FauxPas

Violetta Prokhorova (later better known as the Sadler's Wells ballerina Violetta Elvin) was not a defector but was allowed out of Russia to marry Harold Elvin. But she was a Bolshoi soloist. Didn't Maya Plisetskaya have an affair with an English diplomat and try to defect unsuccessfully? She wasn't allowed to tour the West until the 1960's when she was almost 40. The complete stories and private feelings may never be known because the dancers who stayed in Russia were forced to tow the government line. Ulanova was accused of extremely deferential behavior to the Soviet authorities and probably never shared her deepest feelings on a number of subjects publicly. She played the political game and well unlike others who had a tougher time. As an older woman she started to make some guardedly critical comments in interviews - she didn't express enthusiasm for Grigorovich's choreography for Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" which replaced the Lavrovsky that she created at the Kirov. In another Bolshoi documentary she said that if the ballet doesn't go forward, it will go backward. Clearly a swipe at the artistic conservatism of the late Grigorovich period where creativity stagnated at the Bolshoi along with the choreographic powers of its head. The odd thing is that we associate Ulanova with the Bolshoi because when she finally toured to the West and was filmed, it was as a member of the Bolshoi. She also was active as a coach and teacher of important Bolshoi ballerinas like the late Ekaterina Maximova. But Ulanova's entire training and career until her thirties was as a member of the Kirov. Therefore artistically she is a pure product of the Maryinsky/Kirov-St. Petersburg/Leningrad tradition. But we still think of her as Bolshoi and that was a fairly late career development.

I also was at last night's "Giselle" which I think can stand proud against any I have seen live or on film. Giselle may be Nina's best all-around role right now - her mad scene was the best I have seen in a long time. She really reacted beautifully to the music. Technically she was superb - the only trouble spot was the series of hops on pointe in the "Spessivtseva" variation - she had to stop about 3/4 of the way across the diagonal of hops and then substituted a few lovely pirouettes before going into the circle of piques tournant. I have seen much younger ballerinas have trouble with the same moment. The rest was perfect and lovely. Her artistry is really refined and this role shows that off. Marcelo Gomes reminded me so much of Fernando Bujones last night. He really gave 200% to the character and to his partner yet also threw in lots of bravura. His acting is probably much better than Fernando's was - a very Byronic type of character - dark, arrogant, capable of emotional extremes. He is a little over the top in his grief but this is a Romantic ballet and it worked. He did a thrilling series of entrechats in the coda of the Act II pas de deux that were electrifying. Of course his partnering is very strong and he is very tall - so Nina could really fly several feet off the ground in Act II in his strong hands. But he never showed any strain making her truly weightless. My strongest impression was the beautiful epaulement in Act II where his upper body and arms were so beautifully harmonized with his lower body and graceful. Gillian Murphy's Myrta is very familiar by now but her superhuman strength and speed were as exciting as the first time. Gennadi Saveliev makes a very good antagonist and his dancing was very impressive in the limited scope Hilarion requires. Susan Jones was the wonderful Berthe and Maria Bystrova was truly regal as Bathilde - very imposing and a true aristocrat. One wanted to go back to the original 1841 ending where she returns at the very end of Act II at dawn with the hunt to forgive and take Albrecht back! The orchestra and corps seemed really "on" - no horn flubs or wrong entries and the Wilis turned it out! (Very good work by Isabella Boylston and Yuriko Kajiya as Moyna and Zulma).

Just a note that Cyril Beaumont's Book of the Ballets has an elaborate synopsis obviously taken from the St. Petersburg 1871 premiere production of "Don Quixote" with Vergina and Ivanov. It has long, elaborate mime scenes involving Don Quixote and Sancho Panza different from the traditional Kirov production that are taken from Cervantes. When Gorsky redid the ballet in 1900 much of the mime was jettisoned. The version that has come down has a few scenes that are pure Petipa (Don Quixote's dream with the dryads) and many others that are streamlined, realistic Gorsky. The synopsis in Cyril Beaumont has many scenes that are unfamiliar and hew closely to episodes in Cervantes.

The lighting is dark for all three ballets - large sections of "On the Dnieper", "Prodigal Son" and "Desir" are set at night. I wonder if Kudelka set "Desir" for ABT? I remember being blown away by "Cruel World" when it was new but then there was a badly rehearsed revival a few years later with Marianna Tcherkassky and Katheen Moore replaced by much less striking dancers and the corps was a mess. The piece looked really uneven where it had been stunning at its original premiere. "Desir" I bet would look better on a smaller stage with less famous dancers who had been rehearsed by Kudelka. I also suspect that "On the Dnieper" looks very different from upstairs than downstairs.

Just a note, the yanking of Osipova from the 6/19 "Sylphide" happened some weeks ago and was at the behest of the Bolshoi's new director who felt that the Bolshoi had first call on Osipova's services and all guest appearances should go through him for approval. The interview was linked here. As for Schipulina, what I saw of her during the 2005 Bolshoi visit to NYC I liked. She did one of the River variations in the "Fille du Pharaon". Maybe not on the level of Alexandrova but quite good. Several enjoyed her Aegina and Kitri during that visit. I can't imagine that her Medora would be a total write-off.

[Moderators - you can move this to another thread if necessary] Just got back from the All-Prokofiev evening. This program is promising but like most mixed bills the first two ballets looked like they needed more rehearsal and will probably settle in by Friday. "On the Dnieper" looks well-rehearsed but has other flaws (not the dancing and choreography though!) Prodigal Son I thought that this was a very promising and impressive debut for Herman. We all know the dancing chops are there but his movements were stronger and more grounded to suit the choreography - nicely articulated and angular. The major development was the acting - this kind of impetuous lost boy suits Herman's still developing gifts at characterization. I think all the elements are there but he needs a more suitable leading lady (Paloma or Irina) and more rehearsal. Right now there are hints of "dance now, act now" and the full synthesis isn't 100% there - it should happen by the end of the week. As for Michele Wiles, this was not really convincing. She had the moves and the attitude but something was heavy and lumbering lacking sharpness and flow and I thought she would crush Herman in the pas de deux. The height mismatch is a part of this ballet but not having seen it in many years, I was unsure if the awkwardness and clumsy lack of continuity was an artistic choice for comedic effect or evidence of unfamiliarity between the principals. Michele is a bad match for Herman but I think this looked like a dress rehearsal in need of serious polishing. Ultimately, Michele would have been better with Ethan and Herman would have been better with Paloma Herrera or Irina Dvorovenko. [Note: Veronika Part could and should do the Siren]. The ballet looks good on the huge Met stage. Good dancing by Sean Stewart (rarely given demi-soloist gigs and missed) and Arron Scott as the servants. Desir This piece struck me as pleasant, professional but outside of one lovely pas de deux, ultimately unmemorable. Think of several of the Richard Tanner ballets or Peter Martins premieres at NYCB. They look nice, the music is good, the costumes and lighting are lovely. Kudelka has used Prokofiev waltz themes that are familiar from "Cinderella" and the ballroom scenes from his opera "War and Peace". The choreographer is trying to be neo-classical with a bunch of dancing couples in a moonlit natural setting who break off into duos like "In the Night" or "Dances at a Gathering". Folk touches, some off-center partnering etc. Seven couples in color coded costumes. Feel familiar? It must have felt and looked fresher in Canada in 1991 when it premiered. Like the other ballets, this would look better on the more intimate City Center stage. The one lovely pas de deux was set to the big "Cinderella" pas de deux music from the second act for the Prince and Cinderella. It was danced by Isabella Boylston and Corey Stearns who got a strong round of appreciative applause. The other two major couples were less lyrical - Gillian Murphy and Blaine Hoven as the mature passionate lovers with lots of turning and hurling the girl in the air and Misty Copeland and Carlos Lopez as the young, impetuous pair. Everyone looked good but the familiar "Cinderella" music reminded one of better choreography to the same music. On the Dnieper Most of the time you walk away from a premiere humming the lighting design, the costumes, the set design and usually the dancing but the choreography usually not. Here I really did like Alexei Ratmansky's very emotionally specific use of standard dance vocabulary but felt that the design and staging undercut his excellent work. Ratmansky has set the original libretto faithfully and respected Prokofiev's good score (slightly below his most memorable work). The story of a romantic triangle (or quadrangle) is familiar but Ratmansky digs pretty deeply into these people and doesn't deal in clichés. All of the movements have been seen before but here they are used for very specific character building effect. I was reminded at times of Antony Tudor's dramatic ballets and also a bit of Boris Eifman at his best (I don't have the deep-seated contempt for him that several posters have). The Tudor influence in specific use of dance gesture for exposure of inner life and the Eifman in the almost frenetic pace of the combinations and the general intensity. Marcelo Gomes as the returning soldier Sergei is first seen alone onstage with a solo that changes direction constantly and is full of nervous energy - clearly this is a man who has seen the outside world and can't get back into the small-town rut he joined the army to escape from. He is restless, he wants something but doesn't know what it is, he feels part of this place and not part of this place, he knows these people but they feel like strangers to him and him to them, etc. In comes Paloma Herrera as Olga with open breezy moments suggesting a fresh wind and Sergei has found what he is looking for. All the dancers reaffirm their technical prowess but reveal new layers as actors. Paloma Herrera never has had more dramatic conviction and seldom has danced better than earlier this evening. However, the stage setting by Simon Pastukh is a bunch of stumpy cherry trees on casters looking like potted plants in a hotel lobby. The stage floor is littered with piles of cherry blossom petals endangering the dancer's footing. To change settings, the corps manipulates a bunch of grey picket fences into various configurations and rearranges the stumpy wheeled trees. There is a dark backcloth which does eventually show a moon. It looks like the scenery is both too busy and cluttered and at the same time seems empty because it is so unspecific and unimaginative. The other oddity is that after the first scene, no one is alone onstage even in the most emotionally revealing moments. Like the Soviet Russians squeezed into communal apartments, no one seems to have privacy. All the forbidden liaisons seem to occur in public and often in front of the betrayed original partners. Sergei starts to make romantic pas de deux overtures to the affianced Olga right in front of his old love Natalia. At first I thought they were acting out his internal thoughts but no, it was happening in real time and space. Sonya also has a romantic breakdown because of her longings for Sergei right in front of her parents and friends. Frequently Veronika Part as the discarded Natalia is on the side, spying on her lover in despair. That works. The rest plays false in certain places. Veronika Part with her weeping willow arms and long mournful face is an impressive Natalia radiating despair and threatens to steal all the emotional focus from the lovers. I was glad that a volatile David Hallberg as Olga's rejected fiancé was not played as a bland stiff or lumbering heavy but had virtuosic choreography suggesting a man spinning out of emotional control. Lovely turns by Martine Van Hamel, Georgina Parkinson and Victor Barbee as the concerned parents of the illicit lovers. Frankly I think the piece could use a little rethinking (some sections should be played alone onstage and the development of the central romance needs to be tweaked) and all the sets and lighting should be redone. The costumes however are evocative and fine. However, the choreographic vision and distinctive style are there. The rest can be fixed.

It is a shame that the Kirov has shown no interest in doing this as they have more of the original materials in their archives. I know that the Bolshoi would have had a version of "Esmeralda" in its repertory at least until the 1920's so they would have a musical score, etc. So I suppose it is the Drigo score? I guess the Adam/Perrot version has not survived in any form. I wonder if Doug Fullington will be on hand to translate the Stepanov notation from the Harvard/Sergeyev collection? That would be best. It is wonderful news.

Yes Herman danced and more than okay. Luckily, Ali really only is dancing in the 2nd act pas de trois, but Herman was wonderful there. Particularly noticeable is the height of his jumps with very little running preparation. Most dancers have to do a big run up to the jeté but Herman rose up shockingly high with almost no prep. Herman did lots of little extra flourishes and his lightness is an asset in this role. Another returnee from the injured list was Stella Abrera as the second Odalisque. I should have guessed she was dancing since her handsome husband, Sascha Radetsky was in the audience. Stella looked lovely and any rumors as to premature retirement can be laid to rest. The other two odalisques were Maria Riccetto (fine) and Isabella Boylston in the killer third variation with the multiple turns. Boylston did the first two pirouettes fine but seemed not to know how to complete the third, she either couldn't decide whether to do a double or push for a triple and basically seemed to fall out of it awkwardly somewhere in the middle. However she recovered quickly and well. Xiomara Reyes was a charming Medora who though physically small, danced large and with generous spirit. Xiomara is a very good actress and the enterprising, adventurous Medora was a good fit for her spunky stage persona. Xiomara who has had some injuries in the last couple of season looked as if she was back in top technical shape with only one shaky turn. The rest was scintillating. Misty Copeland also had one off center pirouette but otherwise was charming and delightful as Gulnare. Gennadi's rather Soviet bravura style of dancing and macho, edgy stage personality were a good fit for the character and choreography of Conrad. He added his usual revoltades and other flashy tricks which worked well in this role. Strong partnering skills were also evident. Jared Matthews had a solid outing as Lankendem (he tried a jeté with a split but kind of chickened out of it but did do the jumps into deep plié). Craig Salstein repeated his strongly danced and vivid Birbanto. I thought I was getting tired of "Le Corsaire" but with this level of dancing it is a fine summer entertainment.

Just got back from the Wednesday night "Le Corsaire". Everyone was in fine form and this was the "mature" cast. Nina was a radiant, buoyant Medora. No obvious problems but if one remembered her a decade ago in the role then you could tell she had to think about steps and combinations that back then were tossed off with reckless abandon. So there was no loss of form or ability only less bravura and more calculation. Her pirouettes and fouettes were once higher, tighter and faster but they were still clean and fast but you could tell that she had to think about how to sustain them and finish them cleanly instead of just tossing them off. The other ageless miracle was José Manuel Carreno as Ali who got screaming ovations from the crowd. I only noticed a little less elevation in the jetés but other than that, man for a guy in his early forties he looks and moves like someone a decade younger. He can still do his "slow down/speed up" pirouettes and was fast in his tours a la seconde. Marcelo Gomes had trouble keeping up with him and equaling his bravura and Marcelo is a decade younger! Marcelo not only impressed in his solos but his partnering of Nina in the second act PDD with all the one handed lifts and fish dives and hanging the ballerina over the shoulder head down, etc. - Nina could hurl herself into the acrobatics because of his security, reliability and strength. Down the line: lovely debut by Sarah Lane as Gulnare with exquisite footwork (little turning jumps on flexed pointes etc. were immaculate) and gorgeous arabesques. Needs to work a little bit on the acting but dancewise close to perfect. Gennadi Saveliev is a great villain and he did his usual revoltades in his Act I solo. Not as high and tight as they were a few years ago but still drew gasps from the crowd. (No one seems to be doing the jumps into deep plié that Vladimir Malakhov used to do, too dangerous?) Lots of Bolshoi bravura and hissable hamming - appropriate here. Craig Salstein went from happy go lucky puckish comedian to snarling villainy as Birbanto. He danced very well with a lot of speed and was quite theatrical and believable. The three Odalisques were Kristi Boone, Simone Messmer and Renata Pavam. Pavam was the Third Odalisque with the solo with the multiple unsupported pirouettes. Pavam just spun like a top and did some the best dancing of the night. Nice addition to the "Jardin Animé": now that ABT has a school they have little girls and boys for these big numbers like the Kirov has. They added eight little girls with garlands in the front and have four little boys as well. Very nice. Hope they get added to the "Sleeping Beauty" (Hopefully in a new totally restaged version after the original Petipa of 1890).

I was at the Wednesday evening program and went tonight, Friday. Allegro Brillante: 5/20 - Paloma always looks best in Balanchine and modern choreography (did she go to the wrong company after SAB?). Very secure multiple pirouettes and a lovely sense of line. Corey Stearns was cast in a non-flashy cavalier role that showed off his elegant line, lovely legs and feet and already accomplished partnering skills. Seeing him up there made me very happy that Kevin is promoting him and this seemed exactly the right assignment for him now. He was not asked to compete with the international powerhouse male virtuosos in a slam bang bravura role and no acting was required. However, he really seemed to lead the corps of men (the male lead does most of his solo dancing with the corps). He looked like a star and they looked like very good support. He is coming along well. 5/22 - Gillian and Ethan both looked overjoyed to be on that stage and in that ballet. Both were exuberant and very giving. The corps picked up on their energy and had greater attack and speed and glitches were gone. The piece thanks to the two leads seemed truly allegro in speed and brillante in spirits. Of course Gillian is a strong turner and her unsupported multiple pirouettes were terrific as were Palomas. Ethan had a role that paced him well not punishing his joints with sustained jumps and turns. He was bouyant and joyous and seemed the ballerina's true equal, not just her cavalier. Each ballet on Friday had a sense that opening night nerves were gone, the corps had settled in, the leads were fresh and on form and were giving a little extra. Tchaikovsky PDD: 5/20 - Michele Wiles and David Hallberg. Michele also had a little pas de quatre action going on in the upper body articulation but was in lovely form. She seemed almost a personification of Spring suddenly upon us with a glowing smile and radiant phrasing. Both David and Michele radiated great happiness in the piece. David made up for less than feather light batterie by putting lots of ballon into his jumps which were very high and soaring. The audience ate him up. 5/22 - One again Paloma showed that Balanchine is natural terrain for her. Working with Marcelo allowed her to be extra daredevil with the fishdive catches really throwing herself into them at the last minute knowing he would be there for her no matter what. Paloma had great speed which sometimes she loses. Paloma's great strength was her turns which now she is matched and even surpassed in by Gillian. She has had to find new ways to define herself and that is difficult. Marcelo put extra work into his spins and the audience went crazy for him. Mozartiana: 5/20 Nina Ananiasvili and Angel Corella with Craig Salstein - all three dancers are big personalities and natural hams. Nina performed the Preghiera with a mournful "Giselle as Wili bidding farewell to Albrecht" or "Odette mourning her fate" face. It was rather overdramatic and un-Balanchinean. Craig Salstein seemed a character like Sganarelle of Moliere in the Gigue but his playful energy and natural wit suited the choreography and the music. Angel was also selling the piece hard with a big sunny smile and "look at this" star projection. However his quickness and articulation of the complex choreography cannot be denied and he radiated generosity to his partner. Nina lost her drama queen persona and became playful even mischievous - Angel seemed to snap her out of it. The quick footwork with many changes of direction were well-handled. Her footwork was still deft but I have noticed that she is more dependent on her partners lately - an unsupported pirouette nearly went out of control except for a speedy save by Angel who stepped in quickly to support her. Certainly this was fine dancing but the Balanchine style was lost a bit. However, Nina's first appearance made me already miss her - I can forgive her anything. 5/22 - Veronika Part, Blaine Hoven (replacing Beloserkovsky) and Carlos Lopez. Oddly, Veronika was all radiant happiness and smiled almost all evening! No grieving spirit she during the Preghiera - this was a joyful prayer of thanks (Thank you God, I am now finally a principal ballerina!). Veronika's cooler, less histrionic but elegant persona seemed to fit the Balanchine style well. Despite the unfamiliar partner, Veronika seemed very sure of herself also happy to be onstage. She even experimented with some off-kilter turns a la Suzanne Farrell going off center in a few places deliberately and confidently. I was worried that she would fudge the many directional turns and small steps but she was quite articulate and only slightly muffed the end of a series of repeated turns and there only at the very end. She definitely looked prima ballerina and each ballerina was in top form this evening. Blaine Hoven seemed plenty tall and strong enough to handle his newly confident ballerina though he is looking very muscular which is neither good nor bad. He definitely also scored in the articulation department with quick turns and footwork. (Per second-hand report Maxim Beloserkovsky rather missed some of the quick articulation on Tuesday being a naturally lyrical long-lined danseur noble) Carlos Lopez looked recovered to his pre-injury form and was less puckish than Salstein though still light and witty. The ballet was less dramatic but more recognizably Balanchine. Theme and Variations: 5/20 Okay, I should be really tired of this ballet but I didn't regret seeing Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomes dance it. Gillian carried her role with real aplomb and Marcelo is a superb partner but also really nailed his solos. The corps looked more on than earlier in the evening. Good performance, no real weird or quirky or bad moments to report. 5/22 - David Hallberg is a GOD. Gorgeous feet but we knew that. Gorgeous multiple turns and perfect landings. Gallant and handsome. Michele Wiles looking good and really seemed to own the role. Firm footwork and making each moment count. Really giving some flash and sparkle at the end. Another good performance. Just an overall note - everyone seems rested and looked in grand form for the opening of the season. I was told by those that had seen Tuesday's opening night of the Tchaikovsky Balanchine bill that every dancer and every ballet looked better on Friday night though the casts were nearly identical. Tuesday was supposedly poorly attended and had that sophomore slump aspect coming right after the glitzy Opening Night Gala. Also Veronika seems to have been different in "Mozartiana" each night adding something different and trying new things.

I think that with her height and beauty, Veronika Part could make a formidable Siren in "Prodigal Son".

Yes it is wonderful and long overdue. Really I think that Veronika probably wanted to throw in the towel and leave ABT so many times. It really has been two steps forward and four steps back then two steps forward and three steps back. I think that Julie Kent's age and second maternity leave and Nina's retirement left a big vacancy at the top. But Veronika can't afford to get complacent - remember when Christine Dunham never got her form back after her pregnancy and ABT basically sidelined her to things like Bathilde, character shoe roles and the occasional "Merry Widow"? No more "Swan Lake" or "Sleeping Beauty" leads came her way. Veronika has been there and she could go back there despite her new status. Also look at Ashley Tuttle who suddenly found herself cast aside despite her many years with the company and the wide repertory she danced. Recent seasons have shown Veronika more focused in her technique - not perfect but neither are many of the other principal ballerinas. Also, Veronika has shown herself able to sustain several prima ballerina roles consistently over multiple seasons - Nikiya, Odette/Odile, Myrtha and others. Some of her new roles have been marked successes. I really loved her as the Episode in his Past in "Lilac Garden" at City Center. Veronika has to maintain that technical security and work well with her coaches and colleagues in class and rehearsal. She has to project a positive attitude while working constantly at her technical faults and limitations while expanding those unique, glorious qualities she has always had. Really after all the disappointments over the years this really is a cause for jubilation!

To speak of the convergence of Russian glamor girls, I attended "Lucia di Lammermoor" at the Met with Anna Netrebko and Irina Dvorovenko was in attendance. This was the February 3rd performance. Glamor, beauty and charm can work together or separately. Alexandra Danilova was not really a classic beauty in any sense but she had great charm and personality and style and thus radiated glamor. Some ballerinas are glamorous onstage but not off. Ballerinas of Danilova's era in the thirties and forties were expected to be glamorous onstage and off. Danilova complained about this in interviews about ballet girls going around looking like sloppy waifs in the rehearsal studio. I think ballerinas follow Hollywood actresses. You could never imagine Joan Crawford going anywhere in public without full make-up and dressed to kill. Now you have grungies who look like homeless people or heroin addicts when they aren't dolled up for the Oscars. However, there can be a real discrepancy between how dancers present themselves in private, how they present themselves in public and how they present themselves on stage. For example, Alla Osipenko seems to be glamorous onstage but not off. Ditto for Ekaterina Maximova who is bubbly and girlish onstage and rather reserved and serious offstage. The direct opposite of this is Wendy Whelan. Wendy onstage is angular with a large bone structure that looks square and boxy. Offstage, I have passed Wendy on the street and she is strikingly attractive with wide set eyes, strong features that are evenly proportioned in her face, high cheekbones and long lovely hair. So offstage Wendy is glamorous but onstage she is not glamorous at all. (I won't go into who is ugly onstage and off).

Last month, I saw Darci in a piece called "Papillons" a minor piece by Peter Martins and Darci still had wonderful traveling piques tournants. However, she looked distinctly tired and matronly next to Sterling Hyltin and there was a stiffness to her upper body. It was part of a strange evening where each ballet looked like it was danced by a different company. The Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet that ended the evening was hot stuff - Sara Mearns and Amar Ramasar burned up the stage in the Gypsy section. And Sterling Hyltin who looked shaky in places in "Papillons" (she was replacing Megan Fairchild on short notice) was lovely like a different dancer in the Brahms-Schoenberg. I suspect that the repertory suffers from some ballets being in good shape due to being well-coached and set by the regisseurs and ballet masters and others are kind of thrown up there. I am glad that Darci is retiring though I know that an era is ending with her. I have seen some decent outings in simple things like "Songs of the Auvergne" or "Morgen" where she still had a freshness and lyrical charm and still looked youthfully pretty. The "Papillons" performance showed a ballerina I didn't want to see again. However, Kyra Nichols always danced roles well within her powers and still looked in top shape right up to her early fifties. I was never embarassed for Kyra ever when I saw her in her late appearances with the company. She also knew to stay away from certain roles that were central to her repertory in her early career where invidious comparisons would be inevitable. Kyra was in better shape and had very few serious injuries during her career. So I will second your love for Darci, but Kyra really isn't an appropriate comparison.

Also noticeable is that Herman Cornejo seems to be Ali in the Xiomara/Gennadi "Le Corsaire" - the listing of the many bravura male supporting roles can be confusing but he seems to be in the Ali spot there.

I went and indeed De Luz and Fairchild and Reichlen were all that "abatt" said they were. Megan Fairchild has a wonderful coordination between her elegant upper body and her scintillating footwork. She had some nuance too - she was able to differentiate legato and staccato phrasing with her footwork. Charming acting and good delineation of character. Joaquin de Luz has lots of personality onstage with a very cocky, assured persona and good comic instincts. This part suits him very well. Robert LaFosse gave a nicely eccentric, sensitive portrayal of the misguided dreamer Dr. Coppelius. Nice solo turns by Alina Dronova (replacing Scheller), Rebecca Krohn and Savannah Lowery (replacing Ellen Bar). I was struck by similarities between the Freddy Franklin staging done now at American Ballet Theater and the Balanchine/Danilova version. Clearly the first act (theme and variations grand pas) and third act divertissements are superior at NYCB because they are entirely Balanchine. However the second act is almost identical in every detail in both stagings. Clearly Franklin and Danilova were working from a common Ballets Russes source. Whether there is an earlier Maryinsky source choreography that is Petipa or more likely Nicolai Legat that Nicolai Sergeyeff used at Ballets Russes is an issue I will throw to the ballet historians more qualified than I on this site. Another comment - I almost always find the choreography for that gorgeous Act I waltz that Swanilda enters to totally a dud and never worthy of the music. It is pretty much 75% mime and the steps aren't up to much. Balanchine despite Danilova's expert memory of all the details of Swanilda's dances should have whipped up a new solo here. And a final note. The physical production clearly has been repainted but the colors and designs look very candy boxish and the drops look wrinkled. (I see that I am echoing Macauley on this and it scares me...) Obviously this is not the time to invest in new scenery given the state of the economy. However a more stylish physical production is imaginable though the costumes are still very lovely. Compare this with the gorgeous scenery of the Royal Ballet's staging on the Opus Arte DVD with designs by Sir Osbert Lancaster and you will see the difference.

Okay, for the Spring season Julie's roles were: Mozartiana: this could be a lovely Stella Abrera role if she is fully recovered from her serious injury last season. If not - maybe Diana Vishneva could add it to her repertoire? Swan Lake: suggested replacement - Veronica Part who has already danced it with David Hallberg Giselle: I think the Gomes/Ananiashvili pairing could be exciting in "Giselle" and it would be nice to have Marcelo's Albrecht with someone other than Paloma Herrera. Plus one more chance to say goodbye to Nina. Romeo and Juliet: Sarah Lane perhaps? Would look genuinely fourteen or fifteen and might pair charmingly with Corey Stearns as her Romeo. Maybe Osipova has a suppressed longing to do the MacMillan Juliet?

The ballet dancers were not listed. However, I clearly recognized Vladimir Malakhov who led two waltz sequences. The other dancers were not identified nor who was responsible for the choreography (probably Malakhov as well).

One of the towering pillars of the "three girls in the city" genre is Jacqueline Susann's "The Valley of the Dolls" of which I can proudly say I have read both the book and own the camp classic movie on VHS. BTW: the late Rona Jaffe has an audio track commentary on the DVD of "The Best of Everything". She was working at a publishing house not unlike Fabian and living with her parents in Brooklyn at the time she wrote the book. She was introduced to a big shot producer who suggested she write a novel similar to "Kitty Foyle". She read the book and felt it was ridiculous and unrealistic. So she did her version of what life was like for working girls in the city. Her book is not as melodramatic or campy as the movie with Hope Lange et al. Some of the "laugh out loud" moments in the script are the product of the screenwriters not Jaffe.

According to the Meredith Daneman book on Fonteyn, both Shearer and Fonteyn danced in one of Balanchine's ballets in England (Symphonie Concertante? Symphony in C?? - I forget). Balanchine much preferred Shearer "the other girl - much better". Evidently Fonteyn's typically English softness and roundness of attack didn't mesh well with the Balanchine style.

By the way, TV's series "Mad Men" has a lot in common with "The Best of Everything" in that it deals with pre-feminist office politics of the late fifties and early sixties. This was an era when female executives had to wear hats in the office so that they wouldn't be mistaken for secretaries. The term "sexual harassment" hadn't been invented yet.

Here is a recent picture and Proust questionnaire with Joan Fontaine: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features..._fontaine200803 Everyone thinks she looks great for 90.

At the Tudor evening there was a film clip about the "Romeo and Juliet" reconstruction. Almost all of the ballet was filmed in the 1940's on silent film with Alicia Markova and Hugh Laing. People like Natalia Makarova, Ivan Nagy, Fracci and John Prinz are still alive. The Berman sets and costumes still exist (Hugh Laing's white shirt was on display in the lobby of City Center). However, they were sold and are in various private collections. The holders of the scenic materials are willing to lend the sets out for a reconstruction. However, due to the fragile nature of the material, they would probably have to be recreated and copied from the original pieces. This would cost millions of dollars. However, foundations like the Doris Duke Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation exist for this kind of project. There is no excuse, really. The money can be found. They just need the will. However, wait another 10 or 15 or 20 years and yes, Virginia there will be no Tudor "Romeo and Juliet".

I, too, would love to see a Part-Gomes or Part-Bolle R&J. However, since there are a lot of overhead lifts, I think that works against casting very tall women like Part in this ballet. The other factor is that Part is a woman, Juliet is a teenaged girl who becomes a woman overnight. Part could never convince as a teenager. Melissa Thomas as Juliet perhaps or Melanie Hamrick? Zhong-Jing Fang! With Corey Stearns or Alexandre Hammoudi as Romeo.

Actually Medora was one of Part's last new assignments at the Mariinsky. Now Kevin would never give her anything but the Third Odalisque but I bet if she can handle Odile respectably then "Corsaire" wouldn't faze her in the Pas de Trois.