Pointe1432

dancer100, I'm trying to understand why you would think Mr. Mills "HAD" to use specific costumes and music (which if you thought it was reminiscent of Mission Impossible you can blame or thank Phillip Glass for that). I highly doubt he was forced to do any of the above. As far as his choice to do so much contemporary work, that is simply the company's and his vision. I think it's incredible the range of work BA does, from classical full lengths to new innovative works. I think each company has their place and plan and BA's, at least since Stephen has been there, has never been to be a "museum", and I for one will applaud him for that. You have to take the risk of possible failures in order to truly achieve. -Pointe1432

My parents saw the program. They really liked the diversity of the entire show. My father is not a huge Sinatra fan, but really enjoyed Nine Sinatra Songs and how drastically the stage changed into that setting (the previous two pieces were on a light gray floor, but for Nine Sinatra Songs a black floor was laid during intermission. If that doesn't keep you busy I don't know what does!) Tharp is sort of hit or miss for me. I've always enjoyed dancing it, but when I see it I'm never instantly in awe. I wonder if her work is something you have to grow into appreciating or if it is at all related to the current context of the dance program it lies within? In any case I love seeing these works revived and the chance for companies to collaborate like these two had the opportunity to.

Thanks Jack Reed, that did help a bit. I initially read it and said "huh?", so I appreciate you explanation. Figuring that of course there is a difference in styles between the SFB dancers and the BA dancers, I was wondering especially what the "regulars" saw. I think it is such an interesting concept to partner two companies together, and what a wonderful networking opportunity for both groups. Next week the SFB will be in Austin to perform Episodes on Ballet Austin's program. I wonder what the Austin audience will think of the pair up. ~Pointe1432

Could you elaborate on this for me? I'm trying to understand how something is less "sharp and crisp" but still "clean and clear" in this context. Or maybe I'm not reading it properly. Thanks! ~Pointe1432

I love that months later this thread is still going. As a working professional dancer this article did a bit more than upset me. In our current state of so many struggling companies the last thing we need is someone like Lewis Segal taking advantage of his position as a "Dance Critic". And yes I used those quotes on purpose. As a SoCal native I have read his reviews for years (and still receive them in the mail from my family) and am constantly wondering why this man who obviously doesn't even like ballet, is given the authority to criticize it? And on top of that, not that it is any of Mr. Segal's business, but I have had a completely normal menstrual cycle since I was 15... and until Mr. Segal is a woman in the ballet world himself, I'd appreciate him leaving this topic to those of us that actually know something about it. ~Pointe1432

Nearly 10 years ago I wrote a couple of letters to Paloma Herrera, she responded to both of them .

I'm with BalletNut, I voted for Swan Lake... And while we're at it let's give a round of applause to the corps de ballet as well, I never truly appreciated how long they were onstage for in Act II until I did it myself. By the time that beautiful adagio starts and Odette is slowly kneeling to the floor, all I wanted to do was bribe the conductor to have the orchestra play it just alittle bit faster next time.

The saddest thing about this whole discussion, to me, is that classical artists who have spent as many years training in their field as a surgeon have to resort to taking side jobs washing cars to make ends meet. Does anyone think this country will ever see a time when classical dancers can realisticly expect to be hired to perform year round? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well said Anne74, in fact you aren't the only one who felt this way. I believe this program at BA has nearly stopped or at least changed greatly because of the direction it was going. I think many of the dancers didn't want to be given jobs that they felt a twelve year old could do (no offense to twelve year olds, but I was washing my parents cars for money even before that...) when like Anne74 said, some have spent as many years training in their field as a surgeon. I think the program might be being revamped to gear it towards using connections through the ballet company to pursue possible career transitions. Using the opportunity not only to supplement current salaries as dancers but as investing in a second career. As for continuing the discussion on salaries. Most of my experience has been with non-union companies, and in that experience they can vary greatly. Did I dance for free? Yes, especially when you're initially trying to get your foot in the door you take what you can get. When a position says "Trainee" it is more often than not an unpaid position. Some apprentice positions are also not paid, but most receive something. There is truly a huge range in non-union companies. They can vary from 20 weeks of work to 35+. Financially having those extra 15 weeks of work can really add up at the end of the year. Going from one non-union company to another my yearly salary nearly doubled because of not only a substantial pay increase, but an additional 4 weeks of work. And of course the cost of living makes a huge impact on how far that salary goes. One constant that I've seen is the supply of pointe shoes. In most non-union companies it's a shoe allowance. With one company it was a certain dollar amount you were allowed for shoes, so if your shoes were cheaper than most everyone else's you were in luck. In other cases it's a certain number of shoes per year, like around 40 or so. When touring, per diem is a pretty standard thing. Common to most areas is $35 a day, but that can go up if touring to more expensive locations such as NYC. Health Insurance with non-union companies I think is always an issue. I've seen absolutely NO health insurance, just worker's comp benefits. To the company paying 50% of the premiums and also having a physical therapist on site several times a week. This is probably one of the weakest points of most non-union companies, because dancers have no choice but to maintain their physical condition, alot of times that means massage therapy too, which can get extremely expensive. But I think there is something to be said for non-union companies. I don't know about recently but I know the Louisville Ballet dancers in the past have brought in an AGMA representative to get information, but voted amongst themselves not to be union. And did anyone read that 'blip' in either Dance Magazine or Pointe Magazine about the Washington Ballet cancelling their tour of Italy last summer because they couldn't agree with the union about either the dancers' salary or per diem. How many of those dancers do you think probably wouldn't have minded a little bit of a pay cut to tour to Italy. And hey, it's still an extra couple weeks of work... All that said, in general dancers in the U.S. are SEVERELY underpaid. I think the term "starving artist" applies to many an artform... In my apprentice days I used to joke that that was the real reason dancers are so slender. I have a friend that after the financial struggle of moving to where his first dancing job was located, got MSG poisoning because all he was eating were those packages of Ramen Noodle Soup, because it was all he could afford. In my personal experience, in my most recent non-union job I'm better off. I'm never hungry, I have a cute comfy fully furnished apartment, a pet, and I have a car (and can afford to put gasoline into it.....) Should I make more money, of course. What I make now doesn't leave a lot of breathing room, or the ability to save alot, but at this point in my life it works. It just makes me want/need to plan for the future a bit more and watch my pennies.

Yes, Stephen Mills' new ballet, Desire & Three Movements, that premiered at the Joyce Theater in NYC last week will be performed in Austin later this season. It will be a part of Director's Choice at Bass Concert Hall March 30/April 1 &2.

Yes, Orlando is formerly of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. He's not necessarily replacing anyone, unless you consider him a replacement for a male dancer who left a little ways into the 04/05 season. Ballet Austin functioned with 19 dancers last season: 9 men and 10 women. Inga Loujerenko retired at the end of last season performing a stunning Odette/Odile, her presence is certainly missed. Sadly, Ballet Austin's website has been PAINFULLY slow in updating it's roster of dancers.