Hans

I would put the mime back into the Kirov's Swan Lake and remove the jester. I'd alter the Bluebird pas de deux in the reconstructed Sleeping Beauty so that it follows the Stepanov notation. I'd remove that ridiculous bed from Balanchine's Nutcracker. And (not to directly contradict Canbelto!) I'd put Conrad back into the Le Corsaire pas de trois. The choreography just doesn't make sense without a third person IMO.

Regarding video vs. notation, notation is important because videos aren't always accurate in terms of musicality, whether a leg is front or side, &c, and it's sometimes impossible to film all the dancers on stage at one time. Notation says with certainty exactly what each position and movement are and when they occur with the music.

Supporting one's local ballet school (and company) is indeed a worthy cause.

She accomplishes those incredible jumps (not high, but lighter than meringue) by using her exemplary plié.

Continuation of the Fracci discussion from this thread. It appears from the few videos I've seen that Carla Fracci really had very good technique--certainly better than Ferri (although Ferri is one of my faves, and I don't mean to criticize her ).

I'm going to start a new thread for Fracci, as she is one of my favorite dancers and I'd like to keep the Giselle thread on topic.

I didn't mean to suggest that "Shades" and Giselle ought to be danced the same way, just that Fracci's interpretation might have worked better in Shades. It also reminds me of what I hear about Lopatkina's Odette, which some find very moving and others very cold.

Did Fracci ever dance Nikiya? Richard's description of Fracci's Act II reminds me of Asylmuratova's Kingdom of the Shades.

A greater challenge IMO because the dancers can't hide behind lots of steps--they have to act, something few know how to do these days.

One thing that I notice many students do is concentrate almost entirely on the dancers' techniques. While it is important to be able to see technical flaws (and many students discuss the technique they see VERY intelligently) I wonder if they see the beauty of the acting in the performance. If a dancer isn't perfectly turned out all the time, it's worth looking past that to see what good qualities the dancer brings to the stage that perhaps some of the more technically perfect ones don't. So while understanding technique enriches one's ballet experience to a large degree, it's important to keep a balanced perspective and recognize that technique and expression go hand in hand.

Have you tried http://www.ballerinagallery.com ?

Paolo Galli, Rosalie O'Connor, and Marc Haegeman.

Alla Sizova! and she combined it with a haunting, delicate, lyrical adagio.

IMO, it's not that difficult to see what we've lost. Asylmuratova used the phrase "singing with the body," which I haven't seen from a live ballet dancer for a long time. Training these days is much better, and we now have more physicians who specialize in dance medicine to help with injuries, and that's wonderful. However, to a large extent, dancers no longer dance. They do very pretty and impressive physical feats, but they don't dance. I think we can keep what we've gained (advances in technique, training, dance medicine) while getting back what we've lost, if we make the effort.

He's in the latest Kennedy Center brochure in an ad for Suzanne Farrell Ballet.

I would go as Prince Désiré from the Kirov's reconstructed Sleeping Beauty.

Ooh, they could use a handbag as a partnering accessory, kind of like the bow in the Diana and Actaeon pas de deux!

MinkusPugni, I've never seen the Medora variation from the Jardin Animé performed by anyone but the Kirov, so it's difficult to reference, but you can see it on the DVD/videos "The Kirov in London" and "Le Corsaire" with Altynai Asylmuratova.

Bart, the short answer is that it really depends on the school, and within each school, it often depends to a large extent on the teacher, too.

Medora dances a Minkus variation (one that isn't from Don Quixote) in the Kirov's production that is different from what we often see in the west. To which variation are you referring?

Exactly, Richard, there's a complete Swan Lake with Mezentseva, but not one with Asylmuratova.

One of my favorite moments in that documentary is when Mezentseva is dancing Odette's Act II variation in full costume, onstage, with an orchestra, from the front, and then they cut to Asylmuratova, shown from behind, in a practice tutu, with a piano, dancing the same steps with about a thousand times more grace, sensitivity, and intelligence. I agree, Cygnet, they ought to have filmed her act II instead.

I remember that ballet--one of my friends was in it! I imagine that if Yeohlee Teng had a dance company, it would be a very beautiful, austere, practical one. All the ballets would be designed to suit multiple occasions--the idea of "openers" and "closers" would be uknown there--and the movement would be stripped down to only what was necessary to communicate a particular idea...and of course, it would all be as beautiful and moving as a work by Maya Lin.

Actually, considering the number of Trekkies out there, I'm surprised no one's done a Star Trek ballet yet. I'm probably going to ballet hell for that.

Carbro and I were talking a couple nights ago about the various characteristics of certain fashion designers, and we started thinking...what if Giorgio Armani had a ballet company? It would probably be tasteful and restrained, but very sophisticated, glorifying such technical feats as the single perfect pirouette that finishes on (demi)pointe, &c. What's your favorite fashion designer (or fashion house) and what would his/her/its ballet company be like?