Syzygy

I hope so. I had always been pretty indifferent to her dancing (couldn't tell you why, just never "felt" it) until the Ballet Sun Valley festival in Idaho last month. She was amazing in a pas from Peck's Hurry Up We're Dreaming. Even my partner — who thinks all ballet is pleasant enough but never has strong options — couldn't stop talking about how special she was in it.

Yeah, I remember cringing the first time I watched the Colbert spot each time they got close to interview stage. But I've seen plenty of beautiful music numbers who adjust their choreography to NY studios (not ballet but hip hop or k-pop, etc.) so, yes, such is life.

I agree in that it is harmful TV always take a (best case) humorous, (usual case) mocking tone when it comes to dance-focused segments. Very, very surprisingly, the best dance scene I can recall the past year is from — of all places! — the FXX show ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.’ It’s not classical ballet, but for five whole minutes there are no men in children’s tutus, the actor (not a dancer) appears rehearsed, and nobody insults a six-year-old boy. As Helene has noted earlier on this thread, the standard is underwater, but still, I liked this. More on-topic: Stephen Colbert featured Robbie Fairchild and Leanne Cope in a pas from ‘An American in Paris’ that, again, somehow managed to entertain the audience without any harmful troupes!

Very true! But still, as you mentioned, it's been a while since dance, or more specifically ballet, has had a true hub in L.A. As an audience member down here I wish this wasn't the case. Again, so true. I'm sure we all have our opinions about L.A. Dance Project, but either way, yes, the interests are scattered here. In fact, I remember reading a thread on this site on the difficulties of fostering a "real-deal" ballet company down in Southern California. It doesn't seem like a new thing, all of this is just to say I wish SFB came around more often!

I didn't know about Tomasson ever advocating for a Saratoga/NYCB-esque situation for SFB in L.A. It's a shame something couldn't be figured out. Because as far as L.A. becoming a dance powerhouse of North America, oh boy! I hope no one is holding their breath!

Oh, interesting. I guess I never minded the compact season when I lived in San Francisco because there were other options throughout the year (LINES, ODC, smaller companies performing at Z Space, etc...), but I can see how that might change if you had to travel a bit to see performances. That said, I wouldn't necessarily count on the South Bay to boost ticket sales after seeing what happened to Ballet San Jose/Silicon Valley Ballet and Peninsula Ballet Theater. It's a generalization I could possibly be talked out of, but I've never really thought the "new money" crowd in SV had much of an interest in supporting dance aside from putting their kid's in after-school ballet classes.

Out of curiosity, what were the more suburban options they listed? I didn't see the survey...

I spend a considerable chunk of time in my friendships with non-Americans trying to explain that the entire U.S. isn't as ignorant and uncultured as they've been led to believe. But then this — and to a beyond high-profile person! "The downfall of contemporary society" is a big claim, but I see where you're coming from. Or more accurately, I'm selfishly not looking forward to hearing the "dumb American" jokes surrounding this one at the next dinner party.

I’m paraphrasing his Instagram story for those without accounts: Lara Spencer called him to apologize, many ballet/broadway dancers plan to take class outside of GMA next week, she apparently sounded very sorry. Hmmm…

Yikes, that's bad journalism. I guess it's not too surprising, given the publication.

"Underwater standard" made me laugh. That's exactly what it is.

You're right! It could have been the dreaded "I apologize if you're offended!" Don't get me started...

Nanushka, you’re much nicer than me! I didn’t think the apology was decent. I thought she tried to trivialize the whole thing by calling it “pop news” and then, as you mentioned, didn’t explain why her remarks are ignorant. Also, a good PR person from GMA wouldn’t ok a watered-down Instagram apology, they’d spin it into a segment where Spencer takes ballet and sees how difficult it is. That way, A. The apology has the same reach as the original comment, and B. They have a new, fun segment that makes Spencer seem likable. Or they can just keep mocking children, I suppose?

Yeah, and the way the whole audience giggles like their in on the joke? Really makes your stomach turn. She was getting dragged on Instagram and posted this: My sincere apologies for an insensitive comment I made in pop news yesterday. From ballet to anything one wants to explore in life, I say GO FOR IT. I fully believe we should all be free to pursue our passions. Go climb your mountain-and love every minute of it.

Lara Spencer of "Good Morning America" appears to laugh at the idea of six-year-old Prince George taking up ballet during a recent segment. She said, "In addition to the usual first or second grade things, like math, science and history, the future King of England will be putting down the Play-Doh to take on religious studies, computer programming, poetry and ballet, among other things. Prince William says Prince George absolutely loves ballet. I have news for you, Prince William: We'll see how long that lasts." I believe this was yesterday? I've never seen the show, and it doesn't look like I'll start! Here's a link to a Dance Magazine article with a video. https://www.dancemagazine.com/good-morning-america-ballet-2639983423.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

From Atlanta Ballet: Atlanta Ballet is thrilled to welcome Rory Hohenstein and Veronika Part to its artistic staff as Company ballet masters. “I saw both Rory and Veronika perform throughout their careers and have always been impressed by and fond of their talent and artistry,” says Atlanta Ballet Artistic Director Gennadi Nedvigin. “We are very lucky to have these two artists here to pass on their knowledge to the next generation of Atlanta Ballet dancers.” Hohenstein recently announced his retirement from Joffrey Ballet, where he has danced as a leading artist since 2011. He has also performed with companies such as Jeune Ballet de France, San Francisco Ballet, Wheeldon’s Morphoses and Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. “I have known Rory for many years, dating back to his days as a young, enormously talented dancer at San Francisco Ballet,” says Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater. “He is a consummate artist, respected and loved by everyone, including our audiences. All of us at the Joffrey will miss him immensely, but we are thrilled for his new role as ballet master with Atlanta Ballet. His leadership and exceptional knowledge of the art form promises to enrich the lives of so many people. We congratulate Rory on the next chapter of his prestigious career.” Part began her career with Mariinsky Theatre and later joined American Ballet Theatre. She retired as a principal dancer from ABT one year ago, and has since taught in many schools around the United States. ( Here’s the full link: https://www.atlantaballet.com/news/introducing-new-ballet-masters )

Anyone else looking forward to Twyla Tharp’s Keep It Moving: Lessons for the Rest of Your Life to be published by Simon and Schuster this October? From the website: In Twyla’s own words: “This book is a collection of what I’ve learned in the past fifty-five years: from the moment I committed to a life in dance up until today...it identifies a ‘disease’ and offers a cure. That disease, simply put, is our fear of time’s passing and the resulting aging process. The remedy? This book in your hands.” Here’s a link: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Keep-It-Moving/Twyla-Tharp/9781982101305

The question is understandable! As others have mentioned, the U.S. increasingly accepts a wider-range of body types than you might see elsewhere. It appears that there’s certain sensitivity from directors and audiences when it comes to the dancers’ mental health and personal body image — at least, moreso than in the past. Bigger, athletic dancers are “beasts” (a good thing!) and very thin dancers are…well, they’re always in vogue, aren’t they? This bit is unpleasant, so bear with me. But as you may remember, a Boston Ballet dancer very unfortunately passed away from an eating disorder in the ’90s. To me that marked the end of a period when American dancers were expected to fit in a one-very-small-size-fits-all box. And after all, if a dancer’s body skews toward the heavier size for a dancer, that would still place them in the normal/healthy range for a typical person. Alternately, when a slender dancer becoming noticeable thinner it could conceivably mean a health concern. In other words, dancers who are “too big” are rarely the potential liability a “too small” dancer would be. Given Boston Ballet’s history, I assume they are acutely aware of that. If she got a job with Boston, they’re bound to be monitoring it — especially if they’ve also stumbled upon the vlogs and content from Joy’s past where she speaks about her disordered eating habits. I’d also note that it’s social media we’re referring to. How much of Instagram is reality? Still, I hear you. It’s hard to keep up with the ever-changing physics of certain dancers.

Late to the party, but for my money: Maia Makhateli. I’d argue that all of those classical ideals — cleanliness, musicality, genetics, turn-out, etc. etc. — with Maia they are just…*chef’s kiss.* (And the fact that she can do anything and is, most importantly, not a bore is a rare and enjoyable cherry on top.)

I was hoping that I’d be able to find casting, but no dice. This ‘Bold Moves’ program is a triple bill of Balanchine (Serenade), Forsythe (Artifact II), and a piece by Andrea Schermoly called ‘Stand to Reason’ which they’re marketing as “celebrating female suffrage […] a bold ode to the tenacity and spirited sisterhood of the brave women who won the vote in New Zealand.” I found a clip of it on YouTube (sans SImone) and it looks like a group piece for eight women, although one of the dancers mentions in a voiceover that each dancer gets a chance for either a solo or a duet to show their voice. (Not related, but the black socks against a black backdrop trend — like in this ‘Stand to Reason’ clip — is…not my thing. Why are we still doing that?) That’s all just to say, I wonder what Messmer is dancing?

For those of you keeping track, looks like Messmer is a guest at Royal New Zealand. From a Mid-Year Company News from the Royal New Zealand Ballet press release (it’s not dated, I have no idea when this was published): “The Royal New Zealand Ballet this month welcomes Simone Messmer who joins us as a guest artist for Bold Moves. Simone is a former principal dancer with Miami City Ballet and soloist with San Francisco Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.” https://rnzb.org.nz/news/mid-year-company-news-from-the-royal-new-zealand-ballet/ (Btw, Bold Moves runs from Aug. 16 - Sep. 15.) It’s also briefly mentioned in this Pointe Magazine piece by Laura Cappelle from earlier today: “Two other American dancers—former Miami City Ballet principal Simone Messmer and 17-year-old Nicole Denney, are currently there through September as guest artists.” https://www.pointemagazine.com/royal-new-zealand-ballet-2639653162.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1 I’ll be interested to see if this turns into anything full time. Aside from speculating about her personality at work, I was always one of those people who thought her dancing was...fine? I probably would have forgotten about her if she hadn’t been so vocal in interviews, but I know others do enjoy her dancing. So we shall see!

100%. It's just not the typical path, which is why the reasoning may be notable.

Thanks for the updates, California! I grew up in CO but rarely get to see the company anymore aside from the occasional Nutcracker. So please let me know what, if anything, you end up seeing this year! It's nice to see Sarah Vandervoort Thomas in the corps. How long was she an apprentice? I remember it felt long, even by CO Ballet's typical pace.

I'm genuinely curious to see how this corps contract at BB suits Joy Womack in comparison to her previous positions. Polarizing personality aside, she's talented and I wish her all the best. But what I'd give to understand the reasoning...

Hi Ballet Alert! I've been reading this board off and on for years. Rather than just talking through your points in my head, I figured I'd join the conversation here. I moved to L.A. a few years ago from San Francisco. I had lived in S.F. for about ten years prior to that, but grew up elsewhere and have moved around a lot. As you all probably know, L.A. is...quiet when it comes to ballet (Although you'd better believe I'm *stoked* for the fall programming at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion!). Generally, "ballet thirsty" best describes my life here, so I'm looking forward to chatting with all of you. When I was younger I was a professional ballet dancer in small to medium-sized companies in Colorado, Texas, and California. I now teach a bit of dance, read a lot about dance history, and, although I'm a professional writer, only write about dance occasionally. Happy to be here and can't wait to get to know you all!