miliosr

Lawrence Rhodes has died at the age of 79: https://www.pointemagazine.com/lawrence-rhodes-obituary-2633162941.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1 It's almost impossible to summarize his career as a dancer, company director and teacher but Pointe does an admirable job of it. Michael Avedon has posted this much reproduced photo of Rhodes from the 60s: Jesse Obremski of the Limon company has posted this tribute:

The March issue of Dancing Times in the UK has an interview with Toulouse director Kader Belarbi. This passage caught my eye: GD: But you show such respect for the French ballet heritage , , , KB: Yes I do. I'm a child of the French Republic, and I was taught and performed here in France. Toulouse is part of that country, and everyone and everything needs to have roots - both dancers and their repertoire. Before I came here, the ballets that were performed did not fulfil that function; I had to start afresh. For me it was essential for the Ballet du Capitole to be anchored in French dance, from Serge Lifar and Roland Petit to Maguy Marin and Rudolf Nureyev whom I see as a French choreographer [Note: my emphasis],

Well, there's a contract coming to an end in Vienna at the end of August 2020 . . .

Handheld Classics has rereleased Save Me the Waltz: https://www.amazon.com/Save-Me-Waltz-Handheld-Classics/dp/1999828046/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=zelda+fitzgerald+save+me+the+waltz&qid=1552865346&s=books&sr=1-1-catcorr

The casting for Casse-Noisette is interesting if you compare it to the casting for the original run, which is captured on the Blu Ray/DVD. Marion Barbeau returns as Marie but almost everyone else is new to their roles. It's as if the original cast(s) couldn't get out of it fast enough! Casting per the POB Web site: Marie : Marion Barbeau, Marine Ganio Vaudemont: Arthus Raveau, Jeremy-Loup Quer La Mere: Emilie Cozette, Fanny Gorse Le Pere: Florimond Lorieux, Sebastien Bertaud Drosselmeyer: Francesco Vantaggio, Pierre Retif Robert: Cyril Mitilian, Leo de Busserolles La Soeur: Bianca Scudamore, Pauline Verdusen

Surprised that there's been so little comment about Madame Dupont's programming for 2019-20. Too ho-hum with all the retreads (Blake Works, Le Parc, Play) and the all-Balanchine evening that you could literally see anywhere? From the evidence, it looks like Madame has settled into a pattern of programming two full-length classics and one "bodice ripper" every season. But whereas the bodice ripper slot is normally occupied by La Dame aux camelias, Manon or Onegin, this year Mayerling gets the nod. I wonder who will be cast as the lead character? Francois Alu would be a natural but I could also -- somewhat counterintuitively -- picture Mathieu Ganio playing the part. Play makes a comeback in 2019-20 just as Iolanta-Casse-Noisette is making a comeback this season. Is there really a demand for these returns? Or did the Opera blow so much money on these productions that they're still trying to amortize the costs?

More detail from the POB Web site: https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/programme-and-tickets/season-19-20/shows-ballet

Francesca Harper is making a new piece for the Limon company's spring performances at the Joyce: Won't get to see it as the Limon repertory that will be on display -- The Moor's Pavane, Psalm -- isn't enough to get me to New York this year.

What makes Luke Perry's untimely death even sadder is that he had weathered his 90s teen heartthrob fame and had slowly built a solid career for himself as a character actor. I use the term "weathered" deliberately because, with age, he came to look less like a matinee idol and more like a character actor. I think that transformation would have only helped him had he lived as the industry was coming around to the idea that he was no longer a pretty boy teen idol.

Rhino Records has posted a nice tribute to Peter Tork: https://www.rhino.com/article/rip-peter-tork

Is anyone going to see the revival of Apparitions? https://www.heraldtribune.com/entertainmentlife/20190302/sarasota-ballet-is-seeing-apparitions

Andre Previn also wrote the music for the second section of Gene Kelly's all dance film, Invitation to the Dance. (Filming on this section occurred sometime between August 1952 and February 1953.) The clip below contains a 13+ minute sample of highlights and features (in order) Tommy Rall, Claude Bessy, Belita, Irving Davies, Diana Adams, Gene Kelly and Tamara Taumanova:

I couldn't agree more with this. There's this presumption in the ballet world that classical technique will allow the classical dancer to perform works rooted in alien styles and techniques (Ailey, Graham, Limon) just as well as modern/postmodern/contemporary dancers trained in those styles and techniques. But some of the worst performances I've ever seen have been of ballet dancers flailing their way through a heritage work from the modern repertory. In any event, I like the fact that you have to go to an Ailey company performance to see Revelations. In this era of repertory homogenization amongst dance companies, Revelations existing in a state of "isolated splendor" is a good thing.

I'm sure the entire Ballet Alert community agrees with me that this was Andre Previn's greatest achievement: Margaret Whiting is doing the actual singing but Susan Hayward is lip synching -- badly! And Judy Garland's original vocals replacing Whiting's vocals: From the same movie, Dionne Warwick's immortal version of Previn's main theme (Anne's theme):

I had originally posted the following in the 2017-18 thread: "I took a look at Pennsylvania Ballet's 2015 and 2016 form 990 filings, which are publically available at Guidestar. For the 2015 filing, revenue exceeded expenditures by slightly more than $2 million. But for the 2016 filing, year-to-year revenue declined by close to $3 million while year-to-year expenditures increased by slightly over $1 million. (For the 2016 filing as a whole, the company ran a deficit of $2 million.)" Pennsylvania Ballet's 2017 (08/01/16-07/31/17) form 990 is now available at Guidestar. The company's revenue rose year-over-year from $11.75 million to $15.48 million -- an increase of $3.73 million. Expenses rose modestly from $13.75 million to $14.07 million -- an increase of $320,000.

Recently, I bought the photographic volumes Celebration and Celebration II, which Dance Magazine published (respectively) in 1971 and 1972. The 1972 volume contains 3 photos of Suzanne Farrell and Rudolf Nureyev dancing together in Bejart's Le Scare du Printemps. I never knew that Farrell and Nureyev had performed together. Interesting pairing -- I'm not sure for good or for ill.

I was thinking the exact same thing! And Balanchine held Tudor's version in very high regard . . .

Peter Tork of The Monkees has died at the age of 77 (!) after an on-and-off battle with cancer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Tork This never fails to bring a smile to my face: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96A0uyFWQHs

Another performance of "Fan Dance":

I've been thinking about this post for a while and it home again today with the news that former Birmingham Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet principal Miyako Yoshida will be retiring this year at the age of 54 (!): https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190130_27/ In her very long career, did she ever do any contemporary dance at all? If not, does that explain (at least in part) her amazing longevity?

Composer Michel Legrand has died just shy of his 87th birthday. His impressive list of credits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Legrand#Film_scores My favorite song of his (Legrand wrote the music and Marilyn and Alan Bergman wrote the words):

Andy de Groat's obituary has appeared in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/23/obituaries/andy-de-groat-dead.html

I tried posting this in my original post but it disappeared into the ether. Carol Channing, Ethel Merman, Ann Miller and Della Reese together. And the Merm "sings" her signature song to Van Johnson!

Thiago Soares has announced that the 2018-19 season will be his last as a full-time Principal. (He will be a guest Principal next season but doesn't specify what that will entail):

As cruel as this may be, I imagine the vast majority of people, upon hearing this news, would say, "Who's Carol Channing?" Outside of musical theater devotees, Channing's portrayals of Lorelei Lee and Dolly Levi have long since been eclipsed by the portrayals of her movie counterparts, especially in regard to "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" and "Hello Dolly". Perhaps Channing fell victim to the phenomenon Van Johnson talked about at the end of his very long life -- living long enough to see your fame disappear.