dirac

It's off topic, but I wonder if Buttle and his coach are following the wisest course. It sounds as if putting in the quad no matter what is not only costing him in low marks, but throwing him off his triples and other requirements as well. If he can't do it right now, he can't do it, but at least he can avoid hurling himself into the boards. Commercial-free – sounds wonderful, Jeannie. I'd happily surrender Dick B. in exchange for no interruptions!

Philip Hersh talks to Michelle Kwan for the Chicago Tribune (Jan. 9): http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/print...1,7233090.story

Uh-oh. Bad news for Buttle. Coverage is usually divided between ESPN and the networks -- I think it's ABC, but someone else will know exactly, I'm sure. ESPN's coverage is more complete -- you can see the short and long programs of more obscure skaters as well as the Big Names. Parenthetically, I still can't get over how coverage has exploded since way back when. Time was, you saw highlights only, often chopped up between exciting segments of luge competitions or whatever, on ABC's Wide World of Sports. (Also, they would rarely bother to show you skaters who weren't American, frequently you'd see only the tail end of a program, and Jim McKay would say "...and that was a promising young skater from Canada, Brian Orser. We'll be seeing a lot more of Brian!" Well, not on ABC Sports, you wouldn't.

It's not too much information at all. Always nice to know that good skaters are good people, too!

vagansmom, I was copying Allegro's thread to Other Arts just as you were posting. I've closed your thread so that we wouldn't have two competing threads on the same topic in the same forum. I hope you don't mind! I'm also pressed for time at the moment but would also be interested in hearing comments on this. Good topic, Allegro, and thank you.

Please do. It's unpatriotic of me, but I'd love to see Sandhu get it together, and the little I've seen of Buttle impresses me. Perhaps in four years the Curse of the Canadians will be lifted……

Harlow Robinson reviews David Brown's biography of Mussorgsky for Andante: http://www.andante.com/article/article.cfm?id=19352 Brief letter in response from an unhappy Richard Taruskin: http://www.andante.com/article/article.cfm?id=19544

Well, it was just a brief demonstration and not a show, but I was bothered by some of these things, too. ( I'm not a dancer, after all, and if foot display is customary during interviews I wouldn't necessarily know about it.) It seemed like an odd gambit to get a brief interview underway, and one can hardly blame Glover for being uninterested in viewing Rafferty's bunions. Naturally things went downhill from there. I should note again that the first part of her piece, a description of Glover as a performer, is complimentary and interesting. But this was......rather strange.

And he directed "Dirty Dancing," which had the most effective dance sequences to appear in movies for a very long time. He is missed!

In the January 13/20 double issue of The Nation, there is a piece by Diane Rafferty on Savion Glover (link unavaible online). There is a vivid description of Glover, characterized by Rafferty as "the greatest tap dancer who ever breathed," onstage, and then an arresting account of a half-hour "lecture-demonstration" by Glover, who is currently touring his show "Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk" in the US and Japan. Glover doesn't appear immediately, tapping behind the stage where only part of his head can be seen; finally Rafferty calls out, "Can we see your feet, please?" Glover eventually appears. Following the brief program, Rafferty goes backstage for an interview and after a wait is given ten minutes with the star. Rafferty tells us: Glover proves unreceptive to this proposal, and the interview proceeds: End of article.

I think it's very clear that they can and do mix. However, people of great talent tend to be cut a lot of slack by the people around them, and that can encourage self-indulgent behavior. This can be exacerbated when the talented person in question is also in a position of direct power over other people, as in the case of a director or choreographer. It seems to be very hard for "stars" in any field not to get a little spoiled. Even if they're the most decent people in the world, the special treatment and attention they receive has a certain effect – how could it not? They're human. But that doesn't excuse the more extreme forms of abuse, demands, and power plays. However, focusing on one thing with great intensity can lead to less-than-spectacular social skills and a certain lack of consideration. But that can be true of any demanding job that requires 24/7 attention, and "genius" doesn't necessarily enter into it.

An article surveying the year in skating so far, noting the post-Olympics presence of Kwan, Slutskaya, et al., with quotes from Kwan and Cohen: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news...ure_skating_ap/ One thing worth noting. The article says, "Not even Carol Heiss, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill or Kristi Yamaguchi were as dominant on the American scene," referring to the number of titles Kwan has won and the length of time she has spent at the top. I've seen comments like this before, and rarely is it mentioned that until quite recently it was financially almost impossible to stay in competition for longer than one Olympic cycle, because amateurs were not allowed to make real money. (It was customary for the women to retire from competition at about nineteen or twenty, and if you didn't retire on schedule in those tradition-bound days, the judges were likely to give you a push by marking you down.) This doesn't take away from Kwan's considerable achievement in staying at the top of her sport in a time when it's more competitive on the women's side than maybe ever before, of course.

Off the top of my head, Robbins, Lang, and Kriza in Fancy Free (and Janet Reed and Whatsername, too). I would imagine that there would be a lot of stylistic differences, and wonder also if the distance there is between today's dancers and the dance vernacular of the time has changed it much. I second Paul's mention of Marie-Jeanne in Barocco. Actually, I'd like to see her in Ballet Imperial, too, and I understand she carried Serenade by herself at one point. She must have been awesome. Camargo. Marie Salle.

I see what you mean. I was thinking more in stylistic terms – Wylie used to model some of his moves on Curry's, for example, which I didn't think quite worked for him because of the height discrepancy. That was an odd era in men's skating – there was a lot of jostling going on at the top. I'm not sure that Curry himself ever regarded Cranston as his number 2 competition,– I imagine Kovalev and Hoffmann (when not injured) worried him more in 1976. Poor Cranston was third at the Olympics and fourth at worlds that year, humiliating spots for a skater of his calibre. But it was true that they were trying for the same things and introducing new styles, but Curry made it to the top spot and Cranston didn't. I think this was the correct ranking, in all honesty, but Toller deserves his due. I have divided feelings about Cohen. In the past I really did not care for the way she neglected her edges, seemingly preferring to wow the crowd with gimmicky Look How Flexible I Am moves. She still does this, but it's not as bad as it was before, and she seems to be focusing on her edges more. And unlike Hersh, I don't find her to be especially musical. I still get irritated when Button oohs and aahs over Cohen's change edge spiral, as if it were the equal of Kwan's (!!!) Thank you,vagansmom and balletmom1, for giving me the opportunity to revisit thegoodolddays.....

The foregoing reminds me of a headline I once saw in The Onion: "This Attractive, Colorful Redesign is For Our Advertisers, Not You."

Brioche, I didn't mean the remark on Lynn not being able to stay on her feet literally. (For the record, she also took a famous fall on her flying sit spin at the Olympics in '72.) Lynn's good programs as well as her less successful ones have received plenty of exposure over the years, I think. balletmom1, it's interesting that you compare Wylie to Cranston – I always thought of Wylie being more in the Curry-Cousins line, although his dramatic style was closer to Cranston, definitely. Toller Cranston – I could never decide about him. Yes, he was good, yes he was incredibly brave to go out there and perform in that style to the music he chose…but – well, just not always to my taste. He was never less than interesting to watch, though, and he certainly didn't get his due in competition. I think historically the best women skaters in Russia were directed to pairs and not singles. Cohen would certainly have been encouraged in that direction not only because she's good but also because of her size. One and a half of a pair, as Dick Button used to complain occasionally. (Interestingly, Irina Rodnina, the best of these ladies for my money, was neither especially balletic nor lyrical, although she was great to watch.) Drew, I agree completely about that "Tosca" program. The terrible thing is that when she did it well it worked for her in that her presentation marks did go up (!)

The Seattle Times may pull out of its joint operating agreement with the Post-Intelligencer. Seattle may lose one of its two dailies, creating yet another one-paper city. Report from the Seattle Weekly: http://seattleweekly.com/features/0302/new...ews-dawdy.shtml

It was in last week's issue, so Borders may no longer have it. It might be worth checking, however, just in case. The article itself was not available on line, unfortunately.

Recordings of the "Nutcracker" and other ballets will vary in length, for many different reasons. Some are more inclusive, others less. In the case of Nutcracker, there's a "Nutcracker Suite" that has been recorded many times. There are also different interpretations – some conductors will move at a fast clip, others at a slower pace.

Very interesting post, Ray. I think in Farrell's case the sex issue may be a moot point. Certainly a man who held her position in the company would have been first in line for consideration as successor; on the other hand, if she'd been a man she wouldn't have had her special relationship to Balanchine. I have noticed, however, that the Impossible to Deal With bar seems to be considerably lower for women than men.

Thank you for the report. You're right, "Nutcracker" may be boring after a bit, but it's not professional to show that to the audience. Although I can't imagine how I'd feel after six weeks of snowflakes……….

There's nothing wrong with making comparisons. "Chicago" is part of a recognized film genre, and it's perfectly all right to look at it in relation to other examples of same. The story has been used for a well regarded film comedy and a well known stage production – again, comparisons should be expected and may even be useful. (You don't need to have seen these earlier versions to be able to evaluate the film, of course.) Calliope, no apologies necessary! However, I don't think the "different generations" angle is very useful here. I know several people of a Certain Age who enjoyed the movie very much, and I saw all ages, except for the very young and very old, represented in the audience. So mine is clearly a minority opinion. I know what you mean, Mel. And the problems are exacerbated by where movies are shown these days, at least in the suburbs. Our new local theatre went from a small human sized eight-screen multiplex to a Supercolossal one, with a vast parking lot – you need a compass to get to the building – and inside it's a rabbit warren of small theatres each dominated by a huge screen too big for the room. We made the mistake of sitting too close – that is, in the center, which is too close for this kind of location – and when Zeta-Jones slid toward the camera I thought she was going to bite my head off.

Hmm. Sounds like a good opportunity to have a scientific study of the physiological reactions of balletgoers exposed within a very brief time frame to major works based upon the lives of historical figures by Eifman and Béjart. vila, I think we all revel a little in high melodrama! If you love it or hate it, please report back. Looking forward to reading what you think.

Thanks to all who responded re Baryshnikov, anyway. (The other posts were interesting, too, of course. ) When I read that remark in the interview, my first reaction was, "Huh? Interesting....." and I'm glad to know that wasn't out of line!

Calliope, I'm happy to stand alone on this issue. And debate is always welcome. The fast camera movement is fine for a segment or two, but I don't think it works for almost two hours without any contrast. Also, with all due respect to the sensibilities of the younger generation, I was able to hobble into the theatre without the aid of a walker. I also have enough respect for young people to believe that they can sit through a single well staged song without three or four cuts to Other Business.