perky

Maria Tallchief was very instrumental in the success of the infant New York City Ballet, and not to take anything away from her immense talent and charisma but I think the fact that she was also a Native American added to her international appeal. I rather like the fact that none of the dancers that knew and worked with Balanchine intimately (I'm not counting Kirkland) have written a salacious, catty account of their time with him. I appreciate a little class and restraint in my biographies. Cubanmiamiboy I don't really know that much about Ms. Alonzo but I have the perfect solution. I think you need to write that biography yourself! Get busy!

Thank you for the review Abatt. I thought this had been on Broadway before but I must be thinking about the touring show. I would definitely go just to see Karina Smirnoff dance live on the stage. Most people know her only from Dancing With The Stars but when she competed with Slavik she was the most phenomenal Latin dancer I've ever seen. It wasn't just her technique (which was impeccable) it was her ability to make you see the music moving through every square inch of her body.

I have very fond memories of those Bruce Weber photographs from the men of NYCB article. I love the Chris Wheeldon and Allegra Kent on the beach pictures, the first one whimsical the second evocative. I also never thought of Damien Woetzel as being particularly sexy until I saw that shot of him dancing in that suit. He looks not only sexy but slightly, deliciously dangerous. Thanks for the link Dale.

We'll be at the Ann Arbor performance. I think I've decided to do the Balanchine couple one. Are you able to see the company this year Farrell Fan?

My male cat wakes me up by latching on to a lank of my hair with his mouth and pulling. He does "call" to me with a rather pitiful meow when he's downstairs and I'm up and he's feeling left out. Our female will jump up on the table in front of the computer and give me a little adorable kittenish meow. Of course I can't resist that, which she knows very well. In my experience with both cats and dogs, cats are the more emotionally manipulative creatures. Yes I know, this is a really groundbreaking statement isn't it? Not literary cats per se but definitely companions to a literary giant were Hemingway's cats. He had over 20 of them and they had and still do have free run of his estate in Florida. They're also noted for most of them being polydactyl.

This sounds like a gross understatement but Maria Tallchief must have danced a lot. Bouree Fantasque, Guests, Orpheus, Symphony In C 1st movement, Symphonie Concertante, Divertimento, and of course Firebird. These all contained roles made on her or associated with her. It just underscores how very important she was to the success and building of the company. Keep em coming RG!

Bart by that time Albrecht will welcome the blessed eternal silence wrought by vengeful lady spirits.

Albrecht, lost in the swamp, turns on his Garmin to find the correct way out. Myrtha, left cursing GPS technology takes out her frustrations on the Willis' by making them listen to her Garmin and the phrase "Arrive at destination!" repeatedly until THEY beg for mercy. The Poet, unable to waken The Sleepwalker sets his cell phone ring to the loudest level and asks The Coquette to give him a ring. This of course breaks the mood and rapt attention of the dance and causes the poet to be thrown out of his own ballet.

Wow, ITP is a scary thing. Being on high doses of steroids over an extended period of time is a scary thing. The fact that she is still dancing with that unique, ethereal glamour she exudes on stage is astounding. Brava!!

I think I read somewhere that Desmond Richardson is dancing in the show tonight as a guest artist. I'm not a fan of Caitlyn. I think her nerves affect her dancing and she comes off as remote and disconnected. She has however been ballet trained and does have a gorgeous high demi-point. Phillip Cheeb is a popper-locker type hip-hop dancer. He does things with his body I have never seen any other human being do. He is struggling a bit with other styles of dance. He did a really horrible Argentine Tango a few weeks ago and was slammed by the judges for doing a so-so Broadway routine last week. I actually thought he was quite good in the Broadway. Evan and Randi danced a Bob Fosse homage (rip-off) to Rich Man's Frug last night. Those two are too short and stocky to pull off choreography like that. Randi in particular had trouble getting that slinky ennui needed for the dance. Janette and Brandon danced a Cha-Cha-Cha with tremendous energy, zest and spice. I just love her. So far she has mastered Foxtrot, Disco, and Hip-Hop like she was born dancing those styles. Pretty impressive for a Salsa dancer. Kayla and Kupono are both good dancers but they leave me cold. I think I prefer a less technically perfect dancer who overcomes their shortcomings and grows rather than a superb technically clean dancer who doesn't make me feel anything.

I just went back and re-read the article again. I wish Sophie had not said the phrase "a lot of people are frustrated". It makes you wonder if those dancers that were close to her and hung out with her are now paranoid that the boss is looking at them with a speculative gleam in his eye. I understand why she said it, "you see, it's not just me!" but I wish she hadn't. I also wonder if she had ever asked Martins what she could work on in order to progress in his eyes. It might not have made a difference in the end and he might not have told her the truth but who knows. We like to think that promotion in ballet is based on talent and it is, but a lot of it is luck too. Being in the right place at the right time, having the right look, catching the right persons eye, these also matter. I'm not disputing Han's statement that Balanchine reacted to dancers asking for more to do with the same "if I don't let them do anything new maybe they will just go away." He did indeed. But in his case I think that was his way of letting them down nicely. When pressed or backed into a corner he could be brutal enough to make you wish you hadn't asked. I'm thinking of some of the stories in the I Remember Balanchine book.

Last night they had a pas de deux en pointe for the first time. It was Romeo and Juliet choreographed by Los Angeles Ballet AD (and Colleen Neary's husband) Thordal Christensen for cotestants Ade and Melissa. It was a sweet and simple approach to the R&J pas de deux as apposed to the intense, throw me around choreography you sometimes see, so I like it. Ade is not classically trained so he looked unfortunate in his lines although his characterization was lovely. Melissa was fluid and looked so darn happy to be dancing in her pointe shoes! Nigel Lithgoe went on and on about how awesome his show is for showcasing classical ballet amidst the hip hop, comtemporary and ballroom. I expected him to sprout wings at any moment and have a choir of angels singing Alleluia while a beam of heavenly light shined down upon his smug face. Thank you Nigel for having ballet on your program tonight but it's not the first time it's ever been done. I disliked the Caitlyn/Jason alien wants to get it on with human man piece. Caitlyn is about as domineering and scary as a Care Bear. Really like Janette/Brandon. Hope they go far.

I find myself agreeing with Abatt on a lot of her points. When a long time corp member is not getting featured roles, when she asks for more challenges and is basically ignored, that's the directors way of saying "maybe it's time for you to move on to somewhere else." Would it be better for the director to have a sit down meeting with the corp dancer and spell it out in black and white? Yes, of course. Why don't they? I suspect because the director is not fond of confrontation, doesn't have the time or simply hopes that the dancer gets the various hints that have been sent their way, thereby saving him that uncomfortable talk. It is a rather cowardly way to go about it but definitely not unordinary. These cuts might have something to do with trimming the budget, but I suspect that Martins is also using it as an excuse to cut what he considers dead weight in the corp. It's disingenuous of him but not really unexpected. I do feel for Sophie Flack. The pain and confusion in her words regarding the situation and how it was handled are very real and heartbreaking. I think she should go to those choreographers she admires and she if she can get an audition with them. It sounds as if she is leaning toward more of a modern aesthetic anyway. I did find it kind of interesting though that she considers the direction of NYCB to be stuck in the past and not hip or eclectic enough. One of the main criticisms of Martins is that he doesn't give the Balanchine legacy and repertory the same attention and care that he gives new choreography.

I'm voting for Kelly Garrett. Jaclyn Smith was a more subtle presence than the other two. Kate Jackson was a better actress and Farrah was more overtly sexy so I think Jaclyn gets the short end of the Angel stick sometimes, but I always liked her cool, elegant way.

It's very bittersweet for me thinking about MJ. I was a young girl who swooned to "I'll Be There", a senior in high school when I first heard "Billie Jean" and thought to myself that this is the song of my generation. I watched in the following years as the talented man I grew to adore seemed to slowly melt away and a new unrecognizable slightly frightening MJ emerged. I was done with him completely by the time the reports of inappropriate behavior towards young boys were first being broadcast. So for me, he had already died. I do want to pray for his family, especially his three young children. I also want to pray for Michael's soul. I re-watched the "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" video this morning. That's the way I prefer to remember him. Young, handsome and filled with a joyous, musical energy that seemed infinite and all enveloping.

Thank you for posting the link Carbro. It really made me smile. The last paragraph in particular is really lovely.

Things are looking good for us to go to the Ann Arbor dates!

I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I declined to watch the telecast of New York City Ballet's Romeo And Juliet. Now, I love NYCB and I have for over two decades. I don't live in New York City so getting to see the company only every 2 or three years is just something I have to accept and deal with. You would think I would be thrilled to know the company in going to be broadcast on television. But, I'm not. First off, I loath, absolutely loath the Prokofiev score for Romeo And Juliet, but that's not the main reason I didn't watch. What upsets me is that with NYCB''s vast and glorious repertory what gets chosen to be shown is freaking R&J! Not Balanchine or Robbins or even Wheeldon, but a full-length, unnecessary mess of a production that shouldn't have been done in the first place. I'm not trying to stir up another debate about the lost aesthetic of Balanchine's NYCB, but I have to mention that as the reason I boycotted a performance on television of a company I love. Has anyone else ever gone against the grain and boycotted a ballet performance? What was your reason?

Congratulations to Shawn! She's a sweet girl who worked hard and overcame some roadblocks (the stalker drama, decreased studio time due to her age) to win. I would have preferred Gilles to win. I still think he is a better dancer, but so often the better all-around dancer doesn't win this show. That's the way it is. I got real upset when Helio won over Mel B. a couple a seasons ago but then I realized that's it's just a T.V. show and the winner gets a cheesy, ugly disco ball trophy. There's more important things to get upset about. I agree with miliosr that Gilles is also a winner as well, with his improved name recognition. Loved seeing Lil Kim again. I hope her career reignites because of her participation in this show. And yes, Tom Bergeron is the Johnny Carson of reality show hosts. Give him an Emmy this year!

Best Paso Doble-Gilles and Cheryl Best Free-style- Shawn and Mark I'm not a fan of the Free-style. It becomes all about lifts and tricks with little actual dancing in between. Can we put a moratorium on hip hop in Free-style? Although I don't think Tony and Melissa's was as terrible as everyone seems to think, he should have played up her ballet background with something more lyrical and elegant. I didn't get the bedazzled masks at the beginning of Shawn and Mark's routine. Kinda creeped me out. I'm an eighties girl so I loved the song choice from Flashdance for Cheryl and Gilles, however the choreography seriously underwhelmed. Gilles should win based on his body of work in ballroom dances throughout the season. If Shawn wins it will be only because of an entertaining, well executed Free-style which would undermine all the ballroom dancing that this show is supposed to be showcasing.

It's been an exciting season for me as well. Perfectly cast and played out. Stars you never heard of (Gilles, Melissa) who wow you with their dancing. A genius (the Woz) and an endearing cowboy (Ty), and people with iffy public personas (Lil Kim, Steve O.) who win you over with their sweetness and enthusiasm. It seems like much more pro dancing this season (Yeah!) and I love the pro dancer competition. Go Anna D. and please bring back Anna T. next season! I'm expecting Gilles or Melissa FTW next week.

"Ballet started out here on a decidedly human scale: It nosed around gas pumps Lew Christensen's "Filling Station"), sailing ships (Eugene Lorings's "Yankee Clipper"), and farm folk (Catherine Littlefields's "Barn Dance")" So Cowboys (Western Symphony), athletic contests (Agon), Majorettes (Stars and Stripes), and commercial theater (Who Cares?) are not "human scale" or down home enough? I love how Balanchine would look at these "American" topics with affectionate humor and create a ballet that endures. "Most of his works evoke a cool, purified, distant universe. And always, refinement:" Is this a bad thing? If the creative side of ballet is stagnant because of too many Balanchine imitators then it seems ridiculous to blame the original. Balanchine's vision was a reaction to AND a compliment to the ballet aesthetic that came before him, just as the next ballet creative genius will move it forward. And miliosr, lucky for you my flamethrower is out of gas .

Ah the great Douglas Marland! The creative mind behind so many of my favorite Guiding Light and later at As The World Turns story-lines. He really wrote so magnificently for the women characters. Women with multi-layered and multi-shaded nuances that recalled the movie heroines and vixens of the 1930's and 40's.

Okay, here's another Guiding Light actress I always loved, Cindy Pickett! I remember when Jackie and Alan Spaulding first came to Springfield and how her vulnerable womanliness contrasted so sharply with his arrogant menace. Her look was also rather unsual in that era of BIG HAIR. I think she was the only actress on soaps I had ever seen at that point with that very short pixie bob haircut. It really accented her soulful eyes.

My favorite couple hands down has always been Quint and Nola. She started out as Floyd's trashy, loose villain girlfriend and ended up an appealing, quirky heroine. The beginning of the Quint/Nola romance was a homage/spoof of the Hitchcock movie Rebecca. I also remember those daydreams that Nola had with herself cast as various old-time movie heroines from movies such as Casablanca. And yes Canbelto, Alexandra Spaulding was a great villian. She was so smooth she purred!