liberty Bell) wear little, white anklets over their tights, but that seems wittily appropriate and doesn't announce a new, company-wide aesthetic. Mel, I can barely recall the Sharaff costumes. I don't like the women's tunics in the current NYCB Interplay, as they ignore the waist and tend to blouse over the upper body, obscuring the line. Can't win there, I guess. :rolleyes:

Evans? For crying out loud (an appropriate response), NYCB has a repertory full of roles I'd love to see him dance. He just never gets the chance! Aaaaarrrgggh!!!! There seems to be some timidity in casting him in roles where the color barrier wasn't already broken by Mr. Mitchell. Imagine him in Rubies. In Who Cares. As the 2nd or 3rd Sailor in Fancy Free. Just three examples that come immediately to mind.

And is perpetuating the cycle of dysfunction onto the next generation, Mel?:confused: :eek: :rolleyes:

An observation on costuming of Peter Martins' ballets. Not that that's my primary criticism of his oeuvre, but I'm interested if anyone else here shares my response. Almost all of Martins' leotard ballets (which means almost all of his ballets) have the dancers in footless tights. This cuts the line of the leg. I think legs look best when covered hip-to-tip in a single continuous color. (Call me an old fogey for saying so, but except for comic or character effect, that color on the ladies should be pink, beige, white or black.) I suspect Martins employs this unflattering look just for the sake of being different, although it does complement the sadistic undertone (undertone?) of so many of his works. When his first ballet, Calcium Night Light, premiered Heather and Danny wore footless unitards. Now, Heather of the long and skinny legs, could almost carry this look off. But very few humans -- or even ballet dancers -- or even City Ballet dancers -- have her extreme attenuation. I was distracted during Reliquary the other night by the look of the ladies in white, footless tights, with white shoes, white ribbons wrapped around bare insteps and ankles. This cut the foot-leg line in four places below the knee! Couldn't they at least have used less contrasting pink ribbons? It occurred to me that if the choreography had been totally riveting, I may well not have noticed. But it wasn't, and I did. If I were to start a petition drive ;) to limit the use of footless tights, would I find any signers here? Then we can get on to other matters.:eek:

I believe it was Yevteyeva who danced the Prelude in Chopiniana/Les Sylphides when the Kirov visited Philadelphia and Wolf Trap in 1986, but the programs listed multiple names for the roles, and no announcement was made :rolleyes: , so don't hold me to it. That was my first exposure to the Kirov. However, assuming it was she, I must say, Prelude dancer brought a tragic, ineffable quality to the role that went directly to my heart. It was so subtle, all conveyed with tiny modulations of the head and shoulders and her response to the music. So deeply moving. At those performances, Ayupova danced one of the other lead Sylphides. She was very new then, and so delightful. It's been gratifying to see her grow up so nicely -- even from a distance. I hope someone will correct me if my recollection about the Prelude ballerina is mistaken. ;)

No, but it's a matter of degree. I have never seen -- at ABT or in NYCB under Martins -- the spreading of the wealth over as wide a swath as was the case at City in the 70s. That's all. Oh, and it wasn't always good.

Although, Leigh, Lovebird does have a point. Many of us remember the casting policy under Balanchine: almost every corps dancer had one or two roles that allowed him or her a few spotlight moments.

I believe the lovely Victoria Hall was in Mozartiana's original foursome but left the company not too long after its premiere. She was replaced by (if that's the word) (no, the role was recast with) Nina Fedorova. In Harlequinade, Nina had the role of the Statue-Come-to-Life, so that quartet would not have included her. Hmmm.:confused: Garielle Whittle? I'm thinking Phlegmatic, where she had membership in that foursome.

Yes, Ari. Definitely the Riccercata. Also the Chaconne pas de trois. Oh, I miss Renee.

Alexandra noted that she never found Makarova "convincing." I must say that I agreed, as far as Makarova's Act I was concerned. Until Motherhood. Seemed to me that after the birth of her son, Makarova found new and convincing ways to connect with the young maidens Juliet and Giselle that had earlier eluded her. My favorite was Kirkland. You were never sure in Act I if she was actually in the physical realm, anyway. I remember one mad scene when she lifted the sword, pointing it toward her heart with such an expression of ecstasy on her face -- very scary! And another (her final one, as I recall) in which she appeared to do nothing at all but slowly pace the stage, and yet her unravelling was unmissable. And of course, she had that incredible final Act I moment of running to Albrecht, and visibly dying in that split second between her last step and Albrecht's embrace of her. I was astonished by the Act II pas that reunited at 60-something Alonso with a 70-something Youskevitch at an ABT gala. Impossible to believe that they hadn't danced together in over 20 years, they were such a unit. The love between them was palpable. A major highlight of my career as a balleto. When I saw Ayupova emerge from her cottage in the only Giselle I ever saw her do (her Act II was a little earthbound), I drew a little gasp of recognition. That was the actual face of Giselle! It just seemed so inevitable, and of course, that is a highly subjective response.

For simplicity's sake, I'll put Kirkland in a class of her own as my all-time favorite dancer and proceed semi-chronologically from there with some whom I feel have been neglected on this thread. I so admire Maya Plisetskaya's raw power tempered by womanliness. Others include Martine van Hamel and Lis Jeppesen. Martine, with her pure classical style, acute musicality and grandeur, brought a wonderful, womanly warmth to everything she danced. Jeppesen was simply a revelation in Bournonville works. I pegged Jenifer Ringer as a future ballerina when I saw her Waltz Girl in Serenade when she was a 15- or 16-year-old student. She has exceeded my wildest expectations, and seems to continue to grow from one performance to the next. Thrilling. Looking to the future, I'm watching Michele Wiles and Carla Korbes for eventual membership on this list, and my crystal ball is urging me to keep an eye on Sarawanee Tanatanit.

Yes, pville, but Korbes and Bouder are not likely corps lifers. ;) For me, the huge gaping hole remains in every role danced by Renee Estopinal. Tall, dark and pretty, she exuded sophistication, elegance and glamour and a certain girl-next-door accessibility and warmth. She was also modest, discussed as an indispensible characteristic on another thread. She never fussed over anything at a time when City's dancers tended to be very mannered. Among her most notable roles were the Agon first pas de trois, demi in Third Movement Bizet (stage left), the Theme in Goldberg, and -- here's the vacuum -- Who Cares?, the Somebody Loves Me Section (the female quintet), where her status as a first among equals (the lady in the middle) really has not been matched by any of her successors. I know I am asking for a lot, but hey . . . can't help it. As friends have heard me whine many a time, I miss Renee!!!

Phew! Thanks, Ari. Reassuring news even for Week 1.

And the Kirov is doing the Shades Act under these conditions? :eek: Glad I'm seeing Week 1 of the International Festival rather than Week 2.

At risk of veering far off topic, let me run this by you. I have found that in ballets where I have had a favorite dancer occupy a role for a number of years, my eye becomes trained to her (usually her) blocking. After she has moved on (up or out), I have a hard time not watching her usually less worthy successor. I still "follow" Judith Fugate's corps/demi successors in Serenade and Who Cares! :rolleyes:

I would say she stood atop the "top corps" -- not of "that" generation, but of "those," as photos reveal her as a member of three generations of the corps, about one and a half of which were in my time.

Who but Mr. Parish would find a way to make "Dances at a Gathering" a statement about global politics? ;) It makes good sense, though. Clearly, the work succeeds when it exudes a utopian harmony. I just never expanded its meaning beyond the 10 dancers on stage at any given time. Yes, Mel, Delia was a workhorse. Many people will be surprised (alarmed :eek: !) that she never gained soloist status. Neither tall nor short, neither dark nor fair, she exuded intelligence, warmth and musicality and seemed capable of an infinite range of roles. As versatile a ballet dancer as I've seen -- completely unpigeonholable.

A friend of mine danced in Canada's Beauty, complained of the costumes' excessive weight, noting that those of a later Nureyev staging of same on another company where SHE had a friend, looked identical and weighed a fraction of the originals.

Alexandra, I always thought that the characterization you ascribe to Feijoo was precisely what Robbins wanted -- a little neurotic and very needy, working too hard at being charming.

Some of us don't like the way those Corsaire- and Bayadere-style, bra-top costumes make so many horizontal cuts across the body's length. They chop the dancer's line.