Memo

I was at Sylvia on Sunday. I loved the costumes and set for the production. The corps work was the most enjoyable part of the production. The ABT corps seems to me to be the best in years. David Halburg is a star in the making. I really thought he did a wonderful job. I was however dissappointed in Michele Wiles performance. She seemed very tentative and almost afraid to use the stage. I know that Ashton Chor has a certain control and restraint to it, but I really felt she missed the mark on the interpretation of the role and technically I thought the performance was weak. There was alot of missed partnering. The landings were heavy and the arabesque lines were uninspiring. I wonder if anyone else saw it and has input.

David Howard believes that turning is a feeling or a knack and can be taught in a free form and then tidied up later. I think that a combination of both works. One must work technically to avoid any bad habits but if the dancers dont sometimes try it (for better or for worse) they never get it. What are the panels thoughts?

vrsfanatic, Just want to thank you for your insights on teaching technique and your willingness to share information. I have been fortunate to watch you teach and several of my students have had the benefit of your teaching. I have applied several of your corrections and teaching techniques to my teaching style and find it is to my students advantage. I personally really appreciate it and think it is one of the benefits of these boards to be able to learn something new or to hear different schools of thought or opinions on how things are approached. The free exchange of information is what makes a teacher great IMHOP and you definitely are. thanks.

Correct. She is nearing 80 years old now and lives in Australia. She still teaches and seems to be a charming and lovely as I always remember her.

OH darn I just read this. I was there for two I would love to have met up.

I totally agree with you Andrew. I saw it Wed night and thought Diana Vishneva was magnificent. I was supposed to see her dance La Bayadere in July but to my dissappointment she did not dance. I was glad I got to see her in LA. Zelensky was as you said. The partnering was shakey and although there were some good moments the spark between was NOT there. The awakening kiss was quite a let down. Also the costuming and staging made the second act confusing as noted by Lewis Segal in the LA times. Lilac Fairy was magnificent and I am going again today to see another cast. I am so looking forward to it. I must say that it is one of the most inspiring ballet experiences I have had in several years.

Interesting topic. I think turners have to to with body type. I tighter body generally seems to be the better turner. The more hyperextended, flexible body type seems to have more trouble and with everything there are always exceptions. Other factors, large flat big toe, lack of fear, strong abdominals. I studied with a ballerina who is in the guiness book of world records for turns and one of the things I think that she was least able to teach was pirouettes. It came so naturally to her that she was far more accomplished at teaching other aspects of technique. On the other hand I once experienced a students (a beginner) who came into a class who could do a triple pirouette without even having an understanding of which foot to put in front or which way to turn.

Are ABT starting salaries not listed anywhere? I wonder how it compares to NYCB since they are in similar proximity and the dancers deal with the same kinds of housing costs.

What about European Companies? Anyone here work for Stuttgart (I have heard they have very good pay and even better benefits and job security). Royal Ballet? ENB or the like. What about Artistic Directors Salaries? Any figures on those? Are they connected to a union?

I was simply pointing out that she was born in Singapore and was trained in New Zealand. (I remember hearing her name when I was growing up). She is not Australian trained. I know that Nureyev probably had British or Canadian Citizenship (sorry I dont have the details in front of me I dont know if it matters that much) but would you say he was an Englishman? He is Russian. Barishnikov is probably an American Citizen would you say he is an American Dancer? Please!

Fiona Tonkin was born in Singapore and raised and trained in New Zealand. She is not an Australian but I believe she lives there now. http://www.australiadancing.org/apps/ad?ac...esourceType=All

Hello it been a while sorry I am late, hope you dont mind if I butt in. (been hanging out on the other board) I saw the Gala in LA opening night and have to say that though I have never been a Julie Kent fan I may be becoming one. Her performance of the Pas de deux from Swan lake with Carreno was the best I have ever seen her dance. Carreno was also in rare form. I wish I had seen them dance Giselle over the weekend. I wonder if the new baby has bought a new dimension to her life. Her body is a little bit fuller which to me is more attractive on stage, and her interpretation and control was really first rate. I think she is on the threshold of a whole new era in her dance life. From what I read of the opening of the Met season the comments seem the same. I will disagree with Art076 on Reyes and Cornejo. I was sitting very close, but I find him to be getting better and better and she is like a pixie, so musical, so animated it was interesting to watch the communication between her and the conductor every moment she was on stage. It was a high point of the evening for me. Black Swan pas with Herrera and Corella was in my opinion shakey. She stumbled on the very first bouree forward and the beginning of the pas de deux and it had no fire". She is inconsistent, I have seen her dance magnificently and then the next time be quite dull and expressionless. The partnering also seemed somewhat unsure. I think that Gillian Murphy, Maria Ricceto and Marcelo Gomes are going to be very interesting to watch over the next few years. The corps looks good. They look healthy, focused and engaged, they are working together well which I do not generally think of ABT as having a cohesive corps but they are individual and interesting to watch at the same time.

Dont you agree that this is something that the British understand better than most. Subtelty and humor in the style of say Cinderella or even Coppellia seems to something they understand and excel at.

Wayne Sleep and Sir Anthony Dowell performed the ugly sisters during the New York run. It was magical. Sleeps varitation was interrupted several times with him apparently forgetting and having to ask Dowell what came next. It was sweet and funny. It really was reminiscent of the Helpman, Ashton partnership and the production was so beautifully danced in the style of delicacy and attention to line and port de bras. Sets were a bit clunky and the NY crew seemed to be struggling to get them on and off the stage, but the understanding and sensitivity to the music by the dancers really made the score (which is not my personal favorite) blend seamlessly with the choreography. I have a new understanding and appreciation of the music after seeing this production. Alina Cojocaru made the role her own and had the sensitivity and delicacy of Sibley that we really dont see that much these days with the athleticism now so prevalent in classical ballet especially in the US. Johan Kobborg did not thrill me as the Prince. Technically he was very strong, his partnering was superb, but emotionally it was pretty shallow IMHOP.

I have segments of it on a Documentary of Fonteyn and Nureyev that I taped. It showed some corps sections the Prelude and the Pas de deux. It is so beautifully done and just gives you a taste of stylistically how it needs to be approached. I think it is extremely difficult for todays technicaians and bravura dancers to pull of a true and authentic Les Syllphide. (agh I cannot spell today) Forgive me.

I saw Alessandra Ferri dance it Saturday night at the Dorothy Chandlier with Angel Corella. I must say that Miss Ferris interpretation will stick with me for a long time. I dont think I saw any dance steps, it was all so intergrated with her character, the music, the interaction with Romeo it was in my opinion ballet at its best. She never stopped to "dance" once. It was all woven together so seamlessly, something I have not seen in a while.

Yes but who played the unicorn and can anyone explain the why of that? The pads in the tights to make the calves look bigger slip down every year! I dont get it.

Hi all, new poster here. As far as ballet being supported in Los Angeles, ABT will not do their nutty there this December, after two years at the Kodak they are only going in to OCPAC this year they could not fill the Kodak last year. San Francisco ballet (the first of the ballet season at the Dorothy Chandlier) was poorly attended to say the least. 200 at the Sunday Matinee! they gave away many seats to opening night and Saturday night (when I attended) it still was not full. Ballet is alive and well in neighboring Orange County, but is still shakey in tinseltown. The Kirov also gave away tickets to opening night at the Kodak. The Dorothy Chandlier has a first class line-up coming in over the next 6-8 months..........we can hope the response is better than what San Francisco ballet got. I would agree with the poster above that the Kodak is a very good venue for dance.