Alexandra

Tim Page's review of the Kirov-Mariinski ballet and opera gala contains this about Tchaikovsky. What do you think? "Coming to terms with Tchaikovsky is a puberty rite for many listeners. Upon first hearing, we love him for the unbridled passion and grandeur of his music. Later on, we may go through a phase when it all seems a bit much -- the swooping strings, the hypercharged emotionalism, the intense subjectivity -- and react against him. Finally, in what passes for full maturity, we return to Tchaikovsky and discover him once again, this time for keeps. By now, we are willing to forgive some occasional bursts of effusion so long as we can savor those marvelous warm melodies and lose ourselves in his eternally inventive orchestration."

You raise some of the most interesting questions, Calliope I think in the 1960s companies were smaller -- no more than 60 dancers (of course, the great companies in Paris and Russia were always much larger). I wonder if another problem, too, is that each ballet now seems to have three casts, each getting 2 performances each. In the 1950s and 1960s, ballets generally had one cast, with understudies. I noticed this when I was looking at the Danish cast and repertory lists; I believe that in London the situation was the same. It would be possible to have 60 or 70 ballets in repertory and rehearse them thoroughly if there weren't so many casts. Dancers would also have a chance to become comfortable in their roles. In the goodolddays, stars would dance the same role throughout a career -- Fonteyn did over 200 Auroras. When I was compiling Kronstam's role list, there were many roles that he did well over 100 times. It would be interesting to study NYCB cast and repertory lists in the '50s, '60s and '70s and see what the stats are. Anyone in grad school looking for a paper topic?

I feel I must pop in here. I'm sorry if you were offended, but I think that is a misreading of what Ed wrote, and a misreading of Ed, who is a long time member of this board and would not knowingly offend a fruit fly (no offense, of course, to fruit flies). He doesn't like "Lord of the Dance"-type shows and he won't have them in his imaginary theater. That's his right. This isn't an attack on the Irish nation. If someone said they didn't want Russian ballet in their theater would that raise a furor? Or if someone had just seen a night of a Bournonville ballet and hated it, would saying "I'll never go to see anything with 'Danish' in the title again?" be seen as offensive? We cannot have a discussion group if everyone is constantly worrying if something they say or any time they mention a particular country or group, or age or gender, may possibly offend someone, and while we strive very hard to have a pleasant, civil board, and everyone who posts should keep in mind that there are people from many nations, ages, races and genders who read the board, I do not want to enforce extreme political correctness. I would suggest in the future that if a remark you read here is "offensive" that you PM the person and keep your objections private. If anyone has a problem with this policy, or would like to make further comments, please feel free to email me: at@balletalert.com Please return this thread to the topic [ February 20, 2002: Message edited by: alexandra ]

After having just seen Sologub's "Serenade" at the Kirov opera-ballet gala tonight, I'd be curious to see her "Giselle." I'll post more on it tomorrow, but wanted to put in a good word for her tonight

Did anyone go? Rachel Howard had an interesting piece -- more than a review, an essay on how dancers can make a difference in a ballet. Gathering thoughts on S.F. Ballet's 'Dances' Talent runs deep through all levels of the San Francisco Ballet roster right now, and city ballet lovers find ourselves in that oddly enviable situation in which the opening night or "first" cast of a given piece is usually not the most interesting. It happened again with Jerome Robbins' "Dances at a Gathering" this month. http://www.examiner.com/ex_files/default.j...ry=X0219DANCESw

Yes, the "Giselle" camerawork is maddening. Especially the part where it seems as though they've strapped a camera to Bruhn's head so that you can see what he sees when he does a double air turn. The '60s were a time of experimentation

Indepth coverage at CNN/Sports Illustrated's site. Lots of skating stuff there. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2002/

Colleen -- who knows! Maybe you were the inspiration

dirac wrote: Music, choreography -- yecchh. I'm afraid I thought it was all pretty awful, and the kind of thing that makes sports enthusiasts deride skating competitions. For a few examples of said derision, see the links I posted on the Fragility of Judging thread.

Doing a links search for the Olympics is most edifying. I was thrilled to learn the U.S. was beating the pants off Norway in the medals race. USA Today seems has very comprehensive coverage Instead of listing the many articles, here's a link to their Olympics frontpage http://www.usatoday.com/olympics/saltlake/front.htm

Kwan in Eye of the Storm Veteran Skater Is Composed, Reflective About Medals, Life The pixies are out on the ice today, their sparkles sparkling, their spangles all spangled, their ruffles fluffed to exact specifications. This is just a practice, but it is the last practice before the ladies singles figure skating competition begins Tuesday, and the judges are here watching. So it is important to look just so. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2002Feb18.html

After the Falls French, Russians Stay Upright for Gold, Silver In ice dancing, controversy is expected. Falls are not. So it was surprising tonight that a pair of stumbles among the top four couples far overshadowed a conclusion to the Olympic ice dance competition that didn't reflect a single change in order among the top eight skaters. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2002Feb19.html

I know they're aiming for humor, but I think the first of these two articles in today's Post about ice dancing is over the top. The second skates down the line Dancing Foolishness I swear on my Olympic media credential that I will not write about figure skating or anything to do with figure skating again -- and this includes ice dancing -- after tonight. But given that skating czar Ottavio Cinquanta, who has been on TV more this week than Bob Costas, held yet another news conference Monday, this one to announce a new scoring system for judges that should guard against cheating, I figured I owed it to you to come up with a scoring system of my own. For example, any man who clutches a stuffed animal in the kiss and cry area while waiting for the judges' scores automatically has two-tenths of a point deducted from his total. Any man who reminds me of Fabio, Milli or Vanilli is automatically penalized three-tenths of a point. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2002Feb18.html I'll Be the Judge of That! I haven't had any nibbles to become a figure skating judge, and I thought sure I would, based on my demonstrable tendency to stress personal preference over actual performance, not to mention a quite legendary refusal to see both sides of any issue. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2002Feb18.html

There were complaints in New York (and, I think, London) as well in Washington about the high extensions and arabesques of the new generation of Kirov dancers. Like most things in ballet, there are at least two poles of opinion on this. One is: the 90-degree arabesque is not only part of the choregraphy, the whole ballet is about harmony and moderation. Therefore, extreme technique is out of place here. If Petipa had wanted virtuosity from Aurora, he would have given her fouettes. The second position is: ballet evolves. Dancers of each generation push it to the max. This is nothing new. What do you think?

Vagansmom wrote: "Ice dance changed their rules following "Bolero". I've always felt that it was a step backwards rather than forwards." I am by no means an expert on ice dance. I watched those Torvill and Dean Olympics and was enchanted by them, too. They appeared in DC several times, with their own ice shows and at what was then the NutraSweet Professional Championships. I got to write about them a few times for the Post, but I never pretended to be a sports writer, just a dance critic. I do remember the controversy, though, and vagansmom's statement raises an interesting question. As I remember it, people were worried that ice dancing would move away from "sport" to "art" with everybody doing what were essentially concert dance numbers. The rules had been built, as I understand it, on ballroom dancing. That's why there are specific rhythms, and that's why there was the rule that the music had to be something you could dance to in a ballroom. I think that was what was controversial and rulebreaking about "Bolero." They got by, technically, that it was a bolero, i.e., a dance rhythm. Bloomberg and Seibert (sp?) did Scheherezade, which could not be danced in a ballroom. Which brings us to the question, is it a step forward or backward? As with most things, I can argue both ways Backward for art, but probably forward for sport.

I wondered that, too, Mme. Hermine (and THANK YOU for posting a topic suggested by something on Links!!!). Perhaps the ballet just doesn't hold together for her? She explains "problematic classic": "A somewhat willing 1929 collaboration by Balanchine, Prokofiev and Georges Rouault, engineered by Diaghilev for his Ballets Russes, "Prodigal Son" is a rough-edged evocation of the biblical story as depicted in a series of Russian pictures." I hadn't thought of it as a series of pictures before -- I agree with that. There are a lot of European 19th century ballets that are organized by "picture" instead of "scene". I've always thought that it was a conscious way of storytelling -- putting out "pictures" along the way and bringing them to life. But it isn't an organized, linear method of storytelling. I don't think that's a flaw, just a different way of doing it. Anyone else?

I think the 4th Ring Society is one of the good ideas in marketing. There are people who are intimidated by going to the ballet, and this is giving them a place where they know they'll be comfortable -- with "people like us". I can still remember the first time I went to the Met (to see Nureyev with the National Ballet of Canada). It was my second performance ever, and I bought matinee tickets because I felt I didn't belong there -- it was like going to a strange church. I wouldn't know when to kneel and how much money to put in the collection Somehow, I thought I'd fit in better at a matinee

Ken, I was sitting fairly close and so perhaps saw more of the mannerisms and facial expressions. (Or just reacted to them differently. ) The way she turned her head right on the music at the end of the fish dive and grinned (in a very studied way), the use of the hands, the pursed lips. By "old-fashioned" the best I can do is she reminded me of matinees at ABT or National Ballet of Canada during the 1970s. It's not the best description. More important, for me, there was no magic or poetry.

Thank you for that, Sylvia. That's much more than I got from CNN today

Since I couldn't go (I was covering the Kirov all weekend) I'd love to read from those who saw the Mark Morris concert at George Mason. "V" was on the menu. Ltraiger? Anyone? (Bill T. Jones was here, too, of course. If anyone saw that.)

Thank you, Sylvia!

Kathleen O'Connell wrote: "However, at NYCB I have been exactly the same age as everyone on line at the ladies' room for about 25 years now ..." Exactly! And yet, when I started going to the ballet, also around 25 years ago, I read that there was alarm because the average age of the NYCB subscriber was 55. (The only conclusion I can draw from this is that women over 55 don't use the ladies room )

No one's posted about the ice dancing? I missed it because I was at the Kirov (and then writing about the Kirov. I just finished with the editor as it ended.) I don't even know who won! Reports, please.

No one wants to take on Nioradze? To me, she wasn't particularly suited to the role, and danced it in a rather old-fashioned way, but my objections were to her mannerisms which seemed a Trocksworthy parody of a ballerina. I hope we'll have more reviews -- Bard's Ballerina was there. Juliet, did you go back? (You should have seen Korsuntsev. The third act costume has a beautiful cumerband. I didn't see it on other men because their torsos were so short, the blouse billowed out and covered it.) Korsuntsev wasn't ideal as the Prince, in my view, but he did stand out in the second act, if not quite dominate it, and I thought he danced his solo very well. Two of my friends rather liked Nioradze, another wouldn't go back if she were on stage. Both views, and anything in between, are very welcome here (or on any thread).

I second (third) the Bravas -- Kathleen, thank you for giving us your free evening. It's a wonderful review. I always love reading such detailed reports of performances I can't see -- it helps to keep up with what's going on. Thank you More please!