drb

Happy 40th birthday to Alexei Ratmansky. From his birthday telegram* from President Dmitry Medvedev: * entry: 27/VIII-2008 11:20 http://www.kremlin.ru/sdocs/news.shtml#205800

Thanks. From the Professional Children's School site, in addition to Ms. Dorger's position, many other dancers have also gained employment: http://www.pcs-nyc.org/subpage.cfm?tbl=29&sct=43

FINALLY! An American newspaper becomes aware of Whitney Jensen's Varna achievement. Her home state newspaper offers a feature on the dancer (they make the "Grand Prix" error for the "Special Distinction" award, we've been through all that earlier on this thread, but at least they knew!): http://www.sltrib.com/arts/ci_10284858 ABT, should we blame the negligence of the NY Times for your missing this one???

Times casting (ballets without casting given, not mentioned in the following): Tues Oct 21: ? Weds Oct 22: Leaves Fading Kent, Gomes Thurs Oct 23: Leaves Reyes, Saveliev; Theme and Vars Lane, Cornejo Fri Oct 24: Pillar of Fire Murphy, Hallberg, Gomes Sat Mat Oct 25: Pillar Kent, Savaliev, Carreno; Theme: Wiles, ? Sat Eve Oct 25: Leaves Reyes, Saveliev Sun Mat Oct 26: Leaves Kent, Gomes Sun EVE Oct 26: Pillar Wiles, Hallberg, Gomes Tues Oct 28: Ballo Della Regina Murphy, Hallberg; Brief Fling Reyes, Cornejo Weds Oct 29: Jardin aux Lilas Kent, ?, Boone, Zhurbin; Brief Herrera, Gomes Thurs Oct 30: Ballo Wiles, Hallberg; Jardin Thomas, ?, Part, Krauchenka Friday Oct 31 TUDOR GALA: ? Sat Mat Nov 1: Ballo Kajiya, Cornejo; Brief Herrera, Gomes Sat Eve Nov 1: Brief Reyes, Cornejo Sun Mat Nov 2: Jardin Thomas, ?, Part, Krauchenka Sun Eve Nov 2: ? So, other than the required Tudor Gala (there're bound to be some great performances, even with the company's often random casting) and the new Stallings, there are the two Thursdays mentioned above, the Murphy Pillar, and the Thomas/Part Jardins so far.

Just got this from an ABT e mail:

Your wish is their command--here it is!!! http://www.youtube.com/user/newyorkcityballet

I get a sense that a point being made here is that the AD issue isn't all that important since ABT really isn't a ballet company, its choreography merely a vehicle for foreign stars and its dancers mere background for them. Yet, going back to that end-of-season Alastair Macaulay summation, I find it to be very pro-ABT and very anti-AD. The critic spends a lot of space on Sleeping Beauty, I think because it most graphically illustrates the problems with the artistic side of Kevin McKenzie's direction. Mr. Macaulay, by the way, prefered what he saw to what he'd just seen The Royal Ballet do with the same ballet. And he says "the dancing at corps level shows a shared understanding of classical style that comes out of more than rehearsals alone: the fragrance and sparkle of the steps, beaming through, express a whole ethos. At soloist level the dancing is often more distinctive yet." Sounds to me like there're some pretty good home team dancers here, not just scenery to back star leads. And I, and others too, found much to admire in ABT's corps in Bayadere. Credit for this was given to Natalia Makarova, here to refresh her work's performances. And no doubt that underscores the point. This IS a company of REAL dancers, with true esprit de corps, just give them artistic direction and they will excel. The problems lie with artistic choices. Often poor, "third class", productions of the classics. I remember the earliest performances of Mr. McKenzie's Swan Lake, right in the middle of White Swan he'd inserted an upbeat, virtuosic celebratory leaping solo for the Prince, after all "it's about him, she's just a bird." But, as with many early failings with his Sleeping Beauty, the AD was willing to make corrections. Yet so many gross artistic miscues ought not to have been there in the first place. Moreover, too much of the too little new choreography that find its way onto the Met stage just plain fails. It is hard to give Mr. MeKenzie a passing grade for the A part of AD. But for the D part, it may be another story. For one, he has averted the very real threats of financial failure. And, at least as pointed out elsewhere on this Forum by an outside insider, Nina Ananiashvili, relations between dancers and administration are civilized, and there is a great sense of family about the company. Not irrelevant considerations at all. So what we do have is a dance community of really fine dancers, who can with coaching and artistic direction dance finely. And people are getting paid. For me, all we need is someone who can see and impose what is right for the classics. There's a darn good company just waiting to dance. Oh, and America does produce some pretty great dancers, it is just that most of them, but not all, are across the plaza and across the country. To next year!

Just saw on the news that 2000 had already been killed in the war, although I suppose everything is imprecise at this time. In the case of Nina, she is immensely popular in Russia, as last month's interview in Izvestia, that may be found in the Nina Retires thread for ABT, shows. But her husband's government position cannot be avoided, and much of her optimism must now be shattered. A quote from that interview:

YAGP has given an official winners list for Varna 2008, including the "non-medal" prizes: http://www.yagp.org/eng/news.asp From this it seems that the photos-list of Americans above is complete. Am I right in assuming that "promising" Alexandra Mukhamedov is daughter of THE Mukhamedov? Also "HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CLASSICAL WORK" for Ms. Jensen.

Many more photos are being added to the official photo site: http://sportnitanci.com/webga/index-757.html Included are American dancers (with number of photos posted so far in parens): Erica Wong (19) Tarasina Masi (25) Douglas Home (12) Shea Johnson (52) Brooklyn Mack (23) Rebecca King (15) I would not be surprised to find more to come. Special Distinction and trophy winner Whitney Jensen appears in 43 photos (so far) from Esmeralda, with partner Albert Davydov, here: http://sportnitanci.com/webga/thumbnails-1924.html

The highest of all awards (Grand Prix) has been awarded just twice. At the Senior level to Vladimir Vasiliev at the first Varna competition and then at the Junior level to Ivan Vasiliev (no relation) at 22nd (the one before the current competition). However Ms. Jensen's award is still very special, above a Junior Gold, and her significance was made very obvious at the Awards Ceremony (see photos above). Varna is notorious for its lack of information. But in addition to their official site (in Bulgarian, so with help of translator), reports in the Bulgarian press as well as from France and Russia (of course nothing in her own country's media) that I have read all agree. Added for (hopefully) clarification at 12:39 AM: The history of the Varna IBC is covered in great detail in "Varna Ballet Olympiad" by John Gregory, even acknowledged on the competition's site. This book covers the years 1964-1980. Terminology seems to have varied during that time, as well as since. They have always considered Juniors and Seniors separately. At the Senior level there have always been Gold, Silver, and Bronz awards. But early on a high percentage of competitors received medals: at the first 5 Gold, 9 Silver, 7 Bronz (plus Mr. Vasiliev's "Grand Prix and Gold"). Over time this dilution has faded away. At the Junior level technically (although we in the west have identified these in terms of metal as well) the corresponding awards have been First, Second, and Third Class Distinctions. At least through the years covered by the book no Junior had received "Special Distinction", the still higher award given to Ivan Vasiliev in 2006 and to Whitney Jensen in 2008 (I do not know about the other years since 1980). In current Varna terminology "Laureate of (number) IBC" appears to be their term for Grand Prix, and two years ago it was reported that Ivan Vasiliev was the first ever to win this at the Junior level (and even their current site says Vladimir Vasiliev is still the only such winner at the Senior level).

The Roma Opera Ballet has now given specific daily casting for Giselle: Ashley Bouder and Jared Angle are listed for one week from tomorrow, August 14. This release also quotes Carla Fracci's instructions to all the dancers playing the lead role (translation from Italian): http://en.operaroma.it/header/sala_stampa/...icato_giselle_2 This statement seems to have attracted the attention of numerous publications in Italy. Ms. Fracci certainly takes the story well beyond that of a count's dalliance with a pretty village innocent, toward a grander spiritual realm; but also her vision has an immediacy that is somehow contemporary and almost political. In a recent interview, Ms. Bouder spoke of her interest in dancing Giselle. Ashley is especially looking forward to the Mad scene and to all the acting in the ballet. She's liked several performances, especially Diana Vishneva's. But liked even more some really old videos, specifically those of Fracci and Kirkland (I did not know that there was one of Gelsey's Giselle). In every interview that I can recall, when Ms. Bouder was asked for a dance wish-list she's said Giselle, including the one on NYCB's site. Carla first dance the ballet 50 years ago and is surely an ideal teacher for Ashley, both as one so admired by Ms. Bouder, and one with whom she worked so successfully on Aurora last year. Merde!

Today's links include a Times article on the forthcoming Winter Season. Three new ballets: Alexei Miroshnichenko participated in 2005's NYCB Choreographic Institute, using music by the composer (Leonid Desyatnikov) later used by Alexei Ratmansky in Russian Seasons. You may see him (the only Russian, so easy to spot) in each of the site's three videos, especially an extensive exposure to his choreographic ideas and method of setting choreography in the middle clip, and a (promising) little look at his ballet (for the Institute) in the third: http://www.nycballet.com/nyci/video.html While Ms. Barak is familiar from earlier work for the Company, is anyone familiar with the work of Mr. Lee?

I respect the artist Balanchine more than any other choreographer. But Balanchine Police is not Balanchine. Sure, Balanchine might not like his work to be shown badly. Perhaps so, too, would Petipa. But in cases like the performance under discussion, it is Balanchine being shown at its best. The Balanchine Police abuse "copyright" by keeping well-performed Balanchine away from everyone who cannot physically get to authorized performances. Hiding Balanchine while all other choregraphers, great and (mostly) not, get exposure, distorts the presentation of the art of ballet to the people, diminishing us all.

Here are photos of the Awards Ceremony: http://sportnitanci.com/webga/thumbnails-1903-page-4.html I do not know Ms. Jensen personally, nor have I seen her dance, but the blonde in the blue tutu receiving a trophy from Vladimir Vasiliev looks extremely like prior photos of Ms. Jensen (and I believe she was the only blonde winner). The same dancer appears on clickable sets (as numbered at page bottom) 8, 10 (bearing the torch and setting the eternal flame), and 11. Can anyone confirm her identity? The site tends not to ID subjects. At the top of the page one may connect to other photos from the competition. Varna IBC may be terrible at communication, but they sure know how to cap off an event!

The prize won by Ms. Jensen stands above Junior Gold. From Varna site, it is the same Special Distinction won by Mr. Vasiliev at Varna two years ago. Not only is Varna's wording the same for the two dancers, but major forums in France and in Russia are announcing it as such for Ms. Jensen. So both won Special Distinction. However,looking back to 2006 results at Varna's site you are right in that in full 2006: But for Ms. Jensen Google translator gives:

Going to Varna's site list for 2006 winners: This is exactly the full translation of Whitney Jensen's award this year. I find it amazing that this has not been seen as "news" (at least as findable via Google news search) in America! She is from Valentina Kozlova's school in New York City. Congratulations to her! And I hope she'll eventually get some extremely deserved publicity in her own country, or city (wake up, New York Times).

From the official announcement (in Bulgarian): http://www.vlastta.com/nivo1.php?id1=&...i&sluchai=1 With the help of Google Bulgarian translator (please forgive spelling): Group A (Senior): Women: Gold: Kristina Terentiev, Moldavia *Silver: Seo Hie Han, Korea Bronz: Sang Eun Lee, Korea Men: Gold: Yue Zhang, China Silver: Yi Huang, China Bronz: Yuday Fukuoka, Japan and Rodrigo Almerales Gonzales, Cuba Group B (Junior): Special Prix (I think this might be what Ivan Vasiliev won in 2006, but not sure): Whitney Jensen, USA Women: Gold: Fumi Kaneko, Japan Silver: none *Bronz: Eun Wong Lee, Korea Men: Gold: none Silver: Osiel Gouneo Martinez, Cuba Bronz: Xiao Dong Ma, China and Dimitry Zagrebin, Russia *these were especially challenging to translate, so... the best I could do. Numerous other awards were given.

Now that is tantalizing. The print I've seen is terribly washed out. From http://www.filmlinc.com/archive/wrt/progra...midsummer04.htm it would seem they've done a good job re-saturating the color, although the resolution of course is not great. Still, one could spend quite a while meditating on the frame given at the site....

Italian information agency Iniziativa* reports that Ashley Bouder will dance in Carla Fracci's Giselle: Mr. Angle was also Ms. Bouder's partner in Carla Fracci's Sleeping Beauty last Fall. This will be part of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma program at Caracalla of a whole season of women: Aida, Lucia, Madame Butterffly and Giselle, whose passions of love result in tragedy and death. * http://www.iniziativa.info/index.php?optio...iew&id=4021

Going for matched pairs to perhaps encourage some structure in the choreography: Bouder, Osipova (yes, Leigh!) Reichlen, Kondaurova A two-part dance: Wheeldon could have the latter pair lift and bend the former pair around; Ratmansky could continue with his aesthetic blend of America movement and Russian spirit.

Just noticed that City Ballet is down-sizing its Spring Season from nine to eight weeks: (In 2008: April 29 - June 29. In 2007: April 24 - June 24.) Why?

Mr. Hanna is listed in the cast of Billy Elliot. It is scheduled to open on Broadway November 17, with previews beginning September 17: http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=29983 (if you click on his name in the article, he is id'd as being from NYCB)

Just called in for my "create your own" ... at 212-581-1212. I like front row of mid mezz, so I gave my favorite pair of seat numbers, and got them exactly for all the perfs! Seems to me quite a bargain at $55. While at it, did the same for Wheeldon's season, with the same happy results (and they have posted their casting), and just $50 per.

July 20, 1978 Happy Birthday, dear Masha! (by the way, the Russia Today TV special, above, is still online)