Nikiya

Four of my friends and I went to this performance and were sitting in the right orchestra. Overall the performance was very good. Julie Kent was much better than I expected, with an excellent mad scene, and Jose Carreno's Albrecht was very believable. His second act dancing was perfect (five(!) perfect attitude turns), and hers was mostly very beautiful technically as well. I thought Gillian Murphy was a suitable Myrtha; she always seems to have a deadpan expression on her face, and in this role it came across well as an icy coldness. I agree with samba about the pas de deux- from the first try at the turns it did seem inevitable Xiomara would fall (by the way where did she come from?), and I think if there had been more rehearsal time or something the two would have made a very cute peasant pas. The second act corps could have been better; IMO the lines were a bit sloppy. There were some funny parts to the performance ( some old ladies behind some of my friends chuckled or gasped or hmmmed at almost every move Kent or Carreno made; it seemed there was five minutes of darkness after the audience had ceased clapping; the perfectly suspended myrtle branch ) as well. My friends and I were very satisfied with the performance overall, and hopefully we will be able to see more of this kind of dancing in the future!

[ 04-15-2001: Message edited by: Nikiya ]

You mean face wise? I am not sure-I was pretty close in the orchestra but not that close. I am sure they do. She had dark hair I think!

I think it is amazing she can even go up en pointe with those feet! It's a physical miracle to me!

Carmen danced Arabian in ABT's Nutcracker in the performance I went to at the Kennedy Center. All I can really remember was that she had very defined abs, seemed tall, and was very cool in her dancing.

I think that none of the famous dancers today (at least the ones I've seen) pay as much attention to characterization as they should. At least it doesn't seem like that onstage. The dancers of the seventies and early eighties I think were the best when it came to characterization. Today it seems like all technique. I am sure I could have been more fair in my judgement if I had seen more performances of both generations of dancers, though.

[This message has been edited by Nikiya (edited February 24, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Nikiya (edited February 24, 2001).]

Right On Drew!!!!

I was a Mirliton last year in the Nutcracker. In our Nutcracker there is a lead soloist from the company and then four teenage girls with her; we "play" gold reed flutes and wear blue sheppardess costumes that are gorgeous.

Does anybody know if Kristin Ghallager with the Farrell company did any solos or anything? She is with Richmond Ballet but I didn't know if she was in the corps of the Farrell company or if she does solos or something.

Because I saw her on the video cover of "Baryshnikov Dances Sinatra and More" and I have never seen or heard of her anywhere else and she dances in almost all of the ballets on that video.

I remember Starr from the Turning Point but was she in a company? She isn't shown dancing in that movie.

Thanks so much everybody for filling me in on those lost dancers! :-)

What happened to Elaine Kudo???

When you say "too short and too fat" exactly how short and fat were they? What was the highest rank that Carberry and Raffa every reached?

I have never heard of Nancy Raffa; when did she join ABT and how old was she?

You forgot something- bring him back to life.

Thank you so much for your replies- keep them coming (any dancers from the eighties that disappeared)!

[This message has been edited by Nikiya (edited August 30, 2000).]

Wow- I recently had knee surgery and am still recovering- I wish my teachers would eliminate jumps and fouette turns! Ha! Just kidding.

I was wondering whatever happened to a lot of promising dancers in the 80's- people like Dierdre Carberry, Trinidad Sevillano, Cheryl Yeager, Cynthia Harvey, and others with ABT and Royal Ballet, ect. Are any still dancing?

Maria Calegari was my teacher for a year. She and Bart Cook came and directed my school and they always talked about Balanchine. Until then I didn't really know who he was. I would agree, from what I have heard, that Ms. Calegari was one of his muses.