leibling

What about the Fairy of Artistic Politics? She would be the one to break all of the rules and get away with it.... a variation on half point in flat shoes with completely changed choreography, etc.

That idea is similar to my yearly Nutcracker fantasy- that the mice will finally win the battle and we can all go home for act 2- or maybe to the land of CHEESE!!!

That idea is similar to my yearly Nutcracker fantasy- that the mice will finally win the battle and we can all go home for act 2- or maybe to the land of CHEESE!!!

I thought of Balanchine ballets as "modern" dance when I was little- all of those leotards and tights- no tutus!! I only wanted to dance "classical" ballets- and I loved all of the story ballets. Now- I still love the story ballets, but I've grown up into a Balanchine dancer- or at least a dancer in a Balanchine company. Ironic, isn't it?

Have you ever thought of writing librettos for ballets? This is terrific...

Have you ever thought of writing librettos for ballets? This is terrific...

Not having fantastic extensions myself, I am definately in favor of the 90 degree arabesque! Really, though, it is how it is done that is important. I've seen dancers with perfectly satisfying lines at 90 degrees, or even slightly less- where you look at them and see the epitome of classical position and even breath in this static position. Then, the cranked arabesque with the leg over the head but the upper body contorted and uncomfortable to look at- what is the point?

I'd set up some sort of fund for ailing ballet companies- some sort of high yield mutual fund, so that the interest would aid these companies in their time of need, then make sure they were all properly equipped with endowments and such. Then I would make it easy for people who want to stage ballets for their companies to contact the experts who can really do a good job.

Mme. Hermine- that is what I was thinking would be the most fair way to handle the situation- throw out the questionable marks an total the rest. That way the second gold actually means something about figure skating, not the media circus. I hope that is what happened.

If only ballet, or dance and the arts in general, got this much attention in the media!!!!

The many different opinions on this thread only show that there is room for many different dancers. One ballet can accomodate a range of talents- it must in order to survive. I have a personal preference for dancers who display an intelligent artistry, and leave you with something to think about, but I also enjoy the dancers who can scratch the ceiling with their toes- I only ask that they do it nicely. When I see a dancer with a combination of intelligence and physical ability, well- that is ideal. Of course.

On the monsters thread, Alexandra mentioned something about a character's reaction to a person, monster or event- do we not believe in the monsters because noone reacts to them?- A good point- sometimes my emotions are stirred as I watch someone else's reaction ot something. In Giselle, for instance- just looking at Giselle's body lying on the stage does not always register a reaction, but when I see the villagers and the mom reacting- that is when I realize that this is something real.

As a member of a ballet company that must often use taped music due to financial restraints, I have to say that ANY live music is a welcome relief, even when it is poorly played. I often miss the energy that comes out of the pit- the idea that this is a living art form that has new possibilities each performance. While I was in school, I would sometimes hear the music students complain about being in the "ballet orchestra"- presumably because they found it boring, or perhaps they did not receive the recognition they might if it were stictly an orchestral concert. However, music is music, and everyone involved is contributing to the sucess of any given event. Regarding the changing of tempos- well, I can understand a musician's distress- I would be distressed to see all of the steps in Concerto Barocco changed because a performers lack of ability, but there has to be some leeway. After all, there are many versions of the steps for Concerto Barocco, and I am sure that Bach's Double Violin Concerto has been played in concert at an equal number of different tempi. In my opinion, the music is never just an accompaniment. The music sets the pace, and guides a dancer through the steps. I cannot dance off the music- I hate being told not to listen in order to accomplish a particular step. More often than not, the music gets me through a difficult phrase of movement, and the music forms a bond between my partner and I. We may be dancing with our backs to each other, but as long as we hear the same thing, we will stay together. My best performances are when I can only hear the music onstage. I wish that more musicians in the pit could realize how essential they are.

I think that for the audience, hierarchies do make things interesting- they can watch "progress" of people through the ranks. I always love going to the ABT and NYCB websites to see who has been promoted recently. It can also offer some form of protection for a dancer that dances principal roles to have to also dance in the corps, but beyond that, I don't know that the ranks really mean that much. It is interesting that in NY we hear so much about young corps members dancing principal roles over other principals (I guess this happens out of necessity, really).

Not your typical ballet film- but a terrific DANCE film- "Billy Elliot" is my favorite dance film.

A very interesting and relevent article. I wonder if also part of the reason for there being few true ballerinas today stems from the way young dancers are coached in the roles chosen for them. There has to be coaching- but what happens when the coach is another dancer who has had little experience in that particular style? Can any amount of "research" give a would be coach the knowledge to convey intricacies of a given role to a new dancer? Then what happens when the coach who has never danced a particular role unintentionally conveys artistic choices that only he or she would make? This does not leave room for the young dancer to develop his or her own mind, and couldn't this be as bad as no coaching at all?

This article is all too true, yet I understand what Alexandra says, also, about needing to use words that everybody will understand and appreciate. The cliches only really bother me when I feel the writer or speaker is just using them because the phrases sound good, without really thinking about what the words may convey to others. I realized recently the importance of all of these words...even though there are videos of performances these days, these cannot convey the essence of a LIVE performance with the same impact that a critic's artfully chosen words are able to. These words (combined with the memories of those present at any artistic event) are partly what makes art live on. These words will exist when the dancer has stopped, and these words will color our memories (for those of us that care for such things). One honestly written or spoken sentence is worth more than all the cliches in the world.

Thanks to Victoria Leigh for the comments on fouttes. Something to keep in mind. I have to say, though, that Mary Carmen Catoya, here in Miami City Ballet, has the most amazingly consistent fouttes I have ever seen. It is not just the number of multiple turns she is able to throw in- it is also the beauty of her passe and standing leg, and the precision of each repeating position. Sorry to be a little off topic- however, I don't think she would have any problems in the third act of Swan Lake.

Why do I love ballet ? .... well - sometimes it makes me feel as if I can fly.... that is a feeling worth working everyday of my life for.

Isn't there some way of scrambling cell phone signals ? Perhaps all yet to be built theaters should come wwith some method to block cell phone signals in the plans. I have heard them ring from the stage. THAT is distracting.

Another thought... more about the swans in general than just Odette... they could also represent the separation of social classes: the swans could be peasant girls, that, at night, are freed from their chores and hardships, becoming beautiful girls. They could never marry into higher society (ie. Prince Siegfred).

I have been thinking about this one, and it seems that there is no one phrase that classifies who Odette is. Maybe I could say that she is a creature of myth and legend, and thus can be the embodiment of many different human fantasies, but to classify her as a "bird/woman", an "enchanted princess" or otherwise does not seem to do her justice. Along with some mime, I guess I'll take some philosophy with my full-length Swan Lake. [ 06-25-2001: Message edited by: leibling ]

Thanks kfw- that's the one!!! So my jet-lag only blurred my memory of the painter.... I knew it sarted with R...

I would like my Swan Lake with mime, please. It is beautiful, when well done, and I think it is part of the tradition. Mime reminds me of princes and princesses, fairy tales, and maybe gentler eras in our own history.

The two that I have seen- of course, the video of Makarova and Dowell with the Royal, and the only production I have seen live was the Baryshnikov revival in 1989... when he put six of the swans in black- I guess they were demi-soloists- at least I remember trying to figure that out. Overall, I accepted that staging as pretty traditional. Oh- how could I forget the televised broadcast of NYCB's Swan Lake? Regarding that one, I missed a lot of what Martins' took out- the mime, the sets, the peasant dances, the traditional costumes- and the traditional ending of a traditional act 2 pas de deux. (He used the Balanchine ending of the pas de deux, right?) This ending does not work for me in a full-length ballet, and knowing the music for act two, it is awfully jarring to hear something else.