pj

I have done a search both on this forum and on "google" and have come to the conclusion that there may be a necessity to ask permission from the Gershwin Estate before using music by George Gershwin. Help me here, I have very little knowledge of law (I used to sleep through my Constitutional Law class in college because it was right after water polo practice!!!) I am assuming that permission by the Gershwin Estate is required to produce a CD of music that would include any music by Gershwin. I am assuming that the producer of the CD or the musician(s) performing the music would apply to the Estate for said permission. My specific questions (I think) are: Is permission from the Estate necessary to use the CD (where permission has already been granted) in a dance performance? Does the Choreographer have a necessity to ask the Estate's permission to use Gershwin music to choreograph? Are there differing requirements for different Gershwin pieces? Any copyright lawyers out there?

This show is also happening in the OC (at OCPAC) sometime in Feb. We are planning on going, along with most of the families in our ballet school.

Ok, Andre, we have a visual on you now -- so if we see you at the next ballet event, I will stop you to say hello. Diana Vishneva projects to the ceiling and above. I saw her on Wednesday night and my friends who saw her on Saturday night said she was even better than on Wednesday (they, too, were seated in the balcony). Yes!!! Founder's Circle are the best seats -- they are like sitting in your living room and having the orchestra and the dancers there just for you. I have sat both near the side and back and then Sunday, front and center and it is a great view from both places. I agree that the patterns are able to be seen, and you can actually recognize each dancer much better than from the balcony or the loge even. We are also very happy that Kirov will be back in S. CA next year, along with their orchestra and opera company.

Cygnet -- Were you in the Founder's section, near the front? I was there, in the front row of Founder's and there were two little girls sitting next to my daughter that were quite young and very well-behaved (until the very end, when the littlest one was yelling "No more dancing!" during all of the clapping). Andre -- My daughter thinks it may have been you talking with the Children's rehearsal asst. outside of the artist's entrance after the show. Were you also in Founder's section? Actually, I splurged and bought seats at the last minute (and what great seats!!!) for myself and my daughter. Another friend sat in my daughter's seat until she was finished with Act I. So I have a review as well. Anton Korsakov was better as the prince than as the bluebird, but I agree with cadancelover, he isn't a prince, so it was a less than adequate performance in my opinion. In terms of style and size, I did think he and Novikova were well matched. Novikova had her moments of technical greatness; she is a good turner; but her artistry really suffered in the chemistry of the partnership. Both Korsakov and Novikova were looking quite worried by the end of the show, and probably with good cause. I loved the bluebird -- and Cygnet, I agree with you -- he will be one to watch in terms of a danseur noble. Also, the lilac fairy was outstanding in all aspects. Andre, I totally agree about Igor Petrov -- I liked his interpretation of the role of Carabosse better than the other dancer who took the role. He was much more evil and he successfully carried that interpretation to the highest balcony (where I was relegated for most of the performances I saw). Our family is so sad that Kirov is gone for now -- I can't wait until the next time they come to S. CA. There is just not another company like them.

Ok, nysusan, You have just officially made my daughter's day even better than it already was!!! Thank you so much.

Last night we saw the show again, and Somova was really sparkly as Aurora -- even better than the dress rehearsal. She is very good in the acting side of the role and there were only a few parternering glitches that she and Fadeev will need to work on to make a polished techinical performance. Of course, she is not Diana Vishneva, but I am willing to give her some time. She seemed more secure in her performance with each act and seemed truely surprised at the amount of notice she was receiving from the audience. Fadeev is a great actor; in Act II, Scene I, when he is on stage by himself before he sees the vision of Aurora, he doesn't really dance at all. And he had to keep the audience interested in what was going to happen next. And he pulled it off better than anyone I've seen. The chemistry between Fadeev and Somova makes the story very believable and they make a beautiful couple on stage. Dmitry Semionov was a very fine Bluebird. I really enjoyed his performance and I also feel he was a better partner than Korsakov. He is also one of the Bridegrooms of the Princess in the Rose Adagio. My daughter thinks he's really nice and says that he gets lots of notice from his fellow dancers, as many of them applauded from backstage as he made his entrance for the coda of Bluebird. The white cat and Puss in Boots pas de deux is just adorable, and is better each time that I see it. Lopatkina was more "present" Friday night and even though she had a few technical issues, I felt her performance overall was a great deal superior to Weds. I am so happy that I had the chance to see her again. I will have to watch the final two performances from a monitor elsewhere in the building, so I don't think I will be posting about those performances -- the TV monitor just doesn't have the same feel as the performance does when you are seeing it live.

Actually Andre, the woman you met (you did say "she" didn't you?) is formerly from the Kirov and she is collaborating with my daughter's teacher (at his request). He is formerly Bolshoi and Stanislavsky. I might meet all of you at the intermission tomorrow night (Fri), if I can. Which intermission do you meet?

I'm glad someone mentioned the garland dance. The children's parts in this ballet are the garland dance, the violin dance, and the "tom-boys" dance, as well as the mini-Aurora. I didn't want to say anything about the children's parts until someone else brought it up. The person who prepared the children for their parts is my daughter's teacher. Our school has about 12 dancers involved in various roles, and the rest of the child dancers are from a variety of local ballet schools. There was some discrepancy in the communication between the Kirov and the Music Center staff which resulted in a very short preparation time for these dancers. My daughter's teacher will be pleased to hear you mention "stylish" and "idomatic" in connection to the garland dance, as not all of the children are from Russian training. Both the teacher and the children involved worked very hard to achieve a nice look to the dance, and in the amount of time they had, did a very commendable job. The tom-boy dance wasn't even on the radar until the company pulled into town on Tuesday evening. It was prepared Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon. Last night, it didn't go quite as planned, but the Ogre covered up the mistakes and got a good laugh out of the audience for his creativity. The child who plays the mini-Aurora was so pleased to take part (she had been very sad that she was too short for the garland dance, where a number of her friends are dancing). The violin dancers had a bit of trouble adjusting to dancing so close to the company members, but are determined to fix everything by tonight. (My daughter wants everyone to know that she is in the first line of the violins.) :rolleyes: I realize that my reviews of the children's parts are biased; so, that's just my 2 cents!

Yes, it was her, according to my program. I'm afraid I can't always recognize all of the Kirov dancers, as we only get to see them about every two years. I mostly have to rely on the printed program (and I know that it is not always 100% accurate).

Our family went to both the dress rehearsal (with Somova) and the evening opening performance, yesterday. Diana Vishneva was just as we expected as Aurora -- absolutely wonderful. She projects her personality to the highest balcony. I have to say that as much as I appreciate Zelensky's attention to his ballerina (he is a fabulous partner), I thought that he held back a bit in his solos. I preferred Fadeyev's dress rehearsal; he is very prince-like and his dancing is secure as well. This is the first time that we have seen Lopatkina dance and we expected a lot. I was a bit disappointed; although she was technically beautiful, I didn't get the impression that her heart was in it. We mostly like watching excellent technique, so it wasn't terribly disappointing, just mildly so. We saw Somova in the dress rehearsal, and I'm going against popular opinion here, but we really liked her. She has a bit to learn, but my goodness, give her a break; she is awfully young to be taking on such a large part. I thought she did a very nice job, and I'm looking forward to seeing her again on Friday evening. I loved the white cat--she really seemed to be having fun and I think the audience appreciated it. I didn't care for the bluebird at all -- he was not technically or artistically prepared, in my opinion. These are just a few impressions I remember from last night's performance; I'll post again about Friday's.

Or, perhaps your husband just doesn't see the beauty of dance. I'm saying this in the most unsarcastic way, so don't take me wrong. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so maybe what he sees he does not perceive as beautiful. As an example, I see very little value or beauty in much (most) of what some people call avant garde visual art and I don't see it changing the world at all. Well, at least not in a positive way. So perhaps that is how he feels about ballet....a pity though

I would have to agree with those that say she is rather tall. I have stood right next to her (she was involved in a conversation with my daughter's teacher) and she is quite thin, with fine bones, but very TALL. I think Mashinka may even be reporting her size in inches a little on the conservative side. I would venture a guess at 5ft 10 in., as that is the height of my daughter's teacher, and Lopatkina was wearing flats. She also is beautiful and intelligent and has perfect skin.

Oh No!

Personally, I LOVE this part of the ballet. The last time I saw this done by Kirov, there were a number of company members out with the flu and the stage was a bit cramped with the ramp that they had brought on tour with them, so I am kind of remembering that they did this with fewer dancers than normal. I felt cheated! oberon, I totally agree with you!

I agree with Hans! Booing is just rude. If I really hate something, I just don't clap. If I like something even a little bit, I do clap, just to acknowlege the effort. If I really like it I clap louder. I have even been brought to my feet in admiration of an outstanding performance, while continuing to clap. I cannot under any circumstances bring myself to "whoop," even for a relative or friend who is performing. In fact, the "whooping" (or whatever it's called) really bugs me.

Thank you all so much for the wonderful information. pj

Except the choreographer, (which I already knew). I did a search and did come up with the info that it is a one-act ballet. I think that the main women's role was set on Seymour (I do not know this for a fact). Any info available on this ballet would be appreciated. Our local library has few ballet resources, so I have been unable to find anything. I am interested in a summary of the libretto and also the music and the composer, and any other pertinent information. There is no urgency in my request, I am just curious.

I have a terrible memory about specifics in things that I read, so I can't help you with specifics about this piece that you are asking about....However, I seem to recall that when I read MP's autobiography, "I, Maya Pleisetskaya" that she referred to this choreography in the book. I don't have a copy of the book, I had to check it out of the library when I read it about a year ago. So, maybe you can find yourself a copy of the book; I believe it is still in print.

Would the Siren in Balanchine's "Prodigal Son" count as a villainess? If so, I would have to give Maria K. high marks for this role. True, I have only seen "Prodigal Son" one time, but she made me afraid. (In a good way, of course; it would be boring if you didn't get a little bit scared by the villians)

My husband and I just got home from attending this ballet and I have to say that it was beyond anything I've ever seen as far as energy and for lack of a better word, "theatrical-ness." I guess I should say also that this was the first Eifman ballet for me, as in the past when they have been in S. CA, I have been unable to attend (usually for financial reasons due to my daughter having spent every last penny on point shoes, or SI's, or other "frivolous" items.) Every review I have ever read has been less than totally enthusiastic, although I heard that this week's review by Lewis Segal for the LA Times was good (I've not yet read it). I have to admit that because of the previous reviews I had read, and worry about the subject matter being appropriate for my young daughter, I had not been wild to go. But this time, my husband's friend (who had seen the ballet in the Bay Area) called and said he was sending us tickets because he wanted to see if we were as taken with it as he was -- and I am glad to report that we were. What really struck me during the whole ballet was Eifman's musicality -- I am certain that if I were to see the steps danced sans music that I would hear the music in my brain. The training that these dancers must go through must be very intense -- they dance very quick (ok, no pot-shots, please), but I got a very distinct feeling from the musicality and the speed, along with some of the more modern (or less classical) steps, that Eifman was producing a story ballet that was almost "Balanchinesque" in parts. The Mask piece actually had elements of good old Russian character dancing, with a modern twist, extreme musicality, and the best part was that the corps de ballet was so obviously from the Russian school. There is no company in the US that could do this ballet so well. And I really liked the train, spotlight, snow symbolism that Eifman provided to pull the story together -- very cohesive ballet in my opinion. I will never again skip an Eifman ballet when it is in OC or LA (provided I'm home).

That would be Erica Cornejo -- and I agree, she is great!

Don't shoot me for this, please, but I really think that the "vision" of Odette was Julie Kent, not Gillian Murphy. I noticed that Gillian Murphy's make-up when she first took the stage made me think she had made herself up in the manner that Julie Kent usually does, and that it made her look just a bit more like Julie Kent than she usually would. ok, just my 2 cents. I do realize that this little detail does not make for a review of the merits of the entire ballet.

My daughter sat down to watch the first episode with pen and paper in hand, all set to judge the stars that were dancing. She most definitely was taking this seriously! And she gave them all scores. Joey and Ashley were her favorites and I even allowed her to vote It was quite surprising the next day when Joey and Ashley were at our BALLET studio being filmed rehearsing!!! She was thrilled!

My daughter has started a collection of signed point shoes. The first pair was signed to my daughter by Paloma Herrera and were given to her because she had been one of the children in the ABT Nutcracker. The chaperone backstage had mentioned to the children that Ms. Herrera's birthday was coming up and that they could get a good surprise if they wrote a really nice card to her. My daughter and her friend each wrote nice cards and each got an autographed pair of pointe shoes. And Ms. Herrera got a bunch of nice cards and other gifts from all the kids (and a few over-zealous parents). The second pair was a pair of my daughter's own shoes that she asked Julie Kent to sign after a performance. She and a friend met Ms. Kent at the backstage door and she very graciously talked with them and signed their shoes. They were thrilled. The third pair was a pair autographed by Renata Pavam of ABT, that my daughter bought last summer in NYC after seeing an ABT performance. I, personally, have a huge collection of dead point shoes signed by my daughter, who is still a student. Maybe I'll be able to sell them to collectors someday and recoup some of the costs of my daughter's training???

The YAGP gala is always fun to attend, but I think it was better than ever this year. It is incredible that so many companies were represented in a single evening of ballet -- what a deal for the price of a ticket! As far a student performances went, my favorite was 12 year old Isabella Maylert (I'm not sure if I spelled that correctly) from Brazil. I saw her perform her classical variation all three times she did it throughout the weekend, and it improved every time. She was really at her best technically and artistically on Monday evening. Roderick George is an amazingly talented young man. He received a scholarship to Alvin Ailey on Monday night. A friend and I predicted that he'll probably be starting as a company member by next week! He was really fun to watch. One thing that struck me was the difference between the student performances (which were very good for the most part) and the professionals. It was good for the students to see that they still have a ways to go before they can truely say that they are ready for companies. Jose Carreno was (as always) simply amazing and I really enjoyed the "Cuban" performance that he and Lorna did of Don Q. Her balances were amazing. Desmond Richardson and Sandra Brown's performance of Ave Maria was really cool, and Sandra Brown holds the record for the longest balance of the evening. The other thing I was struck by was the amount of energy exuded by all of the professionals -- it was truely exciting and very motivating for the students to see and feel that energy around them. I was one of those people who also felt that the evening was far too short (even though I was exhausted by the schedule that we had all week); but I was not too tired to keep that huge smile on my face as I left City Center. I just can't wait to see next year's show!