Helene

ica Classics has released several DVDs of remastered performances in the BBC archives. One of them is a DVD of two one-act ballets by John Cranko, "The Lady and the Fool" and "Pineapple Poll." For "The Lady and the Fool," Cranko had a master in conductor Charles Mackerras, so well known for his Janacek performances and recordings, who created the score from excerpts of early Verdi arias and combined them seamlessly. Because the music is early Verdi, the bel canto lineage from Donizetti and Bellini is clear, and I don't think it was a coincidence how similar the music was in feel to "La Sonnambula" in the part where Moondog carried the (temporarily) lifeless Bootface, nor that it looked like a quote from the Balanchine ballet with its similar court setting, or like the "Apollo" sunburst where La Capricciosa, the lovely Svetlana Beriosova, was partnered simultaneously by the three suitors, Signor Midas (David Shields), Capitano Adoncino (Bob Stevenson), and The Prince of Arroganza (the frighteningly handsome Peter Wright). The clowns were of the European tradition, with a lot of pathos and mime, which most ballet companies today avoid like the plague, sadly, and their central dance together was clever and viscerally live. While romantic ballet rivalries aren't unique, they're usually delegated to minor or secondary characters, with either tragic or make-fun-of-the-old-guy results, but they rarely focus on how friendships are impacted when a friend pairs up. I found it moving, and I wish there was a market for it to be revived. I already have it cast for PNB in my head, and I could see this going over very well with kids, too, on a family matinee with "Fancy Free" and maybe "Tarantella." I didn't get more than 1/3 through "Pineapple Poll," before I dozed off -- I will give it another try -- but in the parts I did see, Merle Park's performance was sparkling, and David Blair was fantastic in his solo. I couldn't but help think about how in one DVD from British ballet in 1959 were three of the most foremost stagers of the classics: Hynd -- PNB performs his "Sleeping Beauty" -- and Wright -- his version was filmed for the Dutch National Ballet's DVD of "Sleeping Beauty" with Sylve -- and Blair, whose "Swan Lake" is mourned still by ABT fans and was the first version I saw. Unless allergic to narrative ballet, I would call this DVD a must-have for ballet DVD collectors.

It's not yet available on amazon in the US or Canada, but, hopefully, it will be soon. Especially with the retirement of Benjamin and Rojo at English National Ballet, it's a great (and probably one of the last) chance to see them on film, instead of YouTube.

I love what they did with trailer and preview. I hope they attract a young market locally with these. I can only hope they show this in the Vancouver area. It's great when people outside the places where major dancers perform can see for themselves what local people are talking about.

The great American soprano-turned-mezzo Regina Resnik died Thursday weeks shy of her 91st birthday. From The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/10/arts/music/regina-resnik-metropolitan-opera-star-dies-at-90.html?_r=0 A statement by the Metropolitan Opera: http://metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/news-flash/resnik From NPR, including video clips: http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2013/08/09/210580813/versatile-opera-star-director-teacher-regina-resnik-dies-at-90 She was one of the early American singers to have established a major career in the US under her own name, without the usual climb to stardom in Europe. I was lucky to have heard her live in two roles: the Marquise de Berkenfield in "Daughter of the Regiment" and in a special "Chacun a Bing's gout," one of the highlights of his retirement gala. It was a gracious performance, given how she was not to Bing's taste. I'm sad to have missed her Countess in "Pique Dame." She was a renowned Carmen, and it was her recording used in "Carlos Saura's 'Carmen'." Rest in peace, Ms. Resnik.

If he was one of the many who didn't believe Dmitrichenko had anything to do with it and had a false confession beaten out of him by the police, Pronin would have no reason to believe he was involved, however unknowingly or tangentially. It's also not as if he had secret information, and he was the only one from whom Dmitrichenko could have gotten it, had Pronin told him "I don't know."

WQXR has made some of the shows available from its online archives. This is a link to the 20th Anniversary Show From the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/09/arts/lloyd-moss-wqxr-announcer-and-childrens-book-author-dies-at-86.html

I think by pushing an admittedly nervous dancer as hard and prominently as he has Skorik, without giving her a chance to grow into the rep and to feel confident at each stage, but, instead, asking her to carry the company, Fateev has not only done as disservice to her, but also to the other dancers whom he could have grown concurrently by giving them similar opportunities.

In my personal opinion, Fateyev has the worst taste in dancers. Kolegova, Novikova, and Osmolkina should be Principals way before Skorik, in my opinion. We've seen plenty of dancers who've had the full recognition of their Artistic Director; that simply speaks to their career opportunities. Some of them have been that good, some of them have been that good, but others are better, and some are not that good. Particularly in this forum, that's the bulk of the conversation.I've seen Novikova live in non-classical rep, and I thought she was fine, but not a dancer I would get on a plane to see. I though she was lovely in the La Scala "Raymonda" reconstruction, but not on the same level as Tereshkina, for example, and far less interesting than Kondaurova and Osmolkina. (I don't know Kolegova's dancing.) Skorik strikes me as another dancer who has talent and has been pushed too fast and inappropriately for the results, but she wouldn't be the first dancer to be done an artistic wrong in that way by an AD who wants to make a mark by having produced "his" dancer or would-be star, nor would she be the first dancer whose career was helped greatly by a partial vacuum, in this case at least by happy news, the births of children.

I think there are several big differences: I haven't seen anything before where Dmitrichenko has been contrite -- he told a judge that he had nothing for which to apologize, since he had not agreed specifically to the acid attack -- and offered to assume financial responsibility for the outcome. (He also claimed earlier to have wanted the entire idea to have been forgotten, but then actively participated in the stakeout, which may have kept him from retribution by Zarutsky, involving a friend without the friend's knowledge of what he was up to, which was cowardly and selfish.) His attitude at any point in time may have been due to his first lawyer's strategy, because I don't see anywhere until now that he blamed her, or it may be his new lawyer's strategy, all of which is to expected when legal teams change. (His original attorney got to add another high-profile client to her list, with the subsequent publicity.) Last he claims never to have had any hostility towards Filin, which is still laughable, considering he involved a thug and killer in a different kind of attack, but I would not be surprised if he believes this, because by also accounts from the dancers who've defended him, that he blows up and all is forgotten. As far as asking Pronin Filin's whereabouts, there was nothing that would cause Pronin to be suspicious of anything, since it was not unusual for a dancer to need to speak to the AD.

For Ballet Alertniks suffering from the latest DVD drought, we receive word from Kultur about three ballet DVD releases that are scheduled in the next couple of months: August 27, 2013: A Soldier's Tale, with Robert Helpmann, Svetlana Beriosova, and Brian Phelan ( ) September 24, 2013 Rudolf Nureyev--A Portrait Margot Fonteyn--A Portrait (The attached material also includes a description of a new release about Maria Callas.) Released in April 2013, Ballet Class for Kids, which could be a good holiday gift idea for young children.

I ordered it, and I'm looking forward to watching it. I wonder how it will compare to what Jacques d'Amboise did at National Dance Institute, which is the first thing I thought of when I read the description.

It's such a pleasure reading these detailed reports. I look forward to seeing Kretova live some day.

If true, there's still the matter of the colleague who was in the car with Dmitrichenko watching movies until he overheard Dmitrichenko let Zarutsky and accomplice know when Filin left the gala before the attack.

The latest, in translation on Ismene Brown's blog: Dmitrichenko: ‘I ask Filin’s pardon, his health is priority now’ I think to summarize: 1. He never had any hostility towards Filin 2. The media distorted his case 3. His former lawyer, Violetta Volkova, made "unauthorized statements" 4. He has no plans to discuss financial issues at the Bolshoi, because he was never involved in them [despite being a union representative] 5. "Also, I never did consider, and I do not consider now, that I had no involvement at all in the Zarutsky attack on Sergei." [which I think means he denies having denied participation?] 6. He never wanted an examination of Filin to confirm that the injuries are as bad as his Russian and German doctors said. (That was his [first] lawyer's idea.) 7. He's willing to pay compensation to Filin. 8. He has moral responsibility for the attack. Of course, if he had no hostility toward Filin, there would have never been a reason for any attack -- beating or acid -- in the first place, but it's quite a turn-around. Maybe they'll argue that he can never pay Filin compensation if he's jailed, especially since he's not trained to do much after he gets out of prison and depending on the length of the sentence, he might no longer be able to dance.

PNB's announcement includes a beautiful photo of Kekoa and Ariana Lallone in "The Moor's Pavane." I don't think I got to see him dance live, but I do remember the photos, like this, of him, but he danced "Commedia" in the PNB "Nutcracker" movie. Rest in peace, Mr. Kekoa, and my condolences to your family.

I'm not sure that Esina is "Miss Nobody." We in North America don't pay much attention to European ballet stars any more than we believe that opera singers who are stars in Europe and have made their careers there are important until they sing at the Met (or, possibly San Francisco or Chicago), nor do we take companies like Wienerstaatsballet very seriously. We asked, "Why did Nureyev and Bruhn choose to dance with this Sonia Arova person when they could have had [fill in the blank of someone better known] as partner?" I don't know Esina's dancing, but perhaps it's a similar situation.

How would it have been any better for Novikova, Osmolkina, or Kolegova if Fateev had hired a famous Guest Principal instead?

I apologize for not being clear: I meant footage of Peter Frame dancing the reconstructed solo from the 1980's. I found three listings in the NYPL's catalogue with Variations and Frame listed, two from 1986 and one from 1989.But searching for "Peter Frame" I found the answer to my own question on a MCB blog entry on 5 August: Frame is staging the solo, and Patricia Neary is staging the rest: http://www.miamicityballet.org/blog/2013/08/05/jovani-on-instagram/

There's a post today in MCB's blog introducing Ariel Rose, who formerly danced with Boston Ballet, Ballet Municipal de Lima, and, most recently, Richmond Ballet: http://www.miamicityballet.org/blog/2013/08/07/meet-our-new-dancers-2/ The most exciting news is that he's rehearsing the Paul Taylor solo from "Episodes" Besides "Episodes" being my favorite Balanchine Black and White Ballet -- sorry "Agon" -- it's a rarity to see the Paul Taylor solo included. It was added back to "Episodes" in the Spring 1986 season, and it was danced by Peter Frame. It was also danced in the Winter 1987 season, and I have a note that it was scheduled and cancelled in the pre-Nutcracker week of rep in Fall 1988. Paul Taylor did the reconstruction with Frame in 1986. I'm not sure if any other dancer learned or performed it. Have there been any reports about who is staging it? There certainly should be plenty of footage to jog the memory.

The Mariinsky now has a Vaganova-trained dancer with seven years of experience dancing major roles in the kind of rep the Mariinsky is trying to bring into the company; of all the roles listed from her Wienerstaatsballett days, I count four classical roles, the Nureyev Odette/Odile, Paquita, Gamzatti in the Malakhov "La Bayadere," and Aurora in Peter Wright's "The Sleeping Beauty," although I'm not sure about the "Nutcracker." Manon (Manon; choreography by Kenneth MacMillan), Juliet (Romeo and Juliet; choreography by John Cranko), Odette-Odile (Swan Lake; choreography by Rudolf Nureyev), Bella (Die Fledermaus; choreography by Roland Petit), Anna Karenina (Anna Karenina; choreography by Boris Eifman), “Paquita” Grand pas; choreography by Marius Petipa, Gamzatti (La Bayadère; choreography by Vladimir Malakhov), Maria (The Nutcracker; choreography by Gyula Harangozó), Glow Stop; choreography by Jorma Elo, Pas de deux from Slingerland; choreography by William Forsythe, Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream; choreography by Jorma Elo), Swanhilde (Coppélia; choreography by Gyula Harangozó), Theme and Variations, Stravinsky Violin Concerto; choreography by George Balanchine, Marie Antoinette (Marie Antoinette; choreography by Patrick de Bana), Princess Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty; choreography by Peter Wright), In the Night, Glass Pieces; choreography by Jerome Robbins, Ada (Le Concours; choreography by Maurice Béjart), and Bach Suite 3; choreography by John Neumeier. http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/company/ballet/principals_dancers/baleriny/esina1/ Kampa did graduate from the Vaganova Academy and was hired as a Coryphee, but not until after she danced for a few years in the Boston Ballet. I can't say why she was given that rank, although like Esina, she certainly has a lot of experience dancing works by Jorma Elo, because it's hard to say what Fateev is thinking. I think any dancer thinking of joining the Bolshoi would have had second thoughts after January 2013.

The original thread is below; I'm going to close this one so the discussion can continue there: http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/36917-2013-14-live-cinema-offerings/?hl=spartacus

At the 90th anniversary of "Le Sacre du Primtemps" in 2003, the Berlin Philharmonic under Simon Rattle collaborated with choreographer Roylston Maldoom and 250 school-aged children on a performance of the work, and a documentary about the collaboration, RHYTHM IS IT was made. It was released on Kultur last December in time for the Centennial.

The URL for the WQXR article is unusual and parsed badly; I've "tinyurl'ed" it, and it now works. At the top of the article there is a 50-minute interview with Moss, which can be streamed or downloaded into an .mp3 file.

I realize that they're all contemporary choreographers, but all three of the fellowship winners are women.

SLC's an epicenter of competitive ballroom dance in the US.