Paquita

Yes, I saw Veronica Tennant's short film. It was interesting, though I'm not sure if I really liked it. Still, I think it's wonderful that she is exploring film- and she has done some great programs for CBC (Karen Kain: Dancing in the Moment). CBC's opening night has run a few dance related programs, I can't remember the website right now, but they do have one that shows their past and future programs. My favourites so far have been the Four Seasons and Royal Ballet's Firebird.

Btw, are you going to any of the National's performances in the spring season?

You must be talking about Heather Ogden and Guillaume Cote who made their debut this year. I didn't see them in R&J, but I saw some bits from the ballet on CBC's special on Opening Night a while ago called "50 years at the National Ballet: A Dancer's Story". Did you catch it? It showed them rehearsing it in the studio. There was also an excerpt from the snow scene in the Nutcracker, with Heather Ogden. They dance beautifully together and seem to be on the rise! They are representing the company in the Erik Bruhn Competition this May. I hope they continue to grow as dancers, the company needs a strong partnership right now!

I picked Paris 1910 too. I think those years marked one of the most exciting eras not just for ballet, but for many forms of art. Lots of experimentation and exploration, but with more of a direction than what we have today. It would be great to go back and see these wonderful collaboration between great artists like Fokine, Nijinski, Massine, Balanchine, Picasso, Matisse, Miro, Bakst, Benois... and such a wide range of music (Satie, Ravel, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov, and of course Stravinsky). My second choice would be St. Petersberg. But I think Diaghilev's Ballets Russes created a more complete spectacle and was more risk-taking. Another reason I chose Paris was because a lot of the works have not survived or are not in great shape today, and it seems that a lot of Petipa is still being (relatively) well-preserved.

I picked Paris 1910 too. I think those years marked one of the most exciting eras not just for ballet, but for many forms of art. Lots of experimentation and exploration, but with more of a direction than what we have today. It would be great to go back and see these wonderful collaboration between great artists like Fokine, Nijinski, Massine, Balanchine, Picasso, Matisse, Miro, Bakst, Benois... and such a wide range of music (Satie, Ravel, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov, and of course Stravinsky). My second choice would be St. Petersberg. But I think Diaghilev's Ballets Russes created a more complete spectacle and was more risk-taking. Another reason I chose Paris was because a lot of the works have not survived or are not in great shape today, and it seems that a lot of Petipa is still being (relatively) well-preserved.

It's not too hard to tell which dance is which. The Hungarian one usually comes first ( this one is usally a big group but not always). And then Spanish (in the Bolshoi, NYCB, and Royal version it's danced by 2 couples. Sometimes the women have fans) and Neopolitan ( the music is a "tarantella", and sometimes the dancers hold tamborines). The polonaise is usually in a big group. In the Bolshoi video I saw, all the previous dancers from the other national dances dance the polonaise.

It's too bad the Russian one is often left out. I *love* that music. On the video "The Ultimate Swan Lake" (Bolshoi), the Russian dance is beautiful. I didn't quite like Peter Martin's interpretation (it's a pdd).

In the National Ballet of Canada's version, all the national dances are solos. I don't like that very much either. For the Hungarian one, I think it looks better with men and women (especially at the faster 2nd half of the music).

I loved the movie as well. Yes it was over the top and sometimes cheesy, but it was consistently so. Lurhmann took everything to extremes, and the film's visual effect would never have worked if you didn't go all the way. The sets and costumes were lavish, the colour palette was also very strong. The music takes the viewer somewhere too (80's anyone?). It's too bad Moulin Rouge wasn't nominated for best original song ("Come What May"), it seemed an obvious choice. The DVD is excellent by the way.

I believe the Balanchine Sylvia pdd is to Delibes' music.

I also find Prokofiev a bit dark but not in a sombre or morbid way, his music is very heavy and dramatic usually, which is great in R&J. I love the balcony pdd too! I love his Cinderella score, though sometimes the tone is a bit heavy for a fluffy fairytale story.

Good question, I'm having trouble thinking of any full length Stravinsky Ballets. Petroushka, Firebird, Rite of Spring, Rubies (Jewels is full length but not all Stravinsky), Agon, Pulcinella, Apollo... there are so many, but I think they are all 1 act ballets.

Thanks for the advice! I'm a bit torn now between seeing 2 NYCB performances (different programs) or 1 NYCB and 1 Corsaire... I have the Corsaire video, and it is a great piece to showcase their talented dancers, but I'm also eager to see some of NYCB's short ballets which we don't see in Canada. If I was going the next weekend when ABT's doing Giselle, I would definately go see them, but Corsaire is not one of my absolute favorites. My mom also prefers contemporary ballet.

What are your impressions of "Circle of Fifths"? Philip Glass' music certainly is interesting... When are the Diamonds Project ballets announced? Thanks for the help!

I may be in NYC for the weekend of June 21-23 and was wondering if anyone knows what ballets ABT will be performing then? I can't seem to find their calendar on the website! If I am also ordering NYCB tickets, should I wait for the confirmation before ordering ABT ones ( you have to give an alternative date, and if i end up getting tickets on the alternate date it may conflict with the ABT tickets as I am only in town for 2 nights)?

One more thing, on the order form it asks you to please include a donation of at least 20%. Do all of you do this? I feel terrible giving less, but the tickets are already expensive for me, and they don't have a student price. If I were to add 20%, I would probably have to buy seats in a cheaper section. I feel especially bad, because I know just how much time and costs it takes to mount these performances. What should I do?

I'm not quite sure if SFB is now a permanent participant in the event. How was Erik Bruhn connected to SFB? It's too bad that NYCB isn't included though, I would love to see some of the new young dancers from the company that I keep reading about!

I've seen Guillaume Cote a few times during the past 2 seasons. His performance as Kromov in the Merry Widow was wonderful and sticks out in my mind the most. I also saw him in Pastorale with Heather Odgen ( his most frequent partner), the Comforts of Solitude, and Theme and Variations. He's been given many lead roles, Siegfried, Romeo, the Nutcracker, Serenade, Mozartiana, Poet in Les Sylphides- and my friends who have seen those performances say he has enormous potential. He has an elegant line, deep plie, and lots of charisma. The company really needs a young danseur noble to fill Aleksandar Antonijevic's shoes in the future. Cote will dance Apollo this May which I hope I will be able to see. On thursday there was a TV special "The Dancer's Story: 50 years at the NBoC", which included excerpts of him and Ogden performing Romeo and Juliet- they dance beautifully together, and I'm looking forwards to seeing them at the Erik Bruhn Prize!

Visit NBoC's website, www.ballet.ca in the News section for an update on the upcoming PPF summit: a confrence on the past, present, and future of ballet, as well as the Erik Bruhn Prize. NBoC will be represented by Heather Ogden and Guillaume Cote. They will dance the black swan pdd, and a contemporary pdd by Dominique Dumais. The other companies sending dancers will be: Royal Danish, ABT, SFB, and the Stuttgart ( not usually a part of the competition but Royal Ballet couldn't make it so they are a replacement). Any ideas as to who those companies will send? And is anyone else planning on going to either the confrence or the competition? The representatives are dancers age 18-23 chosen by the artistic director.

The competition will be accompanied by a screening of the documentary film "I am the Same, Only More" on the life of Bruhn. I had a master class on sunday with Martine Lamy, on Erik Bruhn, and we watched some of the video. There is some excellent footage, that we would not have if fans had not illegally videotaped his performances!

Overall I too found the program a bit cold, certainly when compared to last weeks Romeo and Juliet. At first I thought maybe this was because there was no real story to any of the ballets. Paquita and Beauty were taken out of the context and becaume technical show-pieces. But then I've seen many plotless ballets that are just as moving as the traditional full-length ones. I think this mixed program was very challenging on the dancers, stylistically and technically, and it showed at times.

I was pleased with the cast on friday night, and as many newspapers have mentioned, the performance hilighted the company's depth in talent within the corps.

Paquita is a favorite of mine (hence the screen name) because my first solo variation I did was from Paquita. I have the ABT mixed bill video with Makarova's Paquita danced by Cynthia Gregory and Fernando Bujones. On friday night, the ballet was led by Sonia Rodriguez and Richard Landry. She was very elegant, with gorgeous port de bras. Her pirouettes were fast and sharp, she really knows where her centre is. Her working leg on the fouettes was a bit low, and at the end she did a series of piques. Landry had some difficulty on his variation- Bujones he is not. I was a bit dissapointed because he looked excellent as Mercutio last week. I was impressed with the corps, they were lively and exact, except for a few broken wrists (I am very picky about hands!). I think it was a fun piece for them, and most of them performed the quick steps with flair. The variations got better as they went along. The first 2 were a bit nervous and shaky, but as those dancers gain experience they will improve. Rebekah Rimsay was great in the 3rd variation, and she looked the most confident. I just wish that the tutus for the corps were a different colour. They were bright orange with black trim, and it looked a bit Halloween-ish! The soloists' tutus are orange as well, but a bit more toned down.

I saw Monotones 1 and 2 for the first time. I enjoyed it very much. I like the simplicity and cleanness of Ashton's choreography. Monotones 1 showed the newest corps member, Tina Periera. She only graduated from the National Ballet School last year, and in September was accepted into Tier 1 apprenticeship. Usually Tier 1 lasts a year, then Tier 2, and then one becomes a corps dancer. So she has risen very quickly, and ever since her performance at the school's spring showcase has been one to watch. She is very petite and has a wonderful facility and line. The other dancers were Stacey Shiori Miagawa and Richard Landry. Some parts of Monotones 1 reminded me of Solitaire, the jumps and the static poses.

Monotones 2 was flawlessly danced by Xiao Nan Yu, Geon van der Wyst, and Ryan Boorne. That music by Satie has been used in so many commercials, movies, etc. but it was completely different in the ballet. The music is so slow and light, the dancers had to be perfectly smooth and they were. Xiao Nan Yu has unbelievable extension and balance. There are a lot of difficult promenades in arabesque, and she did not wobble once. I would love to see her in Theme and Variations, Sleeping Beauty, or La Bayadere! I am impressed by her ability to mould to different styles so easily. She looks wonderful in Petipa classics, but also the MacMillan, Cranko, and Ashton repetoire. I'm interested to see her in the Balanchine ballets.

Sleeping Beauty was a delight, and when the curtain when up the audience gasped and then appluaded! The sets and costumes are sumptuous and beautiful (Rudolph would have it no other way), and stood out because the other 2 ballets had simple backgrounds. The pas de cinq was a bit stiff, particularly the coda. The dancers looked a bit tense with the busy choreography. Je-an Salas and Etienne Lavigne (Diamonds) looked comfortable and happy on stage however. Dong Hyun Seo, a very young corps member, made his debut as the bluebird. Excellent ballon on his brise-voles. Stacey Shiori Minagawa was Florine ( she also danced Florine on opening night, b/c Sonia Rodriguez sprained her ankle), and was strong yet delicate. The audience loved the pussycats. Lisa Robinson and Daisuke Ohno gave a comic performance. The grand pas was danced by Greta Hodgkinson and Aleksandar Antonijevic, both are so technically sound that they can give a lot to the audience. They share a warm rapport and confidence in each other. He was always smiling and danced an excellent variation. He is one of the few dancers that gets a good 180 degree split in the air during grand jete en tournants (manege). Greta was a youthful and pretty Aurora. She was trying to get as much in character as one can when doing an excerpt of a story ballet. The coda was lovely, Greta and Aleksandar were very together. The finale was grand and very Russian, very Nureyev. I loved it.

I attend the performance last saturday, Feb.16 in the evening. Though I am writing about my impressions 4 days later, it was a very memorable performance and is still very fresh in my mind!

ROMEO and JULIET

Choreography: John Cranko

Staged by: Reid Anderson

Music: Sergei Prokofiev

Sets/Costumes: Susan Benson

I was glad to have a chance to see this ballet in it's entirety for the first time. I think it is a marvellous piece for the company and it certainly has a lot of history! In 1973, all the sets and costumes were burnt in a fire and R&J left the repetoire for a while. R&J is most deffinately the highlight of the 50th anniversary season, and I doubt any audience member was dissapointed (it was a full house too). Stylistically, I find it suits the NBoC dancers perfectly. I've come to really enjoy Cranko's choreography. At first, it was strange to see the famous balcony pdd with different steps from the MacMillan version that I was familiar with. His balcony pdd is still my favorite (I've also seen the Bolshoi version), the lifts are just gorgeous and go so well with the music. But Cranko's interpretation certainly has it's moments too!

The costumes were lovely. Very lavish, plush, and elegant. I loved all of Juliet's costumes, especially her nightgown from Act 3. The bridesmaids costumes were white with many sheer layers and very beautiful.

And of course, another thing that made this ballet-going experience so enjoyable was the music. I've been listening to Prokofiev's score before and after the performance. It's even better listening to it now because I can picture the steps in my mind. The score never fails to stir emotions in me!

Richard Landry danced Mercutio and this is the first performance where I was truly impressed by his dancing. I admit, I never thought very highly of his technique or partnering skills- but he has improved drastically since I last saw him. His pirouettes a la seconde were excellent and fast- better than Romeo's (Geon van der Wyst, his knee was not straight). He played the role with great comic wit, though there is still something about his facial expression when dancing that distracts me. This is hard to describe, but it seems his mouth is always open! I suppose it was especially noticable as I was sitting in the 5th row ( great seats, I could really appreciate the dancers fine attention to detail and their acting skills).

Geon van der Wyst is a handsome Romeo, and his white costume and blond hair were a perfect contrast to Rex Harrington's (Tybalt) black costume and brown hair. Geon looks and plays the role of a "golden boy"- nice, well-liked, but a bit naive. He danced well, with plenty of heartfelt emotion especially in the pdd segments. For the trio dance with Mercutio and Benvolio however, I saw him single the last few double tours. He did double tours fine else where but I think it was hard for him to turn as fast as the other 2 dancers, maybe because of his height? Somehow his lack of polish in certain parts did not bother me as much as it usually does, maybe because he compensated with emotion. This to me, is a "real" ballet about real people and I suppose if Romeo was so much in love with Juliet he might not be concentrating on his entrechats! But imagine a performance with both technique and acting! I heard Aleksandar's opening night Romeo was "to die for".

Rex Harrington was also cast as Romeo but was injured in the middle of his first performance. I hope he is recovering well, and he was excellent as Tybalt with not too much dancing (mostly sword fights). He is getting exceptionally good at playing the bad guy and it's lots of fun to watch. He is such an unforgettable presence! Such temperment. I saw the performance with a younger cousin who could only articulate, "he looks so meeean!"

The Gypsy girls- Tanya Howard, Stephanie Hutchison, and Tanya Evidente, were the ones having the most fun, hands-down. In the folk dance in Act 2 they danced with character and attitude. Stephanie Hutchison especially stood out. Tanya Evidente dealt very well when one of the corps men dropped her.

Juliet was danced by Greta Hodgkinson and she was sublime. The audience could really see Juliet's character gradually growing and maturing from start to finish. She was sweet and innocent, playing with the Nurse in Act 1- but a completely different woman at the end of Act 3. Her pain and struggle near the end were moving but never overdone. You could feel her anguish and the full impact of the tragic story. On top of everything, her dancing was flawless. It's a treat to watch her perform knowing that every step is right on. Every arabesque was fully extended, beautiful grand pirouettes and delicate pointework.

Benvolio was danced by Maxim Vaitsiul, whom I call the "mystery dancer" because he is wonderful and I saw him in the Merry Widdow in the fall. But he does not appear in the souvenir program, so I don't know where he is from and when he officially joined NBoC! He's one to watch though, with clean technique and a youthful vitality to all his roles. He reminds me of Angel Corella in how he is always smiling, but not a glued-on smile. You can tell that he relishes every moment on stage.

Ryan Boorne danced Paris. There isn't much to say about him, it's not a major dancing role and most of the time he keeps a very serious face.

Lady Capulet was Gizella Witkowsky, an old principal who retired a while ago. Her Lady Capulet was elegant while being haughty and cold.

The corps were excellent, and well-rehearsed. Except for the occasional break in unison, they looked great. There were some comic numbers and some other, very beautiful ones. The dance of the bridesmaids, for example. Rebekah Rimsay was a bridesmaid too. I was surprised, since she is a first soloist. Maybe the corps needed someone to follow? They all looked so pretty holding the white lillies.

Finally, I think Greta and Geon had a lot of chemistry. Even after final bows, they perpetuated the audiences idea that they are really in love when Geon pulled Greta in for a kiss (in reality though, Greta is supposedly dating first soloist William Marrie). They danced very well together. Both the balcony and bedroom pdd were breathtaking. All those lifts came across completely effortlessly, and they looked very much in love.

As you can tell, I absolutely loved the ballet and it really stayed with me when I left the theatre ( which is what a good ballet should do!).

I'm looking forward to seeing the triple bill: Paquita, Monotones I and II, and Nureyev's Sleeping Beauty act 3 this friday!

I love the Theme and Variations tutu, Diamonds tutu or Aurora's tutu in Nureyev's version.

I got new Chacott pointe shoes, my last pair of Repettos ( they've been discontinued, sniff sniff) have worn out, a Mirella leotard and Sansha ballet slippers. I also got a DVD called "Essential Ballet" with excerpts from the Kirov and Bolshoi. It has some lovely parts, grand pas from Don Quixote with Ananiashvili, act 2 adagio from Swan Lake... but other parts I didn't like.

I asked for one of those big, bouncy excersize balls but I didn't get one, so I'll have to go find one myself!

From Toronto

~Evelyn Hart's Titania in Ashton's "The Dream".

~NBoC's premiere of Madame Butterfly with Chan Hon Goh and Aussie newcomer Geon Van der Wyst, performed with Serenade.

~Chan Hon Goh and Aleksandar Antonijevic in Mozartiana.

~Xiao Nan Yu in everything, especially Solitaire.

~Summer outdoor performance of Romeo and Juliet by Greta Hodgkinson and Van der Wyst.

From my trip to NYC

~Ethan Stiefel as Solor in Act 2 of La Bayadere.

~NYCB's Firebird with Margret Tracey and Charles Askegard.

~Appalachia Waltz with Somogyi, Ringer, and Evans. It was also nice to listen to the choreographer speak about her work in the "ballet talks" before the show.

~Tanaquil LeClercq memorial was beautifully done, and I wish I had seen her perform live before.

NBoC's newest principal dancer Xiao Nan Yu is featured in a 1 and 1/2 page article in the December issue of Elle Canada.

Thank you Sylvia for all the details on the DVD, I think I might add it to my christmas list! And thank you Jane for letting me know what HMV stands for (after all this time I've been shopping there!).

HMV is a music store, the main one in Canada, but they also have some international stores. I saw an HMV in Japan! Their website is: www.hmv.com they have a great classical section.

I saw a Coppelia DVD at HMV the other day, from the Royal Ballet. It stars Carlos Acosta, but I'm not sure who else is in it. It's $50 CND, so I was wondering if anyone here has seen the DVD and whether or not it's worth it! Thanks so much!

Opening Night: Nov. 7, 2001.

It was a beautiful mixed program the NBoC did, showing great range and versatility. A great showcase for the company's talents.

MOZARTIANA ( Balanchine, Tchaikovsky)

Staged by Suzanne Farrell.

Scenery & Costumes from the Boston Ballet.

Mozartiana is such a lovely ballet, in it's music and simple and classical choreography. It was a pleasure to watch Chan Hon Goh and Aleksandar Antonijevic dance. Both share a unity in style and technique, creating a certain harmony. They seemed completely at ease with the steps, and with each other even in the difficult passages. Both have a very light quality to their dancing, and neither ever seemed to come down during the jumps, Aleksandar especially seems to be suspended in the air until the final bow. Chan is perfectly suited to the role. I think working with Suzanne Farrell in the Balanchine ballets has really made a difference for her, every nuance and detail was there, which really made for a great performance. The preghiera (prayer) in the opening was nicely danced, with 4 students of the National Ballet School. Jeremy Ransom was also very enjoyable to watch in the Gigue. He has this intangible sense for capturing an audience with the simplest gesture, port de bras, or change of epaulment. I don't know how he does it!

PASTORALE (Kudelka, Beethoven)

Sets & Costumes: Santo Loquasto

Kudelka's Pastorale is a beautiful company piece, using a large number of dancers in a country setting. There is no distinct narrative, but Kudelka creates an atmosphere of serenity and springtime. It seems like it's about the wealthy city people escaping to the countryside for a moment, while the peasants look on, fascinated by the visitors.

There are no "star" roles, unless you consider the mysterious lady in black who enters after all the other couples. On wednesday, she was danced by Greta Hodgkinson, who was excellent in capturing that mood. She is surrounded by four men, Geon Van der Wyst, Ryan Boorne, William Marrie, and Patrick Lavoie. You don't know who they are or what their relationship is, but there are some gorgeous formations and lifts. They leave and then a series of 4 pas de deux follow. They are 4 couples in different stages of love. Sonia Rodriguez and Ryan Boorne, and Brenda Little and William Marrie were young, a bit shy. Chan Hon Goh and Patrick Lavoie were head-over-heels, and Martine Lamy and Geon van der Wyst portray a mature love like that of an old married couple.

Then we see a gathering of children from the National Ballet School dancing a sort of character/folk section with Victoria Bertram and Tomas Schramek. The kids looked pretty good. It was wise of Kudelka to do this sort of number with them, because if they don't fully point their feet or aren't completely synchronized, it's not as noticeable as in say, Swan Lake Act 2.

A storm follows, and the woman in black is in the centre while all the men- blind folded or masked, leap around her. She's not a witch or anything, but it seems there is some sort of connection between her and darkness/evil.

Most people really loved this one, calling it one of Kudelka's best works, but I thought it dragged on just a bit too long. The dancers were lovely, and the ballet certainly has it's moments but for me it was not very memorable.

SOLITAIRE: A kind of game for one ( MacMillan, Malcolm Arnold).

Restaged by Julie Lincoln.

I just loved this ballet! This was my first time seeing it, so for me it did not seem old or dated at all! The music is captivating in it's own way. Xiao Nan Yu danced the lead girl, and was utterly adorable in her naive, hopeful expressions and many attempts to fit in with the others. I thought the choreography was just brilliant, clever, thoroughly entertaining, it's really made me smile. Stacey Shiori Minagawa was a haughty and self-absorbed Polka girl, a real comical performance. Rex Harrington was Solitaire's pdd man, a charming partner for Xian Nan Yu. The pdd bits were very beautiful, as were the melancholy segments between the various "social games", where she is alone. Yu has such fluid, lyrical movement, and the most gorgeous line. There is one part, where she is holding hands with two corps girls ( a la Theme and Variations) doing a sort of arabesque penchee promenade, that I really loved. Visually, the formations, like when all the corps are in a straight line across the stage,look great. And the colours are perfect. Everyone is in aqua blue and there's Solitaire is this bright orange! Complimentary colours. I adored Xiao Nan Yu in this role, she has such versatility. I've seen her in so many princess roles, it was hard to imagine her being out of place and awkward, but she managed to pull it off!

I enjoyed this program more than the Merry Widow. The company is in great shape for it's 50th anniversary season! It was also neat to be able to see all the principal dancers on one night.

I went yesterday night, and it was excellent. I especially loved Solitaire. The other ballets on the program were Mozartiana and Pastorale. I don't have time to write about it right now, but I'll post my review soon.

Leigh, if you need any info about NBoC or getting around Toronto, feel free to e-mail me!

The Merry Widow Nov. 2

Choreography: Ronald Hynd

Music: Franz Lehar

Hanna: Martine Lamy

Danilo: Geon van der Wyst

Valencienne: Sonia Rodriguez

Camille: Maxim Vaitsiul

Kromov: Guillaume Cote

Prititch: Piotr Stanczyk

Leading Pontevedrian dancer: Keiichi Hirano

I went last night and it was such a lovely performance to start the company's 50th anniversary season with. I'd seen the Merry Widdow on video before ( Karen Kain and John Meehan) but it looks much better on stage. Before the show I was eating dinner and Stacey Shiori Minagawa who was scheduled to dance Valencienne was sitting beside me! I wondered why she wasn't backstage getting ready! But it turned out there was a casting change so Sonia danced. Evelyn Hart who was to dance opening night had an engagement in Ottawa and once again Sonia filled in, so she's dancing almost every performance! She was partnered by Aleksandar Antonijevic for opening night, but on friday newcomer Maxim Vaitsiul made his debut. I don't know much about him, he's new to the corps but there is no bio for him in the season program. I was very impressed with his dancing! Handsome,fine jumps and turns, good partnering, looks very much at home on stage.

Guillaume Cote is another one to keep your eyes on. He has excellent classical technique but also does well in the modern repetoire.

Keiichi Hirano was great in the character role. He is a bit short for a male dancer, but his soaring jumps and fast pirouettes shine in these kind of roles.

The corps looked good, not always in perfect unision ( one of the newspaper reviews suggested that they had more rehearrsals for the mixed program next week) but lovely in the waltzes. The can-can ladies, especially Tanya Evidente, had a lot of fun with it!

It was nice to see Martine Lamy dance Hanna. She isn't used as much these days, but there are some ballets that she looks marvellous in, Manon, Onegin... She's danced Widdow many times, and has grown into the role beautifully. Every detail, gesture, and mannerism was perfectly in character. It was a very elegant interpretation. I loved her act 2 solo, and the flashback in Act 1 when Hanna as a young peasant girl gives the scarf/ hankerchief to Danilo was equally charming. She hold her upper body very well, lovely port de bras.

Geon van der Wyst was also very well suited to his role. His stage presence is strong and masculine. He plays the part of a 'cad' or heartbreaker (saw him earlier as Pinkerton) quite convincingly! But I wish he has more polished technique. The duel in Act 3 is more like " who can jump higher?" and in this case Maxim Vaitsiul's Camille wins!

Sonia Rodriguez made a naive and pouty Valencienne- with utterly gorgeous dancing. I was sitting in the very front row on the side though, and when she was at the side of the stage sitting with the baron, she was having a full conversation with him!

Merry Widow is a 'fluff' ballet with it's can-cans, champagne, fluffy gowns and fake mustaches! But it is beautiful and shows the company enjoying itself and celebrating!

Can't wait to see Mozartiana, Pastorale, and Solitaire on wednesday! Leigh, what day will you see it?

[ November 03, 2001: Message edited by: Paquita ]

Tamara Rojo is in the Spanish edition of Vogue, I'm not sure which issue, i saw it at a friends house, sorry! I think it is this months though. There's a page about her favourite Cds, movies, etc. and a nice picture.

I'm left-handed and better on my left side for just about everything. I turn better to my left ( en dehors), so as a result my right foot is better at supporting balances. I heard it's common for right-handed gymnasts to do better on their left side, I'm not sure but I remember hearing Nadia Commaneci was that way. For gymnastics that's ok, but for ballet dancers usually strive to be equally strong on both sides as exams and certain choreography call for steps to be performed left and right. Anyways, it can be difficult being a lefty because chances are the rest of your class, or the rest of the corps are righty's and so for group dances you have to jump and turn to the right side. NBoC's Aleksandar Antonijevic is a lefty.

Just a question: if you are dancing a solo/principal role, can you change the choreography ( ex. Petipa) to your prefered side or is it written in stone?