bart

[MOD BEANIE ON] This thread started last year. I changed the title to "JOFFREY TOURS (2010 TO THE PRESENT) rather than the 2012 posts to a new thread. Please continue to add your thoughts, comments, and reviews here.[MOD BEANIE OFF] The Kravis is indeed sold out, which is fantastic news. (Last year they had a good and enthusiastic crowd, but not a sell-out.) West Palm Beach's program is the same as Gainesville's: Night (Julia Adams, to music by Matthew Pierce, created for San Francisco Ballet) After the Rain (Christopher Wheeldon, to music by Arvo Part, created for NYCB). Have always wanted to see this.) Pretty Ballet (James Kudelka, to music by Bohuslav Martiu; created for the Joffrey) It's a closer with 24 dancers; should be fun, based on Bart Birdsall's report. On a note of local patriotism, it will be good to see Yumelia Garcia -- former Ballet Florida ballerina -- dancing here with the Joffrey.

Love your eye for details, Cristian. And your awareness of a larger context. Keep it coming, please!

Thanks, dirac, for the LINK to Jordan Levine's review of the opening Broward Center performance, from the Miami Herald. Miami City Ballet's 'Coppellia' fluffy, fun I don't know that "appealing but lightweight" is a fair summary of Coppelia. But I can see that the audience might get that impression in the hands of a company lacking experience in the aesthetic and performance skills of full-length narrative ballet. The review reminds me of my tepid response to earlier MCB Coppelias, especially Acts I and II, the parts that present the characters and tell their story. I'm hoping that the straight dancing of Act III, not referred to by Levine except for a reference to the "rather shaggy" Dance of the Hours, will bring out more of MCB's ability to dive in energetically and to astonish. The complete review is here: http://www.miamihera...l#storylink=cpy

Thanks, CarolinaM, for this story and for the link to the balletymas.com interview with Corella. It's good to hear from you. I appreciate the frankness of the interviewer, who raises matters having to do with insecure government financing, the current economic difficulties in Spain, and the possibility of negative reactions from dance companies already based in Barcelona. My apologies for taking so long to respond. We will be changing the name of the company in our Table of Contents. As the interview mentions, Barcelona Ballet is performing at the New York City Center in just a few weeks. Margaret Fuller, writing in the April/May Dance Magazine, comments: Here is the information about the April 17-20 engagement at City Center: http://www.nycitycen...anceNumber=6429 Here is a brief video interview with Corella, relating to the NY visit.

Reading the Kirkland statement, it sounds like she made up her mind about "stylistic travesty" and "glorified triviality" long before the work was complete. The tone makes me appreciate Patricia McBride even more. Gosh, you're right about the impression of kids acting out, which always puzzled me in something called War and Discord, but which fits the "youth culture" of Swanhilda's social circle. Nancy Reynolds comments that the spears "are waved as idly as picket signs."I don't recall noticing the cakewalk imagery. But I can imagine both Colleen Neary and Ricky Weiss giving the choreography the spirit of music hall. Thanks, sandik. Will be looking closely for these touches at MCB's performances in a couple of weeks. I didn't attend Ballet Theatre as often as you did, carbro. But I do recall some cancellations and at least one very weird Giselle, with poor Baryshnikov. I stayed for these performances, on the theory that there's always SOMETHING to watch in ballet. I admit that I am having a hard time recalling the names of her substitute(s), in the cases of cancellation. Susan Jaffee, of course, after Kirkland was fired. But does anyone remember others who subbed for Kirkland earlier on? Nowadays, highly erratic behavior like this makes most fans think automatically of drugs. Back then, however, the media were (of course) silent and people like me attributed the behavior to things like "too much pressure" and "the stress of perfectionism." Only later did I learn, to my chagrin, that just about everyone in New York City understood the situation very well. I agree with you about Kirkland as a dancer -- unforgettable and unique. I also agree with your comments that remind us that Kirkland's behaviors affected many more people than herself, Including her colleagues..

Good improvisation, Stage Right. Falling in a seated position seems very suitable for a skating ballet. A great opportunity for demonstrating aplomb. (I speak from my own experiences on the (real) ice, also many years ago.)

Thank you, James PDX, for your touching post. I hope you will continue sharing with us on Ballet Alert. For those members and other readers who may have missed earlier tributes to Mr. Zoritch, here are the Links: http://balletalert.i...__fromsearch__1 http://balletalert.i...__fromsearch__1 http://balletalert.i...__fromsearch__1

Congrats to all. Chase Swatosh is also (according to the Giselle program) promoted to the corps.

Thank you so much, ksk04. This sounds fascinating -- and great p.r. I posted a notice on HEADS UP with a link to this thread. So, all those who will be watching, PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS HERE.

Here's a link to the relevant thread on the Royal Ballet forum, which has the information on this event: http://balletalert.i...__fromsearch__1 Please post comments on that thread.

A real charmer, as well as being lovely. It would have been interesting if they had allowed us to see more of her when she was actually dancing. The only thing that struck me as unlikely was the relative absence of personnel and clutter in the hallways and other spaces. Love the ceiling in the smaller Fonteyn Studio. leonid, I can see why you admire Ms. Choe. What is it, especially, about her dancing in performance that caught your eye? P.S. Ms. Choe's Royal Ballet biography, including a list of her roles, is here: http://www.roh.org.u...ail.aspx?id=829 The biography page includes a link to the YouTube edition of the video. There are already over 281,000 clicks.

Just came across Robert Garis' reminiscences of Patricia McBride's Swanilda (1974). Then I found my way to Arlene Croce, writing about a Royal Danish Ballet performance in 1966. The Swanhilda was Solveig Ostergaard ("the company's most outstandingly gifted demi-caractere ballerina"). Ostergaard, until I read this, was just a name to me. No one has mentioned her yet on this thread. Was anyone able to see her Swanilda? Was Croce right about her?

Can't thank you enough, cristian, for reviving this thread. There are so many discussions from Ballet Talk's early days that should be revived so that members who are relatively new to the Board can have a say. I LOVE pndbc's post, which combines Danilova (a great Swanhilda by all reports) and McBride (ditto). I remember McBride in that first season of performances. I'm not generally a fan of soubrette ballet, especially the attempts at humor, but McBride was a delight -- a real natural in this kind of role, both as an actress and as a dancer. I wish I had seen the young Fonteyn as well. Like McBride, she had the ability to make charm, innocence, and an irrepressible sense of fun seem like spontaneous aspects of her own personality, not attitudes learned in front of a mirror. pndbc's reference to Kirkland is intriguing. I assume this refers to the ABT version. Did anyone see her dance this part, especially when partnered by Baryshnikov?.

Based on my own youthful experience as an instrumentalist in school ensembles, the truly captivating, even addictive feeling was one of being "absorbed" -- often totally absorbed -- in something outside myself. This was something I rediscovered when I began taking ballet classes an relatively old age. Teachers, even strict teachers, who were genuinely committed to the work (making the most of each piece of music) were not perceived as being unfair or abusive. On the other hand, a teacher who seemed to focus on good form or behavior for its own sake WAS often disliked and avoided. "Fun" was hanging out with my fellow musician in non-practice, non-rehearsal, non-performance periods. "Funny" was what we were convinced we were when we joked among ourselves ... on our own time. On the other hand, working hard and learning how to do things well, with confidence, and as consistently as we could was definitely a HIGH.

Me too.I love the way the BNC gives weight and significance to the two willis, including the way their music is treated. The way the corps members tilt their heads, in unison, to draw our eye to the entry of each dancer, is marvelous. It's like putting a spotlight on them, without the literal spotlight.

Some of the problem had to do with injuries to her dancing partner, which required a shift from a Neumeier ballet to one by Mario Bigonzetti. Here is Alistair Macalay's take on that: Question: when a great ballet dancer nowadays wants to dance other kinds choreography (as Nureyev and Baryshnikov did a generation ago), what are their realistic options? If they just assume that their name will bring big audiences to big venues, they may be wrong -- as is apparently the case here. Vishneva clearly wants to express herself in other kinds of dancing, and feels she has something to say in a different kind of repertory. It worked in 2008. I admire her for choosing Graham in 2012. Is there a better route that she could have chosen to reach out to NYC audiences this time around. Perhaps working with an established modern company as a guest? Inviting well-known modern dancers to join her? Choosing a smaller theater? Russian Ballerina Beyond the Ballet Domain

A 2007 review of an English National Ballet performance contains the following: http://www.guardian....07/jan/14/dance Just checked with Robert Grescovic's Ballet 101. He refers to Hilarian's fatal confrontation with the willis "Entree d'Hilarion, Scene et Fugue des Wilis." However, in the video being described -- Makarova and Baryshnikov, ABT, 1977 -- this music does not appear in the scene of Hilarion's fatal confrontation with the willis. . Does anyone know who composed the music? Or what steps and action are danced to it?

I raised the following question: Alistair Macaulay addresses this in the first paragraph of his review in today's NY Times: Amy raised a question about canned v. live music. Dirac has posted the following article On the Links forum for Tuesday. Thanks, dirac. http://www.crainsnew.../120319968/1072 You would need a very good orchestra -- not just a pit band -- for the Handel and Bach on the opening night program. Ponchielli, I suppose, could be played by lesser musicians, even pick-up groups during tours, but why bother for that? The Piazzola could only be played by specialists. Taylor uses so many different kinds of music -- often identified with a specific musical genres or even artists. I wonder if any over-all program of live music is possible, except for certain pieces. As for live musicians playing, when appropriate, certain individual works ... why not? P.S. Macaulay mentions that Balanchine, who choreographed a solo for Taylor in Episodes (1959), also invited him to dance Apollo. This helps me understand the background of the Apollo figure and three muse-like ladies in the much later Brandenbergs -- clearly a homage to Balanchine's ballet.

They were fantastic a couple of weeks ago, in a program including Brandenburgs and Piazzola Caldera -- both of which are part of the Lincoln Center season. Brandenburgs, especially, was beautifully danced. This was on a relatively small stage and in a quite intimate auditorium. I would love to hear how they look -- and how they adjust their dancing -- when performing in spaces that are so much larger..

Thanks, Bart Birdsall, for reviving this thread. The original thread is full of information. But also ends rather abruptly, leaving lots of unanswered questions. I was wondering what other company versions our members have seen? How do they compare with the original? By the way, Miami's Coppelia was last performed in January 2005 and is described in the program as follows: Lawson was MCB Ballet Mistress in the 1990s, and has held the same position in the National Ballet of Norway, etc. Quillere, who played Dr. Coppelius in 2005, trained at Paris Opera Ballet and danced in the corps. Later, danced with MCB. He is now the chief Ballet Master at the Ballet de Bordeaux. http://www.opera-bor...illere-832.html Miami's Act III is actually a wedding celebration. It begins the Dance (Waltz) of the Hours. The solo portion of the divertissements includes only Dawn (l'Aurore), Prayer (la Priere), and Spinner (la Fileuse). This is followed by ensemble and couple dancing, along with a couple of solos. As I recall, there is choreography for the Waltz of the Hours, though I can't remember it. There is also an adagio pdd for Swanhilda and Franz. Hymen and/or Cupid do appear in this version, but I can't recall what they do. I also can't recall any significant role for Discord or Peace. None of these is credited in the cast list. Just about everyone onstage is dancing by the curtain. This climax certainly deserves the term "grand ballabile."

Love the photo, which strikes me as having an especially polished look to it. (Compared to most of the other NYCB photos from that period that I have seen.)

Thanks for this wonderful discussion. The always excellent Marina Harss, dance critic for The Nation, has a new piece which addresses many of the issues raised here. Harss interviewed a number of people involved -- including Edward Swinton -- and appears to be quite familiar with Cunningham's work and the dance scene he worked in and left behind. Life After Merce I like the way she addresses both (or all) sides of the discussion. For example: And then, the inevitable "BUT" I first read about Cunningham (probably in the Voice) in the mid sixties, when I arrived in Manhattan to go to grad school. I saw the company for the first time in what I remember as a large (and mostly empty) armory. After that, I attended one or sometimes two performances a year until the mid-80s. My love of dance is related intimately to the way it connects to music. That has always gotten in the way of appreciating Cunningham's work as much as others do, especially after Cunningham "sliced the connection" between composer and choreographer (Joan Acocella's phrase) in the 70s. But you don't have to warm to a person's work to acknowledge his genius. What will happen to his company -- and to the arrangements that will be made to have his dancers set his works on other companies, or on their own companies -- when the last "Cunningham dancer" is no longer with us?

According to Wikipedia: I don't know how accurate the Wikipedia article is, but this is a pretty impressive group. Even Edwin Denby!Maybe Waring's real legacy can be found in the students and colleagues he taught and worked with.

Re: things going wrong. At one point in Act I a couple of the men lift Giselle so that she can stand on that little wooden bench. I remember Haiyan Wu, years ago. They deposited her right at the edge. The bench tipped over. Giselle fell to the floor. Talk about bad omens. Nowadays, I notice, two men are delegated to grasp the edges of the bench and hold it in place. Perhaps they need to add a daisy-tester to the cast as well?

I guess that Mr. LaGuardia had time to think seriously about the possibility of this happening. In one sense, sudden death is always too soon, too fast. But Mr. LaGuardia had 14 years to comprehend and prepare himself for the possibility of this happening. Think of how much music would never have been made, how much young musicians would have missed, if Mr. LaGuardia had been persuaded to retire back in 1997.