perky

I suppose I think of Apollo as both demi-caractere and classical. In the beginning after he frees himself from the swaddling he's a bit of an awkward man-child interacting with the world. Imagine being a teenager and realizing your also a God ("I'm a God! This so totally rocks!) This would be demi-caractere. After he is given his lute and the Muses make their appearance, it must dawn on him that a highter purpose is required of him. He begins to grow up. The Muses help to change him from boy to God. As this happens he becomes less demi-caractere and more classical. He reaches nobility through art. I've always wondered how the original Apollo, Lifar danced it. I remember reading somewhere a quote from Balanchine where he stated that he thought that Lifar was beautiful, like a woman and that's how he choreographed for him. Interesting.

His picture of Villella and Kent in Bugaku is one of my all time favorite ballet pictures. It has such a subtle and erotic look to it, that a poster of it hangs in my husbands and my bedroom. Hopefully his character has changed enough through the years that he regrets many of his actions toward Allegra and his children. However, at the time of his most awful behaviour towards her she should have slipped one of her pointe shoes in front of him and hoped that he would trip on the loose ribbons and fall in front of a speeding bus.

I vote for Ekaterina Maximova. On the tape I have of her, she dances Kitri with a joyous, impish flair and her beautiful legs and feet move as if the floor were on fire. The blond adonis who dances with her is not so shabby either!

A plea to the great ballet God: Please make this film available for purchase in video or dvd format for the rest of us to view.

Actually of the two books Kirkland has written about her dancing career I much prefer the 2nd one which is called The Shape of Love. It mostly focuses on her trying to get back into shape in order to dance Romeo and Juliet and The Sleeping Beauty with The Royal Ballet. How she prepares and struggles to maintain her idea of excellence for these two ballets and coaching a young dancer for Giselle, are more interesting to me than her previous book with it's emphasis on love affairs, drug habits, etc.

Isn't it funny how two people can read the same book and come up with two completely different reactions? :shrug: While I will concede that Allegra Kent did seem to live in la-la land alot of the time. I completely disagree with calling her spineless! Her mother sounded like a kooky gorgon, yet Allegra survived. Mr. Balanchine was constantly telling her to stop having so many children, yet she had three. After her marriage to Bert Stern broke up she made ends meet as a single mother to those three kids, without any help from him. These are just a few examples. It seems to me that so many people were trying to fit her into thier idea of what she should be; dutiful daughter, ballerina, biddable wife, happy and contented mother, that the only way she could fight back was to simply and quietly do her own thing. Even if that meant following a stupid and ultimately pointless path. I know it sounds completely loopy , because I don't know her personally, but I quess I feel somewhat protective of her or her image precisely because she does seem to posess such a fragile mind. Just felt compelled to add my two cents, hope you don't mind!

Thanks for the laugh dirac All out MacMillan gangbang pretty much describes another ballet of his that I dislike, Triad.

With so many recent cuts in funding for the arts, ballet company AD's and board members must feel they have to appeal to whatever it is that gets the most butts parked into their theatre. The marketing world and pop culture realized long ago that children, pre-teens and teenagers have the clout and the blunt so therefore they aim everything to them. Witness all the junk action movies that come out of Hollywood aimed at pre-teen boys. It makes money. I suppose they think that if they put on a big fairy tale ballet, not only will it bring in the parents, but also the kids and maybe the grandparents too. If these ballets are treated with loving care and a healty dose of respect for the important place they hold in ballet traditions then I quess I don't mind. But maybe that's asking for too much? Anyway Leigh is right about these people underestimating children. Children respond to music and movement. It doesn't have to be wrapped up in a pink tutu, sparkingly tiara and adoring prince. My daughter's most favorite ballet on video is Balanchine's The Four Temperments. And she is only three! She runs around the house doing the egyptian arms from the 2nd theme. Expose kids to good classical ballet and they will take care of the rest.

The Balanchine calendar always features the photography of Costas. As much of a selling point as the all Balanchine ballets featured inside. My husband was able to find and purchase the calendar at HalfBuy. com. It's a division of Ebay that has great prices on ballet related material. He bought it for $8.92. I think it's listed higher elsewhere. My favorite picture from this year's Balanchine calendar is the La Valse picture.

Found The Prince of the Pagodas, Royal Ballet, 1992 starring Darcey Bussell and Jonathon Cope at www.half.ebay.com. Unfortunately it has a high price tag of 59.95. I believe because it is out of print. It also includes a documentary about Kenneth McMillan. Susan

Guess I'll be the first. My fondest ballet memory of 2003 involves my husband. His experience with ballet watching has been relatively minor. He went with me to see our small local company once and whenever I have a ballet tape on the TV he'll look at it for about 2 seconds than excuse himself to go do woodworking or whatever. But knowing how much I love Balanchine he offered to go with me to Columbus to see BalletMet do Jewels. When the curtain rose on the opening group of dancers in Emeralds and that haunting music starts I get a tightening in my chest as I always do and looked to my husband to observe. He breathes a soft "Ooohh" and watches the ballet unfold with rapt attention. After Emeralds is over I ask him what he thought of it. "It was beautiful" he says but remains strangely quiet thoughout the intermission as if lost in thought. When the curtain rises on Rubies he exclaims "Wow! Cool Costumes!" He is silent throughout the ballet but I can see him moving his head back and forth to the music. After Rubies is over I asked him how did he like it. He sits still for so long I thought he didn't hear me. Just as I was about to ask him again he yells out "That Balanchine is a frigging (PG version) genius!" The next 5 or 6 rows turn around to look at us, but I don't care, I'm so happy that he has discovered Balanchine! The upshot of all this is that we are now going to New York in May to see The New York City Ballet dance. All his idea. Seeing someone you love learn to love the same thing that you do is such a gratifying and wonderful thing! Happy New Year Everyone. Susan

Got it as a Christmas present from my husband, after having just a quick look at it I have to say how lovely I think it is. The color pictures are beautiful but the black and white pictures of Balanchine working with his dancers are my favorites. Thanks to all who participated in this wonderful book!

I've noticed in the last few months that two movies have used the Candy Cane music from the Nutcracker as a backdrop to thier T.V. commercials. The first one was The Cat in the Hat film, a steaming pile of cow dung( I should know, I had to sit through it.) Now I'm noticing that new Steve Martin movie Cheaper by the Dozen is using the same music. Usually these movie commercials involve so-called "comedies" with many fast cut away scenes of goofy, slapsticky action. Apparently the marketing people who put these things together must think that Tchaikovsky's music has a "wacky" edge that helps sell these bad movies. I dunno know, it just irritates me.

Thanks Mel

There is a lost ballet Balanchine made for Tanaquil LeClercq in the 50's. I think it was to Hindemith and featured her as an insect that turns into a butterfly at the end. I can't for the life of me remember what it was called. It also had some of Karinska's most inventive and beautiful costumes, and an interesting pas de duex with LeClercq being partnered by a man who dances entirely on his knees. Definately one I would like to see. Also rq thanks for the posting about Rhapsody Espanole, I was hoping someone who saw it could comment on it for me.

With the vast amount of choreography that George Balanchine produced in his lifetime, thereare bound to be ballets that get lost along the way. For whatever reason they were not maintained in the active repertory, we still have archival pictures and commentary to help us realize what these ballets were like. I've always wanted to see The Seven Deadly Sins. I'm talking about the 1950's version with Allegra Kent. The pictures of it look so fanciful, and Allegra looks so young and beautiful. I suppose the reason I want to see it is not so much for the choreography, but for the vivid theatrical experience it seemed to be. The costumes and sets look so stunningly original and of course we would get to see Allegra in a role that she apparently danced and acted to perfection. The other Balanchine ballet I would like to see is I think considered more "minor" Balanchine. It's Rhapsody Espanole(not sure about the spelling) that premiered during the Ravel Festival in the 70's. I've only seen one picture of it and read a small paragraph about it in Repertory in Review, but it seems interesting. The costumes look sparkly and showy and kinda cool, and I'd love to see what Balanchine made to this music. Are there any lost Balanchine ballets that anyone would like to see revived?

Oberon, I agree 100% with you about Sugar Plum being danced by a more womanly dancer. After all the original Sugar Plum was Maria Tallchief, hardly a "girl".

I'd recommend any of Arlene Croce's books, Sight Lines Going to the Dance Afterimages Writing in the Dark, Dancing in the New Yorker Her reviews and commentary have taught me more than anybody how to view and enjoy dance. Sometimes when reading one of her chapters I admit it goes right over my head. So I go back and reread it again and again until I understand what she is saying. That's what I love about her writing. She never panders and lowers her intellect for her audience, she forces you to come up to her level, and let's you learn in the process. If I were a dancer I would find her writing to be very helpful and inspiring.

Aurora to me represents light and hope in a world of dispair and darkness. Her first variation in Act 1 should show how enthusiastic and full of life she is. How she want's to embrace the whole world. The vision scenes in Act 2 should represent her as a sort of idealized version of true love and beauty. In Act 3 she should show how that idealized version of true love can grow into a mature and enduring love that will last through the ages. I've always liked Irina Kolpakova as Aurora. She seems like such a warm and pure princess. Certainly deserving of all of the gifts the Fairies bestow upon her in the Prologue. The video of her dancing Aurora I saw was I believe made in the late 1970's or early 1980's. She must have been in her forties. But she looks as dewy and youthful as a teenager. Something I think Fonteyn was able to convey also. There are two Aurora's I've never seen, much to my regret. Antoinette Sibley and Ekaterina Maximova. Perhaps someone has seen either one dance it?

Thanks for the info Dale! My butt will be parked in front of the TV :grinning:

You know I forgot that Nora Kaye danced for a season or two with NYCB in the 50's. So if they wanted a female Carabosse she would be perfect. With her dramatic instincts, she certainly scare the heck out of me!

Has Wendy Whelan ever danced Lilac Fairy? I checked her bio on the NYCB website but it didn't specify. She certainly has the authority and ballerina presence the role deserves.

I'd have Mimi Paul as Lilac, Gelsey Kirkland as Princess Florina, Conrad Ludlow as Prince Desire, and Marie Jeanne as Aurora. And since Mr. Balanchine occasionally danced character parts (Don Quixote and Drosselmeyer), I'd have him dance Carrabosse. :grinning:

So who actually owns the rights to this ballet? Indeed to all of Ashton's ballets.

I like this movie very much too. I wasn't the fat girl in high school, I was the freaks and geeks girl. So I love how Tracy as the underdog overcomes all odds to become the dance queen and win the class hunk as her boyfriend. She's really a wonderful role model, she always believes in herself and has a warm open heart. Great wigs too! :grinning: