BalletNut

In no particular order: 1. At the end of the coda in the Black Swan pdd, when Odile does those arabesques, hopping further and further away from Siegfried, and she periodically freezes every few hops for a split second, staring him down triumphantly. Miranda Weese does this really, really well in the PBS broadcast of NYCB's otherwise dreadful production of Swan Lake. 2. The part of the polonaise in Theme and Variations when all of the couples line up with the principals at the front and get ready to march around the stage. 3. In Macmillan's Romeo & Juliet, when Juliet goes and sits on the edge of her bed before going to Friar Laurence, just staring into space. 4. Ditto on the opening of Serenade, and the ending isn't bad either. ;) 5. Also fond of Apollo's Michelangelo Moment, and the ending of the truncated version with the muses' legs all fanned out. 6. The part of the 2nd act waltz in Ashton's Cinderella when the corps dancers and season fairies make a t-shape and dance around in a circle as the music hits the climax. 7. The very end of Giselle's mad scene when she dies in Albrecht's arms and he lets her go and she flops lifelessly on the stage.

"Sandpaper Ballet" is the title of a Leroy Anderson song, which, oddly enough, is not included in the score of Morris' ballet.

This is a bit off topic, I suppose, but isn't there also a La Esmeralda pdd choreographed by Perrot?

Where to start... Not surprisingly, the show sold out, since the Bolshoi Ballet is perhaps one of the best-known companies in the world, and Swan Lake is one of the best-known ballets in the world, not to mention that Zellerbach Hall is not the world's largest theatre. Well, on to the ballet itself. Odette-Odile was Nadezhda Gracheva. I mean no unkindness to her, but either she was having a bad day or she just isn't cut out for the role. She seemed a bit distant and sort of stiff, and especially in the lakeside acts she got into a habit of scrunching up her eyebrows, I guess to look sad or soulful. Relatively speaking, she was a better Odile, but her fouettes seemed a bit off, she was traveling a bit and seemed to be facing the wrong way. It also didn't help matters that the orchestra saw fit to speed the music up to a frenzied pace at that time. I think many ballerinas would have had trouble keeping up with it. Prince Siegfried was Andrei Uvarov. I have grown quite fond of him, actually, and I think he was the best out of all the principals that night. He is a tall, strong dancer, with spectacular jumps which emphasize his strength. He also has the some of the best turnout I have seen in a long time, and his technique is of the sort that you can tell he doesn't cut corners. He appears to be a good partner as well. The jester was Morihiro Ivata. Ivata is a fine dancer, and it really isn't his fault, but I wanted to hit him with a flyswatter. I am morally opposed to having a jester in Swan Lake, not just because I don't think it fits the plot very well, but also because generally there's just too much dancing given to him. Of course, what with Ivata being the jester and all, it was perfectly appropriate of him to throw off about 24 or so turns in the first act, causing thunderous applause, but Thank Goodness the prince wasn't doing that. He was doing tricks like that throughout the ballet, and as I said, it isn't his fault, it's Grigorovich's for putting a jester in the ballet in the first place. Von Rothbart's part was just plain bizarre. First, Grigorovich changed his name from Von Rothbart to the Evil Genius [Descartes, anyone?]. Secondly, it is not actually a character part, there are some pretty impressive sections in it. Dmitry Belogolovtsev danced it impressively, his technique equalling that of Uvarov. However, I found it odd that Grigorovich saw fit to have him controlling the prince as much as he was controlling Odette. This really messes up the storyline, as it takes away the remorse from the prince after he realizes he's been deceived; after all, it wouldn't have been his fault if the Evil Genius was controlling his actions. The ending was odd too. Rothbart--er, the Evil Genius--takes Odette with him, apparently kills her behind the scrim with the swans on it, leaving the Prince to languish by the lakeside alone, not unlike Albrecht at the end of Giselle. He doesn't commit suicide, but he might as well. Grigorovich's treatment of the ending is quite puzzling. The action doesn't fit the music at all; when the gong sounds in the final scene, it always said to me, "this is the part where Odette jumps in the lake and Siegfried follows her." Of course that didn't happen, and given the basic disregard for the music at the end I shouldn't have been surprised that Grigorovich tossed out the triumphant apotheose for a reprise of the overture to conclude the ballet. I found it rather pretentious of him to alter the ending music and then claim, as the program seemed to imply, that his production of Swan Lake gets back to the original. Another change in the ballet was in the treatment of the betrothal scene. I actually enjoyed watching the different brides-to-be in their national folk dance variations, especially Anastasia Yatesenko in the Neapolitan dance. The waltz choreography was pretty good overall, and the costumes for all the Princesses were gorgeous. As for the Black Swan pdd, it was a bit of a disaster choreographically. It started with Odile, the Evil Genius, and a corps of six black swans in a dance with Siegfried following her entrance, to the music I normally associate with the act 4 pdd where Odette forgives Siegfried. I would really have preferred the dramatic entrance to the music of the entree, rather than this drawn-out version, which seemed to weaken it. Although Grigorovich left this and the adagio more or less intact, he changed the two variations, Odile's to the harp solo from the pas de quatre, and Siegfried's to something whose origin I have no clue about. The first two scenes were much better. The corps is impeccably rehearsed, both the men and the women, and it showed in the waltz and goblet dance in the first scene. The pas de trois was danced by Siegfried and two women, in this performance by Maria Alexandrova and Yelena Andrienko. It's Grigorovich's choreography, not Petipa's, but it was well danced. The main problem was that the Jester got to participate in the first variation, looking like he was egging her on or something. I remember thinking, "hey, this is a pas de TROIS, not QUATRE. Sit down already!" The signature lakeside scene was more or less intact, except for Odette's entrance. I prefer having her enter alone, by leaping out of the wings. Grigorovich had her "enter" by shining the light on a group of swans behind the scrim, at the front of which is Odette. I didn't even realize it was her at first. The rest of the act, though, as I said, is the familiar Ivanov choreography. I was blown away by the corps women here. They danced in impressive unison, their arm positions repeated as though they were reflected off each other, grouping themselves in sculpturesque formations. I did notice however, here and elsewhere, that the pointe shoes were unusually loud. Whether this has to do with the shoes themselves, the Bolshoi style of dancing, or the acoustics of this particular space is beyond me. Overall, I was very impressed by the quality of the dancers and dancing, but I really wished that I could have seen something else. Most of my problems with the performance have to do with this particular production of Swan Lake, a problematic version that the dancers were clearly doing their best with. I hope they come back soon, and I can see them in other ballets. They certainly do have a following here.

Actually, in the archives on this very website is an entire topic on Coppelia. [sorry, I can't seem to get my PC to produce the accent mark...;) ]

For something slightly more flattering, there is a video of her at this link: http://www.het-nationale-ballet.nl/new/mpg...hp4?mpg=s-sylve

She is also on the compilation video Mariinsky Ballet Kirov Classics, dancing the Prelude in Chopiniana. I would nominate Wendy Whelan, based on the precious little of her that I have seen.

Ballet: Why should little old ladies have all the fun? Ballet: More fun than a Turkish prison. Ballet: After dragging the little wifey to all those ball games, it's only fair...

[Note by Alexandra: This thread was split off from a Kirov ballet thread, after Calliope posed the interesting question, Do San Francisco Ballet and Miami Ciity ballet have heritage issues?] SFB's heritage issue is twofold. They have been acquiring and performing a large number of "National Ballet of Anywhere" ballets, and importing a lot of "outside" dancers, ie not trained at the SFB school, so that in some cases they don't really appear to have much of a heritage. The sad thing being that they do, and I wish I could see more of it, because I really enjoyed all two of the Christensen ballets that they have performed since I started following them. ;) I haven't seen anything by Smuin at all, even though looking through the 1998 list of the company rep he seems to have contributed a large amount of works to the company. Truth be told, I would much rather see some of these ballets revived than have to sit through the latest Eurotrash all over again.

It's much easier to verbalize things I DON'T like than things I do. For instance, I was watching the NYCB Lincoln Center thing, and I noticed that Darci Kistler's hair was ALL OVER the place. I was worried that Jock Soto might get entangled in it or something. Now I have nothing against ballets where the women wear their hair down, if it helps give that flowing appearance, but her hair was [is?] so long it just got in the way. She's a wonderful ballerina, and I'm sure her looooong blonde hair gets many compliments offstage, but onstage it's a little out of control. The thing I hate most, though, is when a ballerina is extremely thin. Some people, especially directors, like this, I think, but to me it just looks disgusting. This, by the way, is the main reason I am so hard on Lucia Lacarra: she's just very hard to look at. [Just in case you thought I had a personal vendetta against Lacarra: I'm mean to Lara Flynn Boyle, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Calista Flockhardt too. Especially Calista. Yech!!:eek: ] Sure, there are women who are very thin without eliciting this kind of visceral reaction, but generally, I am talking about those who look gaunt , like they are terminally ill or, more likely, starving to death, than those who are possessed of a slender frame [although I do know that one doesn't always look gaunt automatically from an eating disorder, at least not until a certain amount of weight has been lost...] As always, I do make exceptions; Yuan Yuan Tan is a favorite of mine. I'm fond of Maria Kowroski, Wendy Whelan, and Janie Taylor as well. All of these are, of course, extremely thin ballerinas. So I'm a bit flexible.

Is that the same Nutcracker that was in movie theaters and had Macaulay Culkin and that obnoxious narrator, or is it a different video? If it's the latter, I am very interested... Ditto SABRA on the Serenade/Western videotape...I'd be willing to pay for a copy...;) [if possible, send me a PM]

Perhaps more like a DEMI-soloist, I think, such as the 4 little swans or all of those ladies-in-waiting roles. Of course, there must be male coryphees too, correct? Is there a French term for soloist?

Yes, there certainly is, but I don't want to blame the diversity of the Bay Area dance scene, or the other arts. I think competition for funds is especially fierce right now because there is not as much money being pumped into the arts as there should be. A major contributing factor to all of this is the demise of the dot-com noveau riche, whose giant incomes helped to fund the arts. Another, of course, is the terror attacks, when everyone was giving all of their extra money to the Red Cross and other charities, and therefore had very little to give to other causes, including the arts.

I always enjoy watching the conductor take bows. First to see the lead dancer, usually a ballerina, gesture for him/her to come out, and then see the conductor motion the orchestra to rise for applause and start clapping him/herself to get the audience started. I always notice the stark contrast between the conductor's movements, which are very abrupt, and the dancers, which are of course fluid and graceful. I second the one about the long-stemmed rose, and that goes double for when the danseur kisses her hand in return! Speaking of kisses, it's also nice to see the ballerinas thank the stagehands who bring out the bouquets.

I remember reading someone quoted in, I think it was DanceMagazine, who said something along the lines of, "Well, there are so few ballerinas nowadays who are feminine enough, the only ones who can do it properly right now are men in drag" and took an opportunity to take pot shots at Balanchine, of all people, for bringing us all of those mannish, athletic ballerinas. :rolleyes: If *that* ain't sexist, I'm not sure what is! :eek:

I remember reading someone quoted in, I think it was DanceMagazine, who said something along the lines of, "Well, there are so few ballerinas nowadays who are feminine enough, the only ones who can do it properly right now are men in drag" and took an opportunity to take pot shots at Balanchine, of all people, for bringing us all of those mannish, athletic ballerinas. :rolleyes: If *that* ain't sexist, I'm not sure what is! :eek:

Here is a synopsis, of the version by Michel Fokine, designs by Bakst, music by Weber: A girl comes home from a dance or a party, holding a rose. She goes to sit in a chair, and falls asleep holding her rose. She dreams that the [male] spirit of the rose comes through her window and dances with her. After she and the spirit have a tender little rendezvous, the spirit exits through the window, and the girl wakes up, and gets up, and caresses her rose. It's been a while since I saw this ballet, hope I got it right.

I believe Richard Hoskinson is dancing in the big theatre in the sky, if I you get my drift.

As much as I and many, many people would love to see a renaissance of brilliant choreography being created in the presence for posterity, what I see happening is the creation of second- and third-rate works, only for those to be trumpeted as "modern classics"--often by the same people who commission them, or even by the choreographers themselves. (No names.) Frankly, I'd rather wait out the current drought than have posterity be inundated with these so-called masterpieces. Calling something--or someone--the torchbearer for a new generation of ballets and choreographers does not make it automatically true. There is simply no way to pick out what the true progress of ballet is right in the moment that it is happening. Hindsight, as they say, is 20-20. To be brutally honest, I would rest easier knowing that none of the works in the Diamond Project broadcast, especially those by Martins, would be danced very far into the future. If that's truly what constitutes progress, I'll pass.

I'm sick of debating this kind of garbage. All I have to say is that it would have done her some good to get first-hand experience interviewing dancers, choreographers, and visiting studios, and (horrors!) seeing performances, not to mention a little research on the history of ballet, instead of relying on the twisted ramblings of Gelsey Kirkland and the editorial rants of Lewis Segal as though they were objective and balanced. Unfortunately, it seems as though her mind has already been made up about ballet. When you already "know" the answers, it doesn't matter how much evidence to the contrary there is. Therefore, any evidence to the contrary becomes suspect: dancers who like ballet are dismissed as "brainwashed," or "enlightened" directors are the exception, etc. The whole thing is not an objective critique of ballet and body image, but a diatribe about how ballet is the most evil hegemony in the whole wide world. If she's going to argue about the potentially negative effects ballet training can have on body image, which is a legitimate and interesting debate, there is no need for the constant venom she lets flow about the whole art of ballet. For instance, what does racial diversity or lack thereof in ballet companies have to do with body image? Nothing, except that it's a damn good addition to an already overflowing pot of arguments about why Ballet Is Bad. Finally, I am plainly amused by the fact that she thinks all ballet looks the same; that is the most telling assertion she makes in the whole paper.

No I am much closer to San Francisco. When I see the SF Ballet, I'll post about them.

I was wondering about people's opinions on this, given all the talk about "The National Ballet of Anywhere" and the homogeneity [?spelling?] of repertoire worldwide. It seems that there are companies that have a very generic repertoire of box-office hits and canonized masterpieces, and there are also companies which have a distinct style or trademark, and rarely if ever perform anything that doesn't fit their specifications. When I ask which is better, I mean many things: first, which would you rather see; which would you rather dance; and which is better for the larger prospect of the art of ballet? I'd also like to hear which companies people think fit either description, and why a *particular* company might be motivated to go in one direction or the other.

I hated Jeu de Cartes. It didn't seem to have a point, or follow the music, or anything. After 5 minutes I started to tally how many times Janie Taylor did the splits, and how many turns Woetzel did. [unfortunately i lost count! :eek: Chiaroscuro was pretty, but kind of boring after a while. I couldn't tell the 2 blond ballerinas apart. Them Twos: I pitied Yvonne Borree, having to wear that obnoxious skanky costume. Dreadful music. Darci Kistler is a good dancer, but she really ought to cut her hair; it was getting all over the place! Viola Alone wasn't too bad, but nothing special either. Ancient Airs and Dances was a breath of fresh air musically and choreographically, but what's up with all these skirts-over-unitards costumes? Can't they come up with anything more...original? Lots of *long* blond hair at NYCB, I've noticed. Either that or they wear hair extensions. Ansanelli has nice feet. Janie Taylor looked better in this than Jeu de Cartes. La Stravaganza was awful. I don't want to talk about it. Red Angels was the highlight for me. All four dancers were great, the costumes were fitting [sorry]. Yes, it's just like every other sexualized, stretchy, athletic Forsythe-esque ballet being choreographed, but at least it held my interest. Which is more than I can say for the Wheeldon, although I have become fond of Ringer and Bouder because of it. It seemed very repetitive, or else I was just tired at that point.

My main beef with Center Stage is that I found Jonathan's boring, stick-in-the-mud, ivory tower ballet to be better choreographed and more interesting than Cooper's exciting and hip real-world ballet. Also, if Jody Sawyer's physique and technique are so substandard, why on earth did she get admitted to what was supposed to be the finest ballet school in the country? It was interesting, though, that when the ballet mistress was addressing the other students in the film, she called them by the names of the real-world dancers portraying them: e.g. " Relax your fingers, Janie" to Janie Taylor; " This is a chasse, not a tombe, Pascale" to Pascale van Kipnis, and " Beautiful, Aesha" to Aesha Ash.

My main beef with Center Stage is that I found Jonathan's boring, stick-in-the-mud, ivory tower ballet to be better choreographed and more interesting than Cooper's exciting and hip real-world ballet. Also, if Jody Sawyer's physique and technique are so substandard, why on earth did she get admitted to what was supposed to be the finest ballet school in the country? It was interesting, though, that when the ballet mistress was addressing the other students in the film, she called them by the names of the real-world dancers portraying them: e.g. " Relax your fingers, Janie" to Janie Taylor; " This is a chasse, not a tombe, Pascale" to Pascale van Kipnis, and " Beautiful, Aesha" to Aesha Ash.