atm711

Miriam Golden went on to dance with Ballet Theatre---she is fondly remembered for her portrayal of the Italian ballerina in "Gala Performance"---Joan McCracken was in the original production of "Oklahoma" and was well known as "the girl who fell down" in the deMille ballet and also as one of Jud Fry's naughty postcards.....

I WOULD LOVETO KNOW THE NAMES OF THE DANCERS

Aw..shucks....thank you Ken

...and to think it happened on my birthday.....

Unfortunately, for those who did not see her ---surely the first American ballerina would be Rosella Hightower---she was a full fledged ballerina when she left her native shores for France. Actually, Nora Kaye danced Swan Lake (Act 2), Black Swan PDD and Giselle----apparently the word 'emploi' was not in her vocabulary.

I am adding my kudos to both Sarah Lane and Daniil Simkin for their beautiful SB...she reminded me so much of Cojocaru...and he of the young Baryshnikov. For the life of me I cannot understand why a dancer of Misty Copeland's prominence is cast in this production as a Cat (and one who does not dance, at that!!)---surely it would have been a prize spot for a corps dancer.......there she sat, all during Act 3----just watching...I wonder what was going on in her head.....

Ah,yes -- shades of John Martin....It took him 10 years to write a review saying that Alonso was a great 'Giselle"--I still have the fading review tucked in a book -- April 15, 1955.

Unfortunately, I think it's more than 'Aurora' for Hee Seo....I saw her debut in Giselle, and also followed up with her performance on the following year and found it lacking....a case of too much, too soon. I would love to be in McKenzie's head when he is making these decisions........

just one---Spessivtseva.

Unfortunately, everything you said was true---I was appalled. I would take it a step further and question what he has to offer as a member of the Company.

Re: "Bits & Pieces of Balanchine" cite -- I cannot access clips---I can only access the clips on YouTube.......same with the other cites---YouTube OK but not the others.....

Good grief--I seem to have started a ruckus about Ratmansky dealing with themes other than Russia. He is much too talented to put himself in a 'box'. No, it is not necessary to have program notes for a ballet---but, a slight hint may help. Tudor gave us that with the character's name--it surely helped in ballets like 'Undertow' and 'Lilac Garden'. As for 'Corsaire' I have avoided it for years---but I will be seeing it for the matinee tomorrow--I got some very cheap tickets and I am looking forward to seeing a cast without too many luminaries.

Lots of talk here about individual performances--but what about the subject--is it too remote for an American audience? I was surprised at the lack of program notes. A few years ago I saw Tom Stoppard's trilogy about Russia -- 'The Coast of Utopia' and had no problem following the plot--lots of program notes. Where did Macauley find the reference to the Soviet poet Anna Akhmatova, and the poet Mandelstam? It was fortunate for me that I read the review for some insight. We have waited a long time for someone with the talent of Ratmansky, his energy brings Jerome Robbins to mind. I hope he manages to get away from the Soviet themes.

After all these years I still have a vision of Jerome Robbins (Hermes??) sauntering across the stage at the Old Met munching an apple. Added to Balanchine's choreography was Robbins'. By the time I saw it Helen was Maria Karnilova.

Thank you so much.....with this 6 minute clip and my 2 minute clip I have managed to see 8 minutes of this ballet......I will keep looking for more---the Dutch National Ballet must have put some of his works on DVD.....I have read that he was influenced by Martha Graham but this ballet brings back memories of the lyrical side of Antony Tudor. Again, many thanks.

Go with Part......Ever since her first Swan in 2005 with ABT I have seen her every year---although there was one year when she did not perform it.....She is the best of the bunch.......

Is there a tape or DVD of this ballet? I have a small clip on a Sylvie Guillem DVD ("At Work") but I would love to see all of this beautiful work.

I saw the play a week ago and I can understand why it has not opened yet---to all appearances it looks like a work in progress.....Interestingly (? why?) the author sets the play around Sergei Sudeikin who died in 1946--and the play takes place in 1948.....It was fun to see all the SAB characters of the 40's cavorting on stage. There were discussions of whether or not Nikolai Nabokov had talent as a composer--this in the presence of Stravinsky. The critics answered that question a few years later with his score for Balanchine's Don Q. The 2nd Act was a muddle. To anyone who has read a few books on Balanchine -- the dialogue will be familiar.

who will be Magallanes and Tallchief?---I am seeing it in two weeks and I'll let you know, Bart. I am curious about the inclusion of Koussevitzsky in all this.

Good grief!! I pray that Hallberg will survive this "cesspool of a Company" (Ratmansky's description....)

I don't know what year you saw Dolin's Giselle, but I saw it in the late 1940's and he was well passed his prime. He did a Giselle with the handsome and lithe George Skibine as Hilarion (a BIG mistake) and there were titters in the audience during Act 1 when Giselle chose Albrecht over Hilarion.

I saw the first night Balanchine program and NYCB should beg, borrow or steal Carla Korbes. What a wonderfully mature artist--they are so few and far between here at NYCB. Seth Orza's Apollo has much to learn yet from Peter Boal. I read somewhere that Orza said he was studying the role by viewing tapes of Martins---he has the perfect mentor in Boal, who understands the role so well. (I am biased---Boal is my all-time favorite in the role) I, too, detected opening night jitters from the Company. It should all disappear when they learn their Balanchine can be topped by no-one......

from the book I have been looking at (Soviet Ballet, Iris Morley,1945) from the descriptions it seems to be Golovkina "small with a demure Victorian face and rounded limbs.......the audience adore to see her perform 32 fouettes on a postage stamp". The only photo of Tikhomirnova shows her with decidedly dark hair and there is no mention of having danced Swan Lake (as of 1945)

Thanks Helene---that's exactly what I have tickets to see........hopefully there will be no after effects of the coming blizzard ........

Just two ---Veronika Part Ulyana Lopatkina