2 Left Feet

I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The company I work with did an unusually large mailing of our annual appeal this year. We rely on this for a substantial part of our income. I pushed very hard to expand the number of people we reach by purchasing a mailing list. We added 1000 names to our list. It cost more, but the potential for more donations is huge. I hope people respond. We have no fundarisers planned for months! :sweating:

I "discovered" ballet a little less than three years ago. I took to it with an immediate and ovewhelming passion, partly making up for a buried desire to do it for so long as a child. At 35, walking into a studio was as terrifying as it has become rewarding. I now dread the days I cannot get to the studio because of my work commitments.

Has it been hard for me? Yes and no. I guess I have a natural facility for it and my drive to learn and improve has made me progress much faster than some of the people I started taking classes with three years ago.

Is it hard to see younger students move on? It was at first. I think it's only natural to feel something when you see gifted young ones progress into something you wanted but couldn't have. But in time I've dealt with that issue. Now I'm morstly pleased to see my own progress. My initial reaction to this was to stop going to classes that mixed adults and kids. Eventually I got over that getting to the point where I'm not only fine with kids being in my classes, I actually enjoy seeing them now. I find watching them helps with my own technique. But I do have to allow myself one vanity. There was one school I went to for some time. They had this boy in his late teens, their fledgling "star." At first he intimidated me because he was so much better than I was and he was not very friendly. I went back recently and he was in the same class I was taking. I realized I had progressed so much that I was able to do things he still couldn't. I was surprised and more than a little pleased to see how much my technique had grown.

Why do I keep going? Many reasons. One, I want to improve. I see no reason why I can't learn as much as possible. I may never do perfect double tours but I can do fairly descent singles. As long I as can strive to make those better I'll be taking classes. The other reason is it is a great escape from my adult world worries. For 1 1/2 hours I forget about alll my pressures and concentrate solely on the task in front of me, a well executed tendu, holding my turnout, etc. This relaxes me and helps keep me sane.

The Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet in Los Angeles, especially the opening night rep. This company is equally at ease with classics and contemporary.

The Ailey II in their Cal State Northridge dates.

Also ABT's "Corsaire" at the Dorothy Chandler. Not for the production, but for the dancers taking liberties and trying to out-do each other as they traded roles throghout the run. It made for an especially zesty series of performances.

David:

You may already know this from Lauren, I was able to move some money on my end and I'm sending my donation your way today.

Wish I could see you guys tonight in Victorville. May I propose either the Luckman at Cal Stat LA or the Cal State Northridge performing arts center for future LA dates? Both are very receptive to dance -- quite aggressive in fact.

Please do pursue the NPR angle. I may know someone who can help here in LA. I'll try to find out today. It may be a little late for your current crisis, but it's a story worth getting out there for every other arts organization in the US.

Ed

2LF

I'm so glad. It looks like the light is starting to become visible at the end of the tunnel.

Every dance lover should be looking at their local company to make sure they don't get in this situation themselves. What has happened to Diablo could easily happen anywhere. Give your time and money to keep them all afloat.

David:

What ever became of the NY Times and NPR? And perhaps you should make a call to Lewis Segal at the LA Times to get him to Victorville tomorrow night. He carries a lot of weight in dance in Los Angeles.

Another update: As of Friday, the company has been able to raise $60,000 toward keeping the doors open. Things are looking up.

Latest word I got on fundraising attempts was they had succeeded in raising $10,000. They also had a committment from a local company to match it with a $15,000 donation if they were able to reach $15,000 on their own. Lets hope. I also undersand they're trying to get a grant from the City of Walnut Creek to cover their debts.

Now I'm hearing of other places going under. It's not ballet, but in a sign of the times a long established Santa Barbara musical theater group called it quits this week. I'm sure there's more to come.

I tell you. Not that this is the problem here, but I think people got complacent in the 90's. Cash was so easy to find for arts organizations, people were practically throwing it at them. Now when times are tough, I don't think development directors know how to go looking for it when they need money. Used to be it took a lot of time and effort to network, grow interest in a company or art form, then begin to reap the financial benefits. I think some companies are about to learn hard lessons simply because they don't know how to work hard to get the money they need.

Just my thoughts.

For any of you in the bay area, the Diablo Ballet issued a press release yesterday. They face a severe budget short fall that could cause them to cease operation by September 15th. They need to raise $150,000 immediately to cover expenses. This is a company that was quickly establishing an international reputation. For more information or to find out how to make doantions, go to: Http:/Criticaldance.com/diabloballet/

I got back from the Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet last night to find my VCR had taped 5 minutes of the performance, then shut itself off for some reason. AAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH. I couldn't get it started again. I have technology.

Hoping my friend also taped it as promised.

Lewis Segal posted his review in this morning's Calendar section of the times. It says the show airs tonight at 11:00 PM on KCET. It appears to be a last minute addition to the schedule.

Set the VCR's.

I got this news from a KCET subscriber yesterday. I'll double check adn get back to you all.

Sorry for the long thread title:

The Live performance is scheduled to be broadcast in Los Angeles on PBS June 4th at 11:00 PM.

I'll be setting my VCR.

Thanks for the link. I'm hoping to use some connections here in town to score a copy of the script. I'd love to see what it is. If it's true Altman, the script will be the first thing to go. But I'd still love to see it. I'll report in if I have any success.

Been reading on another site that there are two new dance movies centered around the ballet world either in production or pending release.

Patrick Swayze and Rhasta Thomas are just two of the names involved in "Without a Word" being driected by Swayze's wife, Lisa Niemi. Franchise Classics is releasing the film which just finished post-production a few weeks ago. No release date has been announced but it is anticipated later this year. The film is about a stuggling dance company and their attempts to reconstruct a lost work. It was shot on a shoestring budget in Winnepeg last spring. I could find little official information on the show on-line, but there is an unofficial fansite link here. It's pretty detailed and fairly well done:

http://home.att.net/~Orrymain3/Word.htm

The other project is just heading to into production. No solid information about this one as yet, but Robert Altman is set to direct an ensemble piece about the inner workings of a ballet company called "The Company." Former dancer Neve Campbell is set to star. If memory serves, Campbell was offered a lead in "Center Stage" and turned it down stating the film wasn't "real enough." I can only imagine, between Campbell and Altman, this film should not only be fairly realistic but entertaining as well. FYI, Altman is no stranger to the dance world so it's not necessarilly an outsider looking in. Could be fun. If I learn more I'll pass it along.

The actual name is Eddie Brandt's. They have a web page but no web site. I did not write down the phone number. I'll look it up and add it later.

Ed

Well...

Not entirely optomistic news... Thanks for the info. Sounds like you've been looking for awhile yourself, rg. I knew about the ABT version. Guess I'll have to settle for that for now.

Thanks again for the quick responses. If I come across anything I'll let you guys know. There is a place here in Los Angeles that tends to have copies of things no one else in the world has. I'll give them a try as well. FYI -- it's called Eddie Bryants. It's on Lankershim Blvd. in the North Hollywood area of Los Angeles, should anyone else be looking for something out of the ordinary.

Looking for a copy of "Sylvia" on either DVD or VHS. I've been able to find tapes of performances that feature one dance, but I'd like to find a copy of the complete ballet if possible.

I haven't been able to find anything on the internet. I don't even know if a full length tape has even been made.

Ed

I saw the show last night as well. I thought it was my unfortunate placement in the balcony that made me so unreceptive to "Sunflowers." I just wasn't able to get into it like the others. But I did enjoy the other three pieces immensely.

I stayed in OC and went to a class at the Ballet Pacifica Academy this morning. Fun class. Long barre with a short, foot intense center. Nice change of pace.

I caught the Saturday evening performance. I left with mixed feelings. I enjoyed the show, the spectical of the scenery and the costumes, and the dancing certainly was amazing. But the whole production left me wanting something.

I felt there was at times too much happening on stage. The corps members had so much individual stage business happening at any one time it detracted from the principals, taking my attention away from the real focus of the story.

Julie Kent is a treat to watch, her dancing effortless and amazing. But I did not feel she was a very "merry" Widow. Rather, she gave the Widow almost a scheming aire. It was an interesting take on the character but not appropriate I felt for a light hearted peice like this.

Jose Carreno was technically impressive as Danilo. Was he right for the part of a drunken suitor? I did not get the impression comedic parts were his strong point.

To me the real treat of the evening was the solo by Herman Cornejo as the Leading Pontevedrian Dancer. Not only was his dancing brilliant to see, but he seemed to be having the time of his life throughout. I heard several muted calls and one very loud shout of "bravo" afterward. It was well deserved.

The IPB was formed in 1994 and is based in the Claremont area. I believe the affiliation with the Luckman fine arts complex at Cal State LA is a new development. The artisitc director is Victoria Koenig, formerly of the Feld Ballet. The IPB also operates the IPB Academy year round and offers summer intensives.

Oddly enough, their sponsor for this show was the Los Angeles Times. You'd think being a sponsor, they'd at least write a review and attempt to help boost attendance.

I was perplexed this weekend to see absolutley no coverage or reviews of the Inland Pacific Ballet's performances of "Coppelia" in the Los Angeles Times. There were several lengthy articles about the Paris Opera Ballet's "La Bayedere" in Orange County, but nothing at all about the only major local company in Los Angeles. Is this common in other cities? I've felt the LA Times reviewers are skeptics at best, but to ignore your biggest local comany altogether?

Did anyone else in Los Angeles notice this? Does this happen elsewhere? :confused: