canbelto

Last night I saw "Ninotchka" on PBS. This isn't a movie that holds up well on repeated viewings. I think because the second half is so much worse than the first. The famed "Lubitsch touch" seems to disappear after Ninotchka becomes "capitalistic." But what bothered me about the film the most was the sexism. Audiences are supposed to find Ninotchka more likable after she hooks up with Melvyn Douglas (Leon), but the early scenes with Garbo are the strongest simply because Nina today comes across as an admirable woman. Tough, intelligent, quick-witted career woman. To see her simpering under the "charms" of someone as annoying as Melvyn Douglas is depressing rather than romantic. I wonder if this movie would have worked much better with a stronger male lead, who would have made Leon less annoying. As it is, I cheer when Nina points out early in the movie how annoying and unfunny Leon is being. Also, most of the romantic comedies of that era had women who remained strong and outspoken throughout the movie. Garbo looks luminous when she's in love, but I wonder if there was a way to preserve Nina's original tart, curt personality. I think the movie wouldn't have lost its edge so quickly.

cristian, about Bugaku, it's one of those ballets that only made sense to me after I knew its history. It was designed for Allegra Kent, who was known for two things: 1. her small, child-like, appearance which with the right direction could almost seem Lolita-ish 2. her extremely flexible body line (she was ear-whacking before it was cool to earwhack) I don't think she was ever known for her technique (the way Melissa Hayden or Merrill Ashley were, for example), so Balanchine designed ballets for her that showed off her Lolita-like appearance and extreme flexibility. Bugaku is about the wedding ritual between a Japanese child bride and her groom, and the contortions are supposed to be ... uh, erotic. I suspect it;s one of those ballets that lost its perfume without the original cast.

Hayworth was a highly trained dancer, but at first her vaudeville act with her father consisted of the kind of sexy Latino dances. I think Astaire said she was his favorite partner, due to her sweet nature and natural talent. She looked gorgeous even when she was far gone from Alzheimer's, but many people did say that she never ever acted like a "movie star" -- she was quiet, shy, unassuming, sweet.

Rita Hayworth is someone I've actually read quite a bit about. She was born Margarita Cansino, and from a very early age was a dancing act with her dad. They specialized in sexy, Latino dances. Apparently this inappropriate relationship wasn't confined to the stage -- her father was sexually abusive. When she went to Hollywood she dyed her hair red, got electrolysis on her hairline, and changed her name to avoid looking Latino. Unfortunately, she seemed drawn to abusive men and unhappy relationships. She married 5 times, each time a disaster. She had a drinking problem, and she also had early onset Alzheimer's disease. Her drinking problem combined with early onset Alzheimer's contributed to several public meltdowns, including one at an airport. Despite all this, Rita Hayworth apparently maintained a reputation as a sweetheart with a sense of humor. She said that except for the films with Fred Astaire most of her films made her laugh. She sometimes went to parties without any makeup, and left unrecognized because her shy and sweet demeanor didn't scream "movie goddess."

Great interview! I found this part shocking but admire Ms. Tuttle so much: She seems like an incredibly strong woman who was able to handle a hard time in her life with a lot of grace.

Well whatever the case, I hope Sarafanov still guests occasionally with the Mariinsky, especially on tour. I just checked the roster and Oksana Skorik (from A Beautiful Tragedy) has been promoted to coryphee. As someone who watched the movie and cringed at the harsh treatment she got from the teachers at Perm, I'd say congratulations Oksana!

Yes Natalia I did remember that. But I still can't believe Sarafanov is really leaving. I wonder if he leaves, whether Olesia Novikova will follow him as well.

How about the biggest shocker, that Leonid Sarafanov has left to join the Mikhailovsky?

Positives about Part's SL: 1. A real regalness that makes her a true Swan Queen. Her great, somewhat aloof physical beauty help. 2. Her Vaganova training; she makes such expressive use of her arms and back. Her arms are long and mournful, like a real Swan, and her incredibly supple back adds to the feeling that she's not quite human. 3. Her wonderfully light and airy jump. It's one of the wonders that such a tall and relatively large framed ballerina soars in the air so easily but Part does it. 4. Her way of movement is simply very beautiful in the adagio dancing; her ability to create beautiful shapes *as* she dances (as opposed to simply posing) is a wonder. Negatives: 1. She's a much better adagio than allegro dancer. 2. She's an inconsistent turner. I've seen her nail the fouettes, but I've also seen her struggle. I've seen her had trouble with the final pirouettes in Odette's variation. 3. (And this can't be said enough) I don't think Part (or any ballerina, really) is highlighted to her best advantage in Kevin McKenzie's shallow, somewhat quirky production, in which the 4th Act is truncated to a triviality, and the Act Three pas de deux is interrupted by a weird little dance by purple Rothbart.

Yes Vishneva's Mad Scene is not really the "pretty dying." She starts by ripping off the necklace and throwing it angrily to the ground. Even though she's extremely petite I think her overall stage persona is not naturally fragile and ethereal, so she's made an interpretation that works for her.

Now if the ballet deities can have the La Scala Raymonda filmed, that would be even better! (And considering La Scala ballet has released videos of Swan Lake, Giselle, Midsummer Night's Dream and La Bayadere in recent years, it's not out of the realm of possibility.)

I love Vishneva's Giselle. As Richard said, it's a little different from the traditional Giselles. Particularly in Act 2, this Giselle is one angry Giselle! She's not hammy, but she has a stern, forbidding expression and maintains a certain aloofness from Albrecht, kind of reminding the audience constantly that this is a ghost. Vishneva is at her best when facing off with Myrtha, you get a sense of the power of wills. What I particularly remember about Vishneva's Giselle is the inititation scene, when she turns with so much fury (not just speed, but FURY) that you feel she is truly possessed. Later in the ballet she grande jetes and again, with real fury. At the end of the ballet she crosses her arms as Albrehct touches her, as if to say, "I am now truly a ghost." There are extensive clips of her Giselle on youtube though, as I said, if you're fixed on a certain traditional interpretation of Giselle it might not be for you. But if you want the second act of Giselle to be a hair-raising drama, then Vishneva's Giselle is the experience of a lifetime. Overall (and I say this having watched her in a wide variety of roles live) Giselle is by far her best role. It's the one role where it all comes together, and she's put an individual stamp on this extremely popular, even overdone, ballet. If you want a clip of what I'm talking about with her initiation here it is:

Omg great news!

What's more, both Osipova and Vishneva have been able to dance roles denied to them for a long time by their home companies, or not in their home companies' repertoire. Juliet and Aurora for Osipova, and for Vishneva, she danced Sylvia, Dame aux Camelias, On the Dnieper, and she danced Swan Lake at the ABT before she was allowed to dance it for the Mariinsky. The Royal Ballet's last tour to NYC was 2004, and Cojocaru made an indelible impression then. It was great then to see her last year in Sleeping Beauty, and I saw that time and injuries hadn't taken away her enchanting qualities as a dancer.

Don't get me wrong - I like Vishneva as much as the next guy, but have you never wished we would be able to see other world-class ballerinas instead of the same shtick every year over and over again? Of course, there's no way to tell for sure, but maybe, just maybe, if ABT didn't stick us with Vishneva every season, New York would get to witness, let's say, Lopatkina in at least some of her signature roles (Odette/Odille or Giselle, for instance). What's more, I have a very strong suspicion that this ABT obsession with Vishneva and Osipova cannot be explained by purely artistic reasons. After all, aren't both of them being represented by Sergey Danilian? Sapienti sat well ... Lopatkina doesn't guest. She doesn't seem to want to, for that matter. But personally I like seeing guest artists have a continuing relationship with a company. You get to follow their growth as a dancer as you wouldn't if they only appeared once every five years or so. But whatever.

I'll be more than happy to be "stuck with" Osipova even if she's dancing the phone book.

There are a lot of "TBAs" and I'm sure Part will be dancing quite a bit when all is said and done. But Michele Wiles in Don Q? Wow. Overall, looking forward to Giselle, Bright Stream, and Coppelia.

Vishneva, Cojocaru and Osipova are all worth seeing in Giselle. Three very different dancers, but valid interpretations. Vishneva's Giselle is primarily great in the second act. She's good in the first act, but it's the second act where she distinguishes herself. She puts dark makeup under her eyes, and has a stern, ghostly expression. This Giselle turns furiously at her initiation, and in general seems to be waging a battle against Myrtha that is hair-raising. She's not so much a gentle weeping spirit as a frightening ghost who saves Albrecht by sheer will. Cojocaru's Giselle is available on dvd, and she's surprisingly weak in the variations, but uses her lightness, airiness, and elevation to great effect. She's my favorite Act 1 Giselle. So girlish, so charming, so sweet. Osipova's Giselle is maybe the most unorthodox. She uses her incredible ballon and technique to make Giselle an exhilirating pure-dance experience. She's girlish in Act 1, heartbroken in the mad scene, etc. but what I remember most about her Giselle is the way she hung in the air in her entrechats, or the exuberance with which she grand jeted across the stage. I felt as if I was at times watching a Balanchine abstract piece as she just floated across the stage, seemingly oblivious to everything around her. It was quite an experience.

Yay Alina Cojocaru in Giselle!

Hopefully we'll see Osipova in Giselle, Coppelia, and Bright Stream!

I can't do it either. Her pictures also become too large and don't allow for a scroll-down.

It's a more complete performance than the 1957 performance. However, the production is Grigorivich's, which I strongly dislike, and time has taken its toll in Maya's incredible technique. Her scissones in Odette's variation no longer hang in the air, and her arabesque seems to be at times a real effort. I think of the performance more as a curiosity than anything else. The 1957 video is probably a better representative of how Maya actually danced one of her signature roles, awful cuts aside.

An interesting comparison video: A couple of things I notice: the relatively unsentimental treatment of this pas de deux by both pairs. Maybe the film is sped up a bit but I think the style back then was make the duets of Bayadere fairly impersonal and abstract. It's sort of like the Swan Lake pdd is now taken at a glacial pace by most ballerinas, whereas it used to be taken at a fairly brisk clip.

I think "Symphony in C" is just a fun ballet. It has everything -- thrilling allegro dancing, a beautiful adagio duet, and a rousing finale. The four movements allow a company to show off its different types of dancers well. The music sounds like champagne -- so happy, so easy on the ears. It's one Balanchine ballet where absolutely no homework is necessary. I think anyone can just sit down and watch Symphony in C and love it.

Yes that's it. My oh my, not something I ever expected Lopatkina to dance.