Alexandra

Wave of the Future: Balletica Amazonica, a company of Large, Weight-Lifting Women who push the boundaries of classical ballet, turn classicism (and their partners) on its/their ear, stand on the edge of creativity -- and throw men off it. Not to mention dragging them, snapping their necks, twirling them in mid air (as Nureyev did to Miss Piggy in his "Swine Lake"), skidding them bare-legged along a splinter-studded stage and throwing them around like volleyballs. THEN people might think this is odd behavior. Especially when done to Chopin.

Dearest Ballet Alert! Posters (and Lurkers!): When I began Ballet Alert!, the message board cost $30, the site cost $15 a month. Things have changed. Our administrative costs, including registration, tech support, site fees, software and software upgrades, are now more than $1200 a year. Last year, when things began to get seriously out of hand -- i.e., the expenses were much more than I could cover -- I made a plea for funds. The response was wonderful -- we raised $100 more than we asked for!! -- and several people suggested that we make this an annual event. I've set up a Fundraising Page on the Ballet Alert! site. There's a Make Donation button there; clicking it will take you to a secure page, and you can send us money by check or credit card through PayPal. For those who prefer snail mail, I've posted the address. Last year my project was to update the DanceView site, redesigning it, and putting up articles from the print publication. That's nearly completed. This year's project is to update (though not redesign; I think I'll keep what we have) Ballet Alert! There are quite a few very nice interviews from the print edition of the newsletter (by Dale Brauner, Mary Cargill, Marc Haegeman and me) that will be posted, as well as some historical articles, AND Victoria Leigh's Advice to Young Dancers column. I'm going to ask your indulgence -- I will crosspost this on several forums, because there are some who only read one or two forums and I'm afraid there are some who never look on announcements! While I'm begging -- please post. The more opinions we have, the more interested the site is to read. We want to hear from you. Lurkers, delurk. Regulars, let us hear from you. THANK YOU FOR POSTING WITH US! Thank you in advance for your support. I'll update this thread weekly to let you know how we're doing. Updates and comments will be here: http://balletalert.com/forum/index.php?sho...=0entry136621 Alexandra

Unabashed commercial (not that you have to buy the book, but your library should have this by now, and I hope some of the people who are new to the board will see this, will be inspired to READ it). My book was reviewed in Dance Magazine this month, so this is a reminder for anyone who's looking for something to read in the summer. Also, I've been meaning to post this for awhile, I put up a site for the book. There are a lot of photos there. Go look: Kronstam There's also a chapter from the book there.

I'm so glad to read that, Michael. I remember a couple of years ago, some people here who hadn't seen the ballet when it was new thought it negligible, and others said that was because of the way it was being performed. So it's great to know that's changed.

What's the reaction to this season? It seems more conservative than those of the past two years -- mostly full-length story ballets and only two mixed bills, one neoclassical ballet, one crossover dance. I was very glad to see that Sorella Englund is staging "La Sylphide." I'd have every reason to expect something wonderful. She's a great artist, an inspiring coach, and her Madge was one of the greatest characters of the Bournonville repertory in the last 25 years. Lucky Boston.

By mid-century, we might have very clean floors!

I'd say if you're on your own feet, you're being "pulled." But there' is a lot in 20th century ballet that is misogynist. (I disagree that "presenting a woman" a la 19th century ballet is, but there's a feminist line, especially among modern dance-oriented writers, which would argue strongly to the contrary.)

"Shambards" inspired a friend to write me, asking if a woman wasn't dragged out at the end of "The Concert." I thought we might try to come up with a list of ballets in which women were dragged, and/or their necks were endangered.

Luxie, some have probably already begun -- I don't think there's a predictable schedule, at any company, especially one that uses choreographers or stagers from outside the company, as the schedule will depend on their other commitments. Often ballets for the next season are rehearsed at the end of the season -- or at least the rehearsals begin -- and then resume a few weeks before the premiere.

Thanks for that, aspirant. (Why is it assumed that "younger audiences" will only deign to see a ballet if it uses hip hop music?)

Ahem. That's only half an answer!

The DESIGNS were greeted with enthusiasm at the premiere, anyway. I have to say, even by current standards, I am absolutely stunned by the casting. Irma is a demicaractere role (and Gudrun Bojesen is the least demicaractere young dancer in the company) and Palmyra is the classical role (Mette-Ida Kirk, Silja Schandorff). Aspirant, re world events, I spoke with Flemming Ryberg about this ballet once in the early '90s and he said the company often invited Turkish school children (there's a large Turkish emigre population in Copenhagen) "so that they would see they have a place in our society too," or words to that effect. A very different attitude towards the American one, which would find the ballet not PC and probably try to keep Turkish children from seeing it, so as not to insult them. (I actually like the Danish attitude...)

No a substantive comment but I just wanted to take a moment to say "good to read you again, Sylvia" -- you haven't been around in awhile.

Oh, absolutely. My comment above, Thalictum, was simply that this issue was raised by someone who was once kicked off the board - working through someone who posts here That's not something I want to encourage. Also, the discussion got quite nasty before and I didn't want to repeat it. Re Thibault, though, the opinions written above are shared by many -- a pure stylist is not necessarily an etoile, or even a premier danseur. The only politics we try to keep off the board are real politics, like someone's an idiot because he's voting for Kerry, or Artistic Director X is as dumb as Bush.

Thanks, Ari (I'd like to see some that weren't The Old Standards, too). I'll be interested to read what you think. This didn't look like a rough draft, to me. It was quite polished. But I thought the two leads were singing in the wrong key.

The Kennedy Center's Tennessee Williams' Festival opened last night with "A Streetcar Named Desire". The Festival will not only present other Williams' plays ("Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with Mary Stuart Masterson as Maggie, and "A The Glass Menagerie," with Sally Field as Amanda Wingfield) but providing educational materials (see the center's web site: www.kennedy-center.org ) and a one-man show (the man being Richard Thomas) concocted of Williams' letters ("A Distant Country Called Youth.") Lots of performance plus events, etc. I saw several dance people there last night -- if others saw this, I hope you'll post your thoughts. I was very glad to see the play again, and I think the Festival format -- focus on one artist in depth -- is good for the city and good for the art form. That said, this production was a bit disappointing. The director seemed to have confused "Streetcar" with "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." Stella earnestly skuttled for lemon Cokes, Mitch was embarrased about perspiring and Blanche fanned herself liberally, but there was no heat and no sexual tension. Each scene was presented, one by one, as though it were a Power Point presentation. Nothing built, nothing exploded. Aside from that and major miscastings in the roles of Stanley and Blanche, it was just fine. Stanley was, at all times, the cleanest person on stage, a decent boy, the kind you want to bring home to mother. In the first act, Stanley has a speech where he explains the Napoleonic Code to Stella; it's something he picked up in the army or in a poker game. For Adam Rothenberg's Stanley, it's something he learned at Columbia Law school. Rothenberg does the best job he can -- looks great without a shirt, roughs up Stella right fine, but has a tender side. So tender, in fact, that you start to root for him. GET BLANCHE, STANELY. SHE DESERVES IT. Patricia Carlson plays Blanche as though she's 45 rather than 30; at that age, she would have been desperate for many years, closer to the defeated woman in "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" than Blanche. This Blanche is cheap from the start, calculated, deliberately manipulative and rather unlikable, a kind of corporate executive -- CEO of the Weeping Willow Perfumerie, say -- down on her luck. She doesn't believe in her own illusions, and, save for the scene where she explains her past to Mitch (which I thought was quite real and very touching), there's no vulnerability. Learning about Blanche's past was no surprise. In the final scene, there was no breakdown, no sense that Blanche had been completely shattered by the rape. Mitch (Noah Emmerich) and Stella (Amy Rush) were both quite good, I thought. The audience seemed happy -- lots of applause, rolling standing ovation (the kind where people in the front leap to their feet and the rest of the audience gradually rises so they can see what's going on). I haven't seen the 1951 film (THE film, the Brando-Vivian Leigh film) for at least 15 years, but I thought of it constantly. Replaying it in my head, I realized how stunning an actress Leigh was. Did anyone else go?

Thank you very much for that, Ed. It is a favor to let us know of such programs, and the Alston company doesn't get to New York, or the States generally, often at all. It's great to see you posting -- I hope we'll be reading more of you.

It could be a studio shot. Is there anyone here who saw the production and could comment?

I just got it, and am reading it now. I agree with sandik's assessment -- and I'd add: read this book if you're interested in the process of ballet, what goes on in class and in the studios, how a dancer becomes a dancer, and how a ballet gets onto the stage. It's a fitting companion to Newman's "Striking a Balance" -- there she was dealing with Stars in an Age of Stars. Now she's picking up the pieces and talking to people, some of whom, like her, are wondering what happened.

Leigh, this might be a good opportunity to do a Ballet Alert Group Night.

You have doubts?

Welcome, Alice, and thank you for the introduction, and for the information on Kowroski's training and teachers. Hawaii is a little far from New York -- BUT we never have news of ballet in Hawaii, so I hope you'll keep us informed. Please feel free to join in any discussions!

I was heartened to learn that, just like Balanchine, the music is everything to Eifman. And I"m glad the rumors that Wheelan will portray Mourka (sp?) the Cat have now been confirmed!

Oh, does anyone remember the Trocks version -- or is this "Yes, Virginia, Another Piano Ballet?" -- with the Girl with the Slight Tilt to the Left and, I think, the Girl with the Green Dress and the Gray Overlay, or something of that sort.

Art076, I sympathize. Nothing can kill a ballet so surely as raised expectations! I have heard very different opinions from friends. Some absolutely loved it and think it's a breakthrough for Morris, and some found it thin choreographically, although some of the roles were very well-choreographed. But Ari, I'm with you. I'd like to see this one. I understand it's not scheduled for next season? That seems odd.