Alexandra

No, the film/Little Mermaid Price is her niece, Ellen Price de Plane. There were three dancing Price sisters (he made a pas de trois for them) who were fairgrounds dancers, and Bournonville saw them and thought they had promise and took them into the school. Juliette was the most talented of them. There were several boys, too, but I'd have to look up whether they were brothers or cousins -- Carl, who ended up in Vienna, and Valdemar, who was a big star in Copenhagen at the turn of the last century, even though he never got out of the corps. (Looks/acting: 10, dancing ability: 4)

Here, here, tempusfugit! Grace, Bournonville had at least one -- Juliette Price. She reminded him of Taglioni -- and, I think, she did pretty much everything he told her to. I don't think she was a Fonteyn/Farrell, though -- THAT creature was Lucile Grahn, who created "La Sylphide" and Astrid in "Valdemar" and then fled the coop. In a way he was his own muse, since he created the leading roles in Sylphide, Napoli, Valdemar, pretty much everything until he retired as a dancer in 1848.

Grace, I haven't seen much of either Stanton Welch or Nathalie Weir's work, and I"m not sure how helpful "they're controversial" is. Both have their fans, especially Welch, who has done more work here. And both have detractors, mostly that the work is derivative or not particularly original. I hope others who can provide more detail...

Hi, Mike! I have to say I agree with you -- I saw both programs. I find the DTH dancers so appealing, I enjoyed the second program a bit more -- and I think it's good to give choreographers chances. But....not their most inspiring season. The audience seemed divided -- some really loud whoops and hollers from some, and silence from others.

Good to see you again, Bobbi! I agree with Leigh's assessment, but it does worry me, as one who does not find MacMillan's ballets rich, and I take your point. There is a real difference in orientation and viewpoint between someone who primarily loves Ashton or Balanchine -- and I know they're very different -- and MacMillan, I think, and the "richness" here is the supposedly "deep" psychological underpinnings.

I have to say I thought that, too, Juliet -- the perfect place for Swamp Thing and his little toy swans. And there could be Swamp Barbie -- revealing the savage in her. I've enjoyed all of these comments -- I hope Mattel does, too. I'm especially fond of "The Pink Table" and Barbie in "Fall River Legend." (Complete with ax, of course -- the new Barbie tool kit. Or would it be the Ken tool kit?) I also have to say that if NYCB, or any company involved in a project like this, gets funding from it -- good for them. And then a question -- does Ballet Barbie have bunions?

Thanks, Glebb (there are days when Kschessinska is my absolute favorite ballerina. She probably announced herself as "the great ballerina, Kschissinska," too.) I love these stories. You can imagine Isadora sitting there, thinking, "i hate it i hate it i hate it wow, how lovely no i hate it, i hate it -- ooh! butterfly" And, best of all, as far as I know she didn't change one aspect of her art because of it. They do what they do, I do what I do -- A LESSON FOR ALL DANCERS OF TODAY

I really, really like the Joan of Arc idea. Complete with matches and pyre, of course! If you read the press release carefully, you'll note one or two changes to the story, including the fun parts where strong woman Odette plays with her friends. But cheer up. Just think, Tchaikovsky is up there, armed, waiting for them....

[i'm adding a Prologue. Several people have commented that they think this is one of Our Little Jokes. No, it is, as far as I know, gen-u-ine.] A press releasefrom Mattel. Comments welcome: BARBIE® DOLL LEAPS INTO THE ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT AGAIN WITH HER THIRD MOVIE, "BARBIE™ OF SWAN LAKE" World's No. 1 Girls Brand Continues its Commitment to Expose Children to the Arts With a Modern Adaptation of a Classic Fairytale Barbie® doll will enchant and delight audiences everywhere as she steps into the limelight with the fall premiere of Barbie™ of Swan Lake, a stunning computer-animated movie that combines storytelling with exceptionally beautiful ballet choreography performed by dancers from the world renowned New York City Ballet to Tchaikovsky's unforgettable music. Based on the classic 19th century German fairytale, but reinterpreted for today's girl, Mattel's screenplay stars Barbie* as Odette*, a brave young girl who is trapped in an enchanted forest and through an exciting adventure with her new friends, discovers that with confidence and determination each of us has the power to transform the world. The story of Barbie™ of Swan Lake will be brought to life with an array of beautiful merchandise. With more products and expanded categories than Barbie® doll's first two movies, the world of Barbie™ of Swan Lake will boast an array of fashion dolls, a plush line, accessories, software, and licensed products. "Barbie™ of Swan Lake weaves a magical tale with beautiful dance and music, engaging girls in the arts and encouraging self-expression," said Jamie Cygielman, Vice President, Mattel. "Girls love make-believe and transformation themes and the world of Barbie™ of Swan Lake provides them with a new and exciting way to participate in Barbie® doll's world as we expand our entertainment property with a larger selection of products girls can use to play out this unique story." Barbie* of Swan Lake Video and DVD Launch Building on the past two years' successful, top-selling movies "Barbie™ in the Nutcracker*" and "Barbie™ as Rapunzel," Barbie™ of Swan Lake brings the arts to girls again with classical dance and music. In 2001, Barbie® made headlines with the award-winning, top-selling debut video in Barbie™ in the Nutcracker* where she introduced girls to classical ballet. In 2002, Barbie® returned to the spotlight and exposed girls to the world of visual arts in Barbie™ as Rapunzel, the #1 children's movie for six consecutive weeks. Barbie™ of Swan Lake is set for release on September 30, 2003, and is sure to become the perfect addition to the growing library of the Barbie® entertainment collection. A modern interpretation of the classic fairytale, Barbie™ of Swan Lake will have Barbie® captivating audiences as the brave heroine Odette* - a young girl who finds herself trapped in an enchanted forest after an evil wizard casts a spell on her. Created by Mainframe Entertainment, Barbie® of Swan Lake features some of the most advanced CGI (computer graphic imaging) animation ever created. From reality to fantasy, the story is enhanced with magical ballet sequences choreographed by New York City Ballet's Ballet Master in Chief, Peter Martins, and is danced by several New York City Ballet dancers via a motion sensor technology that mirrors the real-life movements of the dancers. New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Maria Kowroski, will once again help dance life into Barbie* as a prima ballerina as she did in Barbie™ in the Nutcracker*. Set to the original Tchaikovsky score and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, this modern adaptation brings the Swan Lake characters to life in a manner and in settings that are visually spectacular. "I am delighted and, perhaps more important, my daughter is thrilled that we are putting Barbie* back in pointe shoes," said Martins. "We share with Mattel an appreciation for what ballet can mean in a young girl's life, providing a graceful, athletic experience that builds self-esteem. We hope Barbie™ of Swan Lake will introduce many more girls to the beauty of classical ballet, and entice them both to dance and to see dance in performance." With celebrity voices that help bring the characters to life, Barbie™ of Swan Lake features two incredibly talented comedic actors. Kelsey Grammer brings a deliciously evil performance to the role of Rothbart, the mad wizard who casts a spell on Odette turning her into a swan. It is only with the help of true love and friends, as well as Odette's own bravery, confidence and determination that she is able to master Rothbart's evil spell and break free from the forest. The role of Rothbart's spoiled daughter Odile is voiced by Maggie Wheeler, best known for her long-running guest stint on "Friends" as the lovingly annoying "Janice." Barbie™ of Swan Lake also features a friendly supporting cast with Ken® as Prince Daniel*, Teresa® as the Fairy Queen*, Lila* unicorn, and a variety of animals that live in the forest, including Ivan the porcupine*. Barbie™ of Swan Lake Dolls and AccessoriesThe magic of Barbie™ of Swan Lake is brought to life with a world of dolls and accessories that allow girls to play out the storyline and artistry from the movie. Barbie® as Odette Girls can continue the magic of Barbie™ of Swan Lake with their very own Swan Princess. Barbie® as Odette captures the beauty and enchantment of Odette in the movie, allowing girls to play out the inspirational tale over and over again. Barbie® as Odette is dressed in an elegant, Swan-inspired gown fit for the silver screen. Last year, girls were enchanted with the longest hair ever on Barbie® as Rapunzel. This year there are two transformation features they are sure to fall in love with; magical Swan wings that light up and a special crown that transforms into a mask. Ken® as Prince Daniel The romance between Odette and Prince Daniel can be brought to life by girls with the help of Ken® as Prince Daniel. Dressed in the same regal, elegant costume seen in the movie, Prince Daniel comes with a small swan so girls can recreate Odette's transformation into a swan and back. Teresa® as Fairy Queen Building on the successful sales of the world of Barbie™ as Rapunzel, the Brand has increased its line of fashion dolls for the first time to include a third fashion doll, Teresa® doll. Marking Teresa® doll's debut into the world of Barbie® Entertainment, she stars as the magical Fairy Queen who helps Odette. Teresa® wears a beautiful fairy-inspired gown and carries a magical wand. She even comes with a gift for girls - a special necklace that lights up, just like the Swan Princess's wings. Kelly® & Tommy® Dolls A $100 million mega-brand of its own, Kelly® doll and her friends' pixie-sized magic add sparkle and adventure to Barbie™ of Swan Lake's playtime fun. The dolls are available in an assortment of six fun friends. As the baby swan, Kelly® doll is beautifully dressed in a blue and pink swan-like party dress, complete with wings. Marisa™ doll is the playful fawn and wears a purple and white spotted dress with deer antlers. Dressed in an adorable pink and black dress with mouse ears and tail, Jenny™ doll makes the perfect little mouse. Liana™ doll plays the red fox and dons an orange dress with ears and tail. As Carlita™ the Skunk, Maria™ is appropriately outfitted in black and red hair to match her black and white-striped outfit and furry tail. Finally, Tommy® doll stars as "Ivan™ the Porcupine" and is dressed in a brown porcupine costume. Barbie™ of Swan Lake Plush Line Continuing to build on the Barbie® Brand's successful entry into the plush category and the popularity of "Penelope™ the Dragon" in Barbie™ as Rapunzel, the world of Barbie™ of Swan Lake features more soft, cuddly animals - most notably Odette's best friend the spirited unicorn, Lila. Because the Barbie® Brand knows girls love animals and plush toys, Mattel has increased the category this year by including three animal characters in three different scales of plush. My Size Barbie® of Swan Lake With the help of their My Size Barbie® doll, girls no longer have to just play princess...they can actually be a princess, too. The My Size Barbie® of Swan Lake comes dressed just like Odette in a beautiful princess gown, complete with a crown and magical wings. The dress and accessories are all "wear and share" and are made to fit almost any girl. Barbie™ of Swan Lake Musical Fantasy Castle Every princess deserves a fantasy castle - and this is the largest castle Barbie* doll has ever had. With the Swan Lake Musical Fantasy Castle, girls can pretend to play out the enchanting scenes within the magical castle in Barbie™ of Swan Lake. Featuring a dramatic center staircase with lights and music that Barbie* doll magically ascends to meet her guests, this castle is fit for any princess to enjoy. > Barbie™ of Swan Lake" Lila™ Unicorn and Carriage Capitalizing on one of the most-popular Barbie® features - hair play girls can play happily ever after with Lila™, a unicorn that features beautiful, long hair that girls can brush and accessorize with fairy-themed barrettes. The carriage seats two dolls and has a delicate fairy on the back. With the unicorn and carriage, girls can continue to play out the fun of Barbie™ of Swan Lake as Odette and Prince Daniel travel through the countryside in the back of the carriage or take a solo on the unicorn. > Barbie™ of Swan Lake CD-ROM: A Creative Adventure As the number-one, girl-themed interactive property, Barbie® doll will take her magic as the Swan Princess from the television screen to the computer screen. Girls can join Barbie® ™ of Swan Lake on a creative adventure as she tries to break a spell that has ruined the enchanted forest and turned her into a swan. Barbie™ of Swan Lake Licensed Products and Accessories Based on the $150 million success of Barbie™ as Rapunzel, which included dolls and accessories as well as licensed products, Barbie Consumer Products is infusing even more magic into the world of Barbie™ of Swan Lake by increasing the number of related licensed products. The expanded product line includes 12 categories of consumer products, such as apparel and accessories. > Barbie™ of Swan Lake on Barbie.com Girls won't need to travel far - except in Cyber Space - to find out moreinformation about Barbie™ of Swan Lake, they'll simply need to log onto the World Wide Web at Barbie.com. As the number one girls Web site with 22 million monthly users, Barbie.com will expose millions of girls around the world to the classical ballet and music. > Barbie Cares Supporting Children in the Arts™ The Barbie® Brand understands the important role that arts education plays in a child's development and last year debuted an extremely successful $2 million worldwide cause-related program called "Barbie Cares Supporting Children in the Arts™" dedicated to supporting arts education for children. As part of its initiative, the Barbie® Brand has committed to creating innovative and relevant product that will continue to leverage the Brand to engage girls in the arts. Barbie® of Swan Lake supports the Brand's initiative to engage girls in the arts by introducing girls to classical music and dance. Worldwide, all Barbie® products will be marked with an official "Barbie Cares Supporting Children in the Arts" seal, clearly identifying the Barbie® Brand's ongoing support of arts education for children. > >About Mattel Girls Brands Since the Barbie® doll's launch in 1959 as a paper doll inspired friend, she has firmly established herself as the most popular fashion doll ever ntroduced. For more than four decades, Mattel has maintained Barbie® doll's popularity by adapting her look, lifestyle and fashions to meet changing times while evolving her world into an overall lifestyle brand for girls. While the Barbie* Brand represents Mattel's initial roots in girls' toys, Mattel Brands has several best-selling girls brands including My Scene™, Polly Pocket!® and ello™. A natural extension of the brands to the online world, Mattel Interactive Group provides girls of the 21st century a new way to interact with their favorite toys through web sites and licensed Mattel-branded interactive software and video game titles.

Mel, that's a glitch caused by Pagemaker software, which is now used by many magazines. If you hyphenate a word at the end of a line, and then, in editing, change the line endings, it's supposed to be a "discretionary hyphen," i.e., it magically unhyphenates. Only it doesn't. The hyphen stays. So you have to read the copy again -- and, make a change, another hyphen pops up. This has been a problem with version 4.2, released in the '90s, and I think they're up to version 7.1 now, and it's still there! OT, but hopefully helpful

True, but so many dance students read it, and they don't know this -- I'm sure they trust it. To have kids think this about Balanchine is frightening -- I don't have the magazine and so can't read the whole article. I hope anyone who does, if you are bothered by this quote, will write a letter.

Books certainly don't get edited, I can say from my own experience. I asked several friends and colleagues to read my manuscript, and each offered very helpful suggestions, but that's not the same as having someone knowledgeable about the subject saying, "you need to explain this further, you need to cut this, we need to know more/less about that," etc. Much less if something needs structural help. The typo problem is lack of labor -- things used to be read dozens of times. Now they're read twice, it seems, and corrections are made the second time, which need to be made on the galleys, and it's at this stage that the army of proofreaders once moved in -- checking corrections against edited copy, then just checking for typos. With computer editing -- as all of us know from editing our posts -- the most common error is not taking out an entire phrase, so that the old, erroneous/changed phrase is still there, right next to the change. The kind of editing that would have caught or questioned the statement above falls into a different category, though. You have to have people who know something about the subject. I would ask a writer who had submitted that piece -- assuming there was something else of value in the piece -- "What do you mean? Tell me what you know about Balanchine's musicality and how it's regarded." If I didn't get a satisfactory answer I'd change it -- or kill the piece, because it would make me suspect that nothing in the article could be trusted. I thought of this a few weeks ago when one "critic" wrote about that great Balanchine ballet, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." There are errors and there are errors -- that one isn't tolerable and anyone who has a job editing an arts page should be able to catch it. Hell, the copy desk should be able to catch it.

Farrell Fan, home is where you don't have to be nice all the time

Comments like that are why God made little editors.

This will duplicate some information, but I'm posting what George Jackson emailed me about these dancers: ---------------- Yes, I do know a bit about P & O. They were historic names in Chicago and the authority on them is Ann Barzel. There was also an article about them in Dance Magazine a number of years ago, probably by Ann. I believe they became prominent in the Chicago Opera Ballet that danced for Insull's and Mary Garden's Chicago Opera in the 1920s and also did its own productions. Oukrainksy was a ballet master of the company but its most prominent one was Adolph Bolm. Ruth Page, Anna Ludmilla and Ruth Pryor were, I believe, among the principal women. Bolm did some interesting choreography for this group, including the first staging of Stravinsky's Apollo (starring himself, Page, Bernice Holmes and Elise Reiman) although the premiere was not at the Civic Opera House in Chicago but in Washington, DC at the Library of Congress. The concept was much more in the Court of the Sun King than neoclassical ballet manner; I once urged Ruth Page to try to revive it (Holmes and Reiman were still alive) but by then the Balanchine was so well established. P & O also had a touring company based in Chicago. When the economic crash came at the end of the '20s, it pretty much put an end to the first big era of opera and ballet in Chicago. Bolm went to Hollywood but I believe that P & O remained for a while. -- George

It's based on an 18th century novel (later made into an opera). Here's the description from the Royal Ballet's press release: So you can see, this is a dramatic ballet, and it's known for its passionate pas de deux. Don't forget to come back and tell us what you think!

Yes, neoclassicism is part of classicism, as demicaractere and character are part of classicism, but you can definitely separate them. They're different approaches, but also different aesthetics. The quote from Kisselgoff is, I think, an accurate description of City Ballet's aesthetic. It is very far from the aesthetic that produced "Swan Lake." (Although I think Kathleen made a very interesting case for a neoclassical "Swan Lake.")

Earlier on the thread, Victoria made an interesting point that no one has picked up on yet and I think is worth discussing. This comment cuts two ways -- Victoria went on to say that ABT is the classical company, and so she's implying that NYCB can't do a real "Swan Lake," and some will agree, and others disagree, with that. But from the other side, NYCB has always been rather proud of the fact that they don't do that silly "Swan Lake" and that its classicism is totally outmoded and has been superseded by its neoclassical. To quote from Kisselgoff's review of the new Martins ballet this morning: "The three works summed up the City Ballet aesthetic: music is the springboard, and movement, as couched in an advanced neo-Classical style, is a formal value sufficient unto itself." A full-length traditional "Swan Lake" would seem to be outside of this aesthetic, and this aesthetic would seem to be antithetical to a full-length traditional "Swan Lake." Can there be a neoclassical -- or nonclassical -- "Swan Lake?" (Of course, there could be a skateboarding one, in the sense there's no law against it, but that's not what I mean.) If NYCB does do a "Swan Lake," does it have a responsibility to pay attention to classical style? Russian reports on Kowroski's performance in St. Petersburg were not admiring. (What the hell is she DOING with those flapping arms????) I think this gets to the part of Leigh's question that says, should the company be doing this. Is it good for the dancers? Is it good for the ballet?

I agree with Sonora and Mel's comments about the place for regional companies in saving "Swan Lake." Sadler's Wells was, in effect, a "regional company" when it first did the Petipa-via-N. Sergeyev versions from which most other Western productions derived. My only objection to small companies doing the Big Ballets is when they use them to catapult themselves into the "big time," advertise themselves as being "one of the world's greatest classical companies" and then put on a "Swan Lake" with 18, or 12, Swans and everything is cut down and cut rate. (This is a real life case: one major regional company brought a "Sleeping Beauty" here about 20 years ago with only four fairies (plus Lilac) in the Prologue. Not making a statement, they just didn't have enough soloists. So there's a balance between being able to do it, and being able to do it well enough to travel with it.) But that caveat aside, yes. The "regionals" may yet save ballet.

I deleted a post on this thread because it contained speculation -- a report on dancers joining, although the news has not been released. This is a note to everyone: I know that who is leaving and who is joining is a matter of intense interest, and such speculation is totally natural, but what's okay to do over the phone or in intermisison lobbies can have different repercussions when it's talked about publicly -- and this is as public as it gets! Speculating about whether dancers are leaving or joining a company is a violation of their privacy and can do harm. There is at least one past instance when someone posted (not here!) that the dancer was leaving Company A to go to Company D. The contract for Company D fell through, and the dancer lost his/her job at Company A. I know no one wants that to happen. Here's the link to our full No Gossip Rule. (And for newcomers, or anyone who hasn't read our rules, please take a few minutes to do so. There aren't many -- there's a Rules and Policies forum on About This Site where you'll find full rules and the explanations for them.) http://www.balletalert.com/forum/showthrea...=&threadid=9427 When we have a press release on who the new dancers are, we'll post it. If there's an article in one of the Boston papers about this before we get the press release up, please feel free to post a link about it. And THEN it's fine to talk about who the dancers are, what they might dance, etc.

Alternative three: video. Actually, a Swan Lake moratorium might not be a bad idea.......ban it, toss it out. No one is allowed to perform it for a decade. Then maybe the dancers would miss it, and companies would have to really think about it instead of tossing out yet another monster, or thinking that the game was how "original" can we be. Hey! Siegfried hasn't dumped O/O and run off with Mummy yet........

Press release from Boston Ballet: Boston Ballet has announced that one artistic staff position has been eliminated for the 2003-2004 season. During the current season this position was held by Ballet Mistress Eva Evdokimova. Ms. Evdokimova brought to Boston Ballet an international reputation as one of the finest ballerinas in the world. This action is part of the Company wide restructuring that has included changes to the performance schedule and the reduction in the number of performances next year, in an overall effort to remove 3.5 million dollars from the 2003-2004 budget. This follows changes that were made in January 2003 to address this current year's shortfalls. Boston Ballet was fortunate to have Ms. Edvokimova's expertise on the artistic staff during the 2002-2003 season.

I don't think anyone is performing one today. I think the old Royal production, despite the additions by Ashton and Maria Fay and DeValois (specific dances) could be considered standard because it didn't damage the structure, didn't layer on psychological interpretations, etc. Of course, even this one ditched Benno eventually. The Blair production for ABT was a mini-standard, not as grand or sophisticated as the Royal's, but still not revisionist. I've only seen the Sergeyev production (for the Maryinsky) a few times, and then only late. It's got a jester and threw out most of the mime, so it's not quite a standard in my book, but, again, it's clearly derived from the original. It's when you get into the Nureyev-Stanislavsky-Bourmeister-Bruhn versions, and then the Neumeier, and then all the other "loosely based on that stupid old ballet Swan Lake that we have to use, damn it, because it's a draw" that we're getting away from tradition. By that I mean tossing out huge chunks of Petipa and adding other characters, changing the character dances to pointe, inflating Von Rothbart's role, lots of pseudofreud, etc. But leave in the McKenzie or the Martins productions for a decade or so, and two generations of balletgoers will think of them as standard.

I'm breaking this up into two posts so they'll be of readable length. I had two conversations this month with ballet people (one an interview, one an informal conversation) that bear on this question, and how complicated it is. The question of who was the greatest choreographer came up in both. Person A thought Ashton was The Greatest choreographer; Person B said the same about Balanchine. Both gave the same reason -- range. Balanchine had the greatest range. No, Ashton did. I could say they're both right. Both were defining range differently. To Person A, range meant styles of ballets. Ashton did great neoclassical, narrative, atmospheric ballets, small ones, pas de deux, two act, three act. Huge range. Can't top that! To Person B, range meant knowledge of choreography -- different styles of dance -- and music. Balanchine had so many different styles to draw upon that this gave his work the greatest range. He was all encompassing. I'd have to say I'd agree with both of them (I rank Ashton and Balanchine as equals), but I thought the contrast was interesting. Even when we use the same words -- "range" -- we can mean different things.

I think Grace has pretty much nailed it (and thank you, Leigh, for finally giving Bournonville his due. What a range......) I don't think you can have one, single objective criteria. (I took a course in Kant's Aesthetics once. He thought you could, a sort of aesthetic categorical imperative. I disagreed.) I think all of us have different criteria. How many points do you give structure? Steps? Use of music? Theme? Decor? People who give structure 5 points, steps 3, music 2 and don't care about the rest will always choose Balanchine over Bejart. People who give theatrical values an 8 and divide the remaining 2 points among the remaining characteristics will choose Bejart over Balanchine. So in that sense, I don't think there can be a universal rule, and discussions between Balanchine and Bejart admirers will never be resolved, because the view of the world is so different. There's also accident of history. Bournonville's work survived. Perrot's did not. Nor Taglioni's, nor much of Saint Leon's, Coralli, etc. Because his work survived it's isolated, and we can analyze it. I think many of his works are perfect -- structure, storytelling, ingenious use of mime and dance. But they might well seem small and unsophisticated compared to the big ballets Perrot and Saint Leon made for bigger companies. So if he weren't the only pie on the plate, our view of his place in history might be different. I think it's possible to be an absolutist and a relativist at the same time