Buddy

Thanks, sandik. Can anyone think of a work that that has been largely Important to dance or has anyone seen one that they thought could have a particularly interesting impact ? A lot of folks probably know this one. The Attitude Position -- Giambologna's Statue of Mercury "Another leading artist who was creating new works still based on classical models was Giovanni da Bologna or Giambologna (1529-1608). The most gifted and famous Florentine sculptor after the death of Michelangelo, his sculptures exhibit grace through movement, classical beauty and strength. His bronze statue of Mercury, done in 1564, captures the expression of flight in this messenger from Heaven. This graceful and elegant statue, if turned slowly on a pedestal, shows the Mannerist principle that the body must be beautiful from any viewpoint, incidentally, another principle absorbed into ballet theory. Bologna’s Mercury inspired Carlo Blasis, one of the great ballet masters of the 19th century, to develop a new pose, “en attitude”, which is very common ballet position today." http://www.ballet.utah.edu/ballet4410/chapter4.html and The Arabesque Position "In classical ballet, the term arabesque (aa-rah-besk; literally, "in Arabic fashion".) references an architectural design term that describes and is a spiral. The arabesque is designed linearly, parallel to the balletic position, because the body "spirals" from the crown of the head through the back and then straightens through the extended leg, as does the design of the same name. This design was used heavily during the French Baroque when Rameau and Beauchamp codified it into classical ballet." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabesque_(ballet_position)

Any favorites or ones that you think are particularly interesting ? This is one that Edward Villella tells a lot about George Balanchine. "One time in particular, when I was having trouble with the pas de deux [Prodigal Son?], he said, “no, not right, not right, Byzantine icons, dear.” So I went back and looked at some Byzantine icons and right there I understood the whole port de bras." http://dancetabs.com/2013/07/edward-villella-founding-artistic-director-of-miami-city-ballet/

Thanks, dirac. Another question might be has anyone seen a dance performance or an element in a performance that they can relate directly to a work of art that they've seen ? I can't for the moment and I've been to a lot of art museums, but not necessarily a large variety of dance performances. Also I've not tended to look at 'museum' art as possible inspiration for dance. Judith Mackrell in the article with the introductory quote to this topic is able to do this. She relates Vermeer's The Music Lesson to Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet and Vermeer's The Guitar Player to Richard Alston's Light Flooding into Darkened Rooms. "The rosy-cheeked young woman in Vermeer's The Guitar Player is also on her own, but because Vermeer has placed her right in the foreground of the painting the space is all hers. The gentle plucking of her finger on strings, tenderly illuminated; the listening angle of her head, suggesting that she is playing simply to accompany her own thoughts. It's a moment I've seen before, in Richard Alston's Light Flooding into Darkened Rooms, a work not only inspired by Vermeer but which captures over and over again the delicate mysteries of intimacy and solitude." I do have another interesting thought, which possibly explains one of the reasons that I like dance so much as an art form. Maybe this has happened to others as well. Often I'll admire a famous painted portrait and then someone walks by me and I'll think, "Wow, there goes the real thing." Dance is a living art, using living human beings, which is perhaps what, for me, gives it such importance and dimension.

"When Sergei Diaghilev was educating his young proteges to become choreographers for the Ballets Russes, he used to walk them around the great art galleries of Europe: pointing out the grouping of figures in a Renaissance painting, or the mechanistic energies of futurist art. Diaghilev understood that the principles of composing bodies and space in art were closely allied to those of dance." http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2013/jul/26/artists-choreographers-dance-in-art Any thoughts on this one ? Any works of art that you would like to discuss ? Any dances ? This is an interesting one. "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sandro_Botticelli_-_La_nascita_di_Venere_-_Google_Art_Project_-_edited.jpg "In this work, as was Botticelli's desire , the essential element of the composition is the line….He sought through the values ​​of a musical line dancing and sinuous, melodic harmony of the composition…." (loose translation from a momentarily lost, by me, source)

The Balanchinian Woodstock ?

"Swan Lake" Acts III and IV with Timur Askerov from May 17. Quite Wonderful ! Act IV Odette starts at 22:00 Added: Someone at the very end yells out "Spasiba!" ("Thank You!" in russian), which I've never heard at a ballet performance before. Totally justified.

Thanks for the video, Helene. Alina Somova looks Lovely to me. I didn't recognize her at first. I think that, like Svetlana Zakharova, she may be another example of motherhood taking her artistry to a new level. She looks more settled in. She has always been capable of amazing beauty.

I saw a young girl today with an "I Was Born To Love" t-shirt. Maybe she was one of the vacationing Vaganova children, Birdsall, although California is a long way from St. Petersburg. Just as Precious anyway.

The video clip is a Treat, Mme. Hermine ! Thank you. It brings back some great memories. The performance that I saw, I felt, fit like a glove and these two were certainly one of the main reasons. My exact feelings were, " Wasn't She Lovely ! " -- "Wasn't he great. Weren't they all great." It does almost seems like they are having fun with this, Birdsall, if such a thing is possible in such demanding works, and this is exactly how it should be. Elena Yevseyeva appears more relaxed as the video moves on, which is how I remember her. I do watch facial expression very carefully with theater glasses. Although I generally pay almost 100% attention to the 'ballerina', Kim Kimin does grab my attention. Again, one of the things that I like about him is that even when he is doing his solo high bravura performing there seems to be a sense of modesty and propriety that is saying, "Now wait for the ballerina." With Elena Yevseyeva dancing Kitri, this is almost not necessary. In regard to the Hermitage Art Museum, Birdsall, I almost camp out there sometimes. It can be a great compliment to the ballet performances. Also you mentioned missing the Vaganova children at this performance. This is possibly my favorite thing to do in Saint Petersburg, or anywhere, watch the children. It's a great way to try to keep all of this in perspective.

This is my first viewing. The Director seems nice enough so far. He calls the dancers "Ladies and Gentlemen." I liked a few of the scenes where the 'coaches' and dancers describe how they think the best posturing should be, etc.

Thanks, Birdsall. Hope that you enjoy everything that you see. I thought that Elena Yevseyeva was Lovely as Kitri at this year's Mariinsky Festival. I'd never heard of her before and I was very pleasantly surprised. Kim Kimin was her partner and was indeed "impressive." (Birdsall, get over to the Hermitage Art Museum, if at all possible. Rembrandt, Leonardo and a Michelangelo second floor. French Impressionists and Post Impressionists third floor. Allow plenty of time to find your way around.)

Thanks, Shirabyoshi, for your preceding comments. Could I also step back in time for a minute? I just looked very briefly at the video of Kim Kimin's debut as Siegfried in Swan Lake on May 19 with the Bolshoi's Anna Nikulina. I've liked him very much since the first moment that I saw him. I really want to watch this more carefully. Anna Nikulina has beautiful qualities that I'd enjoy seeing much more of. What I like so much about Kim Kimin is that he has remarkable bravura and virtuosity with an equally remarkable and powerful poetic presence and yet he never tries to steal the show. He is a fine partner who always keeps the attention focussed on his ballerina. I wish them both much future success. Added: This video clip is posted above on this page. Additional Added: Not only does he direct all his attention to his partner, as artistically as possible he really seems to be cheering her on. From my limited observations of him, I think that this is totally sincere. Very fine qualities.

Every detail of her dance seems like it has been thought out for ages down to the last molecule of air expended. And now a Mona Lisa is set free to sail the heavens.

She moves as seamlessly as the music. Although her legs and feet are making it all happen, her upper body articulates and floats almost weightlessly in another reality.

I finally got a copy of the dvd and I've been watching Svetlana Lunkina in the Act II duet over and over on a wide screen television. ** Just Incredible **

The few special effects that I know of, Dirac, were pretty 'primitive' by today's high tech standards, but still interesting for a current stage production. The dancing on the walls and ceiling was done with a small room size rotating box and Fred Astaire would have to dance from one surface to the other. If anyone saw one of this year's episodes of Glee, the glee club teacher and his fiancee did a dance number where they're all over the walls and ceiling, purely technical film editing, it would seem. Thanks everyone for the additional Fred Astaire information, which is always interesting when considering any dance-acting production. Fred Astaire is of particular interest to us because we are trying to guess what format Christopher Wheeldon's 'adaptation' might take and what skills might be required. Fred Astaire is of particular interest historically and here because he was a dancer with wonderful ballet sensitivity, who wasn't a ballet dancer. He is also a performer who I feel could dance with more grace possibly than his female partners and still remain totally masculine -- quite one of a kind ! Gene Kelly was another matter. He was totally 'masculine' and athletic, yet he championed the delicate grace of ballet, without actually going completely into the technique. Both men were very interesting, which gives us some room for our imaginations in trying to guess what form this new production will take and who might perform it.

Maybe this is the reason, Pherank. Although Fred Astaire had innate 'balletic' sensitivity, he wasn't a ballet dancer. Still the fact that George Balanchine chose a tap dancer (unless it was someone else's idea) for his project, shows how far outside the box he could think. Our discussion here may also be considering how far outside the box Christopher Wheeldon is willing to go in his 'adaptation'. Added: I guess my comments here also relate to a personal fascination -- the extent to which 'ballet' sensitivity and beauty can permeate the rest of the performing arts and conversely the extent to which ballet could be 'naturalized' while keeping it's beautiful essence. I think that a choreographer such as Christopher Wheeldon could make some of this happen.

Pherank your post just above is very interesting ! Thank you ! The NYCB production has been mentioned here. It makes you wonder why George Balanchine didn't stay in Hollywood, in spite of his reservations. It appears that his inventiveness may have been used in the Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron movie as Dirac's quote above suggests. Fred Astaire, on the other hand, preferred one camera and one camera angle, if I'm not mistaken, although he used plenty on 'tricks' such as appearing to be dancing on the walls and ceiling. I think we're stretching the envelope somewhat in parts of this discussion, and I think that this is good. With such a talent as Christopher Wheeldon one can always dream. Added: It is interesting that George Balanchine had a tap dancer, George King, in mind. Fred Astaire, it would seem, was George Balanchine's favorite male dancer. (I think that I can find a quote to substantiate this if necessary).

From a dance, dance acting standpoint, if the Leslie Caron part doesn't require singing then I still feel that Alina Cojocaru (and Ekaterina Kondaurova (with limited dialogue) -- Yes Really ! -- although I doubt that she'd sabbatical from the Mariinsky for this) would be great.

LiLing, is it common not to have some sort of relief cast? I'm still fascinated with the idea of using a ballet dancer, especially with Christopher Wheeldon's great ability in this area. Maybe the songs could be limited. Helene, I would agree with you about having rotating casts for practical reasons.. I think that the stage version of Billy Elliot had four little boys playing Billy and did rotate them. Having said this, I just saw the London production of *Once*. I was so *Enchanted!* with the leads (and all the other actors) that I went straight home afterward, rather than to my usual evening 'hangout', so as not to break the spell. I can't imagine anyone doing it better and these are the ones that I dream of seeing when I return in September. [spelling corrections made and I've deleted a reference to the Alvin Ailey Company having done this production because I can't find the article that stated this]

Now if we could teach him to dance.

So a partial summary is that ballet dancers could work but they would have to be able to sing and act for Gene Kelly and act for Leslie Caron (did she also sing?). Based on our 'no-stone-unturned' historical research this seems possible. We even offered our 'dearest to our heart' choices. You're very welcome, 'Chris'. Wishing you much success.

Bart, thanks for your very interesting insights into the difference between making a movie and a stage production. Dirac, I don't think that your mention of Mikhail Baryshnikov is off topic because we are partially mulling over what might work here and considering the 'theatrical' success of someone like Mikhail Baryshnikov is certainly part of that. I've been fantasizing with the idea of a dance sequence in which a young professional dancer and a little girl with no dance experience at all play off each other. The reason that the director of Billy Elliot didn't didn't want a professionally trained actor for the movie role of Billy was that he wanted someone completely fresh, perhaps spontaneous. He is probably a seasoned 'theatrical' director who could manage this. I don't know if Christopher Wheeldon being primarily a choreographer could do the same. It would be interesting to see if some of the cast chosen, perhaps ballet dancers, who may be completely unfamiliar with dialogue or song, could bring something fresh and natural to those parts of the production. Added thought: Really funny if Christopher Wheeldon decided to use someone with no professional dance experience, because he is 'a seasoned choreographer and could handle it.' [Minor word change made]

"Us" ? No singing that I know of yet but Irina Dvorovenko (ABT) seems to be off to a good start. Added comment: For the movie anyway, the director of Billy Elliot made it well known that he sought someone with No(!) previous acting experience.

In this case the reverse. The movie musical could become the 'ballet'. The more that I think about it the more perfect seems *Alina Cojocaru* The timing could be good. It might be a welcome change of pace. She's pure Sunshine. Actressing seems to be her second artistic love. She could probably handle a French accent but I couldn't tell a Romanian accent from a French one anyway. Could you ?