BilboBaggins

If enough of us are interested, we'll have to see if we can coordinate one or two "Ballet Alert" group nights or afternoons sometime ... see if enough of us are willing to let people match faces to "user names"!! In the meanwhile, since you'll be seeing a different cast from me, perhaps we'll be able to compare notes after our performances? I've never seen RB's Romeo and Juliet, but I've seen the NYCB several times (I'm a transplanted American). I'll be interested to see if I can recognize a difference in style ... Enjoy the performance!! BB

I'll be seeing Romeo and Juliet on Saturday afternoon, 07 June. I'll provide a review after the performance. Is anyone else planning to be there? Be happy to meet for a drink at the interval ... or coordinate a review ... If you've already seen it or are seeing it another time, please add to the thread ... BB

I'll be seeing Sleeping Beauty on Saturday evening, 15 March and Saturday afternoon, 12 April. I'll provide a review after each performance. Is anyone else planning to be there? Be happy to meet for a drink at the interval ... or coordinate a review ... If you've already seen it or are seeing it another time, please add to the thread ... BB

I'll be seeing Manon this Monday (03 Feb) evening and then again on Sat evening (31 May). I'll provide a review after both performances. Is anyone else planning to be there? Be happy to meet for a drink at the interval ... or coordinate a review ... If you're seeing it another time, please add to the thread ... BB

I feel badly, having helped hijack Cavalier's question and thread, so I'll provide this response and then stop unless I find something specific about elves and dance to report ... If you enjoy LOTR, there is a parody, published by the Harvard Lampoon (the group responsible for the classic movies "Animal House" starring John Belushi and "Family Vacation" starring Chevy Chase), called "Bored of the Rings" ... to give you a sense of it, the hobbit is Frito (Frito-Lay is a very large maker of crisps in the U.S.), the Elf is known as Legolamb ... the wizard is GoodGulf (U.S. chain of petrol stations -- Gulf -- would advertise with that phrase ....) ... and for the rest, you'll have to get the book ... BB

I guess I'll have to rent a copy of Blackhawk Down ... I've been meaning to see it, but I would not have thought of it in the context of "fluidity of movement" ... the Navy Seals I've met certainly MOVE, but it's not a dance motion!! I have the Silmarrilion and also the multi-volume History of Middle Earth on order, so if we don't find anything in LOTR, I'll see if the background material offers any guidance. Interestingly, my 13 year-old daughter tells me her classmates divide into admirers or Noah or of Orlando ... adolescent romance!! BB

Fascinating question ... and observation. I've just bought "The Making of the Lord of the Rings", so I'll have to see what biographical information is available ... and, if not there, I may check the LOTR website ... Interestingly, if you read Tolkien, the elves are renowned for their grace and fluidity of motion (which Orlando Bloom demonstrates far better than Liv Tyler ...) ... and for their song ... I don't recall anything being said about elvish dance ... I'll report back when I have something ... BB :>))

Hi Coda: Thanks ... I'll look for it online and also at Covent Garden ... they seem to have a fairly extensive collection of DVDs and videos on hand ... Regards, BB :>))

I've seen Baryshnikov in his classical career and in his modern career, with the White Oak Dance Company. I wouldn't have described him as particularly musical in either. I haven't seen any of Ulanova's recorded work ... what DVD/videos would you recommend? BB

Cavelier: I can't give you advice as a dancer, because I'm not one. I can respond as the father of a teen-age daughter who is addicted to ballet and a son who enjoys sports that his friends consider unusual (archery). I can also tell you, as a dedicated member of the ballet audience, that I can't imagine ballet without the brave MEN who follow their spirits and love of the art into the profession and who expand the joy we can feel in sharing their art. Ballet is as demanding (more demanding?) of physical endurance, skill, and coordination than any of the so called "manly" sports: soccer, rugby, etc. American football just requires brute strength and simple coordination. Look at any dancer, male or female, and you'll see a superb athlete, in every sense of the word. You'll also see grace, poise, balance -- benefits absent in other sports, that simply require weight training and endurance training. The benefit to your soul and spirit go without saying. Sadly, you will be teased and bullied by other boys ... you'll have to understand that what you gain is something they may come to appreciate eventually, but don't right now ... Just remember that you have the support of your fellow dancers, the admiration of the audience, and your own inner conviction and desire. That should be more than enough to overcome the ignorance and bias ... hold your head high ... BB

Hi Giannina: It's a little like trying to make a medical diagnosis over the phone -- generally not a good idea!! -- but here goes, and I'll try to keep it non-technical. Basically, you use a process of elimination ... play the video tape in two different VCRs and play the DVD in two different DVD players ... If the video tape sounds and looks the same in the two VCRs AND is significantly better than the DVD, then there is a technical problem in the recording process, meaning it could be in your VCR output, the actual connecting cables, or the DVD recording circuitry. If the video tape is different in different VCRs, the problem is in the original VCR itself. Alternately, if you take the recorded DVD and play it back in another DVD player, you may find that it sounds/looks much better than it does in your new DVD ... in that case, the problem is in your DVD playback circuitry and not in the recording circuitry. Basically, it becomes a process of elimination to find where the problem is and then how to fix it (assuming it can be fixed!!). Hope this helps ... BB

Ultimately, that's what counts ... getting something that works. Congratulations and good luck!! BB

Thanks, all ... For me, as a non-professional and as a ballet dad, it's nice to be able to "listen in" to the discussions of people involved on a day-to-day basis in helping define the minds and techniques of students ... and hear that there isn't complete agreement even in such a group ... Thanks, BB

So, as a non-dancer but enthusastic attendee of ballet, let me see if I can summarize: techniques are formalized descriptions of the precise positioning of body parts (arms, legs) and of weight distribution (posture, stance, joint). Historically, there are national traditions (English, French, Russian) which define major techniques. Within the historical techniques, individual choreographers and schools have further defined techniques, either utilizing a lack of description or an ambiguity of decription in the historical techniques. These (Balanchine, Vaganova) still are techniques, because they represent a fixed method of instruction and development, independent of a particular piece of music or choreography; they are general rules. Finally, there is the individual variation that an artist brings to his/her dancing or that a choreographer of artist brings to a particular piece of music. This is a deviation from the technique that that artist or choreographer has as his/her national or educational tradition, but it represents an artistic or emotional response to a particular piece ... this is what you would call "style"? Am I off-base? BB

Two suggestions: Compaqs, and the Presario in particular, often have a difficult time executing downloaded shareware. The reason is that Compaq, as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), customises the version of Windows that runs on the Compaq. You'll notice that that is why they have a restore/rescue diskette if you are ever unfortunate enough to corrupt your operating system and why, if you call Microsoft for support, they will refer you to Compaq as soon as you read them your software license number (it has "OEM" in the middle of it to alert them ...). One solution is to contact tech support at divx.com and see if they have a version customised for the Compaq and specifically for the version of Windows you are running ... The other suggestion is that you will need to determine what region your computer's DVD player is programmed for. Most DVD players in US computers are for Region 1 (North America), so a DVD encrypted for Region 2 (Europe) won't play ... that information will either be in the technical part of your Compaq's users' manual, or you will be able to get it with a call to Compaq Tech support ... BB

Looks like all the technology experts have commented, so I'll only add a few brief facts: "Bluetooth" is a standardized way of allowing devices to communicate (usually two way) via infra-red beams, so you don't need the various specialized cables, connectors, etc., and so speed and compatibility become much easier to deal with. There are already bluetooth compatible cell phones, printers, scanners, digital cameras, videocamera, etc. Bluetooth is not unique to the video / CD conversion process, but obviously makes it much easier to do ... The format issue of the CD (if you're recording audio only) or DVD is critical to compatibility and also to economy. Basically, almost every CD/DVD player will play DVD-R, so that is the format you will be most successful with ... The others, DVD-RW, etc. -- proceed at your own risk. It may work with the equipment you have today, but there is no guarantee it will play on your friend's system or on the bigger, better system you buy in 3 years ... BB

I don't have an extensive background, but some good historical videos are available at the NYCB gift shop ... Balanchine on Balanchine and various Balanchine ballets with commentary by either Balanchine or one of the principals following the performance. I'm not certain I've seen this listed on Amazon ... if you are a member of the NYCB Guild, there is a 10% discount ... Also, the Royal Ballet Gift Shop, in Covent Garden, has an excellent collection of books on the history of dance, the history of ballet, and the history of specific dancers and choreographers ... it's the best collection I've seen in my travels. I don't believe it's available for online ordering and there is no discount for Friends of the Royal Ballet. Their DVD and video collection is awesome ... BUT BEWARE ... most of the DVDs are encoded for Region 2 (Europe), so they'll only play on a player that can handle Region 2; and most of the videos are VHS/PAL rather than VHS/NTSC, so they may not play properly on US based equipment ... Hope this helps, BB

So if you'll permit me to deviate a bit from the thread itself for a question ... one of the debates my daughter and I have had is whether a student whose ballet school is committed to a given technique (e.g., Vaganova) should focus her summer intensive programs only on those that teach the same technique, or whether a summer intensive is the time to explore alternate techniques and styles and broaden the student's dancing experience and ability ... Does a student risk "getting confused" and deteriorating their personal dance technique by immersing themselves in a new technique, or is this how a true professional dancer improves their technique repertoire? Thanks, BB