Helene

I was able to download a tiny version of her Canadian Nationals performance of Firebird, and in spite of one tight landing, it was magnificent.

I wasn't trying to argue that Balanchine technique is the same as classical Russian School technique (now that I understand the difference between Vaganova and Russian School), but that it is an extension of that technique.

I stand corrected by Mel and rg.

No, it isn't, and he didn't. He said it was based on the Russian School in which he had been trained, which was dominated by Nicholas Legat. Both Balanchine and Vaganova spring from the Legat period. Vaganova didn't begin teaching until 1923, the year that Balanchine left Russia. Isn't "Vaganova technique" the codification of the Russian school that she and Balanchine were taught?

Balanchine technique is an extension of classic Vaganova technique though, and Balanchine was the first to say so. It isn't a different kettle of fish, like Martha Graham technique. Wouldn't it be great if the cross-over ballets were cutting edge instead of fluff or recycling from the 70's?

The NYC equivalent is when the audience comes to life only when it is time to dash for the subway. Most of the time when I've seen dancers applaud each other onstage it was for a retirement or a gala anniversary celebration. Many thanks for your wonderful review. I hope you continue to post about Miami City Ballet and any other companies you see along the way.

Lloyd-Webber has been sued successfully for stealing melodies directly from classical music, which, in their watered down sentimental versions, is the only thing his musicals have in common with classical forms, let alone classic musicals. He is the perfect analogy for cross-over ballet.

If it is possible, I would heed carbro's warning about Balanchine's Don Quixote, but I would take your daughter to the Suzanne Farrell's production anyway. The ballet was "lost" once -- leaving the New York City Ballet repertoire after a couple of seasons -- and this is a unique chance to see a staging by the original lead woman (Dulcinea, Madonna, young girl), of a ballet that was created out of love for her. As a pre-professional student, your daughter is committed to ballet, and even if she doesn't like this production, it's a very important piece of 20th century ballet history. And if nothing else, she'll probably love the ballerina's solos. (If she were a young girl going to the ballet for the first or second time, I would agree with carbro to skip this one.)

I must have missed that chapter that criticized modern music for potentially ruining classical singing technique. Modern music did not affect Lisa Saffer's bel canto singing nor Jan deGaetani's. Nor did it spoil the sweet core of Anja Silja's, who sang a wonderful Emilia Marty in Barcelona just five years ago. Nor did Le Grand Macabre hurt ab fab Caroline Stein's gorgeous coloratura one bit. Where in the voice a part lies, breath support, and core technique are the major factors that determine whether a role can damage a voice, and modern music demands the use of classical technique as much as baroque music. The opposite is true of ballet: in modern dance, core technique is underused -- ex: turnout and placement, the emphasis is on earthbound movement -- and classical technique deteriorates. Ashton's ballets were the were the technical antidote to MacMillan's, and when his ballets left the repertoire, ballet technique in England became poorer for it. I agree that Rockwell's tone is smug. Here we are, a bunch of Victorian aunties fretting that our little six-year-old nephews are going to hurt themselves on their bicycles. Oh, and worse, we are sincere.

Weight is an issue; it just doesn't define whether a dancer is dancing ballet. The aesthetic for ideal and acceptable weight for professional dancers has changed over the years. Balanchine, who used to urge his ballerinas to thinness, didn't let weight stop him from recognizing and falling in love with the young Suzanne Farrell, one of those he urged, or from keeping Gloria Govrin in his Company for many years, creating new roles for her, and even casting her in a televised version of Apollo. But the current aesthetic of thinness and whether it is necessary is one that is argued vociferously, with many definitions of "too thin," "too heavy," and "just right." While modern dance has traditionally accepted a broader range of body types (and hair lengths), I don't think it's a coincidence that one of the most acclaimed dancers in Mark Morris Dance Group, Julie Worden -- the female equivalent of a heartthrob -- looks more like a ballerina than your average modern dancer. In my opinion, an even bigger question than whether weight discrimination leads to a lot of unhealthy and malnourished ballerinas -- many of whom smoke like chimneys -- is whether it leads to unhealthy and malnourished girls and teenagers who fight their weight to in order to become professional ballet dancers.

The disadvantage for me is when I don't like one of the partners but love the other, and either have to "suffer" through one or miss the other. Or, when I was very young and more stupid, miss Erik Bruhn because he was paired with Carla Fracci -- I know -- because I had to see Makarova and Makarova only the two times a year I could get a ride to NYC, and she was paired exclusively with Ivan Nagy. (There was no suffering whatsoever involved with watching Nagy dance and partner. I just missed out on seeing one of the great male dancers of the 20th century. I did eventually see Fracci, in Giselle.)

Whether dance is ballet is determined by whether the dancers have been schooled in ballet technique, which most modern dancers are as well, and whether the choroegraphy uses ballet vocabulary, or what is formally known as "danse d'ecole." (For a more detailed explanation on the differences between ballet and modern dance, please see the Mission Statement for this site at: http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=9771) However, that does not mean that every ballet step must be included in every ballet, nor must a ballet emphasize leaps and lifts. Swan Lake has many, but, for example, in many ballets, the majority of the corps de ballet -- the women who perform mostly as a group -- are never lifted and rarely leap. Weight would not stop a dancer from any leaps, but would limit height. There are two types of lifts -- low and overhead. In neither case is the man doing a dead lift, because the woman plies -- bends her knees -- and pushes up into the lift. In the Bournonville repertory, one of the longest surviving in ballet and performed mainly by the Royal Danish Ballet, there is minimal partnering and few lifts. Ballet does not require pointe shoes for women, and may be performed in ballet slippers. The only place that ballet is reference in the article is in the opening paragraph by the author (unattributed). "Ballet" is neither in the name of the Company, nor have any Company members quoted claim that what they are performing is ballet. Labelling what this Company does as ballet may very well be the common misunderstanding and misconception of what ballet is vs. dance or modern dance.

My immediate reaction was the same as Dale's. I think Quinn has conducted every performance but two that I've seen visiting from Seattle, and while she might take the "correct" tempo from a concert standpoint, having a parallel orchestral performance to the dance does not create a good evening. Having heard Asher Fisch conduct Wagner, whose orchestrations make his music very difficulty to sing, in Parsifal, Lohengrin, and The Ring, what is common to all of Fisch's performances is that the orchestra supports the singers' breath and line. I believe that it is a dance conductor's role to do the equivalent for the dancers. That doesn't necessarily mean slowing down the pace -- although sometimes it does, if there's a visible struggle onstage -- but it does mean being aware and present. Andrew Mogrelia does this brilliantly at San Francisco Ballet: the scores sound great and unadulterated, the orchestra plays with a sheen, and I haven't seen a performance of his where the dancers were hung out to dry. I also agree with Michael. Since Robert Irving and Hugo Fiorato, just about every other conductor has suffered from what looks from the audience like indecision -- you lead, no I'll lead, no you first -- and rather sluggish, lackluster performances. I always found it rather odd that with a surfeit of conductors graduating from conservatories and apprenticeship programs, that the NYCB orchestra has never seemed to have "conductors in training" to apprentice with the masters. Even if dance is considered the lowest form of conducting, it's not like there's a surplus of orchestras for young maestros, and NYCB is one of the plum assignments as dance companies go: except for Nutcracker, there's a constantly changing repertoire and the opportunity to play the best and most challenging music for dance.

Kwan has competed with three versions: one at Campbell's, one at Marshall's, and one at Nationals. I didn't see Marshall's, but I understand they've all been different. It looks to me like he choreographed the first 20 seconds and the two footwork passes, but little between elements. I'm not sure how much of this really is his anymore.

I'm afraid that this was a special request by Kwan. Dean has his hands full as head choreographer/AD of Stars on Ice.

I just received the early renewal mailing for PNB's 2005-6 season. It includes an insert with a very nice photo of Peter Boal leaning against one of the support pillars for the metal screen "canvases" that span McCaw Hall and the Phelps Center (PNB studios and offices), looking suitably Pacific Northwestern in a medium blue shirt over a tan t-shirt and faded jeans, with a black overcoat the concession to "real" city life. There's a nice blurb from Francia Russell and Kent Stowell about Boal, and a nice blurb from Boal about the Company. All of this appears on the PNB website as well. Along with the following little teasers for next season: Jewels (George Balanchine)* In the Night (Jerome Robbins)* Red Angels (Ulysses Dove)* Jardí Tancat (Nacho Duato) Nine Sinatra Songs (Twyla Tharp)* Hail to the Conquering Hero (Kent Stowell) Kiss (Susan Marshall)* The Sleeping Beauty (Ronald Hynd) ...and much more** *PNB Premiere **Full 2005-06 Season TBA February 2005 I haven't seen Susan Marshall's choreography since the mid-90's, when On the Boards was still on Capitol Hill and an old co-worker/friend was in her Company. But JEWELS --

I think the music is unsuited to singles skating, because it builds slowly, and it doesn't have the musical highlights to showcase 13-14 singles elements, of which 7-8 are jumps and usually require long preparations. (Dance, at least in Torvill and Dean's day, was a much better discipline through which to reflect the music using less overtly dramatic edge and hold changes, and the interaction of a couple turning on an axis.) That means that the only way to be all that sultry or sexy or climactic -- Mr. Button, get a grip! -- is through a combination of slinky movement (ugh) and overdone facial expressions (ugh). I think that Michelle Kwan was more successful trying to look sulty when she was 15-16 -- in Salome and Taj Mahal -- than she has the past few years -- in The Feeling Begins, Scheherazade, and even Arunjuez. So I'm really glad she kept it to a minimum in Bolero. Having seen it live at Nationals last week, the program is no great shakes in this version. Both she and coach Arutunian have said that this isn't the version for Worlds, which is more CoP friendly, now that she's gotten input from ISU technical committee official Alexander Lakernik. The music won't change, though, unless they decide to cut it differently, and that, in my opinion, will be its weakness. Similarly for Cohen's long program, the Nutcracker Act II pas de deux is strange music for a single's skater, especially given that Shen/Zhao did a very well-received version last year. She really moves beautifully, though. I saw the "live" broadcast in my hotel room after getting back from the arena and dinner, and I was surprised at how fast and energetic all of the women in the last group looked because of the camera work, when the only one with real power and energy was Liang. This made Kirk, Meissner, and even Kwan look better than live, but it took away much of Cohen's smoothness. The program may be empty of all but elements, but except for the two flawed landings (hand down on 3Loop, and fall on tentative entrance into 3Flutz), she has a knack for highlighting each move. It's really too bad that she didn't become a pairs skater. IMO, BeBe wuzrobbed. But not as badly as Matt Savoie.

On the NYCB side, great partnerships were formed by Balanchine when he created works on dancers, like McBride and Villella, and Farrell and d'Amboise/Martins. From everything I've read in the last decade about the Company, Whelan and Soto have had a great partnership. I preferred to see the great partners distributed around, particularly when there were so many wonderful, tall ballerinas In my main NYCB-going years, these were Adam Lüders and Joseph Duell. Heather Watts was partnered by Jock Soto much of the time.

Yes, it was. I saw his second-to-last performance, also with Farrell.

I am so grateful to Alexandra for creating this community for fellow ballet lovers. If I as part of a team can help to sustain what Alexandra started, I will be very happy. Call it enlightened self-interest!

Just to highlight the premiere of Wheeldon's new ballet, After the Rain, here's a repeat from the Week 3 cast list: SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 22 AT 8:00PM Square Dance: TAYLOR, MARTINS Intermission Octet: BOUDER, KISTLER, MILLEPIED, HANNA Intermission After the Rain* (New Wheeldon): WHELAN*, SYLVE*, KOWROSKI*, SOTO*, LIANG*, la COUR* [Moverman, Moredock]

In several interviews Campbell said that she and Barbara Turner wrote the script on their own, decided that the script was "Altmanesque," and asked Altman to direct. Altman had to be pursuaded to do the movie, but he was really their first and only choice. That he was a neophyte to dance was illustrated in a piece that was published in The New York Times while the movie was being made. (It's now in paid archives only.) According to the piece, Altman was surprised and delighted at the most basic things he was learning about dancers -- that they were constantly readjusting their leotards, that they had holes in their practice clothes, that their toes were so bloody, etc. He also noted that he had to conserve the number of dance and practice takes, because the dancers would be exhausted if he asked them to repeat a scene multiple times.

I just received an email from the National Ballet of Canada announcing the Company's participation in Toronto's 2005 Winter City Festival with the following events: FREE TOURS OF THE WALTER CARSEN CENTRE Come and visit the home and studios of The National Ballet of Canada. Our tours will include our popular Shoe Room, a visit to the Wardrobe area and an opportunity to watch our dancers rehearse for an upcoming performance. Each tour is free and one hour in duration. Date: Thursday February 3, 2005 Times: Tours leave every hour starting at 10 am through to 4 pm Location: The Walter Carsen Centre for The National Ballet of Canada, 470 Queens Quay West, Toronto (just west of Spadina). RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. SPACE IS LIMITED SO BOOK EARLY! To reserve your space please call 345-9686 ext. 317 MASTER CLASSES Date: Saturday February 5, 2005 1) Elementary to Intermediate Time: 10am - 12pm Ages: 12 - 16 Instructor: TBA 2) Intermediate to Advanced Time: 2pm - 4pm Ages: 16 and up Instructor: Ryan Boorne Location: The Walter Carsen Centre for The National Ballet of Canada, 470 Queens Quay West, Toronto (just west of Spadina). Cost: $20.00 per participant $5.00 per person to watch the class RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. SPACE IS LIMITED SO BOOK EARLY! To reserve your space please call 345-9686 ext. 317

According to an article in the Associated Press, the new opera house, which was built on behalf of and donated to the city of Copenhagen by Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller (through his foundation), will open on 15 January 2005. Noted is that the ballet will use the opera house when the repertoire requires a large orchestra. On another thread -- I apologize, Effy, for starting a new one -- Effy notes that the opening will be televised, and lists the ballet performances that will be part of the opening gala (click here).