perky

Bugaku's back ! Now in the name of all that's holy, get Allegra Kent in there to coach it! Would also like to see Janie Taylor cast as The Sleepwalker in La Sonnambula.

When was the last time Meditation was performed at NYCB? Has it been performed since Farrell left the company? It also seems as if Tzigane has disappeared off the State Theater radar.

Thank you Jack!

That's how we do it at my house! My husband is from India from a muslim/catholic background so we celebrate Diwali (the Indian festival of lights) in Oct/Nov. Got to wear a new sari and massive amounts of gold jewerly for that one. Eid following Ramadan is celebrated anywhere from October to February. Got to call my mother in law in India to wish her a happy Eid. Celebrate Christmas by inviting our priest to dinner, who also happens to be from India. Tummy becomes visually bigger due to eating all the Indian food we prepared. Next up is Eastern Orthodox Christmas celebration with my best friend/ sister of my soul Luda, this year on January 7th. Will watch my husband laugh at me as I stagger up the stairs to bed due to drinking vast amounts of vodka. So, whichever way you celebrate it, Happy Holidays to all and may peace reign in the coming year.

You know I always thougt it would be fun to have a BalletTalk convention. Perhaps every two years in a different city that hosts a major ballet company. The only impediments to this plan are lack of funds, family commitments, no time, you know, the usual . But hey, a girl can dream.

I would say 2nd movement Symphony in C.

Ms. Tallchief likes the "BLAM!" too! In the Interpreter's Archive video where she is coaching Damian Woetzel and Wendy Whelan in the pas de deux from The Nutcracker that is the one thing she points out constantly. She also keeps reminding Wendy "no bent wrists!". Regarding Tess and her mile long legs, Dewdrop must be a challenging role. It's swift and all those jumps and changes of direction! I wonder if a shorter dancer would find it a more natural fit.

This has made me think she would be a lovely Cinderella. If only that ballet instead of Romeo and Juliet next year.

In the new Dec/Jan issue of Pointe Magazine, Suzanne Farrell is this issues Ask the Star's contributor. What got me really excited was reading her profile at the beginning of the magazine. She says she has started to think about a follow-up to her 1990 autobiography. "I think it is time. My life has changed so much." Good news for her fans. I would like to read her perpective on the rift with Peter Martins, her work staging Mr. Balanchine's ballets around the globe, the formation of her company at The Kennedy Center, and her thoughts on staging Mr. B's Don Q among many, many other things.

Thank you for posting these rg! That costume Maria Tallchief is wearing looks like a swan queen costume from the 40's or perhaps the 50's. Do you have any idea what production of Swan Lake it is from?

Great line! Thanks Carbro and Klavier for your posts.

Got this from the website: NYCB seminars: A Tribute to Melissa Hayden- a panel discussion led by Jacques d'Amboise Monday eve. December 4 at 6pm The New Beauties- a panel discussion exploring the challenges of dancing Aurora Monday eve. January 22 at 6pm Christopher Wheeldon interviews Bright Sheng Monday eve. Feb. 19 at 6pm Looks very interesting. I hope some BT's are able to attend and report on these seminars. For the out of towners it looks like a webcast will be availble.

The October 2005 Dance Magazine issue has a piece written by Kent about coaching La Sonnambula to Miami City Ballet dancers. Here's a quick quote, "Over 40 years ago in Moscow, Mr. B had taken the candle from me to demonstrate this section by running towards the brink of the vast stage of the Kremlin's New Congress Theater. While flying forward, he called out "Step over the footlights," and did so himself. For one second, I thought Mr. B was going to die, but he didn't, instead he gave the candle back to me. Balanchine possessed the brakes of a Rolls Royce."

Jack, although we disagree on some points, to me it is interesting to read your postings. I know you see Miami City Ballet and Suzanne Farrell Ballet quite frequently. Both of these companies have much Balanchine in the repetory and are run by two of Mr. B's finest dancers. I don't agree that NYCB dancers look unhappy. They looked very happy in some ballets and downright joyous in some. I do agree that coaching from former dancers is much needed in NYCB. I recently saw the video with Maria Tallchief coaching Jennie Somogyi in the first movement Bizet. It's facinating to watch these videos and see the corrections the older dancers give the younger dancers. Little details only they know. I was hoping to see Somogyi dance this role in Chicago to see if she retained any of Tallchief's teachings, but got Abi Stafford instead. Now, if I compare Abi's performance to what Tallchief was trying to teach to Jennie in the video than I see what you mean about a decline in the way Balanchine's ballets are being performed by his own company these days. But much to my suprise I didn't look at the ballet that way. I was impressed by Stafford's authority. It wasn't Tallchief's authority, is was more of a serene, warm authority. It was different. But I really liked it. And I really liked Abi's performance. So what does this teach me? I really don't know. I think I need to digest the performances some more and see what I think again in a few days. You did hit the nail on the head for me regarding Hubbe's performance in Duo Concertant. I couldn't figure out what was "off" about it until I read your post. He was too aggressively ardent. The only other dancer I have seen dance this role is Peter Boal, who danced in a more restrained though no less ardent way. I'm also interested to hear what other posters thought about Maria in Symphony In C. I though she was wonderful. She looked totally absorbed and yet slightly otherworldly to me.

Friday evening performance: Concerto Barocco was given a lovely performance. Wendy Whelen dances this part the way I like it. Pure, clean and simple. No added adornment other than those Balanchine built in. She danced it as if she was almost moved by some otherworldly force but again still kept it pure and unmannered. Rachel Rutherford makes a fine second violin. Duo Concertant got an enthusiastic reaction from the crowd. I've seen Hubbe dance better, but he wasn't awful in my opinion just a little off. I thought Symphony In C was top-notch. It looked well rehearsed and the dancers looked energetic and happy. The big suprise of the evening for me was Abi Stafford. It's been quite a while since I've seen her dance. When I last saw the company in 2003 Abi was scheduled to dance and then was replaced at the last minute so it's been 5 or 6 years? since I've seen her. She looked wonderful!!! I read that one of the dancers call the first movement Bizet ballerina "the hostess with the mostest". Abi was a warm, gracious lovely hostess. It's so good to see her recovered from injuries and dancing with such love and serenity. Antonio Carmena is one of my favorites and danced the third movement with gusto and elegance. Tiler Peck is one of the new dancers I've never seen before. She is lovely girl and an exciting dancer but her facial expression seemed too fixed. She seems to just need to relax her face a bit more. The finale of the ballet found the theater erupting into thunderous applause. I have a bit of a sob story to tell about Serenade. We were staying in one of the northern suberbs of Chicago. The drive time to downtown is supposed to take 28 minutes according to mapquest. Because of a horrendous traffic jam it took 2 hours. We ran into the theater just as I heard the opening strings of Serenade so we had to end up watching it in the donor room on a small tv. :bash: The first time NYCB comes to Chicago in over 25 years and I miss the opening ballet. I hate Chicago traffic!!! Anyway I did hear something funny in the donor room. When Miranda Weese as the heroine falls to the floor and lays awhile a fellow next to me turned to his wife and said "Wow, she fell, I hope she's ok, she looks hurt!" then as Maria makes her entrance to hover over her he says " oh good, that dancer is going to help her." I did read in one of the local papers that over 1 million was raised the bring NYCB to Chicago. It's an expensive company to tour. Thank you to all of those who contributed to bring them. Please bring them back!

Just found this on the NYCB website today. Maria Kowroski has a public service announcement on breast cancer. Her mother passed away from this not to long ago. You can access the PSA with a link on the NYCB website.

And if your local library does not have them, request that they do an intralibrary loan. That's how I managed to view them out here in the boondocks.

Leigh brings up an interesting question. It seems that no new Interpreters's Archive videos have been filmed recently. I would hate to see this project stalled in place of the new project, worthy though it is. Just from an audience members viewpoint, the Interpreter's Archive videos are wonderful for looking at Balanchine's ballets with new and grateful eyes.

I get Maria in Serenade AND 2nd movement Symphony In C on Friday night!!!! Yippeee! :huepfen024:

Pearl gray chiffon for Farrell and navy blue silk for Fonteyn.

I have read or am still reading a few books this summer including: When The Astors Owned New York-Blue Bloods And Grand Hotels In A Gilded Age by Justin Kaplin This era has always facinated me and the book focuses on one of the leading society families of the day F.U.B.A.R America's Right-Wing Nightmare (I can't say what those letters stand for ) by Sam Seder and Stephen Sherrill of Air America's Majority Report This is a very funny book if you are of the liberal political persuasion. I'm re-reading one dance book at the moment, Striking A Balance by Barbara Newman. Wonderful interviews with many facinating dancers. And my latest read is a romance but don't let that stop you. It's called The Taming Of The Duke and it's written by Eloisa James who happens to be an english lit. professor at Fordham University. She writes with the same sparkling wit as the great Georgette Heyer.

Ooohh Canbelto! I love your dancer distinctions! Allegra Kent, very much a cat dancer.

This question applies to both watchers and doers. There are of course many famous cat lovers in ballet. Balanchine is probably the most famous. Back in the late sixties Suzanne Farrell traveled to Belgium to dance with Bejart with I believe 3or 4 cats. What a brave, brave woman!! Are there any famous ballet dog lovers? I myself have one cat, a bipolar, passive-aggresive neurotic massive ball of fur, whom I love to pieces. Cat or dog for the rest of the Ballet Talkers?

I e-mailed an inquiry to the publisher regarding the release date of this book and was told it has now been pushed back to January 2008.

I always admired Melissa Hayden for her spirit. So many ballets Balanchine created on her! Yet she was never THE muse. Year after year she stayed with Balanchine watching as he became facinated with Allegra Kent, Diana Adams, Suzanne Farrell. She hung on with a combination of hard work, immense talent, impressive ballerina authority, and sheer stubborness. I remember reading the section in Allegra Kent's autobiography where Hayden, unhappy that Kent was being given Swan Lake to dance instead of her let her displeasure known to Kent in subtle and not so subtle ways. Kent, no dummy she, befriended Hayden. Roles I wish I had seen Hayden dance in include, William Dollar's The Duel, Cullberg's Medea, and Balanchine's The Figure In The Carpet, in which I believe she danced The Princess of Persia. May she rest in peace and light.