lampwick

Since someone's already mentioned it, I really think PNB would be a logical choice. I had actually sort of assumed that this is what she would be doing. But apparently, she doesn't have a job yet. Wow, it's like baseball draft season or something...

I wish they'd hurry up and make an announcement. The thought as to what company she may end up with dawned on me the other night and I'd love to start placing bets. Her heart would be so warmed to hear about how much she'd be missed around here. I've bought tickets just to see her. Her Stravinsky Violin Concerto was particularly good. She's someone who's very suited to Balanchine. I couldn't imagine her in a more "classical" company doing story ballets. But she'd probably own that as well.

Am I allowed to say NOOOOOOOOooooooooo! I'm so sad. I LOVE her dancing. One of the reasons I consider NYCB to be my favorite company is that the greatest principals are usually extremely unique, idiosynchratic, dancers. I've always been a dancer who doesn't neatly fit into a corps de ballet, and watching dancers like Alexandra has been really educational and inspirational to me as I try and forge some artistry out of the (albeit lesser) technique that I have. She's still very young, but I'd put Alexandra Ansanelli right up there with Whelan and Farrell. She's fearless on stage. I remember one performance where she exited right into one of those black structures in the wings. She needed to grab onto it and all you saw was this little hand pushing herself around the thing to get off stage. The audience LOVED it. Oh, I hope to see her dance again. But I truly wish her happiness in whatever road in life she chooses to follow.

They're going to send some of his ashes up in a rocket. He wanted to be in space, like Roddenberry. Interesting tidbit...the line "Beam me up Scotty" was never actually used in the series. It was always "Mr.Scott, beam me up" or "Beam me up Mr.Scott" I always loved Star Trek. dirac is right, altzeimer's is horrible for the person who's suffering, as well as for thier loved ones. My Nana had a STRONG heart and held on for over 10 years. It wasn't pleasant for anyone. Very much the long goodbye.

Thanks for the tip BW. I use Firefox normally. IE gives me viruses, but I have almost every browser imaginable on my machine. Because we actually TEST our content on a variety of platforms and browsers... I missed Ashley Bouder's Ballo, so I'm happy that (hopefully) I'll get a chance to see it this winter. I've also never seen Robbins "In the Night". I love Robbins and I love Chopin, so that'll be fun. Solo piano with dancing sounds really pretty.

Wow, I'll be happy when they redesign that horrible website and I can actually view the winter rep. The scrolling isn't working at all any more (and it's been buggy for at least two years as it is) I work for a tiny little production group in a non-profit and we'd NEVER let anything that badly designed and coded go up to the public.

My chiropractor's office (also a Pilates studio) had an article posted on the bulletin board which featured Kyra Nichols talking about how Pilates has been instrumental in her career's longevity. Allegra Kent talked about seeing massage therapists in her autobiography (long before this practice was standard). She also did all of her water exercises. Great for maintaining strength and flexibility without the damaging effects gravity has on the body. My teacher, Emilietta Ettlin, was a strong technician (danced with Stuttgart Ballet under Cranko). She's still very fit in her late 50s and takes class on pointe, 4 or 5 pirouettes, extensions over her head, etc...She developed a floor barre routine during her dancing career which she still does every day (and teaches to her lucky students!) Sports medicine in general is so good now. Maybe careers will be getting longer and longer as massage, Physical Therapy, chiropractic, pilates, floor barre, etc becomes a "standard". Most dancers I know take advantage of this stuff. And good genes and luck help too!

Oh mohnurka, that's what I'll tell my teacher next time she yells at me for being a half count behind. "I'm not slow, I have a sophisticated rhythm".

I always get a sense from Wendy Whelan that the music is coming right out of her arms.

Nothing bugs me more than when the person in front of me sits forward in thier seat at the State Theatre in NYC. It totally blocks the view of the person behind you! I've had to tap on so many shoulders.

Jacqueline, Hope she knows how lucky she is to have that opportunity! That's awesome. I love Barocco.

I've never seen anything except custom Capezio, Freed Classic, or Gaynor Minden on professional dancers in NYCB and ABT. Gaynors seem to be getting very popular with ABT dancers. City Ballet mostly wears Freed. I wear Grishko, and don't find them particularly loud once they are broken in. They squeek, but don't thud or click. I swear it has something to do with the way you work your foot.

Wendy Whelan left a pair of her white pointe shoes in a dressing room for two days. My friend snatched them up and gave them to me as a gift for good luck before a performance. They're Freed "u" maker. I always touch them for good luck before a performance or audition. But I haven't had very good luck yet. Maybe I should ask her to autograph them...

Well, the professionals mentioned are pretty exceptional ones. Random kids plucked out of the corps at NYCB or ABT aren't going to look like Whelan or Carreno. Gosh, I wish I went...

Nobody could honestly watch a dancer like Alexandra Ansanelli and speak of lack of abandon. She literally throws herself around. It's thrilling to watch her.

If I had known as a teenager what Balanchine ballets actually looked like, I probably would have taken my ballet lessons a lot more seriously. Classical story ballets bored me back then (and they're still not my favorite) I would LOVE to do any corps role in 4T's, Agon, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, or Concerto Barocco. It kills me that I'll probably never get to learn any of those amazing ballets.

It was a still photograph with narration over it. I've seen it before..she has one arm up and it kind of "drapes" over her. I think it was on some posters. The Giselle one on the ABT homepage right now is AMAZING.

I saw an ABT advertisement on TV (Network or cable---not PBS) when I was visiting my parents in New Hampshire. My mom thought Alessandra Ferri was so beautiful. Then I told her age and she just wouldn't believe me. She's so photogenic. Looks gorgeous in person too.

I think "Serenade" was performed by students at Barnard last year. Do college programs need to go through the Trust as well?

Oh, that's probably why no one had quite the same reaction to the Apollo photo as me

Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong brochure? The front cover has the dancers in pastel colored short tutus. They'd make a very uncomfortable nightgown.

My roomate and I almost wet ourselves laughing when we saw the Peter Boal Apollo photograph. Someone MUST have noticed what it looks like

SO many people complain about this, since it seems to be a favorite Jewels section (I'm an Emeralds girl personally ) They should record this with Damian Woetzel, Alexandra Ansanelli, and Tess Reichlin. It's a great cast.

I think it was Viengsay Valdés from Ballet Nacional de Cuba that I saw when they were at City Center last year--in Don Quixote. The most crazy balancing in arabesque--into penchee I've ever seen. The technique of that company blows away anything I'd ever seen.

OK, i'm confused. Are the dancers really singing in West Side Story Suite? When I saw it at the State Theatre, there were singers off stage on platforms. I assumed most of the real singing was done by these singers, and the dancers were lip-synching.