atm711

Yvonne Chouteau is quite a few years younger than Hightower or the Tallchiefs. She was born in 1929 and her career was mainly with the Denham Ballet Russe. Some of her well known roles include the Prayer solo in Coppelia, Preghiera in Mozartiana and the Young Girl in LeBeau Danube. She was a fine dancer but not quite in the same class as Hightower or Maria Tallchief.

During my salad days I had a great thing going at the 'old Met'. My friend and I would pool our resources and come up with $1.80 for one standing room ticket. I would enter the theater with the t icket, claim my 'spot' and exit the theater and receive a ticket for re-entry (this is still done at the present 'Met'). I would then give my original stub to my friend, who would then go to the side door of the 'Met' (the one nearest the stage door) and tell the weary doorman that he had been backstage and flash the original door stub. This worked for a couple of seasons.

Well, I never thought I would be defending John Simon, although I would be the first to say he was too caustic most of the time...but when he saw something he truly admired he was a pleasure to read. Take a look at his review of "Doubt: A Parable" (NewYorkMetro.com) and see if you don't have some respect (grudgingly) of this old codger.

Ha--it's worth a try With my 'Playbill.com' membership I got a $75 seat for $59---I will never understand why a play with a small cast costs so much-----

I saw "Doubt" this week and thinking about it has occupied much of my time since seeing it. John Patrick Shanley (didn't he write the screenplay for Moonstruck?) is a first rate craftsman; like Williams, he knows his characters so well. Out of the 4-character cast it is hard to choose a favorite; they are all outstanding. If necessary, I would suggest going to one less ballet performance and seeing this play.

This is a statement I heard many times in my early days of ballet-going and it was made in comparing Bolshoi corps de ballet with American ballerinas. This was quickly dispelled when I saw my first Bolshoi performance in the mid 50's in NYC. The stars dazzled, but most of the Corps looked like they were waiting for their pension checks.

I seem to recall a film version of 'A Death In the Family" with Robert Preston as the father---or am I confusing this with "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs"?

This would have been a great solution for me at the "Met" last season. My standing room days are long over and I bow to my age by sitting in the orcherstra. I was sitting comfortably in my seat when a not-too-tall woman sat in front of me and did not obstruct my view; but then she produced a thick cushion which raised her considerably in her seat. (The cushion was the same color and texture of the seat upholstery; I saw it a few more times after this---apparently, the "Met" provides them). There was much craning of my neck during the performance. There is not much of a rise in the auditorium floor of the "Met"; it's OK for opera, but a problem for ballet. This year I hope to beat them---my tickets for NYCB and ABT are all upstairs.

As it was with John Barrymore, she became an unflattering parody of herself in her last years.

My "high level of adoration" has always been for Balanchine and Robbins. Who dances what is generally secondary when I attend NYCB, except when I see a gross miscasting (i.e., Whelan in Diamonds), I suffer.

I, too, had all my Ananiashville dates for the coming ABT season set aside. I will concentrate on Vishnieva and Part this coming season and hope they can fill a small part of the void. She is a dancer who has an unaffected grand presence on the stage; and as if that wasn't enough, her technique is strong and clean. Aside from the Corsaires, Swan Lakes and Raymondas, her Symphony in C (2nd movement) Offenbach in the Underworld and Ballet Imperial are pure joys to see. I saw her Giselle a few years ago and I have to admit, it left me cold; I was all prepared this season to see it again. (I feel she would be more suited to Myrtha; as was Danilova before her). There has been some criticism about her facial expression, but I attribute that to her Georgian soul and I forgive this small transgression. Speaking only of what I see currently in New York City she is the only one worthy of being called a Prima Ballerina.

I find the prices appalling I shall sit this one out and content myself with the new DVD of Phareoh's Daughter.

I have wondered how Farrell would have developed without her Bejart period. I would describe her BB period as bland, akin to sliced white bread--but the AB--what a revelation---she had time to become a woman and mature on her own terms.

Another Choleric checking in....they did nail me with this one: "housewife....with a well-organized, well-behaved brood, each of whom you expect to excel...." I have often chastised myself for being too well organized.....

The costume usually makes me feel uncomfortable, especially when I am with someone who is not normally a ballet-goer. I have yet to see it flatter any dancer.

I'm not sure if it has been mentioned, but during a live televised performance of 'Romeo and Juliet' with Makarova and McKenzie--McKenzie played the final death scene in his leg warmers...and it is there on tape for all to see.

In my experience I found that 'people who go to the ballet' and 'people who take ballet classes' are two separate breeds. Talk in the dressing rooms rarely turned to performances seen; in fact, I can still recall the feelings I had in the SAB dressing room---I could have been in my highschool locker room.

After reading through all the comments, and given the dancer's age, I am left wondering if this 'promotion' has anything to do with retirement benefits......

I can't help wondering what all the 'old-timers' and 'new-timers' would have thought of the early NYCB. I was fortunate, I discovered Balanchine from his days with the Denham Ballet Russe and was smitten early on---. I was present for the birth pangs of NYCB, and aside from the few principals, mainly Tallchief and perhaps Hayden, the stage was filled with raw dancers out of the classroom, and a male dancers who would have a hard time of it today. BUT--this Company had Balanchine, if we wanted glamor there was always Ballet Theatre. I, for one, am happy that New York City had the brains to embrace this Company, and we still do today.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}> The Japanese Shall We Dance is a treat--it has nothing to do with Astaire-Rogers. I saw it on cable TV. (I hope I got the quote right this time---if not, I ask your indulgence while I quote the old-fashioned way.)

Well, Danill, you have a bit of growing up to do When I saw my first ballet I didn't know an arabesque from a glissade. The dancers who have always thrilled me on the stage are those who can make me forget about technique, and sadly, today, they are few and far between.

I have thought of her as the last in a line of great deBasil-Massine-Ballet Russe ballerinas. She was born and trained in that world by her father, Nicholas Beriosoff, who was a soloist. She is heir to that tradition.

On my list of Dancers It's Not Fair That I Didn't Get To See, she's usually number one. I have always felt the same way. My problem is that I did see her dance many times in the classroom but never on the stage, and I know only too well what I have missed. Her adagio classes at Vilzak-Shollar were not to be missed. She had the same serenity as a 14 year old that were written about her later; it can be called serenity, I suppose, but there was something a bit sad about her demeanor even then. Mme. Hermine---are all those tapes you cited from the library available for circulation?

I saw Ballet Internationale and I guess I wasn't prepared for just how "Internationale" it was. Of the 27 dancers and 2 'trainees' listed in the program, only 7 (all corps members) and the 2 trainees had some American background. Dale Shields, a former Indianapolis dancer, is listed as the only American adminisstrator. The first part of the program was 'Carnival in Venice', 'Melody', 'Fairy Doll', 'Diana & Actaeon', and 'Le Corsaire'. This was followed by Alberto Alonso's 'Carmen'. Irina Komarenko (a graduate of Alma Ata) did the 'Carnival' and 'Diana'. She is a dancer who appears to make up for her shorter stature with large exaggerated movements and a tendency to mug. At times she seemed to be a parody of a ballerina. She was more successful in the "Diana'---she toned down a bit but she should know that she doesn't have to smile so broadly all the time. Ogulcan Borova as Actaeon did a step in the coda I would have a hard time naming. With his skirt encircling his body he threw himself into a shape that resembled a barrell and opened into a grand jete; and repeated it. A largely Russian crowd loved it. Chieko Oiwa was most appealing in 'Corsaire' PDD. The opening tempo of the PDD was slower that what I have come to expect and Miss Oiwa (in a calf-length chiffon tunic) set a beautiful serene mood. There were short bios of all the dancers in the program, but I searched in vain for information on the one dancer who most impressed me; Karen Scalzitti-Kennedy---a young Plisetskaya if there ever was one. She performed Messerer's 'Melody' and Alonso's 'Carmen'. This girl deserves a first rate choreographer, and while watching her Carmen I could not help thinking---she is a natural for 'Tzigane'.