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Just a BTW: I'm right-handed and used to turn better on the right, but I remember prepping differently for each when I had to do turns in a specific direction. On the right I was more concerned with technique and placement (a 'left-brain' approach), whereas on the left I used to try NOT to think about the "how" and just kind of instinctively do it (ie. a more 'right-brain approach). I remember being very happy as a young dancer when I could nail doubles on the left without thinking, but never thought my triples were as good as those on the right. BTW: I also had better control on the right, but better balance on the left. (Don't know how normal--or not--any of this is.) These days I'm just happy if I can still 'spot' correctly without resorting to my tri-focal contact lenses. PS. I don't think Angel was aware of any connection between 'handedness' and turning aptitude when I asked him about it some years ago. He told me he started turning left at a young age, but not that it was necessarily an unconscious choice.

I saw him in a magazine advertisement. Eric Underwood to the Royal Ballet in 2006 -- now a soloist Bo Busby to Boston Ballet in 2006 -- corps Alejandro Piris-Nino to Hubbard Street Dance in Chicago -- no longer on their roster Retaining Underwood and/or Piris-Nino wouldn't have helped ABT in the long run. Underwood is a proto-Ed Watson who specializes in modern pieces at the Royal, and Piris-Nino went off to dance in an explicitly modern company. Hammoudi, for sure, is on the fast track to soloist. I thought Hoven was as well but his rise appears to have stalled. Matthews appears to have plateaued since he became a soloist. Would like to see McKenzie utilize G. Davis, Delong and Forster more. Matt Golding - to Corella Ballet (first soloist) 2008, then Het National Ballet (I think principal now?)2010

Angel Corella is right-handed, but turns left. (The rest of us usually turn better on the same side as our stronger hand.)

YES! YES! YES! Producers pull together a project and push it to completion, but the director actually makes it. I was very sad when Mr. Ardolino passed away.

I would have liked to see the mixed rep programs too, but time, distance, cost to travel + tickets, AND the fact the mixed-reps were only 4 days, and all in the middle of the week, prevented me. I have to work to live, and getting time off in the middle of the week takes some negotiation. I also have to choose either to attend a matinee, and miss one day of work; or if I do try to attend an evening performance, must rush out of work, take a 4hr bus/train ride into the city, maybe arrive in time to see something, then get no sleep so I can catch the return bus/train at 4am the next morning and still make work that afternoon. It's a tough sell. I am very glad ABT is still doing a City Center season, and if they are true to form, some programs will be repeated on the weekends so I can better attend them.

The Simkin acquisition was very like that of the teenage Angel Corella (Simkin was in his early twenties - though he still looks fourteen - when he was hired by ABT and was dancing with second tier companies). Corella made principal within a few years of joining the company as a soloist. FYI: Corella joined ABT as a soloist Apr.'95 and made principal Aug.'96. He was only 20 yrs old at the time. To go from the back row of the corps in Spain, to principal at ABT in a year, and at that young age, is a pretty amazing trajectory (and accomplishment). And to "miliosr": Though Corella may be less visible at ABT these past few years, I don't think I would call him a "non-entity"--he still fills most of the theaters he performs in, and meets or exceeds expectations. Sorry for being slightly OT, will be better next week.

What a weird thread, and weird memories. I was a CNTV student at USC then, and both "Charlie's Angels" and "Remmington Steele" were filmed on the campus a few times, so I remember seeing glimpses of some of the angels (must have been Season 2 or 3,Fawcett had left already) and Pierce Brosnan, Stephanie Zimbalist, et.al., between walking to/from classes. (During one shoot, "RS" blew up our Financial Aid building --it was slated to be demolished to make way for a new student union--that was exciting. I was hoping all the records were lost too, and now college would be free). At that time, though, I was more interested in talking to the DP and crews than the 'stars'--who were mere "eye candy". I remember being surprised that Mr. Brosnan wasn't that tall, but had a very straight back and excellent posture, so he looked good in a tux. BTW: I think he has attended and supported ballet (ABT for sure)in the past. (Don't know if so now.) And for that, I'm grateful. (See, I'm trying to drag the topic back to ballet somehow.) BTW: A slightly more 'highbrow' show ,"Paper Chase", was filmed on campus too. I'm in the opening title sequence because I walked into the shot (exiting the Doheney Library) thinking it was a student film since they were shooting 16mm. The state of commercial television in those days was one of the reasons I decided to work in Public television, not Hollywood. (The other reason, and the only one that has not changed, is because PBS was the only network doing dance/ballet productions.)

With apologies for going off-topic, but this is such an interesting point about context, history, and life experiences, and how it shapes what we experience in the arts. For many aging baby-boomers (like me), Barber's Adagio is most closely associated with Platoon (1986). Although our generation also saw the JFK funeral on TV, that was long before the days of VCRs, and the excerpts we see now are typically of other things, especially the haunting drum cadence. For my parents (the WWII "greatest generation"), I understand that a new recording of the orchestration had been distributed to radio stations just before FDR died and they played it ceaselessly -- that's what shaped the memory and the association with FDR, not the funeral alone. It was also used for The Elephant Man (1980) and Princess Grace's funeral (1982), but I don't know that anybody has a strong association with those. Along those lines, there will always be one and only one "Misha" for me, although I keep hearing the name for others. The first time I remember the Barber Adagio in a film, was as a student at USC. Then in "The Elephant Man". By the time of "Platoon" its use had almost become a cliche. (This is not a comment on that film, or the music itself, which I actually like very much.)

No doubt he was off viewing his true interest -- which is City Ballet. Reviews like the Sulcas review get my back up because one gets the sense from it that she went in predisposed to hating it. Regarding Ms. Sulcas' predisposition(s), I thought so too. I was surprised she didn't expect a series of pdd's! Every gala I've ever been to does them, or other short excerpts from the season's rep, and I don't expect any different from ABT, except for an insertion of a "piece d'occasion". I saw Splendid Isolation at the last ABT gala I attended, and remember the white dress used for effect. (I believe it also got applause at first sight then as well.) After that, I didn't pay much attention but just listened to the Adagietto and thought Joffrey's "Round of Angels" was better. I also lamented the "recital" of students when I had paid to see professionals dance. Personally, I'm hoping Macauley is on the west coast viewing the sights and prepping for PNB's Giselle.

I first saw a video of this version, on the PBS program "Born To Be Wild: The Men of ABT" during the segment on Jose Manuel Carreno. (The video is available on DVD. And maybe viewable on YT?) In the biographical segment on Mr. Carreno, there is included footage from a return visit to Cuba, when he danced (SL entire or only BS pdd?) with his cousin, showing her doing the sautes en arabesque sur la pointe en arriere (sorry if I got the term incorrect) instead of the fouettes. It was different from what I was used to, and even though the point (no pun intended) of doing the steps is the same regarding the plot: to entice Siegfried, I thought the hops more of a stunt than the fouettes. But maybe that is because I am more used to seeing the fouettes. IMHO.

I remember much of the above--Alexandra Koltun danced with BB, I saw the Kozlovs in LA, and I,too, remember reading that Rolando Sarabia defected by walking across a bridge from Mexico into the U.S.

Are any BT members planning to attend any of the US tour dates this year? Because of limited funds this year, and previous experience, I'm still debating. I won't even say how this affects the doc.

Amen Ditto. Concerning the Royal Ballet, I totally agree. But what 'Michael' wrote was also interesting to me because I got to witness someone "barely thirty something" with "[limited] experience in administering an organization, fundraising, and politics" become an AD, meet most of the other criteria you list: (to paraphrase) 'valuing a classic legacy and staging it, earning the respect & appreciation of both dancers and the artistic and company staffs, and able to train and grow dancers' and succeed at it. Let us hope the new choice for the AD of the RB does too.

Thank you for clarifying, abatt. I missed those interviews. abatt is correct. I read those interviews, I still have them, and can supply the publication and dates if necessary. I am not sure if the same situation applies now. Last year, there was space in the summer schedule of CBCL to accomodate any planned ABT performances, but this year, the schedule is tighter. Case in point: ABT opening night gala occurs between two scheduled CBCL tour dates in New Orleans and Seattle.

I missed the program broadcast because of work, but online, the "tease" (ie. pre-show of the segment to get viewers to stay tuned until the commercials are over)does mention that Sarah dances for ABT, which 20/20 said was "one of the top ballet companies in the world". So that should make some people happy, even if the general public still has no idea what it's all about. (Personally, I just liked the view of ABT in class to see who was there. And those pdd excerpts: "Giselle" with I think Carreno, and in studio with her husband.) I also agree that Ms. Lane, and Wendy Perron too, were very good at focusing the questions onto the need for respect and recognition of ballet, an art form requiring decades of training; NOT individual personalities/performers. (However, I'm sure the prurient press (20/20 included) and Hollywood hacks just wanted a good 'cat fight' to help sell the show or dvds.) PS. I'm also glad someone viewed my trailer and called it "an antidote to Black Swan" that they wanted to show everyone. It made my day.

Of course I thought all the camera flares and 'fog'FX were rather silly, and the choreography not much better. But then I thought about it..Although poor Lorna didn't get to do much other than supported jete lifts, Lorena didn't get to do much more: supported turns, piques, maybe an arabesque or two. Jose Manuel Carreno did a la seconds, and of course partnered his two swans beautifully. And the swan corps did a lot of bourres. Why? Because studio floors (and even this one for DWTS) are usually not sprung; are highly polished (maybe not slippery for ballroom dance, but for the one-inch round platform of a pointe shoe, not the best or safest); and there are too many extraneous sets and lights and not enough floorspace to do much more. So, we saw pique turns, only supported pirouettes, and no individual jetes or other fast, high action where someone might seriously slip and get injured. Of course the DWTS producers jumped on the "BS" bandwagon, did Hollywood ever have an original thought or a brave one? Not likely. Meanwhile, it was great to see JMC, and finally Lorna's sister, since I don't get to see SFB unless they're on national tv.

Hooray for wikipedia. Can't believe no one saw or new about this before. I saw the book in my local bookstore years ago, and of course immediately picked it up (because of the title and drawing of a black swan on the cover)and skimmed it; didn't buy it at the time, but did read more later in a library. It's interesting and I believe was on the bestseller list for a while. Wish more people paid attention to that than silly films--or is that a black swan event too?

Don't mean to be simplistic, but to me... TECHNIQUE means physically HOW a step is done: (eg. the basics: point toes, turn out, 1st position, 2nd position...5th position etc.etc., STYLE means: the expression of that technique; what is emphasized (body part: head, hands, feet, arms; placement: epaulement, speed: battu, lift: ballon etc.) ie: WHY TO DANCE A STEP THAT WAY

I didn't want to re-read the whole thread again, but I will say this about Mr. Aronofsky's calculations (wherein he, and then Benjamin Millepied, claim Natalie Portman dances 80% of the film): His calculations are based on "screentime", so of course Natalie Portman would have more "screentime" than Sarah Lane, Ms. Portman is the star of the film. He also counted up neck up or shoulders up views ie. ECU's of Ms. Portman, or her pretty but vacuous face superimposed on Ms. Lane's body as her "screentime". This is NOT dancing. An ECU is acting, flapping arms are flapping arms, NONE of that is actual DANCING. I would like to know what would happen if he counted only the FS's, LS's, or CU's of Ms. Lane's pointe shoes DANCING, not Ms. Portman's neck-up acting.

Since my local Borders closed, none of my 3 local B&N stores carries them (or only infrequently), and online sites only list some but not all articles, I had no more access to ANY dance magazines unless I took a 4hr trip to NYC and raided their shelves. Then Ballettalk/Ballet Alert disappears--and ditto all the above posts, I was in total shock because now I had NO connection at all to the art I love. I tried six different ways to try to log in to no avail. I too thought it was me--did I forget to pay a membership fee somewhere?, or the same problem I had viewing YT when I tried to upgrade Flash (something to do with a driver causing the "black screen of death" instead of videos to appear)so...yes, I heard those zebras, horses, and rhinos, but what most mattered was the infinately deep hole I felt in my heart, and a void inestimable. THANK YOU THANK YOU for still being here. PLEASE don't disappear again.

I tend to dress for the ballet, symphony, (silk preferred, but how formal varies)and less so for other occasions--or cities. Not sure why, but I tend to dress more for ABT than NYCB (probably because I consider City Ballet more "modern"?) and yes, always dress out of respect for the dancers. When I was in Japan, I remember people dressed up, but not certain if that is true anymore. Most people in Spain I observed dressed for indoor performances, and even to some extent for the outdoor ones. I've not worn jeans yet to any arts performance anywhere. But am tolerant of those who do, except maybe in main orchestra levels. If attending a matinee, and therefore travelling to/from (4hrs up & 4hrs back) I will dress well, but comfortably, and preferably something that doesn't wrinkle or show dirt. If attending an evening performance, and therefore having to stay overnight, I will definately dress up. A few "dress-up" tales: I waited 20 years to inherit my mother's vintage (1967) handmade silk brocade gown, and finally got a chance to wear it to ABT's gala opening night at the Met. But since I didn't have the $$$$ to attend the dinner that year, I walked with my train over my arm from Lincoln Center (past a lot of closing/closed restaurants) to the Whole Foods Market at Columbus Center, where I got a cup of soup. I don't know what the other late-night shoppers felt about my attire. (I remembered Ms. Hepburn in that famous stroll in that famous film, though don't think I resembled her physique in any way.) I will also never ever forget the concierge/bellboy (wish I knew a more PC and formal title for what they do) at the Wellington, who, although I wasn't checked in yet (the bus was 1.5hrs late arriving so no time to do so), stored my luggage, and took me to their back breakroom so I could iron my outfit & change for the ballet that night.

Thank you, this was lovely! Yes, thank you for posting this. I was at the performance of the company at Jacob's Pillow, and managed to speak with Ms. Ananiashvili and some of the Pillow admins afterwards. It was a very very nice evening, and I was very very happy I could attend and see her perform once again, and with her company.

Puppytreats, you are lucky to live in a major metro area that is also the center of dance in the USA. Elsewhere, unless PBS broadcasts it, or one can afford the pay channels like Ovation (if its even offered) there is not much chance to see anything unless PBS shows it. That POB doc shown on PBS this past year was Frederick Wiseman's film "La Danse". It was not produced by or for PBS; it was an independent documentary film production. But its acclaim, and of course Mr. Wiseman's renowned 'track record' probably got PBS interested in broadcasting it. (Of course they also showed his earlier film about ABT many years ago.) The PBS broadcast is also an example of what I wrote before: PBS is the only broadcast venue (free, not pay-per-view, not cable, not seen in only a few cities--eg.NYC)left to 'arts' filmakers for US broadcast distribution. And a gatekeeper/monopoly mentality at PBS that allows limited broadcast hrs to the arts doesn't help anyone. But with their funding problems, unless the public speaks up for more arts/ballet programming and/or helps alleviate those funding problems (eg. by letting Congress know etc.) I don't expect anything to change soon.

If they had shown the coda it would have been more real ballet than "Black Swan" favored us with. I think Portman's award was the most recognition apart from the other nominations the movie could reasonably expect this year. Her win was a way of acknowledging its success (in the way Sandra Bullock's victory last year was recognition for "The Blind Side"). I don't think you can really say it was snubbed. Also, it was much more a horror movie than a ballet movie, -- although if real dancers had been cast in the leading roles it might have been both. Hathaway sang a parody number - if she had another song I missed it. She does indeed have a very nice voice. I didn't mean and never did that "Black Swan" was really about ballet in any form whatsoever. What I meant by 'real' was the ballet(s) we attend, view, critique, or participate(d) in. That's the reality I wanted the Oscar producers to show its international audience: Tchaikovsky's, Petipas, Ivanov's etc.etc. version, NOT the clueless stupidity of Hollywood's version. And for once, I was hoping they would show what real ballet is, rather than, as usual, making fun of it by gross parodies like the Oscar pre-roll. Sorry, if I wasn't clear before.

Ok, I watched too--and only segued to Masterpiece Theater when they did the songs--a part I usually HATE (but was glad Randy Newman finally won after so many noms--his last win was "Ragtime"'s score?!) I did watch 30sec of Gwyneth to see how she did, but country music is not a favorite so didn't stick around. Other than the Documentary (of course),Writing,Directing, or more tech awards (Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Art Direction) most of the rest I just watch to see what everyone wears... I liked Gwyneth's dress, Hailey's was perfect, and Natalie's Rodarte (also thought Cate Blanchette wore a great dress to the Oscars when she was pregnant some years ago), I'm not sure about Ms.Blanchette's choice this year: Color was fine, but I didn't understand the cut-out circle on her chest, the rest of the cut and embellishment(s) didn't bother me. It was couture, and when I saw a pic of it on the runway, it made more sense. Many others' dresses also looked better on the runway than red carpet. I thought Helena Bonham Carter was channeling her early costume epics, it was a very 16-17th c. cut, but agree it was a more 'sane' outfit than her usual. I watch Anne Hathaway to see what she wears, and she usually pulls off most things fine. I had no problems watching her costume changes, it kept me from falling asleep. But I thought James Franco was falling asleep on the red carpet, nevermind during the show itself. He wasn't laid back, he was sort of comatose. Ok, so he has more important things to do/think about; he was still getting paid big $$$$ not to "phone it in" to use an old saying. AH is always perky, but she is also a Vassar graduate, and I've seen her elsewhere keep up intellectually with several academics. Did she sing her song too, if so, she has a great voice--and better than Gwyneth who was getting the attention IMO. I, too, wondered if AH and JF were supposed to contrast/complement each other's "performance/presenting style". But overall I didn't think they were any more insipid and boring than every other Oscar show I've ever seen. I wish ALL award presenters would just get up, with NO chit chat, NO meet/greet, NO comments, NOTHING before/after/during, just name the noms & get on with it.(BTW did anyone notice they can say "Oscar" now when announcing the winner?) But getting back to the topic of ballet... I didn't see a single dance production (not counting those odd 5th graders' moves) this time. Like Anthony_NYC unfortunately, I do remember the ghastly dance sequences done to nominated songs/scores (I think Twyla even choreographed once), and the endless production numbers slowing everything down, but since a 'ballet' film was finally in contention, doesn't anyone think they might have done at least the coda to the real black swan pdd to show the audiences what it was really about? No, once again, we got a parody and silly put-down in the Oscar pre-show roll-in with Ms. Hathaway doing the "brown duck" and Mr. Franco doing some very odd moves behind her I thought rather inappropriate. This wasn't "Sat.Nite Live", but a major international audience which only proved once again that Americans have no appreciation of culture or the arts. (Present BT company, and of course all our colleagues, friends, and families excepted.) After watching "Turning Point" get 11 noms and not win, this was my big disappointment. Deja vu all over again.