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Yes I heard many good reports as well, I just didn't care for it.

I got so excited when I read temple dancer said that AB was performing Swan Lake next year. But when I checked it was Murphy's Swan Lake and not the traditional one I know Murphy got great reviews but it's just not the same.

Not always hiding, just reading and posting sometimes. You will find out that there a few of us Aussies here, sometimes quiet sometimes not.

I thought Justine S. has retired because her feet were to painful to continue her dancing career.

I came across this tape today when I was tidying the video cabinet. I haven't watched it for a while and I must say that I do enjoy the psychological aspects to the storyline although I do miss the mime and the character dances done as such, not as character on pointe. I am just glad that there are various productions that follow different concepts, a traditional Petipa/Ivanov production and a more modern interpretation. The jester in this production is interesting although I think I have read somewhere that many people dislike the 'character'. Can anyone tell me why? Alexandra, in some Australian dance schools character is taught. My daughters attend one of those schools and are taught by a specially trained, Russian, character teacher. AND my daughters would say that character IS real dancing!

I'm a fair dinkum, true-blue, dinky-di, you bewt, no flies on me, Aussie.

Thanks Alexandra. Maybe some of the other "down unders" could write some descriptions as I don't feel that I have enough technical knowledge to write a comprehensive analysis.

Would it be possible to have some descriptions of styles of various companies in the southern hemisphere please, e.g. Australian Ballet, Western Australian Ballet, New Zealand, South Africa

Good on you grace for telling it like it is! One thing i don't like is when critics praise performances just because it is the national/state company. It undermines the professional standards of dancers, companies and the media (hah!) As long as the critique is fair and balanced there is no reason for critics to gloss over flaws.

Volochkova has just hit the news in Aus. ( yes we are a bit slow, too involved with Waltzing Matilda and Rugby World Cup but that's another story) It was implied- no it was more than implied- that her partner(s) were suffering from back injuries trying to lift such a big, icecream loving sheila.

I have only seen WA's Coppelia by Chrissie Perrot (?). I really enjoy it and because it has such an Australian take on the performance I haven't even really noticed technique in great detail. It's been a couple of years since i saw it and that was on TV but i do remember 'strong' dancers and not that puny, barely alive barely able to move type of dancer that are in some companys. I prefer to see dancers (and the whole company) who look as if they enjoy the performance and love to dance and unfortunately I do not see that consistantly.

I have also noticed some deficits in AB principals technique and wasn't sure if I was judging them too critically as other ballet-goers I speak to don't mention lack of technique or interpretation and these people are qualified to make such comments. [i' ve also noticed that some of the corp have difficulty performing in certain ballets. Don Q a few years ago comes to mind with one particular male dancer who had so much trouble with the spanish character style of the performance - I would say that he had little character dance traing- that he was extremely noticeable although I must say that he really threw himself into the dance and looked as if he was truly enjoying the performance]. Sometimes I wonder if this has to do with a type of "protection" ( I can't think of a better way to put it) or maybe a ballet form of political correctness. Or it could be that some people are wearing blinkers and for whatever reason don't see what I and my family see or that we are being overly critical. Interesting to hear that you have similar experiences temple dancer. We are also classical fans and usually will give many contemporary pieces a miss, even though my daughters take contemporary classes. I think that because artistic directors have to consider the diverse tastes of the dance going public that we end up with programs that give anyone little in the way of a 'full' dance viewing experience in their preferred dance form.

I understand the difficulty that companies face when trying to cater for the different requirements of the audience and the company. I don't mind watching other dancers besides principals in lead roles as long as their interpretation of the role is in sympathy with the character. I suppose after being "burnt" a couple of times you get a bit wary.

Something I'm not too keen on is McAllister's theory of giving leading roles to dancers other than principals. I can understand it in the sense that it does give other members of the company a chance to perform in a role that normally they may not have a chance of dancing. But, when the whole family goes to the ballet it does become quite expensive, then if you find that you are watching someone besides a principal in a leading role that doesn't seem to be up to the necessary standard it become very disappointing. This has happened to us a couple of times. On one occasion the female lead, in my and the rest of the family's opinion had a very different emotional interpretation of the role that we felt was overdone. We came away from the performance feeling very let down.

The Australian Ballet has a book to commemorate their 40 years, "Beyond 40" It is a beautiful book with a history of the AB, photographs of company members in various costumes with information about various numbers from the repertoire. Worthwhile for your ballet library.

Here is AB's web site, lots of information about principals, soloists etc http://www.australianballet.com.au

Off the top of my head I can't give you much info except that The Three Musketeers will be performed towards the end of the year in Sydney. I believe that it has not been performed for some time. The AB also has a web site I will have to get back with address. Off I go to check some details.

Okay, Ozzie I'll bite. What do you want to know? I'll try to answer or look in my library for you.

That it isn't done on location is something that I like about the movie. For some reason I think that it hightens the fantasy element of the movie, maybe making it seem like a story from a fairy-tale book come to life. I can't really explain fully why I like it, I just do.

My favourite Gene Kelly movie is Brigadoon. I know, I know, it is very hammy, dancing, story. But... I just like it.

Thanks for mentioning Elaine Fifield, Grace. I knew there was an Australian ballerina who died recently but for the life of me I could not remember her name. I even dusted off old Dance Australia mags but couldn't find the one that mentioned her. We could also add Russell Page, a wonderful dancer and choreographer who took his own life last year.

If your local library does not have it they might be able to arrange an inter-library loan for you.

I don't know about particular statistics but I would say there is a similar situation here. Popular music seems to be much more popular than classical although such performances such as Opera in the Park, the Australian Ballet, and visiting classical performers seem to be well attended. However I would venture to say that there are far more contemporary works performed than classical.

Presentism seems to be in favour at Australian high schools. My teenagers are very interested in History and why people behaved in certain ways at different times , however, they are not encouraged to understand the morals and models of thought at that time. Students here are taught to relate to history from a 21st Century perspective which I believe does restrict their understanding of the period being studied. Eldest DD recently completed the Aboriginal Studies component of the history strand that all Australian students must complete. Part of her studies included "The Stolen Generation" which was a time in Australia when many Aboriginal children were taken from their families and placed with foster families or adopted by (usually) "white" families. This was done because at that time (and this was still ocurring up until 20-30 years ago) authorities believed that the children would be better off being taken away from their families. Much of DD lessons on this time were in the format of "how would you feel?". Although this is an important way of developing empathy, I felt there was was too much emphasis on the "me" and not enough on how the people involved would feel or just as importantly, why government child welfare authorities believed this was appropriate. As well, there was no investigation of society's views and beliefs on this subject. I think students need to examine the context of any historical event not just relate it to their own life.

Can anyone explain what "blog" means Edit to add: Never mind, I found out that it is short for weblog, a personal web journal.