Alexandra

Paul, I wasn't there, but I've heard the same thing you have -- starkly put, "After they moved into Lincoln Center, it was over." Now, I realize one could quibble over "over" but, as with ABT, the first years, where there was an explosion of creativity, may well have been the best. Marcia Siegel wrote something along these lines in the 1980s, saying that it was conventional wisdom that modern dance companies were at their best in the first few years, and perhaps the same was true of ballet companies. (I'd argue against that, with the Royal Ballet as an alternate model. They had a Golden Age of sorts during the War, but another one in the 1960s. I think, too, looking at the Danish Ballet, there have been ebbs and flows.)

In the Ballet Time Traveler poll, the Ballets Russes is the favorite destination (it's been consistently ahead since the beginning.) Most people have said their motivation is curiosity and wanting to be part of such an exciting period. I wondered which choreographer of that era was your favorite? Fokine, Massine, Nijinsky, Nijinska, Balanchine (the 1920s Balanchine ONLY) for these purposes. Please answer this any way you like -- the one you're most curious about, the one you think was the greatest, the one you like the best, or think you would like the best.

You sure have, Amanda Thanks to you and Bobbi -- it's such a treat to get daily reviews!

A new mostly picture book about Baryshnikov is out -- it's on Amazon Here's the publisher's info (from the Amazon page): Baryshnikov in Black and White presents, in over 175 photographs, the remarkable breadth of his achievement between the years 1974 and 2000. From his legendary roles in the classic ballets Giselle and Don Quixote, to his work with some of the world's greatest contemporary choreographers, Baryshnikov is shown here in both rehearsal and performance. Captured by the leading dance photographers, his vitality and genius are evident on every page. With an inspired and richly detailed essay by the New Yorker dance critic (and Baryshnikov biographer) Joan Acocella, a complete chronology of his roles, and extensive annotated captions, Baryshnikov in Black and White is the definitive book on his remarkable career in the West. I believe that Robert Greskovic also worked on the "extensive annotated captions." I haven't seen this one yet, but it certainly seems like an important book -- and an enjoyable one. Has anyone here read it?

This is a copy of the thread in News. I'm going to close it, so we don't have two discussions going on on two different threads, but I thought it might be useful here for Visitors who might come in and just check this forum. Here's the link to the thread in News and Events, for those who'd like to discuss this: http://www.balletalert.com/forum/showthrea...=&threadid=4927 Alexandra

I agree, Katherine, but I wonder if it's all been settled yet? There has been so much shifting about, that may well continue. The ballet company used to perform its modern evenings on New Stage; that ended in the '90s. I will say (especially in light of the recent discussions of gossip ) that I'm citing a colleague who attended several press briefings and was also summarizing what had appeared in the Danish press.

Hi, Terry. There was a post a few weeks ago by Effy on the repertory -- I don't think it's been made official yet. Here's the link to that thread: http://www.balletalert.com/forum/showthrea...=&threadid=4111 On the Theatre, they are building a new one. I was told in an interview with someone in the RDB administration two years ago that the ballet would share the new theater (which will have a much bigger stage) with the opera and that one of the reasons for the new theater was so the ballet could do "the big ballets, like Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty" and that they'd only be dancing on the Old Stage for Bournonville, and smaller works. But a Danish colleague emailed me a few days ago and said that wasn't accurate, that the new theater was for the opera (which is very popular now in Copenhagen, while the ballet company is almost ignored in the Danish press) and that the ballet would remain in Gamle Scene (the Old Stage, the present Royal Theatre).

Thank you for those posts, Estelle and Katherine. It's nice that this one was a surprise -- Pujol wasn't on the Most Likely lists, was she?

Thanks, Roma. I've copied the casting info from the Lincoln Center site: La Bayadere A co-presentation of Lincoln Center Festival 2002 and The Metropolitan Opera. From the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg; Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater. Revival of the 1900 production. Music by Minkus. Choreography by Petipa, restaged by Vikharev. Cast: July 8, D. Vishneva, I. Kolb; July 9, S. Zakharova, I. Zelensky; July 10 at 2:00, S. Gumerova, D. Semionov; July 10 at 8:00, D. Pavlenko, D. Korsuntsev; July 12, I. Nioradze, A. Fadeyev. Swan Lake A co-presentation of Lincoln Center Festival 2002 and The Metropolitan Opera. From the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg; Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater. Music by Tchaikovsky. Choreography by Petipa and Ivanov. Production by Sergeyev. Cast: July 11, S. Zakharova, I. Zelensky; July 13 at 2:00, D. Pavlenko, D. Korsuntsev; July 13 at 8:00, S. Gumerova, I. Kolb; July 16, V. Part, D. Semionov; July 20, I. Nioradze, D. Korsuntsev. Don Quixote A co-presentation of Lincoln Center Festival 2002 and The Metropolitan Opera. From the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg; Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater. Music by Minkus. Libretto by Petipa. Choreography by Gorsky, Anissimova, and Lopoukhov based on the choreographic idea by Petipa. Cast: July 15, D. Vishneva, A. Fadeyev; July 17 at 2:00, I. Golub, A. Korsakov; July 17 at 8:00, S. Zakharova, I. Zelensky. Jewels A co-presentation of Lincoln Center Festival 2002 and The Metropolitan Opera. From the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg; Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater. Music by Faure (Emeralds), Stravinsky (Rubies), and Tchaikovsky (Diamonds). Choreography by Balanchine. Staging by Karin von Aroldingen, Sara Leland, Elyse Borne, and Sean Lavery. July 18: Emeralds (Z. Ayupova, V. Baranov; V. Part, D. Semionov; Y. Selina, V. Scherbakov; K. Ostreikovskaya), Rubies (D. Vishneva, D. Matvienko; M. Dumchenko), Diamonds (D. Pavlenko, I. Zelensky). July 19: Emeralds (Z. Ayupova, V. Baranov; D. Pavlenko, D. Semionov; Y. Selina, D. Matvienko; K. Ostreikovskaya), Rubies (I. Golub, A. Korsakov; S. Gumerova), Diamonds (S. Zakharova, D. Korsuntsev). July 20: Emeralds (Z. Ayupova, V. Baranov; V. Part, D. Semionov; Y. Selina, D. Matvienko; K. Ostreikovskaya), Rubies (N. Sologub, A. Fadeyev; D. Pavlenko), Diamonds (S. Gumerova, I. Kolb).

Thanks, Roma. I've copied the casting info from the Lincoln Center site: La Bayadere A co-presentation of Lincoln Center Festival 2002 and The Metropolitan Opera. From the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg; Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater. Revival of the 1900 production. Music by Minkus. Choreography by Petipa, restaged by Vikharev. Cast: July 8, D. Vishneva, I. Kolb; July 9, S. Zakharova, I. Zelensky; July 10 at 2:00, S. Gumerova, D. Semionov; July 10 at 8:00, D. Pavlenko, D. Korsuntsev; July 12, I. Nioradze, A. Fadeyev. Swan Lake A co-presentation of Lincoln Center Festival 2002 and The Metropolitan Opera. From the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg; Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater. Music by Tchaikovsky. Choreography by Petipa and Ivanov. Production by Sergeyev. Cast: July 11, S. Zakharova, I. Zelensky; July 13 at 2:00, D. Pavlenko, D. Korsuntsev; July 13 at 8:00, S. Gumerova, I. Kolb; July 16, V. Part, D. Semionov; July 20, I. Nioradze, D. Korsuntsev. Don Quixote A co-presentation of Lincoln Center Festival 2002 and The Metropolitan Opera. From the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg; Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater. Music by Minkus. Libretto by Petipa. Choreography by Gorsky, Anissimova, and Lopoukhov based on the choreographic idea by Petipa. Cast: July 15, D. Vishneva, A. Fadeyev; July 17 at 2:00, I. Golub, A. Korsakov; July 17 at 8:00, S. Zakharova, I. Zelensky. Jewels A co-presentation of Lincoln Center Festival 2002 and The Metropolitan Opera. From the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg; Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater. Music by Faure (Emeralds), Stravinsky (Rubies), and Tchaikovsky (Diamonds). Choreography by Balanchine. Staging by Karin von Aroldingen, Sara Leland, Elyse Borne, and Sean Lavery. July 18: Emeralds (Z. Ayupova, V. Baranov; V. Part, D. Semionov; Y. Selina, V. Scherbakov; K. Ostreikovskaya), Rubies (D. Vishneva, D. Matvienko; M. Dumchenko), Diamonds (D. Pavlenko, I. Zelensky). July 19: Emeralds (Z. Ayupova, V. Baranov; D. Pavlenko, D. Semionov; Y. Selina, D. Matvienko; K. Ostreikovskaya), Rubies (I. Golub, A. Korsakov; S. Gumerova), Diamonds (S. Zakharova, D. Korsuntsev). July 20: Emeralds (Z. Ayupova, V. Baranov; V. Part, D. Semionov; Y. Selina, D. Matvienko; K. Ostreikovskaya), Rubies (N. Sologub, A. Fadeyev; D. Pavlenko), Diamonds (S. Gumerova, I. Kolb).

Hi, Emily! I deleted your post in the Ballet Videos forum because it's best to have only one post on a topic -- otherwise people will respond in both places and it gets confusing I hope other RB fans will see it here and respond. There are quite a few videos available on the Royal Ballet, but I don't know whether they're available in New Zealand. To find out what is available, you can click on the Amazon link at the top of the board, go to videos, and do a search for Royal Ballet. But I'm afraid I don't know whether they'll ship to New Zealand, or if there is a local branch! If you have the video name and number, however, it would be possible to order some locally. DanceBooks in England has a substantial video catalogue and they do ship overseas. The URL to their site is: http://www.dancebooks.co.uk In America, there are videos of the Royal in MacMillan's "Romeo and Juliet" and "Manon," as well as "The NUtcracker" and "La Fille Mal Gardee." Several older videos (of films made in the 1950s and 1960s). I THINK the "Bayadere" is now commercially available -- someone else will know. Any others?

Thanks for all of these posts, but I wanted to especially welcome Prisma, who I don't think has posted a review before (apologies if you did and I missed it, Prisma). Welcome, thank you, and more please Amanda NYC, if you're reading this, you said you'd try to post more this season, and we're taking you at your word

I deleted a post on this thread because it was off topic. The poster was notified. Alexandra

I deleted a post on this thread because it was off topic. The poster was notified. Alexandra

I deleted a post from this thread that violated our posted No Gossip Rules. For those who aren't familiar with our Rules, especially new posters, please check the Rules Posts on the About the Site thread. Thank you. Alexandra

What about the grand mythological ballets of the 18th century? And Bourrnonville's historical ballets -- Valdemar (everyone dies except the heroine who goes into a convent rather than marry her one true love) or the Valkyrie? They were very popular and the plots were certainly bloodthirsty. They still had divertissements -- something for the "groundlings" which were pure dance, and the speeches were mimed. Noverre believed that dancing could express nothing except itself -- very modern, that. And Bournonville said that dancing could express only joy. Hence, dancing was saved for the weddings, whether they were of the happy peasants before they were slaughtered, or the happy soldiers after the slaughtering. Some of Fokine's ballets were dark -- Thamar. Scheherezade isn't exactly cuddly. Tudor tried to adapt classical language to turn inward. Ashton made twilight, if not DARK ballets -- Enigma Variations and A Month in the Country. Unless you count the nods when they're introduced to each other, there isn't any mime in "Month" but the story is told clearly, and character is developed through classical dancing -- and it's turned out, turned outward, not inward. Ashton's characters express introspection while turned out. I think one of the mid and late 20th century problems is Romeo and Juliet syndrome. Everything has to be about love. Lots and lots of pas de deux and heroic lifts. Back to the 18th century, where the ballets had themes touching on all other human emotions -- jealousy, betrayal, war, matricide, greed. With what has been learned in the intervening two centuries about the possibilities of classical ballet, maybe it's time to take another look at the full range of human emotions.

I don't know know of any on the theme in recent memory -- but then, I may have forgotten one But it was a very popular theme in the 19th century. There were several ballets where a statue was awakened by an infatuated artist and the statue was brought to life (guess the genders). Alas, they're no longer performed. (Think how much fun it would have been to spend Act I as a statue while Maestro demonstrated his artistic frustration, only to have to leap to life at the very end of the act!)

Sylvia posted this on the Links forum but I thought I'd copy her post over here for discussion. Sylvia wrote: I couldn't resist posting this. It had my stomach churning more than a little... More here. If it weren't for the two Princess Diana musicals in Germany and New York and German opera that have already been staged I'd have thought this was a late April Fools joke! I'm sorry but the idea makes me go "bleh". Still I'm sure it'll be a hit.

Sylvia, I agree, especially with your last comment One comment a friend taught me comes in handy if you happen to meet a dancer whose performance you did NOT like. A simple, "Thank you for tonight" can let you be polite without being hypocritical.

Well? Well?? Well??? Don't tell me nobody went!!!

rubria, I think it's also dependent on the culture. I think what you wrote is what my German friend meant by "Americans sleep" at the theater. We're very polite. We'll clap for anything and then tear it apart during intermissions That's one of the things that drives me crazy about audiences. There are times when you can feel that they hate the piece -- especially a new work -- There's no applause during the ballet, just a sulky silence, and then at the end there are bravos all over the place. A friend explained that she's clapping for the dancers, not the work, and I can understand (and respect) that, but a good boo or too would certainly break up the boredom.

rubria, I think it's also dependent on the culture. I think what you wrote is what my German friend meant by "Americans sleep" at the theater. We're very polite. We'll clap for anything and then tear it apart during intermissions That's one of the things that drives me crazy about audiences. There are times when you can feel that they hate the piece -- especially a new work -- There's no applause during the ballet, just a sulky silence, and then at the end there are bravos all over the place. A friend explained that she's clapping for the dancers, not the work, and I can understand (and respect) that, but a good boo or too would certainly break up the boredom.

Thanks for posting that, Terry!

Well, if you ever get the chance, remember after the first 2.5 minutes, you can always close your eyes and listen to the music

Well, if you ever get the chance, remember after the first 2.5 minutes, you can always close your eyes and listen to the music