dnznqueen

i think it's one of the feijoo sisters....

Vladimir Malakov, Yuri Possokov- saw (on video) do Albrecht's Act II variation- double cabriole en avant to an extreme layout!

Just finished a touring run of Sleeping Beauty. The company we were working with had probably one of the first CD players ever made. The music started skipping during the show, the next tracks would start in the middle of the track, leaving us dancers to make up/catch up choreography. There was also a lot of CD switching- poor Red Riding Hood did the entire piece (sans Wolf) 3 times in complete silence waiting for the music to come on. Probably one of the worst shows I have ever been a part of...

I grew up taking class in multiple forms of dance before deciding on ballet...don't ask me to go out "dancing" though- I'm usually the wallflower. Improvisation and variations on steps are not common to ballet.

balletgirl, who did you see do it? bryan and laura pitts?

maybe not necessarily a physicality, but i do notice first how women's hair is done- once you've learned how to do a ballet bun or twist your hair up into a clip for class, you kind of can't do it any other way!

From personal experience, I have to say Serenade is a corps fave to dance. Concerto Barocco is so enjoyable, but so physically demanding since you don't ever go offstage. Giselle is another one....I do like Swan Lake as well. No matter how much or little dancing you get to do in the corps, beautiful music is always a plus and makes it that much more enjoyable.

wow, what a great thread to revive!!! i unfortunately never got to see cynthia gregory live on stage- my ballet studio brought in a ballet historian once a month for "video time," and she showed us the bujones black swan pas and i was hooked!!! she was so statuesque and powerful, but not in a scary "manly" way at all. when i got older, i had the opportunity to take class from "the great cg" (as the historian used to say), and she was the most humble, gracious person. she taught us aurora's act 3 variation and i just loved her little "bits" of info, like telling us the developpes a la seconde at the end were supposed to be "celebratory explosions of technique." i'll never forget that one...

there's always the abt ballet at the met....with cynthia gregory and fernando bujones. it's just the pas, variations, etc., but the dancing is fabulous! i forget what else is on the program...i think it's paul taylor triad and something else...

Hello all! I am doing my first full-length Aurora...and I love reading all the inside tidbits of info, like lilacs representing wisdom, what variations were added when, etc. Is there a book or one thread on here where all of this info is located? I have several different versions on DVD and VHS- sadly I'm kind of having to do a lot of self-coaching and teaching.

Paul coached me in Cowgirl several years ago...I ran into him at an audition last year and he remembered me!!! He invited me to stay and watch the company's Cowgirls rehearse and asked if I noticed anything different. He was always so much fun and great to work with!!

Wow!!!! I love reading posts like this!!! I have been dancing for a while now, and at my studio we used to have a friend of my teacher's come and do dance history twice a month. We loved it because we got to sit for 2 hours watching movies instead of doing class. I remember one day, I don't remember the theme of our lecture, we watched Nureyev/Fonteyn "Lady of the Camellia's," and Gregory/Nagy (the "Great CG" she always used to say) "In a Rehearsal Room". To date after many years of dancing, these are still my favorite ballets. I realized that ballet was more than just hurrying in to class with tights baggy at the knees and hair in a messy bun- we were learning an artform, so pure and beautiful. Oh, I think I will break out the VHS tapes....

This girl was a student of mine...she comes from a competition dance studio. Even in ballet class her turns were just so on, maybe not classically correct, but very on her leg. When I was a teacher there, all the students in her level took ballet, jazz, hip hop, pointe, tumbling, lyrical, modern, etc.

I went and saw Sacred Monsters last Wednesday in Los Angeles. I was actually more impressed with Akram Khan than Sylvie herself. I particularly did not care for her solo...not her, but the choreography itself...why do modern choreographers tend to make modern dance thrashing and emoting? As someone who has done choreography like this, it tends to feel all the same and it ends up being the dancer who really has to make it something. I thought she did a fantastic job, and you really could'nt see any "bunhead," except when she and Khan were executing choreography together. All in all, I thought it was beautiful, and would love to see it again and again.

Hello, all....I have been asked to help set Pas de Quatre for a school. I vaguely remember learning one of the variations years ago, but was never told who or what it was. I know the names of everybody, but I want to know what each was known for, i.e., why certain arms for one and not the other, etc. Also, things like why does Taglioni have a necklace and bracelet and not the others. The internet has not yielded much info regarding things like this....and for reference, all I have is the Classic Kirov tape, the one with Komleva, etc. (BTW-who is who on the tape? I know I should know this, but alas, I do not), and I have the Nina Ananiashvilli version with herself, Terekhova, Kistler and Gad. Even looking at the two I notice major differences- if anyone can explain the whats and the whys, it would be very much appreciated!!! I want my students not to learn just steps, but the history behind what they are doing as well. Thank you so very much!!!!

I definitely agree that an Achilles injury would be most difficult to come back from- although it can and has been done. I think (to quote an old teacher of mine), since for dancing in general "plie is God."

As someone who gets reviewed, I have always wondered just how much dance experience reviewers have. The interpretation of art is subjective, so naturally reviews of the same show/dancers may not always be the same. I guess reading about the Bolshoi in DC got me thinking about it....personally, I have always found it so interesting that when a dancer feels a performance went really well, the reviewer may not think so and vice versa. I'm really looking forward to what people have to say...

The ballet scene in LA is a very odd one...like you said bart, there's a lot of oney to be had and many educated people. But think of the major industry you have out there.....movies. Dance has to compete with that and you have people who are always looking for something new. Simply put, you can get more people into a theatre by "renting" several companies in a season rather than presenting the same one all year, even if they show up with different rep. There was discussion of this on the other board as well, and having danced in Southern CA myself, there is just too much competition between the smaller companies for there to be a company with any real success. I hope the new LA Ballet does well...there is a lot of talent in Southern CA that has had to leave to find any opportunity to dance....

I really like Tatyana Terekhova....technically and stylistically. Her Basilio was Farouk Ruzimatov...him, I did not particularly care for. Kind of off-topic, but has anyone ever seen Pisarev do a Don Q?

So I finally saw the program last night and taped it. I have to say I was disappointed not just in the length of the program, but in the dancing I saw as well. For the most part, the corps dancing was really off, especially in Serenade. Having done the ballet myself and knowing what to look for, I was really surprised at how unsynchronized he corps was.....perhaps due to jet lag fatigue, etc.? It about broke my heart seeing the bit about Alexandra Ananselli. The bit of the pas they showed from Agon with Wendy Whelan and Jock Soto was a little disappointing as well. Soto seemed to me to really show his age, and I just think that Whelan is too skinny!!! You wonder how she has the strength to make steps and positions, and that's definitely not an image I would want young dancers to see. I know that most dancers are thinner than the average person, and from being around it myself, I just hope that people don't think they have to look sick in order to dance. Anyways, on a positive note, I thought the idea of NYCB going back to Balanchine's homeland was great. I also liked that the Russian dancers who took class with the company found it difficult- Balanchine's stuff is not easy! I'm not trying to start any fights, moderators, please move, edit, etc. where you see fit. I'm definitely interested in what anyone else out there thought!!!

such a dicey topic.....are we talking about having more ballets with race sensitive issues and designed to reach out to certain ethnic groups or seeing more ethnicities on stage within a company?

i have to agree that nina is amazing....i first encountered her on her int'l stars videos, and then came across an older edition of dance magazine that had a pretty large spread on her. people were making such a big deal about her being the last of the bolshoi ballerinas being coached by such and such. also, while at a dance summer intensive, we took a field trip to a local amusement park that had an imax theatre, and we watched a movie about the amazing things the body can do, from a scientific standpoint. nina was in it!!! she was shown rehearsing, taking class and perfoming the grand pas variation from don q.....i only realized after watching her videos who it was that i saw. anyways, when abt came to los angeles to do le corsaire and she was slated to perform, i hate to say it but i was sorely disappointed...perhaps an off night? she and her partner julio bocca did not seem with it as far as the partnering or variation work was concerned. i'm not trying to make anyone mad, just my opinion on what i saw....i still think she is phenomenal!! is she back from maternity leave and all that?

a while back i went and saw the national ballet of cuba in los angeles do giselle. at the end of the first act, i went to the restroom, and on my way, and older lady took me aside to ask me if the ballet was over....with a program in her hand.....

at least the movie attempted to get ballet into the mainstream, though it was definitely not the best example. that blue snake ballet is what a dear friend of mine would refer to as "php"- pretentious horse pucky-i think we all know what that means

yes, yes, it is all so disconcerting, especially as a dancer...it is important to know the history of what you are doing. it infuriates me now to hear fellow dancers talk about current stars as if they are the living end, not realizing the notables that have paved the way for them. or to listen to them critique ballets and have no idea of their (the ballets') historical context. i don't know if there is anything that can be done...just keep educating and pray something comes of it i guess