Petra

I first learned of Allegra from the book, Dance Is A Contact Sport, and having seen the small clip at the end of the Charlie Rose interview, she must have been indeed just so enthralling and enchanting. Her physical grace though, does not carry to intellectual fluidity. I found the quality of her comments, and even her demeanor, in that interview, as vapid, rather unpolished. Sad really. I wonder if it was the lack of social interaction with people outside NYCB/ballet world, or perhaps not having engaged in other meaningful pursuits besides ballet that might have limited her capacity to actively engage a serious conversation?

Oh,you would be surprised how common this phenomenom is...dissapointing indeed. Two books that reflects your point of view are Kirkland's and Farrell's (both of them not even being able to get a high school diploma), so do the math...2 plus 2 is almost always 4.

People, I think you are being very harsh in these comments. I, and most of the posters on this board, are highly intelligent and verbally articulate with multiple degrees and qualifications. What does that make me? It makes me an average person. Kent, Kirkland and Farrell, on the other hand, are artists of the highest degree who bring beauty and truth into this world. So what if they march to a different drummer? We are the ones who are rewarded.

What an interesting fellowship! Speaking with my feminist hat on, I'm glad to see that two young ladies are receiving this fellowship. All too often, it seems that it is the men who are encouraged in 'extra-curricular' activities.

I'll get back on-topic by saying that I think Barbra Streisand's two best films are Hello, Dolly! and Yentl, and they've both been much-criticized (and the criticism is understandable, but still...I think they are underrated, especially the former, which is one of the very small number of near-perfect film adaptations of a B'way musical, probably had a lot to do with Kelly.)

Oh, I love Barbra Streisand films. My favourite is Funny Girl. I like On a Clear Day too. Streisand is such a diva that her personality always takes over even though you get the feeling that she doing her best just to act. Last night, I caught part of a tribute to Warren Beatty and Streisand (along with a whole bunch of people from Bill Clinton to John McCain ) paid tribute. Streisand was fake complaining that Beatty hadn't chosen her for Bonnie & Clyde or Shampoo. The mind boggles...

Ang Lee's "Ride With the Devil". A slightly different look at the American Civil War. It's another example of Ang Lee's incredible aptitude for period movies and his study of American culture. He also drew great performances from his young actors - Tobey Maguire, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Jewel. Even though they were each in their comfort zone (i.e. a little typecast), they all captured the 'almost grown-up but not quite' feel of teenagers.

I'm not sure how we're defining 'underrated' in this thread, but this one meets my definition because it's less well known and wasn't as well received as Lee's other movies.

Looking at the (gorgeous) photos on the recent 'Toumanova, Yuskevitch, Krassovska' thread:

Alicia Alonso - Selma Hayek, on a very-very-good day for Hayek

Diana Adams - Gwyneth Paltrow

I enjoyed it very much, but Farrell remains more of a cipher than either Kirkland or Allegra Kent*. Perhaps she has a more reticent personality than either of them, perhaps she was more aware of her position as an 'icon' (like Margot Fonteyn) and perhaps because the book was written together with someone else.

By the way, I'm sure there is a thread about 'Holding onto the air' somewhere.

* Now her autobiography is an absolute must-read, cubanmiamiboy!!

One of the most touching lines in Dancing on My Grave is Kirkland saying of Balanchine, “I never knew what to do with my love for him.” She rose in the company during a period when Balanchine was still mostly in his post-Farrell funk, and one wonders if things might have been different for Kirkland and for him (and possibly for the history of ballet) if circumstances had been more propitious. Melissa Hayden told Robert Tracy that “Kirkland got too much too soon without the right kind of support.”

I have found it very illuminating to compare Allegra Kent's autobiography "Once a Dancer..." with "Dancing on my Grave". Kent also had a complicated home life, both as a child and as an adult, and she too had certain issues with Balanchine, problems showing up for performances, etc. However, Kent and Kirkland had/have seem to have completely different personalities and tendencies, so Kent comes across as incurably optimistic and loving whereas Kirkland gives the impression of being unreasonably pessimistic and relentlessly perfectionist. I assume that a biography written by a third party - and they both deserve a biography - will show these talented women in a different light.

Australians seem to be among the worst offenders when it comes to accents: Russel Crowe played Jack Aubrey with some very distinct Australian accents and although Cate Blanchett's turn in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Srystal Skull was completely camp in any case, it was strange hearing some of the Ozzie vowels coming from a supposedly Ukrainian mouth... Strangely, the movie went to great lengths to establish the precise provenance of Blanchett's character. Nicole Kidman, on the other hand, has a great ear for accents. I always get a shock when I hear her speak with her natural voice.

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While stars, these performers are "character actors" first of all.

Gielgud, to name only one, was not a character actor.

In the West End, Gielgud was a leading man, but in Hollywood, he was a character actor.

Going back to the topic of Brits doing American accents, I read an article recently (in one of the English newspapers, but I don't remember which one) that suggested that the change in English accents over the last forty years or so has helped English actors to get work in the US, not necessarily as stars but bread-and-butter work in television and movies. Not only have some of the class distinctions decreased (just listen to the difference between Queen Elisabeth and her grandchildren), but the new London accent is much closer, mainly in its slurring of sylables, to a generic American accent.

I've never heard the term 're-sign' used before. Shouldn't it be 'renew'?

Claudia La Rocco has a new blog at wnyc. Interestingly, it's called Culturist and will focus on arts and letters in general, however as La Rocco is a dance critic, it's fair to assume that dance will get its fair share of attention.

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I hurt the Holocaust and appreciate the Greatest Generation as much as the next Jew, but I don't turn my personal feelings into extraodinarily long and expensive ego-trips.

I don’t have much use for Saving Private Ryan either, but Schindler’s List, for all its well-rehearsed failings, is a fine film and didn’t strike me as any kind of ego-trip. I was less than thrilled with it on its first run, but it’s a movie worth revisiting. Did you really think it was too long? It bogs down a bit at the end but I certainly wasn’t sneaking peeks at my watch.

Well, I wasn't bored or falling asleep because I don't think Spielberg knows how to make a boring movie, but I felt it was an unnecessary movie. Spielberg has done a tremendous lot of work in documenting Holocaust survivors' stories, and from my point of view, Schindler's List was Spielberg's way of bringing attention to his philanthropy and to get an Oscar.

Holocaust movies in general are very difficult to get right. It's a case of reality being crazier than fiction, especially as the reality took place in the heart of Western civilization and the personal lives of many members of the Hollywood movie industry were deeply affected. One of the few movies that get the tone right IMO is "The Great Dictator".

Shoot me if you will, but I watched a (very short portion, truly, only while folding laundry) of an episode of the reality show, Kimora - Life in the Fab Lane, aout the life of Kimora Lee Simmons, who is a 'fashion mogul' i.e. a former model, married or divorced, perhaps, from a very rich man. This episode focussed on the work/life balance of a fashion mogul who is also a mother, and Kimora said that while she isn't ever going to be a 'soccer mom' she can see herself being a 'ballet mom' in a few years when her daughters are old enough.

More overrated movies:

Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List

I hurt the Holocaust and appreciate the Greatest Generation as much as the next Jew, but I don't turn my personal feelings into extraodinarily long and expensive ego-trips.

The Indiana Jones trilogy, on the other hand, is one of the best examples of superior pop culture ever made. I'm looking forward to Indiana Jones & the Crystal Skull.

I totally agree with papeetepatrick with respect to Tom Cruise. It is fascinating to watch Tom Cruise analyse himself and his public persona via movies. Besides Magnolia and Eyes Wide Shut, he did it superbly in Minority Report (another Spielberg movie).

This may be a little off topic, but to show that culture is always geography:

Dancesmith, I'm really intrigued by your soccer analogy. This does seem to be an example of the movement of an activity from something perceived as elitist and and somehow foreign into something rather classy and suitable for the upwardly mobile Americans.

In the rest of the world, soccer has not traditionally been an elitist sport. Quite the opposite. It is a game that can be played anywhere, any time with minimal investment in equipment.

papeetepatrick, thanks for all the details. Now I just have to get to the library and start cracking.

Ooh, I've seen the backdrop that they have at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. For a while, it was exhibited in the main entrance hall. It is really beautiful and vibrant. The backdrop always looked naggingly familiar, but it was only on my second or third time viewing it that I went to check who the artist was. It is identifiably Chagall, but because it was painted as a backdrop it is less detailed - less finicky, perhaps - than many of his paintings.

canbelto, I have "Going to the Dance" and not "Afterimages". I have found "Going to the Dance" to be indispensable, however I get the impression that Croce was having a better time going to the dance back when she wrote "Afterimages" than by the time she wrote the pieces in "Going to the Dance".

Edited: Big oops! I got mixed up between the books. I've edited the post.

Thanks to everyone for the reviews. The quantity of new works and the stature of the choreographers involved (regardless of the quality of the works, which seems to have been mixed ) is quite awesome! What a gift for San Francisco.

Thank you for this wonderful travellogue! Really mouth-watering.

Thanks for all the recommendations so far! Papeetepatrick, please share. Is there any writing on the Santa Barbara area?

And maybe this discussion should be moved to a separate thread?

I'll bite. I'm reading the Lonely Planet's guide to Coastal California and the Unofficial Guide to California with Kids!! The trip is 3 months away, and I think I'll have those books by heart by then.

By the way, any recommendations for 'real' books, fiction and non-fiction, about the area?

Bakst.

Rite of Spring premiere or the 1921 The Sleeping Princess?

Farrell.

Balanchine or Bejart?

The age thing might also be considered in terms of the roles and or the characters being portrayed. When you think of Romeo and Juliet you are thinking about young teenagers! And I suppose most/many of the story ballets involve young romantic situations. The Nut is even about children!

Although we know for a fact that this is a consideration at NYCB as Peter Martins has gone on the record about wanting to have very young Romeos and Juliets, I personally don't think that a person's chronological age should necessarily influence casting. Part of being a performer is projecting something you haven't personally experienced - you don't have to be a murderer to act Othello. You don't even have to be dark-skinned to act Othello so why should you be 14 in order to perform as Juliet. Even in movies/TV which are much more 'realistic' than ballet, teenage roles are often played by actors in their twenties.