Helene

Saturday, July 14 James Fenton writes about Mark Morris for The Guardian.

Leigh and I posted at the same time, and he notes: I would have deleted my post, but it took me so long to try to get the formatting to match the press release

From the PNB Press Release: NEW DANCERS ANNOUNCED Peter Boal has announced the appointment of six dancers to the Company who will join PNB throughout the summer and fall. Beginning July 1, Miranda Weese, former principal dancer with New York City Ballet, joins the PNB as a Principal dancer; beginning August 20, Liora Reshef, who has trained in PNB School's Professional Division, joins as an apprentice; beginning September 4, Seth Orza, former soloist with New York City Ballet, Sarah Orza, former corps de ballet dancer with New York City Ballet, and Jerome Tisserand, former apprentice with Miami City Ballet, join PNB as members of the corps de ballet; and beginning November 19, Leah O'Connor, also a PNB School Professional Division student, joins the Company as an apprentice. About the dancers Miranda Weese is from San Bernardino, California. She trained at Laguna Dance Theatre and the School of American Ballet. She became an apprentice with New York City Ballet in 1991 and a member of the corps de ballet in 1993. She was promoted to soloist in 1994 and principal in 1996. In 2007, she left New York City Ballet and performed as a guest artist with Pacific Northwest Ballet. She now joins the Company as a Principal dancer. At New York City Ballet, Ms. Weese danced leading roles in George Balanchine's Apollo, Concerto Barocco, Divertimento No. 15, Emeralds, The Four Temperaments, Rubies, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Symphony in C, Symphony in Three Movements, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Theme and Variations, and La Valse; Peter Martins' The Sleeping Beauty (Aurora) and Swan Lake (Odette/Odile); Jerome Robbins' The Concert, Dances at a Gathering, and The Four Seasons; Richard Tanner's Ancient Airs and Dances; and Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia. Ms. Weese originated a principal role in Twyla Tharp's The Beethoven Seventh. Ms. Weese danced the role of Odette/Odile on the nationally televised broadcast of Peter Martins' Swan Lake on PBS's Live from Lincoln Center. She also appeared in the May 2004 Live From Lincoln Center broadcast of 'Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine 100," dancing in Balanchine's Liebeslieder Walzer. At Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ms. Weese has performed leading roles in Balanchine's La Sonnambula, Tanner's Ancient Airs and Dances, and Wheeldon's Polyphonia. Ms. Weese was the recipient of the Princess Grace Foundation - USA Dance Fellowship for 1995-1996. Sarah Orza is from Amherst, Massachusetts. She trained at Amherst Ballet School and on full scholarship at the School of American Ballet. In 1999 she joined New York City Ballet as an apprentice. She became a member of the corps de ballet in 2000 and danced with the company until 2006. She joins Pacific Northwest Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in September 2007. At New York City Ballet, Ms. Orza danced leading roles in George Balanchine's Coppélia (Dawn), Peter Martins’ The Sleeping Beauty (Emerald), and Jerome Robbins' Fanfare and Interplay. She was also featured in Balanchine's The Nutcracker, Theme and Variations, and Symphony in Three Movements; Martins's Ash, Fearful Symmetries, Hallelujah Junction, and Swan Lake; Robbins's NY Export: Opus Jazz and West Side Story Suite; and Richard Tanner's Ancient Airs and Dances. She originated roles in Eliot Feld's Organon, Miriam Mahdaviani's In the Mi(d)st, Martins' Bach Concerto V, Tanner's Soirée, Helgi Tomasson's Prism, and Christopher Wheeldon's Shambards. Seth Orza is from San Francisco, California. He trained at San Francisco Ballet School and on full scholarship at the School of American Ballet, and in 1999 he joined New York City Ballet as an apprentice. He became a corps de ballet member in 2000, and in 2007 he was promoted to soloist. In September 2007, he joins Pacific Northwest Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet. At New York City Ballet, Mr. Orza danced leading roles in George Balanchine's Agon, The Four Temperaments, The Nutcracker, Emeralds, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bottom, Lysander), Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Symphony in C, and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2; Peter Martins' Reliquary and Romeo + Juliet (Romeo); Jerome Robbins' Fancy Free, Fanfare, In Memory Of …, Interplay, and Piano Pieces; and Christopher Wheeldon's Carousel (A Dance), Evenfall, and Polyphonia. He originated featured roles in Albert Evans' Haiku, Robbins' NY Export: Opus Jazz, Susan Stroman's Double Feature, and Richard Tanner's Soirée. Jerome Tisserand is from Lyon, France. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School, with Pascale Courdioux in Lyon, and the School of American Ballet. He joined Miami City Ballet as an apprentice in 2006. He joins Pacific Northwest Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in September 2007. At Miami City Ballet, Mr. Tisserand performed works by George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, and Twyla Tharp. He has also performed as a student with Paris Opera Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet School, at the School of American Ballet in works by Benjamin Millipied and Christopher Wheeldon, and for the New York Choreographic Institute in works by Charlotte Griffin, Paul Julius, and Miao Zong. Mr. Tisserand won second prize at the 2003 Dance Festival of Artists in Nyon, Switzerland, and first prize in the 2004 Prix Carpeaux in Valentiennes, France. Liora Reshef is from Paris, France. She trained with Dominique Khalfouni and Wayne Byars, and on full scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet School since 2005. She also participated in summer courses at the Royal Ballet School and Universal Ballet Academy, as well as a workshop at the Opera National de Bordeaux with Elisabeth Platel and Charles Jude. She joins Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in August 2007. As a student in Pacific Northwest Ballet School's Professional Division, Ms. Reshef performed works by George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Sonia Dawkins and Lev Ivanov. She also originated a leading role in ...…for PNB's 2007 Choreographers' Showcase. Dancing with Pacific Northwest Ballet she has performed corps de ballet roles in Balanchine's Symphony in Three Movements, Ronald Hynd's The Sleeping Beauty, and Kent Stowell's Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Ms. Reshef won the gold medal in the 2001 and 2002 Concours International de Danse Classique de Grasse in France, was a semi-finalist in the 2004 and 2005 Prix de Lausanne competitions, and a finalist in the 2003 Youth America Grand Prix in New York. Leah O'Connor is from Mobile, Alabama. She trained at North Carolina School of the Arts, the School of American Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She joins Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in November 2007. As a student in Pacific Northwest Ballet School's Professional Division, Ms. O'Connor performed works by George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Sonia Dawkins, and Lev Ivanov. She also originated leading roles in ballets created for PNB's 2007 Choreographers' Showcase. Dancing with Pacific Northwest Ballet she has performed corps de ballet roles in Balanchine's Symphony in Three Movements and Kent Stowell's Carmina Burana, Nutcracker and Swan Lake.

Frolich, a wonderful dancer, retired at a time when Robbins picked his own Ballet Masters to rehearse his rep. (Bart Cook was another.)

It's a delight to hear of your adventures, goro!

He's one clever Dane, knowing that in the Pacific Northwest he could blend into the Scandinavian landscape...

And if he doesn't, rehab is going to be a useless exercise (but better than the alternative).

I really appreciate all of your reports, cygneblanc

I would go so far as to say that substance abuse is nothing new in any segment of any population and that to intimate drug use in any particular place specifically is in many ways both an invasion of privacy and pointless speculation. Moderators if that is too harsh please feel free to edit or make it disappear. Not at all harsh, Mme. Hermine. Exactly to the point.

[ADMIN BEANIE ON] Please remember the board rules when responding to this article. If there is news or speculation that hasn't been published, please don't post about it here. [ADMIN BEANIE OFF]

On the other hand, one of the advantages of ballet, however small in the big picture, is that it has a common worldwide vocabulary and much communication, instruction, and learning through gesture and observation. A defector in ballet did not need to start from scratch, like many professionals with credentials that didn't translate, business assets lost, and less-than-perfect language skills, although not all ballet defectors were able to retain the status and prestige they had in their homelands.

If The Ballet Shop was the shop on Broadway, south of Lincoln Center, my lasting memory is not-so-nice. When Lynn Seymour's autobiography came out and was only available in England, I ordered a copy from the shop. I called every three of months to see if it was in -- they asked me to check-- and one day I stopped by. I spied a copy on the shelf, and when I tried to pay for it, one of the men who worked there snatched it out of my hands and held it to his chest like a baby that I was trying to abuse, and said very haughtily, "This copy is reserved." That was the last time I set foot in that shop, and I've never regretted it.

In the recent past, there have been two I can think of: Yona Zeldis McDonough's The Four Temperaments, in which a middle-aged violinist in the NYCB orchestra falls for a young corps member, who, after their affair, falls in love with his son, and Colum McCann's Dancer, a fictional autobiography of Rudolf Nureyev.

When a critic is writing about a season, and several dancers have been cast prominently and to his/her eyes, dancing inadequately over the course of it, it is his/her responsibility to point this out. A true critic is not a home company cheerleader. Darci Kistler has been dancing beyond her prime, and, as a result, will continue to be subjected to this criticism until she either retires or is cast in repertoire in which her diminishing technique is not exposed. Rudolf Nureyev was, rightly in my opinion, criticized for dancing well beyond his prime, and he was a far more important dancer historically than Kistler. If he was not exempt, why should Kistler be?

I am so glad you wrote this, Alexandra. Yesterday I was mulling this over, and my impression was that Macaulay has made the, perhaps misguided, assumption that his readers share a common knowledge of what is the history of classical ballet in the 20th century by the consensus of the main critics of that century. I wonder if Macaulay is in the position of teachers and writers who assumed that a well-educated populace had knowledge of history, Greek mythology, Shakespeare, and Latin, only to find this assumption overly optimistic.

I accidentally deleted the second half of the first sentence, "but I have been to Moscow, and I loved it."

I've never been to St. Petersburg, but definitely: * A walk around Red Square * A visit to Novodovichy Convent and Cemetary. Galina Ulanov is buried there. It's just outside the city (or on its outskirts) * A subway tour (or do it yourself). The circle line (brown) has stations, each of which is decorated elaborately in a different style. I missed the Kremlin, because I was there for the World Figure Skating Championships, and I didn't have a free day. That's for next time, and I'm going to set aside a few days. I hope you have a wonderful time. Go see any cast of Don Quixote. I think Alexandrova is a wonderful dancer, but even if I didn't, there's so much more, especially in Act II, that doesn't involve the leads.

Based on his writing so far, and from his earlier criticism in The New Yorker, I'm fairly certain Macaulay has the ability to go into great detail about these judgements. Be careful what you wish for.

Meant to say, Macaulay's concentration of experience with NYCB was in the 70's. I don't understand this comment. Croce wrote well into the 80's, with her very famous "non-review" of one of Bill T Jones's pieces. If Macaulay was responsible for reviewing dance in New York in the late 80's, why would his concentration of experience with NYCB be in the 70's?

This perfectly illustrates why I personally hold this critic in such low regard. Isn't it his job to be impartial and not to make such a sweeping statement about a dancer that will immediately put a lot of backs up? A wise critic would find other means of praising the lady without being so partisan and dogmatic. I would argue that it is a critic's job to describe what s/he sees and to make judgements on the performance, work, and performers based on the performance in historical and critical context.

Thank you so much for your review! I so wish I could have gotten to Toronto, but the weather systems and planes make it a no-go. I do hope to see this ballet someday, and hopefully it will be with Heather Ogden, a few years down the line.

Macaulay was the dance critic for The New Yorker after Arlene Croce, which would explain why the last concentration of NYCB performances he saw was during the (late) 80's and why he was so familiar with that time in the Company's history.

I used to have both Sunday night subscriptions to NYCB, and, for some reason, Sunday night, 7pm, was when a number of final performances took place. Of the Principal dancers, I saw Tomasson's, Farrell's, McBride's, Luders's, and Horiuchi's last performances. Luders (Act II Divertissement) and Horiuchi (Oberon) retired from NYCB at the same, otherwise regular performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and IIRC, Tomasson also retired with a regular program. McBride's and Farrell's programs were created separately for them. Farrell's was after her hip replacement surgery, and her rep and movement were necessarily limited by then, although she gave luminous performances. McBride was probably more technically able than Nichols at that point, but from what I saw of Nichols just a few years ago, her most famous roles were much lighter than Nichols's and didn't have the same sense of loss and farewell as Nichols's final program. From all accounts, Bussell retired at her peak, and I can attest that Barker did as well. There's a different feeling between a dancer that you know should retire, if not absolutely this year, certainly within the near future, than when you think a dancer has a number of years left, and can tailor his/her remaining career to them, the way Nichols did. I don't know whether Barker had any regrets in the morning -- although her plans were to go to Hawaii for a five-week vaaction with her husband, former PNB Principal Dancer Michael Auer, so she's probably not hurting too badly -- but she went out with a complete triumph at the very top of her technical and interpretive powers, and with all of her current partners: Pas de Trois from Le Corsaire, with a series of fouettes performed with preternatural seeming ease that barely travelled, (partners Casey Herd and Stanko Milov), a glorious Titania pas de deux with the also already missed Christophe Maraval, performed after a classically beautiful Oberon's "Scherzo" danced by Jonathan Porretta -- I supposed after the demands of State of Darkness the night before, this piece was vacation for Porretta, who later performed in the first Agon Pas de Trois -- Agon Pas de Deux, with her characteristic geometric elegance and proportion (with Olivier Wevers) -- and Act IV of Swan Lake with Jeffrey Stanton. After a massive ovation, and many tears in the audience, she and Stanko Milov returned for the Swan Lake Act II Pas de Deux, by which point, there was very audible weeping. One by one, Peter Boal, her partners and then her husband presented her with flowers, as single stems were thrown by the audience. She could have stayed for many years. The most poignant farewell for me, though, was McBride's. At the very end of her program, she danced the harp(?) solo from Harlequinade, which ends quietly downstage with a simple curtsey to the audience.

In today's New York Times, there is a letter (scroll down) arguing with Macaulay's statement that Kyra Nichols is "long and widely acknowledge as the world's purist classicist." The writer states, "She is a ballerina of the world's premier neo-classical company, Balanchine's New York City Ballet. Her argument is that Nichols did not dance, Giselle, "a classical work." While I agree with her about the distinction between classical and neo-classical, I find it odd that she's chosen a Romantic ballet as an example of classicism.

I had the opposite response to Avenue Montaigne. I thought I was witnessing the demise of French cinema. I thought the shot of Jacques Grumberg in the hospital while Lefort played piano to be the height of cloying sentimentality that I'm used to in Hollywood movies, although I did love his reply to his son, when he tried to warn dear papa about his new, young golddigging stepmother: "When you're young, you build a life. When you're my age, you buy one."And tying up Catherine's storyline with Sydney Pollack's Brian Sobinski could have been written for Julia Roberts. I don't expect to see a French movie and be hit over the head with "get it?" overkill. It was great to see Flon one last time, though.