Diana L

LMCTech you stated: "Without new work I think many dancers and companies stagnate. They have to move with the times"

I might be getting off subject a bit here, but with NYCB being a company that develops in house choreography I just wonder if that new choreography is strong enough to sustain? Granted, a lot of new ballets are done at NYCB but very few seem to have staying power. I think NYCB would most definitely have someone looking after the Balanchine/Robbins rep. but I don't know that someone new would feel the need to tinker with the huge rep already there.

Is it necessary for NYCB to move with the times? I suppose it depends on whether you're a fan of the new or the old.

Are Wheeldon's works really "new" either?

Sorry if I got off topic, I think it's a good topic but one that is hard to answer because I don't think NYCB has figured out the direction it's going in now.

Is it the norm to hand the reigns over to someone who will choreograph for the company?

I like Wheeldon, but I'd like to see the company run by someone who's Balanchine rooted, who didn't come from another company. Suki (who's last name I can't spell) from SAB might be a candidate.

Is Jessy Hendrickson still injured?

Whenever I see a company from outside NYC come here and perform a Balanchine ballet, I always wonder if the director stays up late to get the review from the paper to see "how they did" compared to the hometown team. It's unfortunate that in the press it is often compared to how City Ballet does it. Having NYCB perform half the year adds to them being favored and Balanchine being a demi-god, but we also get so many visiting ballet companies that I've gotten to appreciate other choreographers. I don't think I'd ever want to see NYCB perform "La Fille".

In the spring I really debate about seeing ABT or NYCB. But the Diamond Project is also supposed to expose new choreographers, unfortunately I think most of it gets shot down because of the enormous rep that people already love, which in itself pigeonholes NYCB.

So, I am a New Yorker, but I love to see other ballet companies perform things from their own companies reps as well as Balanchine.

I'm going to toss in Agnes DeMille and Martha Graham. They both seemed like the first women to be successful in a man's world. I have to admit that I've not seen many of either's works, but I liked what I saw.

I don't have a favorite, but Robbins is up there. He made ballet easy for me to understand, I always thought it was tutu's and storybooks but he made me laugh first!

I often wonder if it must be hard for new choreographers. All those before them seemed to take all the great music!

IMO I always thought the more "Robbins" dancer was a bit better at emoting and bringing character to a role that may not have a defined one.

Balanchine to me is the dancer's relationship to the music, Robbins I always found was the dancers relationship to the audience and their fellow dancers on stage.

I also think that Robbins knew the dancers he picked weren't the strongest technicians but had a flair of their own.

Off the top of my head dancers that fall more into the Robbins rep; Rachel Rutherford and Riolama Lorenzo come to mind and of course Jenifer Ringer, who stated she thought she was more a Robbins dancer, it didn't hurt that he adored her.

I never saw her dance but wasn't a lot of his choreography done with Tanaquil LeClercq in mind? Was she a "Robbins Dancer"?

As for Robbins legacy holding up, when I saw Christopher Wheeldon's latest piece, my first thought was that it wasn't nearly as good as "The Concert". I suppose in certain pieces Robbins is the standard.

I think people nowadays make assumptions in order to play it "safe" sometimes. The likelyhood of your cab driver Alexandra of your cab driver playing classical music for a young kid dressed with his shorts around his knees and a t-shirt meant for 4 people is unlikely, but the possibility of the kid actually being a student of classical music (and liking it) is possible, but not likely. It's not the greatest movie in the world but "Music of the Heart" with Meryl Streep playing a violin teacher who brings classical music to kids who though Mozart was a tagger's name, was pretty good. But it took her a while to get them to open up to the idea of classical music, to try and expose someone for 5 minutes to something new isn't always worth the effort (to some).

A lot of times on this board people get down on sports and don't "understand" why so much coverage and attention is given to them or pop culture and why movie stars get paid millions and we have dance companies closing. I love sports, I love movies and I love ballet but they're not really comparable, and art is very individual.

Last year Mayor Guiliani commisioned a group to censor what he felt was "not art" after an exhibition was shown at a museum. My first reaction (as usual with him) was that he was nuts. Art is supposed to make you think and not every person has the same reaction to it.

I've gotten off the subject of stereotyping and assumptions.

In American society, at a ballet, you are more than likely to have more women than men, more older than younger and even a more affluent crowd. I mean, they serve champagne, the wait staff is fully dressed, the atmosphere is stuffy. There are times when I love to just go in jeans and people look at me as though I'm disrespectful.

I think we have a men like sports and women do the "artsy" attitude here in the States. And if it's portrayed otherwise then the advertiser's are trying to be "pc"

A.C. I don't think it's "forbidden" to like classical music, it's just not the not what the majority does. And unfortunately that's what we base a lot of stereotypes on, majority.

It would be nearly impossible to reverse people's stereotypes but I think sometime's by trying to "counter" the norm, we often keep the stereotype in place by recognizing that there is one. You have to almost be nonchalant about it so as to make it normal, because it is normal. But often we take the defensive, "yeah, I'm a guy that likes ballet but I'm not gay" If people choose to make assumptions then that's their choice and they'll lose your buying power, your trust and your respect, but if we all loved the same things we wouldn't be very diverse and I think it's that diversity that creates genius, someone who challenges the way we think, who forces us to recognize our own fears and mistrusts of things.

Sometimes ignorance can be bliss. I stumbled on to ballet by chance and I love it, but I too once thought it wasn't for me and there are still times when it's not but I don't try to force feed people on it. Art is like religion to me, when the time is right you'll find it.

I think it's meant to be for "pop culture" and I doubt if you put Misha on the cover you'd sell to as big of an audience as Julia Roberts.

Sometimes I get miffed but then again I often think if mainstream ever got a hold of ballet it may end up in worse condition than it is now. I like the limited exposure and when I do open up a magazine and see a profile of a dancer/choreographer, I add the magazine to my subscription list and check the editor's page next month to see if anyone wrote in to commend them for the piece!

I was reading an article in the SF Chronicle that mentioned ABT is planning to do Ashton's "La Fille" and "The Dream" next season. Does anyone know anything more about this? Have they ever done either before? I ask b/c it was my understanding that due to financial hardship they were scrapping new productions.

It is a bit mouth gaping though that NYCB is not bringing any Balanchine to the Edinburgh Festival this year.

Aren't a lot of the "lost" ballets lost b/c there were no notes, photos, film taken?

I have to say my favorite season at NYCB was the Balanchine Celebration. It was just amazing, but I do like to see other companies performing Balanchine, especially when they're taught by dancers who were originally cast in it and in some cases those dancers don't even coach City Ballet anymore (i.e. Scotch Symphony a few years back at the Kirov, Suzanne Farrell teaching it to Larissa Lezhnina).

Miami, SF, PNB all have put on some amazing performances.

Personally I'd rather see two weeks of Balanchine ballets that I've never seen than be tormented by 2 weeks of Diamond Project.

In terms of advertising, they're not necessarily guaranteed a return from the Times either. They don't have to add any cost, instead of running an add in the Times, New Yorker (also not your average read) split those between several papers. I bet most of your average working class New Yorker couldn't tell you when those companies are performing (except for the Nutcracker).

That's a tough one. One thing I notice with NYCB and ABT is they only advertise in the NY Times. There are no advertisements in the NY Post or Daily News (which are considered not as intellectual) same with magazines. I've never seen an advertisement in say the Korean newspapers (of which there are plenty) any of the Latin ones either. I would expect they might even have cheaper advertising rates.

Companies have reached out to the kids with discount tickets prices but given the option I think most boys would rather see Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider than Darci Kistler in Swan Lake even if the movie price is more. They don't need supervision at a movie (hypothetically!)but a parent would have to pay for a full price ticket to go with them. And ticket prices are a big problem right now. I used to go at least once a week to the ballet, now I go maybe once every two or three weeks. I think some people feel ballet is something of money. You need it to study it, to see it and if they don't make it affordable, why go to a ballet when you can blow $9 on a movie and be able to see the screen, you don't have to dress nice and if you can't get to a movie, it'll be on video pretty soon anyway.

Another underlying quotient is that of the company's makeup. African Americans look at NYCB or ABT and don't see many African American dancers, so they may assume that there's little potential for their little boy or girl to get in to those companies but a company like DTH or Ailey is made up of mostly minorities.

I'm a bit all over the place in my answer, but I hope I made some good points.

I always wondered if the transition from corps (dancing every night, no pressure) to soloist (not being cast as often but you're not a principal yet) was hard. As a principal it seems as though they have to carry the company.

I pretty much agree with everything said.

I think there must be to some degree a bitterness since B can't do the classical anymore.

I also agree that he benefitted from the commercialism of ballet and probably did more to promote that than anyone (at least for my generation). But he was under a microscope, bridging those who knew ballet and those that didn't and now he can't get out of that stereotype. He's like an actor who doesn't want to get typecasted.

I bet the commercialization of ballet could be a whole other topic. I believe ballet has gone from being an art form to entertainment, but again, that might be a whole other topic.

I believe Colorado Ballet has a big international contingency as well.

Whenever a company brings in a guest artist, I always wonder why. Is it for the dancer to do a style they've never done before or to add a little "spice" to the company's performance. Sometimes it works (Darci Bussell's 4T's performances at NYCB) and I'm sure there are times it doesn't (but I can't think of any).

I think that the lending of ballets must have an impact too. The Kirov doing Balanchine, NYCB attempting Bourniville, etc...

Jury is still out for me as to whether it's good or not, for myself a guest artist might peak my interest in going to see the company they're from, especially if they're good. I have to see if everyone else is as good as them too ;)

On another thread someone commented on young kids always wanting to get into NYCB. I recently had a conversation with a 12 year old who is going to SAB for a summer session and her ideal also is NYCB.

I suppose I'm playing devil's advocate because I don't think NYCB's corps is all that fantastic. I believe ABT is the company of "stars" but there corps dancers seem to know their positions whereas at City Ballet I feel as though I'm watching a competition sometimes to see who can get noticed with their leg up higher.

My question is what makes a corps great and who's got one that is now? :confused:

There's also a book profiled in this month's Vanity Fair called "White Swan, Black Swan" and I forget the author's name but she used to be a dancer.

I would rather see a dancer "go for it" and fall than to play it "safe".

That said though, I don't like when dancers make up their own choreography to show off some of their talents and miss (badly) I've seen a few male dancers in NY do that this year, I have to admit when they miss, I kind of smil and think they should have left the choreography the way it was.

I've also seen dancers laughing, someone falls and shoulders start shaking.

When dancers "eat air". I know it's hard to breathe, but watching someone gulp air kills for me whatever amazing thing they just did was.

Is he going to dance the upcoming season with City Ballet?

I hope he doesn't bring the Edwaard over to another playbill!

This may sound naive on my part, but what makes it a classic? Is it the first choreographed version?

If that's the case, then it depends on the first time an individual has seen it.

This may seem minor, but I saw a picture of "Concerto Barocco" where the women were wearing black costumes. That made me wonder who changed that and why and if the original choreographer makes the changes, well then is it a classic or does the new one become the classic?

I think I just tied myself up into a knot!

During my recent vacation, I read the Maria Tallchief biography and what seemed like endless articles on Tanaquil LeClerq. In the course of reading all this, it was noted how ballets were "left" to people.

With the passing of Ms. LeClerq, it seemed many Balanchine ballets were left to her and several people needed to obtain permission to perform some of them, now what happens to those pieces?

Can they be left to someone else?

Again, I'm sure I'm repeating a topic that's been discussed, I just find it curious. Thanks.

In "Town & Country", I think it's Suki S. (sorry, I don't want to butcher her last name) in an advertisement for bone density screenings.

And in the new "Harper's Bazaar" Wendy Whelan is photographed in an article on Pilates but not credited.

Thanks for the responses, I can barely keep the people in my own life's names straight, let alone all of these dancers!

Leigh, in regard to the dropping modern dancers, what is the reason for using ballet dancers, if you know?