perky

This makes me think of Diana Adams. I've read her comments on how she viewed herself as a dancer and how Balanchine saw and cast her and they are wildly different. She thought of herself as a lyrical dreamy type of dancer (Air?). but she says whenever she danced those roles Balanchine thought she was "boring". So how did he see her? Earth or Fire?

To any BalletTalkers who happened to have been there:

When Balanchine staged the Adagio Lamentoso from Tschaikovsky's Symphony No. 6-Pathetique in 1981 did the audience clap at the end? With references to religion and the ending where the boy blows out the candle which some have intrepreted as a reference to Balancine's own mortality I've often wondered at the audiences response and this thread has reminded me of it. Thanks!

When Morton Baum, president of New York's City Center, invited the group known as Ballet Society to become the New York City Ballet in 1948, it was a great moment in dance history. Balanchine and Kirstein had arrived, in more ways than one. The groups organized by Mssrs. K and B in the thirties and forties had a variety of names -- American Ballet, Ballet Caravan, American Ballet Caravan, Ballet Society. But the emergence of New York City Ballet gave the company stability and led to its international fame.

By that time Balanchine had enough clout he could have called it The Balanchine Ballet Company instead of The New York City Ballet. Thank goodness he was a modest genius!

Also BalletMet sounds like some wierd combination of ballet company/insurance agency.

I voted for "October 10,1983 A Tribute to George Balanchine"

And Helene, thank you for posting that list of ballet performances!

I remember this very interesting book. Was this the book in which Kirkland talks about her shoes. She said something about always wanting to wear a tiny shoe to conform with what she thought a dainty ballerina would wear. Thus, she was in pain all the time. Then she saw McBride's shoes, which were larger than Kirkland thought the prima would wear. Eventually, Kirkland was convinced that it was better to wear a shoe that fits. Considering Kirkland's personality at the time, this was a major discovery.

Yep, this is the book.

Published in 1979, this slim dance book is one of my favorites, an oldie but a goodie. It contains pictures of the leading ballet dancers of that time and their sometimes love/hate comments on their pointe shoes/ballet slippers. Some facinating comments:

Natalia Makarova: Wore Freeds during her dance career and out of 10 pairs she could only find perhaps 1 that would be suitable for a performance.

Merrill Ashley: Comments on the shape of her foot with regards to pointe work. Her big toe is.... well.....BIG! Which meant when she was on pointe she basically balanced on just that big toe only.

Cynthia Gregory: Started dancing on pointe at age 7! Yikes!

Gary Chryst: While dancing Botton in Ashton's The Dream all the pointework left him out for a week with a dislocated back.

Sean Lavery and Daniel Duell: Both comment on the fact that Balanchine disliked canvas ballet slippers for the men. He thought they looked too shabby and dirty when they got old. He in fact banned them from the State Theatre stage.

It's not an earthshattering groundbreaking book about dancers but I've always loved it. I also think an update with the dancers of today would be a good idea

Last year while Suzanne Farrell was reviving Don Q at the Kennedy Center I sent her a letter. I figured it must be an emotional time for her. I sent her a handmade sterling silver cross with natural gemstones that my husband and I make. From reading her bio I knew she has a strong spiritual faith. I figured maybe the cross would provide her with strenth if she needed it while tackling the huge job of reviving Balanchine's Don Q.

She sent me a lovely note thanking me for the letter and gift. She called the cross necklace "glorious". I almost swooned !

When I think of the word groupie I think of the girls who hang out backstage in tiny tube tops and mini skirts at a Van Halen show in order to sleep with the band. There is a HUGE difference between a fan and a groupie.

I'm the only one in my family who grew up loving ballet. High culture in my childhood home consisted of HeeHaw and Laurence Welk. I was considered the "wierd" one for liking something as different as ballet. So Bobbie, don't pay attention to those who don't understand the allure and beauty of what you like.

I like shiny satin peachy pink pointe shoes, and pale pink tights. What I dislike seeing on stage are the one piece body suits where the tights end at the ankle and the shoes go on over bare feet. I find it incredibly distracting and unattractive.

I admire all of these wonderful dancer/mommies. I can't even imagine the exhaustion a NYCB principal would feel during the long winter season, rehearsing during the day, dancing sometimes every night then rising in the morning for mommy duties. It must take a sensitive and supportive spouse to help out. So Bravo to you too Daddies!

Wendy Whelan is currently on the cover of Pointe magazine wearing a chocolate brown Monique Lhullier gown. I actually sucked in my breath when I saw this picture. She looks so stunning. womanly and sophisticated. I think ballet dancers are naturals for fashion photography. The fact that they know how to pose is part of it, but also the way they can convey movement without moving and the awareness they have of thier bodies in this space at that moment. Use them more fashion world!

Did any of the ballerina's from the 40's and 50's do fashion photography? Maybe Toumanova or Danilova? Didn't Suzanne Farrell do some modeling in the 60's for a perfume company?

Matching some current dancers with designers and perfumes I've come up with:

Darci Kistler for Estee Lauder Beautiful

Rachel Rutherford for Louis Vuitton

Sofiane Slyve for Channel

Nikolai Hubbe for Jockey shorts!

Karla Korbes or Janie Taylor for any hair care products

Miranda Weese for St. Johns Bay

anymore?

Here's how addicted I am. I just got back from 3 1/2 weeks out of the country in a place where internet access can be difficult at times not to mention the fact that I was travelling by trains, plaines, and automobiles from one tip of the country to another. It wasn't the bacterial dysentery that had me hospitilized that made me cry, it wasnt the oppressive heat and pollution that had me moaning in despair, it was the forced seperation from BalletTalk that had me praying to God with a intensity that boardered on pschotic. Lord, you don't realize how much you miss something untill it's gone. So what's the first thing I do when I get home? Hop online so I can read what everyone posted about the Swan queens at NYCB. BalletTalk should be put into IV form and administered in case of an emergency to all who desperately need it. Glad to be back.

Oh God, now I'm going to have to see this at least 5 times.

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Thanks for the laugh this morning!

Fiendishly clever aren't they?

For sentimental reasons I would have picked the Meditation pas de deux for the performance segment.

Suzanne herself mentions in her autobiography that what seems to many as aloofness on her part is actually shyness. I think sometimes people mistake a reserved nature for coldness. She actually seems to have a very funny, warm personality that might not be evident at first.

Would love to see Ramasar in that barechested, skirted Russian costume

Two things about the article, the first one is this quote from Ms. Thompson,

"I think there might be people who want to teach at the school, but teaching is quite different from being a superstar dancer. You need something more-intuition, openess, dedication."

If she's talking about Farrell, Kent, etc. then this woman is completely clueless. Scary clueless!

The second thing that struck me about the article is it's strong gossipy tone. It made me feel dirty after I read it.

Personally I hope Johnny Depp gets a nod in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." It was a really eccentric performance that IMO worked very well.

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May I suggest a rather odd choice for best supporting actor? Deep Roy as all of the Oompa Loompa's from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." He sings, dances, and acts the part with an irresistable mischievious glee.

I believe the book is her analysis of the ballets. I least I hope it is. In her New Yorker articles back when she was there, she would sometimes take a Balanchine ballet like Jewels and devote the whole article to it. Filtering it through that remarkable brain and putting it to paper. If she can do that with the whole Balanchine catalog it would be like literary manna from heaven for me. Well worth the wait. (And I need to learn more patience.)

Stinks? That implies that somebody's doing something wrong deliberately. I like to make jokes about it, but I don't think that. I just assume the many delays have been caused by a quest for getting it done right. I think it's admirable that Farrar Strauss & Giroux continues to have the book on its publishing list after all this time.

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Actually that wasn't my intention at all, sorry if you got that impression. I'm not implying that the delays are ANYONE'S fault, just that for me the delays stink on a purely personal level as I am so anxious to read this book by my favorite dance critic on by favorite choreographer. Simple as that.

  The bad news is that it has been delayed -- again -- and is now scheduled to be published in February 2007.

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Well, that stinks.

I'm wishing for a support group somewhere for those of us frustrated and impatient for this book.

I have reservations about the costumes by Lacroix

But it's Lacroix darling, Lacroix. Go AbFab!

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And at least the dancers aren't smothered in the bustles Lacroix favored in the early 90's

Ballet Internationale is a bright star on the Midwest ballet scene. I've seen them several times and was thrilled in the direction they were going. We'll miss you! Good luck to all and hopefully we'll be seeing the company members soon happy and dancing!

Walther Matthau comedies always make me laugh, and I would put two of them on this list.

The Elaine May directed and written "A New Leaf" from 1974 is a forgotten gem of a movie. Matthau's performance as Henry, a spoiled selfish dandy who suddenly finds himself broke is hilarious as is May's naive nerdy heiress. Henry's plot to marry the heiress and then murder her for her money is pure black comedy and the ending is a rather sweet and unexpected surprise.

Also, "The Bad News Bears" is very good. Everyone's performance is right on, from the kids to Matthau's hangdog Buttermaker.

---I think the name that Perky was looking for might be George Platt Lyons, but not sure.

That's the one. Thanks!!