ViolinConcerto

Here's a question about another book I see listed on Amazon: Working For Diaghilev [Hardcover] Sergei Diaghilev (Author) Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Exhibitions International/B.A.I. (August 15, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 9076704856 and here is the product description: They credit Diaghilev as being the author. What????

Also to be released soon is book accompanying the exhibit at the V&A by Jane Pritchard, curator of the exhibition (and curator of dance) and Geoffrey Marsh, director of the V&A Theater Collection. This might be the place to explore Diaghilev's vision, impact, artistic legacy, etc. Amazon describes it thus: I have two copies of the Lifar biography, but have only referred to it occasionally, Lifar really gives me the creeps.

Everyone's Gotta Have a Gimmick!

I will have to look them up, thanks for the alert. I have set my trip dates for Oct 4 - 17th. I wanted to make it til the 19th, so I could go to the open rehearsals of the English National Ballet, but got confused. (Never make reservations at 2 a.m.) The Royal is also doing a mixed bill the 15th, 16th and 18th. If you have the time, check out the walking tour that the V&A has developed. They have a great map and wonderful directions. I printed everything out. I'll probably have more paper than clothes when I go! Enjoy!

I can't count well... I keep getting mixed up, but I took out my Balanchine Festival Tee shirt and started counting on that.... but got mixed up. Someday I'll get out my "Choreography by Balanchine," and start counting, but, as I said, I lose count and get mixed up. I'm glad someone mentioned "Noah and the Flood," which I saw on TV, as I did one of Mr. B's versions of "The Spellbound Child," Those had to be in the very early 80's. So----- Do films versions count as a separate ballet (eg, "Midsummer's)? Does the Peter Martins revival of "On Your Toes," back in 1983, (I saw it twice!!) with all those wonderful ballet and tap numbers count? Do the short pieces done for TV (such as the short duets with Maria Tallchief and Jacques d'Amboise) count? We're on a very slippery slope here! But it's fun to try and climb up, isn't it? Regarding "Figure in the Carpet," after the Balanchine bio was produced on PBS which showed that intriguing segment, and in the few years following his death, I went to many seminars/lectures/talks at NYU, the Met Museum, the Museum of TV and Broadcasting, etc. and the question of who could mount a revival of "Figure in the Carpet" was brought up several times. Each time the answer was the same: no one remembers enough about it to put it back together again. Our very own Humpty Dumpty.

There is now a page of events related to the exhibition. I also received a press release of all the films that will be shown related to the exhibit, in Sept and early October. I don't have a link to it, as it was attached as a document. It is too long to be pasted in here, but if anyone wants it, send me a p.m. with an email address and I will send it on. If that's permitted! Otherwise, what should I do??? Anyway, they've got LOTS coming up!

This is a wonderful article about the home Jock has built for himself and family, and some of the things he is doing to expand access to dance in his community. It's from the Sangre de Cristo Chronicle. Take a good look at the photo of the lovely ceramic pot created by his mother. the article can be found here.

I've spotted several dancers in the "Breadsoul" (what a yukky name) sandwich place on Broadway, and in Fairway both downstairs (Damian and Heather) and upstairs (Philip Neal). Sigh, those days are gone.

Back to the issue of the brochure, which I think is well designed for the most part, does anyone know if "The Magic Flute" that will be done is the one Martins choreographed in the 1980's? (The very young Jock Soto was in it.)* Also, though the photography, organization and presentation are quite good, I really disapprove of the clothing and attitudes used in the photos. I don't think Balanchine would like them either. He was known to disapprove of ratty, torn looking practice clothes. I also am turned off by the "tough guy" look many of the men try to convey. Come on!!! That put on didn't work for the film of "Opus..." and it is off-putting in the brochure. It makes it seem as if they don't care how they look, and that they disdain the audience. It also seems as if they don't respect their art. There's a reason that dancers are usually made up to be elegant and glamorous -- so that audiences will be enchanted by them. If this was modern dance I might feel differently. And here I thought I was a liberal. *Amended to add-- yes it is, but there's only one note about that in the front. It's 1983, that fateful year. So why is it labeled "new," and not "revival?"

I never saw her live, but she really touched my heart. In 1978 - 80 I returned to NYC after several years traveling and then living in San Francisco. It took me those two years to find a place to live during which I spent the time staying in friends' lofts/apartments, and at my parents' place. It was very depressing and depersonalizing not to have my own place. When I heard her song "LIVING ROOM," it totally expressed all my needs and desires. I got one or two albums of hers when I finally found a place to live, and all her work connected to me in a powerful way. The Times obit describes her intelligence, uniqueness, creativity and depth very well. A true artist who contributed great work. Patrick, thanks for those links -- I watched her sing "Nature Boy," an old favorite of mine. I had an uncle who was a Nat King Cole devotee, and he sang many of those songs, imitating Cole's voice and distinct diction. "Nature Boy" was my favorite of all of those, with the last line that Abbey sings so beautifully, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." Wise words, and she sings them with great conviction.

I was especially pleased to see Lara Tong's name on that list. I saw her in "La Source" twice and she really stood out. I remember that we discussed on another thread that Mr. Martins never had an Asian woman in the company (though there have been at least 4 men if I recall) and that was a very noticeable vacuum considering the students at SAB and looking at all the other major companies. I wish her the best!

Adrian is a beautiful dancer, but I feel that most of the "Apollos" I have seen were more broad shouldered and chested than he is. I know that I have watched City Ballet's male dancers develop their upper bodies -- Damian Woetzel [forgive my spelling if it's wrong] for example, so it could happen. I can't think of who I would like to see in this role right now, but I have a question: what, where and how offensive is Crag Hall's tattoo? I have never noticed it.

Great! I don't have specific dates yet, but will soon.

I would like to find other Ballet Talk-ers who want to go to this exhibition .The Victoria and Albert Museum, which has (it it said) the largest and best collection of material on Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, will open a major show of its collection. Hereis a link to the V&A page about it. I am dreaming of (the step before planning) going to London (I'm near New York) to spend several days going to the V&A. I have a place to stay. I would love to connect with anyone else who would like to go and have a companion at the exhibition -- it's always better to have someone along when you see something like this. Please post or send me a message if you have any such dreams or plans. There are many sites online about this (MAJOR) exhibition. This is another one. We might also use this topic to share links about it, if that is possible. Hope to hear from those of you who are interested.

It's totally fun!(skillful too!) And hey, they should live in their own century, not ours!

As usual, disenchanted by rg. Sigh. That quote at the beginning of the TV-Bio gave me so much hope! I remember quoting it to a friend who doubted that we'd ever see another genius in ballet like Mr. B., and saying," we just have another 15 years to go." When was Ratmansky born?? But to return to the important topic that Leonid has brought up, yes, the entire world of dance owes a great deal to "Mr. P." He was a great artist and continues to inspire. May that continue!

I always heard that his ambition was to become a jazz pianist!

Thanks so much for telling us about your experience. Glad you enjoyed it!

Melange, I just love your description of the set as the Gimmick of Damocles! I have been disappointed by Martins' choreography so many times over the years that I just stopped going. However, he does have some real strengths that for some reason he persists in ignoring: his narrative works are often quite good, and he is terrific at comedy. I call to the witness stand the ending of "Calcium Light Night," "The Waltz Project," "Eight Easy Pieces," (first version), the "Little Red Riding Hood" section of "The Sleeping Beauty," and "The Magic Flute." I am sure there are others.

I saw Savion at the Joyce a few years ago and felt that he was no longer a dancer, but a percussive musical instrument, maybe even an entire percussion section. I had seen him as a child, in "Tap Dance Kid," and a few other productions. At that point I was hoping that he would be the next Fred Astaire. But he is a singular artist and very much of NOW.

Really, really amazing. My compliments, admiration, (envy) and awe.

At the Friday night performance I was pleased to see that the house was more than 3/4 full. I was also really happy that they added "La Source" to the program. Megan Fairchild and Joaquin de Luz were the principal couple. They did honor to the choreography and were very delightful as well. Ditto Ana Sophia Scheller, who dazzled my husband with her sharpness, verve and projected charm. The real treat for me was the corps of women, not one of whom I had ever seen before, and I was told were all (or nearly all) new apprentices. The stand-out for me was Lana Tong, whose long neck and beautifully distinctive epaulment reminded me of Helene Alexopolos -- and that ain't bad. Darci Kistler was the lead in both parts of "Monumentum/Movements" - which she performed with great dignity and grace. It was very special to see her, especially since I won't see her farewell. Yes, it's naturally true that she doesn't have the flexibility and speed she had at 18, but we get the benefit of her intelligence, commitment understanding and love. I didn't like the Bigonzetti one single solitary bit. Everyone else has commented about the poor lighting and bizarre, unflattering costumes. I found the choreography repetitive, unimaginative, cliched and unattractive. The mood and music veered radically from pleasant to morose with no reason, and stuck too long to morose. The choreographer commented in the Playbill interview that he choreographs closely to the personalities of the dancers, which has has come to know after working with them for so long. I can't imagine that he is perceiving their characters accurately -- I feel he has painted them all over with his own inner misery. Please don't!! I was very disappointed in the performance of Amar Ramasar and Sara Mearns and many of the demi soloists in "Who Cares?" that evening. I love that ballet, and the arrangement (I have heard other criticizing the Hershy Kay arrangement, but it's embedded in my soul), but I felt that this cast (other than Teresa Reichlin, and Jenifer Ringer who really GOT it!) just haven't connected to the jazziness, the feeling, the Gershwin.... They'll hopefully grow into it.

...and now they need financial support more than ever.

I'm glad that most of these reports end happily. I wouldn't want to count the times when dancers are injured onstage, that's more sad than funny. But back to the funny ones, I know that the little donkey in "Union Jack" has left deposits onstage at various times. And once, in "Mozartiana" with Suzanne Farrell and Ib Anderson in the leads, in the final section of the coda where the children are dancing with the principals, one girl's slipper came untied. She just kept up the the choreography.... I forget if she kicked it off at the end, but she never stopped smiling or dancing. A real trouper!

I'm really sorry to hear about these responses to Melissa Barak's ballet. I was hopeful that a new strong woman choreographer would emerge. Usually what happens after such a poor reception is that the piece may be seen for two more seasons, if they have already been scheduled, and then vanish. Sometimes something vanishes after one season. I have no idea why the Preljocaj has re-surfaced, I agree completely with abatt. Not many of you were at the theater to witness the first American Music Festival (1988)which contained two of the very worst pieces of choreography I have ever seen. They both had elaborate sets and costumes after which Martins called for most of the new pieces to be done without big sets and use variations on practice clothes. One had a huge picture of a clown's face in the background. The other one had a very underwater look to it. I don't remember the names of the ballets, but I do remember the choreographers and don't want to name names. Probably they both got very carried away with themselves. I may have even mentioned these horrors before. It's like a bad taste you can't get rid of.