Amy Reusch

Yes, thanks for the correction & additions. It's good to see the list. I had thought we were trending more toward non choreographer led companies since the mid 90s, but it looks like that was not so. In the 70s it felt like every company had a dedicated choreographer either leading it or as a long term residence. Who at ABT has replaced Tudor? We now have Ratmansky on a longer contract but how much of his year is he actually at ABT? Who has replaced Aroino and Joffrey at The Joffrey? Is it just that when an institution reaches a certain size where sustaining it financially requires a certain kind of management that it is difficult to have a choreographer run company? Maybe it is easier to survive the lows in a choreographer's output when one isn't trying to float a huge budget? I like to see repertory grow forward wuth living choreograohers instead of only backwards adding in classics and reconstructions. Are the "hot" choreographers doing do much globe trotting that its hard for them to develop deep "muse relationships" with dancers the way earlier choreographers seem to have? Does the globe trotting water down the chance for a particular company to develop it's own style? Ballet has surely benefitted from the development of such styles before. I wonder what Liang dancers will begin to look like...

And not one choreographer director a woman.

2013-2014 Season [updated] (order below is random, not significant) Choreographer Directed 1. Ballet Met - Edwaard Liang 2. Ballet Arizona - Ib Anderson 3. Boston Ballet - Mikko Nissensen 4. Texas Ballet Theater - Ben Stevenson 5. Washington Ballet - Septime Webre 6. Houston Ballet - Stanton Welch 7. Carolina Ballet - Robert Weiss 8. North Carolina Dance Theatre - Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux 9. Orlando Ballet - Robert Hill Ballet Master Directed 1. Joffrey Ballet- Ashley Wheater 2. Miami City Ballet - Lourdes Lopez 3. Pennsylvania Ballet - Roy Kaiser 4. Pacific Northwest Ballet - Peter Boal 5. Ballet West - Adam Sklute 6. Suzanne Farrell Ballet 7. Grand Rapids Ballet - Patricia Barker 8. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre - Terrence Orr 9. Los Angeles Ballet - Thordal Christensen 10. Aspen Santa Fe Ballet - Tom MossbrucKer 11. New Jersey Ballet - Carolyn Clark Unknown 1. Kansas City Ballet 2. Oregon Ballet Theatre 3. Ballet San Jose I'm not really sure what to make of choroegraphers Peter Martins and Helgi Tomasson because it seems so long since they have created on another company... But I guess that is true of Ben Stevenson too...   Where would you put them? Some of these never quite achieved as fame as choreographers as they did as dancers... I'm not counting Stowell or Whitener because they are ADs for 2013-2014 (hopefully I am mistaken) Who all am I missing?

Oh, I was trying to come up with something better than "non-choreographer" driven for the second list... Those who weren't choreographers seemed more like ballet masters... (isn't that the title Balanchine claimed?)... Regardless of hether or not they are choreographers, artistic directors choose repertory, dancers and designers...

2013-2014 Season (order below is random, not significant) Choreographer Directed 1. Ballet Met - Edwaard Liang 2. Ballet Arizona - Ib Anderson 3. Boston Ballet - Mikko Nissensen 4. Texas Ballet Theater - Ben Stevenson 5. Washington Ballet - Septime Webre 6. Houston Ballet - Stanton Welch Ballet Master Directed 1. Joffrey Ballet- Ashley Wheater 2. Miami City Ballet - Lourdes Lopez 3. Pennsylvania Ballet - Roy Kaiser 4. Pacific Northwest Ballet - Peter Boal 5. Ballet West - Adam Sklute 6. Suzanne Farrell Ballet 7. Grand Rapids Ballet - Patricia Barker 8. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre - Terrence Orr 9. Los Angeles Ballet - Thordal Christensen 10. Aspen Santa Fe Ballet - Tom MossbrucKer 11. New Jersey Ballet - Carolyn Clark Unknown 1. Kansas City Ballet 2. Oregon Ballet Theatre 3. Ballet San Jose I'm not really sure what to make of choroegraphers Peter Martins and Helgi Tomasson because it seems so long since they have created on another company... But I guess that is true of Ben Stevenson too... Where would you put them? I'm not counting Stowell or Whitener because they are ADs for 2013-2014 (hopefully I am mistaken) Who all am I missing?

This is very promising news! How many choreographer led companies in the U.S do we have these days? And by "choreographer", I mean one whose works were sought after by other companies long before they became director themself of a company... I guess there are several, but lately the model seems to be "in residence". It will be interesting to see how his vision shapes Ballet Met.

"Russell and Stowell brought in William Forsythe, Nacho Duato, Thom Willems, Dominique Dumais, Tetley's "Firebird," "The Moor's Pavane,"" Did you mean the composer Thom Willems? Or did you mean the choreographer Ton Simons who has worked with Wiillems?

It does seem there would be something to having an artistic director who had come through the school. It would seem the school and company would have their own subculture with a lot unsaid that is simply known diplomatically by having come through the system. I can't quite see Millepied having the same sort of fiat a superstar like Nureyev had, to walk through those cantilevered relationships blind. Ballet is Ballet, but a company like the Paris Opera is an organism all of its own. Perhaps if he comes in and fails they will be more than happy to take one of their own as AD?

It all gets in the way of finding who actually paid for the acid attack.

I don't think the dancer looks great next to the basketball player... The height of the player tends to dwarf the dancer. The interactions look a little canned, almost as the dancer stood in front of a cut out, not quite but almost. I don't get it, the appeal. They might have done better to crop the player, partial shot of player with full shot of dancer... as if the player were interested in the dancer instead of self promoting. Maybe lie the player down on the floor on his side and have the dancer leap high over him? Everything in the photos seem to make the dancer superficial. The player looks natural, the dancer interaction looks forced. I don't think the campaign works. The behind the scenes video is way better than the resulting photos. I don't think the 'can you believe you were right next to those famous players?' moment (not a direct quote) did the ballet any favors.

Perhaps then the best advice would be to direct them to read the Director's program notes?

I think perhaps to expect Tsiskardze to behave like a corporate employee instead of a member of a communist collective is to forget his cultural history? If Gregorivich is a dinosaur, perhaps Tsiskardze is a Wooly Mammoth? (perhaps he fancies himself a sabre tooth tiger). This is, of course, an art form that treasures its ancients, but maybe not in management issues.

So love to see dancers getting exposure outside their home audiences...

"Ballet is a constantly evolving art form... The artistic director saw everything on stage tonight as 'ballet'... Isn't it interesting?" Would be my answer... Showcase performances combining several different companies offerings would pose more of a problem, but then perhaps there the question would not come up?

I wonder if 19th century choreographers would recognize most 20th century ballet performance as ballet performance... even performances of their own work... The aethestic aim is so different... And 21st century even less Ikely... But we see our history and provenance in what evidence exists of theirs. My question for Mark is to ask how having a definition could help him enjoy a performance more?

I think it might mostly be in his leap. What other form of dance features that floating leap? (not that all danseurs quite accomplish it). But honestly, a grand jeté is so naturally human that one finds a versuon if it in so many art forms... But rarely does it have that floating quality that a top ballet dancer can give it. Though in keeping with Albrecht, maybe a ballet dancer is also better at portraying a Eurpoean folktale styled prince?

Ok, so what makes the difference between a male ballet dancer and other types of male dancers? Or is there none?

I imagine most choreographers would prefer to be resident choreographer than artistic director, allowing them to focus on choreography rather than on the myriad bureacratic tasks an artistic director gets embroiled in.

No, but they often create as much line.... Not all, but some seem very line conscious.

Is Matts Ek ballet and Pina Bausch modern dance? Matts Ek sample Pina Bausch sample MacGegor? Nacho Duato? Jiri Kylian? It has become very foggy out there... Which is which...

It is an easy distinction and no professional calibre female ballet dancer is without pointe skills. But when one looks at a lot of the new work presented at ballet companies, is it just modern choreography with pointe shoes added on or is there something now called contemporary ballet that is distinct in other ways from contemporary modern? It is a very tricky question.

Toe tapping? That Cirque de Solei act with pointe on lightbulbs? (will now see if can find it on youtube still).? That Chinese acrobatic Swan Lake? Pointe in sneakers? Georgian folk dance pointe in boots? Is this ballet? Or this? Or this? Admittedly they all think they are quoting "ballet".

I would say ballet dancers draw themselves up higher than most modern techniques. It is tricky because a Graham dancer holds themselves differently than a Cunningham dancer, both are different ftom Limon, Horton, release technique I believe is something different still. Perhaps ballroom is more similar? But possibly not latin? And Flamenco dancers seem to hold themselves quite high but with energy driving downward... There is so much fusion nowadays, it makes citing differences even harder.

Are you saying David Hallberg is not a ballet dancer? Carlos Acosta?

One could say it has to do with where the center of balance is held in the dancer and how it is held in relation to leg extensions... And how much turn-out in the supporting hip socket is maintained... How the spine is supported. But the problem still stays with "how". There are plenty of superb internationally renowned world class ballet dancers today who have never put on pointe shoes. Perhaps also the classical training discipline comes into play... Technique is almost more important than personal movement signature. The problem is that ballet shares so many defining qualities with so many other forms of dance, but never all it's defining qualities. But, I will say, ballet dancers usually seem to still look like ballet dancers when they try out other dance forms because of the way they carry themselves and the manner in which they attack movement.