vagansmom

Irina Rodnina was a powerhouse. Small, muscular firecracker of a skater. I adored her skating, much as I wanted Babylonia and Gardner to beat that Russian pair just once. I was the person who compared Wylie to Cranston. I still stick by it. I don't think of him in the Curry/Cousins tradition, possibly because he wasn't quite as good a skater as they (which is one more reason why I compared him to Cranston, always an also-ran). I agree that a huge part of Cranston's success, and my endearing love for his skating, was in his willingness to take risks and try something different. Much as I admired John Curry, I often thought that he received more credit for being a creative skater than did Toller Cranston, but then again John Curry was #1 to Cranston's frequent #2. I seem to recall that a big part of Janet Lynn's problem in her consistency had to do with an uncontrolled asthma and her resulting fears (not to mention inability to breathe!) about it cropping up while she was skating. When she made that brief, and so lovely, comeback, she'd had her asthma under control for awhile. Well, my present favorite still remains Sasha Cohen. I'm hoping against hope she continues to improve, gets those nerves under control, and sets a higher bar aesthetically. Kwan did that for a time before she seemed to have lost her nerve.

I can no longer access that URL, Dirac, so I missed the article itself but can guess as to its content. The pressure for young talented figure skaters must be enormous. Balletmom1, Janet Lynn was also a great favorite of mine. But I must REALLY be dating myself because I still think of her as an almost newcomer! I remember watching Carol Heiss win her Olympic gold in 1960. The great favorite of my teen years was Toller Cranston. I admired his line, although I didn't know at the time that's what it was called. I remember when Paul Wylie first became well-known, his line was compared to Cranston's - I agree that it's an apt comparison. Cranston's skating was also my first exposure to opera; his performance to music from "Pagliacci" had the audience tittering the first time he skated it, but became a widespread favorite in time. I went out and bought it as my first album of opera.

I read that Gelsey Kirkland book and I distinctly dislike it. I firmly feel that she was writing it from an unhealthy mental state. I found that, from start to finish, the book screamed, "Victim, victim, victim!" even while she was admitting her own faults. I came away with the impression that, yes it's admirable she broke the drug problems, but she still had a LONG way to go towards real mental health. I guess it bothered me because it's a book that's read by teenage dancers everywhere and I don't really think she, at that stage in her life, was a good role model. I also thought that the way she wrote about Balanchine was cruel -not only WHAT she said but HOW she quoted him, syllable by syllable of broken English in quotes.

I have a Belgian friend who grew up in a large family filled with boys. They were an average working class family. All the boys (and the girls too) took ballet lessons growing up. The family attended ballets; as I understand it, dance was part of the academic school vocabulary as well. My friend has young children now, here in the USA. Her son loves to dance and has, for many years, taken ballet and tap lessons. He loves to perform. Last year, when he was 9, he told his mom he didn't want to dance anymore; when she asked why, it was as you might expect, "________(his best friend) laughs at me." She was incensed. She railed against the USA culture where a boy could be made to feel badly about dance. She told me this wouldn't happen in Belgium. Her son's still dancing. My friend found him an all boy's tap class. But he never ever mentions dance at school anymore.

Alexandra, I think you might've hit on something when you said, "Maybe it's televised sports." Dance ISN'T a televised event. People, most people, don't go out to events regularly anymore (exception being the movies, but that doesn't include dance either) because they don't have to - the events come to them via the TV. And if what comes to their TV's doesn't include dance, well, they don't ever get that experience. No education. I heartily agree that older men have a broader understanding of and appreciation for fine arts. In their day, people DID go out to museums, dances (both as audience AND participant-most men knew how to dance socially), singing events. Since the advent of TV, it's all changed.

I think Citibob's phrase: "Women in America are conditioned to the idea that they are art" whereas "men are conditioned to the idea that they are to conquer art" speaks so much truth about some men's attitudes towards ballet and opera. These men are terrified of ever appearing to like something identified as a woman's realm to enjoy. We also still have that Puritanism here in America where "prancing bodies" make some people nervous. Such things are meant for the bedroom only, they think, although they'll happily go to all kinds of "adolescent humor" sorts of movies and watch tv shows like "Friends" - loads of prancing bodies in both cases but they're meant to be laughed at, I suppose, whereas ballet is, as Alexandra mentioned, "high art". I wish I knew the answer. I know one part of the answer is education. For the last 14 years, my husband and I have been parents to a ballet student. I'd already liked ballet prior to that time but my husband didn't. He's not the athletic sort either, in fact he's an Irish dancer, but he certainly didn't care one bit for ballet. But then he started attending ballet performances (Dave Barry: I pray it's in your future too) because his daughter performed in them. Initially he looked forward to seeing his daughter on stage but was bored by the rest of the performances. Eventually, though, ever so slowly through the years, he said he'd catch himself thinking, "I wonder if they're going to change "Waltz" this year" or "How will so-and-so choreographing Prologue affect the mood?" Boom, he was hooked. Now he says he looks forward to ballet performances regardless of whether or not his daughter is involved. He knows what he likes and what he dislikes, he has certain favorite dancers and styles and choreography. He can't wait to see this or that ballerina's variations and he's thrilled when he's seen a stellar performance. Against his will. without his consent, he's becoming a ballet afficionado. I see this repeated in countless other fathers of students who've continued to study for many years. They get hooked without ever realizing it. They talk knowledgeably about this or that dancer's line and they get excited when they see a really great performance. Not one of these men would've chosen an interest in ballet had it not been for their daughters or sons love for dance. But I don't know how to get the average man, with no dancing offspring to introduce him, to spend time at the ballet.

LOL, Amy, I must be following you around. I ALMOST went to the Willimantic production myself - I was very curious about it. But I thought better of it and came home to wash the kitchen floor. I'm glad you commented on Hidalgo's Sprite in the First Act. I too thought it looked like she was trying to shake something off; I described it to my daughter as spastic movement. I assume she intended a fluttery look but it was far too much. I didn't like the tree either. Don't know what it was actually made of, but from my mezzanine seat, it looked like a cardboard rendition a child of about 9 might attempt. But I agree that it was a minor flaw. I LOVED the set for the First Act; it really looked like a spacious house, one that I'd like to live in. After a night's sleep, my lingering impressions are of Danny Tidwell's dancing. He brought a high flying energy to both his roles. I'd love to see more of him. It was a bittersweet evening in many ways. During intermission and afterwards, I overheard so many people commenting, with a sigh each time, that it was SO nice to have ballet back in Hartford. Regarding Sugar Plum, I wish that I'd seen Cheryl Madeux dance it. In fact, that's why I chose that particular performance but word has it that her partner had a conflict and Molina and she dance different versions. So that was a bit of a disappointment. I'd love to see the contrast between her style and that of Wiles; they're very different dancers, for sure. I also would've thought that Molina's size is better suited to Madeux; Wiles really was too tall for him. Interesting comment about short dancers' choreography: My daughter had a similar comment herself after seeing this production. She too thought some of the dancers were too tall for the choreography and wondered at the casting decisions. I'm hoping that this venture will be deemed so successful that perhaps it'll be repeated more often. I feel starved up here for ballet performances; there's no professional ballet companies within an evening's driving distance. Both NYC and Boston are logistically out of reach for me. Wouldn't it be great if Peterson also put the same group together for a spring series?

It was wonderful to see this Nutcracker on stage in Hartford, CT once again. These performances were a partnership involving ABT Studio Company and some ABT soloists, former principal dancers of the defunct Hartford Ballet, and dance students from The School of Dance CT (it replaced Hartford Ballet), dance students from The Hartt School of the Univ. of Hartford and also male students from Nutmeg Ballet. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra supplied the music. In Peterson's Nutcracker, the characters are based on famous people who lived in the USA during the mid-1800's. Instead of Clara, Lotta Crabtree, a renowned actress from the 19th century, is featured. Lotta's stepfather is Junius Booth, father of John Wilkes Booth, (who is conspicuously absent from this production) and his brother (and Lotta's stepbrother) Edwin - this version's Fritz. To round out the guests, Mark Twain makes an appearance as does Joshua C. "Emperor" Norton, a colorful character in San Francisco in the 1800's but an old man here. Instead of Drosselmeyer, we see Herrmann the Great, one of the finest magicians of the 1900's in America. For the most part, Prologue was the usual kind, with Edwin and a group of bored boys making trouble while the parents scolded them and the girls played sweetly. The girl playing Lotta was lovely and endearing. I believe she's a student with the School of Dance CT. The young man dancing Edwin (who really had the plum role of the First Act), a fine dancer in the making, trains with Nutmeg Ballet. Herrmann the Great brings out a ladybug doll who's activated by a magical sprite followed by a dancing windup grasshopper soldier doll. (Yes, really). Sarah Lane's Ladybug was sparkling and Danny Tidwell's splits as the grasshopper were magnificent, both in height and flexibility. One could tell that a man choreographed this Prologue: he really got the boys' parts exactly right. They plotted in the background, with Edwin as ringleader; much of the time I just wished some adult would send these kids out to play - of COURSE they'd get in trouble - they were bored! But I digress... I was a little disappointed with the Battle Scene. All that crashing music was wasted as there was little action. The rats were adorable, dressed as miners in overalls; the soldiers appeared to be around 11 years old. But they didn't do much nor did the Nutcracker Soldier or the Boss Rat. It was, all in all, a very polite Battle. I would've liked much more action. The Snow Faerie Queen and King danced a pas de deux after which the Snow Faeries danced. Cheryl Madeux danced the Snow Faerie Queen and Paul Thrussell was the King. Madeux's famous musicality and appealing personality were once again a delight (I miss her!). She has the ability to make you forget about everyone else on stage every time. This Snow Scene had some very nice formations, esp. during its 2nd half. One of the soloists-it was either Laura Hidalgo or Kelly Potter- had especially crisp turns. The 2nd Act begins with a dance by little Sugar Plum Faerielettes and little Mushrooms under the shade of an ancient plum tree. The Sugar Plum Faerie Queen herself, danced by Michele Wiles pops out of the tree and Lotta soon enters with the Cavalier in a carriage drawn by a large bear! Soon Lotta sits on a branch of the tree and Saffron Faeries, danced by Kelley Potter and Alexandre Hammoudi, appear. They dance to the Spanish music; Potter's dancing was especially crisp; her "hang time" in an assisted split was impressive. Tim Melady and Laura Hidalgo danced to the Arabian music. Here Melady's character is a shaman (wearing next to nothing) and according to program notes, she is a Golden Eagle who shed her wings to dance with him. As they dance, a giant eagle slowly flaps its wings in the background. Aside from the Sugar Plum/Cavalier, this pair garnered the most applause. Instead of Chinese, we are treated to 3 dancing flames - two women and a man, who (courtesy of program notes again) are "sparks flying from the Ring of Fire, the creative spirit of the Earth". They "evoke the coming of the Chinese railroad workers". Danny Tidwell's dancing here stood out. Marzipan is replaced by Lacewings; Trepak is, instead, two sea otters (although I thought they were Russian men-they wore those furry caps). The hit for the kiddies came next: a giant beehive with an equally giant bumblebee atop it. Wee little sunflowers are visited by equally wee butterflies. The hive opens and out comes a swarm of adorable little bumblebees. Eventually a large spider appears from up in the sky and descends, trying to entrap a bumblebee. The scene concludes with a visit by the bear. Very, very cute. Plum Blossom Faeries dance the traditional Waltz of the Flowers. Standouts here are the two men partnering the female soloists. Bo Busby (I'd heard so much about him) and Daniel Keene do the honors. Both are standouts. I really liked this waltz; it was graceful and light; the corps did a fine job with some pleasing formations, and the two couples were lovely. Sugar Plum Faerie Queen (Michele Wiles) and her Cavalier (Carlos Molina) finally enter and dance their pas de deux. I'd never seen Wiles in a solo role before. She has a very clean technique - and what gorgeous feet! I wasn't fond of the choreography though; I think of this role as designed to show off brilliance. Instead, while Wiles danced beautifully, it lacked luster. Part of it, I think, was that she herself didn't seem to command our attention, but I believe part of that lack was also the fault of the choreography. It was nice, it was in fact very nice but I wanted more than nice. Molina also danced very well but here too, I wished for something more thrilling. The ballet concluded, as it always does, with a final coda but at the end Lotta floats away high in the air attached to a giant sequoia leaf.

And then to further confuse the issue, I've been to several Nuts through the years whose Marie is Clara's little sister.

Another excellent autobiography is Valery Panov's "To Dance". He danced in the USSR during the same period of time in history as described in Maya Plisetskaya's autobiography. Panov's is MUCH easier to read since he wisely wrote it with a professional. Plisetskaya's book is an unwieldy volume filled with too many names and no index. That said, I read one book right after the other and, taken together, both gave me a really good idea of life for dancers in the Soviet Union. Fendrock, I've read all but one of the books you listed (Merrill Ashley's). After reading Tallchief's book, I'd say that my impression of her was entirely different from yours. I found it to be a gossipy book from start to finish - yes, I admit it, the gossip was interesting. I much preferred Farrell's and Fonteyn's, both of which left an awful lot unsaid. Agens DeMille wrote several interesting books chronicling her life.

This is my daughter's 11th and final year dancing in her ballet school's Nutcracker, so for me it's a nostalgia-ridden time. We always see the student production and usually one professional Nut - sometimes NYCB, sometimes Boston. In the past, we always saw Hartford Ballet's Nut; this year Dance CT, HB's down-sized replacement, has asked Kirk Petersen to return to stage his American Nutcracker for them. They've invited back the principal dancers from that Nut. We're looking forward to seeing it once again. I love the Nutcracker, not for its dancing as much as for how children respond to it. I enjoy watching the reactions of the little kids in the audience every bit as much as I enjoy the performance. After countless years of Nut viewing, we can forget just how magical an experience it is for little ones. Years ago, I taught pre-school. During the holiday season I always played Tchaikovsky's music for the ballet at lunchtime. Each day the same little girl would come sit on my lap during the music for the Battle Scene. She'd say hopefully, "The mouse king isn't real, right? It's all pretend?" And then, towards the end of that score, she'd sigh deeply in relief, "Good, the Nutcracker soldier got him."

I'm with Balletmama when it comes to "I Need to Suffer or It's Not Art". Never could understand such nonsense. If one can believe all the books and movies, apparently that's what riled up so many of Mozart's contemporaries - he didn't suffer enough yet still churned out glorious music. Re GM's themselves: I like 'em (well, the IDEA of them - they didn't work for my daughter). She wished they had. I figure they're the beta product and eventually GM or another producer will come up with a better model but you have to start somewhere. I'm glad they did and I hope others follow. One has to try something new to improve on something old.

Speaking of darkness, that's literally where I was when this performance aired. We were in the midst of an ice storm and had no power so I never did get to see it. I used to be annoyed at the silly plots of these various Irish dance troupes till it dawned on me that they're no worse, really, than those of the story ballets. Many of the Irish ones are based on ancient Celtic tales or loosely based on some characters in them. And the Irish are quite famous for telling both the bawdy and the dark, usually at the same time. I'm glad you found this to be a likeable troupe too. I seem to recall, from the live performance last spring, that the darkhaired leads - male and female - were exceptionably good dancer.

OK, I just have to say this: Regardless of my personal opinions about GB2's politics, policies, personal tastes, etc., I'd like to not consider his intellect in terms of how well or poorly he uses grammar, syntax, spelling, pronunciation, etc. It has NO bearing on intellect. He has stated that he needed tutoring as a child for reading problems. From my observation, he also has an expressive language weakness as (most likely) does his father. IQ's of people with these weaknesses run the same gamut as the rest of the population. The weaknesses themselves don't indicate anything about intellect. Some of the individuals I work with have more creativity and raw intellect than the most academic among us. They certainly DO handicap his ability to be seen by others as a bright individual. That just tells me we have a long way to go in educating the broad population. Sorry - it's not pertinent to the discussion but as a champion of people with different learning styles, I have trouble not coming to their defense, whether or not I agree with their politics.

What Karsavina memoirs are you referring to?

Did anyone see this? We lost power Sat. night from the nor'easter and are still without power (I'm posting from work). Was it the Irish troupe?

I wonder if this is the same troupe that I saw perform last spring. They were yet another Irish ala Flatley performing group with a blonde male star, token "ballet dancer" (you will see for yourself). Despite numerous weaknesses in both presentation and plot, I have to admit I liked some of the Irish choreography more than I thought I would. They tried something new, albeit just a LITTLE bit here and there, even though they were obviously clawing at that bandwagon. Now if these Celtic-themed shows would just lose the notion that they have to have a ballet dancer in their midst...or, if they can't get rid of that notion, please, please let them hire a REAL ballet dancer. I don't know whether to hope this PBS event WILL be the same troupe or not!

Is the Gotham Book Mart still around? I assume the owner, (was her name Frances?) must be dead by now. I used to love her shop although I don't recall seeing dance books there. I've gotten quite a few good ballet books at The Strand.

How I wish my classroom of 5th graders could see that ballet! The last two years, we've read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow during October. The children read Will Moses's version which is adapted for kids their age but on Halloween we listen to the original. We then compare and contrast the two versions. It would be great if they could also see a ballet based on the legend.

I'd be suspicious too. My daughter participated in a study for Skidmore College when she was 11 or 12 years old. It was a study comparing bone strength and endurance in young adolescent females in ballet, gymnastics, and college athletes. The director of the study came to the ballet school through a ballet teacher at the college who had guest taught at the school on occasions in the past. We parents were all invited to a meeting and given detailed written data on the study. Because it was arranged through someone we knew and trusted, many of us were willing to let our daughters participate. (The 12 year old ballet dancers and gymnasts were far stronger than the female college athletes).

Thanks so much, Major Mel. I'm putting together a reference guide for Irish dancers. I'm on a campaign to get them to recognize that, because they're now dancing at a very high technical level, they're exposing themselves to many of the same injury possibilities as ballet dancers. They need some general knowledge. Most importantly, I'd like to get step dance teachers to recognize this Our school is very conscientious but only because my daughter's a ballet dancer. Had I not been exposed to dance injury prevention through her, there's a lot I wouldn't have known. We've had a physical therapist observe classes and then do a seminar at the school but I'd also like to be able to refer parents and teens to a list of publications. Thanks again.

What are the best books on this topic? These are the ones I'm familiar with: Dance Injuries: Their Prevention and Care by Daniel D. Arnheim The Dancer's Foot Book by Dr. Terry L. Spilken The Dancer's Book of Health by L.M. Vincent, MD Dancing Longer, Dancing Stronger By Andrea Watkins & Priscilla Clarkson These books are old (circa 1990) by medical standards. What, if any, are the newer ones? Are there magazines devoted solely to dance injury prevention? Are there catalogs targeted at dancers that sell products such as Therabands, balance boards, etc.? I know of one which I received years ago in the mail titled "Arts Care: The Dancer Health Care Catalog". It was chock full of products. I lost it though - don't know how to get a new one or if it's still in business.

As a little advertising plug, I look forward to both these publications because they treat topics in more depth. The reviews and the interviews are detailed as compared to the cursory attention accorded ballets in some other publications.

As a little advertising plug, I look forward to both these publications because they treat topics in more depth. The reviews and the interviews are detailed as compared to the cursory attention accorded ballets in some other publications.

I still don't remember how I found this site. But I think I may have found it from the BalletAlert or Dance View magazine since I subscribed to them first. And I found THOSE magazines at a local ballet studio while waiting for my daughter at a master class. I remember reading an article in my first issue of either one of those with some very witty quotes that originated as a thread here. So I suppose I searched out the website from there.