bijoux

Perhaps boston Ballet needs to pay more attention to the people of Boston.By that I mean the company needs to do more to draw the audiences in.I suppose it is a job for the development department as well as the artistic staff.Bostonians like to feel like they are part of something.I would venture to say like a special club.They all want to be a member before their neighbor does.I don't think the company has really done much in the way of making people belive they are the hot ticket.There are so many exciting things that happen every day in Boston and Boston Ballet misses out.The company also needs to represent all of its members consistently.(Even dancers who have been in the company for a while.)Audience members like to see certain people and if they are still in the company,but don't get used,the select audience members may stop coming.(I mention this because something like it was mentioned in a review during Onegin)Maybe the company needs to do something exciting that only shows a bit of dancing to whet someones appetite so they'll buy tickets for the real thing,Maybe they should collaborate with someone on a big production.The posssibilities are endless....

What about Larissa Ponomorenko of Boston Ballet to add to the list of ballerinas?She is this little whisp of a thing who delights me everytime I see her.She is extremely versitile and really brings depth to every role she dances.She is exciting to watch and a true gem of a woman.My only concern is that she doesn't get the recognition she deserves,because not too many people pay attention to Boston Ballet.That could be good and bad,mostly because they have many talented dancers worth watching.Larissa in my opinion has always been world class and worthy of a vote for great ballerina of our time

Yeah,we'll have to see what they come up with for ads.I have heard fantastic things about Valerie,so I am hoping something will give them a boost

Haha,I was just laughing at the prospect of the sox winning the pennanat....This is to adddress bbfan.I am pleases to hear that as a more mature audience member,you welcome the new stuff Boston Ballet is trying to add and I didn't know to what extent they had attempted to lure people into the theatre... I had another brainstorm,and if anyone from boston Ballet is reading this,maybe you'll pass it on...Mikko and Valerie are young.There are all sorts on entertainment spots on the television,so why doesn't the company spend a little money to make a really cool commercial?I think the people who go to see Riverdance and all of those things at the wang,go because they constantly see the adds for them.There is so much that one can do with technology that it doesn't just have to be ballet.Of course the focus should be on the company ,in rehearsal or something,but displaying the cultural diversity of the company with perhaps some exciting music.Then Mikko and Valerie could appear, looking fabulous and telling Boston to,"Come to the Ballet.It is not what you think it is..."(wow,do you think I have a career in advertising?haha)Seriously though,this company is too much and has the potential to be so much more and I think they are ready to be seen.

I went to see the program again because I wanted to see alternate casts and I think the sucess of the program depended on whom was dancing.I thought Sarah Lamb danced "In the Middle "very well,and then I saw Romi Beppu,(a corps de ballet member, who just went for it.)She seemed to really be enjoying strutting her stuff and I think that is what the ballet is all about.I still enjoyed Alexander witter and April Ball more than their counterparts ,but he alternate casts still did an admirable job.The second piece I enjoyed less than the first time.I think a program like this can be tricky.We are used to seeing the same thing here and it was a bold move to make such a change.I was disappointed my second time around to see how empty the audience was.Opening night was full,but I imagine all sorts of people were there.Oh well,I am sure Eugine Onegin well fare better for the public and the dancers because they all know it....

Well,I think Boston ,as a city needs to become as interested in ballet as they are in sports,or the symphony,or even the theatre...The thing is that nobody wants to pay for anything they are unfamiliar with .The Boston Lyric Oprea recently performed,"Carmen" on the Boston Common which was free to the public.What other way to get people who would never go to the Opera to go?Boston Ballet should do something similar.Have free performances to introduce the artform to the general public. I think they used to do something like that but using the second company.They should use the main company so that people see what they are really getting if they pay for tickets.Another thing would be to go out to the different communities in the area.There are many people for whom ballet is not accessable,or they think it isn't,or they think it is boring.Perhaps the company should make an effort to include the part of Boston that is not all Baecon Hill wealthy and focus on the up and comers of tomorrow.There are alot of students in the various universities in Boston that would go to the ballet on a date.It is a great way for a guy to impress a girl.Do something to show these people that it isn't an elitist stuffy/artform....Host a party or something.They should really use everybody they have in the company because there might be someone that alot of people want to see.Word will get out and you know....

Oh that's good that the whole Sugar Plum thing wasnt't an "issue."I think I would have imagined a different approach,but if they don't make it a practice to advertise corps members in leading roles,then I guess all I can ask is why not?As for the dwindling number of blacks in the company,yes it has been going on for a while...There is, I hear a black male in the second company,so perhaps a replenishing is underway.It wll indeed be interesting to see what Mikko has instore.From the interviews I've read, he seems to really want to push things in another direction from the usual.that is good...(I think).As for Erika Lambe not being in the program,maybe it was an oversight.I went to the ballet tonight and the company looked fantastic.My biggest observetion was how pale it was,but that could be just me.I look for things like that....

Hello.I just went to Boston Ballets' opening night performance tonight and I must say that I really enjoyed it.Did anyone see it?They had a world premeire by Jorma Elo(spelling?),they did William Forsyths'"In the MIddle Somewhat Elevated".. and a Mark(C?) Morris piece called Malestrom.I think everyone danced really well.I was pleased with the new members of the company.Someone had mentioned a while ago in a thread about the new dancers in the company something nice about Alexander Whitter(sp?)and I 'll have to agree.I don't remember the exact words,but they were complimentary.He is a dream to watch.He was in both Malestrom and "In the Middle..."and I couldn't stop watching him.There is something distinctive about the way that he moves .Sarah Lamb ,a soloist with the company danced well in "In the Middle..." as did April Ball( a principal).The World premire on the program was a little odd,but perhaps it is an example of things to come.The music was Bach and the movement was interesting,but it was a bit long and I couldn't tell if there was supposed to be a story or not.It was well danced by some veterans of the company as well as new members and a member of the apprentice group,I am just not sure how I felt about it.I didn't dislike it,but there were things that I think would have made me enjoy it better.all in all,I think Mikko Nissenen and the company should be proud.I think this program was a bit of a departure from even their most "Modern " approaches,but the dancers handled it and I will assume they will get better as they relax into it more

I have to wonder as well why some companies are so reticent to promote ethnicity as beauty.We all know that Boston is not the most open minded of cities,so why can't the ballet companies in the area open the publics' eyes to what beautiful can be?It doesn't have to be blonde or brunette or short or tall.It can be all of those things.I get disappointed when I go to see Boston Ballet and they have only one black woman in the company and they don't even use her.she is a good dancer.Perfectly capable of dancing the rep,so it makes me wonder why she is always being hidden.The ironic thing is that there is "City dance" which is a program for underprivelidged minority children and another program for minority teens to build self estheem.How are these children and teenagers going to feel beautiful and comfortable about being black when the one black woman in the company is hidden away?The funny thing is that she is attractive.She stands out in a very positive way,but she is never given the 'tender"roles and from what I've heard this season,she isn't even dancing in the first program.Ok,to be fair,they do promote Adrianna Suarez and her husband Gianni DiMarco,but in my opinion,beauty doesn't stop woth Latino.It is all encompassing.I heard that Erika Lambe(the black woman) did sugar plum fairy during AnnaMarie Holmes' last season.what a wonderful way to be progressive.Boston Ballet has never had a black sugarplum fairy.My question is why was it a secret?Nobody knew about it.She danced a couple of school matinees and that was it.How terrific it must have been for the little black children in the audience to see a Sugarplum Fairy that looked like them....It isn't just Boston Ballet,but many companies who still cater to the 19th century idea of beauty.It is the 21st century and beauty in dance is in the movement and musicality of a dancer,not the color of their hair ,or skin.I have noted another trend with BB and the Asian contingent.They tend to cast them all together,or make them alternate with each other.Why is that?I hope this wasn't too "out there"...

Hello.I actually have a question about the programs for Boston Ballets next season.I read an article in, I believe, the Globe that listed the ballets for next season, and the balanchine program had two ballet I was not familiar with.They were the Movements for Piano and Orchestra and Monumentum something or other.The other Balanchine pieces were Prodigal son and Ballo de La Regina.I know that Prodigal Son has been danced in other companies,but what about the other three?Especially the two I don't know.do they go by other names?( I think some balanchine Ballets are called other things depending on the context in which they are used.Like "Rubies" is called someething else when it isn't part of "Jewels")The entire season looks really exciting for the company.It looks like they are going to be doing some good dancing.I was just really curious about the balanchine pieces.I love Balanchine and I am excited to see the program no matter what,I just wanted to know a little more about the ballets.thanks.

Hello.I'm sorry I've been out of touch for a bit,But I wanted to add to the comments on Boston Ballets'"American Trilogy"I saw the program a couple of times because I wanted to see different dancers.I agree with bbfan about Michael Johnson.He was great as the Hoofer in "Slaughter",but I also saw Reagan Messer and Zach Grubbs who were equally enjoyable.Reagen danced the second show it think,and his tapping skills were fantastic.Zack gave a sort of Gene Kelly like performance when I saw the show last weekend.Another corps dancer who needs to be mentioned is Alexandra Kochis who was an adorable and feisty cow girl in Rodeo.As for Corybantic ,there were parts of the ballet that I really enjoyed,but I think some parts of it were a bit long.It is however the best piece of Christopher Wheeldons that Boston Ballet has danced. I can't say whether I enjoyed Rodeo or not.Unfortunately,it seems a bit dated.On the one hand,it is a piece of American ballet history and it is important for people to know the ballet exists,but I think it should have been on another program .The dancers did a fine job with what they were given,but somehow it just didn't quite fit.I think the company is looking good however.It will be a shame not to see some faces next season(namely Zack Grubbs and Reagen Messer),but I hope everyone is going onto something rewarding.I can't wait to see Madamme Butterfly in May....

Yes,I know the children were painted in Gold.I was saying that I was relieved that boston Ballet didn't put black face on the children .I had seen a video of the kirov and the children looked like they had been painted black,so I was worried that boston Ballet might try to stay true to that version,and I was glad to see that they didn't in that respect.As for the "warrior Woman"I saw the ballet a few times because I wanted to see different casts and every time I went,Erika was doing the Warrior Woman,so I apologize,I assumed she was the only one doing the role.

I think the use of "painted" black children would definitely raise some eyebrows.When I heard that Boston Ballet was going to do "La Bayadere" last year,I went and got the Kirov tape to see what to look for,and I was surprised to see all of those children in blackface out onstage.I was fearful that Boston ballet would do the true Kirov version of the ballet,but I was releived to see that it had been modified a bit.The children were "dirty' but not in black face.The only misgivings I had politically ,was in the "warrior Dance".It was a wild spirited dance for eight men and a woman, where the woman wore a bikini top and little skirt and ran around like a Banshee,and Erika Lambe(the black woman in the company) was cast to dance most of the shows.She was great and had alot of energy which the role required,but I wonder if it was typecasting or if they could have gone another route.(Most companies have cut that number from the ballet...)

I'd like to add Larissa Ponomorenko of Boston Ballet to that list.She may not be as well known outside of Boston,but I remember her being mentioned in an earlier thread.She is the ultimate ballerina onstage.She is graceful if she has to be in full length classical Ballets,she can dance Balanchine and Nacho Duatos' modern works like she was born to dance them and she is really humble offstage.I have been by the stage door when she has come off a performance and she is always willing to give an autograph and talk ot her fans for a minute or two and it seems really genuine.I remember waiting to get to talk to her and it took a while because she really spoke to the person who was before me.She didn't just say "thank you" and sign a piece of paper.She has definite "Star Power" for Boston audiences and I'm sure she is a fantastic role model for the students in the school as well.So,I just thought she should get a little boost .

Actually,Boston Ballet did a ballet a few years ago with an Aboriginal theme.( I can't remember the name,but it was choreographed by Laszlo Berdo)Anyway,the dancers wore"tribal" costumes and the music was suggestive of something that was not anglo, and I believe the dancers wore dark makeup(not blackface,but something to make them seem darker),but, neither black woman in the company was used in the piece.It was an entirely white cast with the exception of a latin American couple,and nobody said a word.Do you really think audiences would get that upset if a black dancer danced a "traditionally"white role?I just say,if you have someone capable of dancing the role,let them do it.Ballet is make believe.

Oh,yes,I know that there are some good dancers of color out there,I just think some directors are still uncertain as to what to do with them.I live in the New england area and I often see Boston Ballet,so I always have that company fresh in my mind.They have a black dacner who is quite capable,yet they don't do much with her.I went to see their last program and she danced a soloist role.The audience seemed to really like her(you could hear an audible raise in enthusiasm..)Yet,the company doesn't do anything with her.I have seen the company for many years and I have seen her now and again,but not as often as some of the other girls they have in the company.Yes I agree that Albert Evans is fantastic an it was great to hear that e is being appreciated,but I don't think it is happening everywhere.Getting back to miss Lambe.She has the most powerful jump I've seen in a woman in a long time.And she has a strong pressence onstage.Boston Ballet is doing Giselle in the spring and it would be great to see her as a Myrtha.It would be a first for Boston Ballet ,but I believe she would do the role justice.It is like the Albert Evans as Albrect.He would be lovely because he has such a clean lyrical sense about his dancing and she'd be great because she can be so strong.Oh well,we can just wait and see.

this race card is a tough subject.Yes,I think there may be instances of people using the "race card" to their advantage,but to be honest,I don't think ballet teachers or directors think of the impact.I don't think they really think of the impact that a really good dancer of color would have in their circumstance.to be honest I think it woulld be a good reaction from the public,mainly because this country spends so much time trying to be P.C. that if a black or otherwise ethnic dancer got up and danced the heck out of something,there might be a sense of surprise and then delight.A sort of,"it's about time " thing...But that's my opinion.We can only wait amd see.....

i agree with the idea of moderation of terms.After all,I think many artforms,especially Ballet suffer financially because those who don't know,still consider it somewhat of an "elitist"artform.There may have been a time when only the wealthy attended the ballet and the theatre because they could afford culture.i think alot of young people suffer the misconception that you have to be well of to be able to attend the ballet.I know that in New york,the problem might not exist because there are "rush"tickets etc,but here in boston they don't really have it.You can get a student discount,but you have to have an id.So,your average Jackor Jill,who is no longer in school,might feel as though the ballet is out of their reach.I think it should be an advertising effort on behalf of Ballet companies,to assure the public that dance is something that can be afforded by anyone.

Hello Everyone.What a horrific start to the day.I pray for the losses and hope everyone else remains safe.I spoke to a friend at ABT and I thank God they left yesterday.This whole thing seems so surreal.I mean ,you read about these things happening,but not here.You see it in the movies,but never expect to be affected directly or indirectly.I have a friend in Pittsburgh who I have been trying to reach all day,and I hope she is fine and that will get back to me soon.Well.Everyone out there try to be safe and look out for your fellow being.god Bless

I completely agree.Larissa is a true gem of a ballerina and she is sooooo versitile.There are many "ballerinas"who are wonderful in the classics and them they look really out of place in contemporary or Balanchine works,but she seems to be able to do it all.It is wonderful.When I go to see the ballet and see that she is dancing,I know it is going to be a first rate performance on her part.It's great that she was mentioned because those kids in Boston are talented.

I don't know...I don't think it might be intentional,but I think many directors stray from assigning black dancers in certain roles because there haven't been any there before and they aren't sure if a dancer of color might bring the same "quality" to the role.I am optimistic and I hope none of these decisions are truely based on race.I look forward to the time when more than two or three "special case" dancers(ie. the Lauren Andersons and Carlos Acostas of the world who have been given the opportunity to proove their ability...)are given the opportunities..Even if they fail,they've been considered and that is a step in the right direction.To be honest,I think most directors have so much to think of that they don't even think of "diversity"issues.I mean,it would be great if they did,but most of them are preoccupied trying to keep their companies afloat.Maybe ten years from now,there will be some noticible changes in companies and schools.

I'll have to agree with dancefan about there being enough black talen out there in schools,but it is an issue of reality for many students.If they come from a family who hasn't been exposed to ballet before and their parents haven't seen many dancers of color onstage in featured roles,the parents aren't likely to encourage their child do pursue something they feel they might not succeed in.even if they come from the upper middle class,their parents might not put as much stock on ballet as they would classical music or theatre.There have been alot more musicians of color and actors who have been recognized than there have been ballet dancers,so it again comes down to whether or not the parents want to spend the time and money on an artform that doesn't seem to want to recognize the potential of a black dancer..Another component of this is that most black ballet students are one in twenty.Unfortunately,unless they have something exceptional about their dancing,they might not be encouraged by their teachers.I'm talking about great facility,or natural turns or jumps.When I was a child and i studied ballet,I had alot of natural facility most of my teachers hadn't seen in black bodies before9nice feet,high extension,long limb and I was smart)),so I was pushed and I got chosen for things that black students before me weren't.It is great when you are a child because you imagne it can only get better from here.But then I looked around and realized I was the only black girl in my class,and when I went to see ballet performances,there weren't any black women onstage.I had to wonder if I could ever make it in the ballet world .I think the same question lingers in many ballet students of color.Of course ballet students in general come to that question at some point in their training.There are so many talented dancers in the world,but so few openings.As a dancer of color,the question becomes,will they accept me as one of their own?Yes,Lauren Anderson and Carlos Acosta are the exceptions of today.Again I salute Ben Stevenson for having the determination to put them out there.Of course the audiences love them because they are great dancers,but it talks a director who is willing to take chances to let the audiences see his treasures.So I guess there are many reasons why there aren't many black dancers in ballet companies.The question remains,how can we change it? I don't mean by creating another Dance Theatre of Harlem.It just seems to me that it wouldn't be an issue if there were three or four black men and women in a ballet company.I mean there are several of any other race and nobody questions it.If there were more,nobody would be able to say,"you know,the black dancer they have..."

I think alot of directors are still uneducated in terms of racial stereotyping.I mean in most companies where there are dancers of color,they are relegated to the Arabians,or the exotic roles.I mentioned Erika Lambe dancing sugar plum in another thread,but that is a first for Boston Ballet.The dancers of color get to dance the Balanchine,and the demi-character and jazz lead,but... I don't know if it is conscious though.I think the directors(in BBC's case AnnaMarie Holmes) cast what they know and are afraid to take the chance that the audience might not like someone of color in a particular role ,or because they've never seen it,it doesn't occur to them to try it.All I can say to that is,try it and see.

sorry.I didn't mean to put Christina Johnson in that category(of skin tone)It was more of a comment to say that I agreed with the fact that she was a special dancer , and because she is light skinned,I wanted to add something in because I had just made a comment about skin tone in regards to some of the up and coming dancers of color.I think christina is from a generation where the color issue was something to be careful with .She is fair,but there is still something about her.I think I meant more that we(society and directors) should be at a place where it is ok to consider a dark skinned dancer good enough or classical enough.Of course Arthur Mitchell and Alvin Ailey have done it with their respective companies,but could you imagine how wrong it would be for a director of color not to recognize the talents in his own company regardless of skintone?This is always such a touchy issue,so I will just say it is great that you guys are recognizing the talents out there .I might not be a professional,but it makes me really proud to hear about dancers of color who are doing their thing and opening the doors every day for a future where nobody has to be idientified by their skin color or ethnic makeup.

I was curious about the "sugar Plum" in the nutcracker ,so I asked around to see if boston Ballet had had any sugar plums or cavaliers of color and was pleased to hear that they had .appherantly back in the 70s or 80s,there was a South African man in the company who danced cavalier and a guy named Anthony Williams.More Recently,Roger Cunningham (who left the company a few years ago to dance in Europe)danced cavalier.Erika Lambe danced Sugar Plum last season and although it must not have been a published performance(they do alot of kiddie matinees)I think she is the first woman of color in Boston Ballet to have danced Sugar Plum fairy.I will look forward to seeing if she dances it again this year.they seem to use her in strong roles( demi character/Balanchine),so it is nice to hear that she was tried in something classical.I know that I have mentioned her alot,but I see boston Ballet all the time and she is a black dancer who looks black.although I haven't seen some of the dancers mentioned in this thread,the ones who people consider "beautiful"or "classical" don't look black from the audience.don't get me wrong,I think it is a tremendous effort to even represent dancers of color,but in the "black"ballerinas of today,it is still only Lauren Anderson who is ever mentioned in the classical sense.Misty Copeland and Alicia Graff are so fair skinned it is difficult to tell what nationality they are.Of course they are both very promissing dancers and are representitives of the new generation of dancers,I just wanted to put in something nice about someone who might not get menntioned.I read a thread about Christina Johnson a little while back and have to agree that she was a beautiful dancer,but not just classically.She was very versitile and that is what makes dancers memorable.i am not discuonting the fact that she was fairskinned.She is a beautiful dancer period.I also don't want people to get the impression that I am pushing the darker skinned dancer,I just rarely hear them mentioned,so I thought I would mention one myself.