Alexandra

There's a www.jesuspastor.com AND a www.jesuspastor.org -- both are under construction. There's also a fan site, with bios and photos: http://myhome.naver.com/araki/performances.htm And if you do a Google search for his name, you'll find links to several reviews. I know this isn't the same as reports from people who've seen him, and I hope we'll get some, but it's a start to learning more about ABT's new soloist.

I hope some of our British posters can help here? It's unusual for ABT to take someone as a soloist, although Pastor, from his bio (I've never seen him, unfortunately) certainly has danced leading roles with important companies.

This just in: This just in: INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED PARSONS DANCE COMPANY TO INAUGURATE NYU'S NEW JACK H. SKIRBALL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Angel Corella, ABT Superstar, Performs David Parsons' Famous Masterwork Caught; Jenifer Ringer, NYCB Star Ballerina, To Dance Romantic Adagio with Mr. Parsons A One-Night Only Performance: Thursday, October 2, 2003 at NYU's Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts On Washington Square New York, September 15--The Parsons Dance Company presents the inaugural performance of NYU's new Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday evening, October 2, 2003. The Center is located at 566 LaGuardia Place, just South of Washington Square South. The performance begins at 7:30pm and is followed by a reception in the Rosenthal Pavilion on the 10th floor at 8:45pm, with a spectacular view of Washington Square Park. All monies from the tickets sold by the Parsons Dance Company will benefit the Company. Parsons Company ticket prices range from $40 for the performance only to $10,000 for prime seating at the performance and a table of 10 at the reception. Reservations may be made by calling (212) 869-9275. The opening celebration's program will feature signature works of internationally acclaimed choreographer David Parsons. The Parsons Dance Company will be joined by American Ballet Theatre's principal dancer, Angel Corella, in his debut in the masterwork, Caught, and New York City Ballet's principal dancer, Jenifer Ringer, performing a romantic adagio, On A Clear Night, with Mr. Parsons. This will be a unique opportunity to experience the first performance by a dance company in the City's newest state-of-the-art performing arts center. New York University's Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is downtown Manhattan's newest performance space. Designed by architect Kevin Roche and theater designer Artec Consultants, Inc., this beautiful and intimate 865-seat theater offers first-rate capabilities for dance, music and new media performance. The Skirball Center is not only a space for NYU productions and events, but also for performing arts events from around the world that can bring unique value to the University, Greenwich Village and the city. Skirball Center Executive Director, Wiley Hausam expressed his gratitude to David Parsons and the company for participating in the opening of the new theater: "The Parsons Dance Company is one of the most delightful. We're so pleased that they are bringing together these classic pieces and these beautiful guest artists Angel Corella and Jenifer Ringer. We know it will be a very special evening." In a recent interview David Parsons expressed his gratitude to be invited as a featured artist: "I am honored and delighted to be part of the official opening celebration of the Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, a stimulating addition to New York's rich cultural environment. The dancers of The Parsons Dance Company are also very excited about this opportunity, and I am personally gratified to have the international superstar Angel Corella dance Caught and the elegant, beautiful ballerina, Jenifer Ringer, perform the duet On A Clear Night with me." For further information, please visit these websites: The Parsons Dance Company: www.parsonsdance.org Jack H. Skirball Center for The Performing Arts: www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu. Angel Corella: http://abt.org/dancers/default.asp Jennifer Ringer: http://www.nycballet.com/about/dancers.html

This just in: INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED PARSONS DANCE COMPANY TO INAUGURATE NYU'S NEW JACK H. SKIRBALL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Angel Corella, ABT Superstar, Performs David Parsons' Famous Masterwork Caught; Jenifer Ringer, NYCB Star Ballerina, To Dance Romantic Adagio with Mr. Parsons A One-Night Only Performance: Thursday, October 2, 2003 at NYU's Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts On Washington Square New York, September 15--The Parsons Dance Company presents the inaugural performance of NYU's new Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday evening, October 2, 2003. The Center is located at 566 LaGuardia Place, just South of Washington Square South. The performance begins at 7:30pm and is followed by a reception in the Rosenthal Pavilion on the 10th floor at 8:45pm, with a spectacular view of Washington Square Park. All monies from the tickets sold by the Parsons Dance Company will benefit the Company. Parsons Company ticket prices range from $40 for the performance only to $10,000 for prime seating at the performance and a table of 10 at the reception. Reservations may be made by calling (212) 869-9275. The opening celebration's program will feature signature works of internationally acclaimed choreographer David Parsons. The Parsons Dance Company will be joined by American Ballet Theatre's principal dancer, Angel Corella, in his debut in the masterwork, Caught, and New York City Ballet's principal dancer, Jenifer Ringer, performing a romantic adagio, On A Clear Night, with Mr. Parsons. This will be a unique opportunity to experience the first performance by a dance company in the City's newest state-of-the-art performing arts center. New York University's Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is downtown Manhattan's newest performance space. Designed by architect Kevin Roche and theater designer Artec Consultants, Inc., this beautiful and intimate 865-seat theater offers first-rate capabilities for dance, music and new media performance. The Skirball Center is not only a space for NYU productions and events, but also for performing arts events from around the world that can bring unique value to the University, Greenwich Village and the city. Skirball Center Executive Director, Wiley Hausam expressed his gratitude to David Parsons and the company for participating in the opening of the new theater: "The Parsons Dance Company is one of the most delightful. We're so pleased that they are bringing together these classic pieces and these beautiful guest artists Angel Corella and Jenifer to Ringer. We know it will be a very special evening." In a recent interview David Parsons expressed his gratitude to be invited as a featured artist: "I am honored and delighted to be part of the official opening celebration of the Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, a stimulating addition to New York's rich cultural environment. The dancers of The Parsons Dance Company are also very excited about this opportunity, and I am personally gratified to have the international superstar Angel Corella dance Caught and the elegant, beautiful ballerina, Jenifer Ringer, perform the duet On A Clear Night with me." For further information, please visit these websites: The Parsons Dance Company: www.parsonsdance.org Jack H. Skirball Center for The Performing Arts: www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu. Angel Corella: http://abt.org/dancers/default.asp Jennifer Ringer: http://www.nycballet.com/about/dancers.html

No apologies necessary, carbro! I hope this isn't a trend, an assumption that people only care who is dancing and not what they're dancing taken to its logical, but unfortunate, conclusion!

Thanks for posting the link. But unless I've missed something, it's not really casting. It's a list of the dancers who will be performing -- without saying what roles, or even in which ballets, they'll be dancing. I wrote them yesterday asking for casting and was told a press release would be out soon -- I'm sure that will be more complete!

Thanks for that information, emattdar -- and welcome to Ballet Alert! I hope you'll keep us posted on what you're seeing, and please feel free too join in our discussions.

BW, I've never read one, but I think their biographies are on the abt web site, so it could be easily done.

We'll have to open a rival chain to Baskin Robbins -- perhaps we can send bouquets of ice cream cones instead of flowers? -- and Manhattnik will have to be the Big Dipper That's a lovely list!

I'm going to copy over the links to stories in the news today from the links forum so we'll have them all in one place. This story will play tomorrow too, is my guess, and then be knocked off the front pages by Hurricane Isabel, even more powerful than Volochkova, and taking aim at the east coast as I type. I'd ask if there is discussion we stick to what's in print and not what we've heard from backstage friends and the like. If any of our Russian readers could take the time to translate a few headlines for us, I'm sure many Ballet Alert readers would be interested. One other note -- for those puzzled by the interest in the American press, at least, I think it's that this, to most editors of mainstream newspapers, is an exotic story, and a bit humorous -- ice cream, ballet, etc. And to American ballet fans, who still think of the Bolshoi as a men's company, where the male dancers have thighs like tree trunks and whom we've seen with our own eyes run around and around the stage with a ballerina held aloft, supported by only one arm, the story sounds especially odd. With that preamble: From the New York Times: Bolshoi Decides It's Over Before 'Fat' Lady Dances The Associate Press version, by a Russian correspondent datelined Moscow, that's in dozens of smaller American papers today: Bolshoi Theater Fires Dancer Volochkova From Anova, an arts news service: Theatre row over sacked 'fat' ballet star From CBC News: Too big to lift, Russian ballerina fired From the International Herald Tribune (a condensation of the NYTimes story, but with a different headline): Too big for her tutu, the Bolshoi declares From CBS: Ballerina Bounced For Being Big? TWO stories in the Sydney Morning Herald: 'Too heavy' ballerina sacked Bolshoi's biggest star sacked after weighty argument ABC News: Russia's Bolshoi Fires Top Ballerina The Scotsman (with probably the most accurate one sentence summary): The Guardian: Bolshoi's weighty decision

JESUS PASTOR TO JOIN AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE AS A SOLOIST Jesus Pastor has joined American Ballet Theatre as a Soloist effective immediately, it was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. Pastor was born in Madrid and began his ballet training at the age of nine at the Victor Ullate School. He joined the Compañia Victor Ullate in 1992 and was promoted to principal dancer with the company in 1996. In 1998, he joined the Compañia Nacional de Danza under artistic director Nacho Duato and continued to tour nationally and internationally with both companies. In 2000, Pastor joined the Scottish Ballet where he created the title role in Robert Cohan’s full-length Aladdin and in Robert North’s Romeo and Juliet. Pastor joined English National Ballet in 2001 as a senior soloist. His repertoire with ENB included leading roles in Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet, and in The Nutcracker, Paquita and Swan Lake. In 2003, he joined the world tour of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake dancing the lead role of the Swan. His performance in this production earned Pastor a nomination for Best Dancer 2002 at the Prix Benois de la Danse in Moscow. Pastor has appeared as a guest artist with Ballet de Zaragoza, Balletto di Torino and Maurice Béjart. American Ballet Theatre’s City Center season is sponsored by Movado Watch Company, a leading benefactor. ABT’s 2003 City Center season is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency. American Ballet Theatre’s 2003 City Center season runs October 22 through November 9. Tickets can be purchased by calling CityTix at 212-581-1212 or at the City Center box office after September 2. City Center is located on West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in New York City. -30-

Thank you for the update, coda. (If it moves from the ice cream parlor into the courtroom, my bet is our newspapers will drop it. For Moscow, it's another matter, I'm sure.) I have to say I can't think of anyone who's won a lawsuit like this -- not that I know anything about Russian law, of course. (If the dancers are on year to year contract, as guest artists almost always are, over here at least, then if the theater chooses not to renew, or offers only a partial year contract, that's their right.) Generally, it's best to go away quietly.

Pamela, I think the consensus is that there's nothing wrong with Volochkova's weight -- she's not gained. She put on her web site that she liked ice cream, and the tabloid press -- whoops, that was BBC, wasn't it? -- picked that up and ran with it as a headline. It's in all the American papers now too, adding to the body image problems which already plague young dance students. (I think the consensus is also that Volochkova was a controversial personage at the Bolshoi both back stage and on stage, and that there are, indeed, other reasons for her departure.) Lest anyone coming in on this thread think that the "name the ice cream" comments are meant to be unkind digs at the ballerina, they weren't -- but rather suggestions for a new, perhaps temporary, sideline (on my part) and on mbjerk's, whose mention of "Rocky Road" (a real ice cream flavor here, with a particularly apt title) merely a witty comment on the situation. (For non-American readers, "Chubby Hubby" is also a real flavor. I have no idea what it is, but it's on sale at Giant Supermarkets this week, if anyone needs to fatten up a husband.)

This is disappointing news to me, too. One could take the dark view and say that perhaps no one involved thinks that anyone will know the difference! Estelle, it's quite possible that this is a matter of rights. To add to your list of other possibilities, the Balanchine Trust could have been involved too -- or a combination of all of them. Please write those letters! Let them think they're losing tourist dollars because of this change!! (And thanks for the photo, rg.)

Great minds..... I just did the search, and "Red Giselle" (the other RG ) is mentioned, at least, in all of these threads: http://balletalert.ipbhost.com/index.php?a...selle%26quot%3B (And Leigh's quite right -- no mushy middle. People either find it riveting and a great work of art, or, well, trash. I hope you get to see it, and see what you think!)

Chubby Hubby? Hey! Idea!! "Russian Ice" a new custom-designed flavor.....

I don't know the status, but I checked the USPS web site, and couldn't find any mention of a Balanchine stamp. Whether it's still planned -- and 2004 would be the obvious time for it -- or whether it didn't get enough votes and couldn't compete with Donald Duck or The Maytag Repairman as an American icon, I can't say. (Not suggesting that either of those are going to be stamps either...)

Thanks for all of these, Dale -- and regarding Balanchine I and II, anyone who is curious about Balanchine should see this, and it's also a good opportunity for those who didn't have VCRs when it was first aired to make a tape. There are some wonderful performances on these tapes.

Estelle, I agree. In America, at least, decades ago ballet could also make the news for political reasons -- a new defector. (When Alexander Godunov defected, for example, the Bolshoi's plane was held up in New York until U.S. officials were certain that his wife was not being held against her will; this got serious coverage, though as politics, not as art.) I find the mass media online reviews of the new movie "Company" that I've read so far appalling. "So, like, Altman decided to make a move about -- ready for htis? BALLET! Have you stopped laughing yet?" Or "well, if this is your kind of thing you might like it," etc. Sorry for the diversion -- back to Volochkova and her ice cream.

I still have my review from the Post (the writers own copyright, so I can post it) of the last performance of theirs I saw: City Dance Ensemble There was a pleasantly Retro feel to the concert City Dance Ensemble presented Thursday night at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. Most of the pieces harked back to the early days of modern dance when choreographers used the body to express human emotions rather than merely create complex patterns or for virtuosic display. For the most part, CDE reworked the past in fresh and very satisfying new ways. There were two premieres, both by Washington-based choreographer Vladimir Angelov, who’s choreographed for the Kirov and San Francisco Ballets, among others. “Suitcase” is a danced short story in which an angel (Rasta Thomas), tossed out of heaven--or his last gig--encounters a feisty mortal woman (Julia Smith). Angelov is a rare, bilingual choreographer, equally proficient in both ballet and modern dance. Thomas (listed as an artist-in-residence for CDE this season) is a ballet gold medalist, and Angelov uses his whiplash turns and skykicking extensions to show the angel’s unearthly nature. Thomas’s anguished, twisted torso, the arms reaching behind his back, grasping for his lost wings with increasing desperation, provided the work’s central image. The other premiere, “Deep Surface,” to a commissioned score by Michael C. Lillys, is a dance of rebellion. A female soloist (Kelly Mayfield) is both antagonist and leader of a group that at turns rejects, follows, and accepts her. The dancing is very physical--it’s rebellion born of the body--with bold, weighted movements, lots of stomping, and quick, audible breaths. Dana Tai Soon Burgess’s “Fractures” describes the disintegration of a relationship. A couple (Melissa Greco and Thomas) dances while another woman (Smith) echoes their steps. All three sense each other with their bodies; the movement is silkily sensuous. Smith is always there, watching politely as Greco and Thomas intertwine, yet never intruding. Greco curls around his body like a vine, but Thomas is inexorably drawn to Smith, returning to Greco, leaving, returning again, until he finally abandons her--quickly, decisively, unapologetically. Greco, who has become limper and smaller with each desertion, is drained of emotion, and her body crumples. It’s a masterful dance, masterfully performed. Two of the evening’s dances drew from nature, another early modern dance theme. Angelov’s solo for Connie Fink, “Chinook” -- the word refers to an unexpected and unseasonably warm winter wind -- has an improvisational feel. An extended arm suddenly becomes heavy, tipping her off-balance, leading her body to fall, or stumble, as if blown to another part of the stage. Live, new music has long been a CDE staple, and Chinook’s score was played onstage by its composers, Francesca Jandasek (who also dances and designs costumes for the troupe), Matt Jones and Bob Rychiik. In “Falling into the Sea,” by Paul Gordon Emerson, CDE’s artistic director, five women in blue-green unitards roll, their undulating bodies evoking waves and undertow. A man (Bobby Sidney) seems to capture one of these women/waves, only to be caught himself in the treacherous waters. Kris O’Shee’s beautifully composed “Choral Stance” (1990; a company premiere and part of its Legacy Series) opened the program. Ten women strike archaic, two-dimensional poses, living design taken from Hellenic pottery. The dance requires, and got, precise execution. Excerpts from Adrain Bolton’s exuberant “Caravan,” where the dancers unfortunately look like they’re escapees from a co-ed Harem, closed the program.

Yes, I've seen them. I found them rather raw, but very eager, as is often the case with young companies. Some choreography was quite interesting, others.....only a mother could love ;) The choreography by guest choreographers was more developed than that by the home team, for me. "Fractured," a trio (one man, two women) by Dana Tai Soon Burgess -- that Rasta Thomas did at their last gala -- that is one of the best dances I've seen by any Washington-based group, and I'd send it abroad, too!

Yes! Please!!!!!

I think everyone should see the fan toss at least once, Manhattnik. I've thought of you when watching Volochkova do Don Q (I'd also add that the partner who's quoted as complaining about lifting her looks as though he's big enough to lift Peter Martins.)

I like Mel's Flash Mob idea! If you'd like to form a battle plan, Mel...... Not to defend the Times, but there's also the off-chance that something planned fell through. I remembered, reading this, that Alan Kriegsman had his heart attack the year I started writing for the Post in the middle of writing a Sunday piece, a few hours before deadline. (As they were wheeling him out, he said, "Don't worry! I'll make the deadline!") He recovered, but the piece didn't make it into the paper that Sunday and there wasn't time to get someone to do another one. Not meaning to imply that anyone at the Times is ill, but it is possible that something went awry. BUT NEVERTHELESS AND HOWEVER, we don't know why, and whether it was preventable or not, we miss having a dance piece in The Times. They should know this. Even if they'd commissioned four articles that had gone up in flames and couldn't be run and they're guilt free, they should know that we NOTICED. If you care about this issue, please write them. Just say, "I noticed there wasn't a dance article in X edition. I hope this isn't a policy." or something like that, and mentioning that you're disturbed by the diminution of coverage wouldn't hurt either. AND DO THIS EVERY TIME THERE'S NOT A DANCE PIECE, or a cast change reviewed, or anything of the kind. Trust me on this one: they do not think we exist. They don't think many people read dance articles. Polls tell them this. Another tip that I haven't put up for a time -- they count the number of clicks on each link, so when you're reading through our Links thread, take a moment to click on the links to dance coverage. It will make a difference. If you ever see a side bar to a dance story -- read more about Paul Taylor here, or whatever -- click it. Think of it as a "vote" that will be counted. Agitate, agitate, agitate (with apologies to Frederick Douglas).

By American election rules, it's likely she wouldn't get elected with 22% of the vote, but by Parliamentary rules -- that sounds like a very interesting government! Thanks for posting the results, Marc.