miliosr

The Spring 2006 issue of Ballet Review contains a very interesting discussion of this topic. "An Unsettled Marriage: The Merger of SAB and Julliard" (by Joseph W. Polisi) makes for an engrossing read. One of the many tidbits included in the eleven-page article is Lincoln Kirstein's statement that modern dancer performers are overweight dancers with dirty feet. Charming.

ABC has announced its Fall schedule and Dancing With the Stars will return on Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 8:00 Eastern/7:00 Central.

nysusan -- Was it a full house for the gala? Also, what was the "mood" of the audience given all the drama that played out in the press in the run-up to the gala?? The Graham Web site says that they are heading my way (Madison, WI) in October. I'm wondering whether I should bother to circle the date on my calendar.

John Rockwell and Tobi Tobias both wrote mixed to negative reviews of the Graham gala this week. The idea to feature Richard Move comes in for the most fire. A little too close to camp for some, I would imagine.

Thanks for the many interesting replies to my original post. This thread and the Elizabeth Zimmer article in The Village Voice about the Graham company's travails [as posted in the Links section] got me thinking about something that has been in the back of my mind for some time: For modern dance companies, what are the key ingredients to "survival after death"? To my mind, there are only three companies that have managed this difficult feat (and they are the same three mentioned in Zimmer's article): the Limon company (since 1972), the Ailey company (since 1989) and the Graham company (since 1991). But why were they able to endure when so many others have disappeared or live on as the dance equivalent of the living dead? I would agree with bart that having the right person in place at the moment of succession (or its relatively immediate aftermath) is crucial. What Carla Maxwell (at Limon) and Judith Jamison (at Ailey) have accomplished is testament to that. (Just as the Graham company's near-death experiences are a testament to their succession problems.) But as a corollary, I would add that the successor must have a vision as to where to take the company once the founder is gone. (Or, at the very least, the successor must build on the vision of the founder.) I don't think it's enough to say, "Oh, we're just here to maintain the company/dances/technique." I think it's absolutely crucial to have an approach that allows you to branch out beyond the core repertory and try different things. Of course, the problem with this is that I'm not so sure every modern dance company has the capacity to branch out in different directions. One interesting similarity between the Limon and Ailey companies is that they were both (to differing degrees) repertory companies while the founder(s) were still alive. The Limon company presented the works of Doris Humphrey and Jose Limon while the Ailey company featured all sorts of different choreographers under Alvin Ailey's directorship. This -- to me -- is the issue the Graham company is going to have to confront. Because of all the leadership/legal problems of the last 15 years, it has been hard to get a sense of whether or not the Graham company can buck the Limon/Ailey trend and flourish on the basis of one woman's choreography. Is the Graham repertory large enough and -- more importantly -- diverse enough to power a company not just in the immediate future but for the next 10-25-50 years? Obviously, the Graham people think so but I can't help thinking that even someone like Balanchine, whose repertory really was large enough and diverse enough to power a company all on its own, thought it was wise to present other choreographers in the name of broadening the appeal. Sorry if this post doesn't make much sense -- I'm having a hard time putting my thoughts into words today. I guess I would just say that, for modern dance companies, I don't think it's enough to have a fine repertory or technical basis in order to "survive after death". I think there has to be a philosophy and that philosophy has to be expansive enough that it can withstand fads and changing tastes over the long haul. (The Limon company is a good example of this -- they couldn't possibly have been more unfashionable than they were in the aftermath of the postmodern explosion and yet they have outlasted most of the postmodernists who were going to sweep them aside in the 60s/70s/80s.) Any thoughts???

Robert Greskovic had an article in The Wall Street Journal this week where he reviewed the current anniversary seasons of Paul Taylor and Mark Morris. (Sorry, no link -- you still have to register to read the Journal.) I found his side comments about modern dance to be more interesting than the actual review. He placed the Taylor and Morris seasons in a context of a modern dance in decline. Specifically, he cited the Graham company as being in "dire financial straits" and "in doubt of holding even a single gala performance mid-month to mark its 80th anniversary." He also talks about how other formerly prominent modern dance companies are either "less prominent or no longer in existence." (He mentions the Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis companies as being once-prominent but now-defunct.) All this left me thinking -- what is the current health of modern dance?

I would agree with the other posters about Julia Roberts. She definitely falls into the "iconic star who hasn't made very many iconic movies" class. (In fact, I can only think of one -- Pretty Woman.) To her credit, I think Roberts did try in the mid-90s to move away from the big hair/pretty smile cul-de-sac she found herself in (with movies like Mary Reilly.) Unfortunately for her, no one much wanted to see her in those movies. Meg Ryan seems to be in jeopardy of falling into the Tyrone Power class -- she waited too long to move away from the cutie-pie image. As for Rock Hudson, are The Magnificent Obsession and All That Heaven Allows considered Rock Hudson pictures or Douglas Sirk pictures?

I'm glad people enjoyed my review. After I clicked 'ADD REPLY' yesterday, I was afraid everyone would find it too cantankerous and carping. One thing I would add to my comments about Max Beloserkovsky is that his plush dancing harkened back to another time and place -- 19th century Imperial Russia vs. 21st century Chicago. He was the one person in the cast who got me thinking about how ballet is a continuum (or should be) with one generation of dancers bound upon the next.

I attended the matinee performance on Saturday afternoon. As the train rolled into Chicago and the skyline came into view, I had a powerful urge to start singing the theme to Good Times. But I spared my fellow passengers. It was a typical lovely day in Chicago -- overcast, windy and FREEZING COLD. Luckily, the ushers took pity on us poor, shivering wretches in the lobby and let us into the main foyer a little early. The crowd didn't seem as full (or as lively) to me for Le Corsaire as it did in 2004 (for Swan Lake) and in 2005 (for Giselle). I was in Row R/Left/Main Floor and there were six empty seats next to me. I discovered that Row R is the place to sit, though, because I saw Chris Wheeldon take a seat in Row R/Center while I was crowd watching and Kevin McKenzie take the Row R/Center aisle seat just before the lights dimmed. As for the production itself, I have to say that Le Corsaire did nothing for me. Too often I felt that the ramshackle scenario with its inane and illogical plot developments was at war with the dancers. Every time they got some genuine emotion going, the plot sabotaged them. It was like the ballet equivalent of Godzilla vs. Mothra with neither one emerging victorious. (Chicago seemed to escape unharmed, though.) Let me be clear that this was in no way the fault of the dancers, who labored mightily to bring this ballet to some semblance of life. To the extent Le Corsaire worked at all, it was due in large part to the hardworking cast. So, without further ado, here are my impressions: Maxim Beloserkovsky (Conrad): He definitely looked the part but I thought that the character of Conrad went too far against the natural grain of his personality. On those terms, I would have to say that his portrayal wasn't a total success. BUT, if you watched his dancing in an abstract way, I thought he was mesmerizing. There was an understated elegance to his dancing that stood in bold relief to all the histrionic dancing around him. I wouldn't say he was a crowd favorite but he was my favorite. Irina Dvorovenko (Medora): Her acting was fair -- her default choice tended toward the relentlessly sunny. While I can see where that would be excruciating in the wrong part, it worked well enough here. Her dancing brought to mind words used to describe the late Vera-Ellen -- "light, lithe, quick and strong". The fouettes in Act II were very clean and, more impressively, she didn't travel at all. Good chemistry with her husband, too. Angel Corella (Ali): A marvelous display of physical virtuosity which left me emotionally cold. My reaction wasn't his fault, though. Ali barely touches on Acts I and III so it was hard for me to much care about him when he takes on such huge prominence in Act II. I do have to add that 2006 Live Angel was better than 1999 DVD Angel -- he was just as physically impressive in 2006 but he reined in the effects just enough so that he didn't look like he was going to topple over as he did in 1999. Herman Cornejo (Birbanto): The dancing was fine but seeing him in this part left me majorly depressed. What is he doing in this secondary part that any one of a dozen guys in the pirate corps could have executed successfully? Is this to be his fate as a principal dancer?? Maria Riccetto (Gulnare): Pretty, technically assured but colorless. She didn't add much flavor to the soup and she tended to fade into the background when matched against the rest of the cast. Sascha Radetsky (Lankedem): Somewhat like Max, I think the nature of this part may have gone too much against the natural grain of his personality. Sorry Charlie -- you'll always be that nice guy from Center Stage who we all fell in love with. Good dancing, though. The Pirates: I thought Isaac Stappas was the best of the pirates. I don't think he'll be in the corps that much longer. The Odalisques: Loved, loved, LOVED Carmen Corella as one of the odalisques. Her dancing was perfectly articulated and she has a breezy Spanish radiance that lights up the entire stage. Easily my favorite after Max. Act III Dream Sequence Corps: For all the grief ABT's female corps takes about their lack of unified style, they were "together" on Saturday. They looked nice and crisp with no obvious breakdowns in technique or style. If this were figure skating, I would give my medals as follows: Bronze -- Isaac Stappas Silver -- Carmen Corella Gold -- Max Beloserkovsky That's all I can think of to write at this point so I'll wind this up. I didn't like Le Corsaire as a ballet but I give full marks to the dancers for making as much happen as they did given the hindrances presented by the scenario.

I attended the Saturday afternoon matinee. I'll set down my impressions some time this week when I have a little more time to write.

I saw this as well and I would second just about everything dirac wrote. I think the absence of any meaningful discussion of O'Neill's treatment of his children was a major weakness of this documentary. And based on some of the staged segments (particularly Al Pacino's), I would have to say that, for all the claims made by Method actors that the Method would lead to a more naturalistic style of acting, hammy overacting will be with us forever!

Wow -- this thread is moving in many different directions at once. For the Rita Hayworth/Ava Gardner class (iconic movie stars who didn't make many iconic movies), would Jane Russell qualify? (She only made one iconic film (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) so she may fall somewhere between the Hayworth/Gardner class and the Faye/Grable class.) She sure looked good at this year's Oscars, though! For the Robert Taylor class (male stars who were huge in their day but are largely forgotten now), I would nominate Van Johnson and Tyrone Power. I never see Power's films on television and Johnson is probably known as much today for his participation in the musical episode of The Love Boat as for his films. (The musical episode of The Love Boat -- w/ Johnson, Cab Calloway, Carol Channing, Ethel Merman, Ann Miller and Della Reese) should join Esther Williams in the camp Hall of Fame!) I vote for Gilda over The Lady From Shanghai. The movie is perverse in the way the three main characters treat each other but I think Hayworth is dynamite in it.

dirac -- Interesting point about Betty Grable. She was a major, major star during the late-30s, 40s and early-50s but you never see her movies on television. Her most enduring film is probably How To Marry a Millionaire but that's probably due more to Marilyn Monroe's presence than anything else. Esther Williams is another major star from the 40s and 50s whose movies are rarely seen today.

FYI -- The latest issue of Dance Magazine has a short feature (by Robert Tracy) about Ryoko Kudo's debut as Emilia in The Moor's Pavane at the Ann Arbor performances. Also, the Los Angeles Times printed an interview with Carla Maxwell on Thursday in advance of the company's performances of Missa Brevis this weekend. The article puts the number of Limon dances at "nearly 100". (I've heard the number put at 70-something and at 80-something so let's just say that Limon's total output is somewhere in the 70-100 range.) Carla Maxwell is quoted as saying that "We only have some form of record for 22 of those dances." I was quite surprised by this low figure. If formal documentation is that low for Limon, what is it like for Doris Humphrey?

dirac -- I would have replied earlier but I missed your post. (That's what I get for devoting the last eight weeks of my life to Dancing with the Stars!) I don't disagree with you about the musicals Hayworth made with Astaire and Kelly. I was thinking more of movies like My Gal Sal and Tonight and Every Night and Down to Earth. They may have been timely but they certainly haven't proved timeless. For such an iconic star, Hayworth really didn't make a lot of iconic films. Her reputation now rests on Gilda, The Lady from Shanghai, the two movies with Astaire and Cover Girl. (I'm undecided about Pal Joey.)

In the wake of Brokeback Mountain's success, Twentieth Century Fox has rereleased Making Love (1982) on DVD. This was one of the first mainstream Hollywood movies to depict the coming out experience in a realistic manner. It was a flop at the time -- a bridge too far for some viewers and not far enough for others. Rarely seen on television and largely unavailable on VHS, Fox has finally reissued this important film. I've wanted to see this film for many years and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The movie tells the story of a married doctor (Michael Ontkean) who has repressed his homosexuality for years but can no longer deny it. Kate Jackson plays Ontkean's wife and Harry Hamlin plays the "other man" in Ontkean's life. I thought Ontkean, Jackson and Hamlin were all excellent in their roles and, as a gay man myself, I could totally identify with Ontkean's character. I had a quibble with the ending in that it felt rushed. Ontkean doesn't even tell Jackson that he's gay until about 1 hour and twenty minutes into the film and that only leaves about another twenty five minutes to tie up the events in the film. This is one instance where I would have preferred a longer film so that the aftermath of Ontkean's declaration to Jackson didn't feel so hurried. (Loved the final shots of Kate Jackson, though, when you realize from her facial expressions that he was the great love of her life and that she loved him enough to let him go.) These are minor quibbles, though, to what is a frequently outstanding film. The DVD doesn't contain many extras -- there is no commentary track from Ontkean, Jackson and Hamlin, for instance. That's a pity as it would have been interesting to hear their thoughts on making a movie that was way ahead of its time.

The Miliosr Report - Week Eight (Season Finale) Overall Impressions (1) While I understand ABC's desire to make the most of their hit dancing show, four hours of programming was excessive to the point of exploitation. The recaps and recaps of recaps (and recaps of recaps of recaps) often brought the momentum of both the performance and results shows to a screeching halt. Unfortunately, since the results episode brought in 27 million viewers, I fear this will be standard practice for all future seasons. (2) So nice to see Kelly Monaco in the audience and specifically referred to as the winner of Season One. While I wasn't a Kelly fan, I thought ABC treated her badly with the dance-off. She won Season One fair and square and she should be accorded the respect due to the winner. Scoring by the Judges 01 Drew/Cheryl (87 points) 02 Stacy/Tony (86 points) 03 Jerry/Anna (80 points) Miliosr's Impressions Round One Jerry/Anna (foxtrot) Stacy/Tony (jive) Drew/Cheryl (paso doble) I thought Round One was a bit of a draw. Drew/Cheryl and Stacy/Tony were both very good. The surprise for me was Jerry. He was light on his feet, the posture was good and he looked like he was enjoying the moment. For the first time, he was a dancer (or at least the embryo of one.) Round Two (All three teams did a freestyle routine) Truth be told, I didn't like any of these. I would award Round Two -- barely -- to Drew/Cheryl on the basis of the lifts and such. But, to me, it was more like gymnastics than dancing. Jerry and Anna were exuberant but "bad" Jerry was back with the stiff hips and the slow footwork. Loved the feel of it but, really, it wasn't anything you couldn't have seen already in a club sequence from an early-70s Pam Grier movie. Stacy and Tony's freestyle was a complete dud. Whatever else I may think of the Drew/Cheryl and Jerry/Anna freestyles, both teams came out with all guns blazing. The Stacy/Tony freestyle just never got going. When I heard the Saturday Night Fever music, I was expecting an explosive routine. Instead, it was just boring, side-by-side disco moves that didn't look all that hard to execute. I put the blame for this squarely on Tony who choreographed an unimaginative routine that didn't make use of Stacy's technical excellence. Round Three Jerry/Anna (cha cha cha) Stacy/Tony (samba) Drew/Cheryl (jive) I thought Stacy and Tony were the clear winners of Round Three. Their samba was one of their best efforts of the entire competition but, as we shall see, it wasn't enough to save this team. Jerry and Anna's cha cha cha was OK -- nothing special. Drew and Cheryl appeared to be having an off night. They got stuck in a corner at one point and never used the entire dancefloor to their advantage. Stacy's Ouster Stacy finished an undeserved third in the competition. She was a consistently better dancer than Jerry throughout the competition and during the final performances (the freestyle wasn't her fault) and she had earned a Final Two spot. Unfortunately for her, the high marks from the judges from the get-go masked the fact that she wasn't polling all that strongly with the audience. Her only hope for making it to the Final Two would have been to finish first with the judges and then finish second in the audience vote ahead of Drew. Once she finished second with the judges, she and Tony were done for. She deserved better but I don't think she will look back at this experience in a negative way. I have the feeling she will reap many opportunities in the entertainment world as a result of her participation. Drew and Cheryl Once Stacy's name was called, I think Drew knew he had it in the bag. Kudos to him for trying to maintain the "suspense" for another 40 minutes before Tom Bergeron crowned him as the winner. I am very happy with Drew and Cheryl's win as I thought they were consistently excellent throughout the competition. While Stacy edged out Drew in terms of technical excellence, I think Drew and Cheryl outdistanced the other teams in two areas -- choreography and chemistry. Cheryl's choreography was strong week-in and week-out and she was very good at highlighting Drew's strengths and hiding his weaknesses. The chemistry between the two was palpable and they were the team that best conveyed the sense that you were watching a performance instead of just watching steps being executed. Congratulations to Jerry and Anna for finishing second. I wouldn't have put them higher than fourth but I have to say I admire Jerry's persistence in trying to master something that did not come naturally to him and for showing that a male who dances is someone to be admired. Final Thoughts All in all, I thought Season Two was a big improvement over Season One. Some things still need work (like the singing for the routines) but the show really found its footing the second time around. I don't know if it was skillful casting or just plain luck but ABC found a group of celebrity amateurs who -- for the most part --worked very hard and raised the bar as far as what would be expected in the future from celebrity competitors. Comparing Season One to Season Two, I wonder if Kelly Monaco and John O'Hurley would both have made the Final Four in Season Two given competition like Drew/Cheryl, Stacy/Tony and Lisa/Louis. The show now goes on hiatus until the Fall. The Miliosr Reports will be back at that time. See you then!!!

Just checking in from the spa! Ratings - Week Eight Thursday (performances) - 17.7 million viewers (9th) (In the 8:00-9:00pm EST hour, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor and The Olympics combined for 71 million viewers.) Sunday (finale) - 27.2 million viewers (!!!) (3rd) (The Season 2 finale set a series record with 27.2 million viewers.)

Congratulations to Drew and Cheryl -- I'm very satisfied with their win! Your fearless correspondent is exhausted after devoting four hours (!!!) to this show this week. Although I will be recuperating at an expensive spa in a sunny climate for the better part of this week, have no fear -- the Miliosr Report for the final performances/results will be up sometime this weekend.

Ratings for Week Seven: Thursday (performances) -- 19.3 million viewers (8th) Friday (results) -- 15.8 million viewers (17th) Reminder: The finale is on tonight!

It seems like everyone was able to find some or all of the salary data. Is there still any interest in a summary of salary ranges (as Helene suggested so as not to run afoul of copyright laws) for those people who don't want to register at the Journal's site? (From the link above, it looks like you still have to register, even if it's for free.)

I'm sure the article is available at the Wall Street Journal's Web site. I didn't link to it because I believe you have to register to access their site. I don't believe museums were included on the list. As I recall, the institutions were all symphonies, opera companies or dance companies. I do have a hard copy of the original article and I would be happy to post the complete list if enough people are interested. Also, would people be interested in seeing the actual salaries?

The Miliosr Report - Week Seven Overall Impressions I found this week to be a tense, quarrelsome week -- dancers bickering with judges, judges bickering with each other, etc. The stress of the competition appeared to take its toll this week. Scoring by the Judges (Rankings reflect combined scores for two dances) 01 Drew/Cheryl (55 out of 60) 01 Stacy/Tony (55 out of 60) 03 Lisa/Louie (53 out of 60) 04 Jerry/Anna (41 [ouch!] out of 60) Miliosr's Impressions Stacy/Tony (quickstep) I was in complete agreement with Carrie Ann: the choreography just wasn't risky enough. When you compare Stacy and Tony's quickstep with Lisa and Louie's you really see quite a difference. I fault Tony for this as he appears to be choreographing not to lose rather than choreographing to win. Jerry/Anna (tango) First off, I hated the bit with the broom. Len was right: Jerry isn't George and he doesn't have George's theatricality. On the whole, I thought this was a bit of a disaster. Jerry's posture is weak and he is not good with his feet. And the routine didn't look much like a tango. Lisa/Louie (foxtrot) I didn't see the footwork mistakes Carrie Ann referred to at the beginning of the performance but I have to agree with her about the weak holds. Still, what they lacked in precision they certainly made up for in a kind of slinkiness that perfectly suited the song ("Fever"). Drew/Cheryl (foxtrot) This was the best of the first round of dances. Interesting choreography, better posture for Drew, impressive musicality -- great partnership! Stacy/Tony (cha cha cha) Another disappointment from them. The falls were well-executed but all-in-all there was too much standing still. Again I had to agree with Carrie Ann -- I just didn't buy it. Jerry/Anna (rhumba) Better than their first dance but that's not saying much. They have nice chemistry and Jerry is trying hard but Len was right (again!) when he said that Jerry was the worst competitor left in the field. Lisa/Louie (cha cha cha) Great, complex routine to a song ("Material Girl") that might as well be Lisa's theme song. Louie's costume was unfortunate, though -- he looked too much like Denny Terio! (And don't pretend that you don't know who I'm talking about!) Drew/Cheryl (rhumba) I wasn't as fond of their second dance as I was of their first. Like Stacy and Tony, I thought that this was too 'posey' and that there was too much standing around. I had to agree with Len about the nature of the routine being wrong for this particular dance -- I thought it would have been better for a tango. (When I think of a rhumba, I think of Rita Hayworth and Cesar Romero with cocktails in their hands having a ball on the dancefloor in a Technicolor Fox nightclub!) The Bottom Two I had no problem with Stacy and Tony being in the cellar this week -- I thought they had an off night. Jerry and Anna should have been in the Bottom Two instead of Lisa and Louie, though. The Bootees Lisa and Louie did not deserve to go at all but once the judges tied Drew and Stacy she was done for. I came to enjoy her dancing and her spunky attitude and it's a shame that she didn't make it to the Final Three. She deserved better. Voting Patterns Here's how I think the vote went this week: (I'm not sure if Drew and Stacy got 4 points each for tying in the judging round or 3.5 points each (1st and 2nd place points combined) so I'm giving a range. The scores reflect points after the judging plus points after the audience voting.) Drew/Cheryl -- 4 (or 3.5) + 3 = 7 (or 6.5) Jerry/Anna -- 1 + 4 = 5 Stacy/Tony -- 4 (or 3.5) + 1 = 5 (or 4.5) Lisa/Louie -- 2 + 2 = 4 In the "4" scenario, Stacy still winds up in the cellar against Jerry because the audience vote is the tiebreaker in case of a tie. The Final Three Jerry wins if, for instance, Drew finishes first with the judges but finishes last with the audience while Stacy finishes second with the judges and second with the audience. Assuming Jerry will win the audience vote but finish last with the judges, he needs the above scenario (or one similar to it) to happen for him to win. I pick Drew to win with Jerry as the spoiler. The performance show is on at its regular time this week (against the Olympics, Survivor and American Idol!!!) but the results show will be on Sunday night. See you after the finale!

I haven't seen this topic discussed elsewhere so I thought I would post it here. The Wall Street Journal ran an article by Jacob Hale Rusell in its February 11-12 weekend edition about top earners at 40 major cultural institutions. They analyzed a five-year period ending in fiscal year 2004. Thirteen dance company heads made the list (in order of placement): 11 Peter Martins (New York City Ballet) 16 Helgi Tomasson (San Francisco Ballet) 17 Judith Jamison (Alvin Ailey Dance Company) 22 Kevin McKenzie (American Ballet Theatre) 29 Mikko Nissinen (Boston Ballet) 31 Gerald Arpino (Joffrey Ballet) 32 Kent Stowell (Pacific Northwest Ballet) 34 Stanton Welch (Houston Ballet) 35 Jim Vincent (Hubbard Street Dance) 36 Roy Kaiser (Pennsylvania Ballet) 37 Terrence Orr (Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre) 38 Tina Ramirez (Ballet Hispanico) 39 Martin Freedmann (Colorado Ballet) What a surprise -- eight of the bottom 10 (places 31-40) were dance company heads!!!

I've been meaning to post this: Following his appearance on Dancing with the Stars, Barry Manilow's The Greatest Songs of the Fifties topped the Billboard albums chart after selling 156,000 copies. The miliosr report should be up later today . . .