perky

I love the work of Costas. One of my favorite ballet photos is a Costas image of a performance of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto 2. While the corp is moving in the background Merrill Ashley is seen sailing through space in a a grand jete. The expression of serene regal beauty on her face combined with the sense of movement of the corp is stunning.

Although Bert Stern is not a dance photographer per se, the photo of Allegra Kent and Eddie Villela in the Bukagu pose is wonderful. We have a poster size of it matted and framed in our bedroom. It's an erotic image but with a admirable subtlety to it.

And finally there is a photographer who's name excapes me at the moment! :bash: He took pictures of Balanchine and his dancer's in the 50's. All are studio settings with the dancers in costumes. The one's that literally give me the chills, in a good way , are of Tanny LeClercq posed in her La Valse costume. This photgrapher also took some amazing pictures of Maria Tallchief and Jerry Robbins in Prodigal Son. I find his work very atmospheric, moody and mysterious. Lord I wish I could remember his name!!

I'm partial to those beautiful, lush Emeralds costumes, so that's what I'll wear. And the headpiece can double as a coat rack!

I'd like to see Wendy Whelen dressed in one of those Yves San Laurent smoking jackets from the 70's. With her hair slicked back and in pointe shoes, she would look divine.

Some words from the NYCB Winter Single Ticket Brochure:

"Major support for new work is provided by The Irene Diamond Fund and members of the New Combinations Fund."

"The revival, refurbishment, and presentation of works by Jerome Robbins, particularly those works that have been absent from the repertory, is made possible in part by a lead gift from The Jerome Robbins Foundation."

"The creation and performance of works by Peter Martins is funded in part by an endowment gift from the Solomon family, given in loving memory of Carolyn B. Solomon"

So according to this, new work, the Robbins ballets, and Martins ballets are being provided for. I just think it's odd that NO mention is made of Balanchine's ballets. That sentence in the Robbins quote "revival, refurbishment and presentation of works..". Why isn't such a thing possible with Balanchine's ballets? It seems to me that instead of "revival, refurbishment and presentation" of Balanchine's ballets, the Balanchine repertory is merely tolerated.

Now you can argue that it is the job of The Balanchine Foundation and Trust to be the "curator" for his work. But I believe NYCB, the company that Balanchine built should have the responsibility too. If you take a look at The Foundation web site, it list all those ballets available to be staged still "in active repertory". Just a few listed include such little seen (at least on the State Theatre stage) gems as Symphonie Concertante, Bourre Fantasque and La Chatte. I just don't understand how you can support " those works that have been absent from the repetory" from the Robbins canon and you don't do the same for the Balanchine ballets. It doesn't make any bloody sense to me.

Although I have never seen it, I would imagine that Balanchine's The Seven Deadly Sins was hot stuff.

The Balanchine rep. at NYCB should be a vital lifeforce. Seeing a Balanchine ballet danced for the first time by a talented young dancer is an awesome experience. It's a privilege to be able to witness a dancer finding their way through a Balanchine ballet over the years. To me that's one of the main reason I love NYCB so passionately. In spite of these dancers perhaps not having the coaching from former Balanchine originators (that's a whole other thread) they still for the most part manage to thrill me. That thrill I get from seeing a dancer dance Balanchine I get from no other choreographer today. Certainly not from Martins.

I've always thought the sensible thing to do at NYCB is to have a separate (but equal) artistic director dedicated only to preserving and staging the Balanchine rep. That would leave Martins free to promote his new works. A "creative company", as Martins likes to call NYCB and a "Balanchine" company can co-exist. It just take some imagination.

, Did anyone catch her a couple of years ago in an add for (I believe) Fosamax on television.  She is still just so pretty! 

I thought that was Suki Schorer in those commercials! I can't remember the brand name of the drug but I do remember those ads.

If you want to see Schorer in action teaching take a look at any of the Balanchine Essays videos.

Thank you Allegrafan, that was a lovely review.

By the way, great member name!

I pray that Mr. Bujones faces this deadly cancer with grace, courage and dignity. May he recover fully and spend many more years passing on his love of ballet to the many students, company members and fans who admire him.

Any rarely performed Balanchine ballet, even if it's not top-drawer Balanchine is cause for celebration.

I would also love for Ms. Farrell to someday stage the Pithoprakta pas de deux. Maybe next year!

Serenade: Natalie Portman-Heroine

Thandie Newton-Dark Angel

La Sonnambula- Rachel Weisz- The Sleepwalker

Ralph Fiennes- The Poet

I just saw The Constant Gardener and am completely besotted with these two!

If you think of certain ballet steps being done by nude dancers on stage than you can begin to see why it's a bad idea. A very high developpe' to the side done by a female? A grand jete' done by a man? It's ridiculous, inappropriate and well..... just yucky.

Having never seen it, I do need to ask HOW in the Ek's version of Giselle did Albrecht manage to wind up nude in the finale? Was he simply too hot and sweaty after all that dancing to his death to wear his clothes one moment longer?

Ain't love grand! Congratulations!

Bell, Book and Candle

A Room With A View

Four Weddings And A Funeral

French Kiss

Suzanne Farrell AND Tina Turner! I think I've died and gone to heaven!

Thanks for posting this Farrell Fan. Doesn't The Kennedy Center Honors usually air on TV in Jan. or Feb.? Can't remember. I wonder if they will have a ballerina dancing some of her Balanchine roles, and who that might be. It's interesting to speculate.

"Giselle, The Dawn of the Dancing Dead", as a revenge minded flesh eating zombie, George A. Romero style.

If you end up taking the kids to a movie, it's not just the expensive movie ticket punching a dent in your wallet, it's also the $5 bag of popcorn, the $3 drink and so on. Lord I hate paying all that just to see a recycled piece of Hollywood crap.

The new movie version of Pride and Prejudice to be released soon has Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett. Any thoughts?

The book I was refering to has Stella Abera(I think) on the cover. It's a more recent book I believe.

Editing to add:

The book is called: The Ballet Book: Learning and Appreciating the Secrets of Dance. published 2003 with Stella Abera on the cover. I believe it is the same book you just described with two different covers available with the intent to confuse and confound us poor ballet lovers

Does anyone have an update about the release of this book? I e-mailed the publisher in April and recieved a reply saying the book would be released in May of this year. Of course, that didn't happen. I have to admit I have zero patience waiting for this book to come out!

The pictures in the book show the dancers in class, rehearsal,etc. The bulk of the pictures showcase the principals in costume, Paloma Herrera in Don Q, Julie Kent as Giselle, and so on. Nothing to get excited about and nothing you probably don't already know but a nice pictoral of the ABT dancers. Try to get a copy from your local library first if you can to see it's something you want to shell out alot of money to purchase.

Program 1-

The Seven Deadly Sins (Revival)- Janie Taylor

Duo Concertant- Megan Fairchild, Craig Hall

Momentum/Movements-Maria K., La Cour-Marcovici

Program 2-

Mr. B's Swan Lake- Rachel Rutherford,Jared Angle

Apollo- Albert Evans, Miranda Weese, Jennifer Tinsley, Ellen Bar

Allegro Brillante- Ashley Bouder, Benjamin Millepied

Program 3-

The Concert- Maria K. (Tanaquil LeClercq's part) Adam Hendrickson (I don't don't know what the name of the role is- he's the husband)

Tzigane-Sofiane Sylve, Charles Askegard

Chaconne- Jennie Somogyi, Benjamin Millepied

Program 4-

Emeralds-Miranda Weese, Jared Angle, Ashley Bouder, Amar Ramasar

Rubies- Abi Stafford, Antonio Carmena

Diamonds- Maria K, Philip Neal

Program 5-

Bourre Fantasque (Revival)- First Movement- Sofiane Sylve, Nikolaj Hubbe

Second Movement- Maria K., Albert Evans

Concerto Barocco- Janie Taylor, Henry Seth

Symphony Concertant (Revival)- Jennie Somogyi (Tallchief role)

Megan Fairchild (LeClercq role)

Stephen Hanna

Program 6-

Cotillion (Revival)- Ellen Bar

Lieblslieder Waltzer- Darci Kistler, Charles Askegard

Wendy Whelen, Nikolaj Hubbe

Ashley Bouder, Adam Hendrickson

Miranda Weese, Stephen Hanna

Divertimento No 15- Jennifer Ringer, Miranda Weese, Jennie Somogyi, Sofiane Sylve, Ashley Bouder, Stephen Hanna, Amar Ramasar, Craig Hall

Thank God you only asked for six programs because my because now my head hurts!

It's hard to pick one over the other's, but I chose The Nutcracker. It's more of an emotional pick than anything. That music reaches the childlike, happy, safe place in my soul that darkness and outside influences can't harm. Not to say that there isn't pathos in the music. it's there alright, but so is hope and innocense. You could probably say the same thing for The Sleeping Beauty, but as I said it's a personal thing.

Have a nice plie'

I brake for tendu's

It's not the size of the dance belt,

it's how you use it.

Ballerina's do it better

Got this in the mail today. A very stunning picture of Janie Taylor on the cover, dressed in the La Sonambula costume and with THAT AMAZING HAIR! She looks weightless and lovely. The back cover picture has Saskia Beskow and Likolani Brown posed on a balcony in what looks like Antique Epigraphs costumes. Not as stunning as the Janie picture but still quite nice.