Pamela Moberg

Thanks Estelle, for the article! My French is not the very best, but I read quite OK.

Yes, I do agree,what to do after an active dancing career.

The obvious is teaching. But, having done that myself, how satisfying is that? Of course, if you can teach advanced pupils I think it is very satisfying indeed. But, I have some friends who have schools for once a week lessons, doing a kind of "play and plie" lesson for toddlers. I admire those people. Myself, I do not have the patience.

As for myself, I solved my ballet abstinence problem by starting to study dance history. It soon developed into theatre history, opera and plays. It worked quite well, bearing in mind that the readership is limited - yet, I did a number of talks on the radio, participated in TV programs and wrote a number of articles for both the daily press and magazines.

I remember an interview with a retired air force colonel (he was 45). He said (sadly) "Well, in the future I can only fly desks". Indeed, I can now only dance on the keyboard, but life has its different phases, and if I can bring knowledge to people about dance in say the year of 1799, is not that a good thing?

OK, I am aware that not everybody likes to go through old tomes and search library archives for old documents, but at least I think I have found my niche in the non-active dance world. And I also think that knowledge of history is very important for everybody.

Wishing you all, wherever you are, a VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

I just saw on the TV that some parts of the US is having some terrible

weather, hope you are all fine.

Here, on the West coast of Sweden it is very stormy indeed.

:party-smiley-017: :huepfen024: :hyper:

It's Ashton's Foyer de Danse, I think.

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I do have BBC World News, but what a pity, I missed this.

In fact, I never saw Markova perform live, but I would have loved to see her Giselle. I have been told that she was "the" Giselle, even when she was getting on.

Katja Björner is indeed still dancing with the Royal Swedish Ballet. She is now a soloist.

The film "Dansaren" (in Swedish) is about ten years old and according to my daughter whom I consulted on the matter, Katja ought to be between 25-30 years of age.

I did see the film with DD, but must confess that I do not remember much.

The Royal Opera House does have a site, unfortunately only the opera section has an English version, the ballet section is only in Swedish. This surely must be considered unfair!

Most dancers have their portraits there with a list of roles.

If you need any translation, please do not hesitate to ask me!

www.operan.se

No doubt it must be that particular Anderson.

"Andersons" are not particularly thin on the ground in Sweden, in fact it is one of the most common surnames. But to encounter that in Russia in those days, highly improbable.

Besides, there was not such a large community of Swedes in Moscow as there was in St. Petersburg. I have seen the records and from memory I can only recall a

handful.

Wonderful rg - I have enjoyed your photos so much and I have dutifully printed out and stuck in my research folder. Thankyou ever more!

But, my special subject is Christian Petrovich Yoganson - a bit early, maybe, few

photos to be had, but I am always on the look out. Have you got any?

In that case I would get apoplexy from sheer happiness!

Joking apart, I have a damned strong heart...

A very great loss indeed. But then we must remember that he had reached an old age, and from what I have gathered, his last years were not in splendour. Having recently lost my mother (at 94) I have realised that longivety is not something to strive for.

A few years ago here there used to be a question in interwieving people: "How do you want to die?" Stupid, OK, but a lot of people answered: "Alive".

Indeed, to just waste away or wither away, my mother weighed 70 lbs...

Yet, it feels like a great loss, the wonderful guy of my youth, I had his portrait pasted inside my closet door (Elvis was there too).

Now they are all gone, Rudi, Margot, Svetlana, Elvis, Marlon, (the people I mourn),

we must not here forget Ray Charles whose performances I attended. I am beginning to feel as old as Methusalem (which I probably am, sad to say).

Well, that is life...

Dear Marcin,

Help is at hand here!

Contact them directly - people are always flattered to get enquiries.

Either you can email:-

alexandra.giertz@riksteatern.se

or you could write to the above person, who is their press person:-

Cullbergbaletten,

S-145 83 Norsborg,

Sweden.

Or you could phone or fax:-

+46 (0)8 531 991 56

Fax +46(0)8 531 991 59

Good hunting!

Pamela.

Have you checked Altavista? Masses of Cullberg information, pages and pages of it.

Admittedly, most of it in Swedish, but some in English.

If you find something in Swedish that looks interesting to you, I will be happy to

translate for you.

Also, write direct to the Cullberg ballet, I cant remember the address right now, but I will find out for you and give you the answer tomorrow.

Good luck with your venture!

Pamela (from Sweden)

This has been a really interesting discussion - I have enjoyed it. Of course, people must be allowed to have likes and dislikes and personal opinions.

I knew I had it somewhere, searched and found it - I havent seen it for years, why, well it was not so interesting.

So I saw Mezentseva in Giselle. Again after all these years...

Now what, well, I know a video is not a live performance but nevertheless it gives an idea.

I saw her on video as Giselle and though I admired the full works - after all it was not a tiny performance by a small town company - she left me pretty cold - cant explain it, but there just wasnt anything there. Cant say it was good or bad, she, as Giselle did not TOUCH me in the way that Maximova does. Oh, beloved video of Maximova and Vasiliev, taken out a couple of times a year as as super treat with a bottle of champagne.

OK, call me biased, I am hooked on the Maximova-Vasiliev Giselle, they set the standard so maybe I will always compare with them. But for ME, that is

the greatest I have seen.

To me Mezentseva is fine, but I would not hop on a plane to see her - nor would I

send for more videos either...

Dear Kitri, we must flog that to the highest bidder I will gladly be agent and only, for the sake of friendship, charge 20%.

Joking aside, I just did a kinda quiz on the net and the answer came up "Pamela, you are a shark!"

You see what I mean, quizzez can sometimes be taken seriously.

But now seriously, flog that image to the highest tabloid bidder! If you feel uncomfortable taking the money, do some good with it.

Recently, my mother passed away, there was quite a fair amount of money.

Do you want the taxman to take it all? You dont so I have provided for my two

girls and in addition I have become a host (means feeding and upkeep like fencing etc.) to a Siberian wildcat in a safari park in Sweden (which I have visited and I

approve of).

Of course there are charities involving children in need also...

So, get into business and drive a stonehard bargain! Lots of luck!

Ari, that was no joke, you are very welcome here and so are all other BalletAlerters. As a matter of fact, one Balletalerter visited me - a Chinese lady - her visit was a huge success with my family and we still talk about her often.

So please do feel invited - I will only be too happy.

And the things you might see, I am also interested in nature and try to conserve a good habitat for wildlife - half tame pheasants, forest doves and many other birds come to my door to be fed. And those moose - they are big...

Ballet for me is the night , then one can watch old videos - hardly anything on Swedish network.

But I am collecting newspaper reviews from the last effort of the Gothenburg Opera and I will make a summary of those.

Good grief, bad proofreading - forgot a word. Should read of course "youngest daughter´s vacated room". Youngest DD is studying law at Uppsala University, one of the oldest universities of Europe and she loves it, bless her.

Ari, if you are simply dying to see Les Noces you are very welcome here. I can offer lodging (youngest daughter's room) and food - I am a good cook and you will damn well need it!

Tonight was the first night of Les Noces here at the Gothenburg Opera - OK, a rehash. I did not attend but I will read the reviews in the papers tomorrow.

Anyway, a choreographer by the name of Örjan Andersson has taken upon him to make new choreography. I quote from today´s Gothenburg Post:-

"When the director of the Gothenburg Opera Ballet, Kenneth Irving, rang and suggested that he should make new choreography for Noces he agreed at once".

That may be so, but why not do the original Noces?

When I lived in London there was a shoe shop in Wardour Street selling this type of footwear. I have always understood what clientele that shop had - nothing mysterious at all - Ed got it right!

Poor Alexandra, going that far to see I think it is called "trymskviden" in Danish.

Cant have been much fun, when there are so many other lovely Bournonville ballets to be seen. Or did you go there in the real decline? What about "La Ventana"

"Far from Denmark" - did you see them? Or "The Conservatory"?

My most glorious moment was the pupil's performance of the "Fairy Doll" at the Maryinski. Good Lord, I did enjoy myself and I would actually be willing to swim the icy waters of the Baltic Sea to see something like that again. :party: :hyper:

Alexandra, this is a question for you. How on earth did the board manage this? I am just technically curious...

I am afraid we will have to celebrate in private here.

I have also heard about it, but there seem to be no manifestations around here.

Well, I'll drink to that and put on my favourite video.

Either "Tzigane" with Farrell or "Giselle" Maximova-Vasiliev.

Good heaves Coda, writing in Cyrillic - didnt even know that the board could manage that. I have had problems before writing Swedish and Danish names (we have some more letters than the normal alphabet).

Anyway, though I wouldnt claim to speak Russian at all (just some phrases and of course a good stream of invectives which come in very handy at times) I can read signs and names. Fantastic, I am flabbergasted. :rolleyes:

It has never been easy being a woman, has it - and sadly to say, things arent much improved today in the year of 2004. Well, girls, let's hope for the year 2054, might be a bit better then - though my hopes are very faint - cant honestly foresee any improvement... :angry:

Mme. Hermine, thankyou for that!

Owmigawd - I should have remembered - only there has been so much about here lately---

Yes, Taglioni was born in Stockholm this day. Though she was not Swedish at all, well, a quarter, father Italian, mother half Swedish and half Polish.

Thankyou for remembering!

Perky,

Here is an idea - you can try it - cant guarantee success...

Look up web sites in non-English speaking countries - they normally have a list in English as well.

This is what happens: Someone sorts out his parent's library, carts it off to an

antiquarian bookseller who shakes his head at such a totally unsellable item as a ballet book in English and gives it a very low price indeed.

That is how I have found wonderful books in Sweden at a very low cost.

Good hunting!

When I have time I will sweep over the Swedish antiquarians and see if there might be something here.

Dear MakarovaFan, My most treasured video - you know the kind of stuff you would grab first if the house was in flames - is a video of Maximova-Vasiliev in act 2 of Giselle. Try your very best to get hold of that one! Magnificent stuff indeed. I took it from the TV so mine is not a bought tape. It is so beautiful I get tears in my eyes every time I see it. I agree with you, one could just fall in love with Vasiliev, he is the most perfect Albrecht I have ever seen... And Maximova is a dream come true.

I concur with all above - he was the greatest. Come to think of it, maybe he was the greatest male dancer I have ever seen - though I only saw him on video and films. Yet, he made a greater impression on me than all the rest. Just a great pity that he was from the era when dancers could not travel freely.

:angry: Booing just shows bad behaviour, I think, no need to throw dead cats (yes, it has happened) or rotten eggs. Now we must think of the intentions. I do not normally walk around with rotten eggs and tomatoes in a hold-all just in order to have it handy to throw at the first performer I happen to come across which displeases me.

No, I just withhold my clapping and stay silent - people around me might clap, but I remain immobile - that is enough I think.

Yet, the poor dancers/actors/singers might have been forced into ridiculous things by financial problems - why should we boo them for being miscast?

Folks, it always pays to have manners and be polite- :rolleyes: