Syzygy

On 8/26/2019 at 3:28 PM, pherank said:

I wonder if soloist Elizabeth Powell will be on the Clara Panel?

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.

6 minutes ago, pherank said:

Nice examples, Syzygy - it's just a shame that the Late Show stage doesn't provide the appropriate backdrop/ambience for An American in Paris. Such is life. But Colbert's show is making an effort so kudos to them.

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.  

4 hours ago, pherank said:

There's certainly a harmful side to TV shows always presenting ballet segments in a stereotypical, mocking style. If things had carried on in the manner of Dance in America and the Canadian Broadcast System ballet programs, we would now be seeing excerpts from pieces like Ratmanksy's Shostakovich Trilogy, Odessa, or even Whipped Cream; Peck's Rodeo, In the Countenance of Kings, Decalogue; the latest William Forsythe/Pite/McGregor/Marston/Wheeldon works; a selection from Sara Mearns at Jacob's Pillow, etc. The possibilities are seemingly endless. Jimmy Kimmel in a tutu doesn't quite suffice.

I guess we're back to a resolute need to steer clear of anything 'serious' or artistically involved with any TV ballet presentations. And yet, every night, the evening talk shows have music acts that come from various genres of popular music (some of them seeming quite 'edgy' and bizarre to the older audience), and those acts are not preceded by explanation or apology of any sort. The musicians appear and play and that's it. The show hosts don't feel pressured to interpret anything for the benefit of the audience. The music is simply  accepted (or you can just turn the channel). Imagine if The Tonight Show ended with a ballet excerpt from Pam Tanowitz’s Four Quartets…

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! 

1 hour ago, pherank said:

Once upon a time Hollywood was all about dance and musicals. Even Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart were forced to sing and dance once or twice. As Balanchine observed, Americans didn't need ballet when they had Fred Astaire. But the days of old Hollywood and musicals is long over.

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.

1 hour ago, pherank said:

I'm sure Benjamin Millepied and his company would like to be the center of attention in LA, but interests are very, very scattered in Southern Cal.

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!

27 minutes ago, pherank said:

My kingdom for a bullet train! Sadly, not in this state/country.

Even in a relatively small region such as the Bay Area, there's lots of different cultures playing off against one another. Not necessarily interested in sharing anything. I remember that early in Tomasson's tenure he was promoting the idea of SFB going to Southern Cal to perform on a regular basis (sort of like NYCB going to Saratoga New York), but it never really happened. I can imagine there is intense 'political' pressure in So Cal not to allow companies from _________________ (fill in the blank) take up partial residence in LA where there are still dreams/fantasies that LA will be the dance powerhouse of North America. From the audience stand point its about seeing high-level performances, but for the movers and shakers behind the scenes, its mostly about power and control. The same sort of thing  goes on between SF and San Jose area big money arts supporters.

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! 

2 hours ago, pherank said:

My memory isn't very good (!), but I think it was just general areas - North Bay (Marin, Sonoma), East Bay (Oakland, Berkley), South Bay (San Jose and maybe Palo Alto?). And I don't remember if there was a Southern California option (think 1 week residency near LA), but I don't think so.

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.

On 8/24/2019 at 6:14 AM, California said:

I received the same survey, although I've never been a subscriber. I couldn't find a place in the comments to tell them what I consider one of their best scheduling options, viz., that they stagger two programs with overlapping schedules throughout their season. That makes it very easy for out-of-towners like me to plan a 3-4 day weekend trip and see multiple performances of two different programs. Very nice! It would be easy to get to Berkeley's theater (where the Mariinsky is performing this fall) on Bart, but not the more suburban options they listed. I hope they weren't serious about those.

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

6 hours ago, BalanchineFan said:

they will be doing a disservice to all of their viewers and proving that they are mindless "entertainment" and are contributing to the downfall of contemporary society.

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. 

1 hour ago, Balletwannabe said:

Travis Wall's IG story has an update.

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…

58 minutes ago, nanushka said:

Even there, though, while Wall is quoted as calling her out, the author himself, in the piece's lede, inserts a completely unnecessary phrase that gives Spencer the benefit of the doubt (or even exonerates her):

"Seemingly innocent"? From what perspective?

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

2 minutes ago, Helene said:

It's not a complete non-apology in the typical "I'm sorry if your feelings were hurt [#sorrynotsorry, snowflake]" boilerplate, but that underwater standard shouldn't obscure the valid criticisms that @Syzygy points out.

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

1 minute ago, nanushka said:

I did note that she actually wrote, "my sincere apologies" and directly acknowledged that the remark was "insensitive." Better than what's all too common, the "I sincerely apologize if anyone was offended..." etc.

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? 

Just now, rkoretzky said:

This is just shameful. Sickening really 

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

On 8/10/2019 at 6:18 AM, Petso said:

I have a question in general for you "insiders" 😉

I´m from Germany and I just started to follow the ballet life in different countries. My observation is that in Russia and Paris for example the female dancers have to be thin as stick and have to embody the fragility of an "Odette", no ifs and buts, everything else is "fat" and "un-showable". No matter what that do to the health of the dancers if they aren´t naturally skinny. In America, to my joy, there seem to be healthy athletic women on top like Misty or Ashley Bouder for example, and even Kathy Morgan got a job with a way more healthy body weight than she had in her beginnigs I think. So I was all the more surprised when I looked at the instagram account of Joy after her announcement - and was, let´s say, just shocked (that´s all I will say about this theme). Were my observations wrong? Are there so big difference between the companies? Or between soloists and corps?

 

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!

5 hours ago, Roberta said:

Hey, a job is a job. At least she joined as a full company member, rather than apprentice or in the junior company (BB II). She has other highly-decorated competition winners as fellow corps members.

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

On 7/15/2019 at 8:17 AM, California said:

Few on this site know these dancers, but Colorado Ballet has updated their roster for the new season:

https://www.coloradoballet.org/company/dancers

Promotion to Principal: Francisco Estevez: He previously danced with Boston Ballet and Barcelona Ballet with Angel Corella. I was very glad to see this promotion. He has really "upped his game" in recent years and there's rehearsal tape on Facebook from last winter of mastering the Russian torchlift (with Asuka Sasaki), among other things.

Retirement from Principal: Dominico Luciano is now Academy Principal and teaches men's classes. The Academy is doing a superb job of nurturing young boys and men in special classes taught by John Gardner (this summer in their Intensive), Estevez, and Luciano. The company now has only one other male principal, Yosvani Ramos, who just turned 40 but is still in great shape (source: very active on social media).

Promotion from Apprentice to Corps: Francesca Martoccio, Leah McFadden, Sarah Vandervoort Thomas, Simon Zinabu Costello. (Thomas married Kevin Gael Thomas, a much-loved soloist, this summer. Kevin does a mean Revoltade 540.) 

Departures from Corps: Ariel Breitman, Alyssa Fazekas, Kevin Hale. I had high hopes for Breitman and Hale; they will be sorely missed.

New Apprentices: Liam Hogan, Alexander Roy, Alexandra Wilson

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!