Amy Reusch

Does Dove's work contained mannered extremes?

In his May 26th review of Eifman's Karenina, Robert Johnson suggests an aesthetic style: I guess the idea of extremes is there, but I still have a hard time putting Eifman (whom I've only read about) and Forsythe (whose work I've seen very little of) in the same boat. Any comments?

Helene, if my vote counted, you'd be general manager at the National!

It makes one wonder about institutions and the viability of choreographers... Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the 19th century, weren't all the major choreographers "resident" choreographers as opposed to artistic directors? Then in the 20th century, Choreographers took the helm... now in the 21st, it seems like we're returning to institutions and perhaps curated institutions at that? Is this a vast oversimplification? It seems that if the choreographer built the institution, then his/her career might last as long as the institution (e.g.: Graham, Joffrey, Balanchine)... if the pre-existing institution hires the choreographer, that choreographer's tenure there is more precarious. Petipa & Bournonville had royal patronage, I believe... but the Paris Opera choreographers...were they protected civil servants like the dancers? What was Taglioni's situation, etc.? Does the financial precariousness of today's dance institutions tend not to cultivate longterm resident choreographers?

Yes, but Robbins didn't precede Balanchine... It seems there could be several "resident choreographers", but a choreographer artistic director taking over while Kudelka stepped "down" to resident choreographer? Come to think of it, who made the artistic hiring & repetoire decisions at NYCB, did Kirstein have a hand in that as much as Robbins? Did a triumvirate decide on promotions or was it Balanchine working more or less alone? hmmm.... was Robbins' stepping down a semi-retirement at the time? Peter Martins choreographs, certainly... hmmm... but I'm not sure he was recognized as the equal choreographically of Robbins or Balanchine at the time he took the reins... perhaps this is what might happen at the National?Could the National attract a Kudelka level choreographer to take over as Artistic Director while Kudelka himself becomes "resident choreographer"? Tudor became artistic director emeritus, didn't he? (I couldn't find his relationship described on ABT's company history page but I seem to remember seeing his name and "emeritus" on a program... and I don't believe it was "resident choreographer emeritus"...) But I'm not sure of the similarity between Tudor's role & Kudelka's... Is Kudelka semi-retiring? Is this a semi-retirement for Kudelka? Or is he hoping this will give him more opportunity to choreograph than he had as director... Isn't this kind of evidence that the National will not be directed by a choreographer? I'm afraid I'm not particularly familiar with the choreographic oeuvre of the directors who suceeded MacMillan. Is this simply the result of not living in New York City?

Perhaps this belongs in the modern dance forum but it's so strongly dance history oriented that I felt it belonged here rather than there. Has anyone seen Jody Sperling's Time Lapse Dance production of what look to be Louie Fuller reconstructions? Someone sent me a photo from a Symphony Space "Dance Sampler" brochure. Is it worth hunting down a performance? Here's the company website for the curious: Jody Sperling Time Lapse Dance

Pardon my need to discuss the obvious, but... Is there any precedent of an artistic director stepping down to become resident choreographer? I assume this would mean the National will not be taking on a choreographer as it's next artistic director... it seems like it would be asking a choreographer to take a back seat to the resident choreographer, doesn't it? (well, poor choice of metaphor, I guess, as the AD would presuambly be driving... but...)

Kudelka would hardly be the first choreographer artistic director to find administrative concerns dominating their schedule, and wish to be choreographer-in-residence instead of artistic director. I'm not sure which is preferable. Do choreographers-in-residence have the same oportunity to shape a company into an instrument for their own creativity as artistic directors do? For instance, does a choreographer-in-residence make hiring/firing decisions? Or decide which dancers/repetoire will be in rehearsal at the same time the choreographer's piece is in rehearsal? Perhaps a choreographer is too close to their own work to make company season repetoire decisions. Also, I can't explain why, but it seems to me that a choreographer-in-residence is almost more glamorous than artistic director. I'm in favor of long-term contracts for choreographer-in-residence though, so that artistic/creative dialogue between company and choreorapher can fully develop. Are "inherited" AD positions more curatorial than would be the case in choreographer-driven companies? Is work done on "one's own company" more significant than guest work? I think of the big name choreographers of the 20th Century, and I think of companies built on the choreographer's vision. Are the institutions now too financially monstrous that they impose so greatly on choreographic creativity that choreographer-in-residence is the preferred path? Is there a trend afoot?

Does that include that Swan Lake on Pennsylvania Ballet or just the NYCB creations?

I realize it'a a bit early, but can I nominate Carbro's reporting of this interview for Ballet Talk's "Best of" 2005?

...and when it's bad... does that some how make us the equivalent of lemmings?

Please excuse my ignorance, but what are "piétinés"?.

At least she wasn't snoring, was she? I remember being at one performance... no, I guess I won't tell this story until all parties involved are beyond being hurt by the memory.

Thanks Sandik! I guess it's because such courses give me high hopes for the graduates of MIT!

It does seem strange.

Anyone see that video clip that Jacques d'Amboise presented at Symphony Space's Wall-to-Wall Balanchine last year? It was from the opening night for Lincoln Center. Wasn't it this section in Stars & Stripes? Didn't he throw the ballerina (now I'm afraid I can't remember who that was) up into the air and catch her where here it is simply a lift and not a throw-catch? [is there a technical term for that?]. Or was it earlier during the pas de deux? I'd love to discuss the videography here with 32Tendu but I suppose the clip will not remain accessible long enough.

Would one of you explain to the ignorant among us [me] what the Messel production is?

Sandik, I'm so delighted to think that MIT is teaching ballet appreciation/history... can you tell us anything more about it?

I wish someone would underwrite a college tour of the major regional companies...even if it is a reduced touring ensemble instead of the full company with full orchestra and sets. It seems every year here at UConn we get a second level (or lower) Russian company... although I guess one year it was the Shanghai Ballet instead of a Russian company... and during the performance I find myself thinking how unfortunate we don't get the opportunity to see one of the better regional companies instead... I'm not sure any Balanchine has ever been performed here, for instance... though we got that bizarre Romeo & Juliet and a rather indecipherable Coppelia... It's unfortunate the National Endowment for the Arts doesn't help to distribute ballet to hinterlands a little.

If I were doing a lecture on Balanchine for increased ballet appreciation... I'd try to turn the audience on to a. his interest in the music's structure ("see the music, hear the dance") b. his exploration of the physical limits within the ballet vocabulary (how big can you make this movement...how can you play with the accent to show it off) c. his influence on the appearance of the modern ballerina d. where he came from (imperial Russian ballet) and where he went (stripped down neoclassical modernism) d. his intense relationship with his muses (sort of a curious public interest story) I think the Teachout biography might be good preparation for such a lecture. I'm assuming you're lecturing the general public... if you're lecturing academics, I'd take a different approach.

someone must have told MIT that they were violating intellectual property rights.

Actually in some smaller cities, the two entities might already be sharing the same venue...so that the ballet company might already be juggling it's schedule around the orchestra's... That's one sacrifice I'd be willing to see a company make in order to have live music... Regarding to sensitivity to dancers' needs musically... is it impossible for the ballet company to retain it's own conductor? Would that be an extremely strange thing, to have the local symphony orchestra conducted by the ballet's conductor rather than it's own? Is it so different from having the orchestra conducted by a guest conductor? Whenever I see ballet companies & orchestras battling it out, I can't help think that they're shooting themselves in the foot.(feet?)... I can't think who better to increase each other's audience share than those two organizations supporting each other? Ballet gives so many young people a handle on classical music... and a live orchestra adds such a dimension to the dancing... they should be working together as much as possible. Perhaps to counter the subordinate issues, the ballet ought to lend dancers to perform light choreography at symphony evenings, just hang the lighting and the amount of space to dance in... consider it a thankyou to the orchestra cramming itself into the pit. I understand the Hartford Symphony just had a very successful performance with some ballet students of the Hartt School. Of course there were problems of no space, etc.... but even under the compromised circumstances, the musicians and the audience were very enthusiastic (or so I hear).

What is the deal, by the way, with the poor crediting of the dancers? I assume it's just expediency?... what with so many consecutive one-night stands (how do they manage?) I suppose it's easier to just send the potential cast ahead of time? It seems that U-Conn's Jorgensen programs have so many productions credited in each that they perhaps do just one printing for the whole season... Even if they were to give us a pre-curtain announcement of who is dancing that evening, if memory serves, such things tend to happen just as the house has gone dark... I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to remember the multi-syllabic foreign names until intermission when I could next look at the program. I wish the tradition were, if they couldn't get the program credits enough time in advance, that they would post them on a sandwich board somewhere in the lobby, so that one could consider the names during intermission and after the show. There were some truly fine dancers in the performance I saw of the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre, and I really did want to know who they were.

Firebird! But because of the music, not because of any choreography I've seen... it's just difficult to not to want to fly... Ballet I'd deteste doing? Any of those which I'd be required to smile throughout for no apparent reason... even if I'd been graced with an easy Hollywood starlet smile...

Mike, I don't know the set up at George Mason U., but here at the University of Connecticut, the audio board is set up in the back of the house. If you are discreet, towards the end of intermission, if you hand them a program, you can sometimes get the audio engineer (generally travels with the company) to circle who is dancing that evening... it's not always reliable, but it's better than nothing. [Now I'm doomed, no one will ever do it for me again!]