leonid17

The poem is printed in a pamphlet which is being sold by Quaritch, the noted Antiquarian Booksellers who of course want to realise as much money as possible. Thus, they are quite reasonably not releasing the poem to the general public. One hopes however that the purchaser of this item will not keep it to him/herself and that it stands up in quality after having received such wide publicity. See:- http://www.quaritch.com/stock/highlights/shelley.htm

July 14(July 01 O.S.)2010, was the centenary anniversary of the death of the worlds most famous ballet choreographer (Victor) Marius Alphonse Petipa and yet not one of us posted the event on balletalk, the premier interactive ballet website. Mmmmmmm. More than a dozen ballets attributed to his enormous oeuvre exist in some shape or form and are still happily admired by worldwide academic ballet enthusiasts to this day. Of course a number of his ballets remain the backbone of dozens of classical ballet companies. In June this year Marc Haegeman did remind us of the impending event in a danceviewtimes article, Nadine Meisner also marked the event with a tribute article in the July issue of Dancing Times and a passing mention of the event was by made by some companies performing Petipa ballets around the centenary date. I thought therefore that the least I could do was to remind us all, if rather belatedly at ballettalk, of this important event and say thank you Mons Petipa for bringing such choreographic beauty into our lives.

I found these reviews for which I have used my google toolbar facility to translate. I hope you are able to read them in the USA. http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cataluna/Royal/Ballet/cautiva/Liceo/elpepiespcat/20100712elpcat_11/Tes http://avui.elpunt.cat/noticia/article/5-cultura/19-cultura/193065-una-produccio-mitica.html http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/tele/20100712/una-maravillosa-bella-durmiente/381215.shtml

Thank you for posting this caricature it is one of a number that I do not possess. Not all of the Legat brothers ballet caricatures are a direct reflection of actual roles, and are mostly their personal comment on the physicality and personality of their subjects. Clustine was reputedly a foppish and effeminate character in real life and a pupil of Gustav I. Legat, Nikolai and Sergei's father. So perhaps he was a real life inspiration for the character created by the Legats. Ivan Nikolaevich Clustine(1862-1941), created a production of The Fairy Doll at the Bolshoi 1900, the second to be staged in that theatre and of course almost three years before the Legat brothers St.Petersburg production. I do not recollect having read any mention of Clustine guesting with the St.Petersburg Imperial Ballet in Russian sources. Clustine left Moscow in 1903 moving to France where he was to become balletmaster/choreographer at the Paris Opera and later Anna Pavlova's ballet master and choreographer for almost 20 years. (quote Mel Johnson) "Yes, it certainly resembles the Ter-Arutunian design for Léandre. The Elderly Fop model is very clear, as also seen in Camacho in Don Quixote. I like especially the red heels on the shoes, which in several monarchic European societies denoted that the wearer had been received at court. Léandre obviously wants to let everyone know that he's High Society." Louis IX I believe, most frequently wore red heeled shoes.

Just to add a bit more information on this production which will be broadcast in the UK later in the year. The below link is for details from Glyndebourne and duplicates much of volcanohunter's post. I was not aware of this site and I am grateful to have learned about it from his posting. http://www.glyndebourne.com/operas/don_giovanni

I am not particularly disappointed in Alexandrova(who I admire)losing Coppelia, but the thought of having to see Tsiskaridze four times is too much for a man of my age and sensibilities.

That should read "if it's not too dear", meaning if it's not too expensive. My grandmother (who was not British) used to use "dear" this way. I am English and us older people still use the expression. I always liked Ringo and admired the rest. My mother who was born in 1906 absolutely loved the Beatles. In fact in the England of the 1960's they were the most widely admired pop group, way above The Rolling Stones. Happy,Happy belated Birthday wishes.

Innopac...I posted the link just as I've always done it, and apparently this new format does the work for you on inserting the little Youtube window-(well done, Helene!, BTW ) Leonid....in my recent visit to NYC, when I spent those four hours at the NYPL dance collection searching for Alonso, many of her videos also carried many fragments of Markova. I was very impressed on seeing how much of her Alonso took to build up her own dancing style, particularly the carriage of her upper body..that emphasis on the perfect vertical line, accentuating the "lithograph effect" on given poses. Many of the snippets I posted are fragments of those longer clips. Like the Dying Swan. which they have it complete at the library. I was also very interested in watching fragments of the Fedorova-(Ivanov)-fragments of the Sugar Plum Fairy PDD, and they are just identical as the current staging of CNB-(it's a shame there's nothing longer on Youtube). A little , but I would love to know when and how this staging was taken out of the ABT repertoire-(did Lupe Serrano danced it during the 60's...?)...basically what happened to that version between then and the Baryshnikov staging. (Maybe I should ask this question in another forum...?) You are right to comment on the echoing similarities that occur in the films of Markova and Alonso espcially in the port de bras. The pull-up exhibited in the Giselle films registers quite clearly and in Markovas case takes on a new meaning, with the vertical especially registering, due the narrowness of her frame. To me, Markovas poise appears to have a truly unique quality.

Thank you Cristian for posting these fragments. I have seen several of them before and I am grateful to have seen them again. There is something quite unique in Markova's dancing some of this appears to arise from her strength en pointe. Sadly the filming is fairly crude and in Giselle the stage is very small.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/03/arts/dance/03new.html?_r=1 This is exactly the kind of ballet crticism I want to read. It combines background to actuality with a definite point of view. Ps Thank you dirac for posting this in links.

As a sometimes light sleeper, I thank God my Katya only chooses two positions to sleep on my bed. One at my feet which she has attacked on occasion when I have moved and secondly between my body and my arm. I shall not let her see this video as it may stimulate her to seek as much attention during the night as the cat portrayed appears to seek.

I am very sorry to report that the much admired English novelist Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge, DBE (21 November 1934 – 2 July 2010) has died. I did not discover her until 1977 when she won a “Whitbread Award” for “Injury Time” an award she garnered for a second time in 1996. I especially enjoyed her last book “According to Queeney”, her literary fictional observation of the latter years of Samuel Johnson. As recorded in today’s obituaries, Beryl Bainbridge was included among The Times list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". Obituaries: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/7867988/Dame-Beryl-Bainbridge-75-dies-of-cancer.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jul/02/beryl-bainbridge-dies http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/author-beryl-bainbridge-dies-aged-77-2016742.html http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2010/07/02/beryl-bainbridge-the-finest-kind-of-reactionary/

It is, really? 'Nazi youth look' or thereabouts, people say that a lot? I didn't know that, but that would explain it if it is. Very 'Tomorrow Belongs to Me', I guess. Pretty good for Kander and Ebb, although I find the authentic actual Nazi anthems more hair-raising, much like the old Soviet military-parade marches. You wrote, "I agree he meant that, and nothing about Stiefel's political beliefs, but it's crude. Although 'blond-and-blue-eyed' means German types, it also means Aryan and Northern European in general. Germans aren't probably as often blonde as Swedes or other Scandinavians, so he was probably trying to be witty in an obviously controversial way. You could certainly say the same thing about the young Peter Martins." As a particular descriptive used by Mr. Macaulay, there is no confusion to be found. As you say, there are fewer blondes to be found in Germany than in Nordic countries. The difference to be found is in Hitler’s choice of blondes as depicted in films and martial displays, was that he sought to exemplify the blonde typology as the preferred Aryan type for perpetual Germany established through brutal murders to achieve his concept of world domination. This has not only survived in people memories, it has been passed down through generations and the combination of Hitler youth and blondness is merely an echo not a derogatory term, unless of course it is used in terms of people’s behavior. As a teenager, I returned home one day from the barbers with a very short haircut. Added to this was the bleaching of my pale ginger hair to blonde in a hot summer. My mother’s reaction was, “Don’t ever do that again, you look like a Nazi.” Did she mean it, yes, but only in a descriptive manner not in respect of my personality or actions. Elsewhere, Mr. Macaulay it has been stated that he has “favorites”. I would say from reading his columns for a good many years that he is not a “fan” who would have favorites, but has admiration for particular dancers arising from his judgment fashioned from a wide knowledge and experience which is his own.

I would suggest that where Macaulay used the word "Nazi" in conjuction with blondness, he was merely referencing a descriptive archetype widely understood in most countries.

Thank you for your report.

I can give you a recipe.

Many thanks. I am happy for it to remain my personal profile, but it takes up so much room on the page when posting. Thanks Helene. I understand that you have a task on your hands.

Thank you Helene. As an 'oldie' I like the very clear presentation of the new format. Well Done. Please tell me. how do I remove the full display of my interests against each post?

Ballet was performed at the Stroganov Palace in St.Petersburg but no company was formed and certainly not in 1930.

As Mme. Hermine suggests the name my be Nina Stroganova(real name Nina Rigmor Strom) born in Copenhagen. If so, plenty of information in her obituary here:- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/o...va-1414276.html You can also find her on facebook.

I'm sure Disney had to license the music from the Tchaikovsky estate when the film was made, although ironically, the Tchaikovsky-derived music in the film's score is probably now protected under copyright as a derivative work. Who knows what the contract with the Tchaikovsky estate states, though. But the real issue from the Disney perspective is that they use the princess characters as "marks" of the Disney corporation. It's probably saying something twisted about our society, but the princess characters (Snow White, Cinderella, Jasmine, the Little Mermaid, etc.) are some of the most popular characters at Disney amusement parks, and are used to extort money from parents of little girls in just about every way possible. There is no way that Disney is not going to protect that very lucrative franchise at all costs. If the works were in public domain, there would probably an interesting copyright question about use of characters if the Tchaikovsky estate were to try to protect "Princess Aurora" in some way. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's estate was able to block Spielberg and Christopher Columbus from releasing "Young Sherlock Holmes" during the 1980's because they did not license the Sherlock Holmes character from the Conan Doyle estate when they made the film, but I that that was a copyright case and the Conan Doyle stories had not fallen into public domain at the time. Realistically, though, I doubt Disney will be able to enforce their mark against pre-existing ballets and the trademark application does not even try to apply for a mark for literature purposes. There's also a good chance that the work trademark granted will be limited to something like "Disney's Princess Aurora." I actually don't every everyone in the USPTO is a barbarian. Thank you for your lucid explanation of the copyright situation. The actual copyright of Tchaikovsky's music of course ended in 1963, seventy years after his death.

The application was filed with the Trademark Office on March 13, 2007 and was widely reported on various arts and entertain websites at the time. It appears that Disney is still pursuing this matter. You will find confirmation at:- http://tarr.uspto.gov/tarr?regser=serial&a...=Request+Status

I think your suggestion is great fun. A niece of Tchaikovsky, Tatiana Anatolevna Tchaikovskaia died as recently as 1970. She married three times and had five children in all.

Well, you are correct in that many people enjoy simpler interests and pleasures, but one has to be inclined to say it depends on the milieu you inhabit whether it is in the UK or Europe. I find the nouveau riche snobisme of the French unpalatable and the German and Austrian snobistisch unbearable in their appreciation of their own arts and would be loathed for the UK to adopt their cultural attitudes. People from almost every walk of life in the UK today attend arts events in greater numbers than at any other period of the past. It is too easy to generalise about the cultural activities of any country and it is an unattractive designation to describe any element of a population to be described as "dumbed down." For those who know, the USA has for more than a hundred years welcomed great artists and produced a good number as well. Its academic activities in respect of the arts are expansive. You have great orchestras, a number of good opera houses, significant museums and art galleries which are renowned. Academic study of the arts in America is so rich it’s impossible to keep up with every dissertation and publication. These are things for America to be proud of but, in a democracy it has to be arts for everybody. Some of my interests were further encouraged by the TV shows that Leonard Bernstein made way back when and I am sure such an open for everybody to see and hear approach is one of the right ways to introduce culture to those who have little or no understanding of the word. However you approach the problem of funding for education arts and events, I may be wrong, but the problem lies with American history which to my English mind, has reflected the feeling that although central government and state funding for the arts exist, they are not deemed a necessity or a right by everyone and for some American politicians, the concept of funding arts and cultural education and their activities by the state, still smacks of socialism and effetism. The important question is how committed are governments to broadening the experience of all their citizens and of course this works two ways. You either offer opportunity to learn or you impose cultural education. In many homes, family values will be the deciding factor for many children and young people. The rejection of the high arts is commonplace. "How will such knowledge of culture put bread on the table and what do you have to show for going to the opera, how will it really help and you and your family, " may well be the damning of a spark of interest. I cannot think of any country where a sincere elevation of knowledge is a guiding principle for all people from disadvantaged groups. After all who would do the jobs that educated and cultivated people do not want to do. In England state funding for the arts began with the founding in 1940 Committee for Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) set up by Royal Charter and one the most important events for the arts in Great Britain was the appointment of John Maynard Keynes as it chairman in 1941 who established funding for 46 arts organisation by the end of the 2nd World War. Its successor The Arts Council of England (There are Scottish. Welsh and Northern Ireland Arts Councils) now regularly supports some 880 arts organisations. Our major arts organisations are all supported by government funding. As to Europe, if you want to discover the German Arts Funding Model might like to read: http://www.osborne-conant.org/funding_model.htm France has a Ministry of Culture and the modern post of Minister of Culture was created by Charles de Gaulle in 1959. Wikipedia gives a very good background to the concept of the, "right to culture." See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_of_Culture_(France) Interestingly, the so called real upper class of the UK are no longer to be seen at the opera and ballet in London. I wonder if they have become dumbed down?

Not Mrs. Obama, who has not attended a Kennedy Center performance yet (ballet or otherwise), other than the Inauguration & the Kennedy Center Honors. Mrs. Clinton used to attend ballets, although it helped that daughter Chelsea was/is passionate about the art. Of course, Vishneva has met the Russian First Lady. Michelle Obama gave a speech at ABT's Met season opening night gala last year. I'd be surprised if MO hasn't been introduced to the principal dancers backstage, or at least to the dancers who performed that night which included DV. So there's a very good chance that DV has been introduced to MO. If MO endorses an organization by giving it a speech, she should be familiar with that organization. I was informed that the dancers were introduced to the First Lady before that performance.