Petra

I think it's really even more basic than that. The individualism that is the basis of the American republic recognises that all men are created equal and therefore are equally capable and eligible to achieve something. However that individualism requires that we (and I'm taking the liberty of including myself in this collective) do so on our own without recourse to public funding and support. This is true for our physical well being (healthcare, welfare, etc.) as it is for our spiritual well being. Frankly, Americans are unwilling to pay taxes and would rather donate money to the specific organisations that they identify with. And the tax system here promotes that, of course.

Pennsylvania Ballet is another company that has its own orchestra and it performs at almost all the company's programs. (For instance, PA Ballet's last triple bill had two ballets to recorded pop music and one ballet was accompanied by a solo pianist.)

In a radio interview with Marianne Faithfull I heard yesterday evening the interviewer read out the press release for Faithfull's very first single (As Tears Go By) in 1964. Among other things describing the wonderful, sexy, swinging and really with-it 17 year old Faithfull, the press release said "Marianne digs (sic) Marlon Brando, woodbine cigarettes [and] going to the ballet". 40 years later, no publicist would include either cigarettes or the ballet in a list of trendy interests.

I just started listening to this book on audiotape and it certainly leavened my commute on this very rainy morning. OTOH it really is a heavy-handed opus - Farrell Fan catches the style incredibly well - I blurted "Leonardo da Vinci" out loud about ten minutes before the Vetruvian Man was mentioned on the cassette. I have yet to be acquainted with the curvaceous cryptographer - I except that awaits me in 3 hours time!

A corps de ballet gala performance - what a lovely tribute to the dancers! It also looks like an agonisingly difficult performance for the dancers with three tough, very different ballets. Has anyone been to this kind of gala before or is it a first?

Somogyi sounds incredibly courageous. If this isn't too personal, I wonder how she (and other injured dancers, of course) manages to pay the rent for her fourth floor walk-up. Does nycb pay? Would AGMA health insurance cover this?

Thanks. I haven't seen Bride & Prejudice but the reviews of Bride & Prejudice make it sound as if the movie is patronizing the Bollywood style and Indian traditions. That's no way to draw the Janeites or those interested in world cinema to the box office.

Vivien Leigh (as you may guess from my user name) Emmanuelle Beart Thandie Newton It's easier to limit men to the present day - it seems like looks are more important today than in the past??? Jude Law Tom Cruise (I know, but still...) Alexis Denisof (Wesley from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Anegl) OF, who is Aishwarya Rai?

Zellweger is shorter than many of the other actresses - so she comes off looking tiny whereas a Nicole Kidman or a Joely Richardson look statuesque.

dirac, did you ignore Jamie Foxx's embarassing speech (can't even call it acceptance as he basically demanded that Oscar as his divine right) about looking forward to going to bed so he could talk to his grandmother because you thought it would be better to pretend like it never happened? My bright spot last night was seeing Kate Winslet in the front row either having a great time or being an extraordinary actor and acting like she was having a greta time. What charisma that woman has - and it doesn't hurt to wear a dress the colour of your eyes, especially when your eyes are bright blue!

Great programming. A little on the safe side - but seeing as I have very few opportunities to see other companies, I don't mind at all. What on earth is Franklin Court like? It sounds like a very strange ballet. I do wish however that PA Ballet did 'talks' like some/most other companies - either with company members or stagers, etc.

The only funny look I noticed when I checked my coat at the PA Ballet's last performance was the funny look I gave the attendant when I realised I had to pay him 3 dollars for the pleasure!

What do you NYCB goers think about Wheeldon's "Broadway" oeuvre? I know there was lots of criticism of Stroman's 'Double Feature' last year - and none of you have reported on it this season!! Is Wheeldon doing this because this is what he wants to do, artistically, and can't get backing to do it on or off Broadway or is he doing this becuase that's what a resident choreographer has to do and let the less-renowned choreographers like Millepied and Evans take more chances? I have to say I haven't seen any Wheeldon choreography yet (hopefully, I'll see something on PA Ballet's next triple bill) but his career is so fascinating.

FF, that's a beautiful story. Now I know what to look for on ebay for next year's Valentine's Day.

Anon is well known for failing to press charges against those who rip him off.

I saw this program on Sat eve., Feb 5, and it was a delightful evening. All the ballets were new to me; actually, all the choreographers were too. I'm sorry that no-one else here was able to catch this program, as I'd like to know what the more knowledgable posters thought. My main impression was that the entire evening was about real people - no gods and goddesses or fairy princesses here - just real people beautifully dancing real ballet. The only complaint I have about this evening is that the order of the ballets was switched without any notice!! so Peter Martins' The Waltz Project opened instead of being the second ballet. Notwithstanding, I think I wouldn't have enjoyed The Waltz Project in any case. It was boring. The choreography was very pose-y (as opposed to flowing) - like a collection of stretches and positions that dancers like to do in the studio while they're waiting for their turn to do something else. Also, the audience knows that the dancers have good turn-out, we don't need this to be proved by displaying the ladies' crotches all the time. More than anything else though, there was an inexplicable aggressive nature to many of the duets, as if some kind of "Battle of the Sexes" was going on but for no good reason.? The second ballet, 11:11, used music which is very much of the moment. Contemporary alt-pop music which obviously spoke to many in the audience, myself included, and although I enjoyed this ballet very much, I do wonder how I would react if this type of music was not part of the fabric of my daily life (as The Waltz Project music is not). The relationships in this ballet were not as starkly contrasted or as sterotypical as they were in the other ballets of the evening - for instance, in a trio of two men and a woman, the woman and one of the men did the same steps and were partnered by the other man - but also a little anonymous. This ballet gave me the feel of watching a good episode of a series like Party of Five or Everwood. I saw a very distinct generational difference between Martins and Tharp, who are of my parent's generation and Matthew Neenan, who is probably my age or a little younger. The evening closed with Nine Sinatra Songs, which was just a ball - witty, inventive, funny, sad, effervescent (sp?). This ballet too comments on relationships- these relationships are more silver screen than TV, but they're still real people and not Hollywood goddesses. The dancers handled what seemed to be very tricky partnering with incredible grace. Oddly enough, the only couple that seemed to be struggling a little with the partnering were Arantxha Ochoa and Thomas Baltrushunas in "One for my Baby", but perhaps they were supposed to be struggling?? Julie Diana has a lovely serene mature presence in everything she dances - here she was partnered by Francis Veyette. Someone asked about him - he is listed in the Corps, but his picture doesn't appear in the Playbill. I especially liked Laura Bowman and Philip Colucci in "Somethin' Stupid" - they were heartbreakingly young and funny. They were also featured in 11:11 - looks like they're PA Ballet's up and coming couple.

That's very true, OF. This month's Vogue has an article on the latest set of "Society Swans" and almost everyone of them is described as wearing jeans. That's just how people, including the most glamorous, dress today. I think this article is a case of the critic getting older rather than the dancers younger (or less glamorous). Another point - Although I don't think it's Mr. Rockwell's role to be the guardian of NYCB dancers' healthy body image, at least two of the dancers on Mr. Rockwell's list of beautiful dancers had plastic surgery done and both of them regretted this in their autobiographies.

June will be a great month for Farrell.

Everyone always recommends starting with "Afterimages" and yet - I've only read "Going to the Dance" and I think it's one of the best critical anthologies I've ever read. So if you can only find "Going to the Dance", that's fine too. As Paul said, Croce is so smart. After reading her, you just want to go to the ballet and experience it for yourself.

In Israel we have a saying, which can be loosely translated as: "A person who has to cite Hitler/Nazism in an argument has lost the argument."

I haven't read the article, but in NPR's obituary (I'm sure that isn't the right term to use), it was mentioned that Philip Johnson had been a Fascist/Nazi supporter in the 1930's. Later he recanted of course and part of making amends for this was that he designed a synagogue (in Westchester County, perhaps?) free of charge later on in life.

Old Fashioned, I haven't seen either Ray or Hotel Rwanda (although I think Don Cheadle has done such marvellous work in so many movies in the past), so forgive my cynicisim when I say that by Feb 27, we may all be so tired of the media yakking on and on about two - not just one, but count them, two - black actors being nominated, you may just be rooting for someone else.

I feel the level of moderation on the Board is just right. I post on one other board which is devoted to an entirely different art form, one which is much more ubiquitous (ap?) on the internet than ballet and yet I am drawn to the one board that is quite strongly moderated. I feel that this raises the level of discussion and enables intelligent yet considerate debate. Of course, it also inhibits b/c you have to think carefully about what you write and as I am often slow in translating my thoughts and feelings into words, I don't post as often as I would if I didn't feel my posts should be 'worthy'. IMHO that trade-off is fine. Re a 'gossip forum', if I were involved in ballet on an occupational or professional level, I'd probably be in favour AS LONG AS the rules for courteous discourse - esp. in critiquing dancers - are observed there too

Thank you so much, Alexandra. Thanks to this site I rediscovered not only my love of ballet but also my pride in this love. How about calling you Administrator Assoluta?

You can buy calendars on Amazon. That's where I got my Blanachine 2004 calendar from. This year, I'm just using my work place's calendar - it has pictures of ships and trade routes with a kind of arty-archeological feel (that has nothing at all to do with the work we actually do here...)