miliosr

Miliosr Report - Week Six General Thoughts Sigh. This season is putting me to sleep. Kristi and Mark continue their inexorable march to the coveted disco ball with nary a significant challenge in sight. You can always tell when a pair is worried about their audience vote because the male dancer will whip off his shirt in the pre-dance practice segment -- Derek and Cristian this week! Cheryl's gown made me smile. Didn't she learn from Ginger Rogers that feathers can be a fierce foe? The wardrobe department took pity on Marissa this week but she continues to grate. The Bottom Two Marlee/Fabian and Mario/Karina were in the Bottom Two with Marlee and Fabian leaving the competition. Like most of the eliminations this season, I can't find much fault with the elimination -- it was their time to go. However, Marlee certainly added whatever heart this season has had. So, it was sad to see her go. As for Mario and Karina, they must really be tanking with the audience if they finished second with the judges but still wound up in the Bottom Two. It's a shame because I like Mario/Karina 2.0 far better than I ever liked Mario/Karina 1.0.

Ratings - Week Five Performances - 3rd - 17.2 million viewers Results - 5th - 15.4 million viewers

I ran the percentages: 01 Kristi/Mark (jive) 30pts = 16.7% 02 Mario/Karina (rumba) 28pts = 15.6% 03 Cristian/Cheryl (foxtrot) 27pts = 15.0% 04 Marissa/Tony (waltz) 26pts = 14.4% 05 Shannon/Derek (rumba) 24pts = 13.3% 05 Jason/Edyta (cha cha cha) 24pts = 13.3% 07 Marlee/Fabian (mambo) 21pts = 11.7% I suspect Marlee or Shannon will go but this week will be an interesting test of just how strong Jason's support is. Cristian should be safe unless his audience vote is absolutely disastrous.

Miliosr Report - Week Five General Thoughts I can't decide if the glass is half-full or half-empty this season. On the half-full side, I am enjoying the fact that the weakest dancers are leaving the competition at the right times. On the half-empty side, the competition isn't particularly enjoyable given that Kristi and Mark lead the pack week-after-week and appear to be heading toward an inevitable victory. The Red Lights of Doom Priscilla/Louis and Cristian/Cheryl found themselves under the dreaded red lights of doom this week with Priscilla and Louis leaving the competition. This was a fair elimination as Priscilla and Louis' routine was fairly close to dreadful. Priscilla proved to be a gallant competitor but it was clearly her time to go. I am more intrigued by Cristian and Cheryl's (second) appearance under the red lights. Assuming that he did indeed have a fan base coming into the competition, it is hard not to come to the conclusion -- based on the results this week -- that he and Cheryl are not "growing" his fan base. I'm not sure why. He is likeable enough and his dancing is no worse than several others still remaining in the competition. Could it be that Jason and Mario have stolen some of his thunder in the "heartthrob" area?

Ratings - Week Four Performances -- 4th -- 19.7 million viewers Results -- 7th -- 17.0 million viewers

Percentages - Week Five 01 Kristi/Mark (rumba) = 29pts = 14.8% 02 Jason/Edyta (rumba) = 27pts = 13.8% 02 Mario/Karina (samba) = 27pts = 13.8% 04 Marissa/Tony (samba) = 24pts = 12.2% 05 Shannon/Derek (samba) = 23pts = 11.7% 05 Cristian/Cheryl (rumba) = 23pts = 11.7% 07 Marlee/Fabian (samba) = 22 pts = 11.2% 08 Priscilla/Louis (rumba) = 21pts = 10.7% Priscilla and Marlee are in the greatest danger but I can envision a scenario where Cristian, Shannon or even Marissa could go tonight. The others should be safe unless they're not drawing any kind of audience vote at all.

I thought Acocella wrote a very sensible article about the show. As to whether she should have written about Dancing with the Stars in the pages of The New Yorker, I say -- why not? It's not like there are a lot of up-and-coming Grahams and Ashtons to write about these days. Off to watch The Bachelor: London Calling!

Miliosr Report - Week Four General Thoughts Not much grabbed me this week -- my top marks would have gone to the paso doble of Kristi and Mark and to the waltz of Shannon and Derek. And, against all reason, I did find myself smiling when Adam rode on to the dancefloor on a unicycle and dressed as Zorro! The Red Lights of Doom Adam/Julianne and Priscilla/Louis found themselves under the red lights of doom this week with Adam and Julianne leaving the competition. Adam was entertaining in his way but it was his time to go. Julianne had reached the limit of what she was going to achieve with him so it was better that he be ousted now rather than to hang around in the manner of Master P, Jerry Springer and Billy Ray Cyrus. No three-peat for Julianne!

Ratings - Week Three Performances - 3rd (tie) - 20.6 million viewers (tied w/ CSI) Results - 5th - 17.3 million viewers

I attended yesterday's matinee performance with David Hallberg, Michelle Wiles and Veronika "divided opinions" Part. Yesterday was a good day to be indoors at the Opera House as a typhoon more or less engulfed Chicago all day long. The Opera House was very full, especially for a Thursday afternoon show. Given all the negative comments I've read about this production, I didn't know what to expect. Honestly, I think you could kill someone and receive less unfavorable comment than this production has received. (Yes, I'm being facetious . . . but not by much.) Anyway, what follows is a by-no-means-comprehensive act-by-act summary of what I liked and didn't like: Prologue The people who said the costumes were ugly sure weren't kidding -- many of the costumes were seriously hideous! The worst one had to be the costume Isaac Stappas wore as Catalabutte -- a very unflattering kilt-skirt and a ridiculous wig. The costumes for the six knights were almost as bad -- unattractive to the eye and with the added offense of making the guys look heavy (which they're not.) The blue robes for the King and Queen were garish (and cheap-looking, to boot.) And on and on and on . . . I'm harping on the costumes for two reasons. First, it boggles the mind that ABT could have spent the kind of money they must have spent on these costumes and received such cheap-looking things in return. Second (and more importantly), the costumes were so distracting and so unpleasant that they took me completely out of the stage action for the entire prologue (and this despite valiant efforts by Martine Van Hamel as Carabosse and, to a lesser extent, Veronika Part as the Lilac Fairy to get things going.) Not much else to add besides reporting that the Prologue set was too big for the Opera House stage. Given the sheer number of people on stage during the Prologue, this led to some serious overcrowding and, consequently, a muddied pictoral. Act I I started to warm up to this production in Act I. Either the costumes got better or my eyes adjusted to them -- take your pick. Michelle Wiles got through the balances well-enough but, boy, you could sure see the strain in her face and in her upper body. I would compare her nailing of the balances to a boxing match. She won on points . . . but no more. (She lightened up considerably after that and was quite at ease for the rest of the performance.) Loved the four princes, especially Alex Hammoudi as the Spanish Prince. I was very intrigued by the impression he and Wiles made together (with their contrasting good looks -- his dark and hers light) and would definitely go to see a pairing of these two if it were to occur in the future. (Didn't they dance together in The Leaves Are Fading at City Center?) And it was nice to see Sean Stewart on stage again. Act II On came David Hallberg and my mind sure snapped to attention! He is perfectly proportioned and is the very image of the courtly prince. Even more intriguing is how he manages to keep gravity at bay. For such a tall man, he jumps and turns with almost casual indifference to the effects gravity has on mere mortals like the rest of us. I also quite liked -- surprise -- the ABT corps. They take no end of grief for their supposed lack of unison but I have to say they were marvelous yesterday. So united and moving as one. Beautiful. Act III By this point, I was much more engaged with the production and I thought it ended more-or-less on a high note. Still, I had some reservations. Although Hallberg and Wiles danced well individually and together, I do not think they are a match made in heaven. I didn't think so four years ago when I saw them in Swan Lake and I'm even more convinced of it now. I find that they cancel each other out to some extent -- the same blonde hair and the same pale skin leads to them blurring together so that the effect is one of "1 + 1 = 1.5". Truthfully, I would much rather see Wiles paired with someone like Alex Hammoudi and see where that union of contrasts could lead. (I especially thought so when Hammoudi and Hallberg were both in close proximity to her -- I found my eye drifting toward Wiles/Hammoudi rather than to Wiles/Hallberg.) Blaine Hoven was the Bluebird and Maria Riccetto was Princess Florine. He has the plushest landings -- so beautiful to watch. Riccetto has not changed from when I saw her in Le Corsaire two years ago. She is academically sound but unmemorable. Overall Thoughts Is this production a disaster? No. Is it anything more than a workmanlike production designed to put rear ends in seats? No. All that being said, I had a reasonably good time yesterday. If nothing else, it was a good opportunity to see how my favorites were doing and, to that extent, it was a successful afternoon at the theater. Any concerns I had about this production were dwarfed by another concern -- ABT's repertory sure has grown conservative to the point of reaction. Since 2004, they have brought (in succession) Swan Lake, Giselle, Le Corsaire, Romeo and Juliet and Sleeping Beauty. This kind of programming works like a charm -- very full theaters -- but it sure doesn't say much for the future health of the art form if the result is a two-legged stool comprised of the 19th century classics as one leg of the stool and the Balanchine repertory as the other leg. I don't think I want to live in that world . . . On that depressing note -- goodbye for now! P.S. On the matter of Miss Part, I prefer to remain a non-aligned nation . . .

You got your wish carbro!

I ran the percentages: 01 Kristi/Mark (paso doble) = 29pts = 12.9% 01 Jason/Edyta (waltz) = 29pts = 12.9% 03 Shannon/Derek (waltz) = 28pts = 12.4% 04 Cristian/Cheryl (paso doble) = 26pts = 11.6% 05 Marissa/Tony (paso doble) = 24pts = 10.7% 05 Marlee/Fabian (waltz) = 24pts = 10.7% 05 Mario/Karina (paso doble) = 24pts = 10.7% 08 Priscilla/Louis (waltz) = 22pts = 9.8% 09 Adam/Julianne (paso doble) = 19pts = 8.4%

I was pleasantly surprised by this announcement. Given the reports of Kevin McKenzie crying poverty regarding the Tudor repertory, I was bracing for the worst. Imagine my surprise to find out ABT will be performing Jardin aux Lilas, Pillar of Fire and The Leaves Are Fading -- not to mention the one-offs, the pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet and the Jiri Kylian tribute to Tudor. I was hoping against hope that the artistic staff would revive The Moor's Pavane (which was part of ABT's repertory for the length and breadth of the 70s) for Limon's centennial but, if I had to choose, I would much rather they go-all in for Tudor than to revive Limon.

I guess I find Lubovitch's decision less comprehensible in a "competitive" sense than an artistic one. Regardless of how he tried to differentiate his version of Othello from Limon's, the comparison was always going to be there. And that's a playing field where Lubovitch was always going to be at a sharp disadvantage. Regarding the future of Limon's works, I would say that the picture is a lot brighter now than it was at the time of his death. When Limon died, there was no mention of the works themselves (or who owned them) in his will, there was no underlying administrative organization or fundraising capacity, and he and his works were seen as out-of-step with the prevailing Balanchinean/Judsonite modes. Cue to 36 years later and you have a stable, functioning company bearing his name which performs his works all over the world. (Which is more than can be said for Antony Tudor -- although New York Theatre Ballet seems to be trying to fill that role [at least incipiently.]) As to which companies (other than the flagship company) should perform his works, I would say that certain works would be better suited to a modern/postmodern/contemporary group and certain works would be better suited to a ballet company. In the latter group, I would put Chaconne (1942), The Moor's Pavane (1949), Mazurkas (1958) and A Choreographic Offering (1964). (Keep in mind that I haven't seen everything -- but I'm working on it!)

Charlton Heston has died.

FYI -- Bravo has just started airing a new reality TV program called Step It Up and Dance. I won't be recapping it but I thought I would alert people in case you're interested. (It's hosted by Elizabeth (Showgirls) Berkley so that may be a good threshhold of pain test for most of you!)

You would be amazed at how "classical" something like A Choreographic Offering is. Certainly, it is far closer in "feel" to the classical ballet than it is to a lot of the modern/postmodern dance that was created around the same time. But then I've always thought that Limon, at the time of his death, had more in common with the ballet (in terms of use of music, belief in craft and insistence on some kind of underlying technique) than he did with some strains of the modern dance. If I'm not mistaken, Lubovitch studied with Limon. Given his relationship with Limon, it puzzles me why he would take the commission for Othello when Limon had already made his masterpiece based on the same subject matter -- The Moor's Pavane.

Happy Birthday Mr. Tudor -- born this day in 1908! Thanks for the link to the juicy article bart. I'm not sure which was juicier -- the reference to the simmering "anti-Balanchine animus" or the apparent simmering animus toward Kevin McKenzie for his stewardship of the Tudor repertory at ABT.

Hey, if Tudor deserves a centennial thread then so does Limon! I'll update this thread periodically as I become aware of non-Limon Dance Company Limon-related performances (got that?). (When I get a chance, I'll also add performances that occurred in the first quarter of 2008.) February New York Theatre Ballet NYC, Florence Gould Hall February 8-9 Mixed bill with Mazurkas (1958) Boston Conservatory February 21-24 Mixed bill with Missa Brevis (1958) Sandra Organ Dance Company Houston, Barnevelder Movement/Arts Complex February 22-29 Mixed bill with There is a Time (1956) March Dancefusion Philadelphia, Iron Gate Theater March 7-8 Mixed bill with Barren Sceptre (1960 - reconstruction) Juilliard School NYC March 26-30 Mixed bill with There Is a Time (1956) April New York Theatre Ballet NYC, Florence Gould Hall April 4, 11-12 Mixed bill with Mazurkas (1958) Limon Conference @ Drexel University April 6-7 Performances on the 7th @ Mandell Theater w/ Dancefusion and students from Bryn Mawr and Drexel There Is a Time (1956) (excerpts) Barren Sceptre (1960) (complete - reconstruction) A Choreographic Offering (1964) (excerpts) Psalm (1967) (excerpts?) The Waldstein Sonata (1971/76) (excerpts) Momentum Dance Company Miami Beach Dance Festival April 6, 12 Mixed bill with The Exiles (1950) Phoenix Dance Theatre London, Sadler's Wells April 28-29 Mixed bill with Chaconne (1942) and The Moor's Pavane (1949)

Miliosr Report - Week Three General Thoughts I liked Louis and Priscilla's tango the best. Maybe it wasn't as clean as the tango of Kristi and Mark but the drama was better. As an added bonus, Priscilla looked good: Flattering costume + pulled back hair + absence of usual deathly pallor + marginally more mobile face = a winning look None of the jives really got me this week. (I missed Marlee and Fabian so I can't comment on their performance.) I liked the excerpt of Revelations well enough on Tuesday night but I suspect it works a lot better on stage than it does in a studio. I'm a fan of Kylie Minogue's (mostly her 90s CDs Kylie Minogue and Impossible Princess). The first song -- from her new CD/download X -- did her no favors and she was flat on both songs. The Non-Bottom Two Bottom Two Steve/Anna and Mario/Karina were the two couples left standing under the red lights of doom with Steve and Anna leaving the competition. However, Tom Bergeron made a point of telling the audience that Mario and Karina weren't necessarily in the Bottom Two. So, it's a bit unclear at this point what's going on with the fan bases. As for Steve and Anna, it was a fair elimination. Len was correct in saying that Steve truly embraced the spirit of the show. But, he had improved about as much as he was going to this season so it was his time to go.

Ratings - Week Two Performances - 3rd - 20.5 million Results - 4th - 17.5 million Recap - 14th - 10.5 million

Tudor also suffers from not having a major institutional home for his works. He is not central to ABT's DNA the way Balanchine and Robbins are to City Ballet or Ashton and MacMillan are (or was, in Ashton's case) to the Royal. Nor did he impart to his followers a flagship company bearing his name and performing his works year-in-and-year-out the way Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham and Jose Limon did.

Thanks perky! I ran the percentages: 01 Kristi/Mark (tango) = 27pts = 11.8% 02 Priscilla/Louis (tango) = 26pts = 11.4% 03 Cristian/Cheryl (jive) = 25pts = 11.0% 04 Shannon/Derek (jive) = 24pts = 10.5% 05 Jason/Edyta (jive) = 23pts = 10.1% 06 Marlee/Fabian (jive) = 21pts = 9.2% 06 Steve/Anna (tango) = 21pts = 9.2% 06 Mario/Karina (tango) = 21pts = 9.2% 06 Adam/Julianne (tango) = 21pts = 9.2% 10 Marissa/Tony (jive) = 19pts = 8.3% Lots of bunching on the scoreboard. It will be a battle of the fan bases . . .

I missed Marlee and Fabian's performance. Does anyone know what their score was so I can run the percentages? Attention Alvin Ailey fans -- Tom Bergeron announced on tonight's show that the Alvin Ailey troupe will be performing on tomorrow night's results show. All this and Kylie Minogue too!

Miliosr Report - Week Two General Thoughts Two hours of performances on Monday night was a loooooong time, especially since things didn't really get going until the midpoint when Shannon/Derek (quickstep) and Jason/Edyta (mambo) got things kicking. Sadly, the performances died off again until the end when there was an upturn due to Kristi/Mark (mambo) and Mario/Karina (quickstep). Hopefully, as the herd gets culled, the boredom factor (for me, anyway) will diminish. The Bottom Two - Men and Women The bottom two for the women consisted of Monica/Jonathan and Marissa/Tony, with Monica and Jonathan going. The bottom two for the men consisted of Penn/Kym and Cristian/Cheryl, with Penn and Kym going. My prediction about Monica's departure proved correct as her low scores from the judges proved to be an insurmountable hurdle for her preexisting fan base (if any) and any new fans she picked up over the course of two performances. This was a very fair boot as she was clearly the worst of the women and her survival over any of the others would have been a travesty. On the men's side, my prediction that Cristian would leave proved incorrect, although he and Cheryl wound up under the red light of doom along side Penn and Kym. As with Monica, Penn's ouster was the correct one, as his clomping around like Godzilla was never going to improve with age. As for Cristian, I'm convinced that he polled dead last in the audience vote and only the judges' scores saved him. We will see if he can gain a toe hold with the audience next week. My suspicion is that he is like Albert from Season 5 -- easy on the eyes and possessed of much potential but no fan base. See you next week!