liebs

Spacey is an accomplished stage actor. He is particularly known for his interpretations of the plays of Eugene O'Neill. He's a good choice in my opinion as the Vic needs some one with artistic vision, which I think Spacey has. Let's give at least as much of chance as we gave Ross Stretton.

I've always adored this ballet. The final moment in "One for My Baby" with Tom Rawe and Shelley Freydont is etched on my memory. Split second timing unlike I've ever seen. Baryshnikov could match it in his version with Kudo. Farrell Fan, I've always thought that the choice of Sinatra recordings was deliberate, a layering of high art over popular art to create something that blended the two.

I think a Mother Theresa "festival" may be in the offing. Last summer while drving through Rome, I saw a sign for "Mother Theresa, the Musical". Is nothing sacred?

I had the pleasure of seeing the performance on Tuesday, Jan. 22. It was my first look at POB in over a decade and mostly I was impressed - very impressed. It is hard not to love the Palais Garnier and I had a wonderful seat in the first loge. Ballet Heaven! Paquita certainly has the silliest plot and some of Lacotte's choreography is servicable at best but it holds the stage. The sets and costumes were lavish and beautiful. Paquita was Claire Maria Osta, partnered by Bart. She was lovely and dances beautifully, no real flaws that I could see. Although, I felt that the tempo in her variations in the Grand Pas was simply too slow to allow a shorter dancer like her to fill out the musical phrase. Her characterization was charming but there was not a strong connection between her and Bart. He didn't seem to be madly in love with her. It is hard to say anything bad about Bart as a dancer. Excellent technique, very tall and handsome with w refined manner. He can do everything but is not a show off like Ethan Stiefel. My only objection is that he seems a little cold. I thought the female corps was stronger than the men. None of bullfighters landed a double tour in a clean fifth. I very much enjoyed the characterizations of the villaious governor and Lucien's parents. All well thought out and detailed with clear mime. Something we rarely see here at ABT. It is impossible to judge a company or a dancer on a signle viewing but what I saw made wish I could see the company on a regular basis.

Not as often as I would like to. I am planning on seeing David Gordon at the Joyce in Feb.

Earlier this month I booked online and it was terrific. The best experience I had of ordering tickets in this fahsion. Sorry to hear, it is working well for you.

For me, one of the problems with ballets to songs is that it is difficult to build any musical momentum. That lack of drive or natural musical climax is much more problematic for me than the question of how literally does the choreographer choose to take the lyrics. Balanchine gets around this in Western and Who Cares by having the songs treated as a whole musically. Of the ballets (dances)choreographed to songs, Tharp and Taylor, in the pieces, mentioned above and a few others have been the most successful. I never felt that Robbins was at his best in either Ives Songs or Songs of the Auvergne (or is that a Martins piece?).

Ashley and Von Arnoldigan in Emeralds (it is even preserved on tape) and Ashley in Chaconne.

I confess to being one of those people who love NYCB's Nutcracker and have seen it four times this season at wide intervels. The company should be praised for its strong and enthusiastic dancing throughout the six week marathon. The corps generally looked good and there was no sense of performing by rote in the shows I saw. Snow and Flower always looked beautiful. Surprisingly, I only saw one cast of children. Tyler Gurfein who danced the Nucracker Prine is a real dancer, not afraid to move big but aware of details such as pointing his feet. Bravo to him! Although usually there are frequent cast changes, I only saw Amanda Edge as Marzipan. She is a dancer I enjoy but her performance was disappointing and I finally decided it was because she didn't really use her feet well, which blurs some of the choreographic detail. The ladies who danced principal Spanish were also a disappointment. Neither Ash, Rutherford or McBreaty danced cleanly or musically but I did enjoy watching apprentice Jessica Flynn as oneof the supporting ladies - she seemed to be having fun. I saw Gold, Jared Angle and Suozzi as Candy Cane. Surprisingly because I would have thought he was too tall for the role, Angle gave the best performance - clean, musical and lovely jumps. Suozzi's failure to pointe his feet really detracts from his dancing in this role. All of the Dewdrops I saw - Somoygi, Taylor, Tinsley and Van Kipnis - were good but only Somoygi combined terrific musicality with stellar technique. Taylor's performance was exciting but it's time for her to be in control of her effects. I always feel she doesn't really know what she is doing and while it is thrilling I'd like to see another dimension to her dancing. Van Kipnis doesn't have Taylor's strength but her performance gains its power from a very sophisticated response to the music that she makes visible to us. And I was happy to see Tinsley again - I had feared she'd fallen into the pit of eternal peril that swallows up so many NYCB female solists. The Sugarplums and Cavaliers I saw were Bouree and Martins, Asanelli and Woetzel, Ringer and Tinsley, and Kowrowski and Hanna. Of these only, Woetzel gave a really strong performance, both as a partner and a dancer. Asanelli seems to bring out the best in him as a partner, gentle and concerned, and his dancing in the coda was fabulous. Neither Martins nor Tewsley seemed to be in top form and Hanna just seemed callow although he partnered Kowrowski adeqately. I like the Sugarplum Fairy to be mistress of the Kingdom and only Ringer and Kowrowski achieved that. Asanelli danced beautifully, she has a kind of pearly glow now that is a delight to see but she is not yet a full fledged ballerina - she doesn't take responsibility for creating a world around her own performance. I also wonder whether given her less than perfect turnout Dewdrop isn't a better part for her - she needs to be moving to look her best. Bouree conquered her nerves for much of the performance and danced well but unexcitingly. Kowrowski brought down the house yesterday in the final balance at the end of the ppd. She could have stayed there for ever. A fitting climax to my Nutcracker season. And now for repertory!

MVP's Paul Taylor Dance Company - Patrick Corbin is indispenable not only for his fabulous dancing but for the humanity he brings to Taylor's characters whether they are good or evil. Merce Cunningham - Robert Swinton, still going strong and looking like a latter day Cunningham dancer - not so balletic but a beautiful mover. Other highlights: Cunningham season at the New York State Theater, a beautiful mix of works old and new. I prefer to see the company in a smaller venue but their opening night this summer was a dazzling event, both onstage and off. Everyone is modern dance was there in the audience, a tribute to Cunningham's importance in the dance world. David Gordon's piece at Danspace in January. No one else can mix movement and dialog with so much sublety. Valda Setterfield continues to dance with enormous presence and warmth and the rest of the company is a pleasure to watch.

I second Juliet's nomination of Whelan but want to give a nod to the senior ladies of the corps (Walker, Edge, Abergel, Golbin) who bring so much pleasure and are so little recognized. Paul Taylor Dance Company - Patrick Corbin is indispenable not only for his fabulous dancing but for the humanitie he brings to Taylor's characters whether they are good or evil. Merce Cunningham - Robert Swinton, still going strong and looking like a latter day Cunningham dancer - not so balletic but a beautiful mover.

In addition to being trained byt some one like Victoria, I would try to expose them to other intellectual and artistic pursuits. Great painting, theatre, music, contemporary dance and literature. Especially when they are teen agers and pop culture has such a pervasive influence.

I think I'd just have to go to Ballet Tech!

2001 highlights: Dutch National Ballet in Onegin in Amsterdam - always interesting to see an unfamiliar company. Ashton's The Dream at ABT Asanelli in almost everyting at NYCB - she has a bloom now that makes everything special Whelan, a great artist in her prime Tuttle in Giselle at ABT - none of her previous performances had prepared me for the completeness of her interpretation. Elizabeth Parkinson in Movin On, and John Seyla and Keith Roberts Patrick Corbin in everything he danced in the Taylor season Merce Cunningham's 50th anniversary David Gordon's performance in January at Danspace Being lucky enough to live in NYC, so I can see all this and more!

Well, violinist Kremer must certainly know the classical repertoire although like Baryshnikov he is interested in modern works. I think Baryshnikov has really lost interest in the classical but perhaps some of the younger artists he nurtures will hold up the side. I think this project potentially has a long life, as long as Baryshnikov is interested others will be and ultimately I think they can raise signficant money. Baryshnikov could, of course, continue to provide personal financial support of the project as well.

When I saw the show, I thought of both Giselle and Swan Lake as all these plots (including Movin' Out) are about the redemptive power of love. So on that score, I find myself in agreement with that single comment.

His number in Pennies from Heaven is marvelous, a great moment. He wasn't always the villain. I remember seeing him in Chekov's "Seagull" as the leading man (very dashing) opposite Rosemary Harris as Arkadina.

Dowell- Nice Nureyev - Naughty Woetzel - Naughty Boal - Nice

Peter Martins choreographed the ballet, I think in the early 80's, for an SAB workshop. It was also danced by the company for a few performances and then disappeared. It was a charming work but perhaps not sophisticated enough to hold the stage at the State Theatre. It had the feeling, a little, of Balanchine's Harlequinade, which also has a Drigo score.

Dance Theatre of Harlem had a piece "Holberg Suite" to msuic of the same name. I think Arthur Mitchell was the choreographer. A very nice work but one that hasn't been in the rep for years.

Alexandra, Byrd closed his company early in the summer after struggling for years to get out of the debt that his "Harlem Nutcracker" ran up.

Also, I think (and I've only seen Tallchief on tape) that Farrell's influnence is the one we see reflected - however dimly - in NYCB today.

Also, I think (and I've only seen Tallchief on tape) that Farrell's influnence is the one we see reflected - however dimly - in NYCB today.

The same would be true of Chaconne. I once saw performances by Farrell twice in a week with a performance by Ashley in the middle. This was late in Farrell's career before the hip surgery. Those two Farrell performances were completely different and the second was one that I'll always remember. Inspite of her physical problems at the time, it was almost as if she set out to prove that she could always outdo Ashley, who was the consummate technician. The richness of detail in these performances has never been equalled for me. And Farrell seemd to have more freedom to respond to the music and take chances than current ballerinas do. I've ofter wondered whether that was because, Balanchine trusted her implicitly whereas MArtins seems to want to control his dancers' performances. Be correct - no mistakes ladies. Even now, I find it hard to watch Chaconne - no matter who dances, I see Suzanne.

Wow, this is news. I think Byrd is a good choreographer but never thought of his work as jazz dance. He is also a very smart guy and a good fundraiser. Valuable qualities in an AD. Congratulations to Donald and to Spectrum.