Alexandra

It's official. The press release just came in. MICHELE WILES PROMOTED TO PRINCIPAL DANCER Michele Wiles has been promoted to Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre, it was announced yesterday by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Wiles received her early training in Washington, D.C. At the age of ten, she received a full scholarship to the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. where she studied for six years. Wiles also participated in the summer programs at The Joffrey Ballet and The Royal Ballet before joining American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company in 1997. Wiles joined American Ballet Theatre in 1998 and was promoted to Soloist in August 2000. Her roles with the Company include Gamzatti in La Bayadère, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Medora in Le Corsaire, Myrta in Giselle and the title roles in Raymonda and Sylvia. She has also danced leading roles in George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Symphony in C and Theme and Variations, Twyla Tharp’s The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Martha Graham’s Diversion of Angels, Jirí Kylián’s Petite Mort and Sinfonietta and William Forsythe’s workwithinwork

There are now two new forums (well, new/old forums; we had them a few years ago): one for Ballet News and one for Issues in Ballet. What goes there? In Ballet News: Ballet Competition results; a new Artistic Director is appointed; La Sublmova died; FY 2006 budget slashes arts funding In Issues iin Ballet: Should there be ballet competitions? What do artistic diectors do? What will we do without La Sublimova!!! Arts funding in the U.S. I've moved some posts, mostly from Anything Goes, into this forum. There's no way to leave a redirect arrow. If you're looking for the discussion on Salaries, for example, check the Issues forum. I've also moved posts out of Anything goes BACK to Discovering the Art (formerly Discovering Ballet). There's a lot of interesting stuff there -- take a look!

I think I've read that, too. Perhaps that was true when the ballet was created, but when Farrell left the company, Balanchine wanted to keep the ballet and so cast Kay Mazzo and Sara Leland in it. (That's merely an educated guess, of course.)

Yes, Clare Croft's review in the Washington Post mentioned that Farrell was the only one who had danced the role, but "Repertory in Review" lists Mazzo and Leland (presumably after Farrell had left the company). I wondered how off-center they were? And good to read you, leibling!

Thank you for the update, Estelle. When I saw that Charles Jude was to be a judge at the Moscow Ballet competition, I wondered what had happened to this case.

I forgot that there is a DVD of some of the company's dancers in the Bournonville Schools (classes). It was sold at the Festival; I don't know if it's yet generally available.

Nary a one. There was a "Napoli" VHS that's no longer in circulation and a "La Sylphide" that was on videodisk, and that's it. There aren't any even in Copenhagen -- the first time I went there I was sure I'd find a treasure trove, but there aren't any. There are quite a few ballets that were shown on Danish TV from the 1960s on, but they haven't been released and I was told it's unlikely that they would be, because of union problems (paying royalties to the dancers and the musicians).

I've been rereading "Repertory in Review" on "Don Quixote" and found it interesting that there was exactly the same divide, at least among critics, in 1965 as there was this week. Some people thought it dull, some though it fascinating. Some thought the score sounded like "movie music", some simply ugly and unmelodic, some thought it very fine. Some found the ballet so dark as to be depressing and distasteful, others thought it mystical and life affirming. Everything I read in "Rep in Review" I heard in the Kennedy Center lobby or read on this board -- and that, in itself, is interesting, I think.

You couldn't walk through the intermission crowd at the Kennedy Center this week during the run of Suzanne Farrell's revival of Balanchine's "Don Quixote" without hearing people, puzzled people, wondering when they'd start seeing the Don Q they remembered from other companies. This led to a conversation about Balanchine faced with that other score, which led to the only logical conclusion -- a new book called: "Balanchine's Minkus!" the sequel to the wonderful "Balanchine's Tchaikovsky" Any other sequels dying to be written?

No! Sob! Odd that they're starting with the 3rd solo -- before the pas de six? This is one I'd like to see all the solodancers (except Noack -- I don't think of him as a virtuoso). Regarding that third solo, there was an article in one of the Danish papers that when Kronstam first did that solo in rehearsal the dancers all burst into cheers, so I always wanted to see it! I'd like to see Sand (the Swanhilda) and Schanne (the Sylph) and Ruth Andersen (very musical) too. It's an incredible cast -- the way Napoli used to be cast, I can't help but say And the tarantella in the '50s was really wild. I'm really jealous. I'll try not to hate all of you!

I just happened to know that one! Editing to add: Here's a link to the company's staff page. He's listed under artistic staff.

He's a ballet master at Ballet Arizona. (Artistic director, Ib Andersen.)

My first season I went to my first ballet almost by chance -- I organized a small group of friends to see a Nureyev and Friends program out of curiosity. We were in our mid-20s and trying to be more "grown up" (about time!) and take advantage of all the cultural events and arts programs Washington offered. I was immediately enchanted and started reading, went to New York to see a few programs and subscribed. But I was still normal The first company on the subscription was ABT -- two weeks, six programs. Ah, those were the days1 I bought tickets to every program, then the casting was released and I realized I wasn't getting either Kirkland or Baryshnikov in six out of 14 tries. The more I saw, the more I wanted to see, and the more I read. By the time New York City Ballet (the second company on the subscription, three weeks, nine programs) came, I was buying tickets for nearly every night -- every program, every cast. Orchestra seats were $10.90 back then, and I had a real job and could afford them By the end of the season, I was an addict. More stories, please! There are a lot of obsessed people posting here and you all have a story!! We want to know

Thanks for posting that, Jim. I'm sure someone will. The salaries should be on line somewhere, I think, from the unions, but I don't have the URLs for those. If someone does, I hope you'll post.

You're probably thinking of Tim Sholl's ""Sleeping Beauty," A Legend in Progress," published by Yale University Press. (You can get it through Amazon; click the link at the top of the page.)

Jack, the "Allegro Brillante" link was pointed out to me by a dancer friend, who found it in "the groupings in the Courante Sicilienne." He also caught a whiff of "Brahms Schoenberg" in the dream sequence. I think most of the second act is a close cousin of "Sonnambula" -- the decadence and cruelty (which they could emphasize more ); the visionary guest -- here a knight, there a poet, but both are Outsiders; the actual divertissements. They're structurally similar -- little dances with a character favor, not virtuoso set pieces. "Serenade" -- the idea of a woman leading a man who cannot see, guiding him to his destiny. As for Davidsbundlertanze -- the ballets are thematically related, I think. The huge black, accusatory Quills in Davidsbundler are the secular version of the stern, disapproving clerics in Don Q, and Farrell's last solo in Davidsbundler has some steps and ports de bra that also appear in the last solo for Dulcinea. There are others, but those are a few.

I saw the opening (Wed), Thursday night and just got back from the Saturday matinee. It's starting to jell. Today's performance was much more alive than the opening. I think it's a great work; there's nothing else like it, in Balanchine's oeuvre or out of it. I'd expected a modernistic experimental work, having read about what a failure it was. But it's not experimental in the usual sense of the word. It builds on Bournonville (there's bits of "Folk Tale" in it), Fokine and Petipa, but with 20th century choreography. There are references to other Balanchine ballets, both those which would have been known in 1965 ("La Sonnambula," "Serenade," "Allegro Brillante,") and those to come, most notably "Davidsbundlertanze." The dancers are beginning to be relaxed in it, and some of the divertissement dancing this afternoon was very good indeed.

Yes, that's the one. Too bad about "Folk Tale" (although, Heaven knows, some who know only the current production may well look at this one and be disappointed. The new one is so much more lively. The old one isn't a kiddie ballet.) Most of the Bournonville ballets -- even the Far From Denmark and Kermesse -- were televised in the 1980s, and there is some footage back to the first group that visited Jacob's Pillow in 1950. I'm always suffering Bournonville withdrawal, and so I'm jealous.

There may be two of them (or more) but the one Schanne "Sylphide" film that I know is her farewell performance (with Flemming Flindt as James and Niels Kehlet and Jorn Madsen dancing the first act solos -- they weren't danced by Gurn and James originally). It's a fascinating performance. Nobody jumps like Schanne did today. There are so many Napolis I don't know what you'll get. The one I hope you'll see is the 1977 "Folk Tale" with Kronstam, Sorella Englund (Hilda) and Vivi Flindt (Birthe). It's quite different from the current production

I'm glad London got to see Schandorff's Sylph! thanks for the casting, Jane.

Thanks for posting that, Marga -- and thanks for asking, Jennymi17! I'm going to close this thread, so we won't have two conversations going on about the competition.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH to those who've responded, and for those who have not (which is most of you ) just a quick reminder -- this fundraiser is what pays the bills. People have been very responsive my please for help in the past two years, and I hope you'll continue to be so. Ballet Talk doesn't charge admission, and hopes never to have to do that, but there are fees for keeping this board in operation that need to be paid if it is to continue. Thanking you in advance , Alexandra

Thank you so much for posting this, dachnitsa. I've been very curious about this program -- I always dreamed of seeing the Bolshoi dance Massine ballets -- especially the symphonic ones (like "Les Presages"). They have the heroic style for it.

Joan Lawson has a book on mime -- I doubt it will be in bookstores, but it may be available through used book stores at Amazon. (Don't remember the title, but search for the author.)

Hi Ally 1990 -- congratulations! That's exciting news! (And welcome to Ballet Talk). You will probably get better answers if you post this on our sister site Ballet Talk for Dancers Post your question on their Cross Talk forum. This site is to talk about ballet performances we see, while the other site is for dancers -- students and professionals. (You'll have to register there as well, but you'll be most welcome.)