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Dale

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Everything posted by Dale

  1. Oh Ari, I was at that performance too. She was in row A and really thought the dancers were just being coy. A few nights later two women next to me (who, by their talk, sounded as if they go to the ballet pretty regularly) didn't understand about the pause, and were happy when I told them it comes in two parts. I think the problem is that the "order" is in very small print, and after looking at the dancers' names in the program, few people read on. When the ballet is performed last in the program, almost an eighth or more of the audience gets up and leaves (and misses the best part IMO). Some nights are different than others at NYCB. There was a performance of Episodes this past season with a really experienced crowd -- they got everything and really appreciated what, in my opinion, was an excellent performance. Then there are the audiences who will only clap for Whelan or Woetzel as if to say, "Oh, I know them so they must be good." But the ABT audience is out of control, whistling and clapping every element sometimes, especially those slow turns of Carreno's. I was at a mixed bill when his fans were going wild, then some SAB kids decided that it was fun just to scream at any pause. It was too weird, like being at the circus. However, I read a couple of dancers that felt that American audiences were too reserved and preferred those in the UK.
  2. Dale

    Emploi 2

    Oh, Jeannie I'm so happy that you've asked about Monique Meunier! I know that you usually don't prefer her. I have a feeling that PM holds your views on Aurora and Monique (hope that she is back soon) will most likely continue being the essence of calm and serenity as the Lilac Fairy. But how about this on emploi, would Maria Kowroski be out of the question as Aurora. She is tall but has a youthful, fresh manner -- a little bit like Zakharova. I saw Whelan do Aurora the last time the ballet as on at NYCB and she did well but was still better as the Lilac. I haven't entered into this discussion because I just don't feel I know "classical" ballet that well. But I do sort of classify according to me own little system. Sometimes I think of Symphony in C -- each movement has a different type of ballerina (bravura/classical, adagio, allegro/soubrette, classical/demi-soloist). Does that sound strange?
  3. A peek at Jaffe's bio shows she went to both schools. But what I was wondering is whether she had to chose beween NYCB and ABT?
  4. I was reading an article by Octavio Roca on ABT's new Swan Lake and it, to me, brought up some interesting thoughts about evening length ballets vs. one act works. Roca wrote: "In the parochial dance world that plays down the role of narrative ballet, this may be the occasion to reconsider the role of George Balancine's so-called abstract dances in today's repertory and perhaps to rediscover the work of the other genius of the Balanchine generation, Antony Tudor, together with the entire enterprise of dramatic ballet. Everyone except critics seems to love story ballets, even as many American critics betray an inordinate fondness for ballets devoid of dramatic content. Are such favorites as Giselle, the Nutcracker, and Swan Lake the highest achievements of an art form or simply guilty pleasure in which an audience must be indulged? ...." And he quotes several ABT people: "Frankly, even the idea of abstract ballet never made sense to me," said (Kevin) McKenzie. "When I was a dancer, I never really wanted just a meaty dancing part. I always wanted a role. I have been very lucky." "What keeps us interested is not the steps," (Susan) Jaffe said. "It is not just technique. It's funny, when I started out I had scholarships to both the School of American Ballet and ABT. I chose ABT, because I always wanted to dance Swan Lake and Giselle. The Balanchine repertory is beautiful, but it didn't call for my soul." How many people out there agree with these sentiments? Personally, I believe great one-act ballets can contain just as much story and emotion as longer works. The works of Balanchine and Robbins are even more immeadiate for me and emotionally touching because they don't contain "roles" but feelings. They're more universal, for me, because they are about men and women, not a prince and a swan, or a fairy tale. That's not to say I don't appreciate the classics but there is room for both forms, without placing one over the other. And I was puzzled by Jaffe's statement. 1) when she said she chose between SAB and ABT did she mean NYCB and ABT. Because one is a school and the other a company. 2) I disagree with her assessment of the Balanchine repertoire -- I guess she never saw Serenade or Liebesleider. There is a lot of "soul" in those ballets.
  5. Manhattnik, one of the reasons Zelensky left New York (among a few others) was to dance in London with Bussell. Before he left in 1997, he guested with her and danced Tschaikovsky pas de deux together in England, and he partnered her at NYCB in Swan Lake a few times that she guested. At the Royal, they've danced La Bayadare, Manon, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Ramonda, and a few other things. They were supposed to do Apollo together but the Balanchine Foundation stopped the production due to the 2nd cast. She danced with him, at his request, at the Kirov in La Bayadare. Plus in Galas. So they've danced quite a bit. But I thought his attention kept coming in and out (maybe due to jet lag because he enjoys dancing with Bussell, who he calls "the most beautiful dancer in the world"). I'm glad you miss Monique Meunier too (she was at the gala though). And great review.
  6. Both sides have a case. My feeling is that if you decide to leave during the curtain calls, get out fast. Don't get up (blocking someone else's view), slowly put on your coat, then realize there is a curtain call and just stand there. If your leaving do it and get out of everybody else's way.
  7. Manhattnik, you put my sentiments about Wendey's Swan Lake perfectly. Having seen her fabulous Balanchine rendition, I was expecting something special but was disappointed to see the herky-jerky performance. She did not dance with her usual fluidity -- her attack was just so strong and she looked very hard. The tempos did not help. Her "fourth act" was much better than her "Act II." Her Black Swan was marred by the 32 fouttes that traveled from the back to the front of the stage within the first 10 and it looked like the bailed on them when she figured she might finish in the orchestra pit. In addition, she took the characterization way too far. Sigfried is still supposed to think that she is Odette. As far as I'm concerned, Ringer stole the show, both in the Act I Pas de trois and the Act II pas de quatre -- her diagonal at the end of the pas de quatre never fails to give my the chills in its brilliance. Wouldn't it be interesting to see her as the Swan (with Millepied or Boal)?
  8. I knew I should have gone tonight Did Maria K. manage to make her debut in In G Major? I tried to catch that on Tuesday but she was replaced by Wendy Whelen. I guess now I know she was sick.
  9. Danilova also writes about Pavlova in her autobiography, and said that technique was never an issue with Pavlova, but that she had some special magic when she performed. I don't have the book in front of me but she goes into a little bit more detail. Dale
  10. Dale

    Diana Vishneva

    I'm glad you liked it. I hope I did her justice in your eyes.
  11. Yes, Leigh you're right and I've enjoyed watching videos there myself. What I meant to say is that the tapes are not for sale.
  12. No, the videos aren't for sale. At least the ones that are on view during the exhitit are (at least about 98 percent) from non-available archives. However, if you go give yourself plenty of time for the exhibit. The two video stops take about 20 minutes or more to watch. The first one is early stuff to about the 50s to late 60s. The second is mostly Live from Lincoln Center stuff, and a few things Balanchine had tapped in Germany during the early 70s. What struck me was the beautiful programs that Balanchine and Kirstein had made up -- most by important artists of the time. It's a shame that economics make these almost a thing of the past. I also found the costumes and personal photos from dancers' colections to be of most interest. There were also framed clippings that really showed how much more pr ballet got during the ballet boom of the 60s and 70s. Peter Martins was on the cover of Esquire and (I think) either Time or Newsweek. A ballet dancers or director would have to take a plane hostage in order to have a slim chance to get on the cover of a national news weekly. Dale
  13. Makhalina dances the Dryaid queen in the Don Q. with the Kirov (I know I won't spell these names right) with Terekhova and Ruzimatov. Pretty good except the camera work is too far away. Dale
  14. Dale

    Kyra Nichols

    I think some find Nichols bland because she is very subtle musically. I don't think it's time to put her out to pasture. Last season, she was a joy to watch in In G Major, Liebeslieder Walzer, Dances at a Gathering, Glazounov Pas de Deux, Diamonds, and Goldberg Variations. I had liked her in the final movement of Vienna Waltzes but last season I thought Kistler gave the superior performance in that ballet. However, I was pleased to see she "retired" from Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet and Symphony in C. She still has a lot to give, and like Mary said, to show us. Dale
  15. Barb and Alexandra brought up a point that I take into consideration when reading a critic -- where that critic is coming from, or their preferences. For instance, if Critic A prefers dramatic ballet, then I take that into account in a review of an abstract ballet. I think this point was brought up in a Tobi Tobias review of Eiffman. She said that that type of ballet wasn't her cup of tea but that the audience, which did appreciate that form, was very moved by the performance. I think that was very fair of her. She allowed the reader to know where she was coming from. She could have just ripped it apart. I'd also like to add something about objectivity. Because I've been thinking whether getting free tickets would alter a critics review of a ballet. Journalists have codes of ethics, just like other professions. It's up to each writer to govern themselves. If anything, I'm more careful when writing about people I admire or like. Also, I don't like the idea of papers only covering events for which they pay. Let's say I'm Rich Critic and I can afford to go to everything. Then there is Poor Critic, who can only cover a few things. Or a large paper vs. a smaller paper. That would only allow for one econimic viewpoint on a certain event (in this case a ballet). I don't think we'd be better off. Dale
  16. The thought crossed my mind that with a full-length version of Swan Lake at NYCB, that Balanchine's would not be performed. It's a shame. However, maybe not. As with Martins' Sleeping Beauty, the production requires permanent sets - meaning usually a one or two week string of performances. The company could schedule the one-act version anytime during the season without worrying about the sets. I was told that they company always has strong turnover when the ballet is scheduled (although that could be due to the Swan Lake factor). It certainly would allow them to jazz up a weeknight performance and make a little money.
  17. Comp tickets and other freebees often comes up in my job in sports. My professor at Columbia told us not to take anything, don't eat in the media room, and don't take any of the little gifts (even those under $50 which is generally considered the water mark for accepting gifts). Unfortunately, I've never covered any of the big "pay day" events, like the Super Bowl , that give out lots and lots of stuff. And now most of the press rooms in sports charge for food -- $5 at Madison Square Garden, $7 at Shea Stadium. I think the food is just a matter of convience, so a writer can interview the team before the game, eat, then watch the game. Well, a co-worker once pointed out that if I could be bought off with a $35 sweatshirt or $45 canvas bag, then I'm a sorry excuse as a journalist. In addition, the seats are often worse than you can buy. However, over the last few months I've noticed the arts are very different. Tobi Tobias wrote in her review of NYCB Fall opening night that when she tried to get an invitation to the 50th Reunion dinner, she was told only "Anna" and "Clive" were invited. Well, anybody who reads the New York Times or New York Post know that Kisselgoff and Barnes generally write positive reviews of the company. For these one could surmise that in "exchange" they received better access than other writers (especially those who are more negative such as Tobias). The question is, which way serves the readers more. Does that access allow the readers to learn more about the company? It could. Although I have to admit that deprevation could be the mother of invention as it was for Tobias, who wrote a very interesting article about the anniversary without going to the dinner.
  18. Robert La Fosse's autobiography had an interesting chapter about working with Kirland. They danced La Sonnambula together and he noted that every little nuance had to planned before hand and rehersed 100 times. But that on stage, she performed it as if she was doing it for the first time. She had a strange genius. I imagine that she was one of those dancers Balanchine probably told, "Don't think. Do." She was absolutely beautiful in many things but when she got so thin, it was hard to watch her. I read her biography and like others, I found it distasteful that she blamed others for her own actions. Allegra Kent's book was much better in this regard than Kirland's -- looking at her life unapologetically but with humor and without excuses. I'm afraid that when I think of Kirkland, I think of a person who destroyed a gift they had and then blamed everybody else when it was broken. Dale Dale [This message has been edited by Dale (edited 03-10-99).]
  19. Dale

    Discoveries

    Mary -- Keep an eye on Saskia Beskow and Ellen Bar. I saw Ellen Bar do the Grand Pas de Deux from the Nutcracker with Jared Angle at BAM during the Vaganova Symposium. She danced on such a large scale, even with just a piano instead of an orchestra. Janie Taylor was also there, doing a very perky solo from Divertimento #15. Both Bar and Beskow dance the parts in the "Three Fates" opening in La Valse. I like to go to the SAB performances and tab ballerinas of the future. Somehow, when they get into the company I find that I have a stake in their future. Dale
  20. This probably should be a different thread but...the developement of dancers or the coaching of ballets seems to be the biggest problem these days. I was reading the reviews in the latest Dance Magazine and almost all pointed out that the ballets weren't being taught right, that dancers performed the ballets in a homogenized style. I don't think it's because the dancers are not talented. They can do it, but they're not getting the support they or the ballets need. Is it a money issue? Do companies feel that coaching is a place where they can save a few bucks? Or do dancers feel that they are out of school and don't want to "take lessons" any more. I know that in music there was a point where instrumentalists felt that while they always had to practice, there was some point where they didn't need to study anymore. However, opera singers never stop working with their coaches. Even the best of the best still take lessons. I've noticed that Nina Ananiashvili still works with her coach just to make sure she's not slipping. It's sad to hear that this is happening at the Kirov, where it always seemed that older, retired dancers stayed around to help the next generation. Dale [This message has been edited by Dale (edited 01-18-99).]
  21. Well, everybody is entitled to their own choice but I wouldn't pick Lopitkina just yet, she's too young and does not have a "body of work" behind her. While I enjoy watching Yulia Makhalina she just doesn't change my world when I do. Not only doesn't she have longevity (yet) but in sporting terms, she hasn't led her team to the world championship. If the Kirov is considered better than it was five to 10 years ago, I believe it is because of their younger principles: Lopatikina, Vishneva, Sakahrova etc... That said, I've only seen her in a handful of performances, maybe I'd have to watch her over a whole season to make a really just decision. Dale
  22. I'll add a "non-star" -- Aura Dixon. A very good dancer in the corp de ballet at the NYCB with a winning stage persona. Of course she's a big girl and moves like one. I saw her do the last movement of Western Symphony, and one of the things I remember most is the part when the two leads go off the side and fool around. Well, Aura always looked like she was having a great time with Zelensky. In addition, she dancers her corp's parts as if there was no other role she'd rather be doing. Dale
  23. As a "former" horn player who studied for four years with the principal horn player for the NYCB I have to say that the French Horn is one of the hardest and most unpredictable instruments to play. It's not like the piano or flute, where you push the right button (s) and presto! the note comes out. The horn has three keys (as does the trumpet and tuba) but unlike those instruments, the interval system on the French Horn is so close, especially in the upper register that you can play a note such as G with no keys pressed, 1, two, 1 and 3 or all. The range of the instrument (as written by most composers) is tremendous, spaning sometimes four octives. So, please be kind to your local French Horn player as he or she is butchering the nocturn solo from Midsummer Night's Dream, they are probably doing everything right but that blasted funny instrument is getting in the way! Thanks, Dale
  24. Here's my best and worst of 1998 (New York): Disappointment: Ballet Frankfurt in Edios Telos. Interesting in spots but, to me, a lot of psudo-intellectual Euro trash. Disappointment 1a: The Snow Maiden -- beautiful sets, costumes, and dancing but boring choreography from Stevens. Zzzzzz! Also: Peter Martins' new ballets. Stabat Mater (see Snow Maiden) and River of Light (been there, done that!), Concerti Armonici (Brandenburg Part II). Surprise: San Francisco Ballet. I really enjoyed this company. Very appealing. The gala night at the City Center was fun and a great way to sample visually the entire roster, especially Muriel Maffry, Yuri Possokhov, and Lucia Lacarra. Ballet of the Year: Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by Forsythe. Fun, fast and furious. Funky costumes too. Great dancing by San Francisco Ballet. Known by Heart: Great vehicle by Tharp for Ethan Stiefel, Susan Jaffe, and ABT. Best new production (evening length): Le Corsaire. I know that some consider it a hodge podge of past productions but I thought it was fun and a perfect showcase to display ABT's star principal dancers. Best Performance: The first night of the rivival of Jewels at NYCB in January. Perfect cast -- Alexopolous and Weese in "Emeralds", Margaret Tracy, Nikolaj Hubbe, Monique Meunier in "Rubies", and Kyra Nichols and Philip Neal in "Diamonds". Best Individual Performances (not mentioned above): Darci Kister in Diamonds and Meunier's debut as Siren in Prodigal Son. Best costumes: Alain Vaes for Variations on a Nursery Song by Richard Tanner. Beautiful velvet bodices over short puffy taffeta layered skirts. I'm sure I'm forgetting a whole lot but there it is. -- Dale [This message has been edited by Dale (edited 01-01-99).]
  25. I love watching Kyra Nichols. She just so in command of her technique and a master of shading and nuance. I think her Scotch Symphony is simply beautiful. She takes the tragic heroine route while the aforementioned Weese is more the bonny lass (so to a point is Margret Tracy). Nichol Hlinka too. Maybe they all learned the role from the same dancer because, before those three took over the role, the ballerina part was played a little more dramatically. At least by Farrell and Kistler, who I also saw. (and Elena Pankova) On the other hand, sometimes Kyra is a little too understated. I think she failed to register as Euridice in Orpheus on Opening Night. Dale
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