vrsfanatic

Perhaps by any standard but Russian or Manhatten, the Vaganova School and Mariinsky Theatre could be considered quite a distance, but not if you are Russian or a New Yorker! It is not around the corner, but it is a fifteen minute trolley ride, if you are lucky to get on or maybe a 40 minute pleasant walk , which is what is most common. Teachers/students are constantly doing the walk. There used to be quite a few stores and kiosks to get some shopping done on the way to or fro. Maybe not anymore though! Thanks Jeannie for the update! Is I. Kuznetsov listed anywhere anymore?

Oh Alexandra, how could I forget Eric Bruhn. What a numbskull I am. Thanks for the glorious recollection!

I am a bit confused. I recognize that this is the first time in a long time that ballet has been put in the limelight like this, a documentary, newspaper and magazine reviews, discussions on the Internet. This is great but I do not see how these four men, collectively, are really so much better than the male dancers who were performing with ABT during the 1980's. There was of course Baryshnikov himself, Anthony Dowell, Johann Renvall, Julio Bocca, Danilo Radojevic, Ricardo Bustamante, Wes Chapman...these are just a few. If we discuss the PR value of this program I can agree upon the basis of these discussions, but to not recognize the accomplishments of the many dancers who paved the way is difficult for me. This is not a first in the history of ABT. Also Morris did make a remark regarding the fact that these young men are doing steps that did not exist previously to Baryshnikov inventing them. I do not have the direct quote as I have only seen it once, but the inference was there. It is a disappointment that Mr. Morris has not taken an interest to read even a pedagogy book or two on Russian ballet. Some of the books were written before the birth of Baryshnikov and the steps existed then. It is just too misleading. Perhaps Mr. Morris had never seen these steps before but they did indeed exist, some of them for centuries. It is too bad that the documentary highlighted the Morris piece as it did not do the virtuoso abilities and artistic temperments of these four justice. They are indeed remarkable dancers. We all have our favorites. They tended to look average to me. Sorry! :eek:

Thanks NO7. Glad to see Kuznetsov on the foreign roster again. Hopefully they will not keep him behind any longer!

Thank you very much rg for your response. I do have the "World's Young Ballet" from 1969, thanks to this website. I am specifically looking for A. Yudenich, although I would like to see Fukagawa in anything again, but the research is specifically for Yudenich.

This is may not be video, however, does anyone know where I may find footage of the 1970 Varna Men's competition. Hideo Fukagawa and Alexei Yudenich were both awarded the Silver, no gold was awarded that year. There is a very nice anniversary party being planned and to have the footage would truly be very special. Thank you for any help you are able to provide.

I have enjoyed reading this thread, which I am sure is not a surprise to any of you. I have tried to stay out, which I suppose has been obvious. I do think this very difficult task has progressed from the last time this subject came up at BA, although I do not believe it was an actual thread! So...one small correction, the book The Principles of Classical Ballet by Agrippina Vaganova is not It is her attempt to codify what each movement in ballet is, how it is done and why it is done. There is an example at the back of the book of her sample class for the advanced/professional level dancer only. This Dover addition, my last edition 1969, is far from complete in terms of how and where the program/school, named for Vaganova, has evolved. It is a small sample of what has evolved into a four year methodology course given in the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. The diploma given for this course is on the level of a Masters degree in the Vaganova Method of Teaching Ballet. Onward...I have found the summeries of what is Technique versus Style to be actually quite good. I am confused however by the discussion of the Balanchine Technique (please forgive the fact that I have not used the term correctly, as I do not know how to make that little sign signifying copyright). To my knowledge, and I would love to be wrong, one cannot have an actual method if no one has ever implimented the method from the beginning. Something such as technique, I believe must have a beginning and an end. I have never seen the actual teaching of the Balanchine Technique from the beginning to the end. I have read Ms. Schorer's book, with great interest, but let us not confuse what is the written word versus the actual implementation of the work. Is there a school of teachers actually teaching this from the beginning? By this I mean a school begins with say 12 beginners. Suppose two drop out annually so you end up with 2 young 18 year olds who have actually completed the course of study, based upon say 10 years of study by US standards, who have actually learned and accomplished the full "technical requirements" of said Technique. The ABC's are not there. To my knowledge the Balanchine School of Ballet, SAB, has a greater success rate with taking other's very good material for maybe the last year or two of the training cycle and decorate the students with the finer points of Balanchine. It would be interesting to see how many of the dancers in NYCB actually began their training in this school. How many of them spent 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 years at SAB. For me, whether something is an actual Technique or not can only be judged on what it produces. Like learning the ABC's, then spelling, sentences, paragraphs, stories to books. Perhaps we are confusing what is technique in ballet versus what is a Technique!

I am not saying this as a joke. Having studied ballet as a child through professional would be a requirement I would think would be nesessary for as artistic directorship. There was the case of one of our largest companies having had an Artistic Director for two years with no ballet background at all. It also would help in the administrative side as well.

This is the way his School of Classical Ballet began back in the 1980's. I hope he is able to raise enough money to fund this project independently so that it is able to survive without his financial input. When Mr. Baryshnikov resigned from ABT the school failed almost immediately (the students were let go 4 months later, and the faculty dismissed) since it had been funded only by him! No more money, no more project! Too bad, they had a good thing going!

To clarify...The European State Schools of Ballet. I did not mean the public or private education system. We are discussing ballet schooling not academic education. Perhaps it is incorrect to call Paris Opera School, Stuttgart School, Royal Ballet School, Vaganova Academy....etc. European State Schools, but that is how many Europeans in ballet refer to them. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[ Not all schools in the US are lax in discipline and high standards. There are American teachers who have indeed studied in the great European State Schools of Ballet, may have worked in these great schools, or have at least visited these schools. My comments regarding the articles being discussed are from a highly professional standard. There could be a misunderstanding by many highly qualified teachers, from many parts of the world, if we were to lump all American teachers into one soup pot. Please do not dismiss my very experienced and knowledgable comments simply because I am an American, working in America, in a school that you assume is without note! Believe me you have a misconception! Now, onto the subject at hand. Perhaps I have misunderstood the point of the conversation. I will reread the articles through the translation site that BW has found for those of us who are interested in understanding what all of the commotion is about. I still stand by my previous post. I do not agree with abuse of power, but there are just plain old nasty people in every field in life.

Thanks Estelle for the links!

BTW! I like Alexandra's question! Has anyone looked into that. What about the poor teachers and their self esteem?

I was fascinated to read the first article about the situation in Paris. Well, actually I had it translated to me. Is there a way to post the link to this last article that Ms Kanter has discussed? It actually sounds to me like what hit the US about 15 years ago in our schools. We teachers, of a certain generation and older, remember the days when we were chastised to the point of humiliation and fear, quite regularly as students. I know I was left with many scars, without a doubt. However as a teacher, for more than twenty years, I would have to say even though I know I make a very big effort not to publically or privately humiliate a student, it is part of the teenage psyche to react in a protective manner when corrected. There have been misunderstandings with students regarding corrections even though I have made a very big conscious effort not to correct in a way that could be interpreted as heartless, humiliating or fear inducing. The part that we as a teacher cannot be responsible for is the different personalities of people in general. We can try our hardest to read our students, but there are times that we will be misunderstood. Just as students could be misunderstood. To a certain extent it is life in general. Children will be confronted with various personalities in their adult life. They will either survive or they will not. Hopefully they will not have to suffer too many tyrants or people in power who are abusive. No one should have to endure that humiliation, but to a certain extent we all know what it is to get our feelings hurt and children tend to dwell on this more than adults. I survived the Russian way of communicating in school. Some teachers were brutal, most were not! I can say this for the US also. We deal on a daily basis with nasty phone solicitors, shopkeeper, sales people, toll booth attendants. Let's face it there are some nasty people in this world. It does not make the POB School a hot bed of snakes because perhaps there are some nasty people working there. The point I am trying to make I suppose is that there is always room for improvement, everywhere. No where is ideal. No matter how hard we try to build the students self respect there will always be those who misunderstood somewhere, something! I do not know POB, but I do have to question such inquires into the inner workings of an organization. There will always be examples because there will always be a dissatisfied customer. And a dissatisfied costumer is not necessarily one who is on the low end of the totem pole. I am not sure if there is a way to teach ballet to the highest level without some bruises to the ego, psyche, and body. The facts are people are different from each other and they always will be!:eek: As for the nutritionist and osteopath/chiropractor...they need to look into these issues.

PK, Mikhail Lavrovsky, former soloist with Bolshoi, son of Leonid, has choreographed Porgy and Bess. It is not on a video for the public, but I have seen it on film. An interesting piece.;)

Thanks for the correction!

To my knowledge, Combat was choreographed for Lupe Serrano. At least this is what Mr. Dollar and Ms. Serrano have both told me. Perhaps I misunderstood?

Thanks Kevin. Now I have no excuse not to go. there is something going on all summer.

Thank you Major Mel, that is actually what I was trying to describe.

I do not know the Bolshoi, but I do know Mariinsky stage is covered with almost a carpet type surface for some ballets. It is not a linoleum. I do not know what it is. Perhaps Andre can fill us in on this? I cannot say I noticed too much clanging around no matter where I sat, upstairs in the nosebleed section( which is an experience in itself) or down in the beautiful orchestra. In school the floors are mostly wood. The shoes do indeed clang around on the wood. Dancers were however always corrected for not using their feet correctly if the noise was really too loud!;) The dancers even made too much noise in soft ballet slippers, and not only the girls!:eek: Not having seen Kirov or Bolshoi in the US recently, I cannot comment on the possible reasons for the noisy pointe shoes. Most of my students where Grishco or Russian Pointes but they are not clanging around? Maybe it is just the theatre.

I think it sounds like an interesting book. I would be interested to buy it! When was it published? I do have an extensive ballet book library. None in Italian though. It would be a nice addition! Buon divertimento!

I cannot say exactly why Lea left the ballet world, I just know from being in class with her that she was a good dancer. I never saw her again after Burger King, although I did work with her brother, Andrew and sister in-law, Jocelyn at one point. As for the body...for me, that has never been the priority. Although I prefer the ideal, I must say I am constantly amazed by the ones who are less than ideal!

Lea Thompson was an apprentice at Pennsylvania Ballet back in the Harkarvy/Weisberger days. She actually was very good. She went to an audition in NYC for a Burger King commercial to make extra money and never looked back!

One of our accompanists is a BalletAlert poster. I am sure he could have quite a bit to contribute...? Please don't be shy! :eek:

I remember the dancers I saw most vividly, but not the ballet! I hope that will do? I know it was Balanchine. Violette Verdi, Conrad Ludlow, NY State Theatre sometime between 1962 and 1964, I am not sure which. It does not matter at all actually. What is important is that the feeling from Violette has stayed with me to this very day. She was awe inspiring and remains to be so to this very day. I forgot to report that I was able to see her film and meet with her again two weeks ago and she is still as lovely and as inspiring as ever! May I too have this ability as I grow wiser with the years.