Alexandra

Thanks for that, Tatiana. In olden times (until 20 years ago or so ) Myrtha was a ballerina role wherever "Giselle" was danced, the "classical" as opposed to the "Romantic" (or, in France and Denmark, "demicaractere" role). But now, I suppose it is looked at as the Second Rate role -- sad that that's the case even in Russia. If the Bolshoi were making a good faith effort to use Volochkova and really do not have a single man taller than 5 foot 10 or so (don't know that in centimeters, sorry) it's hard to think of a better role for her than Myrtha. I'm sure there will be more chapters of this story......

NEW YORK CITY BALLET PRINCIPAL CASTING FOR THE WEEK OF DEC. 16 – DEC. 21, 2003 GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER™ TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 16, 6:00 P.M. (Conductor: Moredock) SUGARPLUM: Ansanelli; CAVALIER: Millepied; DEWDROP: van Kipnis; MARZIPAN: Edge; HOT CHOCOLATE: Keenan, Fowler; COFFEE: Abergel; TEA: Hendrickson; CANDY CANE: De Luz; MOTHER GINGER: Danchig-Waring; FLOWERS: Rutherford, Taylor; DOLLS: Dronova, Labean; SOLDIER: Carmena; MOUSE KING: Orza; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Kramarevsky; HOSTESS: Bar; HOST: la Cour WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 17, 6:00 P.M. (Conductor: Quinn) SUGARPLUM: Kowroski; CAVALIER: Neal; DEWDROP: Borree; MARZIPAN: Tinsley; HOT CHOCOLATE: Rutherford, Higgins; COFFEE: Arthurs; TEA: De Luz; CANDY CANE: Gold; MOTHER GINGER: Ramasar; FLOWERS: Hankes, Hanson; DOLLS: Hyltin, Pazcoguin; SOLDIER: Ulbricht; MOUSE KING: Seth; HERR DROSSELMEIER: La Fosse**; HOSTESS: Abergel; HOST: Hanna THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 18, 6:00 P.M. (Conductor: Fiorato) SUGARPLUM: Weese; CAVALIER: Martins; DEWDROP: Taylor; MARZIPAN: Riggins; HOT CHOCOLATE: Abergel, Seth; COFFEE: Hanson; TEA: Carmena; CANDY CANE: Suozzi; MOTHER GINGER: J. Stafford; FLOWERS: Bar, Krohn; DOLLS: Fairchild, Flynn; SOLDIER: Froman; MOUSE KING: Ramasar; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Hendrickson; HOSTESS: Beskow; HOST: Fowler FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 19, 8:00 P.M. (Conductor: Quinn) SUGARPLUM: Ansanelli; CAVALIER: Woetzel; DEWDROP: Somogyi; MARZIPAN: Bouder; HOT CHOCOLATE: Bar, la Cour; COFFEE: Reichlen; TEA: Ulbricht; CANDY CANE: Hendrickson; MOTHER GINGER: Danchig-Waring; FLOWERS: van Kipnis, Tinsley; DOLLS: Dronova, Labean; SOLDIER: Suozzi; MOUSE KING: Orza; HERR DROSSELMEIER: La Fosse**; HOSTESS: Abergel; HOST: Hanna SATURDAY MATINEE, DECEMBER 20, 2:00 P.M. (Conductor: Fiorato) SUGARPLUM: Borree; CAVALIER: Hübbe; DEWDROP: Weese; MARZIPAN: Riggins; HOT CHOCOLATE: Beskow, J. Stafford; COFFEE: Krohn; TEA: Suozzi; CANDY CANE: Ulbricht; MOTHER GINGER: Ramasar; FLOWERS: Keenan, Wolf; DOLLS: Fairchild, Flynn; SOLDIER: Severini; MOUSE KING: Seth; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Hendrickson; HOSTESS: Bar; HOST: la Cour SATURDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 20, 8:00 P.M. (Conductor: Moredock) SUGARPLUM: Ringer; CAVALIER: Tewsley; DEWDROP: Bouder; MARZIPAN: Fairchild; HOT CHOCOLATE: Golbin, Hanna; COFFEE: Hanson; TEA: Carmena; CANDY CANE: Gold; MOTHER GINGER: J. Stafford; FLOWERS: Bar, Beskow; DOLLS: Hyltin, Pazcoguin; SOLDIER: Froman; MOUSE KING: Ramasar; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Fayette; HOSTESS: Abergel; HOST: Fowler SUNDAY MATINEE, DECEMBER 21, 1:00 P.M. (Conductor: Kaplow) SUGARPLUM: Somogyi; CAVALIER: Boal; DEWDROP: *Riggins; MARZIPAN: Mandradjieff; HOT CHOCOLATE: Barak, Veyette; COFFEE: Abergel; TEA: Hendrickson; CANDY CANE: *Severini; MOTHER GINGER: Danchig-Waring; FLOWERS: Reichlen, Muller; DOLLS: Dronova, Labean; SOLDIER: Carmena; MOUSE KING: Orza; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Kramarevsky; HOSTESS: Beskow; HOST: Fowler SUNDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 21, 5:00 P.M. (Conductor: Quinn) SUGARPLUM: Weese; CAVALIER: Neal; DEWDROP: Tinsley; MARZIPAN: Bouder; HOT CHOCOLATE: Hankes, Orza; COFFEE: Arthurs; TEA: Ulbricht; CANDY CANE: Hendrickson; MOTHER GINGER: Ramasar; FLOWERS: Abergel, Golbin; DOLLS: Hyltin, Pazcoguin; SOLDIER: Froman; MOUSE KING: Seth; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Fayette; HOSTESS: Bar; HOST: la Cour * First Time in Role ** Guest Artist PROGRAM AND CASTING SUBJECT TO CHANGE (12/10/03)

Update: Damage worse than first reported Theater: Brave face of the Maryinsky

Yes! I remembe photos of it, but never saw it. It looked....awful !!!! The kind of "yuck yuck ballet is dumb" kind of thing that was so popular then.

Not at all ridiculous, aspirant! Tin Soldier was made for a Dane (Peter Schaufuss)....although that might preclude its being in repertory Sonnambula was once one of their staples. Prodigal Son was more short-lived, I think. It was brought in for Flemming Flindt, whom I would imagine would have beem marvelous in it. I like Effy's list, too. Mozartiana is a half-Danish ballet, anyway (since the man's part was done on Ib Andersen). Davidsbundlertanz is 3/8 Danish -- all but one of the men in the original cast were Danes.

Yes, that's what Nancy Reynolds' "Repertory in Review" says as well. So "Serenade" is the first ballet both made and danced here. (For those new to Balanchine, of course, he had created many ballets before this, both in Russia as an Angry Young Man, and for Diaghliev, including "Apollo" and "Prodigal Son.")

Writing this without checking, Serenade was the first ballet Balanchine CHOREOGRAPHED in America, but not the first performed.

I don't think you're being too picky at all -- write a letter to the editor! I'll make a guess at what happened -- no dance professional got to approve the shot. It was done by the advertising people on both ends, and they can't see what you see. Dancers: insist on approval before photographs are released!!!

Original Ballet Russe (not the De Basil, which toured Europe, but the other one, the subject of Jack Anderson's book). The photo has to be of Alexandra a/k/a "Legs" Danilova!!! (well, it doesn't HAVE to be, but chances are.....)

There may be a middle road between Simon's Old Fogeydom and Helene's I think the ticket is a contract -- and while Helene is absolutely right that it says, right on the announcement, "Programs and Casting subject to change," there's still an assumption on the part of the ticket buyer that he's buying what the company is selling -- a Star performance, if it's that kind of company. Or a Night of Great Art, if it's that kind of company. Or Stars in Great Art if..... So if a company that does everything it can to lure you into the theater to see it's 7 (count 'em!!) 7 medal winners, I damn well want a medal winner, and if Medal Winner #4, whom I'd especially wanted to see, broke something and was replaced by He Who Happened To Be There That Day, I'd be angry about it. There's another kind of contract with the audience, though, the long-term kind, which the Royal and NYCB both used to have: ":We're both in this for the long haul. There will be good nights and bad nights. We're building a company; we think it will be a great one. Come to the matinees and you can see someone we think has quite a bit of potential. We know you'll understand that a 19-year-old is not going to give you the Giselle, or Agon, that a 30-year-old will, etc." BUT that 19-year-old was prepared: coached, costumed and rehearsed. I think with City Ballet, especially at the end of the season, there was a ghoulish excitement because there'd be injuries and people would be thrown on without enough preparation, but that, too, was part of the contract. NYCB was sold as experimental theater, and it delivered.

Ballet.co.uk has several reviews of Bayadere. Here's one by Lynette Haywood: La Bayadere There are other reviews of this and other RB programs in the Magazine: Magazine

An interview with Aurelie Dupont on ballet.co: Aurelie Dupont

A translation of an article about Svetlana Zakharova by Natasha Dissanayake on Ballet.co. Originally published in the Russkyi Kruzhok (Russian Circle) Bulletin, SCOLA, Surrey. October 2003 Svetlana Zakharova

A report on Maria Galeazzi's talk with London's Ballet Association: Maria Galeazzi, RB Principal

There's an interview by Jane Simpson on ballet.co this month with Li Cunxin on the occasion of his new book, an autobiography, "Mao's Last Dancer." The book won't be out in America for several months, according to Amazon. Li Cunxin interview

Welcome, Jim! There are lots of other Fourth Ringers here -- You can read what they're saying about the season, and tell us about what you're seeing, over in American Ballet Companies -- there's a New York City Ballet subforum. New York City Ballet

It's often an opening ballet, you're right. But there's no rule that says it can't be a closing one -- it either works or it doesn't There are some ballets where there are rules. One I can think of is Robbins' "Fancy Free". He insisted that that close the program. But "Theme and Variations" (which is not yet in the company's repertory) was made specifically as an opener and has become a closer too. There were some mumbles and grumbles before the season opened about putting "Serenade" last. But given the circumstances -- the company had to give an all-Tchaikovsky evening because of the Kennedy Center's Tchaikovsky Festival -- I don't think they had much choice. Tell us what you thought of the program -- even if you have some of the same opinions as someone else doesn't mean your comments won't add to the discussion Everyone sees something different.

Simon, I sympathize and agree. This is another of the Big Changes. Dancers used to have several stage rehearsals, in costume, with orchestra. I think, in addition to the money (you have to spend money on something. It's either salaries to 5 education directors, or paying for rehearsals, to oversimplify ) I think one of the reasons for this is that there aren't complaints -- critics usually give the companies a pass, thinking, "There's no money and the poor kid hasn't had any rehearsal." But doesn't write that, of course. And the audience, especially the new audience, has no way of knowing and thinks everything is fine, well, maybe a little stiffness, or something is amiss. And if the critic does write about it, then they're being mean That's the first generation. Second generation writes/thinks: "Wow, that company is exciting. You never know what they're going to do next -- there's a real edge to the dancing. Not like those stuffy old European companies" (I write from an American perspective, of course.) When I first saw the Royal in MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, each cast had rehearsed as carefully as the cast of a play would, and each cast had a distinct approach to the ballet. I remember seeing back to back Merle Park and Nureyev (the struck down by fate approach; everyone cried at the balcony pas de deux, because you were thinking, "God, by this time tomorrow they'll be dead") and Seymour and Wall, who took the live it minute by minute and don't know you're going to die approach. You exalted at the balcony pas de deux and got sniffy in the bedroom one. (I know you don't like R&J, and it's not my favorite work either, but it once received very convincing performances.)

Maybe it's time to bring back the "general rehearsal." You can call it a preview, or an open dress rehearsal. It's what's now called "opening night." Terminology is everything..... Editing to add....Washington Ballet now has a preview night. Press night is the second performance. (Then you have the problem of....."Oh, you should have been here LAST night. They were so good!!!")

That's a good question? I think at some times -- right after the French Revolution, say, and again at the beginning of the Romantic Rebellion -- where the new art did push out the old. (Although Gautier's claim that it happened overnight, I was shocked to learn later, is exaggerated, the claim of a passionate advocate. Older ballets did coexist with the new ones for quite awhile.) Bournonville's pushing out of Galeotti was partially circumstantial; he came in when the company was reduced in size from Galeotti's day, there had been a long hiatus in between their tenures and many artists had retired, and since Galeotti's original Romeo and Juliet had been in their 50s when the work was created, you can imagine there weren't too many Galeottians around. He also had a theater chief that was trying to revive the theater by bringing in.....a new audience! Where have we heard that before? (He did stage Galeotti's "Romeo and Juliet" and wrote about it in Theater Life, saying that he did respect the work, and cast it well -- i.e., did not try to sabotage it as some were apparently saying -- but that the fashion had changed so much that the audience didn't accept it. Who knows if that is true?) I think earlier in this century, in the heyday of Modernism, there WAS a respect for the past -- look at Diaghilev bringing back Giselle, and showing Swan Lake in Paris, not to mention Sleeping Beauty. This was Mr. Avant-Garde. And Balanchine and Ashton both kept older ballets around (Ashton's revival of Les Noces being one of the great heroic acts of an artistic director in the 20th century, IMO. He wasn't afraid to have masterpieces in repertory standing beside his own work.) How we got to endless performances of (usually bad) productions of the 19th century classics and R.J./Manon is a mystery to me. It happened very suddenly, and it's now entrenched.

I'd agree with what's been written so far -- I didn't find Kaufman's comments overly harsh, and I think a company needs to have a properly prepared understudy, or pull the ballet. Personally, I didn't find Redick's performance less than respectable, though. I liked him as a dancer and thought he deserved a chance at the role. It looks to me as though Farrell's method of staging is to get the outlines clear so that the curtain can go up, and work on the details, refine, at subsequent performances. Another director might rehearse the solos, say, until they dazzle, and most in the audience would overlook the fact that the rest of the ballet is a mess. The whole performance, to me, felt loose, and I'd bet on it being tightened as the run went on. (In fact, it was, by last night.) That's not to say that the opening night shouldn't be called as the critic saw it -- it's irrelevant to the opening night audience how the ballet may or may not be danced later. One of the problems with newspapers only covering opening nights is that every company that plays here is going to be forever doomed to bad reviews. I think San Francisco Ballet is the only company in the past 5 years that had an opening night that was up to the company's own standards. Otherwise, it often seems as though the dancers have docked 15 minutes before show-time and there's an "Oh! THERE's the wings..." or "YOU'RE my partner tonight? Gosh!!!" feel to the performance. Croce once wrote that Balanchine's ballets were never finished by opening night, a new work always took several performances to settle in. Critics seemed to take that into consideration -- fair, because he had a long track record of producing results eventually? Did the opening night audience accept that, and didn't care because they wanted to be there at the Birth? I don't have any answers to this, but they're the questions critics wrestle with all the time, and for those who read reviews, they might be interesting to think about. I'd be interested to read your thoughts.

Ari pulled this quote from Ismene Brown's (interesting, as always) review in the Guardian today about the Royal's new Triple Bill: I wondered what people would think about that. Do you go to the ballet to find out what your kids are thinking? Other comments? [And here's Ari's post for the urls to that, and other, British reviews]: More reviews of the Royal Ballet's new quadruple bill of ballets by Mark Morris, Russell Maliphant, Wayne McGregor, and William Tucket: Clement Crisp in the Financial Times Ismene Brown in the Telegraph Zoe Anderson in the Independent There are lots of issues here: 1. Do you want Romeo and Juliet (stale three-acters -- SIMON, where are you!) or new works? 2. Are those the only two alternatives? 3. How do you encourage new work -- experiments -- in an opera house? If the works aren't ready for the stage, should they go on? Is the process part of the pleasure?

I broke off the Kennedy Center performances to their own thread (easier to find later, since we seem to be getting quite a few posts): http://balletalert.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=14934

I just got back from Thursday night's performance and it's snowing -- huge flakes, already a dusting on the ground. Tonight, "Meditation" was substitued for "Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux" (with Goh and Boal). I can't write more now; there were several Ballet Alertniks there and I'm sure they'll report in full. But I thought it was a very strong evening, and, if Tuesday night's audience was a bit cold, tonight, everyone was into it from the moment the curtain went up.

Mel, when Balanchine first came to Copenhagen, he was asked to stage certain ballets. According to Svend Kragh-Jacobsen, this was at the wish of the conductor, who also was directing the ballet company at the time. He wanted to conduct the scores. I'd writtten the 1930s above, but it must have been 1930, because Lander came in in '31 (and, of course, Balanchine had a job until Diaghilev's death in '29. It was Massine's Joseph Legend (with Borge Ralov). Also Balanchine's Barabau. I'd have to look up the others. I think Spectre, which Balanchine danced, with Ulla Paulsen. Thanks for your amendments, Effy -- I knew you'd know And I hope you and Jorgen, aspirant, kaydemark et al. will answer Helene's question.