Ostrich

What's the name of this step that the men do: 1. start in arabesque, bottom knee bent 2. jump off one leg and beat it against the leg in arabesque 3. land in starting position 4. repeat several times and hope that you don't look like a sack of potatoes!

I'm getting some very interesting replies here! Nanatchka, that company of deaf dancers sounds amazing! I just wonder about that all-important quality for a dancer: musicality. Deaf people can't really be musical, can they? vrsfanatic, I know this sounds crazy, but it's quite true. I saw the monitors myself as they were being wheeled out from behind screens at the left and right of the stage, not even the wings. What they were there for was explained to me by a dancer from the company who performed in that ballet herself. Yes, we did have "canned music". I was wondering whether, if there had been a live orchestra, the dancer could have kept an eye on the conductor's baton and timed himself by that (in his solo parts, at least)? On the other hand, if deaf people really can feel the music through the floor, why does he need any visual help at all? Confusing, confusing!

The dancer was from the South African Ballet Theatre. Yes, he did stay in time with the music. I don't know whether there was a female dancer backstage. I don't think so, but I'll try to find out. Maybe the deaf dancer just watched his partner carefully and adjusted himself to her timing in the pas de deux parts.

Hey, what happened to that post by Dale in which it was mentioned that mainly male dancers have been mentioned, but that the situation is changing and that more ballerinas are now having children. I was just about to ask what has caused this change, when the post dissapeared...

Actually, the Pretoria and the Johannesburg company is one and the same thing. It acts as resident ballet company for both cities, doing about half its season in Pretoria and the other half in Jo'burg. They were originally based in Jo'burg, then moved to Pretoria when a bigger stage was built there and have now moved back to Johannesburg because of the custom designed studios that have been built for them. They continue to perform in both cities though. I wonder how many other ballet companies there are that are resident companies for two cities? PACT closed down in 2000 I think (PACT packed up, if you'll excuse the bad pun ) and SABT is the company that has risen out of its ashes. It is small and struggled for a while, but I think that they are picking up wonderfully. What is especially promising is their ongoing collaboration with the Royal Danish Ballet. Every time the Danish Ballet pays a visit, one can really see the improvement in our company.

In a production of GiselleI just saw, there was a deaf dancer on stage. He did the peasant pas de deux. When I asked how a deaf dancer can keep in time with the music, I was told that there are TV screens at the right and left of the stage (I did notice them and wondered what they were for). A dancer backstage does the dance and his performance is relayed onto the screens. The deaf dancer copies what he sees on the screens and thus is able to stay in time. I wondered whether there are many cases of deaf people dancing and whether any deaf dancer ever became famous.

Alina Cojocaru and Johann Kobborg flew in to guest in two performances of Giselle with the South African Ballet Theatre in Pretoria. I was looking forward to it greatly after all the excellent reports I have been reading about them and am pleased to say that we were not at all dissapointed. Alina Cojocaru is a very young Giselle - I wouldn't place her above 14. I agree with everyone who said that her Giselle is a real person. She comes alive for one, and the same goes for Kobborg's Albrecht. Cojocaru had several technical slips in the first act. These made no sense to me since she showed a very secure technique otherwise and they literally seemed to be slips (like slipping at the end of a pirouette). Kobborg's talent is difficult to formulate. He didn't make a big impression on me in the beginning, but he grows on one throughout the ballet. His technique was very secure throughout and he stunned us with his batterie and his pirouettes. After the first act, I was impressed, but the second act left the whole audience breathless.It was a unique experience. That is saying much, because often in Giselle the second act is a bit of an anti-climax. What I found remarkable was Cojocaru's variability in the second act. Every dance (almost every movement) had a different mood. Kobborg also was stunning, both in his solos and in his partnering. Their partnership is outstanding. The production as a whole was good but we had canned music (live orchestra accompanying ballet has become rare in South Africa) and the recording was pretty bad in places. A South African dancer who deserves mention is Andries Weidemann, who danced Hilarion. His mime was outstanding. The interaction between him and Kobborg was very powerful and convincing. His Hilarion was definitely not a "villain". On the contrary, the audience bonded with him and sympathised with him, especially as Kobborg seemed a bit of a cad at first. We felt very honoured by the visit of two such unique dancers. I hope they felt our appreciation. I think they did, because they got a standing ovation and something like 5 curtain calls!

I forgot to mention Bolshoi dancer Andrei Uvarov. He has a daughter.

Also, there are the Fadeyechevs and the Vetrovs. Some more Bolshoi dancers who have children: Nina Semizorova and Mark Peretokin (daughter), Yury Vasyuchenko (son), Nephrozny (daughters), Genaddy Yanin (daughter) and ex-Bolshoi dancer Irek Mukhamedov (daughter and son). I don't know whether this counts, but Igor Moiseyev has a son who dances at the Bolshoi.

Thomas Hardy: Far from the Madding Crowd I strongly second Jane Austen's Persuasion as well as Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Although it is a children's story, The Wind in the Willows is a classic well worth reading if you missed it as a child. And don't forget J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings! If you are at all interested in South African classics, try the short stories of Herman Charles Bosman(e.g. Mafeking Road, Unto Dust). They are works originally written in English.

The Russian Chamber Ballet "Moskva" will be touring South Africa in August and I am wondering whether they are worth seeing. They claim they will bring such "stars" as Natalia Tchekhovskaya, Galina Shlyapina, Anatoly Golovan and Vasily Polushin. I checked their website, but not much can be gathered from that, other than that they perform both modern and classical works.

I'm glad her absence isn't due to anything more serious than that, but goodness! what long maternity leave she gets! Is this usual?

Henry James: The Portrait of a Lady George Eliot: The Mill on the Floss Miles Franklin: My Brilliant Career (Australian classic) John Buchan: The Thirty-nine Steps (exciting!)

Has anyone out there seen Desire Samai? I have rather a personal interest in her, as she trained at the same school that I used to train at. She was a principal dancer with Cape Town City Ballet for a while, and now she is a junior principal(I believe) at the Northern Ballet Theatre. I would be interested what sort of impression she makes on any of you who have seen her.

Is Svetlana Lunkina dancing again? I saw her in the Bolshoi's 2000 tour to South Africa and have since been following her progress via reviews and photos on the net. The last info I can find is that she went on maternity leave in May 2003. Does anyone know anything more recent?

What about Gedemis Taranda? He was usually cast for "bad guy" roles at the Bolshoi, but he is ten times as good looking (and charismatic) as any of the heroes. Irek Mukhamedov (at least when he's on stage) Alexey Fadeyechev Another Dane: Kenneth Greve My list of personal favourites: Henning Kronstam, Erik Bruhn, Andris Liepa, Gedemis Taranda