Alexandra

What makes the situation in England interesting is that Dowell's last season was a very traditional one -- and it was (judged by what I read on the internet ) successful with both critics and fans. If someone had come in two years ago as a Mr. Shake It Up, the changes may not seem so stark. But we do need to give him at least a year (Effy, I think the Danish model, with a director in charge of a production, the way a director in the theater is in charge of a production, with the extra responsibility of teaching/coaching the parts step by step, is unique. Or was unique.)

LMCTech, they aren't the same kind of companies. I think that question falls into the category of comparing apples and oranges. Someone could be the best Director in the history of time at Company X, but that doesn't mean they'd hack it at the Bolshoi or the Royal or NYCB.

I think that what happened in Copenhagen may well become a "model" (a bad one) for other companies with tradition, as well. There are signs of similar policies and choices at Paris Opera and Covent Garden. I don't know enough about what's going on in Russia to write about it -- we know there's been upheaval, but how deep it's gone is hard to say. One thing I'm sick of hearing (along with "standing classicism on its head!!!" "kicking ballet's butt into the 21st century!!!!) is "My job is to shake the company up." Says who? Have you ever read that about a new opera company director, or a new conductor? If there are shakeups in institutions, it's to get rid of dead wood, or make it clear to people that they actually have to show up at rehearsals themselves, not send a student, etc. It's not to turn the place upside down, bring in one's friends, invite the three choreographers one knows personally to stage the repertory, etc etc That may be fine for newer companies that don't yet have a tradition worth saving, but it's the wrong path for institutions. You can see it coming, like snow building to an avalanche, and when the avalanche finally falls, and the people who made the bad appointments start pointing fingers at each other -- or, as happened in Copenhagen, at the "childish" dancers -- it's very frustrating to watch. It's more than seeing a favorite dancers taken off roles. (And the notion that it's good to get rid of dancers to give others a chance is a perfect way to go if you want to guarantee constant turnover, instability, and the inability of a strong tradition to grow.) Lara, I agree -- the Mukhamedov comments were one red flag for me, the Wildor ones another. And it's Stress Rotten, not Stressed Rotten, the active rather than the passive form. That's been known for some time, in the States as well as in London. (Apparently the Royal Ballet dancers give everyone a nickname, and often they're not flattering. They aren't picking on Stretton.)

Great topic, Wendy -- but no one will be able to top "Swan Lake Men of God" I did the same search the first weekend I was on the internet -- it seemed like a logical place to start to find ballet sites. I was struck by the number of resorts with the name (and the number of skaters' web sites it turned up, too). I hope someone with extra time on his or her hands will do a zip code or goggle search for other ballet towns, as Wendy suggests.

While I agree that any new director needs to be given a chance, there are early signs that are disturbing. The Nadine Meisner interview looked rather like early damage control. And with all due respect to the Australian Ballet, the RB's tradition includes great native choreography -- any company has noses-out-of-joint problems, yes. But putting Ashton in a vault and dragging out a few ballets in four years for his centennial is, to me, a danger signal. Also, the notion that Tudor/Cranko are interchangeable "British choreographers" for Ashton/MacMillan indicates that Stretton isn't looking at his job as upholding any traditions -- and yes, he may well have been hired to do just that. (I don't mean that there's a quality difference, although arguments could be made, but Tudor and Cranko aren't part of the Royal tradition, so getting them to fill some British choreographer quota really misses the point.) As for Stephen Baynes being on the level of Ashton and Balanchine. Piffle! (Great word, Katharyn.) All this said, we still won't know how Stretton will do until he does it. I'd argue that casting principals in principal roles is not a bad thing, especially if he moves away from the Anybody Who Can Do the Steps Can Do the Role mindset. He shouldn't be judged until the end of the season, when he's not only got a whole season behind him, but the next season's plans are out. But it doesn't hurt to keep an eye on how the canary in the coal mine is doing.

A press release from Dance Books: Dance Books is pleased to announce publication of "Classical Ballet Terms, an illustrated dictionary" by Richard Glasstone. TITLE: CLASSICAL BALLET TERMS SUBTITLE: An illustrated dictionary ISBN: 1 85273 080 3 PRICE: GBP10.00 Author: Richard Glasstone PUBLISHER: Dance Books Ltd PUBLICATION DATE: October 2001 CATEGORY: Dance SPECIFICATIONS: Paperback 100 pages 238 x 165mm 2 colour cover DESCRIPTION: Wherever ballet is taught in the world, and in whatever language, it retains one common denominator: the technical terms used are in French, deriving in part from the rules laid down at the time of Louis XIV. Yet there are many discrepancies in the perceived meaning, spelling, and usage between various countries and teaching methods, and this dictionary aims to prevent confusion by explaining the precise meanings of over 560 of the French technical terms used in classical ballet. The dictionary is unique in that it addresses the problems of correct spelling and grammar, such as the fact that French nouns have a gender with which he adjectives qualifying them must agree. These details may be relatively unimportant to the average dancer, but it is essential that they should be correctly applied when dealing with the printed word. While most of the entries are concerned with the correct translation and basic explanation of technical terms, there are also extended entries which trace both the historical background and the linguistic origins of particular aspects of ballet terminology, such as the one on The Orientation of the Body in Space. The dictionary is an essential reference work not only for ballet dancers and teachers, but for all audience members who wish to have a better technical understanding of this most elegant of art forms.It is enhanced by many photographs, by Simon Rae-Scott, of Michael Clarke, Francesca Franchi, and Philip Broomhead. RICHARD GLASSTONE is a graduate of the Dance Department at Cape Town University. He has worked internationally as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Glasstone was Resident Choreographer and Principal Teacher of the Turkish State Ballet from 1965 - 1969, before being invited by Dame Ninette de Valois to join the staff of The Royal Ballet School. During his 15 years there he held the posts of Senior Teacher for Boys and Director of the Dance Composition Course; he also choreographed numerous ballets for the students, in which many noted dancers of The Royal Ballet company made their stage debuts. Richard Glasstone now teaches at The Rambert School in London. He has written several books on ballet and has contributed articles to the International Encyclopaedia of Dance and the International Dictionary of Ballet, and writes regularly for Dance Now and the Dancing Times. Details and ordering facilities can be found at: http://www.dancebooks.co.uk/new.shtml

Thanks for posting that, Jack. I missed this one, but saw a lecture demonstration by Farrell with Washington Ballet a couple of years ago, which was very similar.

Ken, I'm with you on this -- but it may be a generational thing. 20/20 (I think, or one of the other news shows) did a feature on sex and image a few years ago, with grade school kids. They showed someone who looked like Mary Tyler Moore -- the "nice girl" of the 1950s and she was judged sort of haughty and not very nice. Then they showed someone who could be a pin up girl in a not nice at all magazine and they all smiled -- "SHE looks real friendly," was the consensus.

Samba, I don't know anything about him. A presenter is quite different, and has different problems, from an executive director of a ballet company (the presenter gets the package gift-wrapped, so to speak, and doesn't have to worry about what the company goes through to perform on a tour). But he may well know that I have a soft spot for anyone who majored in dance at college. I wish him and the company all best -- they deserve some calm.

Thank you for posting that. I'm going to move it to News; I think more people will see it there.

That was my thought, too, dirac (that opera fans expect it). I think that is the pressure on the critics and on newspapers. I can't imagine a daily newspaper allowing such a detailed review of a ballet today. The whole idea is that it has to be written for a general audience (not a general dance audience, but the idea that everyone out there will pick up a paper and read a dance review and have to understand it).

Thanks for these reviews -- Giannina, I don't know what you did to Next to coax her to post, but please keep it up Jacqueline, welcome. There are people here who have been going to the ballet forever and people who have just fallen in love with it, and both are equally welcome. I hope you post often.

NextStage posted this on Links, but I thought I'd bring it over here for discussion. Lewis Segal talks about how casting affects performances/what the audience sees: "Dancing the Role Tonight will be..." http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-L...l-45227,00.html

Never fear, Giannina. They probably won't have him under house arrest

Dale put this up on Links, but I thought I'd double post it here on News for comments: Malakhov signs with Berlin Ballet http://www.faz.com/IN/INtemplates/eFAZ/doc...F-9E5C8DC13DDA}

One of the last Diaghilevians. Estelle put up lots of links to British obits on Links. Was anyone a reader of Buckle? I have his collection, and some of his reviews are among the funniest I've ever read. I cherish one where he imagines himself the village weakling while watching the dangerous acrobatics of a visiting folk dance troupe. There could also be a nasty undertone to his work as well. Comments on Mr. Buckle and his passing?

There was an interesting review of a new production of Bellini's "Norma" in the NYTimes yesterday. Reading it, it struck me that one wouldn't read a review of a ballet performance this detailed, that the entire context from which this reviewer is absent from ballet. What do you think? Wagnerian Voice Reaches for 'Norma' Some may wonder what Ms. Eaglen, a renowned Wagnerian, is doing singing a bel canto role like Norma. Actually, precedent is on her side. Though Wagner placed enormous demands on his singers for power and stamina, he embraced the principles of the bel canto vocal tradition: arching lyricism, sustained legato and evenness of sound throughout a wide range. Lilli Lehmann, the most acclaimed soprano in the first generation of Wagner singers, was as famous for her Norma as for her Brünnhilde. Ms. Eaglen is following in that tradition. The lyrical elegance she brings to her Brünnhilde and Isolde is no doubt the product of her work in bel canto, and she is understandably reluctant to put aside a role like Norma. For the entire review, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/13/arts/mus...rchpv=past7days

Thank you very much for posting that, Lolly. I'm glad you found it interesting and inspiring, and it was good to read about the dancers. I think the company does several of these throughout the season, so please tell us about them if you see another.

Thank you for that, Sonora. I think that Bournonville only looks contemporary when the stager can make the dancers believe in it, and make it live. I think both Ib Andersen and Nikolaj Hubbe, from the little I've seen, can do that. (I wish I were there! I hope you'll report on the performances and post links to reviews, if you can.) I should note, too, that Zippora Karz staged some Balanchine for Goucher College, near Baltimore. I didn't attend, but several colleagues who did gave glowing reports -- and had no preconceived notions, either. It's wonderful to know there's the possibility of a (relatively) young stager beginning to spread her wings.

That's a good question -- and you're welcome to post in the general area of the board any time, koshka. I don't know of an organization, such as the Salvation Army, but there are dance schools that have scholarship students (I have a friend who runs one in D.C.; all of her students are scholarship and many genuinely impoverished). Perhaps your teacher would know of such a school in your area? If she doesn't, a call to a local middle school or high school might bear some fruit. Anyone with other ideas?

Dirac posted this on Links, but I thought I'd put it here, too, to make this thread more complete. Jean Battey Lewis (who is not a Moonie, please, before anyone starts) in the Washington Times: http://www.washtimes.com/arts/20011006-348835.htm (Note: Lewis only gets to do one piece a week, on Saturday, either a preview or a review. This is, I thought, an extremely clever way of doing both!)

Ken, aside from just plain differences of opinion, I think all viewing is comparative: we match pictures. I thought the audience seemed content -- not ecstatic (but there certainly were more of them. I didn't see either Saturday performance, but it was much better attended than the weeknight performances I attended. I also find Fournier impassive. There's a heaviness, a stolidness, about her dancing, to me. And I thought Scotch was off Friday, too, though more on Boal's part than Goh's. I thought she was more relaxed, more playful (and more playing with the music). I put it down partly to not enough rehearsal, partly that Boal isn't a very good partner, and partly because he's six years older than he was the last time I saw him dance the role, which he doesn't dance with NYCB, at least not regularly. I think Duo is more in his current repertory, which may be why those performances were stronger. As for the Apollo, all I can say is that two other people I spoke with who'd seen the first one had the same reaction I did. As I posted earlier, I hadn't seen Boal do Apollo in years, so I don't know what his more recent interpretations had been like.

The final performance (Sunday afternoon) was a bit of a fizzle. The dancers seemed tired and the afternoon was flat. But it looks like a company now. The different ages and training and bodies of the mini-corps weren't as glaring in "Scotch" as they were opening night. I thought Boal's "Apollo" was very different from his first a few evenings before, much more a traditional reading. Friday evening, the second performance of Sonnambula that I saw was much tighter than the opener, and probably isn't that far removed from what City Ballet does, but still without the atmosphere or the detail that this ballet can have. I liked Boal very much in Duo, with Magnicaballi. I had a different reaction from Samba (and yes, we were sitting fairly close ) I thought she had been the dominant partner when dancing with Runqiao Du, yet seemed very junior when dancing with Boal. What these two weeks have shown, to me, that companies and dancers need performances to grow. I hate to say that Goh "improved" from performance to performance, because she's a fine dancer. But these were unfamiliar ballets, and her dancing became freer and more interesting as she got used to them. (Good coaching isn't following dancers around with corrections. Often a coach will leave a dancer alone after opening night, unless there's one point that really needs to be clarified, to let a dancer find his or her own way.) The corps, as I mentioned, began to meld into a corps -- I have to say I think this company is far too small and young to think about promoting the apprentices. I had criticized last season's Farrell venture for giving us every dancer in every role, usually with a different partner, at each performance. I was glad to see it more settled this time. I don't think a company can program for people who go to every performance; that's a tiny minority. If we get bored seeing the same person more than twice, well, tough I don't see how the company can continue as a two-month autumn venture, though. I hope it's possible that the company will have a stronger structure (general manager, fundraiser) so that it can grow.

Andrea, first, run a search on something like Google or AltaVista or Excite -- or run several -- and see what you turn up. I don't think there are books on either Kylian or Forsythe yet, at least not in English (I may well be wrong about this). If your library has Ballett International, a bilingual English-German magazine, you'll find a lot of information about both choreographers over the years -- features and reviews. (Also, the best bet for a research paper is to ask your research librarian at your local or school library.) There have also been articles over the years on both choreographers in Ballet Review, Dance Now and (to a lesser extent) Dance Magazine. Also check the appropriate company web sites -- Frankfurt Ballet for Forsythe and Nederlands Dance Theatre for Kylian. (For the urls, go to www.balletcompanies.com ) That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Others?

Thanks for that news, Megy. I hope you'll post details of this, and other performances you see, during the season.