Amy Reusch

LOVE this movie!! Love les petits rats!

When I had the opportunity to sit in the 3rd row recently for the Balanchine's Birthday SAB demonstration, I looked over at those front row center seats and thought to myself "WOW!!!... and Saturday Evenings... WOW!!! Whoever it was who had to give up that seat was giving up something huge in their life... " it makes perfect sense that a balletomane extroadinaire should have sat there... I hope the next subscriber to gain that choice seat gives back to the art as beautifully as Miriam did.

Rats. And I don't mean petits.

From DFA's site http://dancefilms.org/festival/39th-annual-festival-2011/walter-reade-theatre-program/ CLAUDE BESSY, LIGNES D’UNE VIE (Traces of a Life) World Premiere Fabrice Herrault, 2010; USA, 50m Described as the “Golden Silhouette” by Serge Lifar, French ballerina Claude Bessy was an admired etoile of the Paris Opera Ballet and ran its prestigious school for decades. Americans know her as Gene Kelly’s partner in his “Invitation to the Dance.” Herrault’s intimate documentary, narrated by his subject, features rare vintage classroom and performance footage of the dancer in her prime, including works by Kelly, Serge Lifar, and Maurice Bejart. Intro/Q and A’s with director and star. This screening was made possible in part due to a generous donation from The American Friends of the Paris Opera & Ballet/Eugenia Delarova Doll Fund. Followed by: LES REFLETS DE LA DANSE (Reflections of the dance) excerpt Nicolas Ribowski, 1979; France, 33m Paris Opera Ballet School classes featuring former students of Claude Bessy, including Sylvie Guillem and Elisabeth Maurin. Intro by Claude Bessy

Aha! Here is Mr. Herrault's youtube channel with a trailer for the film... which focused on Ms. Bessy's career rather than on the students of the school. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7snjTyoXqWE

This seems to be a clip from the movie: Or perhaps it was footage from another film... I don't remember seeing this footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTa-TNfKwlQ Perhaps some footage was shared or perhaps I'm confusing footage from Herrault's documentary with the film on the Paris Opera students shown immediately following the Q&A

Thank you Cyngeblanc... I would never have guessed the school performed Bejart. I also forgot to mention Gene Kelly's wife was at both showings... I overheard her speaking to someone in the lobby afterwards saying something along the lines that the first first viewing found her wide eyed but the second viewing helped her see even more. I got the impression it was the first time she had seen the footage. I wonder if France has an equivalent to the NYPL Jerrome Robbins Dance Division or San Francisco's PALM.

Just saw this wonderful film at the Walter Reade (Dance Films Assocation's Dance On Camera Festival)... and thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me wish all the worlds' archives were available on youtube [or elsewhere on the 'net]... one realizes how many treasures are languishing in closets. I was particularly fascinated by the Carlotta Zambelli footage... so interesting to see a dancer of this era on film... shot by the Lumiere brothers.... such tiny waist (I'm assuming in a tight corset?), one wondered how she could have the stamina... Lifar's Daphnis & Chloe looked beautiful... is it in repertoire anywhere? Also interesting to see the Gene Kelly ballet made for the Paris Opera... very acrobatic.. I found it more curious than consuming. Wonderful to hear Ms. Bessy in person afterwards, answering questions with the help of a translator. She said seeing herself in Gene Kelly's footage was the first time she had ever seen herself dance... and she wasn't happy with what she saw... a foot not fully pointed here, a knee at a different angle there... and so she put in a video review room for the students at the Paris Opera and has them filmed so they can review themselves regularly with a professor, because it is difficult sometimes to communicate clearly in words what is going wrong in a tour or pirouette, but when the issue can be pinpointed in slow motion, the students can see and understand what needs to change. I spoke with JKO's Raymond Lukens & Franco DaVita afterwards who had come to see the film and they said their students are doing the same thing on their own, filming each other with their various personal cameras/ipods. I think it's interesting how the new media are finding their way into ballet training... the new mirrors. Still, video is a distorting mirror... it's nice not to have to glue one's focus on one spot to be able to consider the shape & line, but what comes across most strongly on video is big clear line with exagerated extensions... I hope the subtleties of epaulement that might define the French School don't fade in value by comparison to what looks best on video... but I imagine there's little danger of that? Someone asked what innovations Ms. Bessy had tried at the school and which ones she felt were successful and which were not. She had mentioned a close connection to Bejart earlier and I was wondering if she was going to mention any parallels with his Ecole Mudra, but nothing was mentioned. She seemed to think everything she tried had been very successful except for tap.. there was one thing she particulary liked but now I can't remember... was anyone else from here there? I noticed she didn't mention Nureyev either... and I thought perhaps the school worked particularly hard to provide dancers who could perform his ballets.. but there was no mention. Time was short for questions, so one dared not ask a second. I'm afraid I mispoke... i've been wondering for years what typifies dancers from the French School... we see so little of it here and yet we hear of it. I thought perhaps it was the attention to carriage of the head & shoulders, soft use of the arms... but wasn't sure how to ask. Someone had asked something similar immediately before and I thought she had said something more or less about choosing dancers for the best line just like other schools, but not what made the difference. I thought perhaps if she considered what she felt the urge to correct in dancers trained in other traditions, it might give some light... but asked badly... and in practically the house of Balanchine I apparently asked what she would want to fix in Balanchine trained dancers... whereas I meant equally what she might fix in Vaganova or Bournonville dancers, but didn't manage to make that clear. And then much later I remember the discussion of Suzanne Farrell with Lacotte in the Wiseman film. She displayed extreme diplomacy and spoke about what is necessary to stage a choreographer's ballet and what is appropriate for the basic schooling... speaking of parallels between what was appropriate for a Lifar ballet not being appropriate for all ballets, similar to what was appropriate for a Balanchine ballet perhaps not being appropriate for all ballets. If we ever figure out how to download memories onto a digital format, after KFW's memory, I'd love to see New York through 14 year old Claude Bessy's eyes... particularly Harlem. Mr. Herrault did a charming job of editing transitions of clips together, moving from one ballet to another as if continuing a movement phrase... and as Ms. Bessy mentioned, he did some masterful work putting sound to silent movies... Again, what treasures there seem to be in the archives in France. There was a lovely bit in the film where they went through the wardrobe of old Bessy costumes with a retired Costume mistress (costumer?) and she mentioned that one was in a museum ("and so I am now in a museum?" I believe Bessy said). What museum & how does one visit it? I'd love to see some of those tutus up close! I would have liked to asked whether she missed the wooden floors that were apparent in the early films... Although the new building is beautiful and they clearly needed the space... I hope there are still some classes in the Opera Garnier building so the students are still brushing shoulders with the professionals...

Interesting for such a petite dancer to coach such a tall one... I would think it a little trickier than coaching one more similar to oneself... but it doesn't seem to be a problem.

And there are some lovely Kristin Sloan videos of the students: http://www.sab.org/videos/?vid=8 & http://www.sab.org/videos/?vid=4

" I was a little surprised at that one myself... if he had them do the deep lunge with the back leg drawing up into retiré instead of bending to push off to retiré... I would have agreed... but I was rather thinking the preparation from an even demi plié in 4th was rather Cecchetti, and there weren't many companies doing that any more... The tendu thing is a speed thing... I've never liked it, but if they're going to do tendu that fast I'd rather they reach a fully extended arch... if it's a "freeze for the snap shot of 5th", then "freeze for the snap shot of the carefully placed tendu" with the movement between as fast as light... then it "doesn't matter what happens in between" as we used to be told (I rather disagreed at the time, but now understand the style.... he wanted the clean images, not the blurry movement in between). It looks terribly cramped up if it's a slow tendu.. but in the fast tendus the sharp image makes the step sparkle. Couldn't tell if it were Austin...

I suppose the iconography of a masked king could be open to negative interpretation too...

Thanks... There's that very famous picture of Louix XIV as the Sun King, in which he doesn't appear to wear a mask... It is confusing that there was an issue over masks when they don't seem to be universally depicted...

I'm trying to compile a list of significant changes in ballet history to help my students get a sense of their art form's past and in the process am trying to learn something more about it myself... particularly: What's this bit about ballet and masks? Plumbing the internet, I'm learning that at some point dancers finally succeeded in discarding masks and appearing without them... I didn't realize (or have forgotten) early dancers had to dance wearing masks... All of them or only the main characters? And who succeeded in getting rid of the masks? I see in one source that it was Gaetan Vestris, in another that it was a dancer replacing Vestris when Vestris couldn't get there, and in another place that it was Noverre who finally established this as the norm... and yet there are pictures of Marie Salle dancing without a mask before Marie Antoinette established Noverre at the Opera... It's all rather confusing. When did they get rid of the required masks, and were the masks required for all dancers? Curious.. ~ Amy

Wow! Over $1,000,000? According to the inflation calculator found here: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ (I know nothing about its accuracy) What cost $1,000,000 in 1866 would cost $14,475,398.79 in 2009. That's pretty astoundingly successful!

KFW... I wish someone would hurry up and figure out a way to create video from memory... I'm dying to see yours!

I am in no way authorized to say what Balanchine Style or Balanchine Technique is or isn't... but my understanding is that adjustments were made to enable the speed of Balachine dancers in certain steps. I think it's possible to say that a hallmark of Balanchine technique is the speed it enables. I do know that after years of being admonished by Joffrey/ABT/Royal Ballet style teachers to make sure my heels reached the ground in landing every petit allegro jump; when I found myself in a major Balanchine principal's class, he specifically put his hand beneath my heels in little jumps to force me not to put them down (or I'd be hurting his hand). We used to be told we'd get Achilles tendonitis if we didn't stretch the heel to the floor, but in this class it was actively discouraged. We used to think there was a lot of tendonitis rampant at NYCB, but it could have been rivalry gossip. Certainly the Irish Step dancing and Highland Dancing seem not to put their heels down in fast repeated jumps... so there must be a way. Usually we discuss technique over at Ballet Talk/Alert's sister site Ballet Talk for Dancers, but because of the lecture demonstration I think it's okay to discuss it here a little. (Moderators, please let me know if I'm wrong) One other thing I noticed was the use of the hands. Peter told a Balanchine anecdote about showing all the fingers, but I wasn't won over to the aesthetic by the students' use of their hands... they didn't look natural... and yet when the company dancers used the same style hand position it looked natural and more relaxed... i think perhaps the company dancers flowed in and out of it a little more whereas the students were trying to be academically correct. Eileen, what a wonderful observation! I think you are right about the dancers' influence. I think America itself had an influence on his style. Would it have been the same if he had stayed in Paris? It would have been different than what had gone before, but would it have been what we know today?

I noticed a young man who carried himself very well during barre... in the front row, a little left of center (house left rather than stage left)... but then I didn't notice him during the center work. I wondered if Martins was looking to add some young men to the corps, considering how much attention he was giving the the boys (I think at this age, they're close enough still to be called that). Several times Martins called out a boy on far house left... who seemed to have a lot of personality (would like to see him in Fancy Free some day)... but I don't remember the name (will see if my daughter does). I was hoping the huffing had to do with his attention to the students' efforts interfering with the natural rhythm of his breathing (though surely as a dancer he never looked like he didn't have control of his breathing, so why now...) as if he were hesitating to say something until he saw it and forgetting to breath as he hesitated... but I've never seen him do a lecture demonstration before... Is he usually like this?

The Prodigal Son does seem to be a personality role, doesn't it? One needs the virtuosity, but there's a fiery temperament that has to be there too. Baryshnikov is someone I'd list as a paragon of a danseur... he doesn't seem rebellious enough for it (?) Makes me almost wish to have seen Nureyev get a chance at it... though he may have gone too far (?). I wish I could have seen this performance from closer to orchestra level... it's not one where the dancers' focus is directed upward, even when they're flying...

OK.. just checked... if there is a thread on Balanchine style it doesn't come up in a quick search. It was very interesting to see the students. The speed, musicality & frozen diamond aspects of Balanchine style were addressed. i hadn't noticed the difference in the curtsey and thought it was very interesting that they try to bow in a "humble" manner without pointing the foot. I'm not sure I buy that it is more humble, but it does seem very tossed off, very American...a quick "thank you" and now lets' go! I have been noticing lately how sometimes one sees the Russians bow (like perhaps Zakharova, though now I can't locate an image of her doing it) that the back foot seems almost self consciously pointed to the point where the toes lift off the floor... seeming a little overdone, a little like seeing the supposedly unconscious Juliet in the crypt with feet fully extended in point... perhaps Balanchine wanted his dancers to avoid going Pavlova's route who some people have said n her later years bowed spectacularly, often better and longer than her dancing had been. I was surprised at how broad the glissades where... I had remembered a narrower 2nd position frozen in the air... Also interesting to hear Peter Martins requesting heels on the ground when so many of the girls were releasing their heels in demi plié... but perhaps he was addressing the boys... I wasn't surprised at the release but rather at the admonition not to... I wish Peter Martins had made more comments. Balanchine technique fondus seem very different from what non-Balanchine teachers were teaching... very clearly one leg straightening before the other. At times Mr. Martins would point out that the kids had done something wrong, but often I was as baffled as they seemed to be about the difference in technique he was asking for... It's understandable, they're likely not asked to practice being able to demonstrate "incorrect", but it was still confusing at times. It seemed he wanted moments to be even more frozen than they were. It does make the Balanchine dancers sparkle in their allegro work. I thought I would see more highly pointed feet in the girls' tendus... even with the speed. I remember seeing Balanchine dancers demonstrate tendus that almost lifted fully pointed from 5th position to be placed in tendu rather than brushed along the floor through the foot & up... these had all that speed, but they didn't seem to get to that high in-step almost over arch that I was expecting to see... not sure whether it was a misunderstanding on my part or something that has changed over the years. I felt the girls most showed their SAB pedigree was in their extensions and in the partnering section. Just stunningly beautiful.

And who was the conductor who lead Stars and Stripes? Is that the one that has just been appointed to lead the Hartford Symphony? Carolyn Kuan?

My daughter has an excellent memory (clearly not inherited from me... I had to ask her for the others' names), and Angelica was one of her favorites... wore a french twist & earrings... (doesn't exactly help me)... she was wearing sort of a halter top... Peter told her that she had to get used to being downstage because... (can't remember exact words, but implication she was going to in front of the audience a lot!)... Both my daughter & I noticed how little Mr. Martins said as he gave the combination, indicating in a very few words and gestures what he wanted and how instantly all the students had the combination down perfectly. The combinations were short but not necessarily simple (the timing might make a non Balanchine student stumble)... and we wondered if the combinations were so typical that they might have encountered them before... in other words, were they favorite combinations to teach the Balanchine technique?

And regarding the onstage class... who was the beautiful african-american (? maybe african-asian-american?) dancer... hers was one name we missed. Silas, the tall male dancer...beautiful partnering by Joe... the boys had so much personality... looking forward to their dancing as professionals. There was also a charming girl in the front (house right/stage left) during barre who held herself with such boyant energy... anyone catch the name? She volunteered to show the hands. How many times a year does Peter Martins typically teach these kids? He seemed to know many of their names. How does that work, does he teach often? Did Balanchine teach this level often in the 60s & 70s?

Marga, the two twelve year olds accompanying me enjoyed the subway concert too! Very charming. From up in the top ring where we sat, Prodigal Son had everyone riveted, even though I do not think is one of those Balanchine choreographies that has particular charm seen from above... Looking down tends to deflate the leaps. However, it seemed sometimes that there were some moments in the Siren's movement that seemed quirky when in the past they have read as seductive/femme fatale... could be something was lost by the transmission to the top ring. I was looking forward to seeing Bouder, who is famous for playing to the seats we were in and for the most part she delivered. Sometimes the extra energy to the arms came across overworked rather than reaching out as it were, but what a treat that manege was! Both Bouder & Veyette made me feel like Stars & Stripes is an American answer to the famous Corsaire pas de deux. Stars and Stripes... there are some ballets that just seem to have certain dancers' names written all over them, even decades after those dancers have retired. I felt watching ABT's mounting of Sylvia that Fonteyn's spirit hung all through the choreography. Perhaps Farrells dancing shadows everyone else in Mozartiana, (though I remember being enchanted by Ananiashvili in the same piece last year... I think that perhaps the ballerina's grace is too subtle for the top ring, though the young dancers and the structure sings through just fine.) But Stars and Stripes... I just see Jacques d'Amboise written all over this ballet. Anyone here remember seeing him in the role? I was disappointed by the vodka toast... I had thought someone was gong to lead it. Did perhaps Peter Martins lead some such thing in a more private patron setting... Also, some kind angel ought to underwrite a better sound system for the historical talks given in the forth ring... the little speaker was so bassy it was a drain on what was being said, taking some dedication on the part of the listeners. Mozartiana... I must find some time to read the notes... it seemed like Balanchine commenting on ballet's Italian renaissance roots as Tchaikovsky was commenting on Mozart? Though a beautiful work, not something I would have brought my young guests to normally. They were fascinated by Peter Martin's class. Do we have a thread on Balanchine style here? (Apologies... short of time tonight... will return for a deeper look) (By the way, should I delete my dining questions from this thread? Or are they helpful for other patrons?)

I like the sound of at65 Cafe.. sounds like the right thing for a very cold day and very little time... Those of you who know it, do you think it's possible to get there from the state theater, be seated, order, eat & return all within the space of an hour?