Helene

Only in soap operas do the "good" girls, like Victoria on "One Life to Live", get to marry a dozen times in three decades (and most of them were when she was Vicky, not one of her other personalities). And forget about the men: good, bad, indifferent, for all but a few select patriarchs, they marry so often that if they changed their names, they'd have their own dozen. (Except when they accidentally marry their long-lost relative.)

Bravo! to Ms. Part.

At "Les Sylphides" in Phoenix last weekend, during the opening tableau, before any dancer had moved, the 70-something behind me announced to her friend (and the entire main floor) -- "This music is so beautiful. I could just come to listen to the music." A little later in the Wheeldon, she informed us all that "That must be what's-his-name."

I'm not sure, but I'll be thrilled to find out, if the casting holds. I would have loved to see her Gamzatti, but I can't go until Saturday.

I'd be the last person to say that the only good dancing comes from big institutions or major companies, or that a dancer must stick to a company to be effective. What you described of what the company performed, though, sounds like a direct result of the attitudes about ballet he expressed in the Q&A. I'll take a pass on that.

It's a growing city; in some ways, it's the New Seattle, less expensive than Seattle is now, and, like Seattle, is a city on the west coast to which many who could not afford California (and now Seattle) or wanted a more "small town in a city" have migrated. Although the newcomers are still driving up housing price, it's still more affordabled, and if I had been about to retire in the last 5-7 years, I would have moved there to an apartment in the center of town. It's relatively flat, and public transportation is excellent. Here's hoping that some of the newcomers bring some money with them and support the arts once they settle.

Oh, dear. From what you've described from his comments, I guess that neither Wheeldon nor Ratmansky nor Robbins, for example, rock his boat in a way that dancing with inflatable dolls to Callas, and not "regurgitating steps so old" -- I think that is what is known as "vocabulary" but I could be mistaken -- does.

That's a lovely photo, rg!

To the best that I can recall, Calegari danced that role exactly once, her first performance after the suicide of Joe Duell, to whom she had been romantically attached, and her only performance for the remainder of that season. I had been a very careful Calegari watcher, but I might have missed a performance in 1986. She had fallen off point in the iconic developpe in second as her partner went behind her to switch the hand-hold, and she shot him a look of death that would have made ice dancer Barbara Fusar-Poli proud. I thought that the review of this, the only performance I saw her dance Second Movement, which was almost two years later, on 18 January 1988, noted that despite this, she didn't have to be so ungracious to her partner. That could be my mind playing tricks, though. The only performance of "Symphony in C" I saw right after Duell's death was a week later, with Kistler in the Second Movement. Calegari danced with Duell in the First Movement a few days before he died, on 11 February 1986, and then with Soto in the performance on 23 February. That describes the performance I saw, and I was very surprised, since watching her dance Dewdrop was the first time I got of glimpse of the role's creator, Tanaquil Leclerq -- it wasn't until the Balanchine biography that I had seen any footage of TL's dancing.

A number of us seem to be following the Osipova Saga to Washington, DC on Sunday 21st, to see "Le Corsaire" at the Kennedy Center, where many of the better seats are less expensive than at the Met, but where they don't have the cheapest seats ($36 in the Family Circle). With the cheap bus fares mentioned above, it isn't necessarily more expensive to take the day round-trip on Sunday (matinee begins at 1:30) than to attend a performance in NY, and there are no conflicting ABT performances on Sundays. The "Le Corsaire" on the 19th would require a stayover or driving home in the wee hours of the morning. (The last cheap bus leaves at 11:59pm, which might be impossible to make, given the length of the ballet.) I'm starting to feel sad for "TBA" on the 19th.

There was great promise in the pairing of Kaori Nakamura and Lucien Postlewaite in Doug Fullington's reconstructions of excerpts from "La Bayadere" in his Balanchine's Petipa presentations, and it was realized tonight in the opening night of "Swan Lake". Postlewaite's Siegfried is a young prince, and as ardent as his prince is, he's out of his depth with both Odette and Odile. There were two things that were most remarkable about Postlewaite's performance: there was not a second of stage time that he did not account for dramatically -- including his variations, which were abstractions of character -- and he never broke line or character for virtuosity. When he floated jetes into a scene, he showed ecstacy and flight. When he partnered Nakamura in the White Swan Pas de Deux, he didn't just walk at her pace and follow her when she moved from turn to supported hold, he watched her move away, enchanted, and then he did a gentle rush towards her. He looked continually astonished that she gave him the time of day, and that she let him touch her. One great moment was at the very end of Act II, when he's reeling by what just took place, including von Rothbart's powerful dismissal of him, and then, suddenly, his face lights up as he runs back to the palace: he's completely, madly in love, despite the swan thing and Odette's baggage and the weird monster to whom she's attached, and it explains exactly where his head is at the opening of Act III. Nakamura's Odette was soft and deep, her movement originating from the sternum. It's rare for me to see a performance of the Act II solo in which the arms and legs had equal importance and emphasis. Her Odile was sharper, and she clearly loved playing Siegfried every second. In her solo, she gained momentum on the attitude turns in the beginning, and then stopped on a dime. What bound the two was the silken clarity she brought to both roles. Her impeccable technique was invisible and submerged in each character. Carrie Imler was the Mom from Hell, controlling, controlling, controlling. In Act III, after introducing all of the foreign dancers, the Jester sits at the feet of the Queen, and Imler shot Jonathan Porretta such looks of affection, as if she were saying, "See, you listen, why weren't you my son?" It is such a vivid characterization. Olivier Wevers overcame the von Rothbart costume, and even gave up being imperious for a second to toy with Siegfried: when he summoned him to join hands with Odile and swear his love to her, he did it with an uncharacteristic, avuncular "Come here, Young Grasshopper" gesture, only to squash him a moment later. Between Carrie Imler's controlling mother and Olivier Wevers virile von Rothbart and Nakamura's Odette and Odile, Postlewaite's Siegfried didn't have a chance: he was being drawn and quartered. Without any shadowing von Rothbarts or dream sequences or hair pulling or Lady Capulet-like Queen Mothers or angstful Act I solos, this performance might very well have been called "Siegfried". After three performances of "Les Sylphides" last weekend, arms and hands have been on my mind, and Benjamin Griffiths' rounded arms and expressive fingers were exemplary in the Act I Pas de Trois and the Neopolitan Dance, in which his energy was beautifully matched with Jodie Thomas'. (The Danes are in for a real treat next season.) His partners in the Pas de Trois were Lesley Rausch, whose attention to epaulement in classical roles is always a pleasure to watch -- following her, you realize that a part of a variation is a soft nod to four distinct corners, not just some vague gestures in random directions -- and Maria Chapman, who got wonderful loft before beats, paused a second in the air at the top, and continued with a flutter. Chapman was also a knockout in the Persian Dance in Act II, with especially expressive arms, particularly in the slow intro. (The dance is to the "Russian" music.) In the Spanish, Lindsi Dec showed great style, with snap and attitude, sandwiched between her beautiful, expansive swan in Acts II and IV. Her versatility is a joy to watch. She was joined by Kylee Kitchens, Josh Spell, and Jordan Pacitti in Spanish, all three showing spark, and Pacitti also gave a rich and satisfying portrayal of Wolfgang in Act I. Jonathan Porretta's Jester did not stop moving when he danced -- there were no pandering-for-applause stops -- and his mime and characterization as part of the royal household were a great complement to his virtuoso dancing. Stacy Lowenberg glowed in Czardas, and her partner, whom at first I didn't recognize, smoldered, channeling his inner Gedeminas Taranda. (It was Jerome Tisserand.) In the Act II Valse Bluette #1 demi-soloist Sarah Ricard Orza lowered each leg after developpe in second on point as if it were on a cloud, just lovely, to match her expressive arms. The swans were an equal star in this production. Having seen the overly aerobic entrance in San Francisco last month in an otherwise wonderful swan corps, this corps differentiated between the energy of the opening hops and the softness of the arabesque in plie, making each rendition of the combination into a meaningful visual phrase. The swan corps was at its best in Act IV, opening in a circle, magically shifting into two lines, and then becoming Stowell's kaleidoscope of patterns to what my Mariinsky Complete Swan Lake calls "Act IV Dance of the Little Swans". I find the Act IV Pas de Deux, to the plaintive music that's noted on a number of recordings as "Pas de Trois: Andante Sustenato (4b)", one of the highlights of the ballet, a heart breaker, and a beautiful balance to the rest of the act and the ballet. (In Tomasson's version for SFB and several others I've seen, Siegfried dances to this music as a solo towards the end of Act I.) Stewart Kershaw led the orchestra. During the overture to Act II, as the strings played the famous theme, I was jolted by a sound I hadn't heard since childhood, when I wore out the grooves on my Philadelphia Orchestra recording of "Swan Lake": the clear sound of many strings playing as one.

The principal casting for the Bolshoi's "La Bayadere" performaces in Berekeley has been posted to the Cal Performances website: Casting* : http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/presents/...08/dance/bb.php To reformat that by performance: Thursday, June 4: Nikia: Svetlana Zakharova Solor: Nikolai Tsiskaridze Gamzatti: Maria Alexandrova Friday, June 5: Nikia: Nadezhda Gracheva Solor: Andrei Uvarov Gamzatti: Yekaterina Krysanova Saturday, June 6 matinee: Nikia: Maria Alexandrova Solor: Alexander Volchkov Gamzatti: Yekaterina Krysanova Saturday, June 6 evening: Nikia: Svetlana Zakharova Solor: Nikolai Tsiskaridze Gamzatti: Yekaterina Krysanova Sunday, June 7 matinee: Nikia: Nadezhda Gracheva Solor: Andrei Uvarov Gamzatti: Yekaterina Krysanova

Your reviews of this, Natalia, and Marc Haegeman's photos made me very anxious to see it. If nothing else, the ABT Osipova "in or out of 'La Sylphide' discussion made me aware of how the close the dates were, and that I could hop down on the train and see ABT and the Bolshoi on the same trip. I had filed "Le Corsaire" in my "too bad they're not bringing this to Berkeley" envelope. I am looking forward to seeing all of the dancers in featured roles. When the Bolshoi visited Seattle, I guess five years ago now, they brought "Don Quixote" and "Romeo and Juliet", and while it was interesting to see Juliet bite and scratch Romeo, I'm much more interested in seeing the Company in the classical rep, and in a ballet that has so many roles for soloists. I know how unreliable the programs can be, and with a company in the women can look so physically similar, I'm pretty much restricted to "the taller/shorter dark-/light-haired on the right", which is about all I'll be able to report on the Berkeley "Bayaderes". I'm hoping that Ballet Talkers who are familiar with the dancers in DC can set the record straight

I've made plans to see Osipova in DC in "Le Corsaire" on Sunday, after the Part "La Sylphide" at ABT. I'm looking forward to seeing both.

The seating chart says that my section begins with row B, which would make K the 10th row back (unless they remove some rows). I hope that's far enough back, but I'm sure there will be plenty to see. I appreciate the warning, though, and will assume I will miss some of the pointe work to avoid the risk being hit over the head by the person in back of me. The Sunday matinee sounds like a great time for a Ballet Talk get-together, at least during intermission, and maybe for a drink/snack after the performance, before everyone heads back to NYC if there's time. (I fly out the next day. Alas the bus to "Washington" is not to Washington State!)

It's been a while since we had a fundraiser -- Fall 2007-- and we were lucky to follow it with a good 2007 holiday season from amazon.com commissions, as well as with commissions from sales of Ballet Talk for Dancers logo items, but not unexpectedly, the drop in the economy has reduced those revenues significantly since last Fall. We are launching a joint fundraiser with Ballet Talk for Dancers to pay for our shared software, server, support, and email. Our target is $2200 between the boards, and we hope that if Ballet Talk has been valuable to you, you will support us. In the past we've set a target of $15, but we know times are tight, and truly appreciate any amount. There are two ways to contribute: by PayPal or by check (written out to me or Victoria Leigh). The PayPal link and mailing details are on this page: http://www.ballettalk.com/bt.htm Please write in your user name on your check or on a slip of paper with your check. We'd like to be able to thank you. (PayPal has removed the comments field from the payments screen, but we will have an email address to use to thank you, even if it's different than your board email.) Thank you! PS: If you've donated during the year through the option on "My Controls", this does not mean you

Mary Clarke's tribute was a beautiful one, and unusual for much dance writing now, for she establishes the context of Evdokimova's dance career and accomplishments.

Many thanks for the advice. When I know what day I'm traveling from DC to NYC, I'll use megabus. I've booked the train for Sunday morning, though. I know I'm going to be up late on Saturday night, and, unfortunately, I'll sleep through the bus ride and "Le Corsaire" if I have to get up by 5:30am. Everything else has fallen into place. Now the dancers just have to show up I had the same experience with the website -- I chose sections, and the system assigned the tickets. I just plunged right in on this one. Edited to add: I just found the seating chart for the Opera House on the Kennedy Center site, and for one performance, I'm in row K of the left section of the orchestra facing the stage, four seats from the center-most aisle, and for the other, I'm in the first tier, in the right hand section, row D, about center. I'd rather know bad news up front rather than be surprised later, and if there's something I need to know, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me.

Thanks for the sharp eyes!

Beverly McKinsey was fantastic as Iris. This thread is making me relive my chlldhood

Barry Kerollis has a face made for ruffles, powdered wigs, and a mole by his upper lip. Week two casting is up, and the Odettes/Odiles and Siegfrieds are: 4/16: Vinson/Orza 4/17: Weese/Cruz 4/18 matinee: Nakamura/Postlewaite 4/18 evening: Korbes/Milov 4/19 matinee: Weese/Cruz 4/19 evening: Imler/Bold updated to Nakamura/Postlewaite In case anyone is attending matinees, they begin at 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays; that's an hour earlier than usual for Saturdays. The Sunday evening performance starts at 7pm.

Lynn Johnston started to re-work her comic strip "For Better or Worse" from the beginning, and this week's "new" storyline is about soap operas, namely main character Elly's decision to withdraw from the addiction, because, as she notes in today's strip, "I spend an hour every day watching inane, repetitive drivel" (panel 2) and "Soap operas are impossibly depressing, insulting, and a waste of time" (panel 3), and "They're also fattening" (panel 4, as she sits turns on the TV carrying coffee and a plate of cookies). I love soap operas! I wonder if they'd be in healthier financial condition if they went back to the radio. I can't watch TV and write specs at the same time, but I can listen to the radio and write.

I loved Larkin Malloy on Edge of Night! He had genuine, Level 4 nostril flare.

This may be coming together, although I won't be able to get home from DC Sunday night. If I use the Alaska 15K miles for a discounted plane ticket, the difference should cover the hotel room Sunday night, and I'd have most of Monday to be a tourist. Many thanks for the advice, nysusan!

Hmm, considering that there are many people who believe that judged Olympic events like figure skating aren't even sports, it's hard to imagine ballet being one. I think there is general confusion between "sport" and "competition". Poker is a competition. Dance competitions are competitions. They may have scoring structures that are similar to sports, and compulsory rounds where each contestant performs the same piece for apples-to-apples comparisons, but one thing that distinguishes most music and dance competitions from sport is the use of a jury, who may or may not award prizes, or may declare co-winners. In judged sported, the judges are expected to work independently and score immediately, and the only interaction is generally for post-performance reviews.