perky

If you won a huge lottery, say over 20 million or a very distant relative passed away and left you the bulk of their very large fortune, I'm sure that most of us would give some of it away to various charities. Being that we all love ballet I'm also sure that some of it would go to various ballet causes.

So what would you do with it? Give donations to existing ballet companies? Start your own ballet company? There is alot of ways it could be spent.

First I would give a HUGE donation to Alexandra. Perhaps she could restart publishing Ballet Alert!, hire more writers for DanceView or start a whole new ballet enterprise.

Second I would build a not for profit theatre in my town. It would be around a 1500 seater. I would book ballet companies that I don't get a chance to see in my neck of the woods, Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Miami City Ballet, etc. Also modern dance, classical music performers, and opera singers. Since it's a not for profit enterprise, once operating expenses are met, the companies can keep the rest of the ticket money.

What would you do with your unexpected booty?

I just subscribed and got my first issue last month!

I'm very sorry it's no longer to be published, as is anyone who longs to read intelligent and informative writing about ballet. I'll keep the last issue as a memento.

The more I see of Ashton's ballet's the more I fall under his spell. I thought it was lovely, especially Ferri and Cornejo's performances. I thought Steifel danced very well, however his acting seemed a bit off. Since I've never seen The Dream before I'm not sure but it seems like his Oberon should have been a little more aristocratic, more haughty in his mischieviousness. I wish I had seen Anthony Dowell dance it!

And I remember seeing pictures of Sibley as Titania. Didn't she used to wear a wig for the role? Do they not do that anymore?

Also agree about being too short. Why could it not have been an Ashton double feature? They could have paired it with Symphonic Variations, or A Month in the Country ( Oh Lord, let me see this ballet someday!)

Well this has been a very enlightening topic for me. I've learned some things that I didn't know before.

It seems almost hard to believe somehow the very few options women had in the 18th and 19th centuries to have some control over thier own lives. If you were a young girl from a middle or upper class background your options were marriage, aging spinster depending upon the kindness of relatives or if you fell on hard times as a governess or paid companion to usually a wealthy widow. If you were from the lower classes you also had the option of working in the service industry as a maid or housekeeper, prostitute, or God forbid in the squalid Workhouses. So it cheered me when I read Alexandra's post that Taglioni and others made thier own money and paid thier own way through life.

But I also don't look down on Kchessinska and others who took on protectors. Often the only power a woman had at that time was sexual. And a little power can go a long way.

I have tickets for that night and feel very lucky to be able to see Mr. Fiorato honored this way.

I'm aware that during the history of ballet many female dancers had so called "protectors". Men, who in exchange for taking care of a ballerina financially (setting her up in a house, buying her jewels and attire) would then make her his mistress. It wasn't just dancers either, actresses and singers were fair game also.

I'm just curious about the practice and have some questions.

Did all ballerinas do this? The Taglioni's', Essler's, and Grisi's. As well as the lesser known members of the corp de ballet? I know that female performers were considered women of "loose" morals at that time. Is that why they did it? Did they think, "Well they think I'm loose anyway I might as well get something out of it." Or was there a real social or economic need to have a protector?

Also, when did the practice of ballerinas and thier protectors end? In the film The Turning Point, the aging ballerina character played my Anne Bancroft makes mention of her "protector", but I'm sure the practice had ended by that time.

I've always been curious about this era of ballet history, any comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

The cast list for the performances by NYCB goes:

Kistler, Whelan, Nichols, Weese

I'm assuming that means,

Kistler in Adams role

Whelan in Hayden's role

Nichols in Verdy's role

and Weese in Jilliana's role

Is that correct?

What does everyone think about that casting?

He is indeed listed again in the dancers roster on the NYCB website.

Curse to yourself long and hard as you attempt to navigate the staircase in your new high heeled shoes.

Another example of "outsourcing". I think I will e-mail Lou Dobbs.

But seriously, I like seeing all those "foreign" names on the roster. It makes a nice interesting stew.

Oberon and Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream. I would also add the two men's parts in Violin Concerto.

Dirac posted just before me!

By low culture I'm assuming that means "pop" culture. The reasons pop culture seems to be so all consuming now are many. Pop or low culture is fast, colorful, and given to you in such varied forms that you almost can't help but be drawn in. It doesn't require a lot of brain power to absorb, and if you don't like this than wait a half a second try this!

High culture on the other hand, requires more of a commitment. Mentally, aestically, money-wise. Something this commitment phobic society we seem to live in now won't or can't go with.

When did the tide turn? My quess would be in the eighties. I was a teenager in the very early eighties. It was about that time that MTV premiered. Cable TV came along with it's many channels that needed quick cheap programming. It seemed that every week a new magazine was launched. At the same time people were finding that in order to support thier families, both parent's had to work. Or work more than one job. When you're that tired from working all day then taking care of the kids at night, I suppose you want to be entertained by something mindless and disposable. Comsume it then spit it out. What place does high culture have in all of this? I quess that's why Applebaum wrote that high culture fears popular culture.

I'm a person that can live in both worlds. I love Monty Python, Spongebob Squarepants, and Jim Carrey movies. I also love ballet, listen to my opera CD's and try to read heavy books. Does that make me an exception to the rule now? I hope not.

I understand your position Oberon, and you stated it quite lovely. However I'm sure it wasn't GeorgeB fan's or any other of us posters intention to cheapen the artistry of the ladies mentioned by listing them.

Many of us like to discuss,and if we are lucky enough to have seen them dance, remember just what it was about those dancers that was so unique and special.

Fun topic GeorgeB fan! I'd keep all the ladies on your list, however I would change the order of two of them.

I would move Diana Adams from 6 to 3. I think she was his ideal of how a ballerina

should look and move, at least before Farrell came along. By that time Adams had retired. She was the central woman in the very important Agon, and created many memorable roles in Liebeslieder Waltzer, Episodes etc. She was to have been his original Titania in Midsummer until she became injured (or pregnant?)

I would move Allegra Kent from 10 to 6. Although she didn't have as many roles made on her as some of the other ladies due to her having 3 kids and some other problems, I think Balanchine was completely facinated by her and would made many more ballets for her if he could have. And well........I just love her!

Ballets that are created in a misquided attempt to bring in a segment of the population that normally wouldn't touch ballet with a ten foot pole. Example: Roanoke Ballet's new Nascar ballet. What's next? A Monster Truck Rally Ballet? A ballet to the music of Toby Keith? :shrug:

What am I most looking forward to Leigh?

Why coming to New York City in May to see NYCB in person!

:hyper: :party:

(I'm just a wee bit excited)

My husband and I have already bought our tickets for May 18

Ballo della Regina, Square Dance, La Sonnabula

and May 20

La Source, Davidsbundlertanze, and Four T's

I'm excited to finally be able to see all the dancers in person that you lucky ballet talkers talk about.

Looking forward to seeing Davidsbundlertanze live as opposed to on tape. It's one of my favorite Balanchine ballets and never fails to move me deeply everytime I see it. And I've never seen La Sonnabula before, always wanted to.

Thanks Anouk!, $30 is not as stomach churning as $390. B)

Not only was he a choreographer of distinction in his own right, but he served Mr. B and NYCB faithfully for many years as a ballet master. The knowledge, advise and support he provided to many dancers for so many years will be sorely missed.

Thanks for the suggestion Pamela!

While searching for something else entirely I came across an interview with Suzanne Farrell made in Dec. 1990. It's a blessedly long and insightful interview.

Some of you may have already read it but if you have not:

www.achievement.org.

enter suzanne farrell interview into search

click on faroint-1

It also has some black and white photos that I've never seen before.

What a fearless, wise and wonderful woman Miss Farrell is!

Glebb you're a sweetie. Thanks for the excerpt.

I did do an internet search of the book last night and found only one place selling it for $390! Talk about sticker shock. I'll keep looking until I do find it at a reasonable price. I might contact De Capo press that rg mentioned. Thanks everyone for the information.

Thanks for the distinction between a real "official" prima ballerina assoluta and someone just tacking the title onto ole dancer they want to.

What's funny is that I typed in prima ballerina assoluta on a couple of search engines and was suprised by how many different ballerinas were supposedly granted this title.

I've seen it with both terms.

Does this title exist anymore? It's been so long since I've heard it applied to a dancer that it almost sounds quant.

Is it more of a courtesy title or does it have real implications as far as salary, casting, etc?

What's the criteria for becoming an Assoluta? Is it simply a matter of seniority or does it involve more? For instance, does the dancer have to be proficient in all aspects of the repertory? Just as good as a lyrical Odette as she is a quicksilver allegro Aurora? Margot Fonteyn comes to mind and that's the last ballerina I can thinks of as having the Assoluta title. Thanks!

In a book I was reading with a section on Kschessinskaya it was mentioned that she had written an autobiography. I guess it's a rather glossed over view of her life but I still think it would be an interesting read.

Is the book still in print? And if so, is it available in english? Thanks!