Alexandra

I'd like to add my thanks for your taking the time to write at such length. That was so interesting to read -- this company has surely had its ups and downs. I didn't see it in the Good Old Days, unfortunately. When they danced Swan Lake here last season, I was stunned at how small (and to me, too small, too underweight) the women were compared to photographs and videos I'd seen from the 1960s and even the 1970s, and yet how powerfully they danced. Except for Alexandrova, I haven't warmed to any of their principal women, but I think they have some fine men. Thank you agian, Jean-Luc. I hope we'll be reading more of you!

Thanks for this, chauffeur -- I love your thought processes! I think you made some good points, too -- yes, choreography does look better with good dancers! I couldn't see all of this -- I was working. But did make a point to catch Lisa Viola in "The Big Bad Wolf" As Dale has written, it was obvious to company watchers when ABT premierred this that she would do that role, and I wanted to see her in it. She was wonderful, I thought. It's hard to imagine her having a career in another company, and yet with Taylor, she's created dozens of roles in which she is absolutely unique. Didn't anyone else see this?

There are some great (relatively light-hearted) stories in Sasha Anawalt's biography of Joffrey, about the KGB, spying, and enterprising dancers on tour. It's been awhile since I read that book and this is from memory, but I think I remember a story where some dancers figured out that the microphones were in a chandelier, and had fun with that.

Gosh, you scared me for a moment, Mel; I missed the evening news tonight, and I thought you were one up on me! Mel's point about the "poison pill" is a good one, and one that many people don't know about. Another favorite is to stick "and repeal Social Security" onto a bill one doesn't like -- a tax increase, say, or funding someone else's pet project.

Oh, Herman, I know you weren't trying to float a conspiracy theory! I wondered if the company, or the publisher wanted to showcase current dancers, too -- or that they wanted a lot of color, and Costas's earlier work was in black and white.

This is about arts, so it's fine (thank you for raising it). Our prohibition on politics is about having slogans in signature lines, or working "stupid as ***" into artistic arguments. The NEA has been cut and cut and cut --you're right. The arts are always the first thing that goes. This country has never really bought into state support for the arts for historical reasons (we don't descend from the tradition of kings and princes supporting art, a responsibility that later democracies took over.) More money for the arts! But it's unlikely to become a campaign slogan. I hope we have some who support the administration's position -- I'd be genuinely interested to hear it defended.

Thank you, Herman. I thought instead of giving my best guess again, I should call Costas and ask, and so I did. He began photographing in the late '60s (35 years ago was 1969) This was at the end of several dancers' careers -- there's also very little of Verdy, nothing of Melissa Hayden. Also, Costas did not have unlimited access to rehearsals or performances in his early years; that came later, in the mid-1970s. And now -- for our first Ballet Alert! live interview! I'm typing as I'm talking. "It's not that Villella and I had a fight, or that NYCB didn't want him in," Costas said. "I picked what I thought was the best stuff I had, then the dancers went through it and threw out whatever they didn't want. Then New York City Ballet administration went through it and threw out some more. [if the dancer's feet aren't pointed, or are sickled, for example, or they think their nose looks too big, it wouldn't have been included], and then it goes to the publisher, and the publisher makes the final selection." So the simple answer is, he didn't have good photos of Villella. "If you're going to select six or eight photos of each ballet, then you select the best photos you have. And the point was to show the ballets." Costas added that he has some very good photographs of Villella in "Watermill" (Robbins) and "Afternoon of a Faun" (Robbins) but they obviously weren't appropriate to this book -- "So if I do a book on Jerome Robbins, then Villella will be there." I'd also like to add that I'm sure Costas understands that people will be disappointed if a favorite dancer -- or a dancer they think is more appropriate to a particular role than the one included in the book -- isn't there. These are the reasons why. But feel free to continue saying, 'Darn, I wanted photos of X and there aren't any"

Clever palliser (and great to be reading you again ) Thanks for that.

No comments on this from our Kirov followers? Is this considered a big deal there? Or more "good! they need a rest"?

Herman, I think the book was intended as a book of Costas' photos rather than a history of the company, and he wasn't photographing during Villella's day. McBride danced a bit longer. (I believe Costas began photographing NYCB in the late 1970s.)

This just in from a friend who got it from an unimpechable source: the lobby. Jewels changes: First cast: Rubies - Ansanelli (debut) - Woetzel - Reichlen (debut) Diamonds - Kowroski (debut) Second cast: Robies - Borree (replacing Somogyi) of Rubies, with Boal, with Reichlen again as the tall soloist.

Thanks for this, hockeyfan -- I look forward to reading about it. I haven't seen PNB in a few years, but they used to do a wonderful "Brahms Schoenberg."

Picky is good Did anyone sort out who danced which solo in the pas de six? (Maybe they should have given door prizes for the best guesses....) It's not important; I'm just curious.

Sigh. During the Ballet Boom there were (relatively) inexpensive picture books out nearly every year. They made wonderful presents, and were also the best record of many second- and third-tier dancers and companies, the ones who won't make the "Best of" books, but who still meant a great deal to balletgoers during their day. Sorry, that's not a helpful suggestion There are several books out now that use dancers to make "art photos," but the ones I've seen are endless photos of a woman in the woods swathed in veils that have been smudged in the developing process, and I don't think that's what you're looking for!

From today's Links: Citing its hectic touring and rehearsal schedule, the Maryinsky/Kirov Ballet has withdrawn from this year's Golden Mask festival.

rg will know, Jim, but I don't think there's even a really bad video of "Serenade"

Thanks for the reports. Actually, it sounds as though you did get the same casting that we had in DC, with the addition of Hubbe as James. I'd agree with Carbro -- it's not a golden age Although I think that some of the dancers -- Bojesen, Hojlund, Lund, Blankstrup, Cuni -- are world-class, or could be, and yet still very Danish. Leigh, I'm not sure one can draw any conclusion between the Flower Festival preceding Napoli III in Canada and the way it was done with the soloists group. It's not a consistent company tradition (although the Inge Sand troupe used to do a Suite Italienne). Also, I think when Danish dancers do a concert version or an excerpt, rather than drying it out, they pour the whole ballet into the segment to try to give the whole flavor of the ballet in ten minutes. I've seen lots of Napoli pasde6+tarantellas that looked like the full version, minus the sets and crowds, of course, but definitely a wedding celebration, with Teresina and Gennaro as the center. I hope we'll have more reviews! (I'm still trying to find out who did Terpsichore in Atlanta.)

I just got a phone report from a friend -- sounds like you had a stronger cast in the Napoli excerpts than we got when the company brought the full ballet here! Reports, please.

Bump! We had more posts on the thread about this than we have votes.

BW, I'm sure YAGP is the same -- Ballet Internatinale is an American ballet company (run by a former Kirov dancer, with many Russian connections) located in Indianapolis. I think the poster who started the thread wanted to call attention to the fact that Ballet Internationale's school had won a prize at the competition.

Hi, Maria! I'll be eager to read your comments. Here are two reviews of the program (filched from our Links forum today): The Royal Ballet offered an all-Balanchine program for the choreographer's centennial. Zoe Anderson in the Independent Judith Mackrell in the Guardian But I'll second Maria's call for comments from the Board.

Of course, I'd momentarily forgotten about Mother Theresa. I had thought she was directing somewhere. RT is injured, but one of the DanceViewTimes critics spoke to the press rep at the performance last night and learned he was rehearsing, so let's hope we'll see him soon. I've sent you an email.

Thanks for the news, Reinhard! I blush to admit I've lost track of Haydee. What is she doing currently?

Welcome, flipsy -- thanks for joining in the fray I hope we'll hear more from you.

Good point, OF. We have dozens of people who put "Houston" as their location who've registered, but they just must not go to the ballet Come on -- you guys can't be THAT shy!!! You don't have to make a Profound Statement. You may agree completely with what someone else has posted. But you'll say it differently, and if you post, you might flush someone else out of the woodwork!!