Celia Yves

Hello, Alexandra and everybody Sorry I was so late in posting my own list, but I could not quite make up my mind. Now follows a completely wild list, mainly of dancers/ ballets whose combination made me think "What If?..." Tell me what you think, and feel free to poke fun. This might seem silly, but what about Tallchief and Nijinsky in something vibrant, like Firebird, or the Blue Bird pdd? Nureyev and Farrell in something non-abstract and majestic. The original Swan Lake? I wonder what Fonteyn would have made out of Balanchine - perhaps somebody (Alexandra?) who has seen her dance might have an answer. I know that the legs up to there style was not her thing, but she seems to have been such a phenomenal dancer that it is impossible for her not to have made the audience see in Balanchine something which has not been seen before. What Balanchine ballets, if any, do you see her in? Baryshnikov in Corsaire, because of his impetuosity, with a dancer who portrays fragility. Fonteyn again, or maybe... Pavlova? Asylmuratova? Celia

How's this for a topic? If you were able to stage any ballet(s), danced by any dancers, past or present, what would this (these) ballet(s) be, and who would dance in it (them?) Celia, thinking hard about her own choices.

Alexandra, sorry that I, myself, was not clear, but I did understand that it was the male solo. I have seen it many times, both live and on video, and I had some troubles picturing it in such a fast version. Regarding the taped music with pre-set intervals you were telling about, I had heard that things like that happened. I have never seen it, but I would assume that it can get pretty awkward. I also recall, and correct me if I'm wrong, that Russian dancers, amongst others, expect lengthy applause after each variation, as it is, amongst other reasons, a good way to recover. I also agree with your and Dale's opinions on the importance of a live orchestra. I have some musical training, and I can picture how hard it would be to get the orchestra and the dancers completely in touch with each other. But when this connection is achieved, when everything is there, the result can be pure magic. For example, in Les Sylphides, Chopin's music can require a lot of rubato. And the dancers don't necessarily need to be perfectly on the beat, especially, perhaps, when the music is played rubato - sometimes, being just ahead of or just behind the music can convey more feeling. When in a ballet, there is total fusion between a top-notch orchestra and top-notch dancers, it can become absolutely magnificent. Celia [This message has been edited by Celia Yves (edited 12-29-98).]

Well, there are those machines which, although small, are frightfully expensive (along the lines of $1500), but they allow for tapes of an extraordinary high quality - no background sound whatsoever - and I think that you can regulate the speed too. It would seem to be a good compromise. Anecdote: I don't remember where I saw this, but it struck me, so here it is: (attempt at paraphrasing/recalling the correct quote) "There was this new piece which was to be danced. The lights dim. The music starts. The dancers remain in place, but their muscles contract extremely hard. The music goes on, and the dancers just stood there, the tension building, it was magnificent - almost palpable. At which point one dancers says between his/her teeth: 'You... are... playing... the... wrong... tape.' The actual piece was an anticlimax." Has anybody heard of this? Celia, trying hard to picture a 50 seconds version of Corsaire in her head.

Hello, There is one particular video, which is not necessarily my favourite, but which I have really liked seeing. Before Karen Kain retired as a principal with the National Ballet of Canada, the then-choreographer-now-artistic-director (after Reid Anderson left for Stuttgart) James Kudelka choreographed a ballet, "The Actress" for her, on the 24 Preludes by Chopin. Chopin is definitively one of my favourite composers, Kain is most certainly one of my favourite dancers and Kudelka's stuff can be quite neat (I hear he got good reviews for the ballet the NBC presented recently in London, am I right?.) The whole thing fitted quite nicely together. The video is a "making of", but there are a number of full-length sections from the premiere. The story of the ballet is based on an aging actress' life, each Prelude composes a tableau: there are meetings with an old lover, young admirers, failed seduction scenes etc... The video shows part of both the creative and the practical work, and I find that Kain, whose musicality and acting abilities have always been exceptional, fits the role perfectly. A good piece of ballet entertainment. Celia

Olivier, yes, it absolutely did answer my question. Thank you very much for the insight. Celia

Olivier, yes, it absolutely did answer my question. Thank you very much for the insight. Celia

Alexandra, thank you for answering my question. I think that if all those elements which you mentioned are assembled together, one has a totally different impression of the movements, however simple they are. I guess that this is one of the differences between something that is great, and something that is extraordinary. Do you think that the overall impression of "well" versus "wonderful" might even be visible to the not-so-trained eye? Celia

Alexandra, thank you for answering my question. I think that if all those elements which you mentioned are assembled together, one has a totally different impression of the movements, however simple they are. I guess that this is one of the differences between something that is great, and something that is extraordinary. Do you think that the overall impression of "well" versus "wonderful" might even be visible to the not-so-trained eye? Celia

Olivier, it's funny that you danced Romeo & Juliet with Evelyn Hart. It's the first role I ever saw her in. You know how, with some dancers, you see them for the first time, and you go "What a great jump/pirouette/whatever?" With her, I went something along the lines of: "Well, there goes Juliet." Rare thing, that. I hope you don't mind me asking this question, but, did you feel like she was Juliet when you were dancing with her? And not somebody interpreting Juliet? Or do you always feel like your partner is Juliet, no matter what? Celia

Olivier, it's funny that you danced Romeo & Juliet with Evelyn Hart. It's the first role I ever saw her in. You know how, with some dancers, you see them for the first time, and you go "What a great jump/pirouette/whatever?" With her, I went something along the lines of: "Well, there goes Juliet." Rare thing, that. I hope you don't mind me asking this question, but, did you feel like she was Juliet when you were dancing with her? And not somebody interpreting Juliet? Or do you always feel like your partner is Juliet, no matter what? Celia

Alexandra, by "understanding of the grand classical style" do you mean the technical difficulties of good partnering or something else? I am really curious to hear your opinion. Margot, I am happy to encounter a fellow Evelyn Hart fan. I find that her dancing has a musicality and an art to it which is rarely encountered. Giannina, I agree. Partnering must be incredibly exhausting. It requires so much talent, especially since you're not even supposed to wince. As you say, hats off to the men! Olivier, what you wrote about artistry is exactly what I think: that after a certain level, all the techniques are equivalent, and only the artistry counts. This actually came to me while I was listening to some piano music, but I also put it in an opera context, and it works. So, you think it's applicable to ballet? Celia PS. You partnered Evelyn Hart? It must have been incredible, there are few dancers whose emotions are so present as hers. [This message has been edited by Celia Yves (edited 12-16-98).]

Alexandra, by "understanding of the grand classical style" do you mean the technical difficulties of good partnering or something else? I am really curious to hear your opinion. Margot, I am happy to encounter a fellow Evelyn Hart fan. I find that her dancing has a musicality and an art to it which is rarely encountered. Giannina, I agree. Partnering must be incredibly exhausting. It requires so much talent, especially since you're not even supposed to wince. As you say, hats off to the men! Olivier, what you wrote about artistry is exactly what I think: that after a certain level, all the techniques are equivalent, and only the artistry counts. This actually came to me while I was listening to some piano music, but I also put it in an opera context, and it works. So, you think it's applicable to ballet? Celia PS. You partnered Evelyn Hart? It must have been incredible, there are few dancers whose emotions are so present as hers. [This message has been edited by Celia Yves (edited 12-16-98).]

Is there any male equivalent to Evelyn Hart? A dancer whose soul transcends technique to the point where technique is no longer relevant? Anybody who remarks upon the fact that Evelyn Hart's fouettes are less than 32 is sneered at. I find this quite extraordinary. Also: is artistry in male dancers less important that in their female counterparts? I have heard people say that this is pretty much the norm in classical/romantic ballet. That Odette/Odile is far more important than Siegfried, and that in Sleeping Beauty Prince Desire is just there to wake the girl up. Sounds a little like a coffee machine to me. And there is still the fact that Albrecht, for example, has some serious acting to do. What do you all think? Celia [This message has been edited by Celia Yves (edited 12-16-98).]

Is there any male equivalent to Evelyn Hart? A dancer whose soul transcends technique to the point where technique is no longer relevant? Anybody who remarks upon the fact that Evelyn Hart's fouettes are less than 32 is sneered at. I find this quite extraordinary. Also: is artistry in male dancers less important that in their female counterparts? I have heard people say that this is pretty much the norm in classical/romantic ballet. That Odette/Odile is far more important than Siegfried, and that in Sleeping Beauty Prince Desire is just there to wake the girl up. Sounds a little like a coffee machine to me. And there is still the fact that Albrecht, for example, has some serious acting to do. What do you all think? Celia [This message has been edited by Celia Yves (edited 12-16-98).]

Alexandra, thank you for your welcome. I don't really know what made me get that book. I was looking for something new to read. Biographies are interesting a great deal of the time. I'm into arts in general, and the book was on display. The picture on the cover was beautiful (it would be hard not to find most ballet pictures fascinating - they really do stand out,) and I just picked it up and looked at the blurb in the back. Her life seemed interesting, and I guess I took it from there. About my ballet path, I think that I was really lucky. If I remember correctly, the first ballet segment which I saw after reading Kain's book was Sylvie Guillem in the White Swan pas de deux and in the Don Quichotte pas de deux. It would be hard to get much better than that. Celia

Good evening, I am new to this board, and I would first of all like to tell you all how greatly I have enjoyed reading your posts. And on to the books subject. Karen Kain's autobiography "Movement Never Lies" is what got me curious about ballet in the first place. Some passages are extremely insightful, and after reading this book, I could not help it - I had to investigate. This is how I started reading more and more. Autobiographies are always interesting, even if sometimes the quality of the writing is not exactly stellar. Yet there is a certain amount of soul in it which might be difficult to have transcribed by another person. I have read books by or about several dancers, including Suzanne Farrell, Maria Tallchief, Evelyn Hart, amongst others. This is how the "Balanchine" entry in my brain expanded a little from the initial "Russian. Ballet choreographer." ("Balanchine's Ballerinas" was quite a good read.) I started watching TV, where I first saw Sylvie Guillem - who does the word "summum" some justice. I then proceeded to watch all of the ballet videos which I could get my hands on. Which brought me to Natalia Makarova's Swan Lake. It was all one big chain reaction. Celia, thanking the impulse she had to borrow Kain's book in the first place.