Hans

Maybe it's because my original training was Balanchine, but I can always see the preparation before a pirouette. It takes a little longer to do a pirouette from the lunge, especially when the dancer is on pointe, and so the position of the preparation is more obvious. However, with a plié the preparation can be very fast--down and right back up. I recall at an audition I attended, there was a woman from SAB, and during the pointe section there was a combination given with a steady 2/4 rhythm. She couldn't stay on the music because her lunge preparation took an extra beat. So it depends on whether you want speed or a nicer line. The plié really does not bother me, as it is the same line one sees during a plié in 5th, and people seem to only find it offensive during pirouettes from 4th. Upon landing an échappé to 4th, it is possible to keep the back knee straight, but no one has complained about that yet, so I don't think it can really be all that bad.

Fokine invented curved lines in ballet? What was Balanchine smoking?

Regarding your last question, Bart, I would say no. Without firm, consistent self-discipline, it is not possible to reach an advanced level in ballet school, much less become proficient enough to be hired by a company. Some of Stiefel's changes sound good (acting classes, for example), but I fail to see what push-ups as punishment are going to accomplish.

I still find it hard to believe that she has students who can't hear the difference between 3/4 and 4/4. I seriously doubt someone with that sort of deficiency would make it past beginner ballet.

It is necessary to control one's facial expression during class because that is one of the ways in which one disguises effort. A pasted-on grin or a creepy half-smile are both wrong. No one wants to see furrowed brows and contorted mouths during a difficult adagio--it must appear easy. One develops almost a 'poker face' in class, betraying nothing, and although there is nothing wrong with a natural smile now and then, control of one's face is essential so that one can portray the appropriate 'look' for any given ballet. I think acting classes can also help with this because even if a ballet does not have characters, there is generally still a mood to the piece, and the dancers need to be able to understand and convey that, even if they are not using the usual 'acting' techniques one would see in a 19C classic.

We do pay attention to facial expression in ballet class. The look must be alert, yet calm--simultaneously serene and engaged. One learns to not make faces during difficult exercises, but a smile every now and then, during a particularly enjoyable combination for example, is welcome. In Gretchen Ward Warren's Classical Ballet Technique, there is a description of the appropriate classroom expression, as well as expressions to avoid. One classroom expression that particularly irritates me is usually found on teachers who demand that their students always appear to be extremely alert: eyes open a little too wide, eyebrows slightly raised, and a sort of half-smile on the lips. While one does not want to appear bored, the 'One too many cups of coffee' look is going too far in the opposite direction.

Apparently Farrell can't hear that a march is 2/4, not 4/4.

Yes, the dancer was onstage nearly the entire time, providing both mime and dancing. I don't think every step was historically accurate--a pirouette in attitude derrière at nearly 90º presumably would not have been performed by someone wearing the long skirts of the period (she was costumed in a calf-length skirt) but the way she used her upper body was very beautiful. A review in the Washington Post called her inclusion superfluous, but I disagree; the singers did very little besides stand there, so the dancing was welcome. Trust an opera critic to call the dancing superfluous.

I haven't spoken to Danny since our KAB days, but as far as I know, it was his own decision to leave ABT, and also to do the reality show, so I'm afraid I don't see the problem...?

I could not find the SYTYCD thread, so I must ask, to what fate of Danny Tidwell are you referring? Was it the fact that he didn't win the competition?

Just returned from watching Opera Lafayette perform 'Le Déserteur', a baroque opéra comique, at the Kennedy Center. It was performed mostly concert style, with the singers performing their arias in French and acting as necessary to complement the theatrical narration, in English. The performance also included a dancer from the New York Baroque Dance company who was very charming. There was a lot of beautiful singing, particularly from the men, and the orchestra was delightful. An extremely pleasant (and too short) evening.

I also read and enjoyed the interview.

I'll bet I know where you read it.

Dancers like black because it is supposed to make one look thinner.

Oh, good. I have been wanting to see her myself for quite some time, so that works out well. I'm also hoping to see Wiles, and the mixed bill on the 19th.

I might be worrying needlessly, but since Russians seem determined to remove all mime from everything, I must ask: does Veronica Part perform Odette's mime speech in Act II? The reason for my question is that I am teaching it to my repertoire class and would like to take them to see ABT's performance. The only day they would be able to go is Friday, the day Part is dancing, and I want to make sure they get to see the mime.

I love both Revelations and Esplanade when performed by modern dancers. Ballet dancers generally don't have good enough technique.

How about a ballet by Christopher Wheeldon? Either something he's already done or a new one. Perhaps Dance Theatre of Harlem could be brought back to life to perform it.

Just to be clear, is Croce saying, 'Petipa represented the sum of theoretical knowledge up to the end of the nineteenth century' in general, or does she mean that was Balanchine's opinion? What does she even mean by 'theoretical knowledge'?

Oh, what sad news. I will miss her posts.

It is really too bad that they left Denyce Graves out of the ceremony. Washington's own black opera star was, according to the Washington Post, not even asked to participate.

To add to the list of companies, I think San Francisco Ballet ought to be included. With that many companies, I suppose the program would have to be a sort of gala format, with representatives from each one performing a short piece. At the Kennedy Center.

For the ballet-only portion of the program, NYCB dancing Stars and Stripes is an obvious choice. Maybe ABT could perform Rodeo? I'd also want to put Joffrey and Washington Ballets in there--Joffrey for the Illinois connection and WB because it's the capital's ballet company.

Ah, you're right. The curtain is gold, not blue.

The cassette cover of my copy says it was filmed at the Mariinsky Theater. I was surprised to see that because this performance does not make use of the MT stage's trap doors for the Lilac Fairy and miniature 'vision' of Aurora conjured up by Carabosse in the Prologue, as the Kolpakova DVD does.