GeorgeB fan

I just receive my May issue of Dance Magazine. After reading senior consulting editor Clive Barnes Attitudes column, he made, I think, an interesting comment about some many foreigners in American ballet companies.

..... just wondering why the proportion of Americans in American companies seems markedly smaller than, say, the proportion of French dancers in French companies, of Russian dancers in Russian companies, Italian dancers in Italian companies.....

.... is it the overall quality of our classical ballet teaching and teachers? Or is our pedagogic structure too removed from the theatrical experience that must eventually sustain? Our ballet teachers are schooled in technique and trained as teachers, but how many of them have had even modestly successful professional careers and can inspire in a conservatory environment?

.... We have a few large conservatory-style schools, such as the School of American Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet School, associated with companies - although even here the dancers graduating into their companies tend to have been finished by the school (a year or two, perhaps, in the senior class) rather than fully trained by it, and, often, such students come from abroad.

... Clearly, we have some splendid teachers in this country. But when we train so many dance students and produce so few dance professionals, might there not be something slightly adrift?

Maybe that's the problems - we have talents students dancers and equally talented teachers in this country, but for some reason they are not understanding (students) and being taught (teachers) how to be brilliant star dancers.

I just got off the Great Performance website at PBS. In honor of the centennial birth of Sir Frederick Ashton, Dance in America will broadcast American Ballet Theater's production of Ashton's The Dream starring Ethal Stiefel, Alessandra Ferri and Herman Cornejo on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 at 8:00 p.m. EST in the New York area. With a rebroadcast on Saturday, April 24, 2004 at 12:30 a.m. and again on Sunday, April 25, 2004 at 4:00 p.m. To found out if they are broadcasting the program in your local area go to www.pbs.org

Ari, I was thisclose at writing Kyra Nichols on my list, but I thought I should have as close as a historic list as possible. But that should not stop me from recognizing Nichols. In fact she is the sole reason I started going to NYCB. When I saw the videotape of Warner Bros. screen version of Balanchine's The Nutcraker and behold Nichols marvelous performance as Drewdrop I was hooked and I said to myself "I got to see this dancer in person!". And from the moment I first saw in Mozartiana, she became my all-time favorite ballerina. Any ballet she appeared in not only did I loved her performance, but for me she danced the defintive performance.

As for Patricia Wilde, thanks so much for reminding me of her. Which is a shame on my part. After seeing her wonderful performance in Square Dance (boy I wish NYCB would do the ordinary version with the dance caller) at the television screening tribute to Mr. Balanchine at the The Museum of Television & Radio in New York I should have definitely place her on the list. Thanks!

I've only been going to NYCB for seven years. But within those years I've fallen completely in love with the ballet. But because of my short period of time going to the ballet I know I've miss the performances of a number of extraoridnary ballerinas. Because I'm a history buff by nature, I've done a lot of reading on the history of NYCB. Read biographies of Mr. Balanchine, Mr. Kirsten, of dancers and books about the history of NYCB. I've gone to New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and read old articles and reviews. With this information I've made a list of who I think are the ten greatest prima ballerinas in the history of NYCB. This is made up of ladies who I believe are the very best, mostly from the information I've read and also of the ballets that Mr. Balanchine created for them. My thinking is if he could create a masterpiece using this dancer, she must have been something wonderful. Here in my opinion are the ten best:

1. SUZANNE FARRELL

2. MARIA TALLCHEIF

3. TANAQUIL LeCLERCQ

4. VIOLETTE VERDY

5. PATRICIA McBRIDE

6. DIANA ADAMS

7. MERRILL ASHLEY

8. KARIN von AROLDINGEN

9. MELISSA HAYDEN

10. ALLEGRA KENT

Am I on the mark, or am I completely insane? Please tell me. Your opinion would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Leigh, thank you for the information about Ms. Brown. And Carbro your right, Ms. Brown wasn't given as much opportunity as she should have been given. With the right nourishing and guidance she could have become a principal dancer. I hope she is being given all the opportunity to blosom into the first rate dancer that she has already shown that is inside her.

I've notice on the ABT website that Sandra Brown name is no longer listed as dancer with ABT. Does any one if she retired, move on to another company or what? I would really like to know because I really enjoy her as a dancer.

For me seeing Jewels once again. Weese and Ringer I thought was wonderful in Emeralds; a great debut by Ansanelli partner by a strong Woetzel in Rubies; and the marvelous Kowroski partner by a noble Neal in Diamonds. I know some people did not cotton to her performance in Diamonds, she does need to refine herself, but I thought all in all she was wonderful. I enjoyed the students of the SAB performance of Chopiniana. Ansanelli's Aurora and Garland Dance in The Sleeping Beauty. Kyra Nichols in Scotch Symphony, but thing again I would love her in anything. Woetzel as Prodigal Son, watching Jennie Somogyi in the second lead of Concerto Barocco. I love watching Teresa Reichlen slowly making herself the dancer to watch from the corps de ballet. But the moment I love the most was taking my niece to The Nutcracker for the first time. I thought it was so cute as the tree was growing my niece said, "Uncle they must have a really tall ceiling, the tree is growing, growing, growing!!" and she just fell in love with Ringer's Sugar Plum Fairy

I looking forward at seeing ABT perform Balanchine's Mozartiana with Nina Ananiashvili and Veronika Part. Ananiashvili and Jose Manuel Carreno in Don Quixote - I think they will be fantastic together! I'm going to wait to get tickets for Raymonda after the reviews come in. What I saw at the preview of the ballet at City Center last fall was not so promising.

I just finish reading the topic "Who are the most underated dancer at NYBC" and it got me thinking about Albert Evans. In the seven years I'm been going to the NYCB I've been watching Mr. Evans, and one thing I've notices about him is that he is one of the most elegant male dancers the company currently have. Every move he makes, every gesture - the way he walk, the movement of his arms is all elegant. Or in other words he possess great nobility. I mention this because in all the years I've been going to city ballet the only ballets I've seen Mr. Evans in on a regular bases have been in the black and white ballets, y'know ( Agon, The Four Temperaments, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, etc) or in more character roles like his wonderful Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream or the second movement in Western Symphony. But because of this inherited elegance and grace why isn't he in more of the so-called prince roles. Granted I don't think Mr. Evans is a virtuoso, I don't think we will ever see him in Prodigal Son, Rubies, Oberon in Midsummer, Theme and Variations or Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux. But he is strong technically and possess a strong presence, not to mention the fact that along with Jock Soto I think he one of the finest partners the company has, that he could certainly appear in ballets like Emeralds, Serenade, Scotch Symphony, Afternoon of a Faun, the title role in Orpheus, the final movement in Vienna Waltzes, Liebeslieder Walzer, Davidsbundlertanza, etc. The one ballet I would just love to see him in is Apollo. This is a ballet I think if given the opportunity Mr. Evans would be glorious in. I think he has all the qualities: elegance, grace, strength of presence, technical power and what I think the most important quality the title character needs, nobility! I've asked many people their opinion of why Mr. Evans is not in any of these ballets. They would all say the basic thing: "I could see him in the ballet". But when I ask them why, they couldn't give me an answer or maybe they was afraid to give me the answer. I couldn't help but think that maybe the answer he isn't given some of these roles is because he is an African-American. I hope that is not true. I really, really hope not!! But know that I've find this message board I'm hoping that someone here would be able to give me an answer to this question

This is my very first post! I wish I've discover this discussion board a long time ago. I've only been going to the ballet for seven years know, so in some ways I'm a novice. I'm looking forward for many of you more experience ballet goers to help me become more educated in the joys and history of this wonderful art form. As for what I'm looking forward to for the spring season at NYCB, I'm looking forward at seeing Symphony in C, Dances at a Gathering, Mozartiana, Agon and LaValse. But the ballet I'm most looking forward at seeing is Liebeslieder Walzer. When I first saw it I must admit I was bore. I was falling to sleep. I knew what I was watching was a masterpiece, but it was so long. But that was in the first year I started going to the ballet. Know that I'm more experience in the joys of ballet, I'm looking forward at seeing this extraordinary creation of Mr. Balanchine. I'm also hoping to see my favorite ballerinas Krya Nichols, Wendy Whelan, Jennie Somogyi and Maria Kowroski dances in the ballet. But as of yet I don't know the casting of the ballet, NYCB have not post the casting on their website. Once again I'm looking forward to sharing the joys, displeasure, the argeement and disagreement I'm sure I will be sharing with all of you on this message board!