atm711

It appears to be one of the few photos around of Kaye before her nose change.....

Ray, I am far from the only one who has felt this way. Robert Garis in "Following Balanchine" complains about Nancy Reynolds in the same way: "the story c ontinues as if what took place at the Monte Carlo had nothing to do with Balanchine's career." Also in the otherwise excellent biography of Lincoln Kirstein (Duberman) it's more of the same. Perhaps I am so sensitive about it because those Monte Carlo two years were my introduction to Balanchine; and also to many other New Yorkers. His BS and NYCB audience came out of those years. The City Center's mantra was "Popular Prices" and indeed they were less than the other theaters. Aside from all the Balanchine they had some wonderful dramas---in particular two I have never forgotten: "Othello" with Paul Robeson, Jose Ferrer and Uta Hagen and a "Tempest" with Zorina as Ariel.

Goldner in her book perpetuates one of my pet-peeves about recognizing the different companies Balanchine worked with. Too often short-shrift is given to his two years with the Denham Ballet Russe from 1944 to 1946, and in some cases completely ignoring it--going from the American Ballet to Ballet Society. In her essay on 'Concerto Barocco' she states: "Nevertheless, they (Berman's costumes) and the decor as well were discarded in 1951". Actually, they were discarded in 1944. Those two years were most important in Balanchine's career---without them there might not have been a NYCB. He was in the right-place-at-the-right-time when he came to the attention of the City Center management.

Nana Gollner?

Are those Christmas wreaths in the studio? Maybe deValois practicing "Les Petits Riens" at the Old Vic theatre during Christmas time in 1928???

..."a more general artistic role"---marvelous I hope he can restore some of ABT's luster.

As to the costume Skibine is wearing as Prince Sapphire, a critic at the time said:"Prince Sapphire is a very conventional ballet hero. The part was first performed by (Yura) Skibine, whose personal radiance occasionally lifted the ballet to levels of romance it was never intended to reach. Later...(other dancers performed the role)...All of these young men dance it well, though a new costume should be designed for them, as the ability to wear the original becomingly was Skibine's alone" (Grace Roberts) . I saw the ballet only once in the late 40's with Anton Dolin, but it had gone through many changes by then and it did not make a lasting impression on me. Skibine was surely one of the handsomest of dancers---I remember one Giselle I saw with Markova and Dolin---and Skibine was Hilarion (we were used to seeing Dimitri Romanoff who came across as Judd Fry). There were quite a few titters in the audience when Giselle chose Albrecht......

I seem to recall Ballet Theatre using the knee-length tutus some time in the 40's to early 50's; a length I thought unattractive.

This is so true! I saw Dollar in the part at the first performance; he was like rubber; but at the time I attributed it to the fact that he was not as strong technically as other dancers -- and after seeing Bart Cook I held on to this opinion.

Chouteau and Oleg Tupine?---Lifar's Romeo & Juliet?---

The dancer in the calendar photo of 'Waltz Academy' looks more like Diana Adams, rather than Nana Gollner. as to Denby's 1945 comments on Alonso's Giselle--I never felt she was a 'very Latin Giselle'--at the time the norm was Alicia Markova who was a most virginal Giselle--so perhaps he is referring to that comparison.

My first reaction was 'Judgment of Paris'---those fishnet stockings cast a low blow to the rest of the otherwise elegant outfit; which Tudor would have appreciated.

The free flowing hair is unusual for the time---and the lack of ribbons on her shoes suggests a Hollywood film.....

The discussion of Madge's love for James brings back Barbara Stanwyck's performance of the aging matriarch in the pot-boiler TV series "The Thornbirds". In a passionate scene she confessed her love for the priest Richard Chamberlain...come to think of it, she would have been a great Madge.

Re: Faux Pas' question: "Do we really want to wait for Bolshoi or Kirov tours to see La Bayadere or Sleeping Beauty?" A resounding YES from me; along with POB and Royal Ballet they do it a lot better than we do. McKenzie may be a 'really great guy' but lacks imagination in his week (weak??) long programming of the classics. ABT lost their uniqueness when they took the Russian route. I know what has been lost. My early ballet-going was nurtured with the 'triple bill'---ABT, Ballet Russe and NYCB all had 'triple bills'. When the Ballet Russe put on their shoe-string production of Raymonda; it was looked upon as a joke. I am an optimist and I believe there is a lot of choreographic talent out there that begs to be developed, but ABT's priorities are elswehere---another production of Corsaire or Don Q? Fortunately, Tudor, deMille and Robbins worked in a different time--by today's standards they wouldn't have a chance.

Those early years of Ballet Theatre were truly marvelous...we were insulated then---the English hadn't arrived with their evening long ballets and the only Russians we saw were the grainy film versions. I suppose I still 'rue-the-day' when we were invaded! I remember when ABT was planning the Makarova Bayadere---and I wrote them a letter objecting to the million dollars they were spending on 'this chestnut'....these ballets should have been left to the Europeans.....the closest thing we have now of the perfume of the old Ballet Theatre---is Paul Taylor; the wit and drama can still be sniffed...and our 'American' dancers were top drawer---we had Hightower, Kaye and Alonso (yes, I have always considered Alonso an American dancer) who more than held their own against Markova, Toumanova and Riabouchinska; unfortunately I wish I could say the same for today's ABT principals.

I find it amusing that her obituary states: "(she) habitually refused to disclose her age--was believed to be 86" which leaves her birth year 1922... However, she: "entered the Bolshoi Theatre at age 15. Left Russia after the revolution of 1917 and danced with own group through Balkan countries, France, Germany, Italy" (Chujoy, 1949.) In 1937 she opened her school---at age 15?. Sorry--my mistake---I just noticed that the obit is from 1987.....

...and there's 'La Mort du Cygne'...the grand-daddy of them all (grand-mama?); older than 'Red Shoes' by at least 10-12 years....

In their memorable Ballet Theatre Giselles; Youskevitch caught Alonso's lillies.....and I never saw him miss.... The photos in the Haggins book gives one a good feel of what the Verdy/Villella Giselle was like; perhaps Verdy took her cue from that great French Giselle, Chauvire.

In the first photo I thought of Leda Anchutina who had the same delicate physique, but, then, the second photo didn't look like her...

Fred Fehl took some good performance photos at the time of the Berman Giselle---my reproductions are in B&W, but I recall shades of blue/green interspersed with long black panels going from the waist to the hem. In an early photo of Alonso/Youskevitch the wilis have huge fan like wings; but in a later photo of Sallie Wilson as Myrtha the wings have disappeared. The Giselles wore the traditional white tutu but Myrtha had the same costume as the Corps.

There are t wo films at LC this Thursday which I would like to see--one on Chauvire and the other on Vyroubova...however, since I am not fluent in French am I correct in assuming that there are subtitles?????

I saw that telecast....I did not own a television set at the time, and I went with a friend to see it at his Uncle's home on Staten Island on a rather small screen TV; fortunately I had already seen it on the stage. T hey were the Berman sets. The word 'emploi' apparently wasn't in NoraKaye's vocabulary...she tried everything including Odette.

Your description of Adams has captured the Adams I admired during her BT days...generous and full. The famous lilac fairy variation with the sissones has never been performed better; I can still see those long legs swinging up in extensions----the same quality that made her Myrtha so exciting. Her big movements were wonderful to see.