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Ibsen and ballet. An interesting juxtaposition, redbookish -- and not impossible. Sorry that this is off-topic, but here's my question. Other than Peer Gynt, have any of Ibsen's plays been used as the basis of a ballet, as Birgit Cullberg did with Strindberg's Miss Julie? I MOVED THIS QUESTION TO ITS OWN THREAD.

Re: late 50s Lindy. In middle-class (possibly repressed) Long Island, the basic set of steps -- as I recall -- involved only one waist-level kick to rear (right leg for male). Politeness and concern for neighboring couples, kept this in control. I recall the consevative elements: couple almost always in contact, holding hands or at least male hand at gir's waist. I can think of some Balanchine partnering patterns here. For some reason, parts of Agon, which I first saw as a 10th-grader, reminded me of high school dances, and I could identify with this. As I recall, lindy improvisation was rare. Movement on one's own, without the partner, was rarer. Years later I saw the lindy in a 40s wartime and was asstonished by how much freer, more athletic, and exhuberant it was than the version we enjoyed on the high school dance floor.

Great story. Are there any other examples of out-of-the-ordinary stage appearances that Ballet Talkers can think of. Also, is there any tradition in ballet of a small role or cameo occasionally being taken on by a great performer, as the Italian Tenor in Rosenkavalier. (I'll never forget Pavorotti surprising everyone at the Met when we saw his name in the program for this single-aria role.)

Thanks, Isabeara, for your posts. And please continue posting as your season develops. It is wonderful to learn more about our local and regional companies -- both the challenges and the amazing artistic vision and drives that keeps them growing and achieving. Like you, most of my current ballet viewing is with regional-local companies of various size, especially Miami City Ballet and Ballet Florida. Ballet Talk, in my Opinion, benefits from learning about and encouraging dancers, choreographers, artistic directors, heads of schools, and often stunning achievements on this level. They are the foundation without which ballet's top echelon -- NYCB, ABT, POB, the Royal, the Royal Danish, and even Kirov and Bolshoi -- would quite possibly whither away.

I Lombardi and Aida fill the bill as well. Petipa might have been, like Verdi, one of those 19th century Europeans who were fascinated by the "East" -- not exclusively the Muslim East -- at a time of Russian, as well as general European imperialist expansion into those areas. Fascination with the exotic, fear of the Other, daring and always ill-fated attempts to bridge the gap. "Orientalism" is a label that has been applied, by Edward Said and others, to this cultural phenomenon. Ridley Scott, in his new film Kingdom of Heaven (about the Crusader states in Palestine), may be trying to explore (and possibly exploit) the same clash-of-cultures mindset today.

A quick check of genealogical tables for royal and noble families of the period came up with no acknowledged "marriages" to non-Christians in this period. (Kidnappings and disappearance into harems is another thing.) Such a policy would be almost impossible to imagine. Marriages between members of the Roman Church (including Hungary) and the Eastern Church -- that is, within two distinct and opposed branches of Christianity -- did take place at the highest levels. But they were rare and never without controversy.

What a wonderful review, Helene. I would love the possibility of seeing Agon as a really viseral struggle. The last performances I saw were rather overly pure, for my taste at least -- almost pretty. I'm not amazed that one cast did Theme and Variations 5 times over 4 nights. That's not uncommon in smaller regional companies, especially for such ambitions programs as this one. These dancers are truly heroes. You made the Ib Andersen ballet quite visible to me. (To be honest, it's the kind of review I like to see before I attend an actual performance, helping my rather slow eye to keep up with the onward movement of the dancing. No "pause" and "reverse" buttons in real life, alas.) I've just been reading more about Andersen's work after retiring from dancing -- including a fascinating, highly articulate 1996 interview with Alexandra in the Bournonville Archives on the Danceview Magazine site. You can see some of the values and ideas he has had the chance to develop in Arizona. It's thrilling to hear about what he has managed to achieve with his dancers. Danceview Magazine

Like Ami 1436, my most recent viewings of Balanchine -- and other major choreographers -- has been filtered through performances that have been generated far from the original source. In my case, this involves an excellet American regional company I suspect that Alexandra is right when she speaks about a platonic ideal underlying the greatest choreography.. I also find myself agreeing at heart with Mme. Hermine .... It certainly helps to have seen other, beautifully done and authentic productions first. My early memories of Apollo -- d'Amboise (late 50s and later, and still my favorite ), Villella ((1960s) Baryshnikov (NYCB days), Peter Martins (early 80s), and others tucked away just beyond reach of memory -- actually helped me to appreciate so many elements of the role, the relation of steps and music, and the larger structure when I saw it live a few years ago with 2 different, younger, and less experienced casts at Miami City Ballet. (Of course, that's a truly great ballet. And it WAS produced by Edward Villella's company with restaging by someone from the Balanchine Trust --so the authentic "scaffolding" was definitley there.) I don't know what I'd think about about the Royal's Symphony in C -- surely one of Balanchine's ballets that has had the widest dispersal to other companies (of different sizes and quality) all around the world. I guess I'd ask: was it well danced despite that? How far removed, really, were the stylistic differences from the original? Enough to sink the entire ballet? Was the ballet itself still beautiful, joyous, heart-lifting despite the deviations in style? Did the dancers appear to be enjoying themselves (a bit requirement, I think, for this ballet). I hope these would be the tests for me.

Great topic, fandeballet. I'm surprised to admit that I, too, would like to see Spartacus again. For some reasons, things I usually detest in ballet work for me in this one: steamroller melodrama, broad strokes of good versus evil (noble Spartacus v. nasty Crassus; virtuous Phrygia v. worldly siren-bitch Aegina). The sometimes overbearing Katchaturian score is redeemed by a lustrous and unforgettable adagio for the big pas de deux. I saw part of the Grigorovich production as a one-act during the Bolshoi's visit in the mid-80s, and later had a chance to see Vasiliev and the later Mukhamedov performances several times on video. Each experience was a real stunner. It seems that the preferred body type for Russian male dancers has been bulky in the upper torso, with huge quads and calves. Lots of strength for lifts -- lots of ballon for springing into jumps (but also lots of visible preparation). Is this what is missing in the ABT male dancers (and possibly -- by extension -- in contemporary western male dancers generally)? Or is it a matter of training? Temperament? What?

This is true for Latin America. In much of Spain there's a hint of the "L" -- along with the "y" -- in the pronunciation of the LL. However, in contemporary Spain, as in Britain, it's increasingly okay to utilize pronunciations based on region, class, age, and attitude.

The Dance Magazine ad is for a Bel Air Classique DVD, to be released July 2005. Special features include a documentary and an interview iwth Pierre Lacotte, plus 24-page booklet.

This is a good topic, and I'm glad it's been revived. As an elderly person new to ballet class, I wish I could report soaring leaps or liberating flights of "dance." All I seem to do in recent dreams is wave my arms around a lot. Gracefully, though, and in something that approximates the correct positions. This, no doubt, is an artifice practiced by many over-the-hill dancers whose turn-out and knees have given out. (As Anne Bancroft demonstrates in Turning Point.)

The intent appears clearly iconoclastic -- as does the unsubtle clash of styles. And poor Bournonville, looking so much like one of Queen Victoria's numerous German female relations. Like Alexandra, I'm curious about the Danish response to what, in this country at least, would not even be considered competent graffiti.

Fascinating how very differently Eva Kistrup and Tobi Tobias saw the opening night performances. Each viewer's distinct history, expectation, and eye seem to contribute as much to the impression we go home with as do the dancers, designers, directors and choreographers.

Thanks for your clarification, Helene. Down here, both Miami City Ballet (for all performances) and Ballet Florida (for Nutcrackers) dropped orchestras in the past few years. Miami raised extra money for a return to live music two years ago and then went back to recorded music this season. They are making a fund-raising pitch for live music in the season to come. As for touring companies in our areas, only certain visiting Russian troupes seem to be able to afford full orchestras.

How about the subscribers, who pay up long before the season -- and therefore long before the information about live-versus-recorded music for indivdual productions. Personally, I'd prefer to pay a bonus for guaranteed live music than see a policiy of discounts for recorded music. And why is it so difficult for theaters to solve all those problems with truly ghastly sound systems?

Silvy, congratultions. You've brought so much together. I wish I had been there in the audience. I especially enjoyed the possibilities in the way you presented Symphony in C. For those of us fond of choreographing imaginary dance movements to music (the theme of thread earlier this year), this would be marvelous.

Partly in ansewr to my own inquiry, here's an interesting idea: See the auction here.

Below is a fascinating example of a local/regional ballet company doing some creative community-involvement and publicity -- in this case, Oregon Ballet Theater. I am starting a new thread because I'm afraid it will be lost under it's old "Nutcracker" heading. Like XTX in Portland, I live in a place where I depend on a small local/regional company (Ballet Florida, similar in size and rep to OBT) for much of my dance exposure and joy. I've been saddened by the difficulty this and other such companies have in building --and, especially, SUSTAINING -- community awareness and loyalty. It's the same story all over -- a great season (maybe a visit to the Joyce or provincial Europe) followed by a year where ticket sales go down, publicity is almost non-existent, and momentum is reversed. Administrative personnel arrive and disappear with the speed and mystery of the post-Watergate Nixon administration, each one reinventing the wheel with mixed results. Our local press now treats "the arts" as covering everything from nostalgia tours by sexaganarian rockers to cosmetic and fashion makeovers -- and consumers pick and choose with little consistency. Dance companies have a better chance of getting publicity by encouraging a few ballerinas to pose in beach or club fashion then when they try to explain what it is they actually do -- train, rehearse, create, perform. Maybe we need a database of what's really working out there across America. What's a local company to do? How does YOUR favorite company reach out to create and sustain community involvement and loyalty? What works -- and why? Here's the starting point: You're talking about "OBT Exposed!" It's not a performance, but a very popular opportunity to observe a few days in the life of a professional dancer. The audience watches OBT company members go through their normal schedule of full class and day-long rehearsals. The schedule is something like 10:00 to 4:00, if I remember correctly. You're expected to be fairly quiet--after all, it's their "office"--but it's certainly a more relaxed atmosphere than a performance would be. You're welcome to come and go, eat your lunch, and (at certain times) even ask questions. "OBT Exposed!" is held under a large tent in Portland's South park blocks (between Eighth and Ninth, near Salmon) around the end of summer. The OBT office will have the exact dates. Their number is 503-227-0977.

Thanks, XTX, for this information. I hope you will "review" the event when it occurs at what I assume will be the beginning of Oregon Ballet Theater's rehearsal season. This sounds like a wonderful way to increase visibility for the company and de-mystify the backstage process. So many local and regional companies seem to have difficulty creating and maintaining community identification and pride. For example, Ballet Florida, here in Palm Beach County, has a similar size and repertory to OBT's and might benefit from such exposure. It has a loyal fan base, but has to struggle to expand awareness, get attention in the pop-culture-dominated media, and sell tickets to those who don't see of dance as something esssential to their lives. There's been a steady changeover of p.r. and community outreach personnel and strategies. Maybe they -- and other similarly positioned companies -- could learn from this OBT event.

Looks like a refreshing and delightful program, especially the two Whitener pieces. What is the story on that great seesaw. (Kind of like a mobile pitcher's bench, with dancers waiting to go on?)

Drew -- exactly: the Madonna with the Long Neck at the Uffizzi. Small head, long neck (of course), elongated limbs. One of Farrell's incarnations in Don Q?

Thanks, Leigh, for the very clear explanation. And yet, I've read comments on this board suggesting that some current Russian productions of Balanchine have been danced "better" than what can be seen on some evenings at the NYCB. A puzzlement?.

I guess I've always associated Mannerism with exaggeration -- a stretching of reality that is both physical (as Parmigianino's hand in the convex mirror, Michelangelo's thighs) and emotional. The Johnson review of the Anna Karenina ballet uses terms (relentless, merciless, stylized, stylization) which are consistent with this view. And which also, alas, conjur for me images of Lillian (or was it Dorothy?) Gish rolling her eyes and wringing her hands on her ice flow as it rushes inexorably towards the rapids. The ultimate response might be: "People who like this sort of thing like this sort of thing." On the other hand, it sounds quite stimulating, and I'm sorry I won't be able to see it.

To help me understand this, can someone given example of how "Russian" training might differ from other approaches to a specific ballet, role, or "dance." I think I know what you are talking about, but lack the technical knowledge to "see" it. Thanks.