oberon

Favorite blondes:

Janie Taylor among the ladies, David Hallberg among the men...

I haven't seen it yet, but the Oscar-nominated song "Belleville Rendez-Vous" is teriffic! I almost wanted it to win over Annie Lennox...but then, THAT was a great song, too.

Peter Boal, for sure!

Bart Cook might not have been a flashy dancer, but he was charismatic and I agree with hockeyfan that his performances were engrossing.

How would people rate Ted Kivitt? Arthur Mitchell?

What about Damian Woetzel; although he seems to have peaked, I have seen many thrilling performances from him over the years.

Had his career not been cruelly cut short, we might include Sean Lavery.

The film struck me as an interesting documentary with pointless interjections of "movie scenes". James Franco is a good-looking guy, but what was his purpose in the movie? I would rather have seen some interviews with some of the dancers, and maybe "meet" some of their real-life spouses/lovers and heard first-hand about the dificulties of a dancer's life: the endless class routine, injuries, the brevity of the career, how they mesh their personal life with their dancing. Overall, I liked ETOILES and CENTER STAGE better. At least in the latter, you saw the resolution of some of the dancers' problems. Still, just watching the performance and rehearsal clips in COMPANY was pretty nice.

Would the director of a company stand in his box loudly yelling "bravo" to his employees during the bows? I think he would be backstage, really.

Alexandra, you are right to note that not all great dancers are great coaches...just as the greatest opera singers aren't necessarily the best voice teachers. Also, dancers (and singers) can sometimes be over-coached to a point where no individuality comes thru. At some point the dancer has to make the role his/her own. We have all read stories about Balanchine telling dancers: "Just dance", as if he did not want to see any "personality"...but the memorable dancers, whether von Aroldingen, McBride, Wendy Whelan, Soto, whoever...all have huge personalities and put their own stamp on everything they did/do. Would Balanchine "approve" of Kowroski? Ansanelli? Bouder? We have no way of knowing.

Where does teaching the steps stop and coaching start? Singers I know get royally p_____d off if a coach comments on vocal technique. That is the voice teacher's realm. Where is the line drawn for a dancer? And at what point does the coach step back and let the dancer's own "perfume" waft into a role? That is, assuming the dancer has some perfume to waft!

Justafan hits the nail...or several nails...on the head. We have to live in the present. Martins is not Balachine; whether there is someone else who could be doing a better job running the company is irrelevant because Peter is running it. Yes, things could be better...they could also be worse. No one is obligated to attend if they don't like the programmes or the present roster of dancers.

It is unlikely we will ever see another choreographer who could come close to Balanchine in either quantity or quality of ballets created. And his ballets might not be danced as we think they once were or should be. But should the present generation and future generations be deprived of the opportunity to discover the depth and beauty of these masterpieces because their creator isn't around any more? Or because Diana Adams, Farrell, Patty McBride no longer grace the stage?Yes, maybe some other company has a "better" SERENADE or APOLLO going, but to see alot of the works in a concentrated presentation, NYCB is the place.

We have been hearing for years of the doom/demise/death of NYCB. Why do so many people feel so alive when they're watching the company?

Hockeyfan,

Thanks for writing about this BEAUTY cast, which I missed. There is always alot of Borree-Bashing going on (even in my own household) so it was nice to read your reasonable account. And your description of the audience was hilarious!

Ob

My favorite part of the Oscars: the song from BELLEVILLE RENDEZ-VOUS. It seemed so original. For a minute I almost wanted this song to beat out Annie Lennox.

People I most enjoyed looking at: Patricia Clarkson, Sandra Bullock, Susan Sarandon, Johnny Depp.

Best speech: the woman who won for CHERNOBYL HEART. And Tim Robbins...

Missing person: Russell Crowe...I think he deserved a nomination for MASTER & COMMANDER.

There should have been a special award for "Best Voice in an Animated Feature" going to Ellen DeGeneres for her hilarious performance in NEMO.

In his season summation, Michael writes about one of my favorite corps girls, Rebecca Krohn. In reading the messages here at Ballet Talk, it seems that others have also been noticing this lovely dancer. Having seen her in the "back row" for a while, I was first taken with her in Martins' BURLESKE (a misunderstood ballet, to my mind...) The costumes for this ballet were some of the most attractive I've seen, and Rebecca in her purple dress was especially fetching. I began to watch for her more closely in other ballets and I liked her lyricism, her sense of self-containment...and her extension. She has a great face, one that can register romance, austerity, charm or humour. When she was cast as the Queen opposite Wendy in CAGE, I wasn't sure she could hold her own. Wrong! She brought a wonderfully predatory gleam to the part. I look forward to seeing her get more opportunities.

Did anyone notice her in CENTER STAGE? It took us a couple viewings before we noticed her "scene"...priceless!

The corps is loaded with interesting dancers of both sexes and it is not always easy to try to keep track of them all while also trying to watch the ballet itself and the principals. I guess that's one reason why I go so often...trying to take it all in.

Verdy in DIAMONDS...why didn't I think of that?

I think the "type-casting" boundries are being erased. I always enjoy seeing a dancer take on an unlikely role and see what she can do with it. I once saw Wendy in STARS & STRIPES. I was thinking of her CAGE, DIAMONDS, AGON and just couldn't picture her in Sousa. But she seemed to have a ball dancing it, and her very tongue-in-cheek approach gave the ballet a fresh slant.

Saturday evening's SLEEPING BEAUTY had two beauties: Weese as Aurora and Amanda Hankes as Lilac. Weese combined lyricism, strength and charm in an engrossing portrayal. She nicely stretched out her climactic balance in the Rose Adagio; her turns are dazzling and her Vision Scene had a poetic quality that was very moving. Philip Neal didn't attain quite the level he reached in last week's performance with Ringer. Merrill Ashley seemed to be having a blast as Carabosse; the Fairies were an attractive group (Abergel, Flynn, Rutherford, Hyltin, Lowery) and Tinsley & Orza teamed up with two very appealing young ballerinas, Glenn Keenan & Lindy Mandradjieff, to illuminate the Jewels pas de quatre. Alina Dronova was a feisty White Cat. Carrie Lee Riggins & Adam Hendrickson gave a light, bright & buoyant Bluebird...Adam's musicality is always a pleasure to experience. Having noted Amanda Hankes many times in the corps, it was a treat to have her step out as Lilac Fairy. Her alabaster complexion, superb carriage and gracious dancing kept my binoculars trained on her every move. It was a very satisfying night.

I saw one of my favorite DIAMONDS divas, Wendy Whalen, dance the RUBIES pas de deux at the Joyce. I cannot recall if Weese has done DIAMONDS but I would think she would be very good in it, and she also excels at RUBIES.

Miranda Weese as Aurora & in Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #2, Kowroski in SWAN LAKE, Ringer as Aurora and in EMERALDS; seeing Kyra Nichols in roles she might be doing for the last time; Boal in PRODIGAL; Bouder as L'Alouette & Edge as Pierette in HARLEQUINADE; Sylve as Hippolyta; Riggins and Hendrickson in Bluebird {and also Adam as Puck & Jester (SWAN LAKE)}, Amanda Hankes as Lilac Fairy; Rutherford in EMERALDS; Ulbricht as Jester (SLEEPING BEAUTY); having Merrill Ashley back as Carabosse...I could on and on...

Even in a season with the ranks depleted by injuries, there was much to enjoy.

Anna Kisselgoff has written about the Bouder and Ansanelli Auroras, both of whom she rightfully praises. She does mention that Bouder went off pointe...twice...in the Rose Adagio. I only saw once.

Some people feel Kisselgoff writes press releases for NYCB rather than reviews.

How do other people in this forum view what the "professional critics" say? Do their reviews have weight? Would you go to see a piece/dancer that had been glowingly reviewed, and likewise would you skip something that got panned?

I went back and read the thread about THREE JUNES...sound like my kind of story. I will seek it out...thanks for the tip, vagansmom.

My sister sent me Jane Hamilton's SHORT HISTORY OF A PRINCE which shifts from the 70's to the 90's and details the story of two brothers, one an aspiring dancer and the other who is dying of cancer. It is not a page-turner but there are some very moving passages. The young dancer became enthralled with ballet after seeing SERENADE...like so many of us!

I read GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING twice in a week...I couldn't stop. By chance, I had picked up GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE, another "Vermeer" story. So that was a nice pairing.

I am not sure why I started reading the final lines of books before buying them. Usually the final lines don't really give away much about the book. I guess that when I know what the last thought will be, I am kept intrigued throughout by how the author will get to that point....sometimes it keeps me going when the writing sags a bit. Does that make any sense?

What decides you to purchase a given book? Do you read reviews, read what friends have suggested, or just go to the store and browse?

I read constantly, usually 2 or 3 books going at a time. I re-read favorite books every year, and sometimes when I finish a book I immediately start it again. There are many classic masterpieces I have never read, and some very obsure books that I devour and re-read.

This is how I've come to select a book: I go to my favorite store, 3 Lives, on 10th Street (Manhattan). I browse and when I see something that looks tempting, I read the last sentence of the book. Then I open at random to the middle and read a paragraph or two. If my interest is piqued, I'll buy it or jot down the title for future consideration. I have a limited budget but prefer to own rather than borrowing from a library.

A book that I have especially enjoyed lately is THE VIRTUOSO by Margriet de Moor.

All the dancers whom I have met refer to her as Bouder, as in "powder". If she used to be Bo (as in Bo Derek)-der she may have realized that the "powder" sound is far more elegant. I did see her name once spelt as "Boulder", like the Colorado town. A mistake, obviously.

Maria Callas was once pelted with vegetables after a performance at La Scala. She picked up a bunch of radishes and clasped them to her breast as though they were roses. That's the story, anyhow...

The theory has always been that you paid good money to see/hear the performance and you are entitled to voice your reactions.

Huge ovations and loud protests are very rare these days. People are in too big of a rush to get to the subway or check their cell-phone messages to stay and cheer or boo.

We have all read the stories of the violent audience behavior at the premiere of SACRE DU PRINTEMPS. About a dozen years ago, the entire audience at the Met violently booed tenor Franco Bonisolli after a performance of TROVATORE.

Ashley Bouder's first Aurora seems to have caused some controversy. I and a few others thought we heard some boos from the upper gallery during the curtain calls.

Others insist no such thing happened. But the people who wrote so glowingly of her performance here do not seem to have been cheering, throwing flowers and demanding extra calls. The atmosphere was subdued, especially for what many people felt was a revelatory performance. I guess people just don't get worked up any more, or they feel it's bad manners to vocalize their reaction.

Could we just let Ashley Bouder be Ashley Bouder? She's only danced a handful of performances since, and has been a soloist for a week. Yes, she has many fine qualities. But comparing an active dancer to photos of dancers from the past is pretty meaningless..yes, their face, legs, arms, whatever may be similar but unless you've seen the photographed dancer in action, you can't really compare the two.

Someone has aleady referred to her as La Bouder...Maria Callas must be getting a chuckle out of that up in Heaven.

Just let the girl dance.

The lobby casting sheet today announces that Peter Boal is out of this coming Saturday's SLEEPING BEAUTY, replaced by Philip Neal.

Cargill, I echo your comments on the Jewels pas de quatre and the idea of casting van Kipnis or Rachel R as Lilac.

In the Rose Adagio, Bouder appeared to fall away slightly from the approaching cavalier (same thing happened to Dvorovenko with each cavalier when I saw her do it). She righted herself when his hand was offered then did a quick down-and-up to re-establish her pointe. Probably the majority of the audience didn't even notice. But the French couple sitting in front of me groaned. I later heard them complaining that they were seeing principals as Lilac & Carabosse but a mere soloist as Aurora...I didn't want to tell them she'd only been a soloist for one week!

Quelle scandale!

Aspirant,

Yes, her wrists are the only thing about her that needs "fixing"...especially the right one. I did think this season there was a little improvement.

Oberon

OK, we'll get the obvious out of the way first: Bouder went off pointe near the end of the Rose Adagio. Ballerinas do sometimes fall off pointe and it is always unfortunate, but this is probably the one place in the entire ballerina repertoire where it looks really bad, because everyone is totally focussed on Aurora at that

moment. The applause after this crucial number was perfunctory.In the solo that follows shortly after, Bouder seemed to be somewhat in a daze...her dancing not up to her usual level and her jumps lacking height and stretch. She was much better in the Vision Scene and in the Wedding pas de deux and solo, though I do find her dancing doesn't always flow...sometimes it seems like a series of freeze-frames were she is in beautiful poses. I find her facially unpleasant, she sometimes looked like she was chewing gum which I'm sure she was not. Damian danced with his usual flair though there was a slight sense that things aren't quite so easy for him as they used to be. There was no chemistry between he & Bouder though he was of course an efficient partner.

Kowroski was again a wonderful Lilac Fairy, so serene in her dancing. Kyra Nichols revelled in Carabosse's glamourous evil...her mime was clear & expressive and her eyes illuminated every gesture. Amanda Edge was a bright & fluid Florine, but Tom Gold seemed tired as Bluebird...he didn't even try to sustain the balance that concludes their duet. At least he didn't wear blue lipstick, as de Luz did. Other standouts were Rutherford, van Kipnis, Mandradjieff, Lowery, Beskow and Riggins while Carla Korbes looked especially fetching as the Countess.

When Bouder & Woetzel came onstage for their bow, I thought I heard some booing. And when they came before the curtain I heard it again. Aside from "baddies" like Rothbart & Carabosse getting booed for their dastardly deeds, I have never heard anyone get booed at NYCB. I asked my partner if I could be mistaken but he agreed that he heard it too. Then we ran into a friend downstairs who also said he heard people booing. The response overall was muted.

Yes, Alexandra, I agree that is what the reviewer was saying.

Oberon