Alexandra

From this week's New York magazine article: Eight is Enough No surprises, for those who regularly read Ms. Tobias, but a very good stating, I think, of the position of those who find the Diamond Project less than satisfactory. (not just this quote; the whole article) Her discussion of classical and nonclassical dance is interesting; she divides the Diamond Project into Traditional and Modern, just like, as she puts it, furniture showrooms in department stores. (BTW, totally off-topic, but there's an interesting section in this week's New York Magazine on Harlem; link on home page at www.newyorkmag.com)

I'd suggest going to their web site and contacting any link that works. I'm sure someone will respond and point you in the right direction. There should also be a street address somewhere on that web site. They also have a message board, so if all else fails, you might try a message there. I don't think their boards are closey moderated, but they may well have someone checking them Glitches do happen sometimes, not to m ention human error (I should make it clear that this site has no connection whatsoever with Pointe magazine, lest this turn into a thread about problems with Pointe!)

This is mainly a question for those who have seen the current new-old production of the Kirov-Mariinsky Ballet's La Bayadere. I'm struck, by the photos I've seen, and by reading about it, how close it is to Fokine's work. This is the production he would have grown up with. Everyone isn't on pointe. There's a mixture of classical, semi-classical and character dance, each style appropriate to the person dancing it. Where did the rebellion come from? I know that distance makes everything look the same. I've seen some films of Ruth St. Denis's work that make me think, "But that's Fokine!" (a thought that would make both Ruth and Michel F apoplectic, I'm sure). The time of the production was a time when the difference among styles that look very similar to us today were strikingly apparent to dancers and teachers (the Legat clan, of the school of Johansson, found Cecchetti coarse!) A friend of mine who'd gone up to see La Bayadere said that intermission talk in his circles had touched on this question -- people saw Cleopatra, Tamar, Scheherezade, not to mention the Polovotsian dances, in La Bayadere. Anyone have comments on this? If anyone can see the rebellion -- aside from length, of course; Fokine was a reductionist, and in that way the polar opposite of Petipa -- I'd be interested to read it.

Thanks, Francis

It's a bit early, but I guess they want you to mark your calendar NOW! A press release from Boston Ballet on its season opener: Boston Ballet Opens Nissinen's First Season with a Powerful Performance Morris, Forsythe, And A World Premiere offers sensual delights of movement and music, artistic ingenuity and dancer's versatility (BOSTON)- Boston Ballet opens its 39th season, and Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen's first, with a dynamic program, Morris, Forsythe, And A World Premiere, from September 19-29, 2002 at The Wang Theatre. On the program: Mark Morris's Maelstrom, William Forsythe's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated and a world premiere of a modernist creation by Jorma Elo. "These poignant works will engage the audience in new and different ways. The entire season represents an exciting direction for Boston Ballet, marked by engaging classical and contemporary ballet and an emphasis on the finest choreography," said Mr. Nissinen. The program opens with Maelstrom, the work of distinguished American choreographer Mark Morris. Considered one of the most innovative artists of modern time, Morris was described as, "an intensely musical, deceptively cerebral, insinuatingly sensual, fabulously funky choreographer," by Los Angeles Times writer Martin Bernheimer. Morris founded the Mark Morris Dance Group in 1981 at the age of 24. Morris's company presents eclectic mixtures of flamenco, ballet and modern movement set to music ranging from Baroque masters to contemporary groups such as the Violent Femmes. Many consider Morris an important artist, including dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov. "Since meeting Mark Morris in 1987, I have danced in eight of his premieres; I don't think anything else I can do or say would offer a more eloquent testimonial of how I feel about him and his work. He's one of the greatest choreographers of the time," said Mr. Baryshnikov. Morris' Maelstrom was created in 1994 for the San Francisco Ballet, and Mr. Nissinen was a dancer in the original cast. The ballet is set to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ghost Trio. Notable choreographer and director of the Frankfurt Ballet, William Forsythe presents his thrilling masterpiece, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. Created for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1987, it won the 1992 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for the Royal Ballet. Set to a bracing electronic score by Thom Willems, with whom Mr. Forsythe has created more than 25 ballets, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated is acknowledged as one of Forsythe's greatest works. Mr. Forsythe has created masterpieces for many major companies including New York City Ballet, the Royal Ballet, Netherlands Dans Theater, The National Ballet of Canada and San Francisco Ballet. "Forsythe's choreography challenges the dancers to arch and bend to the rhythm of the fast music; and finish each movement sharply and precisely. The score is pulsating and loud, creating a surrealistic atmosphere on the bare stage," said Mr. Nissinen. Choreographer Jorma Elo, from Netherlands Dans Theater, is considered one of Europe's most interesting new choreographers. He has worked with master horeographers Jiri Kylian and Mats Ek and was educated at the National Ballet School in Helsinki and the Vaganova Institute of Choreography in Leningrad. At the age of 16, Elo was offered a contract with Finnish National Ballet. He danced there until his career took him to Cullberg Ballet of Sweden in 1984. He joined Nederlands Dance Theater I, the main company, in 1990. Nissinen is bringing this emerging talent, new to the American stage, to Boston Ballet audiences. "Mr. Elo's dancers seem to be forever intertwining and extending from one another like tiny insects caught in massive pools of light. His original movement vocabulary and use of light and music are exceptional," said Mr. Nissinen. This new work will be set to J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations.

Estelle, I think you've raised a very interesting question. What's a company director to do? (Putting aside the fact that, from what one reads about Lifar's ego, it would be out of character for him to encourage any rival)? In the early 1970s, Balanchine was very severely criticized for giving free reign to several young choreographers, including Lorca Massine, who produced what was considered negligible work. Irresponsible! He's getting tired and old! Send him back to Europe (hmm. That does have a familiar ring...) But he was also criticized in other periods for either not encouraging choreographers, or when Robbins and Tudor, not to mention Lorca M, were pointed out, the answer was, "Yes, well, Robbins, but Tudor left, and Balanchine has gone out of his way to only pick bad choreographers so they won't challenge him." (I do not agree with this statement; I'm reporting it.) So they're really damned if they do, damned if they don't. Then there's Ashton, who, under pressure, let MacMillan stage his version of Romeo and Juliet rather than bring his own (Ashton's) into the repertory. Good news for MacMillan fans, bad news for those who think Ashton's version is far, far better (and more classical, less expressionistic, and thus more suited to the company Ashton was then directing). Harald Lander in Denmark was similar to Lifar. You could say he was a balletmaster in the 19th century use of the term -- of course he did everything. That was his job. That's what Bournonville, St. Leon, Petipa, you name it, did. But if you were a choreographer who wanted to show your ballets on the only ballet stage in the country, he was a Hog. After he was pushed out of the company -- on morals charges, although dancers insist, with much to back them up, I think, that he was driven out by a small group of people who merely wanted to get rid of him and used anything they could to do it. After he left, dozens of "we're choreographers too!" Danes began putting on their masterpieces, each one a bit worse than the one that preceded it, and none lasted more than a season or two.

Estelle, by "auteur company" I don't mean that all the works are by one choreographer, but that they're all more or less in the same very recognizable style. Neumeier is trying to do a one-choreographer varied repertory a la Balanchine (he's said this), creating a broad repertory containing all kinds of ballets. The "auteur" companies to me are more like boutiques with a more single-minded aim. (The difference between a mainstream film director and Truffaut or Godard) I haven't seen the Frankfurt company for several years, but when I did I think Forsythe was aiming for something different. As Eliot Feld is here. He's experimented with a lot of different types and styles, but whatever mode he's in, all of the ballets will reflect it. He's not aiming for "something for Dad, and something for the kids, and something for the fans, and something for the aficionados." I think Estelle has hit another nail on the head with the problem of one-choreographer companies and succession. The problem is that if a choreographer is any good, he'll want bodies to move HIS (or her) and so Choreographer No. 2, by his very existence, will change the way Choreographer No 1 worked. In America, Doris Humphrey tried the "heir" approach with Jose Limon; the two were very different But the company was again leaderless after Limon died. The only way to preserve work is through an institution, I believe -- the ballets, or their shells, will remain, but inhabited by different bodies. To the original question, I think that the variety, as much as the occasional brilliance, is what makes New York a great dance capital. You can see anything there, many different models. It would be impossible to be bored. Every city simply can't do this.

Estelle, I didn't forget Neumeier I would call Hamburg Ballet a ballet company and, more importantly, like them or not (and I don't) Neumeier has tried to create a varied repertory, with a mix of narrative and abstract works. I used Forsythe and Bausch as examples of major contemporary dance companies that I'd call "auteur" companies, modeled on early modern American modern dance companies, which existed only to present the work of that choreographer. I agree that Paris's style comes from its school. The Royal Danish used to have the same problem -- no resident choreographer of genius, but a distinct style -- and solved it the same way -- by bringing in works by other choreographers and dancing them in a way that became recognizable as a style. With them it was as much an approach -- finding the drama in works -- as anything to do with technique.

I think Ari's summary of the issues is excellent. I also want a company to have a recognizable style -- to me, it's what separates the Great International Level Companies from the rest of the pack. People who watched the Ballets Russes say that they were very conscious of different styles, and that they danced "Les Sylphides" differently from "Swan Lake" -- they weren't just generic ballet blanc, but very different works. The line was different in each, for starters. I thought Ari's point about companies in smaller cities, or cities where there isn't much dance, needing to have varied repertories was interesting, too. There are very few one-choreographer ballet companies here. I can think of the Ohio Ballet when Heinz Poll was choreographer -- nearly completely his works. But in Europe, in contemporary dance, there are one-choreographer companies, the two most notable being in Frankfurt (Forsythe) and Wuppertal (Pina Bausch) and that raises another question: They are very specific styles, a very specific aesthetic. I admire Bausch, I'd go see her company perform whenever it was in town, but I think I'd get fidgety if that was the ONLY company in town. Does the Hometown Ballet Company have an obligation to perform a variety of works? If they have a resident choreographer who's either A, mediocre; or B, a quirky genius, would you be happy to see only his/her works?

Just bumping this up for those who haven't seen it -- what are the TOP X companies in the U.S.?

I noticed that happening when the Bolshoi was here, too, both in Bayadere and Swan Lake -- I haven't seen this Bayadere, so this is only a guess, but....does this happen after applause for another dancer's variation? If so, my guess is that Solor is catching his breath -- and that there wasn't the amount of applause he's used to. When Russian troupes dance to video, there's always an ENORMOUS amount of time left for applause, and our audiences seldom rise to the occasion This is only theory, mind you -- someone else may actually know

Thanks for that report, Manhattnik. Before it slips away, we have a question on the floor (from No7) about audience response and curtain calls. Do those who remain seem happy Were the curtain calls demonstrative?

Thanks for stepping into the fray, sneds! I didn't think Gottlieb was wanting things to be exactly like they were once upon a time; just insisting on the same quality. He was quite willing and able to recognize that when he saw it (the comments on Kowroski in Midsummer, for example). I also think it's more than just a generational difference. I know people in their late 20s and early 30s who are just as exacting about dancers, and the way ballets are "supposed" to look as Gottlieb and other like-minded souls. I think it's more how long one has been watching, when one started, who one's seen, etc. (including on video and films). I know in my first few years -- well, decade! -- of ballet watching, I was constantly being told by someone with a good eye who'd been watching longer than I had, when I said I liked this or that dancer, or made a comment about a ballet, "Well, you never saw X in the role." It was frustrating, but I learned from it, and there are very few times that I'd now disagree. Gottlieb has been watching NYCB since at least the early '50s, and perhaps since the Ballet Society days, and knows it very well, having once served on its board. I don't mean to suggest that one has to agree with every assessment he makes, but I don't think he can be dismissed, either. I think sneds' point that if one constantly looks at the negatives, there's no point in going to the ballet is an interesting one, and one I'm very sympathetic too. I think one's attitude to that question may depend on whether one goes primarily to see the dancers, or the ballets. If you're addicted to ballets, you have to go, unless the standard sinks to such a level that it becomes totally unbearable, but you want to see the ballets well lit, and cleaned and dusted and loved. If you go primarily to see dancers, you'll probably always be happy and see the positive, because there is something admirable and enjoyable to watch about nearly everyone who dances at that level.

Thanks for stepping into the fray, sneds! I didn't think Gottlieb was wanting things to be exactly like they were once upon a time; just insisting on the same quality. He was quite willing and able to recognize that when he saw it (the comments on Kowroski in Midsummer, for example). I also think it's more than just a generational difference. I know people in their late 20s and early 30s who are just as exacting about dancers, and the way ballets are "supposed" to look as Gottlieb and other like-minded souls. I think it's more how long one has been watching, when one started, who one's seen, etc. (including on video and films). I know in my first few years -- well, decade! -- of ballet watching, I was constantly being told by someone with a good eye who'd been watching longer than I had, when I said I liked this or that dancer, or made a comment about a ballet, "Well, you never saw X in the role." It was frustrating, but I learned from it, and there are very few times that I'd now disagree. Gottlieb has been watching NYCB since at least the early '50s, and perhaps since the Ballet Society days, and knows it very well, having once served on its board. I don't mean to suggest that one has to agree with every assessment he makes, but I don't think he can be dismissed, either. I think sneds' point that if one constantly looks at the negatives, there's no point in going to the ballet is an interesting one, and one I'm very sympathetic too. I think one's attitude to that question may depend on whether one goes primarily to see the dancers, or the ballets. If you're addicted to ballets, you have to go, unless the standard sinks to such a level that it becomes totally unbearable, but you want to see the ballets well lit, and cleaned and dusted and loved. If you go primarily to see dancers, you'll probably always be happy and see the positive, because there is something admirable and enjoyable to watch about nearly everyone who dances at that level.

[Ari has already posted this in today's Links, but I thought it might draw a coment or two.] A pulls-no-punches piece in The NY Observer by Robert Gottlieb -- a long time observer of the company -- on the New York City Ballet's current roster. City Ballet's Casting Crisis A Key to the Company's Values

[Ari has already posted this in today's Links, but I thought it might draw a coment or two.] A pulls-no-punches piece in The NY Observer by Robert Gottlieb -- a long time observer of the company -- on the New York City Ballet's current roster. City Ballet's Casting Crisis A Key to the Company's Values

Jeannie, I agree. Perhaps we're so used to seeiing such pared down versions of Petipa that I can understand why the longer, older versions are so shocking. I'm also interested that so many people think the second act isn't dancing because it's off pointe. There are still classical sections, as well as character sections; to me, that's dancing. And it's interesting how Petipa organized his ballets, with each act having a different character -- the same for Swan Lake and Raymonda, at least. Hearing from a friend about those off-pointe dances in the second act, I wondered where Fokine's complaints came from? It seems that Petipa was using shoes appropriate to the characters' situation and dance form. I also have a suggestion, for those who are about to encounter this Bayadere for the first time, or for anyone who didn't like it the first time and is going back for a second look -- it helps to look at what IS there instead of what isn't. I can remember my first year or two watching ballet, I'd also "wait for the dancing to start" -- and, in some cases, this would mean that I missed the whole ballet. When I started to watch what WAS there, and try to understand why -- if only virtuoso dancing is important, then why are they doing all this other stuff? It must mean something, there must be a reason. I want to find out what it is -- that I began to understand it, and then my definition of what dancing was began to become more broad.

This is in response to Leigh, way back up at the top of page 2 of this thread, who wrote that the Kirov's production doesn't seem that different from the one the Universal Ballet was touring last year. I haven't seen the Kirov's, unfortunately, but from what I'm reading, both here, in the press and in the press kit materials, it sounds quite different. The Universal's doesn't have the fourth act, and, like every production I've seen, moves dances from the fourth act into the second. The Universal's first act, however, did emphasize rather than apologize for or delete the mime, and made the whole ballet, to me, seem more serious, a classical tragedy consciously written after Greek models.

I can't be of much help, I'm afraid -- I hope someone else will know more. Malakov's appointment was announced several months ago -- very quietly. It doesn't necessarily mean he will stop dancing

Thanks, Terry! David Amzallag was the company's photographer in the 1990s. I have to say I'm disappointed that the Bournonville ballet that's so well-documented is the "Queen's Folk Tale" from 1992 (known to some as the "cartoon folk tale") rather than Hans Brenaa's or Kirsten Ralov's earlier productions. But it's nice to have so many dance photographs on line

Do we know whether the company chose the repertory, or the presenter? (I'm asking because I don't remember if there were any interviews, or if this was in any of the previews about the season.)

Did anyone go? Did you think the press reaction was accurate, fair?

A company press release: SAN FRANCISCO BALLET ANNOUNCES REPERTORY FOR NEW YORK ENGAGEMENT AT CITY CENTER OCTOBER 8-13, 2002 World-class Company to Perform Seven New York Premieres at City Center And Natalia Makarova?s Staging of the Classic Paquita San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson announced today the repertory for the Company's tour to New York's City Center, October 8 through 13, 2002. Over three mixed-repertory programs, the Company will perform seven New York premieres, including works by Helgi Tomasson, Mark Morris, Christopher Wheeldon, and Julia Adam. In addition, Program III will offer Natalia Makarova?s critically-acclaimed one-act staging of Paquita. Program I will be performed Tuesday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, October 12 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The program includes the New York premieres of Christopher Wheeldon's abstract ballet Continuum; Yuri Possokhov's Damned, a dramatic retelling of Euripides' Medea; and Mark Morris' lively Sandpaper Ballet. Continuum , which San Francisco Ballet premiered in spring of 2002, is an abstract neo-classical ballet for four couples set to the music of Györgi Ligeti. Continuum is a companion piece to Polyphonia, also to Ligeti?s music, which Wheeldon choreographed for New York City Ballet. (He recently choreographed a third ballet to Ligeti called Morphoses, also for New York City Ballet.) An intensely dramatic and highly theatrical work, Damned, choreographed by San Francisco Ballet Principal Dancer Yuri Possokhov, was hailed as "the dance event of the season" by the San Francisco Chronicle. Possokhov set the piece, which premiered in 2002, to Ravel?s Pavane pour une infante défunte and Concerto in D Major for the left hand. Mark Morris' Sandpaper Ballet , an ensemble piece for 25 dancers clad in Isaac Mizrahi's whimsical costumes, is set to the familiar music of Leroy Anderson, and was first choreographed for San Francisco Ballet in 1999. Program II, which will be performed Wednesday, October 9 and Friday, October 11 at 8:00 p.m., includes the New York premieres of Mark Morris' A Garden and Helgi Tomasson?s Chi-Lin and Chaconne for Piano and Two Dancers, plus the return of William Forsythe's The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude. The Company premiered A Garden , set to music by Richard Strauss after François Couperin, during San Francisco Ballet?s 2001 Repertory Season, and performed the work on tour in London and Santander, Spain, and again for the Company's 2002 season. Originally choreographed by William Forsythe for his Frankfurt Ballet in 1996, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude is set to Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 9 in C Major. The last time Company members performed the 11-minute small ensemble piece in New York was September of 2000. Tomasson?s Chaconne for Piano and Two Dancers is a pas de deux dedicated to the memory of his mentor Jerome Robbins. Choreographed for the Company's 1999 Opening Night Gala, the piece is an alternately playful and competitive duet set to music by George Frideric Handel. Tomasson?s Chi-Lin , set to a score by renowned composer and MacArthur Award winner Bright Sheng, explores the interactions of four Chinese mythological animals representing good fortune: the phoenix, dragon, tortoise, and chi-lin, or unicorn. Program III, which will be performed Thursday, October 10 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 13 at 3:00 p.m., includes the one-act version of Paquita staged by Natalia Makarova, with sets and costumes by Jose Varona. Also on the program is the New York premiere of Julia Adam's Night, a ballet that explores a woman's dreams and nightmares to a commissioned score by Matthew Pierce. The program concludes with George Balanchine's bold and exuberant Rubies from his evening-length ballet Jewels, set to music of Igor Stravinsky. Program and casting are subject to change.

Several recent reviews of Pacific Northwest Ballet referred to it as "one of the top five American companies." I've never read such a list, but thought it an interesting idea. Let's do it like football teams or tennis seeds -- not "it's a great company, but this is an off year" or "it's still pretty new, but they have a terrific season" but at this very moment, what are the best (however you define best) American companies? And is there a top five? Or is it a top six, or eight, or four? What are the top companies -- the cream, the head on a mug of beer, the companies (whether 4 or 6 or 9) that represent The Best in American ballet. Whether or not you've seen any or all of the companies you've named is immaterial since perception is 9/10 of reality anyway

In the Bolshoi version we just saw down here, the parrots looked like they were made of rubber and had been begun life as prizes in giant boxes of cereal several decades ago. As I remember them, the ones in the Paris production (which I like very much generally) were quite beautiful, with real, not painted or stamped, feathers, and bounced on the dancers' wrists.