Bill

I'm a huge Kwan fan, but Cohen, Meissner, and Hughes had such good short programs that I barely thought about Michelle all evening. Cohen is at the peak of her career and Meissner and Hughes well represent the future of U.S. Ladies skating. The U.S. mens' alpine team and even the speedskaters should be taking notes from this group on how to compete. Hope the long program is as good as the short for all the skaters -- U.S., Russian, Japanese, Georgian, and the rest.

I've gotta wonder if this year is the end of Russian domination in pairs. The Chinese look very strong. And I agree that pairs quality is cyclical, although I think it's been mostly downhill since Rodnina & Zaitsev!

I see that The Winger has a photo related to Divert. No. 15 at the following link:

http://www.phontographer.com/winger/archiv...t_deco_sty.html

An Art Deco tribute to Mozart.

Does anyone have any favorite ballets associated with Mozart, who has a big birthday (or anniversary of his birth date) today? It would be easy to start with Mr. B's Mozartiana - of course, Mozart didn't write the music!

I can stop any time I want. Really...

Now that would be a fun trip, from muggy Washington to the cool(er) Berkshires!

The Mearns story is so exciting, and this Swan Lake (despite its much-discussed shortcomings) has been such a vehicle for her. I hope that we see her featured prominently when NYCB comes to DC in March.

In the Links section, Dirac posted this story about developments in the WB labor dispute:

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/...t_id=1001881538

Out in the street?  I always thought the bell was inside the stock exchange?  My only regret is that they didn't try for something more photographic (or glamorous? remembering the Ballets Russes movie)... perhaps involving a danseur & a lift so that we could see a little more of her.

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Apparently NASDAQ takes pictures of their market-closers and openers in front of the exchange -- that's why if you scroll down the NASDAQ link you'll see swan Somogyi at the corner of 43d and Broadway. And I agree, a danseur and a lift with Jennie would have been more fun. Maybe she was the only dancer who agreed to go...

Following is a link to the NASDAQ website with pictures of the Jan. 6 market closing by NYCB, featuring Jennie Somogyi:

http://www.nasdaq.com/reference/200601/mar...lose_010606.stm

I love these reviews - they paint vivid pictures of each performance. Being marooned in Washington, DC, I hang on every word. Brava! to the fledgling O/Os.

Fret not (yet!), Hans--I think that Bill's comment is more like a "Hmmmm, what might happen". 

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Yes indeed, Koshka - that's how I meant it. And as a DC ballet fan, I'd love both companies to thrive.

It's an interesting situation in DC; the Washington Ballet is not functioning and the visibility of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet has increased, with the staging of Don Q and Ms. Farrell's Kennedy Center honors. I imagine that all parties, including individual dancers and company staffers, are reviewing their options.

Twenty years from now, we might be at the farewell performance of the great principal ballerina Sarah Mearns and, as the rose buds fall on her, we will say: "Hey, remember that first SWAN LAKE she did here?" Or she might quit dancing, move to New Mexico, and have 6 kids. Who knows?

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This is slightly OT, but I woke up this morning thinking of the above comment. I'm looking forward to the 2026 threads entitled "Sara, We Hardly Knew Ye: Twenty Years of Greatness as Odette/Odile," and "George Who? Martins and His Muses, 2006-2026." Or not. Anyhow, merde to her and I look forward to the reviews. Thanks to the commenters for a thought-provoking thread.

Interesting piece on Rachel Moore --

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/04/features/moore.php

Michelle Kwan has withdrawn from Nationals and will petition to go to Torino. Wash Post story is linked:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6010401214.html

I believe that talks between the union and the Ballet were to resume today. Attached is a link to a picture of the dancers with their signs, from December when they picketed.

http://www.musicalartists.org/HomePage.htm

But never mind!  What dancing there is there!  To add a little perspective to the dancers' accomplishment, remember what the repertory was Thanksgiving week?  La Source, Clarinade, Duo Concertant, and La Valse.  I had thought one reason they performed just a week before the Honors was so that they would be secure in whatever was selected from that repertory.  And so they worked up this piece instead, and were secure in it!  As I sometimes tell others, never underestimate dancers!

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Great point about the company, Jack. When do you think the dancers found time to put this piece together? Would they bar Ms. Farrell from the rehearsal room when they were working on it?

Here is a link to the AGMA (dancers' union) website, with its press release and a copy of the interim agreement that was briefly on the table:

http://www.musicalartists.org/ImportantNew...kOutArticle.htm

And in the interest of equal time, here is a link to the Washington Ballet website - all I could find on the situation was the Nutcracker cancellation page:

http://www.washingtonballet.org/upcoming2003.htm

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire Honors show -- what a worthy set of honorees. I rather would have seen the Tallchief and Mitchell tributes to Ms. Farrell than the numerous actors and actresses who praised Ms. Harris, but tastes differ of course. I actually liked the reaction shots of Ms. Farrell during the ballet (and the rest of the program). She certainly seemed to be concentrating. And those formal gloves -- shades of La Valse! It also was fun to see the Tina Turner tribute immediately after Ms. Farrell's. Beyonce and Company's dancing to "Proud Mary" was so different -- and yet not soooo different -- from the SFB's dancing to Mozart in Divert. No. 15. And I must say, the world of ballet is lucky to have Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg as a supporter. She provided a warm introduction for Jacques D'Amboise, just as she helped set the stage for the ABT Swan Lake on PBS last summer.

The performance sounds like a great occasion. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Thanks, Rosie -- The Nutcracker performance sounds terrific. How was the general atmosphere at the performance? Was the theater full? Were there many families attending? Does the Nutcracker audience get dressed up in fancy clothes? Sorry for all the questions but I've never been to Denmark.

I appreciate the comment, Jack. This is perhaps an illustration of the ephemeral nature of dance, as well as my own unsophisticated sensibilities. Having never seen a Balanchine-supervised staging of these ballets, I have very little basis for comparison, but certainly am enjoying the education! I can imagine attending other performances of these ballets by other companies and, for example, comparing a future Clarinade to the Mahoney-Du tour de force of November. I should be so lucky...

It sounds delightful, Helene. Thank you for the vivid description...and season's greetings!

The union and TWB management are now before the NLRB, and more cancellations have been announced. This is very bad. The Washington Post reports:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5122301644.html