Hans

I wonder if Terpsichore's Captives is the film that I saw a bit of while I was in Switzerland--it centered around a ballet student who wanted to play the violin, but her mother had made her stay in ballet school. Her teacher appeared to be, frankly, abusive.

I must admit that I am curious as to whether anyone alive today has actually seen the original choreography for "The Devil on Two Sticks."

atm711, I had no idea Asylmuratova danced T&V--please tell me more!

I have updated my blog with a post about pointework. You can read it by clicking the link in my signature below.

I watched Martine Van Hamel coach Ashley Tuttle in this scene, and she mentioned the strings that carbro wrote about. Not sure about the different wings/bodice, although that sounds plausible, as Van Hamel said every now and then a string would break and a wing would come off too early!

Yes, I only started watching NYCB in 1998, so I can only comment on what's been done since then.

Jack, I saw NYCB dance Symphony in C several years ago at NYST and more recently here at the Kennedy Center with Abi Stafford, Wendy Whelan, Sterling Hyltin, and Ashley Bouder.

I think it is interesting to read about dancers not being supposed to act in Balanchine because it appears to me that NYCB does it all the time. During NYCB's latest visit to DC, I actually had to stifle laughter throughout a good bit of the performance as the acting was so overdone, especially in Serenade (which is pretty melodramatic even without added acting). This particular video is not clear enough for me to compare, but generally I find the Maryinsky to be pretty restrained as far as that sort of thing goes.

Does Makhalina have more recent performances captured on VHS/DVD that showcases improvement in maturity and emotional/artistic interpretation?

Not that I'm aware of. Makhalina makes a very beautiful Odette and a striking Odile--she has a strong, beautiful technique and an appropriate sense of what she ought to convey. She just doesn't always quite get to the point of actually conveying it. I have this video, and I really enjoy it, so I am not at all trying to disparage Makhalina, it is just that as far as acting goes, I prefer other dancers (such as Makarova).

IMO, best performance of Symphony in C I've ever seen. And yes, I've seen NYCB live, and yes, it was a good cast. This is fantastic. My only wish is that Balanchine had the resources to use a larger male corps, as the Maryinsky could deploy theirs to excellent effect.

Can't say I'm a fan of Osipova's tacky approach, although given her age at the time, I suppose I must blame her coaches.

Not so big on Letestu either, but I enjoy Tamara Rojo's interpretation. The dramatic flair is there but not to the point of excess, and she uses her technique in service of the variation, not the other way 'round.

What really interests me, though, is the idea of taking a variation out of context and turning it into something else entirely--is that really a good idea, and what does it do to the variation? The music of this Esmeralda variation implies something dramatic and mysterious. Does "abstract, pure, and innocent" work with that?

I recall that in character dance classes, my teacher would tell us that when we did a gypsy-style dance, we had to do it with pure emotion, as if no one was watching and that even if someone was, we didn't care what we looked like. Thus, although one must always be beautiful in ballet, I feel that during this variation, as classical as it is, one must dance with a bit of abandon, not kicking oneself in the head because it pleases the audience but rather with an energy that reaches to the highest balcony and beyond.

Salenko's dancing is very beautiful, and I would love to see more of her, but this particular video leaves something to be desired, in my opinion. I will say that as it seems to be a rehearsal rather than a performance, I cannot entirely fault her for not being very dramatic.

Well in that case I wish she would dance it more like Esmeralda and less like Aurora.

Still, her technique is quite beautiful and very impressive.

Also, this does not appear to be a performance to me--it looks more like a stage rehearsal given that she is wearing little warm-up shorts.

Beautifully done, very tasteful. If she were a professional dancer I would wish for a lot more "gypsy" flavor--it was rather careful for my taste, but appropriate for a student.

Actually, Lezhnina is in the Act I pas de trois on the Swan Lake video. I like both of these, but while I find Makhalina to be lovely in the role, she is not moving.

I never had the chance to see Zyupova live, and now I never will. She remains one of my favorite dancers to watch on video.

I had the privilege of taking one of Michael's open classes at ADI in addition to conversing with him on BT. It was a great pleasure to have met him.

Honestly, I mostly watch the tape of Makarova's "Bayadère" for Asylmuratova's performance. For everything else, it's the Maryinsky, although I really enjoy Platel's dancing as Gamzatti, too.

I am quite curious to hear what more people on BT think of Tudor--we have a large Balanchine-friendly population, and Tudor seems to often be seen as Balanchine's opposite, perhaps along the lines of Martha Graham but with ballet. I have unfortunately not had the opportunity to see much Tudor, and so I wish that his works would at least be revived for film if ballet companies are not going to perform them anymore. Of course film is not a substitute for continuous performance, but it is better than nothing.

Béjart.

Royal or Royal Danish?

Spessivtseva.

Jiri Kylian or Nacho Duato?

Pas de chat.

Full-length Sylvia or pas de deux?

I had been curious about this production, and now I'm still not sure whether to see it or not! (I probably will.)

Barnes.

Sylvie Guillem or Svetlana Zakharova?

Mixed bill.

Costumes or practice clothes?

Thank you for explaining, dirac. No offense taken.

Leigh, I am in full agreement re: Verdy. She is excellent.