bart

Thanks, dirac. "Movie star supreme" is a hard one. Depends, I think, if we are talking about still photography or when seen moving, silent or with voice, black and white or color, depth and/or range of performance, one iconic role or complete oeuvre. On many of these, if I may choose only one star — and if we stick with Hollywood — I'll go with Bergman.

miliosr, these movie threads are always great, but I find myself looking for a topic here. Or at least guidance towards a starter-topic. Version 1.0 mortuus est. Vivat Version 2.0. .

Very useful story, Helene. Thank you. I was interested in the question, WHY do dance-related projects succeed more than other projects. Kaufman does attempt to answer this. I can see that these two variables -- lower cost, more people personally involved -- which would give dance-related projects an advantage over, for example, "film and video campaigns," with their 60+% fail rate.

Thanks, rg. I was looking around for Tallchief/NYCB photos that could be linked here and came across this 1954 television clip of Tallchief and Eglevsky in the Act II pas de deux. The costume is different from those in the Martha Swope photos I've seen, i.e. those shot on the City Center stage. The top part seems to have a satiny sheen, not the case at NYCB. Possibly something to do with the deamnds of those early, unflattering tv cameras? Anyway, the look is quite different from the Swope performance shot on p. 131 of Repertory in Review. The pas de deux begins 25 seconds into the clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stOy8oCC-Dk

You mention Makarova. I don't recall what the corps wore in those 1970s ABT performances but the look of Makarova's own pancake tutu -- as shown in performance with Ivan Nagy -- seems ideal to me. http://pictures.hist...457/4456441.jpg I love what happens when you expose the knee and upper thigh, and am willing to sacrifice historical authenticity for that. Maria Tallchief, in the 50s, and subsequent NYCB Odettes wore pancake tutus that were simple on the top but plush and thick in the skirt. The corps wore softer tutus ending just below the knee. This practice continues at NYCB, at least it did the last time I saw them dance the ballet, about 10 years ago. Tallchief's corps had large awkward-looking wings springing from the waistlline. Those did not last long. In the interest of inclusiveness, we might want to mention an alternate white swan costuming from one of the most popular productions of the late 1990s ... http://www.exploreda...0033022106.jpeg What would you call this look? Knickerbockers-plus-four?

Interesting comparison. Thanks, Cristian, for the links. Naturally, the Bessmertnova version allows for greater speed. But there is another difference. Alonso, as she hops rather stiffly backwards, seems to tighten her upper body and allow her head and torso to move downward. Is this a way of compensating for tiredness? Or is it, do you think, intentional?

Thanks for mentioning that. This event -- technically a a lunch and learn -- has a lot of potential for generating interest and good will for MCB. Caras is a natural as a presenter and producer. He can create a feeling of intimacy even with a large audience. Caras was a Balanchine dancer (and Balanchine's protege as a dance photographer). He knows and values MCB and its rep. He knows Lopez and Villella. He knows and has worked with big donors. I'm looking forward to this almost as much as to the season itself.

Thanks for the link, checkwriter. This has clearly been in the works for a while. It means Lopez and (unless something ELSE changes drastically) Villella will be working in the same building on a regular basis. (School and Company share the same building and, often, the same studios. Large clear glass windows are everywhere.) It boggles the mind that anyone on the Board could have thought that giving Edward Villella an extra year on the job, while making it inevitable that he would beworking in daily contact with his replacement, was a good idea. It's a LOUSY idea, especially since this was a hostile take-over.. I'm hoping Villella decides to bail out, move to Manhattan, and enjoy all the perks that come with being a dance legend who left at the top of his game. Villella deserves that kind of respect. Lopez deserves a clear field in Miami.

Cristian, I agree about the oddness of the Program IV choices. "Slaughter" has a place in the rep, but it is not for dance so much as possibly for U.S. ballet history. It can be a striking work if done well; the problem is that very few can do it well.. No one among the current principals seems to have the qualities that will carry the Hoofer or Strip Tease Girl roles. Without them, what do you have left. OFF TOPIC: Villella himself played the non-dancing Gangster last time around,. (That was just two years ago.) . Contractually, he has the right to remain as A.D. right to the end of the season, though this may not actually happen. Now here's a casting idea !!! -- Why not rotate the Gangster part among the power brokers on the Board of Trustees? Just make sure that no one puts live ammo in the gun.

"Unremarkable" seems a word chosen for dramatic impact more than for accuracy. I am assuming on the basis of her career accomplishments, personality, contacts, and familiarity with the MCB repertory and with south Florida, that Ms. Lopez has many remarkable qualities that suit her for this job. Edward Villella has had an amazing career and deserves the strongest admiration for what he achieved with MCB, a company that is his own personal creation as much as NYCB was Balanchine's. But the time has come for Villella to move on. It's also time for his diehard fans, some of whom almost seem willing to see the company go down in flames rather than accept that Villella is not coming back, to start offering constructive support of the kind that will actually help the company Villella made.. We seem to have several threads all dealing with aspects of the MCB situation. For me, this particular thread has reached the end of its natural life, except perhaps as history. In the future, I'll be posting about these topics on the relatively new Transitioning From Villella to Lopez in 2012-2013 thread

Time flies -- and this thread is now pretty much reserved for last thoughts about LAST season. If you want to talk about 2012-13, please turn to the new thread, here .... http://balletalert.i...__fromsearch__1

This is the place to talk about MCB's 2012-13 season as it approaches -- news, links, thoughts, suggestions, wishlist for casting, hopes and fears. It might be a good idea to focus on artistic and performance issues on this thread, and to use our "Transitioning from Villella to Lopez" thread -- http://balletalert.i..._15#entry307512 -- more for matters of company governance, policy, etc. Thanks. For the record, the FOUR PROGRAMS are as follows. Anything you want to add about upcoming Nutcackers, tours, special performances like Open Barre, dancers, fantasy casting, etc., belong here, too Quote PROGRAM ONE. LES PATINEURS (The Skating Party) -- (Ashton, Meyerbeer). PIAZZOLLA CALDERA (Taylor, Piazzolla) APOLLO (Balanchine, Stravinsky PROGRAM TWO DIVERTIMENTO NO. 15. (Balanchine, Mozart) DUO CONCERTANT (Balanchine, Stravinsky) DON QUIXOTE PAS DE DEUX ("after" Petipa, Minkus) WORLD PREMIERE BY LIAM SCARLETT (Scarlett/ TBD) PROGRAM THREE LA VALSE (Balanchine/ Ravel) THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER (Balanchine/ Bizet) TSCHAIKOVSKY PAS DE DEUX (Balanchine/ Tchaikovsky) SYMPHONIC DANCES (Ratmansky/ Rachmaninoff) PROGRAM FOUR DANCES AT A GATHERING (Robbins/ Chopin) SLAUGHTER ON TENTH AVENUE (Balanchine/ Rodgers) I'm so grateful for the Balanchine emphasis, especially Divertimento No. 15, which could be perfect for this company depending on who is doing the coaching. I'm drawing a blank on ideal casting for the role of Apollo. There are no young gods in the company, but there are a coupe of men who could do quite well with Jacques d'Amboise's approach to the role. Jennifer Kronenberg was a good Terpsichore when MCB last did the ballet. She is on maternity leave this season, and will certainly be missed. How about this off-the-cuff casting? Apollo/ Isanusi Garcia-Rodriguez I'm thinking of Marie-Jeanne saying that Balanchine wanted, in 1937, an "unformed unmajestic Apollo. He said that he had in mind a soccer player when he did it for Llifar. Lew [Cristensen] had a kind of jerky movement, a roughness. he was tall enough to wear a little skirt. The hairs on his head, chest, and legs were gilded, so when the lights turned on him, he shone." Terpsichore/ Jeanette Delgado (Terpsichore doesn't have to be a long-legged Adams, Farrell, Kronenberg type. Marie-Jeanne wasn't; Tallchief wasn't.) Calliope/ Sara Esty. Polyhymnia/ Jennifer Lauren.. The Steadfast Tin Soldier has Kleber Rebello written all over it, but who should dance the doll? Mary Carmen Catoya was the Coppelia who reminded me most of Patricia McBride last spring. I'd pick Catoya. I am getting more and more curious about how they will approach the Ashton, which is for many of these young dancers -- and their ballet masters -- a foreign language. I know the Joffrey version (1970s) best. When this was prepared, a team of Ashton experts including Michael Soames was brought over from the Royal to set the ballet. It paid off. Possibly someone from the Joffrey will come to help MCB. Kleber Rebello is my hope for the Boy in Blue. For the 2 girls in Red and the 2 girls in Blue, I'd give an opportunity to Sara and Leigh Ann Esty and as many of the excellent women of the corps as possible. Lourdes Lopez will be down here quite a bit this season, I gather,. There is still no official word about who is actually 'running" the artistic business of the company for this season, as opposed to planning next season. Then there's the matter of the direction of School. And the orchestra, whose status appears to be up in the air. The staff directory on the website -- administrators, development, ballet mistresses, music -- seems pretty much as it was at the start of the summer. I don't know MCB's contract cycle, but September is probably when we will see whatever changes have already been arranged.

Damian Woetzel (former NYCB) comes to mind. Woetzel is the first recipient of the Gene Kelly Legacy Award, created to celebrate the 100th anniversary. http://www.aspeninst...ural-gene-kelly Off Topic: I'm not a dancer or a choreographer, but I do recall trying several times as a child to improve on one of Kelly's Singing in the Rain moves, by swinging around a lamp post. I failed each time, though learned that this feat is best attempted with cloth gloves rather than bare-handed. Also: mothers do not appreciate your stomping round in rain puddles in your best leather shoes.

According to a brief notice in the NY Times, A biography of Vidal is planned for 2015. Author is Jay Parini, the biographer of John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, and Robert Frost, the last of which I've read and enjoyed. Parini spent 20 years thinking about and studying Frost before his book was published. He has spent an even longer time becoming acquainted with Vidal. Accoding to Gerald Howard of Doubleday's, A Biography of Gore Vidal Coming in for 2015 Parini has commented extensively since Vidal's death, including writing the obituary for the Guardian. http://www.guardian....gore-vidal-dies I like the way he balances two sides of Vidal's literary personality: On the other hand: And, swinging back again: It looks like we are in for a balanced and articulate biography.

Apparently Diller worked hard and thoughtfully at creating her performance persona, according to Janson Zinoman in today's NY Times. Zinoman claims she "remains underappreciated." Phyllis Diller and Her Comic Craft Subtitle is: "Her flamboyance lives on in Lady Gaga; her laugh in Eddie Murphy." Paul, the article includes an interesting comparison with Joan Rivers.

Fascinating. Didn't know about the beech saplings (fouets). I did know that fouette is connected with "whipped," but have to confess that I associate this with a non-ballet mental image of Julia Child maniacally beating up a meringue or a souffle in a metal bowl cradled in her arm. I don't recall seeing anything like way Valdes places her 3 sets of multiple pirouettes. She interrupts them with simple but strong single fouettes. Each of the pirouette sequences reflects (or is reflected by) a change in music. This is rather an austere combination, which makes it even more exciting. Some Odiles may be flashier, but this is the only one I would actually be afraid of, if I came across her whipping down a dark street late at night.

I like that look on Fairchild and on the female corps. The subtle movement of muscles and tendons, along with the shifts in light and shadow, fit the music and the choreography quite well. on the other hand , the distraction of the busy white-on-black NYC Ballet tee shirts on the men confirm my feeling that "too much is too much." But the women's naked legs -- wonderful.Somehow, I found myself thinking of several beautifully drawn charts of muscle groups on a male torso, displayed on the walls of my gym. The SVConcerto clip with Hyltin and Fairchild has the feel of a performance that might have been given when Balanchine was around. This demonstrates to me that, tights or no tights, it's what you do with the body that counts most.

Thanks, dirac, for pointing out the differences between "naked" and "without tights." For me, the choice has a lot to to do with the piece itself. A bare-legged Aurora or Giselle, or (more extremely) a Prince in Speedos, work against the the story, music, feeling, and historical context of the piece. With neoclassicism and contemporary works, the situation is different, An interesting point, if I understand it correctly. It's funny how conversations like this often hinge on what we mean by our key vocabulary. Croce was fond of making sweeping pronouncements that sometimes depended, when you thought about, on highly personal, and ofdten unexplained, definitions."Abstraction" seems pretty clear, though I'm having trouble imagining what Croce could have meant in this context. A stripping away of non-essentials? As for "idealization," too often it is used to suggest de-sexualization or prettiness -- the opposite of "real." I prefer to think of it as a kind of meta-realism. A way of experiencing physical reality in terms of larger (possibly "higher") meanings and values. Beauty and even sexuality can and do transcend the physical surfaces of the human body.

This is sad news. I'm glad she had such a successful career and large, fond, and devoted group of fans. I didn't recall that Diller's national tv debut was on Jack Paar in 1958. I do remember her early appearances a couple of years later on the Ed Sullivan Show -- with routines about things like preparing a disastrous Thanksgiving dinner. Publicity at the time played up the fact that she was a "real" housewife and that her comedy was a wild elaboration based on actual experience. This background story was, I think, a big part of her popularity at a time when Americans were beginning to question the assumption that all women were natural "homemakers."

Regarding Cojocaru -- From Wikipedia: Regarding von Aroldingen --- From Answers.com:

Perhaps high-powered stars demand high-powered stars as partners?

Flanders' piece is printed in the August 3 issue of the Times Literary Supplement. Here's a response to Flanders, from her own website:

I'm not sure what I think about this topic, so it's good to read this thread.. Right now, I am leaning towards the position expressed in Alastair Macaulay's NY Times piece, linked by dirac above. (Thanks, dirac.) Especially the following: Perhaps I was exposed to too much well-intentioned, but clumsily executed, naked dance -- and, frankly, too many less-than-beautiful bodies -- in the downtown NYC dance scene of the 60s and 70s Naked bodies definitely have their place on stage. But for me, nakedness when put in a spotlight is inevitably about literalism. It expresses a value system of "warts and all." Ballet, on the other hand, is most effective when it idealizes the body and the body's ability to express feeling and music through movement. For me, this is what is most characteristic of classical ballet, and of classical dancing of all kinds. I don't just mean "looking pretty." Classical ballet is an art that focuses our eye on physical essentials while avoiding the distractions of too many competing details. In this sense, if one exposes all the body parts and surface markings, it is just as bad as loading the dancers with costumes with far too many decorations.

Didn't want to disrespect Gregory, so I checked again. Dupont's "at ease" calls attention to her upper body. Gregory's calls attention to her lower body. Generally, Dupont seems to focus more on -- or have a greater gift of -- epaulement. Gregory always impressed me most with her foot and leg work. Off Topic: Just noticed a difference in choreography at the end of the first allegro section, just as Aurora approaches her parents before being introduced to the princes. Dupont (dancing Nureyev's staging) performs a series of running jetes, each followed by a pirouette. Gregory does simple pique pirouettes. Another difference, this having to do with the first set of balances themselves: Dupont does the developes on point only with the first 3 princes, performing a series of supported turns with the fourth. Gregory does the same step with all four princes. Dupont's version adds variety and speeds up the pace. Gregory's extends the adagio spirit just a little bit longer..

I love this. Did everyone check out slide #8? If you read the material to the right of this photo, you can click a link which allows you to see the image in something called "white balance." Amazing shades of blue appear in many of the stones. Dirac's original link is here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/gallery-indexEvents.html