ViolinConcerto

....and don't forget, he was already married to Tamara Geva.

Silas Farley was singled out by Martins in last year's "Sunday at the Ballet with George," in the SAB onstage class.

It's been approved.

http://dance.broadwayworld.com/article/Balanchines-Western-Symphony-with-Tanaquil-LeClercq-Paris-1956-20130115

I've posted a few times that Connie, the producer, director, originator, is looking desperately for funds. Those of us who love and treasure Mr. B's memory should jump in with support.

I think the Lopez/Ashley pas de 2 is Concerto Barocco. I know I recognized it, but right now I can't go back.... They were wonderful in that together. Sigh.

In London it was a wonderful exhibit. The addition of the stuff from Australia makes it all the more worthwhile!!!

That is amazing. Everything you ever wanted to know about Bert Stern and Allegra Kent in 2 minutes. (But I do want to see the full film.) He does seem totally mad, though.

To get the beginnings of an answer, I would connect to the Dance Films Association, where you can find information on Connie Hochman's "In Balanchine's Footsteps." There is a short trailer you can watch (first clip is Violette) that gives several responses. Also see the Steven Caras documentary.

Correction: "In Balanchine's CLASSROOM!"

The Billion Dollar Baby info is in Amanda Vaill's recent bio of Robbins., p. 124

"the story of his fall became a legend that would follow him for the rest of his career, attached to whatever show (or ballet) the teller had some connection with"

Just goes to show how much animosity people carried with them about his treatment... Amanda Vail is to be trusted!

Well, from everything I know about Balanchine his sense of propriety was overwhelming and one of the things that he allowed Robbins to do was to pick the dancers Robbins wanted, and to give Robbins free rein in terms of rehearsal space and time.

Some dancers claimed to like Robbins' extremely, uh, demanding approach to creating works. They said it brought out the best in them. Others obviously couldn't take it, and there's a story of a cast hating him so much they let him fall into the orchestra pit once by accident without warning him he was about to fall over.

That story is about a Bway show in rehearsal, and I believe it was "Fiddler on The Roof," which was years and years after his start with NYCB. I've heard it many times, including from people who were there.

It was "Billion Dollar Baby" in 1945.

I emailed the daughter of the stage manager who was there at the time and she said "It was West Side Story."

Well, from everything I know about Balanchine his sense of propriety was overwhelming and one of the things that he allowed Robbins to do was to pick the dancers Robbins wanted, and to give Robbins free rein in terms of rehearsal space and time.

Some dancers claimed to like Robbins' extremely, uh, demanding approach to creating works. They said it brought out the best in them. Others obviously couldn't take it, and there's a story of a cast hating him so much they let him fall into the orchestra pit once by accident without warning him he was about to fall over.

That story is about a Bway show in rehearsal, and I believe it was "Fiddler on The Roof," which was years and years after his start with NYCB. I've heard it many times, including from people who were there.

I am reading the new book, "Ballerina" by Dierdre Kelly, and she describes how many of the dancers were known to be kept women, which could explain the "Mme."

I'm looking through my souvenir books..... I know the photo, and am not sure who the photographer is, but most likely Paul Kolnik, Steven Caras or Costas.

Thanks and Happy New Year to you - and Nina! wishing you a year of shimmeringly beautiful performances!

Oh Gosh, I'm so behind..... don't let me keep you waiting. I did read the bits that Amazon left around for us as temptations....that's why I made that judgement of her having come from a sheltered background.

Enjoy !

Thanks, ViolinConcerto. I downloaded the Kindle sample, much of which is about the making of The Cage, and Robbins' brutal, "army camp behavior" which "skirted the borders of torture," and what a shock the violent sexual nature of the ballet was to a 14-year old girl in 1950.

Robbins' ugly temper is well known, and it's easy to understand why Bocher was traumatized. But it's a shame she and her co-author write in a melodramatic and emotionally overblown manner, in clichéd and purple prose full of grammatical errors and words they don't understand the meaning of. I won't be buying the book.

I agree about the writing, but in a way, it's appropriate as it conveys what she must have felt like. She seems to have come from a very sheltered background. Her mother (I think) was with her as a ballet mom should be with such "a very young ballerina."

Connie Hochman describes her film: "After conducting more than 90 interviews with former Balanchine dancers spanning four decades, what has resulted is an historic and captivating story. Interwoven with fascinating interviews is dance footage, both old and new: rare, never-before-seen classroom footage of Balanchine teaching, shot by longtime colleague and admirer Jerome Robbins, as well as recent footage of former Balanchine dancers working with today’s dynamic dancers."

Here's a link to the DFA page for her film: http://www.dancefilms.org/fiscally-sponsored-items/in-balanchines-classroom/

I sincerely hope that those of us who have been supported and uplifted by Mr. B's work will consider supporting this important effort. It's fair play if nothing else.

A review in "Broadway World" about "The Cage" by Barbara Bocher, who danced with the Company in it's early days, 1949 to 1954. Though she had a good relationship with Mr. B., and progressed in her career, she felt she was badly mistreated by Mr. Robbins. She was the youngest member of the Company at 14.

http://books.broadwayworld.com/article/BWWBookReviews-THE-CAGE-Dancing-for-Jerome-Robbins-and-George-Balanchine-By-Barbara-Bocher-and-Adam-Darius-20121215

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you ALL for an interesting and lively discussion of this historic piece.

(and don't let me stop you!!)

Christian, I agree about the tutu, but I know people that get very huffy about the length -- shows too much thigh!

RG, did they perform at the previous Madison Sq. Garden during that tour? Or was that another Company? I have a brief memory of seeing Swan Lake done there by a Russian Company when I was a teenager. But it may have been excerpts, or just Act II. I don't remember any sets. (I don't seem to remember much at all these days!!)

Mr. Dery, thank you for the link to the biography of Mr. Kirstein and the fabulous photos. I noticed what I think is an error in Duberman's text. On page 611 or 612 there is a description of the wonderful celebration for Mr. Kirstein's 80th birthday. Duberman states that it opened with the orchestra playing "Swan Lake. My memory is that they opened with the Overture from "Sleeping Beauty, which was Peter Martins' way of telling us all that the Company was going to produce that ballet.

Any one else remember???

No, the costumes for Rubies were not by Valentino. The Rubies costumes are the same ones that they use every season. It was obvious that most of the audience had never seen Rubies before, because there was a collective gasp and spontaneous applause when the curtain was first raised for this ballet.

That happens at EVERY performance......

I was thrilled to read that Robbins actually was inspired to begin imagining Dances by observing McBride and Villella working together, intimately and with great concentration, in a studio.

I think Bart is referring to Robbins seeing Villella and (I'm not sure it was McBride) in the studio inspiring "Afternoon of a Faun."

I also remember McBride dancing (I saw her from 1979 through her retirement), and she was always, aside from technically spot on, emotionally honest, warm, caring, and perfectly musical. My favorite role of hers was late in her career, the last pas de deux with Bart Cook in "Liebeslieder Waltzer."

Here is a link to a page on the Mobile Ballet - where Kathryn will be dancing this year. We wish her a good season.

Well, Gelsey Kirkland is articulate to a fault , but then she’s not in any way typical.

I don't think that Kirkland will win any prizes for personal insight or objectivity.

the second, from some 10 years later, 1978, after her return to the company following her years away from it starting in the spring of '69, here partnered by Peter Martins.

I remember reading her comment upon meeting Peter Martins, "Well, at least he's tall."