ViolinConcerto

According to the "ballerina gallery" site, Ashley

. . .joined the New York City Ballet in 1967. She was appointed soloist in 1974 and principal in 1977.

Watts

. . . Joined the New York City Ballet in 1970. She was appointed soloist in 1979 and principal in 1979.

http://www.ballerinagallery.com/

Boy, I didn't know about that link -- Thanks, California!

I am surprised that no one has mentioned the Jerome Robbins program and awards. The performance of "2 and 3 Part Inventions" was again very beautiful and got a very warm response. "In Memory of....." to me has so much emotional weight and memories (of Suzanne Farrell, Joseph Duell and Adam Luders -- and Mr. Balanchine, as some people believe it is in tribute to him) that I really can't judge it, I end up nearly in tears each time.

THEN CAME THE AWARDS!!!

Chita Rivera was announced and came to the podium. She spoke briefly of her experience with "Jerry" while photos of her in "West Side Story" were projected on a large screen. She then introduced the awardees in reverse order of admission to the Company.

They formed a long line across the stage. There were photos and I hear some film clips shown on a big screen above them, but I was glued to my binoculars, as I wanted to watch each face as closely as possible. Each dancer walked to the center of the stage, took a lovely, wide-armed curtsey, (in a way that summed up - to me - her style and personality) and joined the line, alternating between stage left and stage right. There was a bit of irony when Suzanne Farrell and Gelsey Kirkland ended up next to each other, but they greeted each other warmly.

When Jenifer Ringer came out in the orchid dress of "Anita," -- dressed for the performance -- Chita said, "I recognize that dress!" and got a great, warm laugh. A friend later said to me that it might have been a bit intimidating for Jenifer to perform with Chita there -- but you'd never know it if that were so.

The applause and cheers for each dancer were heart-warming, and seemed to get louder and longer as we went back in time, all the way to Jillana and Yvonne Mounsey. Tanaquil LeClerq, Nora Kaye and Melissa Hayden were honored posthumously.....

The awardees and other dancers were on the Promenade of The-Theater-Formerly-Known-as-the-New-York-State-Theater during the intermissions, and greeted each other with love and warmth, chatting at a mile a minute to catch up on each others' lives if they hadn't seen each other. After the performance (which ended with a good, but not great performance of "West Side Story Suite" -- as I felt the orchestra was not where it should have been, and did cause some discomfort), many of the awardees hung out on the promenade and lobby, and under the portico, due to the rain. They were very accessible and friendly to those of us who remember and adored them for so many years. That was the best part!!!!

I have also long appreciated the fine line and superb energy, musicality and ultimate respect for the music and choreography of Christian Tworzyanski. Unfortunately, I believe that he has been in the corps for too long -- since 2003 -- to be promoted. I would love to be proven wrong on that. There have been some superb dancers who have spent a long career in the corps, and been happy doing it. There was a seminar many years ago (early 1990's I believe) of corps men. One of them, Peter Naumann, who may have been there the longest, specifically said that it was his preference to perform as a corps member, and he, like Christian, had it ALL -- and I think he may have been taller. So, you never know.

Ms. von Aroldingen had a unique look, style and way of moving (and as other posters have mentioned, body) that made her stand out in whatever she did onstage.

She started out as an acrobat, and Mr. B. used that training to the max -- especially in what I call the "Spider Walk" in "Stravinsky Violin Concerto." When I first started watching the company, I found her face sort of forbidding and stern. But when she did "Liebeslieder" I was able to link to her tenderness. By that time I had heard from some dancers about how she cared for Mr. B. when he was in the hospital for his last illness, and that made me respect her all the more, and I never felt she looked stern after that.

After she retired, I happened to pass her at the bar after the promenade had emptied out, and I told her how much I missed her very individual style, and she was gracious in her response. While I was never comfortable with her in the "Tales of the Vienna Woods" section of "Vienna Waltzes," I think of her every time I see the Siren in "Prodigal Son," MadDonald of Sleath in "Union Jack" and, of course, the "Violin Concerto"

Thank you, Jack for access to this lovely performance and class demonstration. I've watched about half so far. I found it absolutely delightful, intelligent and insightful. Miss Farrell's script is informative, amusing and straightforward. Even though the students are speaking, I can hear her voice through it.

Aha! Thanks so much. Just remembered that a friend sent me this link, showing Jacques d'Amboise in the birth scene.

Enjoy!

Last season and this season, several posters have commented that Chase Finlay "stumbled" or was incorrect with some steps. I don't know steps adequately, and don't have a real memory for sequences (as Alastair Crowley claims he has), so that I am not qualified to identify such problems.

Because I had mentioned Rasta Thomas' Apollo at the Symphony Space "Wall to Wall Balanchine" in 2004, I googled references to that performance and came up with this interesting paragraph by Susan Reiter (emphasis mine):

Following in Mr. B's footsteps, for 12 hours

'Wall to Wall George Balanchine' marks the centenary of the great choreographer.

March 23, 2004|Susan Reiter | Special to The Times

The final, three-hour segment was dominated by performances -- necessarily to taped music since Symphony Space, a converted movie theater, has no orchestra pit. Dance Theatre of Harlem gave the New York premiere of its "Apollo," staged by Eve Lawson and coached by D'Amboise, who restored details he knew from the 1950s that have fallen away over the years. Rasta Thomas, as the still-unformed young god, faultlessly stumbled on a step that he would later, as the more mature Apollo, execute nobly.

Is the "stumble" is in the choreography?

4th ring row B cost $89 per ticket plus fees, so it cost me close to $200 for 2 tick

Is that an inflated price for the 'ocean thing'? I paid $55.00 for a ticket in row E 13 of the second ring for Jewels---plus fees which raised the price to $64. Frankly, I am only going this season because I will be meeting some friends at this particular performance.....unless TDF comes up with discounts.

I paid $29 for 2nd ring, first row, slightly to the side -- seats number 36 and 34 on two successive nights. This is nuts.

Ms. D. Lightful

I attended last night's performance. I usually find 2 & 3 Part Inventions a bit tedious. However, last night's cast was so good that I was engrossed by the performance. Particularly, I thought Lauren Lovette was mesmerizing. She is a lyrical, expressive dancer. Chase Finlay was last night's Apollo. I think he is even better this year than last. He is much more confident,and his performance last night did not suffer from the little mistakes that occurred last year. I saw Robbie Fairchild's Apollo last week. I liked it, but I prefer Finlay a little more. There is a youthful exuberance and wildness that is so fresh in Finlay's performance. (By the way, Finlay also did much better in the 3rd Act Pas De Quatre in Swan Lake. Last year he could barely keep up. This year he significantly improved.) Last night was a repeat of Muses Hyltin and Scheller. The new muse in town was Ashley Isaacs. I think she needs a more straighforward approach to the role. There was too much coy smiling at the audience and at Apollo. Tiler and Tyler were breathtaking in Mercurial Maneuvers. There were scattered empty seats throughout the orchestra, first and second rings. The 3rd ring was approximately 25 percent full, and the fourth ring was closed. Not a great turn out for such a wonderful evening of dance.

I saw the two Apollo's back to back, so to speak, on Tues and Wed. I had also seen Finlay twice last season. I like them both, but I very much enjoyed Fairchild's energy and sweep. He is so much bigger than Finlay that his movements take more space and he covers more territory. That made it a bit more exciting. Finlay is more dispassionate and Fairchild seems very intense, with more changes of facial expression -- which seems to be his natural manner. I preferred that. Don't know what Mr. B. would say... but I liked that sense of involvement. (When Rasta Thomas performed for the Balanchine 100 celebration at Symphony Space, his face was very expressive. I was told that he had been coached by d'Amboise, and I felt that I was watching the struggle into manhood.)

Sterling Hyltin does not look comfortable (to me) as Terpsichore. I feel her movement of the horse pawing the ground at her solo entrance, is too big.

The Wheeldon was stunning, and sitting in the 2nd ring gave it more dimension: when the thin scrims were down, I could see the dancers through them in a way I couldn't when in the 4th ring. The work develops and grows deeper each time I see it.

What are we expecting from Millepied? After seeing some of his previous works and Black Swan who knows what he will come up with!

Maybe a cameo appearance by Natalie Portman? (Hopefully, she will just be in the audience)

The Evening Standard in London has an article with photos about Mr. Millepied and his discomfort with fame.

Nanette Glushack is the artistic director of "Ballet du Nord" in France, which has long been a respected venue for Balanchine works. She also sets works by Mr B. for the Balanchine Trust.

Sorry, but I believe that Nanette is artistic director of Ballet du Capitol in Toulouse until August 2012...she does set Balanchine pieces though!

You're right! Sorry. Ballet du Nord does have a long association with Balanchine, which is why I got confused. From the NYTimes, in 1987 (Anna Kissellgoff)"

It is a regional ballet company that was established through governmental edict as recently as 1983. Its artistic director is Alfonso Cata, a familiar figure in the American ballet world since his dancing days at the New York City Ballet in the mid-1960's.

Nanette Glushack is the artistic director of "Ballet du Nord" in France, which has long been a respected venue for Balanchine works. She also sets works by Mr B. for the Balanchine Trust.

A great article in the NYTimes about Merrill Brockway, nearing 89, who was the producer and director of "Dance in America" during the 70's and 80's. The article mentions that he published a memoir, which I hadn't heard about, and that he is now directing his activities to education in the arts, in his new home in New Mexico.

He is working with former NYCB dancer, Catherine Oppenheimer: She is the founder of NDI (National Dance Institute) New Mexico, and New Mexico School of the arts.

Last spring Mr. Brockway, 88, published a memoir, Surprise Was My Teacher (Sunstone Press), which details his career during a golden age of television and his collaborations with dancers like Graham, Balanchine, Merce Cunningham and Twyla Tharp. He was also allowed to donate the archive to the National Dance Institute of New Mexico for educational purposes.

The article can be found here.

I just spotted this book at a NYCB performance. I haven't heard of it. Has anyone read it? What did you think??

I also found this book at the gift shop. My verdict: fascinating. More to follow.

Great! Looking forward to your thoughts.

Here's hoping!

With the help of a collection of photographs of Nijinsky in a Classical Thai-inspired dance costume, a dancer from Thailand has constructed a version of what they say was Nijinksy's "Danse Siamoise" from Les Orientals. The article, which describes the new venture, also has a beautiful photograph of the dancer, Pichet Klunchun, in performance.

La Danse Siamoise, is described in Jane Pritchard's article accompanying the exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum as "Nijinsky's Siamese Dance in the divertissement, Les Orientals." It was choreographed by Folkine, inspired by a performance he saw of classical Thai dance in St. Petersburg in 1900, according to Richard Buckle. The choreographer of this piece seems to believe that Nijinsky choreographed the segment.

The show is a reminiscent of La Danse Siamoise by the late Russian ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, who was inspired by a Thai dance and music performance. It was performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg and the Paris Opera in France a century ago.

Here is a link to the article.

The September issue of Vogue (Kate Moss cover) contains a shortish feature on the upcoming Peter Martins/Paul McCartney/Stella McCartney collaboration, Ocean's Kingdom. (Sorry -- I couldn't find the story on Vogue's Web site so no link.)

Just looking at photos of Lauren King, Daniel Ulbricht and Giovanni Villalobos in Stella McCartney's designs . . . oh boy. I don't think there will be much middle ground on this one. If the costumes are any indication, this will be the most glorious triumph in the history of the classical ballet or its most embarrassing failure.

And here's the story synopsis from Vogue (without comment from me):

The production, which features Robert Fairchild as Prince Stone, Georgina Pazcoguin as Scala, and Sara Mearns as Princess Honorata, is a boy-meets-girl story; the daughter of King Ocean falls in love with the brother of King Terra and beautifully choroeographed tribulations ensue.

There's also an evil tribe called the Terra Punks.

The sets are credited to Perry Silvey,who began as a stage manager after the death of Ronnie Bates in the mid-80's. I know he has been involved in the construction/production aspects of all the productions, including things like the Calatrava sets. But as a set designer, he's the new talent on the block for this creation. My best wishes to him!

Do a search on this site for "Diana Adams" and then for "Georgina Bates" who was the daughter of Ms. Adams and Ronald Bates. You will find comments about Ms. Bates' collection of photos that were subsequently donated to NYCB. That could lead you to other material and information.

Two interviews worth looking at --

Anthony Huxley in Timeout New York

Ashley Bouder in Dance Magazine

HEAR! HEAR! to expressions of gratitude to Helene for her magnum calendar opus, to which end i attach scans of bells from old Moscow, and to which, if i were more tech savvy, i wish i were able to attach appropriate sound effects.

(to anyone unfamiliar with the Kremlin's historic sites, the great bell, complete w/ cracked fragment that resulted from damage occured during in its founding as it was intended to be the largest such bell in the world. it can be seen in situ, in the foreground, beneanth the tallest of the towers in the long-range shot of the Tower of Ivan the Great.)

And thank YOU, RG for your always interesting, always relevant photos!

more photos from rehearsals posted on The Winger.

Oskar Schlemmer. "Dances that only a painter could have choreographed": Jack Anderson

Reconstructions in 1984

... The avant-garde legacy of Schlemmer and his Stage Workshop students would eventually influence the performance theory and work of John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Alwin Nikolais, Robert Wilson, Meredith Monk, the Judson Dance Theater, Laurie Anderson and David Byrne, amongst others.

Bauhaus Dances

I saw films of the original production, I believe, at the IBM center in NYC BEFORE the reconstruction, perhaps in the 1980's. I am pretty sure that this is what Bette Midler used to incorporate reproductions of sequences and scenes from these dances in her video of "Art or Bust." It was an excellent and unusual tribute.

I believe that since approximately 1985, New York City Ballet has been awarded a scholarship by the Princess Grace Foundation every year. I wonder if it is in a different category. Each year one of the newer dancers has an asterisk by his or her name, indicating that they are the recipient of a Princess Grace Award. Hmmm.

It may have been Louise Nadeau in the clip from Polyphonia (black leotard) and with Seth Orza in "Variations Sérieuses", but so many of the clips went by too fast to be sure.

That is Nadeau in Variations Sérieuses -- she did a great job with the comedy, as did Jonathan P. I'm really looking forward to seeing this again.

"Variations Sérieuses" premiered at NYCB and I saw it several times. I believe that both Wendy Whalen and Maria Korowski danced the lead, but I could be wrong. I know Maria has tremendous comedic abilities.

Even though he changed the ending so that it became a little more devilish, and I preferred the original ending (more like "42nd Street"), I enjoyed it tremendously. I was very sorry that NYCB did not retain it in the rep, and am happy to hear that it would be possible, with a little trip to Seattle, to see it again!