Alexandra

I hope someone is and will write about it! Here's a link to a Sunday piece last week about the ballet: A long interview-preview-feature article from the Arizona Republic on Ib Andersen's new ballet for Ballet Arizona. The writer watched several rehearsals, and the piece deals with how a ballet is made. Step by step

I see this as a concern, too, but for me it is a two-way concern. Why do whites attend performances of predominantly black companies, while blacks seldom attend performances of predominantly white companies? The audience in DC for Alvin Ailely is always mixed (in the suburbs, it's predominantly white.) In DC, for years, when DTH came here for two weeks, one week subscription and one week non-subscription, at a time when there were a lot of subscribers, difference in the racial composition of the audiences was staggering. Subscription week, nearly all white. Non-subscription week, nearly all black. Are people coming as tourists, in the way a German embassy employee, who doesn't give a hoot about dance will come see Hamburg or Stuttgart to either root for the home team or simply because they're German? If not, why didn't the nonsubscription week DTH viewers get so enthusastic about dance that they subscribed to the next season? (We, too, have very segregated audiences here, and it's not all economics, because there is a very large black middle and professional class living in both in the city and the near suburbs. I've been to performances of the Howard University dance company where I was the only woman in the audience not wearing mink. But I don't see those women at the Kennedy Center modern or ballet programs.) The programming popular now that's intended to attract minority audiences is, to me, terribly condescending. "We'll do a new ballet to "black" music. They'll like that. That'll bring 'em in." I've talked to people who feel this is condescending. They resent the assumption that blacks are interested in only "black art." (I understand their resentment. My retort is that if I were limited to Lithuanian-American literature, music and dance, or if people assumed I'd want to see something in which I had no interest -- a bird calling demonstration, say -- because the caller was Lithuanian, I'd throw a temper tantrum.) And yet the audiences remain segregated. The problems are so complex on all sides of this question. Someone above said that, on the performing side, it was a matter of critical mass. I agree with that. One dancer who looks noticeably different -- in any way, height, weight, body type, skin color -- will stand out. 6, 8, 10, 12 who are "different" aren't different any more. I've posted this before, but my model of racial integration in a ballet company was the Cuban Ballet in the 1970s and 1980s. Whether they used a conscious quota system or not, the company looked 25% European/very fair, 50% Latin Americans of various hues and 25% very dark skinned. When they danced, it didn't matter. they were just as convincing as Silesian peasants as any other company. But even in Cuba, that has changed. The company the last time it was here seemed more European to me. I don't think Cuba has suddenly become racist, and I don't think that dark-skinned Cubans aren't ballet material. Lack of interest? Lack of access? (The legend is that right after the Revolution, Alonso had access to the Cuban orphanages for recruitment.)

Sounds promising! I'll be interested to read the reports.

Sandi, most of the people I know (including me) came to dance writing from something other than journalism too, and that still can be done, but if you're aiming for a career at a newspaper -- something that actually pays a dependable, regular wage -- I doubt that they'd hire someone now without an MA in journalism. And I think it's justified, since, unlike in Europe, in America the newspaper dance writer has to do features, news and criticism. But if you're a writer, and want to write about dance, that's a different thing.

Thanks for these reviews -- I sympathize with your views on the Who Cares? costumes! It doesn't square with New York's sophisticated image. I'm a bit surprised at the casting in Violin Concerto -- the first cast had a grat deal of contrast: Karin Von Aroldingen/Jean Pierre Bonnefoux and Kay Mazzo (tiny) and Peter Martins (very tall) Aroldingen and Bonnefoux were probably close in height, but the contrast between the couples was quite strong. I'd love to see leBlanc in Square Dance! did others see this program? And we mustn't forget Program 5; it will feel left out of no one talks about it!

But you can mention it in your Books You Absolutely Must Demand for Christmas piece!!!

A very belated thank you, alymer -- I'm sorry; I missed this when you first put it up. I'll borrow Giannina's "green green green," but if I can't be there, I'm happy to hear about it. I imagine Mukhamedov could be very good in Facade --and glad to know he got a shot at it!

I think this is a great idea, and hope it is a success. One of the reasons I started Ballet Alert! was to raise awareness of classical ballet as a distinct art form, so this falls very much in line with our mission. If you wish to use this forum to discuss issues and keep us up to date on what's going on, please do so.

Yes, that's as far as he'd gotten in his research! I didn't say that's where he was going to stop! Of course he's going beyond that. No one would write a biography of someone like Kirstein and stop at age 17.

I've split off comments on the actual event onto its own thread here

No, unfortunately there isn't -- we have never had someone from vienna here -- at least not someone who posted! Do start a trend.....

There is a biography in the works -- the biographer said, at W2W Balanchine, I'm told, that he had researched his subject up to the age of....17.

That'll larn ya!

Yes, it's a very famous saying. And Bejart is known for making dances for men. As I wrote above, I think Farrell Fan's comment was meant as a joke, realizing that most people here would know the original. My comment was also made in that spirit.

I'm bumping this up: if you haven't yet gone, this exhibit runs only through April 24th. Has anyone seen it? Comments welcome! (Click the link in the post above to see the very long catalogue.)

Yes, Anna -- Farrell Fan and I were making a joke, but fogot the wink

Oh, I loved Tiranda, although I didn't see him that often. I remember his Courland in "Giselle" -- a provincial Henry VIII, come to rape the peasants and steal the wine.

I have a lovely book called "Young Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet" -- featuring Maximova and Vasiliev. They're still young to me, even though I didn't see them until about 10 years ago in a concert program. They were both past it, and both wonderful. Hello Renee -- thanks for letting us know that Vasiliev was teaching in Italy. I wondered what he was doing. Makarova fan, I think that video is also stunning -- even though it is a bit hokey (the jumps against the red screen). But Vasiliev -- that's one of the most passionate, committed performances I've ever seen, and it's on my Top 10 Request lists for when I get to Heaven (to see it, live, 1960s version).

Mindy Aloff's Letter from New York this week covers (in addition to a review of a Noh play that begins the piece) Wall to Wall Balanchine. Aloff has also included the list of events -- who spoke, who danced, etc. -- for those who missed it and would like to get a look at everything that happened. There are also two gorgeous head shots of Balanchine, courtesy of the New York Public Library. Letter from New York Nancy Dalva also wrote about the event, contributing a list of quotations that she found especially noteworthy: Off the Wall to Wall And, from San Francisco, Leigh Witchel reviewed the San Francisco Ballet's two Balanchine programs that took place this past weekend. He also took a look at a Balanchine exhibit at the Performing Arts Library out there that has some very interesting items, and reports on those at the end of the review. East Visits West

Farrell Fan, I think a lot of the bon mots attributed to Balanchine were phrased by Lincoln Kirstein -- but he did so accurately reflecting Balanchine's thoughts. This is the current state of the lore, at least. Since Dunning's book came out quite a while ago, she may well have found new information -- she couldn't possibly have written today's article not rememering her own book. (I don't know this - I don't know Dunning - but I can't imagine a writer forgetting a key point of her own book.) I love the Bejart attribution! I thought Balanchine watched Westerns -- that's the lore I grew up on. I can imagine him watching Wonder Woman. Perhaps that would have been a ballet.....

Thanks! I was thinking of Will Kemp, from Shakespeare's time, I think, who was a phenomeon: he hopped, held the record for continuous hopping. From London to......Kent? I'm writing that from long ago memory. Nice site, Dani

Thanks for all these comments -- welcome charlieloki! And thank you, flipsy, for posting even though you thought you "most of it had already been said by E Johnson" It's wonderful to have different takes on things.

It's a lovely site, corrival -- is this in honor of Will Kemp, the hopper? I think Jason Hartley's star has already risen He's been Septime Webre's star dancer for a long time -- he was with Webre when Webre directed (I write without checking) the Princeton Ballet before coming to Washington.

Me too (I've aways wanted to post that!) I think they should have given out T-shirts for those who lasted the whole 12 hours, the way they do in marathons.

Rain away, Jack I see both sides of this one. The purist in me agrees with Jack and Jane -- and then I see a future with Stanton Welch Street, Tetley Park, Stroman Square and the statue garden devoted to Eifman but no Balanchine Boulevard, and I say, build it big and build it now