Alexandra

Welcome, Anna! Your comments are most welcome -- there is often disagreement on dancers; people tend to have strong likes and dislikes, as I'm sure you know. We wouldn't consider calling a dancer "clumsy" as bashing, though there will be those who would disagree with the assessment. There are several people who've posted on this thread who have been watching the company for many years, as well, and from the posts here, I doubt that we'd all agree on much! (But that's part of the fun of having a discussion group.) In a way, of course, we're all biased, but I happen either to know those who made the early posts on the thread, or have had fairly extensive email contact with them, and I'm sure that they don't have a personal ax to grind against any dancer. Caroline Cavallo is very popular with some members of the audience, but I don't think the views stated here are atypical; I know quite a few people who share them. I liked her dancing in soloist roles when she first came to the company, but not in leading ones. I agree that she has a strong technique, but for me she has a narrow dramatic range -- she doesn't seem able to make each role distinctive (which I think is especially important in that repertory) -- and, for me, is lacking in mystery, a vague term, to be sure, but the ethereality in "La Sylphide" seems external to me. That said, I was glad to read a description of Cavallo's dancing from someone who does like her and can say why I'd also say that even if everyone else in the house jumps to his/her feet to give a standing ovation, someone is welcome to dissent; I've been in audiences that applaud what I think are perfectly dreadful performances enthusiastically, and I've been in audiences where a performance that I think is wonderful (usually one that isn't obviously tricky or showy) gets barely a clap. I'm making these comments only because we've had a succession of new posters rush to the defense of dancers in the past week, and while I'm happy to have all the comments, I don't want people to be reluctant to post their opinions. Anna, you phrased your difference of opinion very delicately, in true Ballet Alert! spirit -- thank you! And welcome!

Spectre may very well be art nouveau, but the low and "vinelike" arms date to at least the 1860s (in Danish photographs).

Thanks, as always, rg -- and a comment/question about the arms in the a.n.obukhov photo above. They are close to the face, nearly covering the face, not the more "precise" arms en couronne that we see today -- they're not far off from the Danish at that time, from photographic evidence. Bournonville wrote that he hated straight lines -- that nature abhorred straight lines. Commentators refer to his arm positions as "vinelike." According to several reviews of Fokine's ballets set on the RDB in the 1920s that his line was "distorted" -- too "linear," not as soft and "vinelike" as Bournonville's. Though Fokine, I've read, was aiming toward a soft line. I suppose my question is -- can anyone untangle this web? (I can't scan in any of the Bournonville photographs as the ones I have are in books, and would be a copyright issue.) A costume note, but not unrelated: during the same time period (late 19th/early 20th century, and probably before as well) hats were worn so that the brim shielded the face. I don't know whether this was an aesthetic, philosophical or cultural issue -- any costume historians able to shed light on this?

I can't remember the last time I saw Serenade hair tumble to the ground without being preceded by a tussle with the pins -- better hairspray today? worse pins? I agree, ideally one shouldn't notice it.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to invoke the NO GOSSIP RULE regarding Meuneier and/or Part's absence from the cast lists again. People have posted that this is because of health issues, backstage politics, and/or resting low grade injuries, and a few other things. All from the best "informed sources" or "backstage knowledge." Any of these explanations, or a number of others, could be possible, and I'm sure people are posting (and being told) the best information or theories that they and their sources have, but we don't know what the situation is and we're not going to solve it on line. Another consideration is that continued public discussion of how stupid or terrible ABT's management is because they won't cast X or Y in this or that role may not endear said ballerinas to said management, and so public speculation cpuld even do harm. (Note that there are a lot of TBA's in ballerina roles on the spring season brochure. And that ABT dancers and administrative people read these boards. ) There are a lot of Meuneier and Part fans here, and perhaps if we concentrate on posting why we admire and value these ballerinas, that will make it clear that there are people who would be very interested in seeing them in the major ballerina roles, or this or that role or ballet. But please, remember, IF IT IS NOT IN PRINT IT IS GOSSIP. Thank you!

I'd second, third, and fourth Drew's first paragraph above. And I think part of the reason for the situation at ABT now is that the management doesn't see the situation that way. McKenzie's formative years as a performer were spent in the Joffrey, and that was a very different company from ABT. It wasn't dependent upon the big ballets, it wasn't ballerina-centric, and it carved a niche for itself with its youth-oriented repertory that, in addition to a history of excellent revivals and acquisitions of classical works, commissioned a lot of pop ballets. Drew's right: if you're going to do the 19th century repertory, you have to have ballerinas who can carry them. It doesn't help, I think, that reviews and press coverage generally is so focused on the men -- gosh, what great guys! those wild men of ABT! wow, what gorgeous bare chests! etc etc etc (And it won't help to have these replaced by a slew of articles suddenly demanding, "Where is the ABT ballerina?" as though that problem just surfaced this morning.) On Meunier and Part, there are so many possibilities and we don't know what's going on. There are excellent dancers who never quite assimilate into a company (think Bruhn at NYCB or Godunov at ABT, if I may mention those men in the same breath). And there are quite a few TBAs on ABT's spring season casting in the brochure, so let's wait and see what happens this spring. And don't forget, Volochkova's a free agent now......... :grinning:

Perky, that is a cast I'd like to see -- thank you for that.

I just saw a commercial that's ballet friendly! SHOW: war scenes VOICEOVER: They were once trained to fight, and acquitted themselves bravely in battle..... SHOW: The Lipizzaners today. Music changes to ballet music. VOICEOVER: And now, they .... dance ballet. [Pause] Kinda gives you hope for the future, doesn't it? And so I wondered if they had a site, and of course they do: The Lipizzaner Stallions

A note: We have four posters who have posted on this, or other Royal Danish threads -- or at least four individual user names -- who have registered with the exact same IP number. All four accounts have been temporarily suspended; you will not be able to post until we can ascertain that there really are four separate people. I've just emailed all four; please check your email(s). We'd be very happy to have you as member(s) but we need your real email address -- not one from a free service -- and we need to be sure that there is only one person per account, and one account per person. I hope those who saw it will post about the second cast, as adagiocloud asked, above, if you saw those performances.

There's a performance this weekend that's inspired by Gorey. It's modern dance, not ballet (Jonathan Riedel's company, with dancers from the Limon company), and one of the works is The Upcher’s Warbler. We just put a review up on DanceView Times and I thought I'd post it here, so that Gorey fans would know about this performance (at Joyce Soho. Go to www.joyce.org for performance details.) SALVATION GOREYFIED

Yes -- a good interview for a general audience. I liked the site, too. I was unfamiliar with the magazine. (Posters who would be interested in a magazine aimed at Asian-American women, especially, might want to browse Jade's site.)

Welcome, cultulral! I hope you will come back and write more comments later. I have to say I'm happy to hear all the positive reports on Diana Cuni. I think she's one of the most promising of the -- well, to me she's still one of the younger dancers and I'm glad she's getting roles.

This just in from ABT: AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE ANNOUNCES STUDIO COMPANY ASSOCIATE PROGRAM Unique After-School Pre-Professional Training Program To Emphasize the ABT Style and Classical Technique Auditions to be Held December 8 at ABT Headquarters American Ballet Theatre will launch the Studio Company Associate Program, a pre-professional training program for 12 high school students, it was announced today by John Meehan, Artistic Director of the ABT Studio Company, Education and Training. The Studio Company Associate Program aims to provide the highest quality training, consistent with the stylistic requirements of ABT, for up to 12 students. The program is designed to accommodate the academic schedules of students, ages 14-18, with classes held weekdays, 2:30-5:30 P.M. and Saturday and Sunday, 12 Noon to 5:00 P.M. Classes in the Associate Program will include classical technique, pointe, partnering, pas de deux, character, modern technique and Pilates. Of the new Associate Program, John Meehan said, “We felt there was a need in New York City for a school that would provide basic ballet training with a traditional, classical foundation. With this foundation in place, our aim is to establish a curriculum in which students can learn a variety of classical styles, as well as contemporary dance that blends modern and classical technique.” Faculty will include members of ABT’s Artistic Staff, ABT alumni and other prominent teachers. Students will be accepted based on merit, and scholarships will be available based on need. Auditions for the ABT Studio Company Associate Program will be held on Monday, December 8 at 4 P.M. at ABT’s headquarters at 890 Broadway, 3rd Floor. For audition information, please call 212-477-3030, ext. 3281.

Note that there are some changes from the previous announcement: Opening night: SERENADE: Sofiane Sylve will replace Maria Kowroski SYMPHONY IN C: Maria Kowroski will replace Wendy Whelan "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker" Sofiane Sylve will debut as DEWDROP on Friday, November 28, replacing Jennie Somogyi. PRINCIPAL CASTING FOR THE WEEK OF NOV. 25 – NOV. 30, 2003 OPENING NIGHT BENEFIT Balanchine 100: The Centennial Celebration TUESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 25, 7:00 P.M. (Conductors: Fiorato, Quinn) SERENADE: Nichols, Borree, Sylve (replaces Kowroski), Neal, Fayatte [F] BUGAKU: Kistler, Soto [F] SYMPHONY IN C: First Movement: Somogyi, Tewsley; Second Movement: Kowroski (replaces Whelan), Askegard; Third Movement: Taylor, Millepied; Fourth Movement: van Kipnis, Evans [Q] GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER™ FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 28, 8:00 P.M. (Conductor: Quinn) SUGARPLUM: Kowroski; CAVALIER: Askegard; DEWDROP: *Sylve (replaces Somogyi); MARZIPAN: Riggins; HOT CHOCOLATE: Rutherford, Higgins; COFFEE: Hanson; TEA: Ulbricht; CANDY CANE: Gold; MOTHER GINGER: J. Stafford; FLOWERS: van Kipnis, Tinsley; DOLLS: Dronova, Labean; SOLDIER: Carmena; MOUSE KING: Seth; HERR DROSSELMEIER: La Fosse**; HOSTESS: Abergel; HOST: *Hanna SATURDAY MATINEE, NOVEMBER 29, 2:00 P.M. (Conductor: Fiorato) SUGARPLUM: Weese; CAVALIER: Martins; DEWDROP: Somogyi (replaces Sylve); MARZIPAN: Bouder; HOT CHOCOLATE: Golbin, Hanna; COFFEE: Abergel; TEA: Carmena; CANDY CANE: Suozzi; MOTHER GINGER: Ramasar; FLOWERS: Bar, Krohn; DOLLS: Fairchild, *Flynn; SOLDIER: Severini; MOUSE KING: Orza; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Fayette; HOSTESS: Beskow; HOST: Fowler SATURDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 29, 8:00 P.M. (Conductor: Moredock) SUGARPLUM: Borree; CAVALIER: Boal; DEWDROP: Ansanelli; MARZIPAN: Edge; HOT CHOCOLATE: Beskow, Fowler; COFFEE: McBrearty; TEA: *De Luz; CANDY CANE: Hendrickson; MOTHER GINGER: *Danchig-Waring; FLOWERS: Taylor, A. Stafford; DOLLS: *Hyltin, *Pazcoguin; SOLDIER: *Suozzi; MOUSE KING: *Ramasar; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Kramarevsky; HOSTESS: Bar; HOST: *la Cour SUNDAY MATINEE, NOVEMBER 30, 1:00 P.M. (Conductor: Fiorato) SUGARPLUM: Kowroski; CAVALIER: Askegard; DEWDROP: Somogyi; MARZIPAN: Riggins; HOT CHOCOLATE: Rutherford, Higgins; COFFEE: Hanson; TEA: Ulbricht; CANDY CANE: Gold; MOTHER GINGER: J. Stafford; FLOWERS: van Kipnis, Tinsley; DOLLS: Dronova, Labean; SOLDIER: Carmena; MOUSE KING: Seth; HERR DROSSELMEIER: La Fosse**; HOSTESS: Abergel; HOST: Hanna SUNDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 30, 5:00 P.M. (Conductor: Quinn) SUGARPLUM: Weese; CAVALIER: Martins; DEWDROP: Sylve; MARZIPAN: Bouder; HOT CHOCOLATE: Golbin, Hanna; COFFEE: Abergel; TEA: Carmena; CANDY CANE: Suozzi; MOTHER GINGER: Ramasar; FLOWERS: Taylor, A. Stafford; DOLLS: Fairchild, Flynn; SOLDIER: Severini; MOUSE KING: Orza; HERR DROSSELMEIER: Fayette; HOSTESS: Beskow; HOST: Fowler * First Time in Role ** Guest Artist

Hmmm. If one thinks that "twisting to Vivaldi" is cutting edge, I'm sure "Month" would look ridiculous!

Go to www.balanchine.org and you'll find a list of libraries that have these tapes.

Soloviev's death was reported as suicide, at least here. I've never read another cause or theory.

I've heard what LMCTech posted above as well -- and from good sources. But I just got an email from someone who's also a good source with a different story. And since I don't believe the company history on this has yet been written (meaning, nothing's in print), I think we'd better stick to the gossip rule here as well for current events, even though it's a 20-year-old story. Therefore, I'm going to close the thread.

Estelle, there was a similar situation with the Royal Danish Ballet in the 1980s, when Ashton was still alive. In that instance, Ashton deferred to Dowell, then director of the Royal, who, according to Kronstam (then AD of the RDB) said no, saying it would be like the RDB giving the Royal the rights to do Napoli. That was back in the days when one of the measures of a great company was having a unique repertory, though Perky, and anyone else interested in the provisions of Ashton's will, Kathrine Sorley Walker wrote about that in a piece for DanceView that's now up in our archives. Scroll down: the material about the will is in the last two paragraphs: Ashton Now and Then

I always thought that many misunderstood Ashton's dramaturgy -- I don't think it's necessarily linear, taking place in real time. It's often in compressed time, a series of pictures, images, not a narrative. (Poor Sir Fred. If only he'd gone around saying, "I want to bring narratiive ballet into a new dimension, fracturing time, compressing emotion and passion into a sort of choreographic firecracker that will take the viewer to the edge of experience.") If one looks at it that way, then the costume change is not illogical.

THE KENNEDY CENTER HOLDS AUDITIONS FOR TWELFTH ANNUAL “EXPLORING BALLET WITH SUZANNE FARRELL” TO BE HELD JULY 26-AUGUST 14, 2004 Application Deadline for Three-Week Intensive Ballet Course: Monday, December 15, 2003. Auditions to be held in New York City, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Dallas and Miami The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will hold auditions for the twelfth annual national summer ballet-training program, “Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell,” taught by the legendary muse herself. The three-week intensive ballet course will be held July 26-August 14, 2004, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Male and female dancers ages 14 to 18 with at least five years of ballet training, four years on pointe for females, are invited to apply. The program accepts students from across the country to participate in 12 classes a week taught by Farrell. To further enhance and extend the experience, the students will visit museums and attend dance performances. Auditions for “Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell” will be held by Farrell and a Kennedy Center representative at eight sites across the country in January 2004: • New York City, New York, Saturday, January 10, 4-6:00 p.m. or 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Ailey Studios, 4th Floor 211 W. 61 Street (between Amsterdam and West End Ave.) • Boston, Massachusetts, Monday, January 12, 4-6:00 p.m. at the Boston Ballet, 19 Clarendon Street • Seattle, Washington, Wednesday, January 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Pacific Northwest Ballet, 301 Mercer Street • San Francisco, California, Friday, January 16, 6-8:00 p.m. at the San Francisco Ballet, 455 Franklin Street • Washington, D.C., Saturday, January 24, 4-6:00 p.m. or 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center, Opera House Stage Door • Minneapolis, Minnesota, Monday, January 26, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Hennepin Center for the Arts, 528 Hennepin Avenue • Dallas, Texas, Wednesday, January 28, 6-8:00 p.m. at Texas Christian University/Ballet and Modern Dance Building, 3000 South University • Miami, Florida, Saturday, January 31, 5-7:00 p.m. Miami City Ballet, 2200 Liberty Avenue Interested students must complete the audition application, which is available through the Kennedy Center Education Department at (202) 416-8811 or online at http://kennedy-center.org/education/farrell . Completed application forms must be postmarked by December 15, 2003 to “Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell,” P.O. Box 10808, Arlington, VA 22210 or fax to (202) 416-8853. Students will receive confirmation notification of their audition site before the audition class. Students need to arrive 45 minutes prior to the audition dressed for the class. A completed application packet must be submitted at the audition that includes: • a copy of the dancer’s birth certificate or other official documentation of age • current photos (snapshots accepted): a headshot and a full-length shot in arabesque wearing practice clothes and on pointe (for females) • $25 application fee; check payable to the Kennedy Center. Students living more than 150 miles from any audition site can submit a videotape for consideration. Tapes must have been recorded within the last six months and will be considered if the student is the only featured dancer and is dressed in practice clothes. The student should include a wide range of dancing through a condensed ballet class and an optional brief variation. Female dancers must wear pointe shoes in the videotape. Tapes must be 20-30 minutes in length. The video, along with the completed audition application packet, must be postmarked by December 15. Following auditions at all eight locations, students selected to participate in the program will be notified by February 23, 2004. Selected students must commit to participating in the entire three-week program. The tuition fee, including 12 classes a week and daily selected activities, is $1000. An additional fee of $1,400 is required for nonresident students needing housing, food, supervision and activities. Supervised accommodations are provided at a resident hotel located five blocks (10 minute walk) from the Kennedy Center. Limited need-based financial aid will also be available. Students selected will receive a financial aid form with their acceptance information. The amount of financial aid will be determined by the form. One of George Balanchine’s most celebrated muses, Farrell danced with the New York City Ballet from 1965-1969 and 1975-1989. Over the years, she originated 23 roles in Balanchine ballets, including Dulcinea in his full-length Don Quixote. Her repertory includes some 110 ballets. She has received numerous awards, including the 1976 Dance Magazine award, a 1985 Emmy for her performance in “Eight by Adler,” the 1988 New York State Governor’s Arts Award, and a 1997 Oscar nomination for Best Documentary, Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse. Most recently, Farrell was awarded the 2003 National Medal of Arts, presented by President George W. Bush on November 12, 2003, in an Oval Office ceremony. In October 1999 the Kennedy Center produced Suzanne Farrell Stages the Masters of 20th Century Ballet, featuring a company of 16 dancers hand-picked by Farrell herself. The program made its world premiere at the Kennedy Center and continued on a critically acclaimed five-week East Coast tour. In September 2000 Farrell once again collected her dancers to form the Suzanne Farrell Ballet Company, also produced by the Kennedy Center Education Department. The company premiered at the Kennedy Center’s Balanchine Celebration. The “Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell” program is an initiative of the Kennedy Center Education Department and is made possible in part by the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund, the U.S. Department of Education, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, and other generous funders. For further information, contact the Kennedy Center’s Education Department at (202) 416-8811.

I'm sure the costumes were by Oman; much was made of their similarity to those she did for "Enigma Variations" at the time.

Deborah Jowitt reviews the Ballet Boyz in the Voice (thanks to Ari for finding this one): Breaking the Next Wave I found the review very interesting. She saw things in the choreography that no one else I've read has (including me ) And what she wrote about Wheeldon is particularly incisive, I think:

Welcome, Tatiana! You may well have a point -- this Romeo and Juliet may have a more modern, what we'd call "feisty" heroine Or it might bring out the lyricism in Alexandrova -- I think a lot of us will be checking this thread after the premiere to see what you all think!

Re advertisements using ballerinas in everyday settings, in my readings of the Danish press, I discovered an ad from the very early 1960s that had James and teh Sylph meeting in the woods. Each had driven there in his/her Ford.