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I was especially intrigued by Johnson's request that we imagine what people would be saying if video games were the old, traditional art form, and books were the radical new technology. It's a great way to make a point. Here are the possible criticisms of the "new" experience of books: 1) "Reading books chronically understimulates the senses. 2) "Books are tragically isolating." 3) "But perhaps the most dangerous property of these books is the fact that they follow a fixed linear path." Hey! These qualities happen to be precisely what I love about certain books -- often older books, "classics" -- and what keeps them in my imagination and memory and draws me back to them. They suit my education, personality, values, and my motivation to read in the first place. I'm glad that "different styles of learning" are getting attention and respect. But there's been a parallel decline in concern about what is actually being learned. I loved Leigh's link to Stay Free Magazine, where the writer expressed this problem quite nicely. Over-valuing the virtues of the swifter, snazzier versions of popular culture is, according to this, "sort of like saying that the 4-year olds who recognize the McDonald's logo -- and who can conjure up all kinds of foods, smells, and cartoonish characters when asked about that locgo -- are smarter about restaurant chains." Recent sad developments in American political propaganda (sensation over thought, slogans over analysis), as well as expession that focuses only on advancing one's position rather than understanding the problem, suggest some of the negatives that pandering to alternative learning styles can produce. Kind of makes me want to drop everything and go to the ballet. Preferably something by Balanchine, where amid the immediate sensation of all those "steps, steps, steps" you can find, if you make the effort to attend very closely, infinitely larger meanings.

Art076, thanks for your post. I'm curious about how it looks and functions. I assume (?) someone "plays" it in the pit. How does the conductor relate to him or her? Although sound quality is inferior, at least this would obviate one of the worst aspects of taped music: the inalterable tempi. This would sseem to be a distinct improvement over pre-recorded music -- though of course not the ideal.

ToThePoint, I think you may be referring to a South Bank Show (British) that was shown on Bravo a number of years ago. Maybe there's an archive of South Bank Show productions, which would be an exceptional resource. (Yes, Bravo once did broadcast a lot of serious arts material in the days before it discovered that greater profit could be made with network reruns, life-style makeovers with lots of product placement, and other examples of the "high end" of popular culture.)

Thanks, nycdog, for a great topic. You made me turn to some of the posts on a recent thread about arts criticism today. It's alarming to think that this kind of technology may now be added to the list of usual suspects (culture, educational levels, etc.) as we try to prepare ourselves for a future with radically different ideas about artistic creativity.

This is a bit off topic, but I agree with Herman Stevens about the fascinations of Lost Illusions and its sequel, Splendeurs et miseres des courtisanes, oddly translated in the Penguine edition, as A Harlet High and Low. I don't recall, actually, that Coralie was a dancer, at least insofar as Balzac discusses her performances. There is a minor character named Tullia who is specifically refered to as a dancer. Balzac was greatly interested in the nature of journalism and the theater (most of it private, profit-oriented, and without any scruples). This commercial theater was very dependent on the Parisian newspapers, and Coralie and other actresses were intimately involved in the business of bribes, subsidies, subscription-peddling, etc., in order to assure favorable publicity in the press. Perhaps the state-supported Paris Opera Ballet was somewhat insulated from this need for constant money grubbing.

Link Fandeballetl, RE your third question. Here's a recent article from dance-teacher.com that supports strength training as a part of dancer conditioning. There's no reference to the special needs of truly elderly dancers, but I found that -- after starting ballet classes at over 60 -- my past few years in the gym were of great help in negotiating plies, battements, all kinds of jumps, etc., etc., not to mention the need to control for balance, poise, etc.

The June 2005 issue of Dance Magazine is themed: "The Race Issue: 67 Dance Artists Speak Out." It wasn't yet on dancemagazine.com when I checked today, but the articles are worth seeking out, especially "Does Classicism Have a Color?" about blacks in ballet. Dancers including Andrea Long (formerly NYCB, then Dance Theater of Harlem), Cleopatra Williams (Houston Ballet), Misty Copeland (ABT), Aesha Ash (formerly NYCB, now Bejart), Roger Cunningham (formerly Boston Ballet's second company, now Bejart), and others are quoted. So are artistic directors like Edward Villella and Stanton Welch. There's also an article entitled "Whoa! Whiteness in Dance" which revealed to this astonished reader the existence of a school of intellectual inquiry called "whiteness studies." Comments like this one -- "To be white in America is to be very black. If you don't know how black you are, you don't know how American you are." -- are tossed in without explanation, but the tendentious and slightly fishy nature of the theorizing (IMO) shouldn't take away form some of the intriguing insights about cultural differences in dance (also IMO). Anyone who's read the issue, please feel free to comment here.

Sandik, thanks for bringing this up. The article mentions that the annual budget for Ballet Internationale is $3.5 million. Usually, in smaller or provincial cities, local patriotism plays a big role in fund-raising, but in this case the Director seems to be flogging an company without roots, and making its rootlessness one of its major selling points. What will this do to the donor base in Indianapolis, I wonder?

Llike richard53dog, I long ago lost interest in John Simon. I'm having a senior moment about him, however. Am I right in thinking that he was, in the 60s, vociferously, almost violently, hostile to new trends in theater casting that ignored physical type, race, ethnicity, etc.? Or was that someone else in the NYC magazine press?

Those interested in the implications of this topic for ballet should have a look at the London Times interview with Carlos Acosta (May 15, 2005, LINKS). He makes some interesting comments near the end. (It's a great interview, too.)

Marenetha, thanks for your reply about Houston. Your last paragraph has a ring of truth and sense to it.

Great questions. Looking forward to hearing how they are addressed and responded to.

Thanks, Swiss_Chard, for the very interesting review. It sounds like a wonderful program. And your comments helped me to visualize it. I hope you'll continue to keep us informed about San Diego Ballet and other dance events in the area. We need reports like these. In fact, I think that American ballet needs to be reminded continuously that there is a vast world of fine dancers, creative and ambitious companies, and passionate ballet fans outside the big dance centers. I would argue that NYCBs, ABTs, Paris Opera Ballets, Royal Ballets, etc., would be very different kinds of institutions if it weren't for the creativity, support, and (even) job opportunities on the periphery.

Last weekend I saw Ballet Florida's performance of Peter Martins' "Barber Violin Concerto." I"ve seen it several times, including the NYCB production. And each time I've seen it, I find myself seeing more and more "story-line" in the dance. First time around (shortly after the NYCB premier) I saw everything in terms of the contrast of a classical and a modern couple, with the classiscal woman being drawn stylistically to the movements movements of the modern man, and the modern woman literally hounding the stiff classical man into experimenting with new forms of movement. This was, I imagined, the way Balanchine would have depicted it. This last time, I found myself concocting a plot that had more to do with feelings (boredom with the familiar, yearning for something new, unexpected sexual attraction). The ballet was less "about" style and more about personal relationships. And I found that I had created (in my head) quite elaborate histories, story-lines, and personalities for each of the four participants, turning dancers into characters. For instance, the long-engaged classical couple are dancing in an anteroom during a break in Liebeslieder Walzer. I wonder whether others -- when confronted by seemingly plotless ballets -- have also had the experience of inventing plots. What are they.? How far out have you found yourself going? Once you've done it, can you ever go back to seeing the original premise again?

I hope you guys will stick around for those of us who are (a) slower readers/ digesters/ responders; (b) prefer to wait for the arrival of the magazine in the mail rather than read it electronically; and © find this a fascinating topic that requires extended thought. Thank you, Dirac, for the topic.

An interesting distinction which could be developed into a larger question: what differences are there between the way the audience perceives a dancer (as to skill, artistry, reliability, or whatever) and the way his or her fellow dancers see it? Are there, for instance, certain "dancers' dancers" who are especially esteemed by their colleagues?

I've changed the title of this older thread in the hopes of opening it up to posters who want to pay tribute to dancers from their favorite local ballet company. Originally I started with Ballet Florida and a single dancer. I know there are many more. It would be fun -- and useful, I think, to ballet in general -- to have a forum to talk about them. Ballet Florida, the 22-dancer company based in West Palm Beach, just finished its last program of the 2005-06 season. Coming up in June: 2 performances of Step Ahead, devoted to the dancers' own choreography. Attending 2 performances this weekend, I started thinking about just how lucky we are to have such smaller sub-regional companies and to feel quite grateful to the talented dancers who perform with them. For example, Christina Hampton. This program marked her retirement after 20 years dancing professionally, including stints with the Minnesota and Hartford Ballets. Hampton is one of the most versatile and giving ballet dancers I have seen. This season alone she was featured in Lar Lubovitch's "... smile with my heart" and "Musette"; Twyla Tharp's "Baker's Dozen"; Mauricio Wainrot's "Libertango"; Ben Stevenson's "Dracula" (Flora); "and Nutcracker" (Sugar Plum). On this last program she performed in each of the three dances, including leads in "Our Waltzes" (Vicente Nebrada) and "Barber Violin Concerto" (Peter Martins), as well as Val Caniparoli's Lambarena. That's four performances in 3 days. I've never seen her give anything less than a winning, deeply-felt, technically strong, classically based performance completely in tune with the style of the piece. In the Barber she took off her toe shoes, and buzzed and darted around the stage, annoying the classical male but finally drawing him in, and perhaps getting a bit more response than she wanted from that conflicted and rather angry figure. Ballet Florida has toured around the state -- once as far as the Joyce in NYC -- once to Biarritz -- but I wish that wider audiences had the chance to see dancers like Hampton, performing with their own companies. I often read reviews of distant performances featuring dancers I've never seen and indeed never heard of. And, frankly, I don't think much about it. I can't visualize, so the dancer becomes a name -- and the name merges with many other names of people I can't visualize -- and it's quickly forgotten. It's inevitable. But its also my loss. There was a standing ovation for Hampton at the end of this performance. Confetti drifting down on the stage. Flowers, warm applause from her fellow dancers. It happens at the State Theater and the Paris Opera. And it happens here, too. Each part of it is necessary to keep the art alive.

Drew, I really love "classical with an elastic edge." It calls lots of images of Malakhov-in-motion instantly to mind.

I am having a hard time with this for two reasons: (a) I just haven't seen enough great dancing, especially recently, to choose from, and (b) I'm quite cynical about the kind of star marketing involved in enterprises like the Orange County program. Because I am now livling in a part of the world in which partnering is something that is not highly developed, I started thinking about a different kind of King -- the King (or Prince) undefined . A few recent video experiences of good partnerning came to mind, both from dancers known for individual bravura dancing: a) Irek Mukhamedov, Spartacus -- the strength, ardency, and sheer lovingness of his supports and lifts. (Not a bad solo part, either.) b) Rudolf Nureyev in an early British video of Sylphides -- he's holding back, is NOT the star, and is amazingly aware of the women, attentive and slightlyin awe of them. Would that he kept some of these qualities as his career developed in the West. Any other Partner-Kings?

Some depressing information RE the costs of live music are contained in Joan Acocella's review of Mark Morris, Martha Graham, and Nrityagram Dance Ensemable visits to New York City. (New Yorker, May 9, 2005): "One thing that united all these performances was live music. The Graham company had an orchestra of twenty-eight; the Morris troupe, six instrumentalists and eight singer; Nrityagam, three instrumentalists and a vocalist. I don't know how Nrityagram works out its finances, but the Morris company's four performances was thirty-five thousand dollars; the musicians for the Graham troupe's two-week season cost a hundred and eight-four thousand dollars." "In these days of near-zero public funding for dance, one assumes that the companies more or less killed themselves to raise the money, and the result made all the difference in the world. Dance audiences, I believe, have now got used to taped music, and you can get used to it, the same way you can learn to eat Spam instead of ham, or breathe smog instead of air. Your life is just diminished, and you don't realize it until you see concerts such as we saw last month." Morris tours with live music. Will Graham, at those prices?

In the latest (May 9, 2005) New Yorker, Joan Acocella has a short Talk of the Town piece on the retirement (at 66) of Dudley Williams. Williams joined the Alvin Ailey Company in 1964 after dancing with Graham and others. Acocella comments: "Williams is, to his knowledge, the oldest dancer in any larage touring company in the United States." He will continue working with Paradigm, a small troupe founded in 1998, most of whose members are in their 60s. Baryshnikov and Fonteyn come to mind as examples of dancers with remarkably prolonged careers, but I'm sure there are others. Which dancers in this category have you seen? How did they manage to do it?

I did not mean the phrase "Mr. B's company" to suggest that (a) Balanchine was still alive; (b) Balanchine's vision has been single-mindedly preserved; or (d) that Peter Martins does not exist. However, NYCB remains true to Balanchine as it perfoms, presents, revives and obviously cares for a very large percentage of the Balanchine repertoire, and presents a variety and number of programs not matched elsewhere. More than that, management and dancers seem to feel that they have something like a sacred mission to do this. NYCB is Mr. B's company in that it practices the view of "ballet" as involving serious and unique artistic melding of the visual and musical arts, and not just choreography and dance technique. It is Mr. B's company in its intimate tie with Mr. B's school. It remains Mr. B's company by continuing to welcome dancers, musicians, designers, and audiences from many backgrounds and ... and transforming them in the process. It even engenders controversy among its viewers -- as Mr. B did. And it produces flops -- as Mr. B did. There is one big difference between today and the past, however. NYCB is not the only Balanchine company. There are, as Kathleen O'Connell and others have said, a number of other companies and coaching programs led by dancers who were trained by Balanchine, practice in the Balanchine aesthetic, and carry the torch. Each with a slightly different emphasis. But Balanchine, like Whitman, seemed fond of eoncompassing contradictions.

It's been refreshing, and an eye-opener, to read these detailed appreciations by posters who have known NYCB over the past 50 years. Huge cultural institutions make huge targets. On the other hand, as E. Johnson writes: " part of it [the love of the company] is because there is so much of it to love." Ari's point about the leadership of the company -- that they are all, despite inevitable differences of tone, emphasis, and taste taste , committed to a high artistic vision -- is worth repeating. These posts contain a lot that should be mustered in defence of Mr. B's company when the next wave of attacks -- sometimes treating short-term disappointments or mis-steps as though they were irreversibly lunging in the direction of hell -- appear in print.

Ari posted a link today (Thursday, May 5) announcing highlights of the 2005-06 International Dance Series at Orange County Performing Arts Center. "The program, called Kings of the Dance and running February 16-19, 2006, features American Ballet Theatre's Ethan Stiefel and Angel Corella, the Royal Ballet's Johan Kobborg, and the Bolshoi Ballet's Nikolay Tsiskaridze. They will perform four world-premier solo works created specifically for them by choreographers Stanton Welch, Tim Rushton, Nils Christe, and Roland Petit. All four will perform together in a new pas de quatre by Christopheer Wheeldon, set to music by Schubert." Sounds a bit like someone trying to start a Three Tenors franchise for ballet. But an interesting idea, nontheless. If you were the impressario, which four "Kings of the Dance" would you want to put on stage? And why? (Your choices may be contemporary -- or even dead or retired if you prefer. But remember, we're taking about "KINGS" here, the absolute top -- not "4 Mo' Kings, " "4 Irish Kings," "Sons of the 4 Kings," or other spin-offs. For the adventurous: what rep would your 4 Kings dance? If the ballets will be new, whom would you choose to choreograph them ?

It does seem that something as innocuous as attending the ballet can get one swept up in unexpected but quite thrilling undercurrents of annoyance, distraction, suppressed rage, revenge fantasy, and even occasional audience-participation violence. Who knew? Let's look at it from another point of view. Night after night, several thousand people (mostly strangers to each other) sit in vast darkened spaces -- silently (mostly), with minimal fidgiting, maintaining high levels of attentiveness to what is taking place on stage, each person immersed in his or her own individual experience of the shared event. Quite a miracle, I should think.