Alexandra

You know, that is such a good idea, it's a genius idea. And he has a familial tie to the art form, too!!! Is there a part in St. Louis Woman for him?

(Ari posted this on Links, but I]m copying it over for discussion. This is a company dear to many of us, and we'll want to keep an eye on how they fare.) Dance Theater of Harlem may have to disband if it does not raise $2.5 million by the end of June.

Welcome, Noreen and thanks for your comment! The balance among principals is odd, isn't it? There are some companies that have almost too many male princpals and need ballerinas, and vice versa. What have you particularly enjoyed (or not!) this season?

A mime is a terrible thing to waste

I think the first two shots, especially, show the difference between Kronstam's Poet at 20 and Poet at 40. The younger one is all wonder -- "Who is this creature? I've never seen anyone like her." The older one is desperate. He may not have seen her, but he's been waiting for her all his life and she will not pay attention to him. I wish I could have seen Laerkesen's Sleepwalker. If you find any more, rg, don't be shy..... it's a good example, I think, of how there can be many different, equally beautiful, deep and meaningful, interpretations of the same ballet.

The way to react, in this forum, is to discuss the question -- tell us why you admire Mezentzeva, discuss the reasons, not to personally insult posters who disagree with you. Future posts in that vein will be deleted. Canbelto posted some very reasonable questions, and specific examples of what she did not like, and I hope that there will be others who admire Mezentzeva who could give another view and explain how they view those particular performances, or aspects of her dancing, as well as some examples of what they especially admire.

I like the "plausible impossibility" rule -- thank you, Mel (and for such a good example of it). I came late to the mid-century Soviet revisions. It was like looking at history backwards -- all of the "Freudian" Western interpretations of "Swan Lake" (led by Nureyev and Bruhn) and later "Raymonda" seemed suddenly much less revolutionary, and I wondered that people who HAD seen the Bournmeister and the Grigorovich versions in their salad days should have thought them so. I think at the time, people grabbed the Freudian thread -- sex first, second and third. But looking at these productions now, I think their choreographers and dramaturgs were trying to bring ballet into line with developments in painting; abstraction replacing first representational art, then even abstract expressionism. (Now, or course, one doesn't need an aesthetic. One merely needs a collection of Notions.) My position has always been that mime looks silly when it's delivered without conviction. The Bolshoi's "Bayadere," which they brought to DC a few years ago, had one of the most garbled narratives I've ever seen, and partly it was because the dancers were gesturing at each other, but they weren't using mime gestures. So it was as though they were saying, "Tank handkerchief murder murder murder love" -- with appropriate glowers, or pitters of the heart, perhaps, but I reacted to it as though I were hearing Romeo say, treating each syllable as though it were a pearl, "Hark! Desist! Juliet is the snow and cows battereth butterbeans."

"Allegro Brillante" doesn't need a "plot". "Swan Lake" does. I think any dramatic ballet should tell its story clearly, and not be embarrassed doing so. I don't think anyone is saying that people go for the plot, but rather that in a narrative ballet, there should be a palpable, clear narrative. Otherwise, just do "Raymonda Variations." Do it three times, change the costumes. Who will know?

In the photos RG posted in the Ballet History forum, both Danilova and Krassovska have "pasts" -- you can see it in their eyes. There are photos of Schanne (also a mature dancer when she first did the role) that have the same expression. Impassive, but not blank, and a living, breathing woman and not an Ideal. About Danilova's illusion -- I think part of it, too, was that, especially in the 1940s and '50s, the notion of a woman carrying a man was .... surprising? Noteworthy? Out of the ordinary? In the reviews of the Royal Danish Ballet's tour of the States in 1956, every single newspaper review outside of New York (where both critics and audiences were familiar with the ballet) led with that ending, and some reviews devoted half their space to the ending. I think you've hit on something, comparing Danilova's (non) walk on pointe to Fonteyn's (non) holding a balance -- when you see something you haven't seen before, the mind holds the experience as Extraordinary, and perhaps Fish Story Effect takes hold. I've also read early reviews of Nureyev that claim he did an entrechat vingt, or jumped 8 feet high and held it in the air.

Just a quick note: Irina Kolpakova is generally very admired here both as a great ballerina (especially for her Aurora) and, today, as a coach. And a general comment on the thread: We want to foster an atmosphere on this forum where people aren't afraid to say what they think. And so while we're happy to have strong opinions here, we ask that you state them positively: say what you admire about the artist, rather than insulting or dismissing those who disagree, please.

Yes, exactly. One sees that a lot, I'm afraid. My favorite (least favorite) example is the Fancy Frees I've seen where the pas de deux is danced at full throttle, as though they're warming up for "Romeo and Juliet." Terrific! But if the girl is that passionate, how can she shrug her shoulders and walk away at the end? It should be a flirtation, with both of them wondering if this could possibly lead anywhere. And I've seen the conflicting ones, too. What if Albrecht takes the Sincere, though Forgetful, Lover approach, while Giselle decides she's the town hooker? Bathilde has carefully worked out her interpretation: she really wants to join the convent, but her father is making her marry, while Giselle's mother is in cahoots with Hilarion to sell Courland's deer on the black market.....

Well, that's my take on things I love the toes groping the stage -- thank you for that. I saw her mostly with Evgeny Neff (an apt partner); when I saw Zaklinsky, he was usually with Asylmuratova, and I thought they were a very fine partnership. I once was at a reception with dance students in their late teens, and I remember asking one which ballerina she most admired. "Mezentseva," she said, unhesitatingly. "Why?" I said, trying to maintain an impassive, though bright and intrigued, expression. "Oh, the technique, the artistry. Her beauty. Everything." "Oh," I said. "She's so THIN," said the young dancer. And on that, we could agree.

Team effort - -now THERE's a concept. That was one of the things I used to love about the Royal Ballet. Everyone in the cast was in sync with the others; no clash of wayward interpretations. I'm glad to read of a living example!!

The last, Kronstam with Kirsten Simone, 1976, performance shot. (This was what he considered his final performance as a classical dancer; it was his 25th anniversary performance.)

The second, Kronstam with Anna Laerkesen, probably in the mid-1960s, performance shot. She looks as though she's floating in this photo.

I couldn't resist I happened to have a few from the Royal Danish Ballet's production, with three different Sleepwalkers, over a 20-year period. The first is of Kronstam with Margrethe Schanne in 1956.

Thank you for those, RG! I especially like the top photo -- I think it's the most elegant picture of Franklin I've ever seen. And Danilova isn't a wan little ghost girl (and more interesting for that, I think). And in the second photo, look at the wonder in Franklin's face! Krassovska, too, isn't a cipher; there's a real person there. While I understand that the current cultural climate in America makes it difficult, if not impossible, to do the Blackamoor's dance as it was written (it disappeared midrun in Washington, after a scolding review in the Post, during Balanchine's lifetime). It wasn't intended as a racial slur, and the cruelty in the dance, combined with its daintiness, doesn't have the same resonance when performed out of make up.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread. I was struck by something art wrote: I'd agree with that. The same thing has happened with Swan Lake. The Queen Mother comes in and thinks hard, in the general direction of Siegfried, that he should be married. He thinks hard back that he shouldn't. Then she gives him a crossbow. He thanks her. Lots. In the second act, Odette doesn't explain who she is and how she was a swan a second ago and a woman now, but constantly says "Don't shoot!" to which Siegfired constantly replies, "swans shoot I not," as though they've just learned the gestures and love them and have to perform them over and over again. It doesn't tell the story. It just tells you that once upon a time there was a story.

canbelto, I am so glad you wrote that. I have never understood her high reputation -- and it's my understanding that she really is revered as a top ballerina in Russia. To me, she's not at the top in anything: technique, artistry, dramatically, or even in physical beauty. I have seen her live several times and I did not admire her performances. This may be a Great Cultural Divide. I've been told by colleagues who saw her dance in Russia 15 years or so ago that American and British critics, to a person, went and said "Oh, what a beauty!!!!" -- about Asylmuratova. And the Russians, to a person, said, "What? NO! You must see Mezentseva." I'm still asking why? why? why?

It's not a plug -- I hope people realize that the reason we're doing DanceView Times is because we're trying to give them something more to read! I think readers of this thread will find Leigh's review interesting -- it touches on, among other things, a nonstandard interpretation of the role of the Poet.

It's interesting that every company has had a definitive Poet -- or one can imagine a definitive Poet (and they'll all be different, of course) but the Sleepwalkers have all been so different. Was Danilova virginal and ethereal, atm? (Or anyone else who saw her?) That's my ideal of a Sleepwalker (and why I liked Kent and Kirkland) but I might be missing other aspects of the role.

updated casting TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 25 AT 7:30PM Who Cares: MARTINS, WEESE, SYLVE*, BOUDER* [McDill] Intermission Western Symphony: 1st Mov.: RINGER*, FAYETTE 2nd Mov.: ANSANELLI, EVANS 3rd Mov.: KOWROSKI, HÜBBE Intermission Stars and Stripes: WHELAN, WOETZEL, BOUDER*, BAR, GOLD WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 26 AT 8:00PM Fancy Free: WOETZEL, GOLD, ORZA, EDGE, RINGER, KROHN, VEYETTE* Intermission Barber Violin Concerto: KISTLER, SOTO, BOUDER*, la COUR* [Delmoni] Intermission Stars and Stripes: WHELAN, WOETZEL, TINSLEY, HANSON, HENDRICKSON* THURSDAY EVENING, MAY 27 AT 8:00PM Interplay: KÖRBES, RIGGINS, TINSLEY, MANDRADJIEFF, HANNA, HENDRICKSON, ULBRICHT, J. STAFFORD [Chelton] Pause Tarantella: FAIRCHILD, MILLEPIED [McDill] Intermission Barber Violin Concerto: WHELAN, EVANS, WALKER, la COUR [Delmoni] Intermission Western Symphony: 1st Mov.: RINGER, FAYETTE 2nd Mov.: ANSANELLI, TEWSLEY 3rd Mov.: KOWROSKI, HÜBBE FRIDAY EVENING, MAY 28 AT 8:00PM Fancy Free: MILLEPIED, DE LUZ*, HIGGINS, HANKES*, RUTHERFORD, KROHN, VEYETTE Intermission Calcium Light Night: ANSANELLI, LIANG Pause Sonatas and Interludes: KOWROSKI, SOTO [Chelton] Intermission Stars and Stripes: JIMENEZ*+, COOPER*+, BOUDER, BAR, HENDRICKSON SATURDAY MATINEE, MAY 29 AT 2:00PM Western Symphony: 1st Mov.: RINGER, FAYETTE 2nd Mov.: ANSANELLI, TEWSLEY 3rd Mov.: KOWROSKI, ASKEGARD Intermission Ivesiana: TINSLEY*, FAYETTE, TAYLOR, GOLD, KOWROSKI, EVANS Intermission Who Cares?: MARTINS, BORREE, SYLVE, BOUDER [McDill] SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 29 AT 8:00PM Who Cares?: MARTINS, WEESE, SYLVE, BOUDER [Walters] Intermission Barber Violin Concerto: KISTLER, SOTO, BOUDER, la COUR [Delmoni] Intermission I'm Old Fashioned: RUTHERFORD, KOWROSKI, RINGER, HIGGINS, J. ANGLE*, HÜBBE SUNDAY MATINEE, MAY 30 AT 3:00PM Interplay: KÖRBES, RIGGINS, TINSLEY, MANDRADJIEFF, HANNA, HENDRICKSON, ULBRICHT, J. STAFFORD [Chelton] Intermission Calcium Light Night: ANSANELLI, LIANG Pause Tarantella: ALDRIDGE*+, DE LUZ* [McDill] Intermission Stars and Stripes: JIMENEZ+, COOPER+, TINSLEY, HANSON, GOLD [McDill]

In her Arts Journal Blog has a long review of "Raymonda". One of the points she makes is that there are plot problems (other writers have made the same point: What do you think of this? Do you want more plot? Did what you saw make sense? Does it matter, or is it the dancing that matters? If you were staging "Raymonda," or advising on revisions to this one, would you want the story clarified and fleshed out, or left at is it is?

It doesn't sound silly at all! Thank you for that, perky -- and for everyone who's written about this program. We say this often, but it's true It's wonderful to be able to read so many different points of view -- thank you! We're only half-way through the season. Don't run out of steam

I posted this on Links, but for those who don't check that forum: David Vaughan reviews the Royal Ballet's Diaghlev program on DanceView Times: "Celebrating Diaghilev” at the Royal Ballet