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Stanley

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Posts posted by Stanley

  1. Without actual language in place, I feel that it is somewhat less than useful for anyone, whether Alberda or us, to comment on company policy with regard to social networking. The appropriate forum for that is the AGMA negotiation with NYCB over their General Contract. It's sounding like a cry to mount the barricades only to find that a proposed measure is intended to prevent jaywalking.

    In fact a lot of his tweets don't actually make that much sense, he's not quite as clever as the wit he's straining after and he relys too much on big words to give weight to very little meaning. The Koch/soap dish tweet being a case in point.

    http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/03/15/article-1366525-0B307C7900000578-755_468x222.jpg

    Which big word are you struggling with? Sabotage? Paranoia? Dispenser?

  2. Also, the current 'stars' of NYCB got into the company before the Mae Wein award was first presented, and Jennie Somogyi and Benjamin Millipied have become stars in just the past few years. What I am trying to say is that the award doesn't equal instant success/ fame, and you have to give the dancers time and let them learn first. And I have no clue where you are coming from when you say some of those people hardly dance! I must see at least 5 or more of those people danicng every night, and if you are going to say they are hardly dancing... then who is dancing? People who haven't won the Mae Wein award??

  3. Middle Duet was somewhat different the other night, from when it premiered here back in October. There were two 'angels' lurking on the side of the stage, one black, the other white. I assume representing Heaven and Hell? Maria was fantastic, so much energy and a bit of agnst thrown in there too, and those legs, my god. And Albert her partner did a fine job of twisting her this way and that. I don't remember the ballet so well from when I saw it back in October, but in the performance last night, the dancers ultimately dance there way to death and collapse to the floor which then provokes the two angels to come to life. After a short confrontation, it is the dark angel who, I guess, takes care of the bodys, while in the background, a reprise of the beginning of the ballet begins with Rebecca Krohn and Amar, ooops I mean, Maria and Albert. Anyways it was a completely different ballet with the added on end. It became a story, a ballet with a deeper meaning. Personally I liked it the first time I saw it.

    Moves:

    I have to admit that I dreaded the idea of sitting through 'Moves'. As the curtain went up, I thought, how is this going to be good without any music? But fortunately it ended up being quite amazing. The lack of music actually rose the intensity to the next degree, and even though there wasn;t any actual music, the dancers still made noise by stomping or clapping other body parts together. Also the coughing and sneezing from the audience (myself included) contributed a nice melody. Rebecca Krohn was definitely the stand out in this ballet. She needs to be casted in every single leotard ballet as soon as possible! Jared her partner was just as good, giving intensity, which I found he lacked in the past. All the dancers were superb. As i watched the ballet I wondered how Robbins choreographed it. Withouth the music, he had to create a beginning, middle, and end from nothing. I assume that in his head he composed the perfect score as he choreogrpahed, down to the very last note. And I wondered, in a company thats all about the music being first, and seeing the music... it's intersting that a ballet like that would be performed there. But I think there actually was music, just not the kind we can hear. In the modern world, everything is music, the sound of the AC, the desk light buzzing, even silence. Anything the ear can hear can be translated to music, you might not enjoy listening to it, but thats only because we aren't used to what new and out of the box. And so what I am getting at is that silence is just another kind of music. wish I could elaborate more...

  4. Klavier, thank you for that. One of my problems is that Martins seems to ignore or is ignorant of Romeo's "fatal flaw" - impetuosity. In this production, Romeo is treated almost like Siegfried or Prince Florimond: bored with court life, looking for his mission. But that's not Romeo's character at all; that's not what is motivating him.

    I completely agree that Martins had the wrong idea of who Romeo was, and didn't develop the character whatsoever. Romeo appears and you think, he's sad, and poetic; head in the clouds. But Why? There's no Rosaline... I guess it's just hormones? And then his two friends appear on que, except, they don't really seem like his 'friends', just two guys who were sent by the non-existant Lord Montague to make sure Romeo was OK. And then they try to cheer Romeo up by doing a few tricks here and there, and then finally Romeo gives in, and after an awkward pause they do a little turn and thats that. There was absolutely nothing driving Romeo, and the worst part was when he would appear out of nowhere, and just in time to stop the fights between Mercutio and Tybalt. Especially the second fight when it didnt come across why he was trying to stop them from fighting again. Isn't for Juliet? Isn't it so he and Juliet can be together? That didn't come across to me at all, just that he happened to be there at the right time (again) and that he was just a peacmaker between the two families. Well, what I think it comes down to is that Romeo is just a teenager, and like most teenagers, he should be impetuous, and ultimately he just wants a girl and someone to love; however, not so much in this version.

  5. It's interesting how Martin's raves in the article how perfect Erica is for the role, and how she was exactly what he wanted from a Juliet, and yet, she only gets two shows out of the fourteen? Judging from the video, she obviously can handle a role such as Juliet and without a problem. Out of the four students he originally wanted, she was the only one who made it, I would think she would have at least gotten a little more shows, since she is perfect for the role..

  6. I thought the idea to minimize the production into 2 acts was a great idea at first. But when I saw it last night, I felt that there were a few major scenes that are key to the plot that were left out, and the audience was just left to assume what was happening. You obviously have to go into this production already knowing the story, and knowing what happens when. For example, when the Friar is to inform Romeo that Juliet is not actually dead, but is infact asleep. I think that is such a key element in the story that makes it even more tragic, because if the Friar had followed through, it would have been a happy ending. Also, I didn't get a sense of tension between the Capulets and Montagues, luckily though they were color coded.

    Along with that, I thought the 'box' in the middle of the stage was rather intriguing at first. But then it turned out just to be a 3-D backdrop/portal, and I thought there could have been a lot more use out of it.

    I thought that Sterling and Robert were great though. And the swordfighting was fun and exciting. The slap I thought was very effective. A lot of great 'one-liners' as mentioned before.

  7. However at one point during, I guess the ‘finale section’ of the ballet, he almost missed his entrance and so came sprinting out on to the stage, and just made it in the knick of time to start the steps. He did this of course beautifully *hehe*.

    That moment is part of the ballet, Stanley. It's in the choreography. :lol:

    That makes sense now. It was a very exciting moment in the ballet, and I assume that was what Balanchine had intended.

  8. Sunday Matinee

    I couldn’t attend the Goldberg Variations, however it was mentioned in the program that Adam Hendrickson would replace Joaquin de Luz. I did make it to see Stravinsky Violin Concerto, and was glad I had decided to go. This afternoon’s performance was the perfect example of how Jock isn’t only a great partner, but also an amazing dancer. The clarity and sharpness of his dancing was incredible, not to mention his technique. At the same time he also displayed that maturity and attitude that is required of this ballet. His dancing was flawless. However at one point during, I guess the ‘finale section’ of the ballet, he almost missed his entrance and so came sprinting out on to the stage, and just made it in the knick of time to start the steps. He did this of course beautifully *hehe*. For those who dislike Yvonne, I just don’t see it. This afternoon she wasn’t ‘shaky’ at all. In fact I thought she was beautiful, and she reminded me somewhat of Kay Mazzo doing this role in the Balanchine video. Wendy of course was stunning, and Tewsley pulled out a solid performance being his first time in the role. It is interesting that Tewsley is doing more now as a guest, than last year when he was an actual company member. So, I don’t comment much on this board, however I felt it was necessary to mention this brilliant performance.

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