atm711

I prefer the tone-deaf aristocrat....it's probably one of the reasons why Albrecht was roaming....

I am very wary.....I am now in the process of reading Colum McCAnn's book on Nureyev ("Dancer") and I frankly find it to be so much schlock---he took the man's life which he garnered from the many documentaries and biographies out there and gave it his own spin. It reminds me of the controversial bio of Reagan by Edmund Morris.

I would guess that most on this Board have some reservations about Mats Ek---I have to admit that I have found his 'Giselle' to be very touching and I especially like Ana Laguna in the role......However I recently saw a clip from his ballet "Appartement" ( which he did for POB) --- 'The Kitchen' segment, which I found bizarre. In the scene are a man and a woman and a stove. The wife is preparing dinner in a smoking oven and she serves up a blackened smoking baby to her husband---talk about frustrated females from a man's point of view!! A disturbing comment I read on the ballet stated: "I predict a long shelf like for this work of art---for it is no doubt an incredible, honest testament of the human condition---created by a living genius." Are we expected to laugh after this? So much for what passes for 'genius'.

comment from Critical dance.com - Michael Montgomery

Perhaps I will succumb...the theater is only two blocks away.......

I will probably get around to seeing it when Netflix finally has it.....I suspect that I will feel about this film the same way I felt about 'J Edgar'...halfway through that film I was bored and weary with the character (and I cannot understand why DiCaprio is up for an award...his performance was so 'johnny-one-note'.)

Really Ernie---you left us too soon.

Kurt Nikkanen - my hero! Thank you, cinnamonswirl.

'Adorable' is absolutely appropriate. SPF is the sweet dream-mother of every child. The one you want to cuddle up to....warm and fuzzy. Like Obraztsova at the Mariinsky...or Kaptsova at the Bolshoi...or Leslie Collier at the Royal, a few years ago. Warm, petite, adorable while still 'royalty' in the Kingdom of the Sweets.

I guess I prefer Regal - As in Alicia Markova, Alicia Alonso, Nathlie Krassovska. Rosella Hightower. Suzanne Farrell----just off the top of my head.

While watching Fairchild's SPF I could not help but think that she is no better than the myriad of SPFs now dancing with lesser companies across America. A so-called first tier Company deserves better. ---and 'adorable'; should never be used to describe the SPF. By contrast, Bouder shone. Overall I found the production dated.

RIP Glebb. How sad that in many cases we get to know so little about the real people behind the screennames until they're gone.

Rest in peace, Glebb---I will miss you.

I have a large collection of DVDs which I have transferred from the original tape to DVD. Lately, many of these have been issued commercially. I have bought a few and I am usually disappointed in the quality---they are rarely better than what I have, apparently nothing is done to improve the quality. The latest one I purchased is the Dance Horizons Antony Tudor---no better than the one I own, in fact, mine is better. I was about to purchase the commercially issued 'Baryshnikov dances Sinatra' but a review on Amazon (after all the Kudos) said that the quality "was lousy" and it could have passed as a pirated copy.. I also had the same experience with the Dance Theatre of Harlem's Giselle---my copy is fading, but

instead of purchasing the commercial product, I got a copy from the Library and it was also pretty bad. At least, I was not duped this time.

A real circus act -- good grief. What a waste of fine talent. ---and that opening PDD

How does one go about getting tickets for the performance this April at the Koch Theater in NYC. Koch website does not list anything.....nor do I get any results from visiting YAGP. Is there more than one performance---? Is it too soon for tickets?

I would very much like to see the Cuban Classical Ballet's production of Nutcracker---just to see how close it is to the BRdMC version. Their PDD is as I remember it from the BRdMC. and also from Ballet Theatre. 'Pas De Deux: The Art of Partnering; by Anton Dolin' details the choreography for the PDD. Interestingly, Dolin does not cite Sergeyev or Fedorova---he says Choreo. by Ivanov, reconstructed by Anton Dolin

Thanks for your reply--the most recent version (2010) has Yoshida as the Sugar Plum and Iohna Loots (?) as Clara---Cojocaru and Yoshida are from the 2001 version. I am assuming that the Royal Ballet performs the most recent version. A young dancer I know will be performing Clara with the Royal Ballet in December and since I cannot see the performance (from the other side of the Atlantic) I want to purchase the version she will be dancing. The dancer in question is Meghan Hinkis formerly of ABT.

There are two versions of Peter Wright's production---one with Cojocaru and the other with Yoshida---are both productions the same? If not, which production is the Royal Ballet currently dancing?

A real treasure---but---the photos on the metmuseum are are mislabeled---the ballet is Danses Concertantes (with the Berman costumes) as performed by the Ballet Russe. The 1945 date is correct---that's the way it was! Lindgren, Boris, Tallchief and Franklin are easily spotted.

Having seen M-J when she danced with the Ballet Russe in the mid 40's I can say they are really her feet - untouched. The length of her feet distinguished her from the other dancers. They were quick, sharp and to the point. (no pun intended.)

. If I have one negative is that Renan Cerdeiro didn't perform the male solo as well as I would have hoped. Not that he wasn't fine - he was - but there was no sense of melancholy meditation to his movement in the choreography. Of course I've been spoiled by Manuel Legris's interpretation of the role thanks to the Balanchine Celebration video so comparing Cerdeiro to Legris is probably an injustice to Cerdeiro.

Complete agreement from me. I recently showed a large group of friends excerpts from Balanchine ballets, including the Legris clip and afterwards most of the questions were about him.

That said, I do believe Cerdeiro is on the right track and time will deepen his performance.

I take it that the two clips are from 'Raymonda Variations' and not from the full length Balanchine did in 1946 for BRdMC.

Yes, I know the one you are talking about. For me, it is the best recorded Fonteyn SB I have seen. She has been criticized over the years for having 'no feet'---

a look at this will put that observation to rest. I believe this was done for American TV---hence the brevity of it..

Re: Delgado's grin

The grin really works if there is a Caller.

It was a pleasure to see women who looked like women. Too bad so much time was devoted to Tharp. I, too, felt that the music in Western Symphony "was somehow off".

The date of he photo is Jun 26, 1949---well before their October arrival at the Met.

I was at the Sat Mat performance of Oct 22---aside from my comments about 'too much energy'--I also felt Ogden was too attentive to her partner---it was as though SHE was wooing HIM---if ever Balanchine put a woman on a pedestal---this PDD fulfills that or should.--and she smiled far too much and constantly made eye contact with him. To me, the message to her partner was--love me, like me. I hope I am not being too harsh but if Balanchine felt Ballet is Woman, in this PDD she is also Goddess.

Natalia, I was Center Row J Orch---and yes, I noticed the facial emoting, too--unfavorably I might add.

It would be nice to join in all the accolades for Heather Ogden's 'Diamonds'- but I find I cannot. She was much too energetic--if anything, the ballerina should be calm and regal. The program stated that she would be replacing Angelova in all the performances. Since I am not familiar with either dancer. I am assuming I saw Ogden. Perhaps seeing Maria Korowski two weeks ago, and with images of Lopatkina in the recent Mariinsky release in my head---nothing short of seeing Farrell again would please me.

The Haieff Divertimento is a gem and was beautifully performed by the corps of dancers.