Amy Reusch

A non dance friend came up to me today in $tarbux and was just bubbling over with how wonderful the PBS documentary on ABT had been and how she planned to buy it for her sister... How she had never known half the history nor realized how ephemeral dance was and how it only lives from performance to performance... And on & on about the oral tradition and how much it has changed over the years eith each era adding a new element...

I haven't seen it yet and imagine from having seen the promo that It will hit a nerve... But perhaps for the non ballet going public it has opened their eyes a little...

Watching the late Plisetskaya in Don Quixote, I was mystified by the man with the monkey puppet behind her. It seemed a surprising amount of business to be going ehile the balletina was dancing. I have not read Cervantes novel, but the internet tells me there is a puppeteer character... Is that Ginés de Pasamonte ( at 2:11 in this clip? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wbgEHxGVOw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Or at 3:20 in the clip on this page (same exact clip but clearer)

http://balletoman.com/552-don-quixote-plisetskaya-liepa.html

okay... this is odd... but that flash clip of the homeless girl... I swear I used to see exactly that character in real life in the late '70s... always wondered about her... is that recreated from someone's memory? (I guess I should add that I mean a particular homeless person... there have been countless homeless in the city in the last few decades, but this image speaks of a particular child...)

" At some point I won’t be here anymore—I’m sure they’ll get to do other ballets again."

I wonder, is he planning only a short stay? Or does "they" refer to the POB but not necessarily the current dancers?

Only one Stage Designer nominated?

I couldn't agree more, Vipa...

And I think some of the trendy choreographers have been spread a little too thin for their own good... I'd rather see them working longer and more intensively with one company instead of jetting around the world pressured to create a big hit with every new commission.

Program for Part III

American Ballet Theatre at 75

Part III

1990-2015

PANEL (in alphabetical order)

David Hallberg, ABT Principal Dancer

Julie Kent, ABT Principal Dancer

John Meehan, Moderator and Professor of Dance, Vassar College

Alexei Ratmansky, ABT Artist in Residence

Ethan Stiefel, Former ABT Principal Dancer

ABT PERFORMERS (in alphabetical order)

Skylar Brandt, Corps de Ballet

Brittany DeGrofft, Corps de Ballet

Blaine Hoven, Corps de Ballet

Courtney Lavine, Corps de Ballet

Isadora Loyola, Corps de Ballet

Veronika Part, Principal

Lauren Post, Corps de Ballet

Calvin Royal, Corps de Ballet

Gabe Stone Shayer, Corps de Ballet

Cory Stearns, Principal

Sean Stewart, Corps de Ballet

Devon Teuscher, Soloist

Cassandra Trenary, Corps de Ballet

Paulina Waski, Corps de Ballet

ABT JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS SCHOOL PERFORMERS

Demitra Bereveskos, Katie Buckmiller, Roma Catania, Adelaide Clauss, Jessica Conniff, Madison Egyud, Abigail Granlund, Olivia Green, Gabrielle LaMura, Audrey Lipson, Minagi Negishi, Athena Petrizzo, Jonathan Philbert, Grace Ann Pierce, Madeleine Purcell, Alice Stratmann

PIANISTS

Emily Wong & Michael Cherry

The Sleeping Beauty (Excerpt from Act III Precious Stones)

Choreography by Marius Petipa

Staging and additional choreography by Alexei Ratmansky,

assisted by Tatiana Ratmansky

Music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

Costumes by Richard Hudson, inspired by Léon Bakst

Diamond Fairy Skylar Brandt

Gold Fairy Brittany DeGrofft

Silver Fairy Lauren Post

Sapphire Fairy Paulina Waski

Othello (Excerpt)

Choreography by Lar Lubovitch

Music by Elliot B. Goldenthal

Costumes by Ann Hould-Ward

Assistant Choreographer: Ginger Thatcher

Veronika Part, Cory Stearns

Cinderella (Act I Fairy Godmother Solo)

Choreography by Frederick Ashton

Production directed, supervised and staged by Wendy Ellis

Somes and Malin Thoors

Music by Sergei Prokofiev

Costume design by David Walker

Devon Teuscher

Coaching Session with Ethan Stiefel

Calvin Royal

Seven Sonatas (Pas de Deux)

Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky

Music by Domenico Scarlatti

Costumes by Holly Hynes

Veronika Part, Blaine Hoven

The Sleeping Beauty (Act III Excerpts)

(Adagio from Princess Florine and The Bluebird)

Cassandra Trenary, Gabe Stone Shayer

(The White Cat and Puss-in-Boots)

Isadora Loyola, Sean Stewart

(Cinderella and Prince Fortune)

Courtney Lavine, Calvin Royal

Les Sylphides (Excerpt)

Choreography by Michel Fokine

Staged by Harriet Clark

Performances given by the kind permission of the Fokine Estate

Copyright The Fokine Estate Archive 1909

Music by Frédéric Chopin

Orchestration by Benjamin Britten

Katie Buckmiller, Adelaide Clauss, Abigail Granlund, Jonathan Philbert, Demitra Bereveskos, Roma Catania, Jessica Conniff, Madison Egyud, Olivia Green, Gabrielle LaMura, Audrey Lipson, Minagi Negishi, Athena Petrizzo, Grace Ann Pierce, Madeleine Purcell, Alice Stratmann

Program for Part 2

American Ballet Theatre at 75

Part II

1965-1990

PANEL (in alphabetical order)

Ric Burns, Documentary Filmmaker

Eleanor D’Antuono, Former ABT Principal Dancer

Robert La Fosse, Former ABT Principal Dancer

John Meehan, Moderator and Professor of Dance, Vassar College

Martine van Hamel, Former ABT Principal Dancer

ABT PERFORMERS (in alphabetical order)

Stella Abrera, Soloist

Mai Aihara, Corps de Ballet

Skylar Brandt, Corps de Ballet

Zhong-Jing Fang, Corps de Ballet

Nicole Graniero, Corps de Ballet

Alexandre Hammoudi, Soloist

Blaine Hoven, Corps de Ballet

Duncan Lyle, Corps de Ballet

Veronika Part, Principal

Arron Scott, Corps de Ballet

Gabe Stone Shayer, Corps de Ballet

Christine Shevchenko, Soloist

Devin Teuscher, Soloist

Cassandra Trenary, Corps de Ballet

James Whiteside, Principal

Roman Zhurbin, Corps de Ballet

PIANIST

Benjamin Houghton

PROGRAM

La Bayadère (Excerpt from “Kingdom of the Shades,” Act II)

Choreography by Natalia Makarova, after Marius Petipa

Music by Ludwig Minkus, specially arranged by John Lanchbery

Production conceived and directed by Natalia Makarova

Costumes Designed by Theoni V. Aldredge

Production Coordinator: Dina Makaroff

Mai Aihara, Skylar Brandt, Nicole Graniero, Cassandra Trenary

Swan Lake (Excerpt from Act I Pas de Trois)

Choreography by Kevin McKenzie after Marius Petipa and Lev

Ivanov

Music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

Costumes by Zack Brown

Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher, Blaine Hoven

Giselle (Adagio from Act II)

Choreography after Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, and Marius Petipa

Staged by Kevin McKenzie

Libretto by Théophile Gautier, on a theme by Heinrich Heine

Music by Adolphe Adam

Orchestrated by John Lanchbery

Costumes by Anna Anni

Stella Abrera, James Whiteside

Character Medley

Roman Zhurbin

La Bayadère (Excerpt from Act I, Scene 2)

Nikiya, a temple dancer Veronika Part

Gamzatti, the Radjah’s daughter Stella Abrera

Aya, Gamzati’s servant Zhong-Jing Fang

Romeo and Juliet (Excerpt from Act I, Scene 3)

Choreography by Sir Kenneth MacMillan

Music by Sergei Prokofiev

Costumes by Nicholas Georgiadis

Alexandre Hammoudi, Blaine Hoven, Arron Scott

Don Quixote (Excerpt)

Choreography by Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky

Staged by Kevin McKenzie and Susan Jones

Music by Ludwig Minkus

Arranged by Jack Everly

Costumes by Santo Loquasto

Skylar Brandt, Nicole Graniero, Cassandra Trenary

Duncan Lyle, Arron Scott, Gabe Stone Shayer

I had the red screen issue as well. Was wtching on an old iPad. Wasn't sure if it would behave the same way on a normal computer. It takes a while to get through to it but the Calvin Royal footage is impressive for how well he manages to appear to dance full out without the actual room to do so... One thinks Stieffel is teasing him about spacing during the "coaching" session.

"The part that troubles me is the selection of live/trendy choreographers. Peck, Ratmansky, Wheeldon, Scarlett. They are not big enough names to attract an audience and they have mixed critical reaction. I'm not sure why AD's hire them." ~ Vipa

Are there working ballet choreographers who attract bigger audiences that you would rather see? Or are you saying give more chances to lesser known newcomers because these names are not attracting audiences anyway? not sure what you mean, unless you are saying not to program living chorepgraphers... Which surely you aren't suggesting... (maybe I better go back and read the original thread this was broken off of?)

Please explain...

These are up now for anyone to see (with certain section omitted because the rights to distribute over the internet were at issue). The size of the stage presents a challenge to the dancers, but it is fascinating to see some of this in stripped down version (piano accompaniment, no set)... Fancy Free in particular is worth seeing bare bones...

And the interviews are worth finding the time for. Lupe Serrano is a delight!

American Ballet Theatre at 75

Part I

1940-1965

PANEL (in alphabetical order)

Alex Ewing, Historian and Son of ABT Founder Lucia Chase

Kevin McKenzie, ABT Artistic Director

John Meehan, Moderator and Professor of Dance, Vassar College

Gillian Murphy, ABT Principal

Lupe Serrano, Former ABT Principal Dancer

ABT PERFORMERS (in alphabetical order)

Sterling Baca, Corps de Ballet

Marian Butler, Corps de Ballet

Zhong-Jing Fang, Corps de Ballet

Thomas Forster, Corps de Ballet

Joseph Gorak, Soloist

Gabrielle Johnson, Corps de Ballet

Jamie Kopit, Corps de Ballet

Sarah Lane, Soloist

Duncan Lyle, Corps de Ballet

Elina Miettinen, Corps de Ballet

Gillian Murphy, Principal

Luciana Paris, Corps de Ballet

Veronika Part, Principal

Craig Salstein, Soloist

Devon Teuscher, Soloist

Cassandra Trenary, Corps de Ballet

Katherine Williams, Corps de Ballet

Lily Wisdom, Corps de Ballet

Roman Zhurbin, Corps de Ballet

PIANIST

Emily Wong

PROGRAM

Les Sylphides (Excerpt)

Choreography by Michel Fokine

Performances given by the kind permission of the Fokine Estate

Copyright The Fokine Estate Archive 1909

Music by Frédéric Chopin

Orchestration by Benjamin Britten

Costume Design by Lucina Ballard

Zhong-Jing Fang, Joseph Gorak

Luciana Paris, Cassandra Trenary and

Gabrielle Johnson, Jamie Kopit, Elina Miettinen, Lily Wisdom

Jardin Aux Lilas (Lilac Garden Excerpt)

Choreography by Antony Tudor

Staged by Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner

Music by Ernest Chausson (Poème)

Costumes by Peter Cazalet

Caroline, the Bride-to-be Devon Teuscher

Her Lover Thomas Forster

An Episode in His Past Veronika Part

Fancy Free (Excerpt)

Choreography by Jerome Robbins

Staged by Jean-Pierre Frohlich

Music by Leonard Bernstein

Costumes by Kermit Love

Gillian Murphy, Sterling Baca

Theme and Variations (Pas De Deux)

Choreography by George Balanchine*

Music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

(Theme and Variations from Suite No. 3 for Orchestra)

Costumes by Zach Brown

Sarah Lane, Joseph Gorak

*© The George Balanchine Trust

The performance of Theme and Variations, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Services standards established and provided by the Trust.

Fall River Legend (Excerpt)

Choreography by Agnes de Mille

Music by Morton Gould

Costumes by Miles White

The Accused Gillian Murphy

Her Step-Mother Luciana Paris

Her Father Duncan Lyle

Her Pastor Roman Zhurbin

Rodeo (Excerpt)

Choreography by Agnes de Mille

Staged by Paul Sutherland

Tap solo staged by Dirk Lumbard

Music by Aaron Copland

Costumes by Santo Loquasto

The Head Wrangler Roman Zhurbin

The Champion Roper Craig Salstein

The Cowgirl Marian Butler

The Ranch Owners Daughter Katherine Williams

and

Sterling Baca, Duncan Lyle, Elina Miettinen, Lily Wisdom

Bravo, The Wallace Foundation!

Well, that's one mighty strange opening clip....

The slow motion doesn't annoy me half as much as the truncated framing... why? What is the camera looking at when most of the action happens outside the frame?

There is a side benefit in having students, not stars, to choreograph on... It means the work has to survive by the skill of the choreographer rather than the skill of the dancers...

How often are women company members given the opportunity to choreograph on the SAB kids? Every year? Does the ratio reflect the general gender ratio of the company or is it wildly different? (She asks, trying to return to topic, NYCB's next season, the most salient aspect of which seems to be the continued and marked absence of choreography from women).

In the UK, are the degree programs producing ballet choreographers? One of the problems here in the States is that the product of the degree programs tends to be modern/contemporary dance choreographers... rather than ballet choreographers... the nursery for ballet choreographers has been a major problem here in the States since forever...

I do believe there is a difference between ballet and modern/contemporary choreography. It is difficult to define how ballet choreography is distinct, but staying predominately within the ballet vocabulary would seem to be an element. Staying with ballet's concept of center of balance, and the point from which ballet's motion is initiated might be something, or is that too 19th century? Off center seems to be the mantra of contemporary ballet, but also why much of it looks alike?

Not every choreographer at NYCB was a star choreographer at the time of their first NYCB commission...

Looking at it from another angle, I could be wrong, but I suspect the pressures on the corps women are slightly different than on the men.. Peter Martins said decades ago that he felt he had to stop dancing to have the mental space to choreograph (or something to that effect)... I believe that with the greater number of women competing for a chance at NYCB that those who make it in may feel more forced to stay focused on maintaining their performance level? I wonder. The potential choreographic talent of the women seems a vastly under exploited resource...

Or, is it that the best choreographers are rarely the best dancers and the level of competition for the women at NYCB culls the choreographers from among them?

It is so odd of NYCB... One would think they don't believe women make good choreographers... As if the 20th century never existed... What is the deal?

I can't figure out that set!! Is that the ballroom?

Certainly an obituary will be posted somewhere, but in the meantime, there was this on Ballet Theatre of Houston's Facebook page.

Robert Underwood Memorial service

Sunday, March 1st, 2pm @ Cypress Creek Christian Church. 6823 Cypresswood Drive, Spring 77379.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations be made in Robert's memory to his non-profit performing company Ballet Theatre Houston.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ballet-Theatre-Houston/110654582318082?fref=nf

And below is excerpted from his bio from the school's website:

ROBERT UNDERWOOD

Our director stepped in to the studio established more than 30 years ago by Margo Marshall and Gilbert Rome and built upon its tradition as a program offering serious training based in classical ballet technique and took it to the next level. Robert began his training with Roman Jasinski in Tulsa, Oklahoma and upon graduation went straight into the company of American Ballet Theatre dancing for Mikhail Baryshnikov. A few years later while on tour with ABT, he met Mia Slavenska. Ms. Slavenska was a world renowned ballerina and taught dance with a unique perspective and passion. Robert took a year long leave of absence to train with Ms. Slavenska. Robert went on to dance as a principal with ballet companies in Germany and Switzerland and toured the world. He returned to the US to ABT and ended his professional dancing career with Boston Ballet. He retired to Houston to be with his family and to work with Houston Ballet. When Studio of Dance was seeking a new director, he stepped into that role in 2005. Shortly after, he founded Ballet Theatre Houston.

Carley was inspiring, may memories of her have a long life.

Perhaps that would be interesting to see... Giving the ballet a softer quality... I've never begrudged men their turning on half pointe... Why would that be denied sylphes...

But I would want to see Paquita on full pointe!

Wow! Someone really went to work on that! Is there an unusual set for this production?

I'm surprised by the length of the Sylvia and Bold Moves runs, and consider it good news that the company feels it can fill the house for these... I would have thought longer runs would be reserved for old warhorses, or alternating rep. It looks like they are doing something similar with their programming this current season as well. Do the houses fill well?

I'm not sure how Page managed the company's finances... how the dancers were paid, whether they made AGMA rates or how much they survived on work with the Opera... (Page & Tallchief both worked with the opera... that didn't seem to be offered to Tallchief's successor, Daniel Duell, but instead the Lyric continued to work with Tallchief's assistant Kennth von Heidecke) I know in the 1990s Ballet Chicago would sort of disband during Nutcracker season so the dancers could work other Nutcrackers. I know it was very hard to compete with the Tribune's Nutcracker and that full page ads for it started in the Tribune around Labor Day. I remember hearing that when the Pennsylvania/Milwaukee ballet tried to bring their Nutcracker through, the Tribune had giant Rats outside passing out flyers... Page did have some money, I don't know how much she subsidized the company... and wasn't Tallchief's husband a Chicago Real Estate magnate? I seem to remember something about rent not being an issue when she took over from Page, but I don't remember the details. Maybe someone does...

Tribune's Nut always seemed a little like robbing from an arts non-profit (Nutcracker is a ballet company's bread & butter) to serve another charity (literacy charities) ... always hoping to sell more newspapers I guess. McCormick was one of those pushing phonetic spelling, (presumably to make it easier to read newspapers) http://www.englishspellingsociety.org/journals/j24/shipley1.php

But we are straying pretty far from the Garage Sale (always fun to converse with the neighbors)

Maybe firing the blank was an insurance issue for the venue? Last week I was considering a list of ballets with fire-arms...

Yes, I just wish they could be put into circulation... 3 years of this Nut, 3 years of that Nut... I guess suiting the sets to the different venues would be a problem.