Manhattnik

Oh, yeah, speaking of ABT: Tricking up one's choreography where it does not belong! All those guys in the 3rd Mvt. of Symphony in C tossing in double sautes de basque. The first night, Corella did them (and the ensuing vortex seemed to totally discommode poor Ashley Tuttle), then De Luz had to prove he could do them, and Cornejo, and Steifel, who REALLY should've known better. Even the women had to get into the act, with spunky Xiomara Reyes tossing in doubles (well 1 1/2s) to "match" De Luz's. I didn't know whether to admire her gumption or deplore her taste. Of course, I often feel that way when looking at ABT in general.

Alexandra, since this happened on much more than one night (with always an identical-appearing bouquet of roses), I suspect it had to have happened with either the active or passive cooperation of ABT's managment.

Alexandra, since this happened on much more than one night (with always an identical-appearing bouquet of roses), I suspect it had to have happened with either the active or passive cooperation of ABT's managment.

While I could've done without the "proclamation" from Mayor Giuliani, I found the words of both Martins and Solomon to be quite moving, particularly when Solomon spoke of, and I'm paraphrasing, the State Theater with NYCB as a refuge of beauty which we all need in these trying times. Frankly, I couldn't have agreed with him more. I can't remember a fall when I've needed NYCB as much as this one.

I thought vulgarity reached new heights (depths) during ABT's City Center season when some nutty balletomane in the audience would repeatedly toss enormous bouquets of roses onstage in the middle of the ballet! I mean, tossing a bouquet at Juliet Kent as soon as she finished the adagio in the second movement of Symphony in C? Let's stop the ballet dead in its tracks, shall we?

I thought vulgarity reached new heights (depths) during ABT's City Center season when some nutty balletomane in the audience would repeatedly toss enormous bouquets of roses onstage in the middle of the ballet! I mean, tossing a bouquet at Juliet Kent as soon as she finished the adagio in the second movement of Symphony in C? Let's stop the ballet dead in its tracks, shall we?

I'm rather fond of the wandering Hungarians who pop up out of nowhere in Kermesse in Bruges to dance a feisty mazurka, perhaps in exchange for directions to the Danube. Even in a ballet set in Belgium, gotta have that mazurka! Obviously itinerant mazurka-dancer is a venerable profession in ballet-dom.

I seem to have been away for awhile, doubtless recovering from ABT's "Dvorovenko Does Balanchine" season at City Center. (Speaking of over-emoting Waltz Girls, can you imagine?) I will pretty much second everybody's comments. I had had a very, very trying day, and it was a tonic to see Serenade again. I remember the last time it was performed before going out of the rep (a year or two ago). Kistler gave a very moving performance (I remember she briefly passed her hands together as in prayer in her last big port de bras as she was being carried off on that final diagonal.), and, given that she'd had yet another injury-filled season, I thought for sure we'd seen her last Waltz Girl. I was very happy to be proven wrong last night, although I do agree with the learned party who said she over-emoted. I hate seeing Kistler teetering on the edge of becoming a charicature of herself, but perhaps she feels a need to make up for a declining technique. Regardless, I was genuinely thrilled at her first entrance, with those big jetes landing with a full-stop. It was nice to have her back. Heck, it was nice to have everybody back. Neal looked terrific, and Borree should have more opportunities to display her magnificent mane of lustrous, black hair. And, as Fayette turned Kowroski's Dark Angel in that arabesque promenade over the supine Kistler I found myself once again remarking that Kowroski's singing line in arabesque has to be one of the Eight Wonders of the ballet world. I did cringe a bit at that overwrought fan's cheer, but I could understand the sentiment. I thought that Tracey and Martins could not but look constrained and pre-programmed when contrasted with Marsalis' high-flying improvisations to The Man I Love, but it was a piece d'occasion, and perfectly appropriate. Speaking of fast tempi, (and I don't mind a brisk Serenade, myself), I was disappointed that Quinn didn't conduct the Stars and Stripes excerpt -- she makes so much else sound like Sousa, what would she do with the March King himself? Perhaps we'll learn one day. Perhaps the men weren't as sharp as their wont, but they were quite fine, regardless, and Tom Gold did his usual spectacular job. I'm beginning to think my favorite part of his performance is the way he struts offstage after his final salute. It drives the audience as wild as any of his amazing turns and pirouettes. Jennie Somogyi did have problems and look a little flat and sketchy in places (it was hard to miss her falling off pointe in her first arabesque in the adagio), but I still find her manner onstage to be more interesting every year. Damian seemed to have tossed in a few new tricks, and it was hard not to admire his mega-pirouette combination that slowed to a halt in a perfectly held retire position. After the finale, the men removed their tall hats with military punctilio, and everyone sang The Star Spangled Banner. It was quite moving and it occured to me there was no place on earth I'd rather be at that moment.

Well, I was rather a bit more impressed than Ms. Dunning. I was very impressed by Green, and I thought Midare was just gorgeous. More soon....

Q: What are we dancing tonight? A: PAMTGG Q: Gesundheit!

It appears to be one of those sites that shows up fine if you're using Internet Explorer under Windows -- on a Mac with Internet Explorer, the text and navigation links don't show up at all. Kinda sloppy programming, if you ask me. If you do access it with IE on Windows, it looks to be a fascinating site. It's also clearly a work in progress, as there have clearly been some tweaks to the opening page made in just the past hour or so.

It appears to be one of those sites that shows up fine if you're using Internet Explorer under Windows -- on a Mac with Internet Explorer, the text and navigation links don't show up at all. Kinda sloppy programming, if you ask me. If you do access it with IE on Windows, it looks to be a fascinating site. It's also clearly a work in progress, as there have clearly been some tweaks to the opening page made in just the past hour or so. I just emailed this discussion to webmaster@bournonville.com. [ 09-25-2001: Message edited by: Manhattnik ]

I just see a pretty opening page with pictures of Bournonville, sylphs and the like, and no links to click on at all. So near, yet so far. Sigh.

Wonder what I'm doing wrong. I can't get past the opening screen.

Well, I am fine, or as fine as one can be after witnessing something so horrible. At a few minutes after nine, I went downtown with some coworkers on a lark, almost, to see for ourselves. I could not possibly have imagined what I'd end up seeing. After the first tower collapsed I decided I'd had enough, but there was no way I was going to take a subway home. As I was walking up Church Street, the second one went. It is really beyond describing. I waited in line for an hour or so to give blood at St. Vincent's in the Village before being told to go elsewhere. I walked to my local hospital, but they're not taking blood. I've heard there's a place at 66th and Amsterdam, and I'll be off for there, soon. There is a constant cacaphony of sirens, and occasional roars of airplanes even in midtown. I hear any sort of loud noise and wonder if it's a bomb. After I give blood I will surely need a drink. [ 09-11-2001: Message edited by: Manhattnik ]

How about a ballet based on an advertising jingle for an airline? Oh, nevermind....

Perhaps a bit closer to what I see as the idea of this thread, which calls for perfection rather than sublimity, I'll go out on a limb and say that I think Stars and Stripes, with a really good cast and on a really good night, is pretty darn near perfect. If you're regarding perfection as a cohesiveness of design, style and execution, and a compelling internal consistency, along with a lack of material, of any sort, that's extraneous to or unnecessary for the work's central argument, then it's entirely possible to say that ballets of which one doesn't even approve are perfect. Not to say I don't approve of Stars and Stripes -- it's one of my favorites.

Well, there's perfect and there's perfect. I fear the following doesn't quite represent the kind of design perfection Alexandra was looking for in this thread, but, if you want to see perfection, check out the blurry video made from bootleg films of Gelsey Kirkland's first few performances of Giselle, available at the Dance Research Collection in NYC. Giselle was never better (I know, this is wildly subjective), and, sadly, neither was Kirkland.

I don't think there are many Poets who could hold a candle to Nikolaj Hubbe.

I can imagine Mason was a great Myrtha. I remember a Swan Lake she danced with Nureyev (I think) and the Royal at the Met in the mid-Seventies, and her Odile was the haughtiest, sexiest and most purely evil I've ever seen. She certainly was dynamite in that role. I'll never forget the sheer delight she showed at the very end of the act, when Siegfried realized his mistake. She did a little bit of bourreeing and arm-flapping, then pointed at the hapless Siegfried and laughed and laughed, as if to say, "You thought I was HER? You fool!" Sure lots of other dancers have done that little bit, but none have done it better.

Although he danced principal roles, I don't think he ever made it past soloist. Unless I was napping through the promotion announcement.

Didn't Paul Taylor already do this?

Would anyone care to cast On the Road -- the Ballet?

More Texas Bayaderisms: Dead Tiger on a Stick ---> Superbowl Game Ball. Golden Idol ---> Dancing Vince Lombardi Trophy American Indian Tom-Tom Dance ---> American Indian Tom-Tom Dance Gal with Pitcher on Head ---> Gal with Kitchen Sink on Head.

Of course the guys would be wearing some towels, and snapping others at each other. Heck, if Spartacus could leap around with a sword in each hand, why not let Billy-Joe Solor do the same with snapping towels? I can see him manfully vanquishing his teammates in this mock combat with a series of barrel turns while gymnastically snapping towels in each hand. I think it has potential.