Pamela Moberg

Seems that only Americans have posted about Barbie Swan Lake until now. Well, dont know if it will be any consolation, but you are not the only ones this :angry: xxxx is inflicted upon. Picking up my mail today, the usual bills and advertising matter AND a large thing from a toy shop about Barbie. Oh yes, the whole caboodle - unicorn - castle (all pink) - play set - velvet swan -lilac velvet unicorn (2 ft. long) book and tape - video and DVD - Odette and Prince Daniel in something looking more like a space outfit - not to forget the horse and carriage. Prices were horrific to say the least. What educational value has all this got! I must say I find the whole thing rather pathetic. I am rather glad that my girls are grown up now. Not that I really think they would have fallen for this as the little one's favorite at the age of about five was "Tzigane" which I had on video. She watched it over and over again...

Thanks for that piece of fine writing, Paul! And Mel, I love you, sometimes you make me hoot with laughter! Well, to come back to the subject in hand, I have been thinking. Many years ago, in say the forties-fifties here in Sweden, "plastique" was popular here and was widely taught. I have never done any myself. Firstly, and this was a wise thing, it was taught to young children, say kiddies under the age of ten. Secondly, it was a kind of graceful exercise for young girls of good families, who might tire with such violent exercise as ballet. Yes, this is actually true!!! Heard it said myself by some society ladies. Then I also remember the plastique shoe, it was in soft leather with a full sole, no heel and a T-strap. Now it is something completely unheard of, but yes, it did exist alright. :grinning:

Going back quite a few years there was a famous teacher in Stockholm by the name of Lilian Karina - believe she was born in Hungary. I have never met her, never danced in Stockholm, but I could find out more.

Carbro, I loved all your clapping and bouncing smilies! Yes, I feel the same way. I took out "Disgrace" again and flipped though it re-reading passages, Yeah, the guy is great, his compassion! I have always wanted to be a truly compassionate being (not sentimental, may God preserve me), but here I understand I have a lot to learn although I think I am on the right path. For once, the Swedish Academy has not goofed - sad to say, they have in the past...

This is not I cannot really fathom, my girls between the ages of four to six (there are only eighteen months between them) also sat spellbound time and time again (tape now sadly worn out) in front of "Tzigane". Is it the music? Is it the dance? Then can some child psychologist explain this to me! As an adult, one would think that children would prefer something more cute and sweet, but "Tzigane"! In all fairness, they were also riveted to "The Tales of Beatrix Potter", but that is very much more understandable.

Covering Scandinavia - strictly geographically speaking, that means Norway and Sweden. Artistically not much to cover.

The winner of the Nobel Prize for literature was announced today. It goes to the South African author JM Coetzee. To date, I have only read his "Disgrace". And I recommend it. Sometimes this prize is awarded to some obscure poet you have never heard of and will never hear of again, but I feel this was a very good choice. Anybody read anything by Coetzee?

The Finland National Opera has just premiered a new opera work about Grigorij Rasputin. Finnish posters! Anything to add? Anybody seen it?

Good heavens, I posted on the poll thread, now I understand I ought to have posted here. Sorry, I got so incensed about the whole thing - never heard anything so ridiculous - all around - in my life.

:angry: I voted no - OK, this is not the thing one should vote on IMO, but there it was, so... Another thing emerged though. While I was watching State TV News this morning there was a bit, only 90 seconds or so in the Foreign News section, about Ms. V. and her tribulations. Well, if that is the only way ballet can get on State TV News then the situation is really very sad. Just imagine it, ballet is completely ignored otherwise, Fonteyn died, Nureyev popped off, whoever else produced something great, Ashton and Balanchine they never even heard about - but this got prime time 9.15 a.m. news time!!! I am frankly disappointed, such a pseudo-news item on the day of the memorial service of the slain Foreign Minister. There are such things as publicity managers, hers must be the Phantom of the United Press and Television.

Dear RG, when my brother was in Paris - we are now talking long, long ago - he used to send me publications. I will go throu them, I have of course preserved everything and archived, and see if I can find something.

:angry: The whole is nothing but (strong word, probably not allowed here) pathetic. The poor woman has gained a kilo or two, OK, that can be gotten rid of in no time. No, I smell a rat here. Probably some underlying disputes or personal grievances or something else.

Lovely, Jörgen, I knew you are the one to be trusted! However, I will try to find the time to translate what the Gothenburg Post said.

It has been a bit much for me here lately, and I was rather hoping that Jörgen would post something, but no. However, I have an article about the NYCB performances in Copenhagen. If no one else from this part of the world writes during the week end I will post a translation from the dance critic of the Gothenburg Post. Sneak preview: Maria Kowroski went down well!

Neednt be so strange at all. "Gran" or "Grahn" is not an unusual name in Scandinavian countries (it means fir-tree). In the beginning of last century there were large Scandinavian communities in St. Petersburg. Speaking of Sweden now, it was very poor, people were literally starving, and the period around 1850-1920 approx. masses of people emigrated. There were two distinct groups of emigrants. Crofters and people without a trade went to the US, people with a trade went east. There is still a large community in St-P. with Swedish names and these days they are allowed to search for their roots. Evening classes in Swedish are popular and I was actually guest teacher during my visit there. So, highly unlikely that it should be a relative of the Danish ballerina.

About Louis Moreau Gottschalk - have you noticed how danceable he is? I was very happy when I discovered him. Otherwise, I must say, he is not the most wellknown composer in Europe.

Just saw on the news here that there has been a blaze at the Mariinski warehouse for scenery and costumes. The entire building was in flames and it could be assumed that nothing could be saved. I do pity the company, they are really struggling economically now - how about insurance in a country like that - another nail in the coffin of a wonderful company. Hope it will be sorted out somehow and some generous nation will help. Wouldnt be surprised if it was arson.

Flying wires were much in use in those days. There is an old court theatre in Sweden, The Drottningholm Theater (near the Drottningholm Palace, the residence of the King and Queen). The theater still has and uses a lot of the old stage machinery. Somewhere I have an old photo of Ellen Rasch flying in over the stage suspended in wires from act II of Giselle. Otherwise, lithographs were very much poetic licence.

This thread once started as a Nerina thread? OK? Lovely ballerina - I have posted elsewhere about her. Now, I remember, there was a scandal article in one of those you know papers. Actually, I think it is very cute and just the thing I would have done myself. "Miss Nerina has room for cats". OK, Ms. Nerina lived in a large apartment in Davies Street (Mayfair). She had some cats and she had a room for the cats. Her own choice I believe. This paper thought that in stead of having cats in a spare room she ought to take in homeless dossers collected from the streets. "Snobbish ballerina has room for moggies" - I think it was something like that.

Not having ever had anything to do with Mr. Balanchine in my life, nor having danced in any of his ballets, I do recommend a book. "I remember Balanchine - recollections of the ballet master by those who knew him", Edited by Francis Mason. You get no less than 84 impressions of Balanchine. Highly readable! Cant thank my husband enough who was wise enough to purchase this volume for me while he was working in the Phillipines. He knew nothing of Mr. B. , maybe he had heard me mentioning the name - though I dont think so. Yet, a most appreciated gift, a very good read and a good insight in the opinions of many people, from the very early days to the end.

Yes, Marga, I have a very faint recollection of Maria Fris, she was lovely. I was very briefly at the Hamburg Opera end 1959. Very sad, as I have heard, she didnt fall accidentally, she threw herself down.

"Dancers Concertantes" have appeared in Stockholm. I missed half of the program on the radio, but I gathered the following at least. The NYCB dancers headed by Benjamin Millepied danced Apollo and Triple Quartet in Stockholm the other day. The speaker especially praised Megan Fairchild saying she was absolutely wonderful.

Most odd, I ended up as Petipa! I have always felt more like a Fokine man...

OK, Mel, I can top you this time! I might have posted this before, but after all these years I am still so impressed that I will take the risk of posting it again. In the late fifties - early sixties I took classes with Madame Cleo Nordi. Open professional classes commenced at 11 a.m. Before that, at 10 a.m. most days Miss Nerina had private class with Madame Nordi. Not always, but very frequently, Miss Nerina stayed on to do the professional class as well. Thus I had ample opportunities to observe her in class. She was lovely! No fireworks, but oh, so clean, every position was perfect and immaculate.

Really lovely photos! It might have something to do with photo technique in those days, people had to stand for a long time and it must have been difficult to maintain poses. Also, dance technique in those days wasnt what we see today. My late teacher (she was born Princess Galitzine) always used to say that in those days a ballerina could do what an ordinary corps member does today. :rolleyes: