BalletNut

Originally posted by alexandra:

Probably the main technical reason to be wary about contemporary dance in a ballet repertory is, as Joan Acocella once wrote, "If that's all they dance, pretty soon that's all they'll be able to dance." That's a consideration as well.

Other thoughts?

Alexandra, that sounds exactly like what has happened at the Oakland Ballet: a few years ago, they were reviving Nijinska ballets like Bolero and Le Traine Bleu; now they are commissioning works from modern dancers and with "popular" scores. The effect on the dancers' technique is very obvious, unfortunately.

This'll offend a lot of people, but I can't stand her. Whenever I see La Lacarra's name on the program, I pray to the powers that be for a cast change. ;) First of all, no matter what role she's performing, she dances everything the same way, and it's a style that only lends itself to very specific ballets, namely those by Petit and Balanchine's practice clothes ballets. Everything else is very painful for me to watch, especially Raymonda and Beauty, which I have railed against at some length already on a different thread.

Another peeve of mine is her arrogant stage persona and her indiscriminate use of "tricks," namely of hyperextending her legs to the point of extracting applause from the audience, and of balancing past the music, as she did in the Rose Adagio, and then grinning in the most disgustingly self-congratulatory way at the adoring ovation that followed.

Mainly, though, I am frustrated with the way she seems to have monopolized the attention of Helgi Tomasson, as evidenced by her being constantly on display for opening nights; by the way Tomasson has added Petit's and other choreographers' ballets [bohbot's Adagio For Strings, Petit's Proust and L'Arlesienne] to the repertoire specifically for her and her husband Cyril Pierre, but that don't look very good on the other dancers; and finally by the way so many of the other, more versatile dancers [Katita Waldo, Yuan Yuan Tan, Julie Diana, Kristin Long] seem to have fallen by the wayside in her presence.

[ 06-25-2001: Message edited by: BalletNut ]

I've seen:

1. SFB's, by Helgi Tomasson: It's a very pretty production, but there isn't enough drama or feeling as I remember it. Of course, this may have more to do with the dancers, but I really balked at the way Tomasson included "outside music" in the last act, instead of the intended music for the pas de deux. But I have seen worse...

2. ...namely NYCB's PBS broadcast, by Peter Martins. I mean no disrespect, but this one really rubbed me the wrong way, mainly because of the decor: "Jackson Pollock Goes To The Ballet." It may look very nice in Denmark or at the State Theater, but on a TV set it's an eyesore, especially the first scene with its construction-orange background, and the stark contrast against Damian Woetzel's cobalt-blue costume. :eek:

3. Royal Ballet, Makarova-Dowell video: In my mind, the definitive production. Say what you will about Makarova's musicality or lack thereof, but this is by far the most complete production I know of. So respectful is Sir Frederick Ashton's staging that it's hard to tell exactly which parts are his and which are Petipa's and Ivanov's.

[ 06-23-2001: Message edited by: BalletNut ]

Guy--I hope it doesn't disappoint you, but SFB only gives one Bay Area performance in the summer, at the Stern Grove Festival, which is free. As for everybody else, whether or not a performance sells out over here depends on a number of factors:

1. Who's dancing--It is my understanding that all of the POB's Bayadere performances were sold out weeks in advance; while the wonderful Miami City Ballet did not sell out, since its name is not as recognized among non-conoisseurs. Likewise, certain dancers at SFB [who shall remain nameless ;)] seem to sell more tickets than others; also, SFB seems to sell out much more often than the smaller companies here-- Oakland Ballet, Ballet San Jose, Lines, Smuin Ballets/SF, or the Diablo Ballet, among others.

2. When--Opening nights usually are fuller than other evenings, and evenings in general are fuller than matinees.

3. The program--Full lengths, not surprisingly, sell much more quickly than mixed bills, and mixed bills with famous choreographers [balanchine, Robbins, Tudor] seem to go faster than those without.

In any case, POB notwithstaning, it shouldn't be too hard to get tickets if you get them about a week ahead of time.

Far be it from me to think that Balanchine was anything less than a choreographic genius, but it begs to be said: some of his ballets were "lost" because they were not terribly good. Two that come to mind are Don Quixote and PAMTGG. I'm curious if anyone here has seen them, and can testify as to whether or not they were worth preserving, from an aesthetic standpoint.

1. The part in Melancholic from 4 Temps when the 4 corps women enter, jabbing their legs into the ground like daggers

2. Odette's entrance in Swan Lake

3.The apotheose from Sleeping Beauty

4.The polonaise from Theme & Variations, especially when everyone lines up with the principals at the front, and march across the stage.

Swanilda seems to fit me well, as would the role I refer to as the "Tweety bird variation" from Sleeping Beauty, and the French Ballerina in Gala Performance.This is because these roles seem to work well for short dancers, and I am exactly five feet tall. If I were taller, I'd also like to do Cinderella [Ashton's of course], Kitri, Etudes, the Bluebird pdd, Giselle peasant pdd, and Mark Morris' Sandpaper Ballet.

Well, if we're going for character roles, let me nominate the following:

Robin Williams--the subservient stepsister in Ashton's Cinderella, Widow Simone in Fille, or as the ubiquitous Jester in any ballet

Marilyn Manson--Carabosse especially, but would also make a good Rothbart or Madge

Maggie Smith--Nurse in R&J and Berthe in Giselle

The Olsen Twins as Kitri's 2 identically dressed friends would be cute, although those technically aren't character roles

Here's my NO list:

1. NO to over-casting one dancer at the expense of others.

2. NO to ad hominem attacks from reviewers that have more to do with personal bias against dancers and choreographers than with the actual performance. (but YES to reviewers who aren't afraid to voice dissatisfaction with a particular ballet or performance!)

3. NO to treating story ballets like they are soap operas instead of works of art.

4. NO to misrepresenting ballet in an effort to attract a younger, more hip audience.

5. NO to expecting every single new choreographer to be the next Ashton or Balanchine, and discounting them completely when they don't measure up. Yes, we all want to see another choreographic genius breathe new life into ballet, but it is quite a lot for a fledgling choreographer to have to live up to!

While I don't doubt that Greskovic has a personal vendetta against Peter Martins, and makes no bones about it, it seems he is equally over-the-top in his unwavering adoration of Kyra Nichols. Even in his panning of Martins' full-length Swan Lake--which I agreed with, by the way--he didn't hesitate to wax poetic on the beauty of his favorite ballerina, while slamming the performances of every other, including Kistler, Weese, and Whelan. Every review of his that mentions her--at least every review I've read-- is filled with pronouncements of joy at the artistry of La Nichols. I actually happen to like her, from what little I've seen, but Greskovic's bias in her favor is quite obvious and gets a bit tiresome.

I know it's off-topic, but I was reminded by this article of how biased so many of his writings are. And, for the record, I don't think bias is bad, but there's a difference between saying you don't like something and using actual put-downs to get the point across.

I think everyone has different standards that determine who Sheezno is related to, for starters. Although Sheezno Fonteyn is certainly the most talked-about on Ballet Alert, I have also become acquainted with Sheezno Makarova, Sheezno Kirkland, and Sheezno Evelyn Cisneros, a local Bay Area favorite. People also have their own criteria for deciding if a dancer is any good. Also, I don't think that where I sit makes as much of a difference as what frame of mind I was in, and for one-act ballets, what I saw it paired with. For example, the first time I saw Helgi Tomasson's Silver Ladders at SFB, it was paired with a rather bland Mark Morris piece and an over-the-top piece by Lila York. I loved it the first time, it almost sent shivers up my spine. I didn't like it as much the second time around, when it shared the bill with Agon and Etudes. Somehow it just didn't measure up.

[ 06-12-2001: Message edited by: BalletNut ]

When a dancer falls onstage, my reaction to it usually depends on theirs. Several years ago, I saw SFB in Swan Lake, and David Palmer missed the final landing in his variation in the Black Swan pdd. I remember it not because it was a terribly nasty fall, but because I heard him say "SH**!!" all the way from up in the balcony. On the other hand, if the dancer just picks him- or herself up and continues as if nothing happened, I think nothing more of it.

I have the Ashton Cinderella, it is available from Kultur. Also, if the Makarova/Baryshnikov Giselle is still available, where can I get it?

Hmm, I don't really know, but I actually think it might be a "lost" ballet, with only varied little snippets surviving here and there. Who knows, maybe Pierre Lacotte will re-construct it, like he did with Paquita and Pharaoh's Daughter, two other "lost" ballets. It would be interesting if he did.

All this talk about "hummers" reminds me of the time I sat next to a "whistler" at a Nutcracker matinee. :eek:

Here is what I have and can recommend:

1. Swan Lake: Royal Ballet, with Natalia Makarova and Anthony Dowell, Kultur video. Lovely sets and costumes, and for me it is the definitive version.

2. La Bayadere: Also Royal Ballet, with Altynai Asylmuratova, Irek Mukhamedov, Darcey Bussell. All three principals are wonderful, and very well cast I think. Also from Kultur.

3. Balanchine Library, Volume 1: Tzigane, Divertimento 15, and 4 Temperaments: All of the videos in this series are good, but this is, IMO, the best. I ordered mine from NYCB's gift shop online, and I plan on someday owning all of them. They are, however, more expensive than the Kultur videos.

4. Coppelia, Australian Ballet, Kultur. This one is probably the only truly first-rate Coppelia video out there right now. Lisa Pavane and Greg Horsman are the leads.

5. Le Corsaire, ABT--Not a very serious or accessible ballet, but it's loads of fun to watch. I taped mine off PBS but I think Kultur sells it.

6. Mariinsky Ballet-Kirov Classics: Nice "mixed bill" video that includes Chopiniana [aka Les Sylphides], an avant garde version of Petrushka that I just fast-forward through, Barber's Adagio, Le Corsaire pdd, The Fairy Doll, Markitenka [aka Le Vivandiere], and Paquita. It's a good way to see many of the Kirov's stars. It too is from Kultur.

I have other videos as well, but these seem to be the best deals for my money, as I too am a student and have a very limited income.

There is an "Esmeralda" excerpt on "The Kirov In London" video, which is a pas de six, and the choreography is attributed to Agrippina Vaganova. The dancers are Eldar Aliyev and Yelena Yevteyeva [sp?]. The video is available from Kultur.

Perhaps Barbra Streisand, if for no other reason than for her strange resemblance to Gelsey Kirkland.

1. The *look at me, I'm so pretty, watch me dance* expression I see in so many ballerinas of late.

2. Super-high extensions in tutu ballets.

3. People who applaud the balances in the Rose Adagio.

4. Pairing of dancers with too much difference in height, as in the RB Sleeping Beauty video, where tiny Viviana Durante dances with Zoltan Solymosi who is well over 6 foot!

Yes, they did, but as a substitute for the Royal Ballet.

Re: Carmen, I don't think it's high on the agenda for SFB to add to its repertory, based on the fact that Ballet San Jose already performs it regularly, and I understand they do a good job with it. Of course it's still a possibility, especially given Lacarra's influence on repertory choices of late. I am thinking particularly of the additions of Proust and L'Arlesienne to SFB rep, which probably would not have happened were it not for Lacarra's presence and popularity.

One thing's for certain, though. Lucia Lacarra is definitely one of those dancers that elicits strong responses from people: either she's the greatest ballerina in the world since Margot Fonteyn, or else she's somebody you dread having to watch. There's just no neutral ground, no in-between.

[ 05-25-2001: Message edited by: BalletNut ]

I believe it was I who said that I did not care much for La Lacarra. In response to the Raymonda question, I am sorry to report that I found her even worse in Raymonda than in Beauty. It's a little hard for me to pinpoint it exactly, but I think "too prissy" would be a decent description of why she was all wrong for the role. To be fair, I also saw her in Agon with Legate, and she wasn't half bad in that [neither was he, by the way], so maybe there's hope for her yet. ;) However, I still find her overrated and overused, often at the expense of the other, IMHO more talented, dancers at SFB.

PS. I am a "she."

[ 05-25-2001: Message edited by: BalletNut ]

What determines the "nationality" of a ballet? Is it the company who premieres it? The birthplace of the choreographer? How does one classify the works of George Balanchine, most of which premiered in the USA, but have an imprint of the Russian Imperial school on them? Are Antony Tudor's ballets British [many of them premiered there] or American [many were created for ABT]? And what of choreographers like William Forsythe, John Cranko, and John Neumeier, who, like Balanchine, were born in one country but choreographed and became established in another? Is it even necessary to classify ballets and choreographers in this way?

What an interesting topic.

It seems that a lot of the "ballet is un-American" sentiment stems from the fact that ballet in general is neither democratic nor politically correct, two traits associated with more "American" forms of dance, particularly modern dance. This philosophy, not surprisingly, makes little sense to me, especially given the remarkable contributions of American choreographers like Agnes de Mille and Jerome Robbins. We have French ballet, Russian ballet, British ballet, and Danish ballet in Europe. If ballet can thrive in these four very different countries as it has for centuries, why can't it also thrive in America? Dance knows no political boundaries.

The Australian video, with Lisa Pavane and Greg Horsman is IMO probably the best one available, and the production is solid in most respects, with lovely scenery. As to the costumes, sometimes it looks as though the designer couldn't make up his mind whether to have short classical tutus or long Romantic ones, and settled on something in between. ;) They're still very pretty, though, and overall, if you want a Coppelia video, this is by far the best one to get.

[ 05-16-2001: Message edited by: BalletNut ]