Mel Johnson

Right, and the notation is just a nice supplement to have together with all that experience. One of my favorite memories of working with a Benesh choreologist was the one who wondered aloud, "Who wrote this mess? Oh, I did - never mind!"

Of course, the really deluxe accommodation is the ballet master/mistress who has, &c.&c., and can work from notation and has video.

Well, I don't know if I'd go that far. After all, his recording of the pas d'action from the Shades scene in Bayadere is almost funny, and his "Pas de Quatre" contains repeats in the music that aren't there in the choreography, as well as many sections too fast, but he's better than most.

Back when I was studying "Music Repertoire and Literature" and we had to kick the mammoths out of the classrooms before we could begin class, I studied with a professor who had studied at Juilliard, and said it "say-ray-NOD" - not that I was particularly paying much attention at that point, being a sort of xenophobe brass player, and string works were only good to play poker during.

Well, at least I'm Prokofiev. What a surprise, I thought I was Cesar Cui.

Well, at least I'm Prokofiev. What a surprise, I thought I was Cesar Cui.

Now, "Jhora" has something going for it - it's distinctive and musical! However, if your last name were Herpelsnonk or Thitherspurtle or such like, usually a change is in the offing. Although, come to think of it, those would definitely have distinctiveness going for them.

That's one more reason why Balanchine said of pirouettes, "Do three, after that, they start to count!"

There really isn't an upper limit on men's height for dancing, when that alone is used as a criterion. When a man can't handle all that body, and remain in classical technique, then that's a problem. Our own Michael Bjerknes was a great example of a long, long (would have to stand in a hole to play Abraham Lincoln) dancer, who was in complete command of his art, and never made you think, "Gee, that guy is tall!" while he was dancing. You just enjoyed the dancing.

How tall? You must be able to see him over the footlights, if any. But the farther a male dancer strays from average height, 5' 9" being average for an American, the better he has to be as a technician. In the 60s, when Balanchine went on his neo-mannerist kick, he loaded up NYCB with stretch versions of the classical ballerina, and had to find somebody to partner them. There were some awfully ungainly, huge men in the company as a result, and the company standard suffered from it. I can recall one poor fellow who came on stage, and the audience all went, "aaaaaahhhhh". Then he started to move, and the audience all went, "EEeeewwwww!"

The Spassov recording seems to hold to the Bolshoi tempi, but there are a few things that aren't "right" about it, for one thing the pauses for the one-hand lifts in Act I, and the finale, which, if it's by Minkus, I'll eat my hat, in fact ALL my hats! Apparently Minkus never wrote a closing number, and the original production simply ended with a reprise of the overture, with the old Don and Sancho riding off to "their" music, then a general dance to the 3/4 at the end of the overture.

It's not really off-topic - critics in Romantic-Era France and in other nations used to hail the qualities of the "spiritual dance" of Marie Taglioni, while others preferred the "pagan" style of Fannie Elssler!

Actually, though not a part of the company for years and years, I was convinced from talking to friends and associates both inside and outside the company that "Billboards" had provided a momentary influx of cash to the organization at a time when cash flow was a sorely-needed commodity! I had a feeling with the work that it was almost in the form of a "piéce d'occasion" the occasion being the draining of company operating capital. I do not believe that the company would mount a new work like "Billboards" now, as the exigencies of good show business do not require it, however I would agree that dedicating one's whole effort to pleasing one audience segment is not usually a sensible thing to do. That is why the Joffrey's eclecticism has made it last as long as it has, and bodes to promote its continued survival.

And a peculiar sidenote to the nondebate on who should lead NEA. Might this be an acknowledgment by usually vocal critics that since 9/11 we need art more than ever?

And what do they say about per diem, which is not income, but accountable in unemployment calculations?

Hi, Qimera Girl, and welcome to the Dancers' Forum on Ballet Talk here at Ballet Alert! Online! Do you know the composer of the work you're seeking? If it's Riccardo Drigo, it may be the Harlequinade which used to be titled "Harlequin's Millions" and is on a video, at least in part, called "Ballet Legends". If it's not Drigo, then all bets are off!

Do remember that the Nutcracker Doll isn't a doppelganger for Drosselmeyer's nephew, but for the old man himself! The young hero who rescued Princess Pirlipat from her curse was Nicholas...Drosselmeyer! He in his turn is cursed to be old and ugly, with a wide mouth like a nutcracker, so when the doll is transformed into the young man, the old D. should not appear again! A failing in all too many productions.

And then, of course, there were the Men's Stays for 18th and 19th-century fine gentlemen to present the proper silhouette. They continued to wear them, if you consult old Sears catalogues well into the 1930s, and longer, gradually replacing the name "Men's girdle" with "back brace".

And be honest now, if your name were Tula Ellice Finklea, wouldn't you change it to Cyd Charisse?

If there is one thing I've learned in my time in ballet, it is Mark Twain's Rule of Accidency: "Never ascribe to malice that for which a sufficient explanation is stupidity."

I think that American choreographers both in ballet and modern dance will still need some time to assimilate the material that the September 11 attack presents them. There's still an aspect of "shell-shock" (PTSS) associated with the event, and artists no less than anyone else are still sorting things out. There may be energy in immediate responses to tragedy, but at the same time, there is the danger of a loss of coherence, of plummeting into rages or depressions, that could hamper an artist in expressing well what is felt and thought.

Maybe the EEC has been around longer than we thought?

Experiments for later masterpieces? Well, maybe, but "those who enjoy sausages ought not to watch them being made."

I saw Washington Square. It was a turkey. Also, the Nureyev Raymonda, which seemed to have spun itself from photograph to photograph. The tableaux were perfect, it was just the getting there that was painful. Same went for his staging of the Laurencia pas de six for Joffrey. Not a happy concoction. [ November 24, 2001: Message edited by: Mel Johnson ]

I saw "Electronics" when I was a little kid, before I started dancing. All I remember is really hating the electronic music. Even before that, I saw "Opus 34", Balanchine's sort of 50s Horror Movie ballet. It scared the bejeezus out of me. One turkey for "Opus 34"!