dirac

The best case for the defense is Joan Acocella's book. Croce also admired his early work. On occasion I have thought that Morris follows the music rather literally in a way I don't associate with Balanchine. (I also find it irksome the way he goes on and on about his own musicality in interviews, also something I don't associate with Balanchine, but I try not to let that affect my judgment.) Haven't seen the company for some time. I enjoyed some of the short works he's done for San Francisco Ballet. The evening-length Sylvia he did for the company received considerable praise but I thought it weak.

I'm old enough to remember when rock criticism was a thing.........

Nice review, Royal Blue, thank you. That feeling of discovering a new, or "new" company whose work speaks to you is so great. It was nice of you to post the heads-up, abatt. Look forward to more reviews.

Thanks for the reviews, all. I may still see it out of curiosity, assuming there's nothing better to do. Apparently the movie isn't doing so well at the box office.

Alexander Bernstein is interviewed about his father.

Thanks for posting. Interesting. I think she has tried her hand at directing before - a lot of stars do.

I figure if Baryshnikov could flog clothes and scent, he probably wouldn't balk at a doll. Rudi is a great idea, though. I think a Petrushka doll around the house might freak kids out (?) It would likely freak me out.

The most obvious changes to the arts pages, which predated the promotion of this fellow, were giant photos spread across the front of the section, Times readers presumably being bored easily by text, chatty Q&As with dancers about their favorite roles and favorite yogurt, and dialogues between Times critics instead of reviews by the critics. I gather these exchanges are popular online.

Bruhn actually looked like a more refined Ken, now that I think about it. I'm surprised nobody thought of a Misha-inspired Ken, including Misha.

Thanks for the correction, pherank, and sorry, kbarber.

I had the same thought, vipa. Amelia Earhart also looks, refreshed, shall we say. Thanks for posting, pherank.

Leonard Bernstein's centenary is coming up in August, so here is a new topic devoted to The Saga of Lenny. Article by Graham Watts here. Related. A look at the backstory of West Side Story by Laura Jacobs in Vanity Fair. Thoughts, comments, memories welcome!

Thank you for telling us about the performance, cubanmiamiboy. Sorry it was less than inspiring. You know, if it's a waste of your time, it's a waste of your time, and you are the only one who can make that decision. I might say something different to someone who's seen less dance than you have, but you're knowledgeable enough to know what you like. I would actually disagree respectfully somewhat with sandik, who is right - to a point. I think seeing too much can (potentially) lead to a coarsening of taste, where stuff that really isn't that great looks great to you because you've been watching so much that's less than that.

Anybody seen it?

If you're going to make a case for extensive plastic surgery, Fonda is your poster girl. She still looks like herself and has retained an unusual degree of facial mobility, so that she can still act as well as appear.

I haven't seen it, either, but I'd be pleased to see Janney get an Oscar for impersonating the Easter Bunny. I understand she is not at her best in "I,Tonya" but actors are not always rewarded for their best work when Oscar time rolls around, the two leading role winners this year being cases in point. (At least this means that Gary Oldman now has his Academy Award in hand and can relax, without, I hope, feeling any future pressure to take on roles stamped OscarBait™.)

I'm not sure if "Historic Women Being Made Into Barbies" is the happiest choice of headline, but progress of a kind, I guess. I imagine they are, but even if these don't sell they're a way of deflecting criticism that the doll is retrograde. Well, sort of. Not that I grudge her the pleasure.

You haven't missed much. Her speech was better than her movie.

A long piece in the NYT about de Havilland's suit, with recent photos. She probably shouldn't win, either, but good for her for kicking up a fuss.

Allison Janney! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Blogging is a tough business, especially for a niche interest like dance, and the kind of long reporting and reviewing that Landgraf did is hard work enough in itself. This is a big loss and I am sorry that I will no longer be linking to her articles. I wish her the best of everything and I hope her blog can remain online for the appreciation of those who discover it.

Sad news:

Somehow I don’t think Kelly Boal, Peter Ostrovsky, and Vanessa Carlton are going to be up there with Hill. Peter Boal is unlikely to get the job, and I’ll wager he wanted it, but “We’re not going to hire him because he’s a weenie,” probably won’t be high on the list of reasons. After all, he’s currently running a largish company successfully.

An obituary for dancer and journalist Julianne Kemp, who has died at age 87,

I agree. I will never get used to some of the costuming, but when I saw the television broadcast a second time the designs made much better sense within the production as conceived, and it was right for Martins to take the risk.