Alexandra

Wow! Thank you, Diane -- this is a thread we'll turn to again and again, I'm sure. Ballett-tanz magazine has a calendar on line of performances in Europe, and I'm always amazed at the number of companies listed. Thanks for giving me a context for that info!

Calliope has volunteered to be discussion leader for the book -- take it away, Calliope

Thank you for that, Päivi. The games playing -- some of our children's games (Ring Around the Rosy, about the plague -- "Ashes, ashes, all fall down") were adult entertainment then. I don't know the name of it, but there's a court dance -- a real one -- in Nureyev's "Romeo and Juliet" that he adapted as a "Wheel of Fortune" dance. There are two circles, the inner one moves to the left, the outer to the right, and at certain points in the music they stop. (In the ballet, each stop brings two people whose fortunes will be intertwined together.)

I love "principal danger". I haven't seen this but was told about it by a colleague. It's more the work of an over-eager copy editor than a misprint, but once in England a review of "Coppelia" featured the ever lovable Swan Hilda.

I think we did have a thread like this long ago, bellepoele, but it's good to have it agian -- thank you! And thank you, Jane D. I think this is the longest post I've read of yours -- more, please. Most of those dancers are unfamiliar to me, so it was wonderful to read about them. I won't say who my favorites are dancing today, but my favorites among those I've seen who are no longer dancing (aside from Kronstam, of course ) were Nureyev and Dowell.

Good, Angel2Be, please do -- and thank you, Jack. I'm sorry, I missed this when you first posted it. Lovely review. I think "Les Noces" is my favorite 20th century ballet -- and the one that looks the most contemporary to me. I think it's the finest thing I ever saw Joffrey do -- several years ago, at any rate. They were so committed, and they had the weight for it. (I love the Paris Opera production on tape as well -- two of the most beautiful people in the world, Platel and Belarbi).

Wow! Even more gorgeous than usual, Paul -- thank you! I agree with you on turnout -- what is it about Moscow dancers? The Bolshoi doesn't turn out either (I remember Croce once writing that the Bolshoi was "the greatest non-turned-out dance company in the world" which makes me think it is a style, not a fault. Is it old-fashioned? Is this the way dancing was 100 years ago, when things that we consider de rigeur stylistic niceties weren't necessary? Or am I wrong and this *is* a fault?

Hairspray Sweeps Tonys. Two articles from today's NYTimes: Bright Colors, Dark Reality Define the Year Broadway Enjoys Its Moment

CNN's list of Tony Winners

The Poky Little Puppy. Don't remember a thing about him except he was slow, and got to eat chocolate custard, but I loved the name.

I posted another thread for discussion of The DaVinci Code By acclimation, it seems to be our first Book of the Month. And, to get a jump start on July, I'm arbitrarily declaring that Bel Canto month Note: the DaVinci Code link is to the discussion thread on this board. The Bel Canto link is to the book's page on Amazon, which includes reviews and other info.

Seems like we're off and running. Here are some posts from the summer reading thread to get you going: In response to GWTW's query, "What's it about?" BW Posted: Vagansmom replied:

Thanks for posting that, Ed. It's of interest to D.C. residents, too -- Vilar had given generously to Kennedy Center programs.

This is the best-designed dance site I've seen -- for those interested in contemporary dance, it's worth a look and a read. It's U.K.-based, so many of the groups reviewed may not be familiar to American dancegoers. All the more reason to take a look There are weblog reviews -- an interesting concept. Article19

An unusually -- I don't want to say "harsh," but it's definitely not a rave! review. But this kind of down often happens in a company when there's a change of director -- the former director has other things on his mind, like his new job, or new life, or whatever it is, and the new director doesn't yet have the authority. In a way, no one is in charge. What did you think of the performance, OldFashioned?

Thanks very much for your comments, Patricia and Beeb -- this also got a rave review in the Times. I'm surprised there haven't been more comments -- hint hint!

I also read a lot about the Holocaust when I was growing up. I started (as noted above) with "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," and then became interested in it and read everything from "The Diary of Anne Frank" to "Exodus" to a wonderful book by Andre Schwartz-Bart called "The Last of the Just" which was probably the first truly adult book that I read. Adult in that it was uncompromising and terrible (the hero is a French Jew who chooses to go to a concentration camp because he is one of the Twelve Just Men who must bear the world's sorrows, a tough assignment in any era, but particularly difficult in his). I also read a lot about, of all things, the Alamo. That was also sparked by a movie -- "The Alamo." I had a crush on the guy who played Colonel Travis and it never occurred to me to get a movie magazine and read about him (I was 11 or 12). I wanted to read about Travis. In doing so, I taught myself how to research without realizing it. I wanted information and I was determined to find it. There were only two books in the Alamo in our local library, but it occurred to me that there might be information in books about Texas history, and then in biographies of other people involved in the battle -- a skill that came in handy later In writing this, I realized how important those dinner table conversations were -- vagansmom, we had the same family They didn't care whether I was reading "Anne Frank" or "Exodus" or "The Last of the Just" but I was told, in no uncertain terms, that "Exodus" was a popular novel, with different intent and of a different worth in the history of civilization than "The Last of the Just." Likewise, with my Alamo studies, I noticed that some books were very pro-Sam Houston, others not, some more superficial (I learned there was such a thing as "serious history" and "popular history.") My aunt had ready pretty much everything (she'd routinely complain how the New Yorker of the 1950s was not the New Yorker of the 1920s, when she started reading it -- the Dorothy Parker and James Thurber days -- but she still read it, and saved special issues, like John Hersey's "The Wall," handed over to me during my Holocaust days. And if I was reading something she hadn't read, she'd read it too and discuss it with me.

I wanted to slip in a quick welcome to ciara, nina, petrav, beeb and steppas1 -- I can't remember when we've had so many new posters jump in with comments about performances -- THANK YOU! I hope you'll post reviews of what you're seeing. The more opinions we have, the better (and the more fun to read).

Thank you for posting that, Svemaus. American illiteracy -- and refusal to see it as a problem -- has long been noted here. I remember reading books about it when I was in high school and thought I would be a teacher. One was called "What Ivan Knows That Johnny Doesn't" (comparing American schools to Soviet schools) and the answer is, pretty much everything. Americans often counter that our students may not be able to read, but they sure are creative (when they grow up, in science and business), while other school systems turn out rote learners. I think one can have a balance. I'm surprised that Iceland and Denmark are so far down. Danish guidebooks claim 95% literacy. And in Iceland, I'm told (I've never been there) that people read the sagas for fun and discuss them as though they were soap operas, and there's a saying "Better shoeless than bookless." Which, considering Iceland can be a bit cold, is a great compliment to books!

Nanatchka, you and Son should read Gregory Lewis's "The Monk." That's another one I started the night before the book review was due, thinking I could skim it, and had to stay up all night reading. It's Very Gothic.

You could do a lot of flirting in those dances, and exchange witty repartee as well. Shake a leg

Seriously! Because of the heavy clothing, and the lack of opportunity for a young couple to make more than casual conversation -- if that -- (when you got to court, of course, all bets were off, but the way there was fraught with propriety) -- dancing was a chance to check out the merchandise. If a man has a wooden leg, a volta will show it up. Veils could hide smallpox scars, but dancing let you get closer to see, etc. Thoinot Arbeau uses this in his helpful hints to Capriol.

Just a reminder before someone comes on and helpfully supplies the names of people they've heard might be changing companies -- please stick to PUBLISHED REPORTS OR PRESS RELEASES ONLY. Naming people who are switching companies may be premature and cause contractual difficulties for the parties involved Thanks!

Glebb, there's some info about the Volta in Lincoln Kirstein's history. It was quite respectable -- the Queen really did do it. (I think I remember that doing a certain number of voltas in the morning was her daily exercise.) I think they had more bodily contact in those days than perhaps we realize. I have read that that little handle on the woman's dress -- in the v of the bodice, below the waist -- was specifically there for men to grasp whlie they lifted her during the volta. But isn't there material in Orchesographie, for example, that indicates dancing was for sniffing and feeling -- is she lame? is she pockmarked? does he have foul breath -- and other courtship necessities.

Here's a link to a picture gallery from the Isadora Duncan Award Ceremony at the end of April in San Francisco. Some SFB people in the picture, but also a good slice of San Francisco dance life. Unfortunately, the photos (by Marty Soll) aren't captioned, so if anyone can do some IDs, please do. http://unboundphoto.com/Izzies/