ami1436

Hi folks,

I'm hoping to be in NYC the weekend of May 11 (that evening is booked), with a few days before and after...and am staring at NYCB and ABT schedules trying to decide what I'd like to see... or, more accurately, trying to narrow my list down from 'everything'!

I have seen both companies, but it's been a while (I last saw NYCB in London... and ABT at the Ken Cen), so am not as up-to-date on the dancers as I usually am. In particular, I'm curious about NYCB's Spring Gala, and the matinee on the 12th (wishing Russian Seasons was not on the same bill as DGV, which I saw when it came out and after with the Royal...). Considering my potential schedule, I think I could maybe do ABT's opening gala and/or the opening Giselle....

Any thoughts or recommendations? Anything that I'm overlooking? I do, ostensibly, need to also see a variety of friends of colleagues, so I think at most I should do 2, maybe 3 performances.

Would love to hear the thoughts of regular watchers (and any tips on tickets and pricing!).

Thanks!

Wow, I find that unnecessarily vitriolic. If we are calling a dancer who could sit on my shoulder a heave-ho? I mean, I'm 5'1 (so yes, she's taller than me), but tiny, and...well. This is unnecessary.

From what I can gather, there are several reasons, including his own other ambitions. The speculation can be fun, but can also detract from the fact that: HE RESIGNED. And, interesting, he seems to have been planning this for a while, but apparently gave the company just a few hours' notice.

I didn't see the Ratmansky Cinderella, so that would be great, but would LOVE to see Little Humpbacked Horse!!!!

Thanks to all! I had called the box office this morning - nothing was available, no standing would be sold they said, and no standbys. But now, there are tickets... huzzah for me!

*sigh*!

Hi folks,

I'm looking for a ticket for this Saturday's performance by the Mariinsky at the Kennedy Center. I'm happy to pay face-value, but I am a post-doc... (in other words, there's no way I'll be able to afford the top-priced tickets!). If anyone has an extra or suddenly can't go, please let me know. I need to know no later than Friday, as I'll have to drive up to DC on Saturday. Thanks so much!

Could anyone comment on casting for the Kennedy Center shows, especially Napoli (doubt I'll be able to drive to DC during the work week, sadly....).

Here it is: http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showevent&event=BLBSH

Ooof I just don't get all this about shoes and balances.

I've seen both of Alina's pointe shoes (she wears Blochs and Gaynor Mindens), and I've seen her dance close-up. She has seriously. bad. feet. They are tiny, but really wide around a really horrific bunion. If you look at the shoe, it's actually a tapered/semi-tapered box with a wide forefoot for the bunions -- just like her feet are shaped. Rojo's are also somewhat tapered. Wearing a big, square platform does not help you balance if it does not support your foot! In fact, sliding around/down in that shoe makes it much worse, and painful, and downright dangerous. Most of these dancers have specially-made shoes to fit their feet like a glove... and please, let's not forget that there is technique involved in balancing -- not just shoes!

As for Alina's acting, my own impression after watching her for the past 7-8 years is that the more comfortable she is with a partner, the more developed her acting is. I feel this is true of most dancers though....

Oof -- I think I had opposite reactions to Program B than Natalia. I sadly did not enjoy In Dreams much -- I was actually wondering why they brought it? For a program like this, I should want to call my friends in the Memphis area and tell them to see this company... but when the piece finished, I wasn't sure of what the dancers could do. I also felt that there was not that much cohesion; choreography should be more than putting steps to music.

On the flipside, I enjoyed PNB's work -- as a program note, the costuming was apparently done by (suggested by?) Isabella Boylston (sp?) of ABT! It wasn't the Best.Thing.Ever., but I did find it enjoyable and it gave me a good sense of the dancers. Maybe I liked it because I couldn't keep my eyes of Korbes...

I'm with Natalia on Ballet Arizona for the most part... still not sure of what I thought about the half-tutu hip ruffles for the women.....

dirac, I'm with you, and I've been thinking about this more. I know I was one who would dance around the house and what not, sometimes mimicking pop stars (which seemed so much more tame back in the day -- but that might be my own nostalgia!). But I'm still concerned about the gendered norms of sexualizing young women, especially as someone who often teaches college freshmen and served as an RA for undergraduate dorms for a while in grad school.... To me, I can see certain trends spanning age ranges -- where it's the females who get dolled up/sexed up and the guys get to play with trucks and computer games. Okay, that's a simplification, but let's turn the tables -- what if these were 5 young boys, dancing similarly sexual moves, dressed in provocative ways? (Although I'm not sure what provocative would be for boys of that age?) Would folks be as accepting, would they find it weird? Would they be more worried about pedophiles? I don't know the answers at all, nor have I thought my way through my own responses, but I think these larger questions are perhaps more enlightening -- and maybe productive -- than all the focus on one dance, as dirac noted.

This has hit the ceiling today, which is part of the reason I think the video was taken down. Anderson Cooper discussed it on CNN, and I think he said the girls were 6-8. The parents of some of the girls were apparently on some of the morning talk shows here, and from what I've seen reported in the press their accounts revolved around 'this was a competition', 'it's what everyone does' and 'it was not intended for a wider audience'.

To me, there are two questions -- whether or not this type of overt sexualization at a young age affects the individual (question 1)? Secondly, what does our acceptance/or not of it say about our societal views? I don't know. I feel that young females, more so than young males, are sexualized at younger and younger ages these days, placed into a world where looks, bodies, and even pink (!) become all-important. It's not impossible to choreography a dance that involves the tricks/strengths of these young dancers, their performance ability, and is simultaneously more age-appropriate? Or, and connected to the second question, are we impressed by the 'prodigy' factor, of young girls dancing as if they were older/mature? Wows.

I'd agree with Nunez for Ballo, but also for Morera -- she's got lightening sharp pointe work.

Sure -- I saw a different cast than jsmu. Jan Burkhard was the Sylph, and the outstanding James was Richard Krusch. (I hope I spelled these right). Krusch, especially, was impressive, especially considering that these were debuts from both.

JSMU -- again, I saw a different cast -- but I'm glad that in 9x12 I wasn't the only one seeing the references!

I just wanted to mention Carolina Ballet's latest production, which was on stage last weekend. For La Sylphide, they had costumes and sets from Boston Ballet, and they were gorgeous, as was the dancing -- I went on Friday night and saw the debut of two second soloists, who did an outstanding job! I can't wait to see them settle into these roles... sadly, it was an extremely short run over 4 days. I hope they do it again!

La Sylphide was prefaced by a new work by Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Nine by Twelve. I enjoyed this fun piece, but thought that first half was somewhat referential, and enjoyed the majority of the second half much more.

Very excited for most of this, including RDB -- although I wish they were bringing La Sylphide as well, as I love it so.

Yes! I've been sick for about 2 weeks (but still had to work), so I missed dance classes -- timed nicely with the Olympics. I mainly remember the moguls, snowboard cross, and the halfpipe (holy cow!!!!!!!). I also saw some aerials, ski jumping, curling, speed skiing... a bit of bobsledding/luge, but that track freaks me out.

Again, I recognized I'm rather a novice in following all this, and appreciate the discussions here. I enjoyed the Kourlas article as well.

I'd also be interested to hear who those of you in the know think are the 'ones to watch'. I really enjoyed Mirai (ladies) and Takahashi and Lambiel (men -- I realize he medaled in Turin). I felt less enthused, overall, by the pairs. Loved the Canadian and American ice dancers.

Thanks sidwich -- This is the first Winter Olympics I've been able to watch for about a decade, so definitely the first one under the new scoring system, and I definitely felt that the overall choreography had more of a 'cookie cutter' feel. I appreciate you taking the time to explain the system. I'm guessing that jumps are the most heavily weighted component?

Can someone here explain the requirements for 'on ice'? I feel like the jumps are so emphasized that we miss out on understanding anything else. I'm guessing there are required positions for the spiral sequences. Is that also to for the spins? (How many spins, different edges, positions, rotations?) And the footwork?

Sorry for all the questions -- I'm truly interested. And to some extent, I find the focus on jumps similar to what I see amongst the younger dancers at my studio -- you may dance beautifully, but if your triple pirouette became a double -- HORRIFIC! I know a lot of people who watch dance in the same way -- all flash and splash.

Yes!!!!!!!! Thanks for the news Jane -- I can't wait!

I'm an Olympics junky, but this is the first time I've had a TV during the Olympics since summer 2000, so....I've missed a lot in terms of how the sports and coverage of them have evolved. However, this:

And for the men, something really original: how about ... ... a shirtless variation from Corsaire pas de deux? To please the neophytes, this should contain choreographic revision by Evgeny Plushenko, eliminating all transitions and retaining only the jumps and turns.

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!

I find the commentary disturbing, but I'm also overall disturbed by NBC's coverage, so that's another story. I did, however, prefer Takahashi, Lambiel, and Lysacek to Plushenko. They were much more musical, impassioned, etc. And how, how, how I wish that Lambiel's footwork and spins could be rewarded more. (Okay, I realize the spins border 'tricks', but his are amazing... and I'm in awe of anyone who has that natural sense...).

Like I said, I didn't follow the changes in scoring, but what happened with the pairs? I found some of the required turns/poses/spiral sequences a bit yawn-worthy... there seemed to be somewhat of a lack of excitement....

I think this is all off-topic... I do like streaming the Prix de Laussane and think I'd watch an IBC, but please, without the commentary!

Jane,

I hope you're well. Anything and everything I read about the RB makes me miss the UK more and more! Please keep us posted on how the performances are!

Although I moved away from London about 18 months ago, Rojo continues to be one of my favourites (if not my absolute favourite!). I've perhaps been lucky, because I've never found her to be inconsistent. She's beautiful, for sure, but moreso, to me, is that she is an intelligent dancer. Yes, she can hit high extensions... but her Rose Adage? A beautiful 90 degree attitude.

She does indeed do Pilates, and was featured on a dvd on Pilates along with Ed Watson and.... I want to say Johannes Stepanek. Unfortunately, the dvd is not really a 'fitness' dvd, but really much more about watching these dancers do the exercises. It is available through Dancebooks.

She is also know for going to open classes at popular studios in London to train with one of her favourite teachers -- these classes are crowded, etc, but she does them. I've watched her in class and rehearsals several times, and this is a woman who works HARD, and really, really thinks about what she is doing. She's also very articulate.

I've not seen this particular video, but I'm a big Rojo fan, and have found her to be a tremendous actress. That said, I don't think Acosta is her best partner, and (small voice) he's not a great actor. But there's a demand for him on film, so..........

She really shone (in my eyes) with Cope, and I don't see anyone currently pushing her emotionally/dramatically in the same way.

Is this a dance program? Am wondering if I should get my family to tape something!

This was posted on Ballet Talk for Dancers this morning -- apparently, Ms. Jensen is now a corps member with the Boston Ballet:

http://www.bostonballet.org/Company_Dancer...ney_Jensen.html