vagansmom

Anyone ever seen Trockadero's Corsaire? Now THAT is worth going to! Also want to add that I agree that Corsaire is generally a boring ballet and that the story is silly, but I'd say that it's no sillier than an awful lot of the story ballets. However, for those of us who have raised ballet students who've gone on to dance professionally, Le Corsaire is a tear-jerker. We've sat as audience members through countless 1/2 performances (at least at my daughter's preprofessional ballet school; they never did the whole thing) of this ballet. We've watched our young'uns proceed throughout the years with their hopes pinned to the image of themselves performing the pas de deux. And when they do, we cry for all the years of blood, sweat, tears and hope that went into their progression on the road to becoming a professional dancer. So I never find it boring; it floods me with nostalgia.

I'm going to see Osipova and Vasiliev on the 8th. based on the DC reviews I read here on B.A. I keep hearing everywhere, not just on these boards, that Osipova and Vasiliev is a partnership made in heaven. Add to that my overall dislike of Herrera - she leaves me cold artistically - and factor in Simkin for the O&V performance and it's a no-brainer for me.

dirac, that's a great quote, but it's not mine - it's pherank's.

Pherank (whom my iPad keeps trying to call Phreak), thank you for writing about Dr. Zhivago. I saw the movie first, back when I was quite young. I thought it was good, not great. I remember that I was bothered by Zhivago's infidelity. But my mom, a strict Catholic who didn't believe in divorce, told me to read the book so that I could understand the characters better; she had enormous sympathy for Zhivago. I did too once I read the book. Except for the cinematography - the snow was practically a character in the novel - the book is so much richer, both politically and in terms of characters. I know that's often true, but I found it to be truer of this book and movie than most others. As far as what great Russian novel to read first, mine was Anna Karenina. My boyfriend at the time had to read it for college, so I read it too. I then launched into War and Peace, followed by Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and then a series of shorter works by Tolstoy and Dostoyevski. I look back on that year with great fondness as my mind was fully immersed in all matters Russian. I've never lost that affection. I've mentioned it on other threads, but I reread War and Peace once every decade. It's a different book each time even though, until my most recent read, I used the very same physical book that I'd originally read. I switched things up this last time and found a whole new world! I read a modern translation. Until then, I hadn't known how funny Tolstoy could be! His descriptions of the military are especially hilarious. The translation I read is the one by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. I've just begun rereading a modern translation of the Brothers Karamazov.

And in Irish dance, we have the light and lovely slip jig, danced by women to 9/8 time.

I finished Mistry's A Fine Balance which I strongly recommend. Simply on its merits as an engaging novel, it's a great read. There's certainly terrible sadness and atrocities (what novel about India's lower castes wouldn't include that?), but human kindness is also in great abundance. Anyone who would like to learn about India's caste system and Indira Gandhi's government - appalling stuff - will find it well worth the effort, despite the book's length. I then did some light beach reading: Another Alice McDermott novel (Why do I return to her writings summer after summer even though I say I won't?) Also read Elizabeth McCracken's The Giant's House about a boy with gigantism and the older librarian who loved him. Very touching book. I'd read McCracken's book of short stories, Here's Your Hat, What's Your Hurry and was impressed. The title story in that book is a page turner. I wish she wrote more novels. In August, I launched into Karen Armstrong's writings, starting with her autobiography, The Spiral Staircase. Armstrong is a former Catholic nun who has written extensively about spirituality and the history of religion. Having grown up in parochial schools, I've always been fascinated with convent life. Her time inside those walls occurred during the period when Pope Paul VI was beginning to overturn some of the modern changes made by the Second Vatican Council under Pope John XXIII. Fascinating account of the clash between the older veteran nuns and the new. Armstrong suffered a nervous breakdown, left the convent, attended college and has written extensively on religion. I'm currently also reading one of her books on religious fundamentalism called The Battle for God. It lays out the historical background of fundamentalist Islam, Christianity and Judaism. I also have her A History of God sitting on my night table.

Phew! You scared me, Amy! I went racing to the Jorgensen's website after seeing your first post and was relieved to see all the dance listed. However, I'm surprised to NOT see MOMIX. I think they've performed there every single year for decades. I remember listening to Moses Pendleton during one of the "talk backs" about 8 years ago speaking about MOMIX's close relationship over the years with the Jorgensen Theater.

I've got a large stack of "Dance" and "Dancer" magazines to give away, along with about 10 or so ballet books. I'll be in NYC on Thursday and was hoping to arrange to meet whoever might want them at some point during the afternoon or evening. I'd really prefer that one person takes all of them because I don't want to spend my time arranging meetings. Please send me a private message if you're interested. The magazines are all from the mid-to-late '90's and early 2000's. Most are in great shape, although a dancer might have cut pictures of herself and friends out of a small handful of them. 4 books (and possibly a couple more if I see that they're also duplicates) of what I already own) are autobiographies: Allegra Kent's Once a Dancer... (hardcover) Gelsey Kirkland's Dancing on my Grave (hardcover) Edward Villella's Prodigal Son (softcover) Maria Tallchief's Maria Tallchief: America's Prima Ballerina (hardcover) One book is probably not actually a book, but an approximately 9"x12" colorful 50 page booklet on heavy paper of the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. There's also a program inside the book. The elderly man who gave it to me was once a dancer back in the 50's and '60's and my guess is that this booklet comes from that time. A 1959 paperback by Walter Terry entitled, Ballet: A New Guide to the Liveliest Art The final 3 (so far) are for ballet students: The Young Dancer featuring Darcey Bussell Basic Ballet: The Steps Defined by Joyce Mackie Dancer's Resource: Getting Your Act Together (a Watson-Guptill Guide) I might have some other books, probably paperback Agnes deMille autobiographies (they are GREAT!)

Re passport issues, these things happen, even among the most seasoned travelers. My daughter has danced professionally for 8 years with a touring company whose agent is responsible for their passports. Glitches sometimes occur. Daughter verified this too when she worked for a company that expedites passports and visas. Also, my whole family lost our passports several years back while going through Customs upon our return to USA from Ireland. I'm convinced that they were stolen right there since all 4 passports were together at the time and never seen again. We weren't careless, yet our passports were lost by the time we arrived at our car at the airport.

Great fun! The first male dancer seen is an American, Dominic Hodal, who I believe was the Cowardly Lion in the production. Halfway through the video, one can see Vladimir Malakhov, AD of Berlin Opera Ballet. http://www.syracuse.com/have-you-heard/index.ssf/2011/03/viral_video_of_the_day_ballet.html

Because of the two strongly negative comments on this thread and other positive comments elsewhere from personal friends known for their integrity, this reader now wants to form her own opinion.

And now I want to read it more than ever.

LiLing, I really enjoyed Cutting for Stone also. Verghese writes like a poet, and I found myself repeating some phrases and sentences simply for the joy of hearing them over and over again. This book was such a delightful mix of medical and spiritual. I'm reading Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance. I'd bought it a few years ago after my doctor recommended it to me. Best doctor ever: We started every visit out with a "What are you reading right now? I think you might like this book." Some of my favorite books were those she recommended. Sigh, then she left her practice to become a hospitalist. On a good note, I haven't had the "opportunity" to see her in her new practice. Mistry's book takes place in India in 1975. I'm only about 30 pages into it, but the book jacket says it's about a young student, two tailors and the woman who hires them, all from disparate Indian backgrounds who will live and/or work together. My only complaint is that the book font is too small for me. Although it goes against my aesthetic sensibilities, I might break down and buy the digital form.

Thanks, Marga. I'm like you in that I always need to know the truth, so I have really been on the fence about whether or not to read it. I have the same problem with docudramas and don't tend to watch them either. But McCann is such a good writer that I'm almost thinking it's worth it. I strongly recommend Let the Great World Spin. It's about the NYC I experienced when I lived in the East Village in the early 1970's. McCann captures the humanity in all his characters no matter how desperate they are, and even though the subject content might be considered depressing, I found the book to be enormously uplifting. Its essence still creeps into my consciousness even though I read it over a year ago.

The Irish author, Colum McCann, won the Dublin award, IMPAC, for his novel Let the Great World Spin. My link I read that book a year? two years? ago and sometimes parts of it still wash over me. Haunting images, beautiful prose. I'm so glad he continues to receive recognition for it. The book also won the USA's National Book Award in 2009. Has anyone ever read his book, Dancer? It's a novel, a partly fictionalized account of Rudolf Nureyev's life. I've just ordered it. Am thinking that McCann will be my summer author. I usually choose one to immerse myself in for the 2 months when I work an abbreviated schedule.

Dirac, you changed my mind about Hathaway's hosting: I'm still not a fan of her acting at all, but I think you nailed it re her over-the-top perkiness at the Oscar's.

Abatt, I always find Hathaway grating on the nerves. I don't care for her acting, and that's what she did last night - acted- so I guess that's why I couldn't stand her. Loved Hailee Steinfeld's look and dress. I snuck a movie visit in yesterday afternoon just to see "True Grit" before the Oscars. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her.

Richard Farnsworth was my all-time favorite character actor, but Harold Gould sure came close. RIP, Mr. Gould.

Sandik, I love the title of the Nussbaum book. It's practically my husband's mantra, and I heartily agree. I'd love to hear what you think. Sounds like a good b'day gift (then I can read it too). Finished my summer reading and have embarked on some fall books. I thought The Invisible Bridge was going to be my next book, but I got sidetracked by Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. What gorgeous prose! Verghese is a doctor as well as a writer. I am only at the very beginning of the book, but already I can tell that, as one Amazon reviewer said, the story "revolves around what is broken -- limbs, family ties, trust -- and the process of rebuilding them." A friend told me that it's full of details about medicine, esp. surgery, while equally exploring human relationships. My final Willa Cather book reading this year is A Lost Lady, published in 1923. I read it when I was 26, liked but didn't love the book. I think I was too young to read it. Now, at more than twice the age of my first reading, I'm relishing the story. After that, it's all work-related books about cognitive difficulties in various mental illness and MS. The Invisible Bridge will probably have to wait until winter holidays.

I am on the final novel The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest in the Larsson Millenium trilogy. They have been perfect summer reading books. I also returned to Willa Cather, having discovered one of her books that I'd never read: My Mortal Enemy. It's a slender novel. I found it tremendously sad. The heroine of the story runs off with a non-Catholic businessman. In so doing, she is disinherited from a large fortune. She leads a life of great passions. I won't give away the ending, but it's got an interesting, albeit sad, twist to it concerning whom "my mortal enemy" turns out to be. I'm rereading Cather's The Professor's House. Gosh, although it was written in 1925, what she has to say about the watering down of curriculum in universities and the uneasy relationship between them and corporations rings just as true today. It's one of the many reasons why I love Cather so much. If all you've read are her famous books, O Pioneers, My Antonia, Death Comes to the Archbishop, please do pick up her works from the middle of her life. They are equally masterful. I'm also reading What Cabrillo Found by Maud Hart Lovelace, the author of the vastly popular children's "Betsy-Tacy" series. What many people don't know is that Lovelace also wrote for adults, although this book is written for upper elementary/middle school aged children. Published in 1958, it's the story of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo's life as an explorer. The very next book on my list is Julie Orringer's The Invisible Bridge. It takes place in 1930's Hungary so it's pretty easy to guess what this historical novel will be about. A friend, whose opinion I value very much, recommended it as the best book she's read this year. She states that the book develops character marvelously in the first 300 pages (of a 600 page book). Apparently, those first 300 pages provoke strong reactions. My friend loved it, and I think I will too because well developed characters are extremely important to me, but I've read some reviews where people have said that they almost quit reading the book because it took so long to get going. However, of those who finished, they all say it was well worth the effort. Anyone here read it?

Dirac, I get a similar feeling sometimes with William Trevor's works, however some have enough humor to make them worth it. I'm still reading Italian literature. Just finished Leonardo Sciascia's book of short stories, The Wine-Dark Sea which I enjoyed immensely. Each was quite different from the others as opposed to Verga - Cavalleria Rusticana and Other Stories which are all ultimately about how dismal the lives of the poor were and how the law was always on the side of the wealthy and powerful. I especially liked the title story in Sciascia's book. It's about how our impressions of others changes with time and space. The story is told humorously. Next up is Goffredo Parise's two volumes, Solitudes and abecedary - more short stories. Until this year, I'd rather read a novel than a short story, but I have had such a great time with all these Italian stories that I don't think I can quit them. In the midst of all the Italian, I've also read The Bright Forever by Lee Marvin. I started off thinking, "OK, it's like The Lovely Bones, " but I ended up having a much greater respect for this book. Within a story driven by the search for a missing 9 year old girl, Marvin writes about a man, Henry Dees, who's a voyeur, although not a sexual pervert. His is a complex character, and Marvin renders it with compassion. Other books just finished: Lisa Moore's February, another book I started off thinking was just OK, but then fell in love with, and Cowboy and Wills by Monica Holloway, mom to an autistic boy. It's the true story of how a dog, Cowboy, was the key to her autistic son's becoming more sociable and conquering some of his biggest fears. Poignant and honest. It's a quick, easy read and well worth it.

Has anyone ever read Alice McDermott? Her novels are about contemporary-ish Irish American Catholics. I first read Charming Billy which won the National Book Award in 1998, and loved it despite finding it depressing. Although I was raised Italian American Catholic, her characters are deeply familiar to me, as are their daily lives. I've read two of her other novels, At Weddings and Wakes and Child of My Heart and found each riveting and depressing. I'm drawn to her novels, but have finish each one almost wishing I hadn't even started. Yet I'm about to begin another one Any authors do that to you?

I'm just about to begin two different books with a NYC setting. The first is a novel, Lowboy, by John Wray. It is narrated by a 16-year old schizophrenic who lives in the subway. I read on Amazon that the author deliberately wrote most of the novel while riding the NYC subways. The other book, Let the Great World Spin: A Novel is written by Colum McCann. It takes place in August, 1974, the month that Philippe Petit walked between the Twin Towers. I believe it details the lives of several different people that month, with Petit's walk the glue that binds the stories together. Both books came highly recommended by a friend who's never failed me. I'll forever be grateful to her for her recommendation of At Swim, Two Boys.

I suspect I'll have to watch the film, too. My student had to do so with The Leopard and with The Conformist. This is why I love my work!

. I was glad Avatar didn't win. I saw it, thought it was good, not great. It certainly deserved many wins in the techno field, but not best picture. As to whether or not Bigelow deserved Best Director over Cameron, I have no idea since I didn't see The Hurt Locker. But I'm mighty happy a woman finally won. Re Up in the Air: I saw this movie right at the time when all the hype was out about it. I read one review after another that were practically gushing in their reverence. I simply don't get it. I think that Hollywood and critics are all smitten with George Clooney to the point where they believe that anything he does is worthy of the gods. I have lots of respect for Clooney myself, but this was just a grade B movie. It had all the trappings, but none of the essence of a great movie. So I am very glad that it was shut out. If ever someone won for popularity, it was Sandra Bullock. I felt very sorry for Meryl, who deserved this win. Re papeetepatrick's comment: Jolie and Pitt seem to be trying really, really hard to assume that role, but that's exactly what makes it so painful: that they're trying so hard.