sneds

Hi again! I think it was me that brought up the subject of the aging NYCB male principals The youngest, either Philip Neal or Charles Askegard, is at least thirty, and the rest are in their mid thirties or older. LaFosse is essentially a character dancer, and it appears that Albert Evans is stuck with a limited repretory (I'd love to see him as a Cavalier). Of the rest, Soto and Boal are probably the closest to retirement-both are increasingly limited in technical ability, but have much left to contribute. I'm glad to see that both are teaching at SAB-passing the flame to a new generation! Woetzel is approaching 35, but barring a major injury, he appears to have more than a couple good years in front of him. In fact, I see him as someone who will move on not because of age/injury, but because he's "done it all" at NYCB and there is a greater challenge somewhere else. Martins would be wise to keep him busy with teaching, dancing and chereography. Neal, Hubbe (if he stays injury free) and Askegard probably will be around for more than a few years, and will probably be important in helping a new generation of male principals settle into the rep. And I hope that Martins will eventually be able to retire and find more enjoyment in his musical talents. In anycase, while the principal ranks are aging, I think we are very lucky that many of these principals like Woetzel, Soto and Boal are talented teachers and actively engaged in educating the next generation. If these men can help nurture the emerging talents and pass on the lessons they have learned from their teachers, we should have nothing to worry about (well, almost nothing...some talented tall young male dancers would be a nice Christmas gift for SAB!!!). Kate P.S. If height was the main requirement for cavaliers, Robert Lyon would be a busy man!

Hi! Not much new to add, but a few commments... Sigh...so much better than ABT and worth the 6 hours of travel in one day! I think I've always been in the orchestra section for The Nutcracker ,so it was interesting being up in the 4th ring this time. The set looks a bit sparer since you lose the illusion of 3-dimesionality with the overhead perspective. I could also see the dancers crawling from behind the tree to the "doll boxes"-they need to stay a bit lower in order to avoif being seen. It was definately the most multi-cultural Nutcracker cast I've ever seen at NYCB, both among the "parents" and "kids". Act 1 ended with another "revenge of the "velcro" snowflake wands". This wand definately had evil thoughts in mind since it settled right next to the wings so every dancer had to be very careful not to step on it and slip. Yvonne Borree was initially a bit reserved as the Sugerplum Fairy, but relaxed in the final pas de deux. She was especially good in the long sequence where the SPFairy is turned on point by her partner and then does a final balance on her own. Damian Woetzel was his usual self, tacking on a spectacular triple tour at the end of the turns in second. It seems that Damian gets the most notice for his bravura dancing, but he's also appears to be a very solid, reliable partner. I have no clue what he's like in rehearsal,but he seems to be an excellent, attentive partner onstage. Jennie Somogyi had one small slip as Dewdrop, getting slightly out of balance in a turn, but she recovered nicely. Andrew Veyette debuted as the lead male dancer in "Hot Chocolate". He has a nice crispness to his jumps and positions, and was well paired with Deanna McBrearty. Stephen Hanna's Mother Ginger was fairly reserved tonight-not nearly as over the top as I've seen before. Speaking of...does anyone know why Martins is digging into his corps for Cavaliers? I don't remember corps Cavaliers before (wasn't Angle a soloist when he debuted?). Sean Suozzi got a good review from the NYTimes, and I look foward to hearing about Hanna's debut! Not that I have anything against giving the youmger guys a chance to shine (and I can see why Lyon, Ritter and Higgins don't fit into the Cavalier mold), but why hasn't Millipied been given a chance-is he the wrong size/type of dancer...though I remember reading that Millipied said some things in an interview that Martins didn't think too highly of... Just my usual curiousity Kate

Hi! I think most of the shows, at least during the weekend, were pretty close to sold out. However, there did appear to be some empty seats (a couple next to me, for instance). Unfortunately, there were a number of parents who left early with kids-for various reasons, most I think linked to the fact that the kids were losing interest. Glad to know that my friend and I are not the only ballet fans that have emerged less than pleased and quite confused from ABTs version of the "Nutcracker". Should've known better when the Washington Post mentioned McKenzie's unicorn fetish Kate P.S. Why the exorbitant ticket prices at the Kennedy Center? Granted, the NYCB prices get higher, but NYCB tickets start at $28 and there are very few bad seats at the State Theater (not to mention a much better Nutcracker!)

So ABT does a Wendy Wasserstein version of Nutcracker! Maybe that's all the explanation needed..isn't Wasserstein a close friend of Peter Martins?? Perhaps this is her way of making sure that NYCB gets the better reviews and the audiences Kate

ABT Nutcracker Sat 12/8 Matinee Big thumbs down. This was the first time I've ever really disliked a ballet, especially the Nutcracker. Don't waste $55+ dollars on this version of the Nutcracker, especially if you are bringing a young child. In his attempt to add more dancing to the Nutcracker, Kevin McKenzie has muddled the story so much that even I, at the ripe old age of 25, had a hard time following what was going on. Needless to say, McKenzie totally lost his main audience, the little kids. The party scene was not bad, though it seemed to be a very underpopulated holiday party. Sascha Radetsky was not listed in the program, but appeared as an increasingly tipsy party guest who did an impromptu dance with the grandmother. Since only four men were listed, I don't know if this was a late addition, or even a little bit of ad-libbing. The kids from the Kirov Academy, Washington Ballet school (and one other place) did an admirable job, considering how little rehearsal time they must have had with the ABT dancers. I was disappointed that the program did not list the kids by name, as is done by NYCB and other companies. Fritz, BTW, was played by a SAB student who last appeared as the little pied piper. While being a touring production obviously limits the use of "special effects", ABT could have done a little better. For instance, Drosslemeyer's dolls quite obviously came from behind his cape/the tree/the wings. All but the littlest kid could have figured that out...I prefer the trapdoor/gift box used by NYCB. The Nutcracker is all about holiday "magic", so the more "real" it looks, the better. The soldier (Jerry Douglas, I think) was excellent-one of the rare pieces of nice cheoreography. Here we were introduced to the unicorn. As the Washington Post put it, McKenzie has a fetish with unicorns. GET RID OF THE UNICORN...the first unicorn was played by a woman, and then was played by a guy after that (more confusion). And the costumes were UGLY and we felt really bad for the poor dancer (David Halberg). The unfortunate unicorn reappeares later on to further confuse the story. McKenzie also adds a quuintent of fairies to action,which pop up in both acts, mostly adding more confusion, though some nice bits of dancing. The battle scene was nice, but again, too complicated to follow (according to the program notes the soldiers don't want to get their unfirms dirty so they abandon the battle...huh!). Some nice cheoreography for the little mice-a series of single turns on one foot, one mouse at a time. Joaquin de Luz was the Nutcracker Prince-not at his best, but no-one can dance well in such a large, ugly, cumbersome Nutcracker head. The mouse king appears on the top of the now giant toy box, and then has to make a very ungainly hop off the side. Once the mouse king is defeated we proceed to the snow kingdom. Here, instead of proceeding quickly to the Land of the Snow, McKenzie sticks in a pas de deux between Clara and her Prince. The cheoreography was none too interesting, and it clearly lost the interest of the little kids in the audience Finally we get to the snowflake dance. As someone who is fond of the lines/patterns of the NYCB snowflakes, this abbreviated, odd cheoreography was not at all pleasing. Also, the corps seemd quite underrehearsed, so that one wasn't sure what was cheoreographed and what was a mistake. Clara and her Prince remain on stage, and participate in the dance at times. And the snow effect was limited to the center section of the stage and wimpy at that. Once the dancing finishes, the snow queen starts to lead Clara and her Prince to her land. Then enters the unicorn, who I guess gestures for them to come with him (to the land of the sweets...). Confusing isn't it...the little kids sure didn't seem to have any more clue than I did! The second act didn't get any better. My vision of the Kindgdom of the Sweets is a kind of a winter wonderland. Not so to Kevin McKenzie-he put his ballet in an overgrown garden, complete with giant inflating ballon flowers. I kid you not. IMHO, this is just plain confusing-how did we get from snow to spring (and in the Nutcracker??). The divertissments were, for the most part well danced, especially Marcelo Gomes and Carmen Corella in "Arabian" and the Russian dancer (though the little Russian dancer was never identified in the program). NO Dewdrop, and an interesting Waltz of the Flowers, complete with cavaliers. The chereography was done by John Meehan, and was quite well done. I could've done without adding the fairies and Clara/Prince into the mix however. At this point there is some interplay between Clara and the poor unicorn, which ends with it sleeping with it's head in her lap. Ughh..something about it made me uncomfortable-maybe almost some sexual undertones..the unicron being assoicated with virginity. Don't know. The Grand Pas de Deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier was uneven. McKenzie's chereography and choice of music was uninspired. Carlos Molina looked a bit out of sorts,-maybe injury, but more likely nerves and a lack of rehearsal (this was his first time in the role this season). His turns in second were quite slow. Gillian Murphy was excellent however-quick, precise and daring! The end was almost a relief. McKenzie needs to scrap this version or make some major repairs. The Nutcracker is the one major ballet that is aimed at a young audience, and thus the story needs to be kept simple and the dancing tailored to a younger audience (and better mime). This version is WAY TOO CONFUSING. Sorry if this review soundsw harsh, but for $70, I was expecting something better. My friend and I felt bad for the dancers, since they were constrained by the cheoreography and storyline. If anyone else has gone, I'd be interested in seeing your comments. Feel free to post any questions etc. Kate

Hi! Next week's casting was posted, and a few things of note... Igor Zelensky will be a "guest cavalier" in two performances, both times dancing with Darci Kistler. Nice to see him back in NYC, too bad I won't be able to make it NYC to see him ( Janie Taylor and Seth Orza will be making their debuts at the Sugar Plum Fairy & Cavalier at the Sunday (9th) matinee. While Martins certainly has cast corps women as the Sugar Plum Fairy, is this the first (at least in a while) corps Cavalier? I haven't taken that much notice of Seth Orza, but kudos to him!! Among the other debuts upcoming...Ashley Bouder as DewDrop and Marzipan, Sean Suozzi as Tea, Aeasha Ash, Saskia Beskow and Henry Seth in Hot Chocolate, Jennifer Tinsley as DewDrop, Lindy Mandaradjieff as Marzipan and Eva Natanya as Coffee. Also Jenifer Ringer and Damian Woetzel have been paired for an evening or two. Sounds like a great duo on stage, though I don't remember seeing them dance together much (at all?). And of course, Dan Ulbricht is getting a considerable workout this Nutcracker season, alternating between Soldier, Tea and Candycane. It's nice to see him dance so much now, but I hope we will continue to see him in the repetory season. Kate

Hi! The evening included "Serenade", excerpts from "Stars and Stripes" and "The Man I Love" pdd accompanied by the surprise guest artist, Wynton Marsalis, on trumpet. Marsalis also played a gorgeous jazz version of "America" during the first pause. The acoustics in the State Theater were perfect, even up in the third ring. Overall, I thought the dancing was a bit flat, and though the selections were fitting, it was disappointing not to see many of the dancers (no Marcovici, Ringer, Millipied, Boal, LaFosse, Evans, Meunier, Whelan, Askegard, Angle, Taylor etc. etc. "Serenade" was first with Kowrowski, Neal, Kistler, Fayette and Borree. I thought it was very well done..very haunting..though my mom thought the orchestra might have been too fast in parts (yes Andrea Quinn was conducting!). Philip Neal seems tailor-made for this ballet-long limbs and an understated classical style. The simple costume also enhances his wonderful lines. Nilas Martins and Margaret Tracey performed the "Man I Love" pdd with accompaniment by Wynton Marsalis. Not my first choice of dancers for these roles (I'd love to see Ringer and Fayette do this pdd), but they did a lovely job. Since I was paying more attention to Marsalis than the dancing (I'm a former trumpet player and big Marsalis fan), so I can't really comment much more ahout the dancing. "Stars and Stripes" was uneven, but still it's a great finishing piece. The men's brigade did a good job, though a couple guys were off at times and I've seen it done better. Wonder how they chose the guys..it seems like more experienced corps guys weren't on stage, while some newbies were. Damian was well..Damian. I could have sworn he was ad-libbing quite a bit in the some of the solo bits...something didn't seem right (anyone with more knowledge care to comment?), but he finished off with spectacular seried of turns a la second (correct term??) which ended perfectly balanced to a dead standstill. And of course we got the series of tours interspersed with those uniquely Woetzeloid tours/jumps. Unfortunately, Jennie Somogyi was decidely off-either very nervous or dancing with an injury. She was visibly shaking and having problems with the balances in the beginning of the pdd, and was just never quite there during the rest of the pdd. Such a shame-and it really was apparent in comparsion to Damian's dancing (even if he was a tad off in bits, he could cover it up with his cheek and bravado...ever the ham!) One chuckle in the finale: Tom Gold was partnered either by Jennifer Tinsley or Dana Hanson-whomever it was was significantly taller than Gold. Rather amusing to watch the ballerina tower over the guy. The night finished with the dancers and audience singing the national anthem...moving to hear so many voices in chorus. All in all, a pleasant evening, even if I was disappointed not to see a lot of the dancers. Now it's on to the Nutcracker...how many Nuts does it take to go nuts??!! Kate P.S. THe gala was originally supposed to be comprised of new cheoreography from a number of people including Woetzel. Does anyone know if these dances will ever happen, or has that all gone by the wayside?

Hi! Judging from Peter Martins' letter that is on the NYCB webpage and was sent to their mailing list/guild, they aren't forbidding anything in particular. I suspect that if certain things (binoculars etc.) are not going to be allowed in that they would have let us know ahead of time. Otherwise there will be a lot of chaos at the door. It's probably wise though NOT to bring any large bags, backpacks etc. Kate

Hi! Leigh probably can answer this one...but is there likely to be an intermission? I've heard that the last opening night did not have an intermission. That makes sense because you gotta get the dancing done before too late so that you're not eating supper at midnight! Oh, just to remind people...they may be randomly searching bags at the door and trunks going into the basement garage at Lincoln Center, so leave some extra time! And you might want to limit yourself to a small purse! Kate

For a first-timer at an NYCB opening night...and advice on how fancy to dress (we are in the 3rd ring)? I presume that for those of us not staying on for the supper ball, it's a bit fancier than normal evenings, but certainly not black tie. Kate

Hi! I'll be there too...it just happened to be on the same date as my mom's birthday-perfect excuse to get tickets!! Look for the short blond in a long black skirt moaning about wearing high heels (skating calluses and high heels do not mix!) I don't know anything more about the program-if I hear anything I'll post. Kate

Hi! I've read that the NYCB dancers' contract stipulates a minimum number of dancers in the company, and I believe that the number of dancers has been hovering around that key number. Martins may be covering his bases in case he has more retirements/injuries/illness. Remember the Margaret Tracey is set to retire in February, and that many of the principals are older or dancing "part-time" i.e. Robert LaFosse, Darci Kistler. Also, not every dancer can dance every role, and Martins may be thinking ahead to replacing "role" gaps in the company. For instance, Dan Ulbricht, who is along the lines of Adam Hendrickon and Tom Gold, may eventually fill in the gap when Gold moves on-Gold is in his (mid?) thirties and a part of the cheoreographic institute. And of course, the heavily Balachine rep of NYCB is often taxing, requiring lighter loads for corps dancers and more "back-ups" in case of injuries. It's not like in one of ABT's big story ballets where a slightly injured dancer can still be used in a "non-dancing" role to "decorate the stage". POB is definately larger..but I think that's a whole different ball game. Doesn't POB essentially break into two companies? Kate P.S. If I were Martins, I'd have all ears open to the troubles over at ABT. Perfect time to convince one or more of their great young male dancers that NYCB is more stable/better paying/etc. etc. place to dance. (Thinking of Michael1's comment about Wien award winners..neither of the 2001 male winners has been given an apprentice contract...does this say something about the male talent or lack there-of at SAB? )

Elena Tcherkesskaia, who danced with the Bolshoi Ballet for over twenty years, died yesterday of pancreatic cancer at the age of 64. Elena, at the urging of her friend (and well known skating coach), Irina Rodnina, came to the US in 1991 and had been working with skaters, teaching ballet and doing cheoreogaphy. She was based on the west coast, and until her illness was coaching Angela Nikodinov (4th at 2001 Worlds). Elena also worked with skaters like Michelle Kwan, Nicole Bobek, world champions Kovarikova & Novotny, Bourne & Kraatz and Timothy Goebel. She had been diagnosed shortly after the Goodwill Games, and returned to Moscow shortly thereafter. She is survived by her husband. Kate

Flo... Do you know who the new apprentices are at NYCB? I'd love to have the info for my webpage (see below) Thanks! Kate

Sean Suozzi got his contract a while back..he's not new. Daniel Ulbricht also got his contract!!!! Yay!!! Also, Elena Diner is now Elena Stein (marriage?, if so congratulations!). Kate

Hi! In getting my birthday/Christmas wish list together, I have noticed that there are several versions of the book (approximate title) written/edited by Balanchine "Complete Stories of the Ballet". I've seen two editions of the out-of-print book and also the "101 Stories of the Ballet". The out of print book is available via second hand dealers, and I was wondering which version/edition people think is the best, and suggest I should get/wish for ) Thanks! Kate

Hi! All I can say is HERMAN CORNEJO!!!!! He is definately the newest ABT star even though he is still a soloist. He was outstanding as the man in brown in Gong both performances, in "Amazing in Burned (ing?) Dreams" and spectacular in "Marimba". His spins are whirlwind fast, but controlled, and he gets spectacular elevation on his jumps (please forgive the skating terminology and feel free to help educate me on the proper terminology!!). Cornejo's only limitation may be his small stature, which was clearly making partnering a bit of a challenge for him in Gong and Amazing.... I felt that "Marimba" was the highlight of the weekend. The lighting and the music and the dancing were all wonderful. Towards the end the men all end up what seems to be a spining duel-they obviously have some freedom with the chereography. Isaac Stappas (or was it Jamar Goodman) and Herman Cornejo brought down the house with s series of blurringly fast spins. Speaking of duels...someone needs to settle the score between Marcelo Gomes and the ABT orchestra. The orchestra was WAY off during Gomes' solos in the Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, which was a shame since Gomes was outstanding. Paloma Herrera was also excellent, and sowed no signs of here frequent "stiff arm" affliction! I was underwhelmed by "Gong", which BTW appeared underhearsed. It was of the "nothing-new-under-the-ballet-sun" genre. I felt like I'd seen a lot of the same bits in other ballets. Both Ananashvilli & Carreno (who I saw peeking in on the mezzaine this afternoon) and Dvorovenko & Belotserkovsky did the "Sylvia PdD" this weekend, and while A&C may have had a slight edge of difficulty and stage presence, I preffered D&B. Maxim has such gorgeous line and they have such a wonderful rappaport together on the stage. You really get the feeling that it is a pair effort, not two people simply dancing together. The Swan Lake PdD was fine and the swans were amazingly in synch, though it was sheer luck that none were knocked off the small City Center stage. It was also Guillame Graffin's better performance of the weekend. In the very flat "Dim Lustre" this afternoon he barely avoided disaster when he got very out of control during a spin. Lots of ugly hand flailing...I think his time on stage is coming to an end. The only bummer of the whole weekend was the poor behavior of the audience the afternoon. I've never been to a peformance with more people coughing, rattling bag/wrappers etc. It doesn't hel that the seats at CIty Center pop up loudly when one gets up. The ushers also get a D- for allowing a large group to enter the Mezzaine level after the performance had begun. I believe that this group included the young child who continued to whimper through several ballets. I hate to a be a party pooper..but very young children do not belong at most ballet performances (that's what ABT Kids is for). The mother was obviously clueless, but I hope sufficiently embarassed when the child yelled out during one of the "music-less" sections of "Gong." Then again, I could still hear the child during the next ballet. If anyone know the City Center ushers..let them know that something needs to be done..it may bave been an unusual afternoon, but it was not pleasant (thank goodness for the loud music in "Marimba". Kate P.S. I saw Sascha Radetsky after today's performance walking home with Stella Abrera, so at least he's among the "walking wounded"! Oh, among the audience members were Olympic gold medal winning figure skaters Victor Petrenko and Evgeny Platov, along with VIctor's wife Nina, a former dancer. I think that it's possible that Nina might know some of the Russian dancers from her ballet training back in Russia (then the Soviet Union).

Hi! I saw the final performance of the tour Tuesday at McCarter Theater in Princeton, NJ. Sorry if my post seems a bit muddled, but writing reviews is not my strength... Anyway, the program included La Sonnambula, Duo Concertant, Monumentum Pro Gesualdo, Movements for Piano and Orchestra and Scotch Sympony. Though the variety was nice, IMHO, the program could have done with one less ballet, both to make it shorter (it was almost 2.5 hours) and to cut down on the constant, somewhat jarring shifts from one ballet to the next in the "leotard ballet" section. I won't comment much on La Sonnambula since my feelings are very much colored by the stunning performace of the ballet by NYCB that I saw last spring (Whelan, Ringer, Hubbe and Soto, all ON!). "La Sonnambula" was not a good choice for McCarter because the stage is very small, and with much of the space taken up by the set, the dancing seemed very cramped. The jester couldn't jump offstage properly and from my seats you couldn't see the sleepwalker carrying the poet offstage at all. Also, I'm not fond of dancing to taped music since it does not allow for tempos that match the individual dancers. I tend to agree with other "reviewers" that while there appears to be great potential, it seemed like all the dancers could have used with more rehearsal time. Mario Hernandez's jester had sparks of brilliance, but maybe because of the small stage, a bit flat. Goh and Huys did an excellent job individually, but to me the pas de deux lacked the flow that comes with much practice together. Momchil Mladenov's baron was the only bit of poor casting-his mime does not seem up to the role and lacked the "weight" needed to convey the emotion of the story. The "leotard" ballets were well done and I liked the obvious attention to detail. My only gripe was that some of the men didn't point their feet when it was appropriate. It's not a major flaw, but one my pet peeves-I like a finished dancer! "Scotch Symphony" with Du and Fagundes was my favorite ballet of the night. The female corps was excellent and I like the attention paid to hand positions that are elegant, but not the "claws" sometimes seen at NYCB. All in all, a pleasant evening. My impression is that Farrell has a great idea, and is well on her way to doing something wonderful. With more time and more talent (maybe more "star power" and a slightly stronger male corps) she will have a real treasure. My only real gripe were the costumes....I just wasn't fond of them. For instance, the guy's jackets (tails) in La Sonnambula, especially on the tallet men, seemed too short. Also, I could see the seems and waistbands of the women's tights through the white leotards at one point and also could see the "bustles" underneath the long tutus in Scotch Symphony. It could just be different lighting, or closer seats... Oh, and the color and cut of Ben Huy's shirt in Duo Concertant was strange...a rather feminine lavender with a low chest and 3/4 sleeves that seemd out of place on a guy (and IMHO, his tights were rolled down to far, blurring his body lines). OK...maybe I'm getting to picky at the advanced age of 24 ) Kate

Hi! As far as I know Sascha Radetsky is still in the corps. However, I strongly suspect that he will promoted in the year or two. I too noticed how much he is dancing during the City Center season. That he was chosed to be in the 1st cast of Symphony in C also speaks highly for how he viewed by "those who have power in the company". He's also gotten good time/reviews in "Gong" and "Jabula". However, I have also noticed that Sascha does not get many good soloist/principal roles during the MET season, the season that really is the highlight of the ABT year. He's scheduled to dance Symphony in C, one or two Le Corsaires and I think a Swan Lake (if that's being done). The Swan Lake and Le Corsaire roles are more mime/acting/character dance than classical ballet. It would seem to me that this "limitation" may be what has prevented him from being promoted, though with all the internal politics who knows what really has been going on at ABT. I would wonder if might do better with a company like NYCB or Joffrey or SFB etc. that focuses less on full length ballets and more shorter one act ballets. Sascha seems to be cast in the neoclassical/Balanchine/modern ballets, but I get the feeling he will always get stuck behind dancers like Stiefel, Belotserkovsky, Molina, Corella, de Luz etc when it comes to casting the big classical story ballets which are the "meat" of the ABT rep. And it appears that those who get promoted at ABT have been those who have gotten well cast in the story ballets. I think Sean Stewart has also fallen into this "trap" of getting good roles during the City Center/touring season, but not during the all-important MET season. Any comments? Kate

Hi! I don't know about ballet, but I thought I'd throw in some skating tidbits since it's a bit similar. Most skaters jump and spin counter-clockwise (to the left), and it seems to have little to do with right or left handedness. For instance, even though I jump CCW and land on my right foot, I am more comfortable spinning CCW on my left foot. Some skaters can spin in both directions, and a very few can jump in both directions. I don't think that coaches try to force people to become "counter-clockwise", so the split between CW and CCW is natural. Being clockwise is generally not an issue, though it's preferable for pairs teams to jump and spin in the same direction. I would suspect that most dancers are CCW jumpers and spinners too, though because of chereography, they'd have to be equally competent in both directions. Otherwise it'd look pecuilar with dancers turning in opposite directions. Hmmm...could those dancers who don't make good corps dancers be the "lefties" or CW spinners/jumpers who have a hard time adjusting to "the norm". So, I don't think being a righty or a lefty makes a difference in ballet or skating. It seems that those things that make a good skater/dancer-natural talent, etc-are independent of "handedness". Kate

Thanks Olivier for the answer. Not to belabor the point, but why were they in Kansas City (there are no tour dates listed for KC). Anyway, I hope that all the dancers' family and friends are safe, and that if any of the dancers do live in the WTC area, that they will have homes to return to. I can't imagine how helpless the dancers, especially the NYCB dancers in Parama, must feel so far away from NYC. If anyone has more news about NYCB in Parma, please post. It sounds like the dancers will be spending more time in Italy than they planned. (My boss was supposed to fly to Germany on Lufthansa tomorrow, and so I was checking out the webpage. Most of the flights from Germany that were diverted to Canada actually flew BACK to Germany today. Doesn't bode well for getting back from Europe. Kate P.S. I have seen very neagtive remarks about the fact that the SFBallet is still going to have the gala in honor of one of its ballerinas (blanking out on her name). I fail to see why this is horrible....we have to move on at some point and the arts are a great way of coping and healing. Anyone care to comment?

Olivier.. quick question about ABT....I thought I'd read somewhere that the ABT dancers flew out on Monday. In anycase, doesn't it take more than 30hrs to drive from NY to CA (It's about 24hrs to southern Florida from NJ. Does anyone know if they will dance...there was an article about art in CA, but no mention of ABT in San Diego. Kate

Hi! Unfortunately, even though you are able to see your e-mail address, when I pull up your profile, it doesn't list your e-mail address. I suspect that the moderators have set up the profile prefs so that e-mail addresses don't show up to other people. I apologize if you are having problems with my website..occasionally mindspring/earthlink has problems. The url in my signature should be correct, but here it is again... http://www.mindspring.com/~ksneds/SAB.html One other site that you should be able to contact me through (though it's outdated) is http://members.aol.com/jstducky07/jenntodd.html There should be a place to contact me (not Jenn, but Kate) Kate

Manon There is no private messaging on this board, so you need to either have your e-mail revealed in your profile, or e-mail me via my website. Kate

Titania2B... That might be a touchy subject. I think it best not to discuss on this board, but you can e-mail me via my webpage (see URL in my signature) if you would like more details. Kate