Terry

After her 2nd debut in Giselle this past weekend, Cojocaru (19 years old) was promoted to principal dancer. She's the youngest principal to be promoted since Bussell's promotion in 1989 (I think). Cojocaru's promotion reminds me of Guillem's promotion in 1984 when she was only 19!! Well, a new star has been born!! Congratulations Alina! I can't wait to see her in RB's US tour.

Thanks for all your comments, Alexandra, Victoria, and others. It's always so helpful to read what others have to say. It's interesting about what you've said about competitions, Alexandra, because this is exactly what is happening in Japanese ballet. In Japan at the moment, there are more than 10 national ballet competitions that take place every year, and students and teachers compete in them as if winning a medal can change their whole life. Because they've been trained to compete in competitions during their youths, when they should be developing their musicality, acting skills, miming, and other important qualities that are so much more necessary than simply technique, the dancers don't know how to "grow" after they've entered Prix de Lausanne (which is what most Japanese national competition winners do) and have joined foreign companies. Dancers find disparity between what the western coaches, companies, audience, etc.look for and what the Japanese teachers and competition judges have always put their emphasis on. I've gotten a little off topic here, and I'm not saying that this is what Herrera has experienced (obviously , because she's been trained in Argentina, which has a completely different style of training than Japan) but I do think that competitions are becoming a source of problems for educating young dancers.

Wow; that is amazing! CONGRATULATIONS~!! Like Yvonne, I hope to see your works someday. Any plans in the near future?

Just a comment about Ms. Herrera -- I have been disappointed in her dancing too. It just seems as if ever since she suddenly joined the principal rank at age 19, her quality of dancing has been deteriorating. Her body has been changing to a point that she is losing her tonality in her legs, her arms look wobbly and has no sense of control. Both in her performances at the World Ballet Festival and City Center (NY season), she didn't appear like a "principal" dancer to me at all . Perhaps it is not always a good idea to promote people when they are too young.... What is happening to her ?

I was expecting to hear a little more excitement about the new soloist, Xiomara Reyes, since I was hoping for a new member who is fresh and exciting to see ... Did she not leave a lot of impression?

Ballet Nut -- I like that one with Feijoo and Corella in "Don Q"! She would make an EXCELLENT Kitri. I hope SFB will do Don Q soon...

I'm not sure if we've ever had this posting, but I thought it would be interesting to read what some ballet fans would be interested in seeing their favorite dancers perform, or any partnerships that you would want to see in a pdd or performance. Here are some things I would like to see: 1) "La Esmeralda" pdd -- Sylvie Guillem &Manuel Legris 2) "Pas de Quatre" -- with Elizabeth Platel, Elizabeth Maurin, Carole Arbo, Fanny Gaida 3) "La Spectre de la Rose" -- with Manuel Legris and Lucia Lacarra 4) "Manon" -- with V.Malakhov & Lucia Lacarra or V.Durante & M.Legris Any others!?! [This message has been edited by Terry (edited April 06, 2001).]

What an interesting question! Actually though, I have always had an image of Giselle as a girl with dark/brunette hair and couldn't imagine her being blonde for some reason...I don't have any specific images for other roles but I do feel slightly that dancers with darker hairs leave a little more of an impression (of course, the dancing counts too) on stage, especially if they're in the corps.

I thought Carla Fracci's mime in Giselle was exquisite. She was so poetic.

OHHHHHHh, THIS IS TERRIBLE!!! I CANNOT believe this! I am really shocked.... but if they're placing a ban like this for ballet productions, they must do so in EVERY other performing arts productions, whether they are movies, plays, musicals, ETC...or it wouldn't be fair!!! Ballet is already considered somewhat "exclusive" and this ban is making the exclusiveness worse. Less people will be willing to become "members" just to see these performances, if they aren't passionate ballet fans like us... Oh this is really sad.....

Oxford -- do you know which company she is dancing with in Germany? thanks

Estelle -- thanks for all the information! I'm quite disappointed as well because I'm going to be spending a semester in Paris from January 2002 and was hoping I could see the very best of POB! I wish I had gone this year. Do they not have the "Jeune Danseurs" Program every year as well? I was hoping I could see that...Still, the POB school's program looks exciting with La Fille and Western Symphony. Oh, and I do hope they promote Marie-Agnes!!!

Hi Enterachilles, Is Yumiko Takeshima with the company? I thought I'd heard that she got promoted to principal dancer...how is she? I'd like to know some of the comments being made about her. Thanks in advance

My impression of "American dancers" have always come from the NYCB, where I've gotten the impression that these dancers have big (arch) feet and strong legs with great muscle tones. To me, the typical "American" dancer seems to put great emphasis on their lower body and their movements are dynamic and strong. I would say that the most "un-American" (this doesn't mean that I don't like the NYCB dancers) dancer was Gelsey Kirkland -- she was so delicate and so light and expressive with her upper body and arms. This is a great question, but I'm slightly generalizing here...

Hello Leigh, When I first saw Zahorian as the Fairy of Playfulness, I thought the same too. A companion of mine also said the exact same thing!!! Leigh, do you also remember who competed in the Erik Bruhn competition that year from the 5 five companies?

Ralph -- Who else do you recommend from the company? I thought Liz Miner was charming. I'm also interested about Clara Blanco Casquette -- who I think will graduate from SFB School this year and perhaps join the company. She was a wonderful Giselle and Diana in the 1999 Prix de Lausanne. Also, are there any news about what they might be doing potentially for the next season? Hope these aren't too many questions.

Hi Ralph, I agree with a lot of the points that you made. When I saw the performances, the sets and the production itself didn't strike me very much as a "fairy-tale." But this would mainly be a matter of cost, and perhaps the SFB didn't want to/couldn't spend so much on this production?(I'm only assuming here...) But even if the production itself wasn't too impressive, I agree wtih the fact that some of the dancers were excellent. I do, too, think that some of them could have been better with better coaching, but I see this so frequently in other companies as well. If they don't have the time or the opportunity to get the best coaching they can, then that would mean that the dancers would have to do more "research" (reading the original novel, watching videos, etc.) and challenge themselves on their own, which I think also accounts for a dancer's talent. This is what I think partly differentiates good dancers from bad: the amount of research and devotion that they put into their character. As Sylvie Guillem once said, the dancer has to use and try different sorts of ingredients, as if they were cooking. I'm not implying that these dancers aren't hard working, but sometimes, I do feel that some dancers are lacking in their amount of research.

Does anyone remember seeing Yoko Ichino? I'd like to know a little more about her. Is she teaching at the moment? Thanks very much!

Hello Cilantro, Thanks for reading my comments! This is really personal opinion, but I do believe that a small face is ideal for a ballerina. The reason why I think a small face is ideal is because of the importance of a dancer's physical proportion -- the head, the torso, and the limbs. She may have the longest limbs and the shortest torst, but with a big, round face, I think the dancer's physical proportion becomes a little imbalanced. Maybe she doesn't need an "extremely small face," but often times, I think a small face makes the dancer look more aesthetically pleasing. And when the dancers have to wear the classical wigs (like they do so often during the 3rd Act of Sleeping Beauty) a smaller face seems to go better with the wig. Well, this is just my opinion.

This is the first time that I’m posting my personal impressions of a performance (it’s so difficult to find the right words to describe these performances and dancers!!!) but I had the wonderful opportunity to see two performances by the SFB -- both of them "The Sleeping Beauty" –- so I’ve given myself a try. First Night Aurora: Lucia Lacarra Prince Desire: Cyril Pierre Bluebird: Joan Boada Princess Florine: Kristin Long Lilac Fairy: Muriel Maffre Lucia Lacarra is a beautiful dancer. She possesses the most ideal physique for a ballerina -- long limbs, extremely small face, beautifully arched feet -- and can produce the most beautiful classical line. She displayed youthful charm in her portrayal of Aurora and her balances (particularly during the Rose Adagio) were well-controlled and breath-taking. While her beautifully “bent-in” knees created the most sublime lines for her arabesques and other poses, it also lead to some difficulties in her technique – her pirouettes and jetes were shaky in some areas. I also felt that her use of facial expression could be improved; she seemed to be trying a little to hard to look “sweet and cute” in the Rose Adagio, and I thought a more natural use of expressions would have added a certain freshness and ease to her portrayal of Aurora. In any case, her “Vision” Act was simply ethereal – I think Lacarra is excellent in adagios and perhaps more suited to dance them than the scenes with petit allegros/codas. As for the other dancers, Muriel Maffre had a striking stage presence; she really understood the significance of the role of the Lilac Fairy. Kristin Long made a fine Princess Florine; her variation was extremely fresh and crisp. I also cannot fail to mention Lorena Feijoo, who was a powerful “Fairy of Courage,” and Vanessa Zahorian (she danced one of the fairies, but I cannot remember which) who is an extremely charming dancer and would have been perfect to dance Aurora. Second Night Aurora: Tan Yuan Yuan Prince Desire: Vadim Solomakha Bluebird: Guennadi Nevidguine Princess Florine: Tina LeBlanc Lilac Fairy: Muriel Maffre I was extremely excited to see Tan Yuan Yuan because my last performance of her dancing “La Esmeralda” pdd was fantastique, but her Aurora lacked the striking impression that she had left me when I last her. When I see Princess Aurora making her first entrance in the First Act, I expect to see a very charming, fresh, excited girl who is about to make her entrance into the social community of her castle environment. For me, Tan’s Aurora was a little too “strong” (I don’t know what words can really describe my impressions) but I just didn’t feel as if I was watching Aurora…rather, I felt as if I was watching the ballerina “Tan Yuan Yuan” simply performing a classical variation. I was a little disappointed also because she seemed a little inconfident during the Rose Adagio; she was technically unstable in many of her balances (attitudes and ecartes) as well as her pirouettes. I’m not expecting that the dancer be technically perfect during the Adagio, but when I see a principal dancer performing this role, I expect a certain degree of confidence in her portrayal of Aurora. Nevertheless, her 2nd and 3rd act proved to be much better, as I figure she has performed the 3rd act pdd quite a few times elsewhere. Muriel Maffre was, again, excellent – boy she can ACT!!! -- and Tina LeBlanc was a dynamic Princess Florine. *If anyone else has seen the SFB, please post any comments!! I've become a great fan of this company -- it's an extremely exciting and strong company with great dancers, and it can no longer be called "regional" ! I would say that their caliber matches the level of NYCB and ABT. Actually, they might even be better, especially in their contemporary/neo-classical performances.

I've never seen Emmanuel Thibault before, so I cannot comment about his qualities as a dancer...but regarding the "danseur noble" issue, doesn't it take quite some time for the dancer to actually become a "danseur noble"... ? I'm sure that some dancers like Manuel Legris had the "danseur noble" quality inherent in him from the beginning, but don't some dancers actually develop into "danseur nobles" as they grow older? [Or what truly makes a dancer a real "danseur noble" -- this might be an interesting question that could be open for discussion.] I'm not sure if my questions are valid, but this is just my personal opinion. I also think that the POB is one of the most "limiting" companies in the sense that the company doesn't offer a lot of promotions to those who most deserve it. But again, this is part of the reasons why the company maintains its prestige. I can't help thinking that dansers like Melanie Hurel, Yann Saiz, Herve Courtain, or Yann Bridard would definitely be first soloists or even principals, if they were to engage in other companies like ABT, RB, SFB, etc. (not that I'm underestimating the level of these companies). It's really too bad for the dancers!

Yes, I have a TRULY memorable first impression by DIANA VISHNEVA of the KIROV BALLET. I saw her do her prize-winning performance of a variation from Carmen (which she won a gold medal at the 94 Prix de Lausanne) and she just astounded me. Some may have been blown away by her amazing flexibility, but I was blown away by her physical energy and dramatic character in her portrayal of Carmen. I couldn't believe she was ONLY 17 years old. Another WONDERFUL impression: Tan Yuan Yuan of the SFB, when she, too, was 17 years old. She did her "La Esmeralda" variation, which she often dances for many gala performances. Has anyone else seen her do this variation? She's absolutely FANTASTIQUE in it.

Estelle -thanks for posting the information about the POB concours in English!! I was very thrilled to read about them. By the way, did Cozette not compete this year?

I miss all the dancers from the 70s and the 80s when so many stars flourished!! I miss MAKAROVA, EVDOKIMOVA, and HAYDEE especially. I miss them all!!! =( Oh, and as for the men, NUREYEV, DOWELL, and GIL ROMAN (of Bejart Ballet de Lausanne)...has anyone seen him in "Adagietto"? It was firt created for Gorge Donn, but he continued to dance it after Donn's death. Oh, it moves me to tears....

I've been wondering recently, why ABT doesn't really have a home of its own...Of course, the MET is their home in the sense that they have the longest season (the spring/summer season) there for about 2 months... But I cannot help thinking that the company itself can't develop as much as a whole because what happens is that they have to put so many repertories together at once, which doesn't give much time for the company as a whole to rehearse/practice. (Is that why the company often seems under rehearsed?) And it also doesn't give the company many opportunities to work on a lot of new works -- it seems like they've been performing a lot of the same classical repertory for the past 5 years. Why isn't it possible for the MET to have alternating opera/ballet seasons as they do at the NYCB/POB/RB/Kirov, and all other companies? I'm just curious.... (oh and I hope this is an appropriate topic to discuss...)