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Buddy

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Everything posted by Buddy

  1. Thank you, Duffster. And Drew wrote: “Goodness--I also was thinking of Dowell!!! For sheer beauty of movement I still find him unequaled among male dancers I have seen. (A remarkable actor in certain roles, too, so I wasn't sure how my image of him fit with the discussion. But certainly not a flamboyant actor.)” Thank you, Drew, and I agree with you both. We may be drifting somewhat from a strict Mariinsky discussion for the moment, but, I believe that this is still very relevant because of the Mariinsky’s distinction as being, possibly, the most dreamlike group of artists in all of dance. Not being familiar with Anthony Dowell’s or Manuel Legris’ dancing, thank you, ECat, I found some video clips. I have to say immediately that I was very impressed with Anthony Dowell and would consider what he did to be indeed ‘dreamlike,’ something I’ve never said before about a male, ballet dancer. Yet 🙂 the non-ballet, but somewhat ballet influenced, dancer, Fred Astaire, still wins the prize, for me, in the male, dreamlike dancer category. He was amazingly graceful, even in a style that, unlike ballet, doesn’t necessarily encourage this, and his expression also had an exceptionally dreamlike quality. As graceful as Anthony Dowell was, I would say that his most ‘dreamlike’ quality was in his enchanted expression, in his face. As an aside, he somewhat resembled in appearance, John Curry, the man who imparted the same qualities to figure skating. Manual Legris also seems quite noteworthy for his flowing gracefulness. One other thing. I went through our Ballet Alert! archives, along with a few videos, and found some male, Paris Opera Ballet dancers, performing very graceful, almost enchanting, Baroque style dances. I would say that this could be another example of male, ballet dancers performing in a somewhat dreamlike manner. I certainly think that these are qualities that relate directly to the Mariinsky's exceptional artistry. Perhaps we are yet to seen such a male dancer emerge here. Perhaps one already has (Vaslav Nijinsky?). Then, let's look forward to others, as well. And this would include working in sensitive harmony with the many exceptionally dreamlike (in my opinion) Mariinsky ballerinas. Added: And I can't resist. Here's my definitive Fred Astaire video. And it sure didn't hurt to have Ginger Rogers as a partner. And -- I do think that this is relevant to this topic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UY1seXdnIc&t=278s
  2. ‘Dreamlike’ male dancers ? — Of ‘All’ male dancers that I’m familiar with, and that’s limiting it to ‘Western’ dance, Fred Astaire might be the only one. He was George Balanchine’s favorite male dancer, and as I’ve written before, he’s the only dancer I’ve seen who is more graceful than his female partners while remaining ‘convincingly masculine.’ I have seen a video clip of a Japanese Kabuki actor/dancer(?) who was quite fascinating. Male, ‘dreamlike’ dancer in ballet ? Not really. I think I’m more comfortable with ‘poetic’ and ‘sensitive’ in this regard. The Mariinsky’s Alexander Sergeev has probably impressed me the most. ECat -- "Perhaps the Mariinsky is more dreamlike and Bolshoi is more expressionist." Yes, definitely. Again, interpreting ‘Expressionist’ as being a form of ‘Expression’ that highlights the dancer’s identity (real or portrayed).
  3. Maybe, Fred Astaire. 🙂 Good question. Let me get back to this.
  4. Getting back to ECat’s very good point that ‘expressionist’ means “very expressive,” I still like the idea that ‘expressionist’ might relate more to the human drama. If it were to apply to the pure dancing it might push the limits of grace and flow that I think define ballet. Yet, Mariinsky ballerinas have been successfully ‘expressionist’ in their pure dance. ECat mentions Diana Vishneva. I would add, in some performances, the non-Mariinsky ballerina, Sylvie Guillem. And among the males, of course, Rudolph Nureyev. To get a more interesting picture we could go back to the two greatest Mariinsky ballerinas, Anna Pavlova and Galina Ulanova. I would say that they were capable of being great expressionists, both in their humanness as well as in their pure dance. Added: Clarification. Both Galina Ulanova and Rudolph Nureyev did not do most of their performing at what is now called the Mariinsky, but they were both trained at its school and began their careers there.
  5. Hi ECat. It’s nice to read your comments again and thanks for the kind words and interest. Yes, I agree with you. Expressionist and expression are somewhat the same thing. For me, ballet is essentially a ‘dreamlike’ creation. It features the grace and beauty of human physicality. For me, it’s the effect, the feeling and above all the Aura that attracts me to ballet. To the extent that you add the human ’story’ is what makes it ‘expressionist.’ Maybe that’s a difference between expressionist and expression. Expressionist is perhaps more the telling of the human story, whereas expression can be that or simply committing yourself to a beautiful aura. Although I probably consider the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi to be artistic equals, because the Mariinsky adheres more to the pure expression of grace and flow, which I see as the essence of ballet dancing, I may tend to favor the Mariinsky. When I watch the Mariinsky perform Swan Lake, it all revolves around the dreamlike continuity that’s defined by the famous White Swan duet. For me, it’s like an unbroken spell. It flows like a river from beginning to end. When the Bolshoi performs it, the human identity and drama become very important. It can be more a collection of highlights. Yet, this is still contained within the underlying pursuit of grace and flow. I agree when you write, “….a dancer who is very expressive - Maria Alexandrova or Diana Vishneva. I would put May Nagahisa in the dreamlike category. Bateova and Shakirova into the expressionist category.” Again my definitive examples of ‘dreamlike’ would be the Mariinsky’s former Principal, Ulyana Lopatkina and current Principal, Oxana Skorik. For expressionists they would be the Bolshoi’s former Principal, Olga Smirnova and current rising star, Eva Sergeyenkova. May Nagahisa would be in the essential Mariinsky dreamlike category, whereas Nadezhda Batoeva and Renata Shakirova are expressionist for the Mariinsky, but less so than for the more dramatic Bolshoi. If we want to take a quick look beyond in terms of drama or expression, the Royal Ballet (London) is perhaps the finest for theatrical expression. Xander Parish (formerly Royal Ballet and Mariinsky Principal), when he was at the Mariinsky, quite successfully imparted this. By theatrical expression, I would think in terms of the acting style used in an actual play. And I’d like to add the expressionist abilities of one more very interesting artist, the American Ballet Theatre’s young, rising star, Chloe Misseldine. She has the ability to express herself with a naturalness that I have never seen before on a ballet stage (or maybe any stage!), thus perhaps creating a completely new category in ballet expression.
  6. Anastasia Kolegova, who I thought was planning to retire several years ago, will be performing Carmen Suite tomorrow. In the first half, which I like, she should be vibrant, might even sizzle. https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/2024/3/19/1_1901/ On March 23 she is dancing The Firebird. I’d love to see this one. She was the first ballerina, ever, to win my Mariinsky Sweetheart of the Year Award. 😊 Added: Her partner in Carmen Suite is a new and interesting name for me — Even Capitaine. First soloist Even Capitaine is a graduate of the Ballet School of the Opйra national de Paris (France), and the Belarusian State Choreographic College. Soloist with the ballet company of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus in 2016–2022. He made his debut at the Mariinsky Theatre in La Bayadère (Solor) in July 2022. In 2023 he joined the Mariinsky Theatre as the first soloist. https://www.mariinsky.ru/en/company/ballet_mt_men/capitaine_even1/
  7. Buddy

    Cool !

    Alvin Ailey Ballet Black Alvin Ailey
  8. I guess that it’s possible that she has her hands full at the moment running the company. Yet, if I’m not mistaken, she’s also in charge of new works and this is where her own essence and talent could be very valuable. I’ve seen her perform more contemporary works and the brief Instagram glimpse posted above is perhaps the nicest. Her beautiful, ballet ability and sensitivity are very evident here. I would hope that she has the time and interest to do more of this. In any case, she can always try to impart this into the new works and the company in general. She probably has one of the finest levels of sensitivity that I’ve seen at NYCB. And again, her own dancing, whether private or on stage (which would be nice), could be fine in itself or could be helpful in shaping new works as it apparently was when she worked with Christopher Wheeldon. Since I mentioned Christopher Wheeldon, maybe the company would be interested in staging his “The Two of Us,” which I mentioned above and thought was an exceptional effort. In addition, his presence at the company could be a very worthwhile one. A Wheeldon/Ratmansky collaboration on some works might also be very exciting. And one more plug for an Edward Villella input at the NYCB. Not only could he impart his remarkable Balanchine background, but also the high quality, aliveness, relaxed virtuosity, sense of family and creativity that existed at the Miami City Ballet when he was running the company.
  9. Lovely news ! Lovely and very talented young lady ! https://www.mariinsky.ru/news1/2024/march/10/ (thanks to Sophia at Dansomanie) Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/?sl=ru&tl=en&op=translate Here’s a quick glimpse of her along with apparently new costumes for Raymonda. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTTuoi79NoE
  10. Buddy

    Chloe Misseldine

    To follow up for a moment on my previous post, it seems to me that a little child lives naturally in a fantasy world, one of beautiful wonder. It’s also one very much their own, their primary focus. Our adult beauty is a learned beauty to a certain extent, very valid but somewhat different. At least one comment that I’ve read about Cloe Misseldine says that she has an artistry and maturity beyond her age. [ It was MRR (first quote in this topic), “Chloe Misseldine at 21 has authority and presence beyond her years"] Theo’s comment gives an insight: “She was heading out for a walk as we were going into our hotel. I could not help but say hello and tell her how magnificent we thought she was. She was so genuinely grateful and gracious. I think I started to gush a little, but she returned it. She said that she had a great time on stage and that she was so grateful for the support of the people who come to see the performances. What a lovely, lovely, person.” She’s already a great artist and, in a sense, still a lovely child. When I first attended a Mariinsky reception I was touched with how young many of these remarkable artists actually were. The young girl that I mentioned in my previous post isn’t the only child backstage who’s attention is caught and sustained, not an easy feat. This beautiful performance, to some extent, is bringing their dreamworld to life. A beautiful fairytale princess (and prince) is actually coming into view before their very eyes. How wonderful it must be ! Cloe Misseldine seems to be an artist that can make this happen. When we see great artists, who are also still children in a way, this is something to be valued and encouraged. It’s also something to keep in mind when we create and observe great art — the child’s world of heartwarming wonder. And, probably, the more we can live in that world the better. 😊
  11. Buddy

    Chloe Misseldine

    I just got back and went to the Instagram clip in the previous post. It’s so lovely. What made me write again are the little children in the background. They’re always a reality check. There’s one slightly older girl in a striped costume who appears about halfway sitting on a large box. She seems spellbound by the performance. I don’t know which I love more, her just sitting there or Chloe Misseldine’s dancing. She was probably just like this young girl a few years earlier. For me, the young girl’s rapt attention is a wonderful confirmation of the beauty in this performance.
  12. Buddy

    Chloe Misseldine

    Thanks, Theo. In further regard to her ability to present ‘heartwarming, Totally Natural Reality’, I think that you can get a glimpse of it here. About a third of the way into the video she’s lifted forward by her partner. From here until the point where she’s set down and gives sort of a forced smile, I think that you might be able to sense it most. https://www.instagram.com/chloemisseldine/reel/C1ScHNPgfT8/ It relates to this comment by Marina Harss that I’ve posted before. “I was even more surprised by how moved I was by the final piece on the program, Wheeldon’s The Two of Us, for Sara Mearns and David Hallberg….I’ve never seen a more sincere, open-hearted, grounded work from Wheeldon. Or such natural performances from these dancers, particularly Hallberg.” I felt that this performance reached a new level of natural honesty and is a quality that all performers and creators should strive for. Although it’s now a distant memory, I would say that Cloe Misseldine is possibly capable of going even beyond this performance.
  13. Buddy

    Chloe Misseldine

    Thanks, Balletlover08, for the added video suggestions. Glancing through, I’ve had some glimpses of something that I think is quite wonderful. It might relate to what Theo wrote: “I found her performance nuanced and her interpretation to be honest….” It’s probably a natural gift that can’t be taught. It’s her ability to create a heartwarming, Totally Natural Reality, especially in her portrayals, that’s never been seen before in ballet.
  14. Buddy

    Chloe Misseldine

    Why ? — Maybe this will help explain. The power of her stance, eyes, and simple outstretch of an arm give her a mystical elegance. (MRR) Her performance had emotional nuance, beautiful phrasing and line (gorgeous arms and back), and was technically assured. (Hippolyta) I found her performance nuanced and her interpretation to be honest, very well acted, and beautifully danced. She is the whole package. (Theo) The lifts in the pas de deux were magnificent, she seemed to float in the air for an extended time, heard lots of gasps in the audience and they also did supported pirouettes that seemed ages long. Also, Chloe has great arabesques, she really knows how to make them a moment and essentially freezes at the pinnacle. Cast her immediately in anything that requires lots of arabesques. Being tall, she has beautiful lines and a great port de bras. I didn't notice too many broken wrist moments but I might have been too far to see clearly. (Balletlover08) Enchanting combination of reaching out and focussing with wonderfully statuesque positioning. (much in agreement with MRR) Also highly impressed with her beautiful ‘spin-arounds’ in attitude as seen in the second video above (1:15 and 1:30) (Me) With her polished technique, expressive visage and seemingly endless classical lines, Misseldine exudes elegance both onstage and in the studio. (Point Magazine)
  15. Buddy

    Chloe Misseldine

    Balletlover08, who discovered Chloe Misseldine for me yesterday, which sent me at the speed of light to start this topic, had this and much more to say about her Swan Lake debut. “Both Chloe and Aran received tons of well deserved applause and Chloe looked almost overwhelmed by it all at the curtain call. What a magnificent debut and I have no regrets about traveling to see it. It fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine to see Swan Lake in person so I am extremely satisfied. I am hoping to get to the Met in future seasons, if every cast danced like this I would see Swan Lake yearly.”(Feb. 24) Also,Hippolyta: “I attended Chloe Misseldine’s debut this afternoon. She was stunning. The sold out theatre was absolutely rapt during the Act II pas de deux with Aran Bell and then broke into wild applause at the end. Her performance had emotional nuance, beautiful phrasing and line (gorgeous arms and back), and was technically assured. She and Bell were terrific together. It was a star turn.” And Theo: “As Hippolyta mentioned earlier in this thread, "She was stunning. The sold out theatre was absolutely rapt during the Act II pas de deux with Aran Bell and then broke into wild applause at the end. " There was a lot of enthusiastic applause throughout the performance and everybody around me, myself included just kept whispering "wow". I found her performance nuanced and her interpretation to be honest, very well acted, and beautifully danced. She is the whole package. She was heading out for a walk as we were going into our hotel. I could not help but say hello and tell her how magnificent we thought she was. She was so genuinely grateful and gracious. I think I started to gush a little, but she returned it. She said that she had a great time on stage and that she was so grateful for the support of the people who come to see the performances. What a lovely, lovely, person.” All the Ballet Alert! reviews can be seen here. Really hope to write about one of her Swan Lakes myself someday. https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/47889-abt-swan-lake-at-kennedy-center-2024/page/3/#comment-452095 Added: Speaking of gushing about her, Theo, I haven’t even started yet and I’ve only seen a handful of videos clips and comments.
  16. Buddy

    Chloe Misseldine

    Thanks, California. I’d like to get back to your comment and the Swan Lake performance at another time. Hi, MRR (from Houston), if you happen to read this. One of the things that you wrote in the quote above has stopped me in my tracks. That sounds sort of Texan, doesn’t it ? 😊 You wrote: “Her interpretation isn't especially detailed, yet, but already she shows just the tiniest sense of vulnerability in an otherwise cold, imperious aura, making you wonder of the Myrtha before her betrayal.” This brings me back to the very beginning of my ballet history (as a fan). Somewhere in a summary of the first Giselle video that I ever saw, someone says something to effect that at the end when the Wilis have left one person remains behind. I thought that it was Myrtha. Having seen her kneel to the rising sun, and not having been sure of her departure (she’s the last to leave), I thought that she had been won over by Giselle’s goodness. She remains behind with Giselle. I’ve not thought about it for a long time, but I still love this idea. You’ve suggested that Chloe Misseldine is capable of lovely nuancing. I would guess that she is also. I’ve seen what I consider to be sympathetic interpretations of Gamzatti (La Baydere) and loveable Odiles (Swan Lake). I look forward to seeing what she could do with these and others. Added: Looking at the Myrtha rehearsal video posted above, I can see a touching softening of motion, highlighting and facial expression.
  17. Buddy

    Chloe Misseldine

    “One Enchanted Evening" Chloe Misseldine American Ballet Theatre MRR July 4, 2023 — Ballet Alert! “Chloe Misseldine at 21 has authority and presence beyond her years: she seems straight out of an Elizabethan court. The power of her stance, eyes, and simple outstretch of an arm give her a mystical elegance. Her interpretation isn't especially detailed, yet, but already she shows just the tiniest sense of vulnerability in an otherwise cold, imperious aura, making you wonder of the Myrtha before her betrayal. I had no problem with her bourrees; however, she suffered somewhat jittery penchees and jagged transitions of her epaulement, perhaps due to the fast tempo. Her solo with the grand jetes was largely excellent with clean entrechat six and less clean six de voile. The manege of saut de basque were like a gust of wind bursting around the stage. Much as I was concerned for the age/experience gap of Teuscher and Misseldine, I had no reason to, and Misseldine had no problem commanding her wilis. Already convinced she would have a major career based on her pas de trois last year, I found today's performance just as auspicious.” https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/47588-abt-giselle-met-2023/ Myrtha The most Personality I’ve ever seen in a Lausanne competition. More comments hopefully on the way. Thanks very much to Balletlover08 (Ballet Alert!) for mentioning her to me.
  18. I don’t know where she came from (haven’t heard her name before), but I checked her out on the internet and I love her. Thank you ! To be continued: Chloe Misseldine “Rarely seen "William Tell" Variation danced by the beautiful YAGP Alumna and ABT Dancer Chloe Misseldine at the 2021 YAGP Tampa Gala. For all the Bournonville fans out there, here is a rare treat!!!”
  19. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve long envisioned a more 'dreamlike' sort of Wheeldon-Whelan aesthetic emerging at NYCB in addition to the great George Balanchine heritage and beyond. This might also be in keeping with such Balanchine works as the wonderful and ethereal Divertissement Duet from George Balanchine's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream." Ever since the first time that I saw video clips of Wendy Whelan performing “After The Rain” I was embraced. From what I’ve read Wendy Whelan worked through its creation with Christopher Wheeldon, adding her elements of physicality. Now that she’s NYCB’s Associate Artistic Director (also in charge of new works, I believe) this seems more possible than ever. As she says in the above Instagram glimpse, she wants to continue dancing as well as creating. Why not do the both together as she did with Christopher Wheeldon ? And again from Marina Harss about the NY Fall for Dance 2020 program: “I was even more surprised by how moved I was by the final piece on the program, Wheeldon’s The Two of Us, for Sara Mearns and David Hallberg….I’ve never seen a more sincere, open-hearted, grounded work from Wheeldon. Or such natural performances from these dancers, particularly Hallberg.” I watched the video of this performance (over and over) and I absolutely agree ! ** It reached a new level of natural honesty, for me ** It’s a quality that all performers and creators should strive for and would certainly be something to be encouraged in NYCB’s artistic future. (By the way, does anyone know where I might get a copy of this video ? It’s a gem ! ) One more idea. How about encouraging Edward Villella’s input into NYCB’s artistic future. Although at times controversial, he gave the Miami City Ballet a Balanchine-NYCB related spark that was outstanding. The Miami City Ballet had a world class quality along with a youthful aliveness (hope that it still does) that was perhaps unequalled and Edward Villella also sought out new directions and works that were very effective and impressive. As a believer in the Mariinsky’s untouchable status as perhaps the world’s finest ballet company, the Miami City Ballet with Edward Villella was possibly an equal favorite.
  20. Hi, Cristian. Hope all is well. The first time that I saw Odette and Siegfried appear in that burst of sun I was in awe ! I also had tears in my eyes. I've seen it many times since and still feel the same. Also this Swan Lake carries great memories of Veronika Part and Gillian Murphy performing wonderfully, and I'm a diehard Mariinsky fan. This is a tradition to be built on.
  21. In addition to the continuation of its fine George Balanchine heritage (including works by Jerome Robbins) and other fine projects, I’ve been hoping for more of this sort of thing to happen at New York City Ballet as well. What will the future tell ? Marina Harss from DanceTabs: “I was even more surprised by how moved I was by the final piece on the program, Wheeldon’s The Two of Us, for Sara Mearns and David Hallberg….I’ve never seen a more sincere, open-hearted, grounded work from Wheeldon. Or such natural performances from these dancers, particularly Hallberg.” https://dancetabs.com/2020/10/ny-fall-for-dance-2020-digital-program-1-including-premieres-by-jamar-roberts-and-christopher-wheeldon/ Wendy Whelan “Wendy, the associate artistic director of @nycballet, where she was formerly a principal, isn’t sure how performing will fit into her life. But she knows this: “If time works for me, moving is the best thing,” she told the #nytimes dance critic @giadk. “I just want to feel good….” (see video) https://www.instagram.com/p/B393C_MHhhB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=invalid&ig_rid=93b4cae3-0cd5-4f89-be40-956854b151da Christopher Wheeldon-Wendy Whelan — “After The Rain” (Start at 14:10) I'd like to mention some more at another time.
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