fandeballet

I am going up to Boston for Manon w/Rojo & Acosta. Anybody saw it last nite/Thursday?????? Will report sometime Sunday!!!!!!

For me, at the Met, I like the back/center orchestra. From about row J and back. I can gauge the hight of leaps better. But, if I don't get an orchestra seat, as long as I get a central location, I don't mind which level I am on.

To Helene and DefJef: We had the oil embargos in the 1970s. Our autos became more fuel efficient. 30 years later, we have giant SUVs that are gas guzzlers!!! Talk about being doomed repeating history!!!! The Cubans do have it over us with appreciation for ballet and performing arts. They may also have separate agendas too. And most European countries support their arts institutions very well with subsidies. But aren't their prices up there with US prices?

To Papeetepatrick: I did not mean that the well-heeled really influenced artistic/creative processes. I just meant to say that they have their place in cultural arts institutions. I agree with you wholeheartily that the choreographers, dancers and the rest of the artistic arm are the main ingredients that forms the fabric of dance.

I feel that if ABT thinks a dancer has huge potential, but is in the corp, they will probably keep them back..... and wait until he/she are sorely needed to take the place of a dancer at the last second. Even if they do an admirable job, more likely than not they will not move up from the corp for years. During the 2005 ABT Met season, I remember Danny Tidwell dancing in Spectre de la Rose. Craig Selesian danced Eros in Sylvia. So, they do get their chances!!! I just wonder if they get any pay differential for dancing soloist or principal roles? Is the experience their pay? ABT historically has always imported talent to bolster their roster. It has changed a bit over the years. Not much. But, Hallberg and Wiles are two of the newest principals at ABT, who have worked their way from the corp.

Ballet and the"Classical" field as a whole are considered, and always have been considerd elitist. But, "Classical" institutions work in a very hostile environment. Many public school systems have either drastically reduced, or eliminated funding for basic classes in music, dance, art, etc. Some have even eliminated sports programs. So, cultural institutions have to expand their education budgets, and have programs like student tickets, in order to encourage young people to come to their performances. BUT, that takes money, alot of money!!! That is unfortunately the reality. Those rich patrons of the arts are committed to their institutions. Yes, they receive prestige and influence! But, the overwhelming majority of them give their time and money, because they want their institution to thrive! Many of them also want as many of the public to enjoy seeing a performance or exhibit, as much as possible. Costs for everything are going up!! And if you think that the elitist label pertains only to the arts, just look at the way the little fan is gradually being squeezed out of sporting venues. When the new Yankee Stadium opens up, it will have those private boxes, but the stadium will hold about 5000 fewer seats!!! I hope they have standing room!!!!!

I've seen many ballets many different times, with many different dancers. I get the most pleasure by watching someone new to the role, who either nails it, or usually who shows great promise in the role. And, I will look foward to watching his/her interpretation evolve and bloom in all of its glory!!!!!!

I would see the cast with E. Cornejo. Gomes and Kent are a fine pair. BUT*******Reyes and Cote have such chemistry, it is worth it to see them dance, also!!! What a fine all-round dancer he is!!!!! ABT would be in great shape for years to come if they would sign him up!!!!! Reyes is blossoming into a world class ballerina just for her interpretive powers alone!!!!! Her dancing is more and more crystaline clear in her phrasing!! Talk about instant partnership material!!!!!! Reyes & Cote, forever and ever!!!!!!!!!!!!

Probably pound-for-pound the greatest boxer of all time, the late great Sugar Ray Robinson was described as an artist in the ring. In part for his graceful (and lethal) style of boxing.

This may be a repeat of another similar topic, if so please close! Anyway.....I think that partnerships like Ferri & Bocca and even Jaffe & Carreno creates excitement and even spurs the box office! Veronica Part and Hallberg is a distinct possibility! How about Reyes and H. Cornejo?! Herrera and Gomes?! What I am getting at is this: more consistent pairings lead to more consistent artistic growth and fireworks!! Also the box office will more than likely have better ticket sales. Do other ballet companies have more established partnerships? Or is it now the industry standard to have a mix of partnerships with interchangeable parts??????????

Let us hope that it will not be too long before ABT does Apollo again!!!! And let us also hope that Hallberg will have the same muses, esp. V.P., again. Did/do the Apollos at NYCB and other companies have the same muses? At the very least, the same Terpishores????

I don't think ballet is a sport. True, as a teenager, as I have mentioned in the past, I was drawn to it from the leaps I saw. But, ballet is not just about the physical, or just about technique. It is about artistry. The major differences bet. sport and ballet are both simple, and yet complex. In sport, the effort shown is not frown upon. Ballet's illusion of effortlessness is a vital element of this artform. The interpretive abilities of: choreographers, set designers, costume designers, artistic staffs and the dancers also plays a part in ballet's being an artform, as opposed to a sport. A question: In dance competitions, is technique the only standard that is judged? The problem might be the growing emphasis on technique. I saw "Plietieskia Dances" at a theater in NYC, and was shocked that she did not do the fouette turns during her Black Swan!!!!! I was then told that it was considered optional back then. Is it still considred optional? I hate the fact that I sometimes try to count the # of turns, instead of just enjoying it! I also hate it when someone comes to me and say that the Black Swan did not do that magical number: 32 fouettes !! I realize that an artform evovles over time. But, is it for the better?? Is something inadvertently lost or lessened in importance to the detriment of the ballet???????

The pictures of Nureyev leaping (Life Magazine) is the thing that started my interest. I asked my mother if he used a trampoline to jump like he did? She said, "No dummy, he really leaps like that on his own. That's the guy I was trying to get you to see last year! I went to see him in "Sleeping Beauty" at the Met with the Canadians, in 1974. I have been a ballet/dance fan ever since!! It was the physical aspects, esp. the jumps, that 1st attracted me to ballet. The realization and appreciation of the artistry that is the main element of ballet gradually came to me as I began to understand the details and preparation that dance demands of its practitioneers. There have been studies that have concluded that ballet dancing has as many serious injuries as American Football, if not more! Many American football teams, along with basketball teams, have used ballet to improve their players' footwork, balance and flexibility! So, in my case, ballet was a different type of sport to me. The physicality of ballet, esp. the lifting and jumping, does make the men and women "athletic artists".

I saw both performances on Saturday. I enjoyed Jeu de Cartes and Petrouchka performances overall. Jeu de Cartes is a fun little ballet. Craig Salstein was the Joker for the mat. Julio Bocca was for the eve. Salstein was great with the comedy and the dancing. Julio did do as many jumps, but he was still funny! The rest of the cast for both were fine to me. Petrouchka has grown on me over the last 2 seasons. I appreciate it as a piece that brought new parameters or broke new ground in ballet. Both perfs. were excellent. Congratulations to Sasha Radetsky for his moving interpretation of the doomed puppet!! :hyper:

After the performance of Apollo, a lady I talked to, who I respect as a ballet fan, commented that there was not alot of jumps for Carlos to do! Never-the-less, he was magnificent! Whatever jumps he did, as usual, were gravity defying and/or devouring the stage. But, Acosta used his wonderfully muscled body and charisma to give us an Apollo, I think, for the ages. The definition and stretch in his body enables him to show how he progresses from a boy-god to one mature, regal, and serene. His rapport with his muses, esp. Paloma, was amazing! I think his partnering skills might be the most underappreciated aspect of his dancing! He is not particularly tall. But he seems to handle the taller ballerinas with care and aplomb. I also loved how he used his arms and hands, just like a god would!!!!! David Hallberg was better than I thought he would be, when he danced Apollo Sat. Mat. He will be a great Apollo, pretty soon!!! I love his line and "expressive" feet! Apollo really calls for a virtuosity that is much more subtle. Apollo, even to this day, is so different from other ballets, because it requires very fast changes in direction, and at the same time is devilish in its precision. I call it a ballet for dancer who has the ability to have the distinct shape on the ground, Apollo just being born and doing the smaller quick jumps, then having to do some larger jumps as Apollo matures. But, you must come down and have the control to still change direction, and have the distinct shape at the same time! There are no real resting notes for the choreography for Apollo, once he starts dancing as the more mature god.

Dear SZ, Acosta has danced Apollo with the Royal. One of his Muses was Darcey Bussell!!! Whereas the Royal Ballet's rep. may not be as extensive- and I am not too sure about that- their rep. is still pretty hefty. They dance quite a bit of Balanchine, Cranko and others, to go along with their Ashton. Carlos has been dancing with Tamara before Bolle came on the scene, I believe. Esp. in Don Q. and Swan Lake. They will be dancing Manon when the Royal will visit Boston in June! I am not sure, but I believe that Acosta has danced a Corsaire PDD in honor of the Queen and/or for the reopening of Convent Garden. can anyone help out on this?????

I do believe that any dancer from the Royal Ballet- and maybe even other European ballet companies- takes a substantial paycut when they dance with ABT. I know that Acosta has alot of family to support. His prime years are dwindling to a precious few. He needs to maximize his earnings while he is in the magnificent form he is in! Acosta's Ali last nite had all the fireworks you can wish for. Extreme elevation, wonderful stretch, line, glorious pirouettes ending in wonderful finishes. He is so powerful, but yet so graceful. Even when he is doing some of his own personal tricks. And he is dancing with an injured toe joint!! His combinations in his second variation were off the charts. He jumped jete twice, covering 2/3rds of the Met stage. He then jumped and executed the jump from Diana and Acteon, where his torso is bent over the left side from the waist at a 45 degree angle, his left leg is stretched out at another 45 degrees, as his right leg is bent at the knee, with his foot pointed perfectly at his crotch area. He then did one of his patented moves whre he whips one leg over another- must be from his breakdancing days- that end in a kneeling position! The audience was in a frenzy!! His final combinations around the stage were a combination of all the strength, elevation, artistry and then on the last 1/3rd of his circle, warp drive speed that ended in a beautifuly executed double turn in the air ending in a wonderful pose. His a la second turns were a marvel to, with at least 4 or 5 turns were done consecutively with his leg straight out. He then finished with at least 6-8 turns and then a hop into a kneeling position! I would also like to point out that Marcelo Gomes, who also danced wonderfully, ended his variation in the Pas De Troi, in a kneeling position, with his backed arched beautifully, for an wonderful finish to his coda. He and Acosta complement each other perfectly!!!! Julie Kent had her best turning nite this season so far! She was fantastic! Carlos Lopez and Maria Riccetto were also great!!!!

I have been watching Mr. Gomes from the time he first came to ABT in 1997 (?). Even a man would look good dancing with him! I asked him once about 2 or 3 years ago about his partnering skills. He really does enjoy showing his ballerina off, to best effect. He loves partnering as much, if not more than his solos. And since partnering hurts so, it is a commendable and vital "trait" to have as a male dancer. He has become one of my favorites!!!!!

I have seen him take special classes on the Met stage. He is a very hard worker. A well deserved promotion. I just remembered his VonRothebart opposite Acosta's Siegfried, and he commanded the stage, as VR should!!! If he is good enough to do these principal roles, he should be promoted. I just hope with some work that his upperbody, esp. the back, will be stronger, to stand up to the rigors of being a principal. But, what an elegant dancer he already is. And soon, he will be even more elegant. Bravo, Mr. H!

I was just trying to say that there will be less money available, because of corporate merging. I brought up the Met as an example, because the broadcasts were a "tradition", that would give a sponser alot of exposure. But even the Met is not immune either to the current cultural climate with a shrinking audience(40% subsription rate on many subscription nites, down from a high of the mid 80s in the 1990s.)

Hey, lets have it as a six month soap opera!!!!!! Can you imagine having it on once or twice a week, with the preview of the next show!!!!! Dallas or Knots Landing would look like fairy tales. Here is the title......."The Passions of Master Balachine" :rolleyes: Seriously, how about letting Ken Burns do it as a docu/drama??

Along with the consoidation of dance companies, there has been a consolidation in the business/corporate sectors as well. Texaco was taken over by Chevron. ChevronTexaco then stopped backing the Met broadcasts. What happened here was an arts friendly corp. was taken over by a corp. that was not as willing to dedicate the same amt. in their budget. Foreign corps., from countries whose arts' funding is mostly supplied by the gov't, don't have the inclination to fund arts programs here, when they buy up a company here. So globilization will probably spur the demise of more dance and in general more of the performing arts institutions throughout the US. A very sad and dire situation

During the run of ABT's Swan Lake in 2005 at the Met, Carlos Acosta did a jump into the lake that left me breathless, with jaw dropped and my central nervous system in shock, trying to process what I just saw. While most times the dancer takes a careful step off into oblivion, Acosta did something astounding. If you ever saw those ABC Sports shows that showed divers jumping off the cliffs in Acapulco, Mexico, you'll know what I mean!!!! When he jumped off, his form was a perfect SWAN dive, but in the dramatic scope of defiance to Von Rothebart. Has my reaction to this particular moment, help spark a moment in ballat that has totally left you speechless, awestruck or even a little numb????????

Other than the dreary sets at the end of its run, ABT's David Blaire production was the one I watched the most. For me the synthesis of mime and dance in the White Swan Act, was the epitome of classical ballet. For me the only ballet that came close was the Kingdom of the Shades Act in Bayadere, before we got Makarova's production in 1980.

Does anyone know the extent of Mr. Stiefel's knee injury. It was mentioned in a posted article in the "Links" section of Ballet Talk. It was an article on his resigning his AD position at Ballet Pacifica.