Alexandra

Dale! Dale!!! You and Ballet Royale must obviously join together on this!!! (BR, Dale has been the board's most vocal Meunier and Part fan and I'm sure she will welcome an ally)

From the DanceView Times: Two reviews of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet: By Eric Taub Hit and Miss And the other by Mindiy Aloff, in her weekly Letter: Letter from New York

For contemporary dance fans -- They call themselves "Article19: The only contemporary dance magazine in the whole wide world!" and this is a true fact There are some new articles up. They're funny -- read them! This Week on Article19 Interview: Darshan Singh Bhuller, Artistic Director, Phoenix Dance Theatre "We are not all up and dancing like fairies and I don’t mind saying it because I can’t stand that." The artistic director of Phoenix Dance Theatre puts his foot down and Article19 finds out more! http://www.article19.co.uk/interview-darsh...shanbhuller.php In the News: Dance writers get all plagiaristic! Two of the UK's best known dance critics descend the depths and start copying each others hapless attempts at comedy headline writing. "Kammer Chameleon" indeed. http://www.article19.co.uk/mtnews/index.php Tech Help: Buying a New Computer! "If the machine is forever freezing, crashing or just messing you about then you lose productivity, get frustrated, start hating your job and this eventually leads to a complete emotional breakdown and everlasting personal poverty." Article19 helps you avoid the pitfalls of buying cheap rubbish from PC World http://www.article19.co.uk/tech-buyingacomputer.php Listings - System Updated Article19's national listings system for the UK has been updated with several new features including; -Search Facility -Print Friendly View in daily, weekly or monthly configuration -Next Day Listings on same page -Year long overview -Enhanced layout and functionality -Subscribe to calendar through iCal(OSX Only), Mozilla Calendar(OSX, Windows), KOrganizer(Unix) -RSS enabled Coming Later This Month: MotionHouse Dance Theatre: Exclusive video material from "Volatile". Phoenix Dance Theatre: Exclusive video material from the re-staging of "Planted Seeds" Article19: The only contemporary dance magazine in the whole wide world! Michelle Lefèvre Communications Article19 - Contemporary Dance Online -----------------------------------------------------

A renowned Baltimore, Maryland teacher and dance writer, Jane Ward Murray, died at her home Friday night. Murray studied with Antony Tudor -- at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. He prepared her for "Swan Lake" when she was 15 and brought her to Ballet Theatre. She left A.B.T. to dance for a few years with New York City Ballet. She was considererd extremely promising, but married and retired early. Murray taught ballet at Goucher College, and elsewhere, in Baltimore for years. She wrote criticism and was, for a time, a TV critic -- but was told "you're too classy for television." She was classy -- one of the greatest ladies I've ever had the privilege to know. I met her my first season as a dance critic and she was always extremely kind and gracious. She had an extraordinary memory and a righteous eye. She could tell who staged a "Serenade," say, by looking at it -- not only for the idiosyncracies of text and style, but because that version was the year that Dancer B was pregnant, and so two parts were merged so Dancer C could do C and B's role. She was always the first person I turned to when I saw a ballet from the '40s or '50s to hear stylistic comparisons, or when my instinct told me that something was wrong--or right!--with a production, but I didn't have the knowledge to back it up. Her husband died a few years ago. She is survived by a son. There hasn't been an obituary yet; it will have more details that I don't know.

Yes, there's a style. It's a pick up group in that the dancers don't have a full year's contract -- and this definitely inhibits the group's development, as does her limited choice of dancers -- but most of them have been with Farrell for several years and many of the younger ones come from her summer program. Obviously I haven't seen this year's program yet, but last season, Divert and Raymonda Variations, especially (as the two full group pieces we saw here) had a very distinct style, the one that Farell had learned in the 1960s (according to several teacher/critic colleagues of mine in DC who had seen NYCB and Farrell, of course, during that time.)

Steve Keeley wrote this on another thread recently:

I think it's both. There's something THERE, in the walls (in Copenhagen and in any other great institution that has a history) and it feeds the artists and, in turn, feeds off them.

Yes, Hans, it is required. But yoiu don't have to put your street number in the location field. It's one of the things we had to do to to try to keep people from posting under false identieis, something we've had a bit of trouble with in the past.

Neumeier is an American choreographer who's made his career in Europe -- and who's been more popular there than here. (His works aren't very well known in the U.S. he's created an entire repertory for the Hamburg Ballet.) He's more known for his way with drama than his choreography, and is also considered a very fine director: good coach, gets at detail. His "Romeo and Juliet" was one of the mainstays of the RDB repertory for nearly 20 years. Kronstam directed it -- in the same way that a director directs a play, not merely overseeing it or teaching the steps, but coaching the roles, and it was the ballet, along with La Sylphide, that the dancers I interviewed for the Kronstam biography mentioned over and over as being meaningful to them. They remembered having small parts in it as children, they remembered watching the rehearsals -- he'd do all the parts, not to show off, but to show. The Neumeier Romeo was filmed for Danish TV -- I only saw the first act once, when I was there. It's very dramatic. To my eyes, the choreography itself is, well, unfortunate. It's the most awkard balcony pas de deux I've ever seen. But the drama of the first act is extraordinary and I understood why both company and audience liked it. I've only seen a bit of it -- the pas de trois for the three boys before the ball -- at the memory evening for Kronstam in June 1997, and what they did was very simple, but so obvious: They were friends. Bone and blood friends. And the dancing was about their friendship, it wasn't three solos. I've never seen this, even in some excellent performances years ago of the MacMillan Romeo with the Royal Ballet. Yes, there's always a sense of camraderie, but the Danish trio went beyond that. Neumeier made another ballet for them, "Hamlet," which was not a success, and sounded absolutely awful. I understand that Kenneth Greve had a huge success in Odysseen and I wish I had seen it. You can read more about Neumeier at the Hamburg Ballet web site: http://www.hamburgballett.de/ Now, what did you think of Odysseen?

Thanks very much for that, Quiggin. I saw the Pavlenko and Korsuntsev in Diamonds in DC last season and liked them very much. Korsuntsev is the one Kirov man I've seen who can present a ballerina. I also felt the same way as you did about "Emeralds." (Rhetorical qudsiton to the gods: why must Paris put on "Balanchine's final thought" of a ballet made for them -- i.e., dance Symphony in C rather than Palais du crystal -- yet the Kirov is allowed to dance the rough draft of "Emeralds" and not the later version Balanchine made for NYCB?) Korsuntsev as Apollo -- does he have enough wildness and energy? I don't know -- he may well. I've only seen him in a different repertory. But Zaklinsky was a noble and, for me, a wonderful Apollo. Thanks again -- I hope we will hear more from you

Two reviews of this production. Sandi Kurtz in the Seattle Weekly: Fabula Rasa and R.M. CAMPBELL in the Post-Intelligencer 'Swan Lake' is a feast for the senses

Yes. I would say that, too. And one of the things I learned from studying the history of the company is that -- things can get better! Sticking to a tried and true formula for choosing repertory may not be the most exciting thing in the world, I agree, but it may not do as much harm as trying anything new, just for the sake of trying it. The dancers gain from working with Neumeier and Martins and they'll feed off that in the future. I'm saddened that some of the living great Danish artists -- Ib Andersen and Arne Villumsen -- aren't there to work with the dancers. I agree, too, that the worry is for 2005+ With the international focus off of Bourononville, he'll be dumped (as happened in 1993-94) and 2079 is a long time to wait for another resurgence of interest. NOT that the rep should be all-Bournonville, but if you want to keep the company's identity, the dancers have to speak his language, and I think Kronstam's solution of having 3 Bournonville ballets in the rep each season-- but rotating -- was a good one. That way the dancers were in touch with them without over-dancing them. As for new rep -- join the waiting line!

Thank you -- great tips! Confessions of Recovering Lurkers would be welcome, too!

I wrote this piece several years ago, inspired by ABT's presenting Act 2 only of La Sylphide. It was published in the print version of Ballet Alert! in 1998, and since nearly everyone here has joined the site since then and won't have read it, especially our Danish readers, I wanted to post it. -------- Madge's Lament by Alexandra Tomalonis Ballet Alert! Number 4, June 1998 An old friend flew in the window last week, spitting toads and kicking cats. A bossy, toothless hag of an old friend, actually, known to her devoted public as Madge the Witch. Although she's never been what one would call a fashion plate, Madge's disheveled hair and torn clothing hinted that she was unusually distressed, and we waited anxiously to hear why. How can they do this? she screeched, throwing her ABT subscription brochure on the table and jabbing at it with her left thumbs. What about my contract! We took a wild guess. Could she possibly be referring to the fact that American Ballet Theatre would not dance the complete version of August Bournonville's La Sylphide this season, but had instead scheduled Act II as a curtain raiser or sandwich stuffer on several programs? What do they think this is, Nutcracker? We're not talking about a party piece, or some fake fairytale here, Madge continued, as she unpacked a fascinating array of squirming, squealing creatures and started to throw together one of her brews. La Sylphide is one of the great tragedies of ballet. Cut the first act and what's left? A bunch of women in white lollygagging about and a couple of solos. If that's all they want, why don't they just do Les Sylphides and speed up the tempi? People have mixed those two ballets up since Diaghilev. The only way they can tell them apart is that Les was one act, and La was two. Now what will they do? Now, Madge is a talker, and we've found from past experience that when she's in a mood, it's best to turn the kitchen over to her, sit as far away as possible, and take good notes. As she hacked and pummeled her ingredients into sludge, her anguish continued unabated. It's not just that they've cut my fortune telling scene, she wailed, anxious not to be misunderstood. This is bigger than me. What about the audience? (A populist Madge was a new notion; we were intrigued.) How are they supposed to know what's going on? They won't have met Effie and Gurn. What are they going to think when the wedding procession comes on? And they won't understand about the curse. They'll think Madge is just being vindictive for fun. They won't understand that James got what was coming to him. Do you think this needs more pepper? We have found it best never to interfere with Madge's cooking, and encouraged her to trust her own, impeccable taste. As whatever-it-was simmered to perfection, Madge broke out a six-pack and settled in for a nice long chat about art. She talked about the exquisite construction of a Bournonville ballet, his unequaled clarity of dramatic exposition, the need for retaining the balance between mime and bravura dancing--Lopping off the first act of La Sylphide is like cutting off a man's leg--and she talked about the End of Ballet As We Know It and the Erosion of Standards, a multi-site serial melodrama Madge has been observing from her singular, broomstick vantagepoint for years now. She reminded us, as though we had forgotten, that it was acceptable to perform Swan Lake Act II on its own, but only because it is a discrete musical entity. Finally, she raged against what she saw as an insult to an old friend. Do you think Bournonville would have agreed to this, no matter how big the royalties were? Hell no. When he wanted to throw a few steps together to show off the dancers, he did it. When he wanted to make a little divertissement to start off a show and let the audience settle in, he did it. But when he made a ballet, by God, the man made a ballet, and if they can't put over the first act, they should bury the thing until they can do it properly. While we would never have dreamed of using such strong language ourselves, we took the point. We asked, feigning a casual interest, if Madge intended to attend the performances herself, and were disappointed to learn that a conflict with her yearly time share in the Devil's Island condo would prevent her from doing so. But, Madge assured us, she'll be thinking of them. It's a plot, I tell you, a plot. And I won't have it, she shrieked. And, giving a look that would turn rosin into tar, she packed up her caldron and flew off into the night.--Alexandra Tomalonis

I've put up another interview from the print version of DanceView on the DanceView site -- this one was also published, in its entirety, by Dance Now. It's an interview I did with Nikolaj Hübbe three years ago, his perceptions of why he didn't get the directorship of the Royal Danish Ballet, which had been much expected

Thank you, Mikhail, for your review (and also for your comments on the nature of the postings! It's wonderful for us to have an idea of what people are saying on other boards, but it's good, too, to have a context for them!) I must say I'm especially jealous not to have seen Alexandrova's Myrtha! I was particularly interested in your comments on Tsiskaridze. I haven't seen his "noble" side -- he's performed here several times, and we've gotten the more exaggerated dancing you describe.

It takes more than power. It takes artistry. The last time I saw the Bournonville stagings, they were Not Good and it wasn't just that there was a problem with the level of dancing. There are some changes scheduled for the 2005 festival -- I'm interested to see what Riggins will do with Kermesse. Nikolai, I edited your post slightly for its language. We stick to words that can be used on American network TV

Licensing of ballets to specific regions is another New Trend. When a company purchases the rights to a ballet, at least in some cases they have a license for "only in your home town" or "not in New York" (for one European company, at least, and one ballet). I think this is understandable. If My Very Own Company treasures the last Massine masterpiece -- or first big hit by a new choreographer, whatever -- and it's our meal ticket; we get invited places because people want to see it -- we don't want every company in the world to be performing it. So I understand it. However, with Fokine -- each version is different. This is one of the glories of Fokine. So having them all homogenized is destruction of art, in my opinion. It would be like zapping all the illumined medieval manuscripts because the Creed is available on palm pilot. ATM, your question is an excellent one. It will be interesting to see how that plays out. I think the no costume, no atmosphere Chopiniana is a horrid idea -- but I would defend the company's right to do it. It was a thoughtful horrid idea and I think experiments must be allowed.

More comments? This is a big issue in Denmark, and it's been a big issue since 1951. One thing I'll say is that no one says they should dance ONLY Bournonville, at least no one I know. Somehow that's how the American-British interest in Bournonville is often heard by people there, both in and outside the Theatre. I thought Edvard Brandes put it very well -- a very long time ago now. He's like a huge stone monument that, because of the growth fo the city, is now in the middle of the road. It can't be moved. It could be destroyed, but you can't do that, becuase it's so damned good. (I realize that's a paraphrase.)

Well, hello to you, blanco. Have you seen the new Sylphide? What did you think! Welcome to Ballet Alert!

Thanks very much for that, Leigh -- it's an intriguing IDEA for a program at least. Of course, I'm interested that you pointed out no stager was listed (loved the Russian diction coach; an Ashton diction coach would be nice). It would be nice if Ashton had his Villella, his Francia Russell, or his Farrell. I think he was pushed out of the Royal so early though (1970) that he lost contact with the dancers. 13 years (1983-1970) is a dancer generation. Did anyone else see it? Informal comments as well as formal reviews like this one are welcome!

yes yes yes yes yes thank you I'm afraid you're right. Most people attend only a few performances in a season and are either not interested in, nor can't be expected to, either care about or see the kind of technical and stylistic nuances that coaches and directors once considered part of daily work. So sloppiness is, in effect, rewarded. First it's an emergency -- nobody notices. Then it becomes habit -- privately some artistic directors will say there are too many casts, but they do it anyway, for various reasons (pleasing people, dancers, audience). And then the people who write the checks have noticed that if it takes four weeks to produce something that most people dont' care about, and four days to produce something that's considered acceptable, then four days it is.

I think that's a good point, BR (and welcome to Ballet Alert!) Also, as noted above, missing the point of a role, or not being ready for a role, isn't the same as miscasting, so perhaps we should take Ms. Bussell off of the road to hell for this one

I'd also add a question/topic -- what matters is what works on the stage. If what's on stage is dead, then all the history in the world won't matter. This is another problem for dancers, audiences, and artistic directors -- how much can one expect the audience to know? How much baggage can we bring to the theater? And even if we KNOW the history, if we don't feel it, if the aesthetic is completely foreign to us, how can we appreciate it? One answer is to see what's there, that we can then -- is the dancing good, for some people; or the spectacle, the costumes, the whole picture. And maybe on a second viewing it will seem different -- and maybe it won't.

Thank you for such a long and thoughtful post! I haven't seen the Canfield, so I can't comment on that, but I can give you one woman's answer to your questions: 1. Where do the rats in Maria/Clara's dream come from? She just goes to bed on Christmas night and dreams of rats? Yes. Rats and mice were a part of every 19th century household. So this doesn't necesarily have a deep psychological significance. If you were a 10 year old girl and a mouse ran over your foot on a regular basis, you might dream of them too! (There are stories about the theaters of that day that people in the stalls -- orchestra to us -- took umbrellas to performances to beat off the rats.) 2. What makes this Nutcracker Doll so great that it becomes her prince in her dream? He's an enchanted prince, and she knows this because she's breen brought up on fairytales. 3. Who is this Snow Queen and cavalier? Where do they fall into the picture? who is Dewdrop? Why is she dancing what is her purpose? They don't have a dramatic purpose. They're divertissements. This ballet comes from the ballet feerie tradition, and the divertissements are thematically related to the story, but not dramatically so. 4. Why, besides the fact that kids like candy, is Clara taken to the land of Candy? Same reason -- a divertissement. Although if you'd like to read more background on this, Mel Johnson has done an excellent historical summary of Nutcracker that's on our main site here 5.Who is this Sugar plum Fairy person? Who made her the ruler of Candyland? Not to be taken literally. It's thematic, not dramatic. If you're doing a ballet with a divertissement set in a Kingdom of the Sweets, you need a ballerina. I think Petipa/Ivanov were operating under different assumptions and from within a different tradition. These are all good questions if you're coming to Nutcracker wanting a narrative ballet that makes contemporary dramatic sense. But it was made as a ballet that appealed to the senses, that didnt tell a story in a literal way, but left a lot of scope for imagination. Someone might read all kinds of things -- relationships among the characters, what does Tea really symbolize, etc. And others might view it as a poem. Why does Robert Frost write of Snow, and stopping by the woods? Is it really about winter? Or about his inner life, his time of life, using the beauty of nature and imagery to make his point. If one thinks of Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty as poems, one asks different questions.