Amy Reusch

(I'm sorry if this should be asked elsewhere... I took a guess at this forum for the query)

It seems I'm headed to Boston Ballet to see Swan Lake for Mothers Day. I was wondering who would be dancing but can't seem to find the info anywhere on their site. This seems a bit odd, as last Fall I was able to find out the casting for Sylphide. Anyone have any leads for me?

Cristian, dancing in those costumes must have been trying, don't you think?! (not to mention choreographing for them!) could even have inspired Wheeldon! (joking)

She couldn't have been so very old? (or has time been flying again)

We've lost another light.

Thanks!

If this post needs to be removed because it violates the rules, it's okay... I'm just no longer clear on what the policy is about videos posted on-line as there seems to be open discussion of youtube videos lately. (and it doesn't seem to be mentioned in the Rules section here: http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showforum=215 )

I came across a video of Pavane pour une Infante Defunte on something called DigidanceTv amongst a lot of other dance videos. Can anyone tell me who the choreographer and dancers are? Is this Christopher Wheeldon's piece?

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/b.../bctid537033522

Well, I guess so... I have trouble getting around the choreographer's name as the company name, I guess.. but I suppose that's just my problem.... I didn't have any trouble with The Joffrey doing other work than Robert Joffrey's, after all... Somehow, though I was thinking more along the lines of Ririe-Woodbury, whom I've heard of but never seen, or when Baryshnikov did those Judson reconstructions.... I'll have to re-think Ailey & Limon, I guess. I remember seeing the Graham company do Stroman and really disliking it; it seemed like ill chosen repertory for Graham dancers... although I was sitting next to a former Graham dancer who quite liked it and presumably knew more about what suits Graham dancers!

While were on the subject of what the Limon Dance Company is doing in the month of May, the mailers I've received from them state that the company will be reconstructing Anna Sokolow's Rooms throughout the month. This isn't the first time they've performed a Sokolow work and a certain "cousinage" appears to have developed over time between the Limon followers and the Sokolow followers. And who says there's no such thing as a successful modern dance repertory company?

Would there be a problem with different styles of modern dance... jack-of-all-trades, master of none? Still, I'd like to see it... the masterpieces out there that die when their parent dies sadden me... who might perform outside of their ghost companies? Beyond college students, I mean? We need a few good modern dance rep companies... can't they include dancers with strengths in different styles, just as a ballet company often has dancers with strengths in different types of ballet?

On May 10th in Hartford at the Bushnell, the Ted Hershey Dance Marathon 10th Anniversar concert will present the Limon Company

http://www.tedhershey.com/program/

Choreographers include:

Michael Uthoff: Guest Artist Director and Advisor for the 10th Anniversary, and former director of Hartford Ballet. Danced by members of the Hartford Community chosen by audition.

-Duet from Romeo and Juliet originally created for Ted Hershey

-Mock Turtle from Alice in Wonderland

-Ode to Jose

Antony Tudor: One of the great choreographers of the 20th Century who was highly revered by Ted Hershey. His work will be performed by Juilliard Students to honor the Centennial of his birth.

-Dark Elegies

Jose Limon and Limon Company: The José Limón company, which is celebrating the Centennial of Limón's birth, will be performing

-Excerpts from There is a Time

Ted Hershey

-Between Us Glimmering, originally commissioned by the Hartford Ballet in memory of Rob Kowalski

-Village Suite, choreographed with Laura Glenn

-One, created by Ted for Laura and performed at the Bushnell by WORKS alumna Lisa Matais

Pilobolus:, DVD screening of excerpt of work performed by Hartford Ballet while on tour in China featuring Ted Hershey.

-Land's Edge, with Ted Hershey as "The Fool".

On May 10th in Hartford at the Bushnell, the Ted Hershey Dance Marathon 10th Anniversar concert will present Julliard Students performing excerpts from Dark Elegies.

http://www.tedhershey.com/program/

Choreographers include:

Michael Uthoff: Guest Artist Director and Advisor for the 10th Anniversary, and former director of Hartford Ballet. Danced by members of the Hartford Community chosen by audition.

-Duet from Romeo and Juliet originally created for Ted Hershey

-Mock Turtle from Alice in Wonderland

-Ode to Jose

Antony Tudor: One of the great choreographers of the 20th Century who was highly revered by Ted Hershey. His work will be performed by Juilliard Students to honor the Centennial of his birth.

-Dark Elegies

Jose Limon and Limon Company: The José Limón company, which is celebrating the Centennial of Limón's birth, will be performing -Excerpts from There is a Time

Ted Hershey

-Between Us Glimmering, originally commissioned by the Hartford Ballet in memory of Rob Kowalski

-Village Suite, choreographed with Laura Glenn

-One, created by Ted for Laura and performed at the Bushnell by WORKS alumna Lisa Matais

Pilobolus:, DVD screening of excerpt of work performed by Hartford Ballet while on tour in China featuring Ted Hershey.

-Land's Edge, with Ted Hershey as “The Foolâ€.

Another company celebrates Tudor's Centennial: Sarasota Ballet

The season will close in April 2009 with another tribute piece, this time in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of choreographer Antony Tudor, an Englishman who, like Webb, trained at the Romberg Company, went to the Royal Ballet and moved to the United States.

Webb got on the phone to the Tudor Trust, outlined the parallels between his life and Tudor's and said, "I feel like I have a connection to Mr. Tudor."

The gambit worked, and Webb will present "The Lilac Garden," a 1936 work that tells the story of a young bride on her wedding day; the other characters are Her Lover, The Man She Must Marry and an Episode in His Past.

"He somehow looks at the characters in the pieces," said Webb. "Tudor always seems to somehow go deeper into the characters. It's very dramatic, very powerful."

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080.../804200378/1661

Company website: http://www.sarasotaballet.org/

Romberg?

There was a brief review in today's NY Times by Jennifer Dunning of New York Theater Ballet's presentation of a pas de deux from Tudor's Romeo & Juliet

Rare Revival of Tudor’s Take on Young Love

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/14/arts/dan...o.html?ref=arts

Created in 1943 for Ballet Theater, this one-act version is set to Delius’s “Walk to the Paradise Garden” rather than the more familiar Prokofiev score. The piece is as typical of Tudor’s distinctive style as it is different from familiar full-blown versions by John Cranko and Kenneth MacMillan.

Joel Lobenthal of the New York Sun weighs in on the Tudor Centennial:

Tribute to Tudor

http://www2.nysun.com/article/74260

But there were notable absences — former ballerina Sallie Wilson, who danced the Tudor repertory at ABT in the 1960s and 1970s among them. No absence, however, was so noticeable as that of Airi Hynninen, Tudor's assistant at ABT during the 1970s and '80s, who drew up most of the notation scores for Tudor's ballets (Tudor was a great believer in dance notation). Ms. Hynninen was not invited to speak at either panel, and indeed, both she and Ms. Wilson seem to have become estranged from the Tudor Trust in recent years, which, while unfortunate, has resulted in some favorable circumstances for New York dance audiences. During the past decade, Ms. Wilson has worked primarily with the New York Theatre Ballet, and at the Florence Gould Hall last week, NYTB performed a mixed program that included Ms. Wilson's stagings of "Lilac Garden," "Little Improvisations," and "Judgment of Paris." Ms. Hynninen has not staged a full-length Tudor work since the beginning of this decade. For NYTB's program, however, she staged the bedroom duet from Tudor's "Romeo and Juliet," which has not been seen in its entirety for 30 years.

and

Tudor had been the sun around which a close-knit group of favored interpreters at ABT during the 1940s revolved. They included Nora Kaye and Tudor's longterm partner, Hugh Laing (as well as Diana Adams, Laing's wife for a while). Tudor's immersion in a cliquish group of intimates is perhaps the origin of the bugaboo clinging to his ballets as ingrown and hermetic, requiring mystagogues rather than ballet masters. But this is ridiculous. Any well-trained ballet dancer with the inclination and opportunity to excel at Tudor can bring his work to life.

Perhaps something in this thread would help? http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=26808

I attended last night's performance of GISELLE at the Montgomery County Community College in Rockville, MD. It was a beautiful show, led by two fabulous soloists who I'd love to see again soon: petite redhead Anna Borodulina and tall-lanky-blonde Yuri Mirov (formerly from the Tatchkin troupe with other name - Yuri Gloukhikh). Borodulina presents a beautiful face, solid technique and lyricism to spare; her Act II solo's leaps and entrechats were high and weightless; her acting in Act I was eloquent

There was a beautiful film shown at the Dance On Camera festival a few years ago... "Limon: A Life Beyond Words," ... just dug a bit and here's a link to the movie's site: http://www.limon.tv/ Alas, the video clip doesn't show much dancing, but I remember there is some beautiful footage in the film.

The site mentions that University & Museum viewings are free... otherwise one can buy the DVD for $50. More pricey than a Hollywood Blockbuster, but they can use economics of scale to bring their price down... something the independent filmmaker doesn't have access to... that $50 would be well spent.

Performing Tudor came up today at an ABT Teachers' Workshop. It was interesting to hear Raymond Lukens talking about how chassee pushing down through fifth to slide out to tendu (my poor paraphrasing, please don't blame Lukens) doesn't seem to be taught much these days, with tombe taking it's place, and how this makes it difficult when it comes to mounting Tudor work on today's dancers.

At the symposium, was there much discussion of changing styles of technique affecting the mounting of Tudor works?

wow! What an article. I liked the final bit:

"Ah, you can attempt a comeback, and on it goes until you are too aged to look forward to anything other than fame beyond the grave," the choreographer wrote.

"Bah humbug, says I," he continued. "The only question being whether you ever loved what you were doing in the first place."

He most certainly does!!

I was thinking "modern", but considering how many ballet companies have mounted "Moor's Pavane", he certainly deserves a thread on Ballettalk!

I've always thought Limon the most aesthetically balletic of the moderns... all that circular playing with gravity... while Cunningham and Balanchine (in his Agon, 4Ts mode) may have some similarities, Limon's swings & curves, suspension & releases seem like they'd marry to ballet beautifully.

Thanks Jane! That photo is a treasure!

Oh!! I remember shooting this for Pennsylvania Ballet... and thinking one section with 3 women whisping across the stage was very strange... kind of art-nouveau-ish? ... I didn't know what to make of it... it seemed very mannered like something out of the Edward Gorey PBS Mystery! television series animations... I wasn't sure if it was something that seemed right when the piece was made but now didn't connect for audiences (or me, at any rate... I remember thinking it was a very curious section). Thanks Ray.

the rest of us are never quite sure we're "rolling under the barrel" or "carrying the head of John the Baptist" in just the right way

Speaking of publicity, I notice that ABT is now beginning to publicize the centennial a bit more:

http://www.abt.org/insideabt/news_display.asp?News_ID=218

3/17/2008 - In celebration of the centenary of the late choreographer Antony Tudor, American Ballet Theatre’s Opening Night Gala on Monday, May 19 will be highlighted by the Revival Premiere of Tudor’s 1938 comic masterpiece, Judgment of Paris. The gala evening, which was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie, opens the Company’s 2008 Spring engagement at the Metropolitan Opera House and features all of ABT’s Principal Dancers performing highlights from the season.

It's so interesting to me that Tudor's following has dwindled so quickly. Do you think it has something to do with the institutions backing the Balanchine & Ashton centennials? Or it it just a reflection of a smaller repertoire? Is it because Tudor's work was somehow linked to a certain time and it's mode of expression is now dated? Is it a money thing? Or is it publicity?

Carbro, I think the issue is that at the top of the Ballets and Choreographers forum there are subforums for the Balanchine & Tudor centennials but one has to wade through the threads to come across this one about the Tudor centenniel.

I'm glad Missgoodytoeshoes posted here about Sallie Wilson... it's good to have all the info under one roof. I've been on this board for ages (look at my member number!) and I wouldn't have gone hunting under Press Releases... I would have assumed that like the Balanchine and Ashton forums, there'd be something under Ballets and Choreographers for Tudor.

I do hope someone made it to the Julliard event and posts some comments here...

(Is there some other board where the Tudor enthusiasts hang out?)

I spoke once to Mr. Tudor about Sallie Wilson's work referring to her as one of his disciples and he returned something like "Disciple? Slave!" Someday I have to find the tape of that interview and post a transcription here. He talked about how he had wanted to enter the church but realized he was evaluating everything in theatrical terms and that his home really was the theater. He lived at a zen monastary in his later years, didn't he? I typed up a transcription years and years ago for the producer who organized the interview, but I think it was before I owned a computer and I can find no disk of it" I think it ended up at the NYPL. The video is not riviting but the discussion was interesting (to me, at least!)

I'm pretty sure I shot the same version as Mel describes... (though most likely not the same performance)... Ivan Nagy staged it this way for Ballet Theatre of Chicago in the early 1990s. Perhaps this is a version he performed in at ABT as well? I liked this ending better than the version Petukov's St. Petersburg Ballet did at UConn last night.... it's so much more dramatic and the ending makes for a much more vivid final stage picture... sort of a tableau vivant.