vipa

Woops! I'm sorry. I meant the Titania/cavalier pdd. Maybe I typed "oberon" because I now live in Eddie Villella country. Thanks, vipa, for catching me on this.

Oh dear! I am being so unclear. I mean the ppd in the 2nd act that does not involve Titania. I don't know what to call it. Can someone help? It is a true gem.

I'm also with carbro on Symphony in 3 Movements -- and with several of you on the Titania/Oberon pdd in Balanchine MSN'sDream, which I prefer to Ashton's, perhaps because I saw this from the beginning..

I was one of those that mentioned Bananchine's MSN's Dream, but I didn't mean the Tatania/Oberon ppd. I meant the ppd in the 2nd act. I think it is divine.

Sorry, I just wanted to be clear.

I second the vote for Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux for a favorite all purpose ppd.

The one I particularly love, however, is the ppd from the 2nd act of Balanchine's Midsummer Night's Dream. It never fails to move me.

I'm having a thoroughly enjoyable time listening to Thomas Quasthoff's latest album, "The Jazz Album: Watch What Happens."

A highlight: the way he says "Dahling" in "They All Laughed."

I had the privilege of seeing him at Carnegie Hall this year singing an "American Songbook." He is a very charming performer.

I'll have to get the recording.

But does that make it OK? Is the fault, then, of the New Yorker for not using other reviewers (as they do with almost all other arts)?

I think The New Yorker is at fault for categorizing this under "Dancing" instead of a feature article in the center of magazine, as Arlene Croce's attack on Bill T. Jones's "Still/Here" was. I don't think it's a flaw that The New Yorker has a single dance critic.

I was thinking today about the amount of space Croce devoted to Balanchine, her fave, but that was in the context of far more frequent reviewing. These days, it's hard enough to have to wait so long between dance reviews, and disappointing to me when they don't cover any new critical ground--again, there was lots of dance, and even new dance, in the area this summer.

In the '70's and 80's I used to go to the newsstand and go straight to the Table of Contents of the magazine and look for Croce's byline. During the dance season, the weeks she skipped were painful. If I did this for Acocella's reviews, I'd be starved between articles.

Laura Jacobs is hardly as well known as JA.

Makes you think, doesn't it?

Just wanted to remind folks that Croce's "Writing in the Dark" is a terrific collection of her New Yorker reviews.

There was a telling bit about his biography where he said he was drawn to dance because his love of Flamenco which is a very rigorous structured style of dance.. but when he couldn't make it when off on found his own way. I'll give him credit for getting as far as he did. He's a dance celeb.

Just as a small point of information -- MM's dance background is not as limited as the show implied in the brief bio. He studied ballet, I don't remember with whom. He worked for Lubovitch, Feld and others. He also was involved in the White Oaks project along with Baryshnikov.

A former ABT soloist named Christine Spizzo was/is very articulate. ABT was always sending her to TV and radio shows to represent the company. I think she now teaches at North Carolina School of the Arts.

Ah, Christine Sarry. I didn't see her often, but I remember her well (mostly with the early Feld Ballet). She was certainly well-used and appreciated there. Perhaps not so much at ABT? (Anyone know what she's doing now?)

I was thinking of her at ABT, you are right she certainly was used by Feld. Last I heard she was teaching for the Feld school which has a connection with the NYC public school system.

A great topic. I don't know if my thinking fits in. I was thinking of Christine Sarry who was maybe not underestimated as much as under-used. I don't know if that is the same thing or connected.

BTW I remember Renvall as guest with the Eglevesky ballet. He was wonderful

I love NYCB for their style and I love ABT for their's. I went to the ABT Balanchine evening in 2004 and walked away feeling that ABT should do what they do best: full length ballets. When I go to a full lenght ballet at NYCB I walk away feeling that they should do what they do best: an evening of rep.

For many years I had a subscription to NYCB and went to see ABT occasionally. At one point I didn't like the way NYCB was dancing so I reversed and subscribed to ABT and went to see NYCB occasionally. Now I think NYCB is back and ABT is still great so I subscribe to neither but attend more performances of both than ever.

I love Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake but other than that I love rep programs more than full length. ABT, which does have a history of full length, also has a strong history of rep - Lilac Garden, Dark Elegies, Gala Performance, Theme and Variations (done on ABT), Billy the Kid, Intermezzo, Fancy Free, Variations for Four (which would be fun to see again) etc. etc. I just named a few that came to mind that are part of the ABT tradition but that are with the exception of Theme not Balanchine ballets.

My point is that ABT has a strong history of rep as well as full length ballets.

As an aside (I'm sure that most of you know this but I've just discovered it) the ABT web site had a great archive of all the ballets the company has performed, who was in the first cast and other information. I was surprised by the number of ballets I had never heard of.

As some others have said I would like to see Figure in the Carpet. Some dancers who were in it were quoted as saying it is a shame it was lost and others say it is just as well.

I'd also like to see the earlier version of Valse Fantasie. The most recent version has a principal couple. I've been told that the earlier version had several "ballerina parts." Correct me if I'm wrong.

All of these reports are so very much appreciated. It's a relief to hear that substantive changes have been made to the S.B. production and that they appear to be improvements. Thank you so much, 4mrdncer, for the report of Lane's debut. I started to tear up thinking how excited the dancers, the audience and her relatives must have been. Let's hope that her brilliance opens the door a crack for other under-utilized talent. However, we really should write a new rule that these kinds of performances may not happen on the road.

So, they really got rid of the shower curtain?

Amen to all of that. I thank everyone so much for reporting from CA. This board is the best!

I'm with Giannina on Julie Kent - she was great, and really came alive in that Grand Pas de deux at the end. What I especially loved about it was the way she and Carreno looked at each other and responded to each other. It was such a tender, loving relationship between ballerina and cavalier, and perfectly expressed the love that Aurora and the Prince are supposed to be sharing in that pas de deux. At the end of the Pas de deux, when Aurora bows on the floor before coming up for the final promenade, Kent really bowed to Carreno in respect - and when Carreno extended his hand to her, he seemd to say "no, it's you who I adore". I liked that moment a lot.

That's wonderful. I bought a ticket to see Kent in NY but she was injured. You've described what I expected to see. I wish I had the chance.

Did anyone see Cornejo/Lane? Did it really happen?

It is an exciting season. I can't wait to see the casting. I figure Murphy & Wiles as possible leads for Ballo (Lane if Cornejo does the male lead but he might be cast in gigue).

Kent and maybe Part for the Gelsey role in Leaves are Fading.

Pick any three men for Fancy Free -- How about, Gomes, Cornejo, Stiefel?

Many possibilities.

Does anyone know who is staging Bakers Dozen?

California is lucking out! Kent as Aurora (I bought a ticket in NY but Kent was injured), Part as Lilac Fairy and Sarah Lane as Aurora (I hope it happens).

Are there any eye witnesses out there?

I'm reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. You might remember the murder of the Dutch film director, Theo Van Gogh. Ali wrote the screenplay of the movie that brought about the death of Van Gogh. The book is a very interesting story and thought provoking.

Has anyone else read it?

I read mostly biographies and right now I am two-thirds of the way through Doris Kearns Goodwin "A Team of Rivals" on the presidency of Lincoln.---it is eye-opening to read of his Cabinet---(most of them did not agree with him)---it is a pleasure sometimes to sink back into the past.....

Not to mention the adroit way Lincoln disposed of the dangerous ones. Gore Vidal gives a nice account of the goings on in his novel, "Lincoln."

I understand that the popularity of biographies has been rising and they are now the most popular form of historical non-fiction. Also recall reading BTW that many men prefer reading non-fiction and some read no fiction at all -- it's a major difference in the reading habits of the sexes, apparently.

Wonderful book

For a few years, they offered an all-Tchaikovsky, which included Theme, Aurora's Wedding and two pdd's chosen from Swan Lake, Nutcracker or Tchai pas. A bit rich, but I'm starting to miss it.

I liked that program too. Sarah Lane made a very favorable impression with Theme.

When I think about it I always come to the same problem. ABT has always been built on big ballets which rely on stars. Stars are imported as needed which reduces the opportunites for the "in house" talent. Murphy and Wiles fill a technical need and are both developing artistically, but without their technical prowess they would not be principals.

In terms of ticket sales -- I don't know how excitement is created but that is best left to PR departments. From what I've read both Sarah Lane and Misty Copeland make good stories.

While Macaulay lavishes praise on ABT's productions of The Dream and Symphonie Concertante in his 07/15 season review [and strongly implies that this is the way forward for ABT], he admits in the last sentence of the second to last paragraph that the Dream/Concertante double bill didn't sell well.

This got me to thinking about the suggestions I see on this board from time to time about how ABT should do more Ashton, more Balanchine, more mixed bills at the Met, etc. Is there really an untapped audience at ABT for this vs. the multi-act story ballets?

I'm asking this in all seriousness and all politeness (separate and apart from Macaulay's points about improving the existing productions for the multi-act story ballets, which could probably be a topic in and of itself.)

I believe there is an audience for rep programs. I think the problem with the Dream/SC program was that it wasn't really rep or full length. It was more like because Dream isn't long enought to carry an evening, they put another ballet with it. An evening of three ballets and one pas de deux would be very welcomed to a lot of people.

Which fugue? Do you mean the Gigue?

I think both the Gigue and the Menuet are needed structurally. Balanchine creates a whole series of parallels and balances in Mozartiana - the four women of the Menuet are a counterweight to the four little girls in the Preghiera. The man in the gigue *should* be the "negative" to the "positive" of the man in the pas de deux (the original intended cast was two dancers of similar build, Ib Andersen and Victor Castelli - who was replaced because of injury at the opening by Christopher d'Amboise), but it's no longer cast that way - now it's Mutt and Jeff. Farrell's role is the balancing point of all.

Agreed. If you imagine taking the Gigue or Minuet out I think you'll find a tremendous unbalance to the piece. Every time I see it I find more connective tissue.

Has anyone seen Alexandra Ansanelli in Swan Lake? Does she do the pas de trois or anything else? I'm curious about how she is doing. I used to enjoy her in NYCB.

It just seems such a big jump from being promoted to soloist to doing Aurora.

Just as it seems a big jump from signing a corps contract -- ink still wet -- and dancing the lead in Theme & Variations.

I'm sure Sarah would not have been cast if the staff didn't have confidence in her ability to deliver. If they couldn't find a suitable partner for Herman, they would have substituted a lead couple.

Right you are! Thanks

This is wonderful news, congratulations Sarah AND Herman!!!!

Lane is a beautiful young dancer who is being groomed for stardom. A couple of years ago she danced the lead in Theme & Variations (with Cornejo), but this is her first classical leading role, and I’m sure she will be wonderful as Aurora. Cornejo is amazing - he's really a startlingly beautiful classicist.

This is casting that many of us in NY were hoping for, and we’re all very jealous of our OC friends who’ll get to see their joint debut.

I enjoyed her Theme so much. I wish her well in Aurora and I would definately buy a ticket in NY to see her (A factor in my ticket buying was her Blue Bird).

It just seems such a big jump from being promoted to soloist to doing Aurora. Isn't this unusual at ABT? NYCB mixes the ranks up more.

Who would be factor in the casting - Gelsey, Kevin, various coaches -- or is it just a matter of Reyes being injured and finding the best short girl (OK that sounds really stupid, but you know what I mean) to fill in. I hope Sarah is up to it.

Try going to the "Options" box - it's on the right hand side at the top of the thread and clicking on "standard view" - once or twice I've visited BT via a Google search for an older discussion and the search engine found it in "outline view" and my browser (Firefox) toggled over and kept the option.

Thank you so much. Switching to standard view did it for me. The other format was driving me crazy, but I can see how it would be a useful choice in some instances.

Personally I was unhappy sitting through Dybbuk which was placed between two wonderful ballets. Likewise with Orpheus (not a favorite of mine) which was between Apollo and Agon. Two examples of ballets that fit a "theme" but that did not, in my opinion, make for good programing. So for me option B