dirac

Try to be sure to spell the names correctly if you can (although Google will try to be helpful and suggest other spellings if your first try doesn't work). If you're looking for action photographs in book form, Fred Fehl has published several books of dancers captured in performance.

I'm sure we're all sick of this topic, but here are a few sensible words from Allen Barra: http://www.salon.com/news/sports/col/barra...ting/print.html

Very impressed by Slutskaya last night. No, she'll never be Miss Seamless Flow, but she has worked very hard and improved her presentation immeasurably. Amazing the way she gets into the air for her jumps. I thought the night was hers, and Cohen's. However, it's the short program, and all anyone wants to do is not fall down, be in position for a medal,and get off the ice. All the girls in the lead did what they needed to do, although Sarah Hughes must be more than a little disappointed. Kwan was far from her best, I thought, and benefited from the save-the-best-marks-for-last mindset. Admired her spunk in pulling out that triple flip, but can't say a lot more than that. Interesting to note that the NBC commentators, who have been voluble on the subject of possible judging irregularities, were mum last night, preferring instead to favor us with insights into Michelle's Renewed Joy in Her Skating.

It isn't just you. It may be the determined set of Bourne's jaw, but I always get the feeling she's muttering, "Now don't screw it up THIS time, Victor" through her teeth at her hapless partner.

I bet Mr. B was just using the sedation as an excuse. An obstacle to ballets with historical themes may be that dance, by its nature, tends to make things personal. It's generally agreed that MacMillan's "Mayerling" is successful, but its success lies in its choreographer's vivid dance realization of Rudolf and Vetsera's fatal sex/death equation. The political dimension of Rudolf's problems, not to mention the complex domestic politics of Austria-Hungary, are shortchanged, not because of any lack of skill or comprehension on MacMillan's part, but because these matters are not danceable. I would imagine that Darrell's Queen of Scots ballet probably emphasized the personal rivalry of Mary and Elizabeth and the failure of Mary's two Scottish marriages, because how would you convey in dance the equivocal positions of, for example, Darnley and Bothwell vis-a-vis the rest of the Scottish nobles? (You could show that Darnley is unpopular and dissolute, yes, and you could show that Bothwell is arrogant. But not much more than that.) Irrelevant note: Edward II makes an appearance in Braveheart. Gibson shows him and Piers Gaveston making eyes at each other during Edward's marriage ceremony. But have no fear, Macho Mel will come to the aid of the English succession.

I also noted the phrase "problematic classic" and I just took it to mean, "I like it, with qualifications," or "the early Balanchine that's not so good as 'Apollo.'"

The camerawork in the "Giselle" video is indeed maddening. Bruhn or Toni Lander will be demonstrating some stupendous bit of technique, and instead of just letting us watch there'll be a dissolve or a cut to something to keep the proceedings "cinematic."

I hope I wasn't too harsh. But last night was really unpleasant for me to watch. I liked the Duchesnays also, now that I recall. (Christopher Dean, who was married to Isabelle briefly, used to choreograph for them, I think.) They were indeed a little too far ahead for their time, and they were brother and sister, which never helps.

Wilbon's piece is interesting. He seems to be more offended by hints of sexual ambiguity than anything else. Men shouldn't have long hair; shouldn't clutch stuffed animals; shouldn't wear flowing costumes; shouldn't allow themselves to be lifted. All of that is women's work, one gathers.

I'm going to be wishy-washy and say that both views are correct, to a point. Ballet does evolve; to cling too closely to past practice would make dancing look stale and quaint. Having said that, there's no reason for every arabesque to be converted to 180 degrees; and I can't really define where it's right and where it's not, except to say, as Justice Stewart said of obscenity, that I know when I see it. I realize this is not helpful.

I used to think that I liked ice dancing after watching Torvill and Dean, but in retrospect I realize that I may have just liked Torvill and Dean. My own feeling is that ice dancing falls between two stools -- the literal adherence to dance styles denies the most interesting possibilities in skating and dancing. You lose the more striking effects skating can produce without gaining the rhythmic variety and detailed footwork effects achievable in a ballroom. This year, I was struck even more than usual by the aggressive tastelessness of the makeup and costuming. The ladies sported florid hair colors not found in nature, along with exaggerated stage makeup (Girls, please. People are going to start asking you what you charge) and nail polish of a color best described as Toxic Shock Purple. The men, for their part, displayed long, flowing Ted Nugent locks and outfits that would have left the late Liberace wondering who made off with all his sequins. Music, choreography -- yecchh. I'm afraid I thought it was all pretty awful, and the kind of thing that makes sports enthusiasts deride skating competitions. As for the discussions of judging -- recent events make it all very surreal, to me anyway. ("Our system of judging is inherently corrupt and requires a complete overhaul. Go ahead and enjoy the rest of the Olympics. Happy viewing!") Uh, okay....

In the current Vanity Fair (the one with the Star Wars cover) there is an article on Sid Bass and the story behind his Disney stock sale. The Sid and Anne breakup is discussed and Anne's ballet sponsorship and Peter Martins get a mention. [ February 16, 2002: Message edited by: dirac ]

vagansmom, while I agree with what you say about judging needing an overhaul, I think it's possible to question how the aggrieved parties -- and I don't exempt S&P here -- have conducted themselves, and how this unhappy situation has been resolved. Of course it's a good story, but I wonder whether the media firestorm has illuminated the issues, or obscured them. And giving out a second gold medal, especially in these circumstances, devalues all the medals, IMO. And it certainly would be pleasant if the arts got as much coverage. Maybe if Dvorovenko hired a couple of stagehands to whack Julie Kent in the knees? Or if ballerinas began giving teary-eyed interviews asserting the perfection of their technique when someone else is assigned to dance the opening "Giselle" of the season...?

I fear recent events (in skating, anyway) would be better suited to a "WWF Smackdown" version than ballet. I would prefer to see delightful Simon Ammann ("Ya! Gold medal! ya!") or the redoubtable Bode Miller translated to the stage, although I'm not quite sure how. [ February 15, 2002: Message edited by: dirac ]

Didn't Kirstein suggest a Pocahontas ballet to Balanchine? I can just see the Russians rolling their eyes at that one(behind Lincoln's back, of course).

I saw the Russians briefly last night -- I don't know if they've shown up frequently, haven't been watching the news too much. They looked and sounded stunned and beleaguered, as you might expect. As I said on another thread, I'm sorry for them.

Perhaps the Olympic committee should investigate the possibilities in setting up a whining competition for unhappy losers.

The second medal is awarded. Latest from the Associated Press: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/olympics/apo...ntroversy%20FIG [ February 15, 2002: Message edited by: dirac ]

Very nice result. Made me smile to see Yagudin jumping up and down on the podium (Plushenko was wearing that Tight Loser's Smile; boys don't cry when they lose, bless them.) Neither Y and P was at his absolute best, but they were more than good enough. Goebel's bronze was more than fair, I thought, giving him credit for those amazing jumps while telling him he's got more work to do. He does, but I think he made a significant advance in his performances here. Yagudin skated conservatively, but there's nothing wrong with that, especially with a gold medal on the line. Todd, I'll miss those beautiful spins.

The whole thing has gotten out of hand. I'm sorry for the Russian team. The awarding of a second gold medal is absurd, if it happens. I'm all in favor of judging misbehavior being penalized, if after investigation it is found, but it seems to me the handling of this affair and the conduct of the complaining parties sets a very bad precedent. "That Russian boy tripped"? Astutely observed. If that's all the expertise needed to judge skating, well --

Let's hope that members of the royal family dig into their own not inconsiderable coffers to carry on Margaret's support of these estimable institutions.....

I haven't seen "I'm Old Fashioned," but I'd argue that the other two don't qualify as guilty pleasures. Barber Violin Concerto, which I saw on television, I thought was facile but a showcase for Merrill Ashley and enjoyable. "Slaughter" is certainly not great, but it's perfectly all right to include it as part of the Balanchine repertory as representative of his stint on Broadway, and I suppose you could justify "West Side Story Suite" similarly for Robbins (and the dancers get to wear more comfortable shoes). No, for a real guilty pleasure (I think we had a thread with this title, awhile back), I think it has to be something you really know is bad, but you just can't help yourself. It doesn't sound as if any of those three qualify. I kinda liked "The Merry Widow."

We've talked before about books that would be suitable (and unsuitable) for adaptation to the ballet. I don't remember a thread, however, on historical figures or incidents that could or should be depicted in dance. I've always wondered, for example, why no one has done a Mary Queen of Scots ballet (although there may be one out there I don't know about, apart from Martha Graham's section of "Episodes"). Not that I necessarily want to see one, but that's a nice fat part for a ballerina, or two if you find a way to get Elizabeth I in as well, although the two ladies never met. Or, to stay with the Brits for a moment, Henry VIII. Six potential ballerina roles there, or two if you focus on, say, the Katharine of Aragon/Anne Boleyn imbroglio. (Of course, the Tudor-era costumes might present a problem; the men wore tights, but the women wore those enormous heavy skirts....) Well, you get the idea. Any thoughts?

I almost forgot -- Tharp and Wieseltier used to be an item...

Item from ESPN online on the pairs dispute. The article notes that S&P will now become more famous than if they'd won the medal sans controversy: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter02/fig...tory?id=1330977