Alexandra

There's another story about this today in The Guardian: Top dancer a heavy burden for the Bolshoi Amy, I thought of Gregory, too, although she wasn't at all flamboyant and the stories about her search for a partner were much more sympathetic, casting her as a forelorn Princess searching for the perfect Prince. I saw her off-stage several times and thought she looked like a fashion model -- tall, striking and quite thin. But onstage, especially in a tutu, she looked like a giant -- basically because everybody else on stage, sometimes including her partner, was 3 to 5 inches shorter!

Yes, carbro, that's my take on the height/weight aspect as well.

can't answer that one, but here's a link to some photos. http://www.volochkova.nm.ru/foto_html/a_2_e.shtml The last time I saw her was last spring, and while she's certainly not underweight, she's also not, to my eyes, either heavy nor especially tall -- she's considerably shorter than the partner under discussion. Whether or not she's easy to dance with is another matter of course! (My guess on height is 5'6; I'm terrible at guessing weights.)

A belated update, but that was a debut for Amar Ramasar in "Guide to Strange Places."

Amanda, I don't have any more information except that there will be a program at the Guggenheim (with Nancy Reynolds) that's apparently already sold out. I've heard from several people who subscribe to this or that series about a program. Perhaps if we pool our resources we can put together a list. Anyone with information, please post it.

Thank you for that vila -- I must say I've found Cavallo bland in everything I've seen her do (and she looks the same in everything, dances them the same).

There's been very little talk about the new ballet film by Altman, The Company. The film is coming out now, and there are a few reviews. It sounds as though this is actually a film about DANCE. Ari posted the links on Links, here's a sampling: Director Robert Altman's new ballet film comes to Toronto film festival Toronto Greets Altman's 'Company', 'Veronica Guerin' Film Review: 'The Company'

Ari posted this on Links, but I thought it might spark discussion. When the Joffrey Ballet performs Ashton's A Wedding Bouquet this winter, the narrator will be Malcolm McDowell. I was a McDowell fan when I was in college -- Clockwork Orange, and a few other movies whose titles I now forget! I think this could be very, very interesting -- there was an edge to McDowell (at least in his screen persona) which could be perfect for reading Stein, and give a different coloration to the ballet. I'd count this as a coup -- wish I could see it.

This is also posted on Links: Anastasia Volochkova picketed the Bolshoi Theater before a performance of Swan Lake in which she was supposed to have appeared. She claims the company has fired her.

I don't know if they still do this, but the Kennedy Center once sold binders (with Kennedy Center on the spine, of course). I started out putting them in binders, but gave up. My New Season's Resolution is to scan them and keep them on disk. That way they'll be searchable.

? You have a whole forum -- start as many threads as you want!

I saw the same production iin Washington, Paul, and had the same reaction. I blush to say I can't remember which company performed it, though! I'm sure someone else will.

Thanks, Jorgen! I thought that's who the Sylphs and Jameses would be, but I was keeping my fingers crossed on the Madges. I'll always miss Sorella Englund in that role, but I'm very much looking forward to a new generation in that part, and I thought Jeppesen should have had it long ago.

Review by Clement Crisp in the Financial Times: New York City Ballet/ Balanchine Copenhagen

Just a quick THANK YOU for that, pugbee -- I know it takes time to write long reviews of performances, but we're always very, very grateful to read them. I hope to read more from you all season!

I'm not up on standing room policies. There are about 40 SR tickets sold, and I THINK they're $20 -- it's not cheap. I also THINK they go on sale when the regular tickets go on sale, but (depending on the event, of course) I've known people to buy a standing room ticket the night before. Tickets usually go on sale about a month before an event, but you can check the Kennedy Center's web site -- www.kennedy-center.org

Second, or third! I liked Liang as well. Nice lines.

Perhaps she choreographed her solos? I hadn't remembered that (I have that book, but don't use it often). St. Leon is always credited with that -- it's an excerpt from a longer ballet, and he was a known and very active choreographer not noted for needing help. Perhaps rg or doug has something more specific.

Last week, Paul Parish wrote a very fine piece, if I may say so, for DanceViewWest that I wanted to make sure people saw. It's a dancer looking at a painting: A Painting for Dancers

There is a ballet in Singapore based on a popular comic book (action figure heroine) that I put up some links to a few weeks ago.

This news item was in the Salt Lake Tribune today (posted on Links), and brief enough to quote in full:

I agree -- the timelines we've posted are really for Western ballet. When you look at Soviet/Russian ballet, Cliff's question -- is it an era, or is it a choreographer -- raises its head again. Is there a dramballet period? Or is that the Lavrovsky period?

Just a note: I split this off from the 20th Century timelines thread.

administrative note: I split off a post by Funny Face on the Diaghilev Era here http://balletalert.ipbhost.com/index.php?s...pic=13318&st=0& I'd split this thread off from the timeline thread, but neglected to recap -- apologies! We had a timeline from court ballet to the Ballet Russe, and textbooks generally cover that. On this thread, we were getting at what happened after Diaghilev, which isn't well-covered in textbooks -- in ballet.

I can't believe you wrote that -- I almost put The Fukuyama Period!!! I think, though, that we'll find (as we have with Mr. Fukuyama) that there's no such thing as the end of history.