SanderO

This topic interests me in both ballet and opera. How are these "things" woeven together? Who makes the decisions about how the music is to "sound? How much input do the dancers, or in the case of opera, have? If they are subordinate the executive decisions of the conductor or the AD, choreographer, Ballet master or the producer, why is this so? Are any of these musical "decisions" made with a consensus, or are they always hierarchical and your decision matrix is defined by your job description. Placido Domingo is both a tenor on stage and a conductor of the orchestra. He wears several different hats at different times. His comments on this would be interesting.

Has any engineer tried to tackle this problem?

sidwich, I would be curious to know what appealed to said millionaire. Did (s)he say?

This is an excellent point which for me is the crux of the matter. Ballroom and figure skating may look like ballet at times and are about movement, but they are really an athletic competition. I suppose I am not thrilled by movement as athleticism as much as I am by movement as aesthetics... if you get my drift. To each their own.

Dirac, I can't agree with you that figure skating is interesting to watch. Once you have seen trible lutz (sp?) and sow cows (sp?) and the slow glide up to the jump a few times and a few spinning moves like a top it begins to look very much the same to my uneducated eye. I will say when I first tuned in to ABC a decade ago I was fascinated by figure skating and now I can't even look at it. On the other hand, I find ballet had so much more nuance that even seeing the same ballet over and over again there is always more to see. My interest in ballet grews as my interest in "flash dance" sports waned. I am not saying that these are not talented people. They are. To me it is like comparing classical music to rock music. Figure skating pales in comparison to ballet (for me). And this has nothing to do with whether the audience is paying to see it or being paid to judge it.

I used to enjoy watching "figure skating". Then it began to morph into another weird competition of virtuosity which seem to consist of stringing together a series of difficult "moves" or jumps.. sorry I don't know the technical term called a program wearing some rather hideous and increasingly tacking looking costumes always performed to music with the same type of emotional "pitch". Some of the "shows" were absolutely insufferable such as one which featured Sarah Brightman singing at the rink side in dominatrix gear. The whole genre as I see it on TV has gone tacky beyond belief. I experienced the same when I watched some "ballroom" competitions. The dancers have great bods, with excellent control of them, but much of the dancing looks like atheletics and the costumes are about as hideous as I can imagine. I don't know if this uglification and altheletification is a US or world wide thing. But it makes me appreciate more and more the ballet and reminds me of what America does / did to classical architecture in their "interpretation" / modernization of classical motifs. Is this progress?

From the cited article: Weir’s outfits often sparkle like disco balls; in his short program he pretends to be a seagull. His total package has not only led to assumptions that he is gay — something not as taboo in figure skating as in other sports — but a controversy over his not being the right type of gay. During a figure skating broadcast last year, the announcer Mark Lund, who is openly gay, said, “I don’t think he’s representative of the community I want to be a part of,” and, “I don’t need to see a prima ballerina on the ice,” before praising Lysacek’s masculinity. .... Getting more serious, Weir continued: “If I was out to please 10-year-old girls and their 45-year-old mothers in Boise, Idaho, I could play the game and be nice and make my voice deeper. But I don’t see the point. I’m not alive for 10-year-old girls and their 45-year-old mothers in Boise, Idaho — or Colorado Springs, Colo.” ....

This may be OT, but I wonder if there are any studies of about the non ballet attending audience and why they choose NOT to attend? It would seem to me, that once you open yourself up to the "beauty of ballet" of males and females who move exquisitely, with extremely well toned, developed and flexible bodies, gay or straight simply does not figure into the calculus. The love of beauty and movement is not a gay or straight thing. it's a human thing. Ain't it?

I was fortunate to attend a dress rehearsal at the Met Opera this past fall for Madama Butterfly. The Puccini opera is one of the most well known, but I had found the prior Met Opera production rather boring. The Menghella production however, was visually stunning. One of the most exciting things he did, which I think would be fabulous for some ballet productions is to have a huge mirror suspended above the stage. The mirror was as large as the entire stage and mounted at 45° so that it showed a "plan view" or bird's eye view of the stage. The was particularly interesting because of the sets and costumes and seeing the opera from front view and top view was thrilling. I don't know what this brilliant idea has not been picked up by the ABT who shares the house with the Met Opera, but it would a wonderful way to see some or the corps work. Regardless, there were other innovations Minghella employed in the production such as the use of a puppet for the child, who of course had no speaking part, and so rather than have a child play the silent role, he used a full size puppet, perhaps as a reference to anime? Who knows. Minghella really made that Madama experience memorable for me. I can only imagine what he could have done with some other operas. We'll never know.

Anthony Minghella died after complications from surgery. He will be remembered for many things among them film version of The English Patient and for me the recent Met Opera production of Madama Butterfly. Thanks Anthony, RIP

Some thoughts on this thread. Rudi was universally accepted as a great dancer and a gorgeous man. he also was perceived to have bravely stood up to the USSR at a time when the cold war was a very hot item and he was thrust into the spotlight at the time as much for his defection as for his skill which was not well know in this country. Publishing an article about ballet in a national news weekly must be seen as an overall marketing attempt to bring the mainstream to ballet. As others have pointed out, the stereotype issues are well known and often discussed within the ballet community and their publications. So the content of the Sasha's article doesn't brave any new territory. Not being a ballet dancer I have no idea of what it is like on a day to day basis to deal with the stereotypes of the male dancer as gay. Obviously this is less a problem within the dance world than it would be for the male dancer when he has to interface with those outside of the dance community. But I don't think such an article would have much effect at tearing down these stereotypes. There are really two over arching approaches here. Get society to accept homosexuality and give up their bigotry. And this would apply to all professions. Or introduce the world to the fact that there are plenty of straight males in ballet and crash thew stereotype that all males in ballet are gay. Sasha seems to be working on the second on and chose a well read national news weekly to stage on battle in the struggle. Someone above raised the notion that it is ballet itself which fosters, encourages and embraces gay males and hence is, ironically, part of the the myth creation that if a male is a ballet dancer he must be gay. That is the area where some light needs to focused. Is there any basis to make such a connection? I suppose some might argue that the attraction to "beauty" is something that straight males seem not to be interested in. But surely this doesn't apply to painting or sculpture. While there have been many brilliant gay artists, there are many straight and this stererotype, the gay artist, thought it may exist is hardly as strong as it is for ballet. It doesn't seem to apply to Tango or Flamenco, break dancing, hip hop, ballroom or tap dancing just to name a few dance genres where they stereotype seems not to apply. So where does the stereotype come from? Is it the men in tights thing? Tights are women's clothing and so men who work in and feel comfortable in must be gay. I have no idea how the stereotype is built, so I am speculating. But there are other professions where macho type males are wearing skin tight clothing such as triathalon and luge suits. Could the stereotype come down to what dancers wear in some ballets and in rehearsal? It seems irrational but that's how bigotry works - non rational thinking. And how about this. What is the big deal that ballet might attract more gay than straight men? Are there more gays proportionately who are attracted to careers in the arts as opposed to macho professions such as race car drivers or soccer players, or carpenters or masons? There are lots of stereotypes out there and some represent short cuts in thinking and though not universally applicable they they have elements of truth to them. Think of the the lithe bun head with a big dance bag over her shoulder. That a stereotype of a female dance student, ain't it? The fact is, that whatever the percentage of gay males in ballet and the arts in general, there are straight ones, married ones with children and so forth. So in the end, what is the impact of the stereotype? Is it affecting the attendance at ballet? Is it experienced as discrimination by dancers both gay and straight inside or outside of dance? Are dancers such as Sasha being hit on my gay males all the time and are weary from turning away advances? Are they subject to ridicule? On the face being a straight male in a ballet seems like a great gig, don't it? You work with lots of beautiful women (and men) all day long and you don't have to sit at a desk and peer into a computer screen. If I could change presto into a straight ballet dancer from my own profession, I would do it in a New York minute. Does any of this make sense?

The last I looked there were hetero and gay cops, firemen, baseball players, politicians, teachers and ballet dancers fathers, bus drivers and cowboys... And there are stereotypes and there will always be stereotypes and hopefully people are moving past bigotry. I don't see how sexual/gender ID has anything to do with those or other occupations. Who really cares?

Dance in general seems to be making quite a return to the mainstream. All one needs to do is look at the dance shows on the teevee, hop hop, break dancing, ballroom dancing and so on. I suspect that the stereotype of the "gay" ballet dancer, like many stereotypes, are based little fact. In the case of ballet I suspect the misunderstanding is made in that ballet is thought of by the non attending ballet public as "pretty girls" spinning in tutus. But why is it that when a man moves gracefully and elegantly he might be thought of as "gay'? That is weird. Masculine is awkward and clumsy? The dancers in the non ballet dance genres are not tagged with the stereotype. I don't get it. Why does it matter? When I go to the ballet I want to see beautiful dance, movement, bodies, and could care less about what the dancer's life is off the stage. I don't think many people outside of ballet know who Sasha is. Maybe the male dancers need to start a softball league and compete with the "real males" out there and dispel the myth that ballet cant throw overhand. hahaha

I love the look of the tutu and I feel it is very complimentary to dancers body and her movement. It marks such a clear separation of the legs from the upper body, but it doesn't destroy the line. There was an amazing exhibit of Tutus at the NY City Center some time ago and the detail and workmanship was stunning. It's a shame that the audience doesn't get to see the detail of some these garment. I am curious who invented the tutu and what was driving force or idea behind it? Was it introduced for one ballet in particular? is there a "standard" diameter? Is a tutu considered traditional or do more contemporary choreographers use them? Sorry for all questions, but this is my ballet learning lab.

Artists in many fields will typically have "representation", especially when they begin to move ahead in their field. Obviously they have to have sufficient talent to be seen as an economic opportunity for the representative. And there does seem to be a certain achievement of notoriety which would demand an agent. But this individual career advancement may be counter to the ensemble nature of a ballet company. Baseball players, for example have representative which I suppose negotiate sponsorships as well as compensation at contract time. Principals to so seem to guest occasionally and in the case of Vishneva she is on both the Kirov and the ABT, and she did her own Beauty in Motion. That seems like a lot to have on her plate in addition to rehearsals. I find it hard to conceive that Ms Vishneva does not have a business representative who assists her in making it all happen. And as noted above ballet is international and despite how brilliant and talented a dancer may be, reading or negotiating a contract is pretty tough especially in a language which is not your mother tongue. I suspect that top tier dancers who want to advance their careers and have control over it must have representation.

Mel, I find that a bit unusual for dancers. It would seem that an agent not only finds projects, but negotiates terms and conditions etc., that is the contract side of the deal. This is a expecting a lot from an artist, I would think. Do artists approach a company and offer their services in some part or wait for an AD to seek them out? Or what about a situation like the recent Beauty in Motion tour, would Ms Vishneva need legal/management support to arrange everything from the other dancers, to the musicians, costumes, stage props and venues, insurance etc. That's expecting a lot from an artist to "do in their spare time."

Oh that's brilliant. I think they would look great together.

It would depend on the demographics of the "general" ballet going public. Those taking the biggest hit in this depression will be the bottom end. The very bottom couldn't afford ballet to begin with. The lower middle class is was an expensive luxury and it will be one of the first things to drop away. The middle middle class will simply cut back on everything and may still have some cash for "entertainment", but they may have to choose between ballet, opera, theater, sports etc. The upper middle class are feeling the inch and will move to cheaper seats perhaps or simply attend fewer performances and be more selective in their choices. They will cut back on their support as well. The upper class will continue in the same numbers in attendance and support. But they will be asked to provide more support. Short answer, less people attend ballet in a depression and those that do are well off.

It is so hard to speculate on these things when all you have is press reports. However, it appears that she is a dancer who had an expectation of "advancement" and wanted to dance principal roles and be challenged to improve. Obviously her move to NYC was very stressful for her as far as adapting to the language and culture and it appears that this too may have contributed to her being less than thrilled about being with ABT. I don't know that the ABT cares about smoothing the way for foreigners who they enlist to dance with respect to culture and language and so forth, but ignoring these things (if they do/did) is certainly not going to make a better dancer. You obviously need a well adjusted person to be free enough to optimize their professional career. I am guessing that this has played a part in her decision to leave NYC and the ABT. But why would London be any different? Perhaps with the language less a barrier and some "street smarts" she is better equipped now to press on with her career. But dancers need to be both given opportunity and to create them as far as advancement goes. And there is only so much room at the top. And being shy does not help. If no one is advocating for you and you can't or will not do it, then you rely oj circumstances or others to provide the opportunity. America doesn't work that way. We are firm believes of "self promotion", public relations, networking and "marketing" to "get ahead." None of these sound like things Ms Part is comfortable with based on the press accounts. She is talented and if she doesn't change her own approach to advancement in her career, it will be in the hands of others in the management of some company who will decide to "invest" in her. When you examine people such as Anna Pavlova, you can see how their ego and confidence propelled her career to the point where she created her own dance world and they came! Diana Vishneva is taking a similar tack. In the end there is only so much room at the top and the people up there are not likely to make room for me. Are they?

I was thinking about whether ballet dancers have "agents" / managers such as actors and musicians usually do. Admittedly most ballet dancers are mostly performing withing one company, but they do move about and I was wondering how they "negotiate" their "package". Recently Diana Vishneva struck out on her own a bit with Beauty in Motion. I would think that both the ABT and the Kirov would have some "say" in what their dancers can do, at least from the point of view of health, safety and availability. Also several principals seem to perform with several companies. It would seem, on the face, that negotiating these arrangements WOULD require an agent or manager. On the other hand it seems that many dancers enter a company and work their way up over years and we don't see them moving "horizontally" to other companies. Regardless of what the pay scale is, aren't performers ion companies paid a base salary and additional amounts for each performance? How does that actually work?

I awoke this morning to di Stefano singing Rigoletto. What a wonderful voice. Thanks for all you gave to us Mr di Stefano. RIP. You deserve it.

Baseball cap

It seems like a ballet company has a pyramid like structure: large corps, fewer soloists and the fewest principals. The presumption is that a dancer wants to move up the pyramid, and in a sense they seem to HAVE to move up the pyramid, unless they move horizontally from another company where they had an "elevated" status. But I suppose some dancers enjoy being a corps member with fewer demands. But how DO they get noticed for advancement? I suppose not all dancers are suited to be principals for any number of reasons, skill, body type, and "personality" and having to find room at the next level if they are advanced. And then you also have to consider that the corps too much be filled. Corps work can be very demanding without the virtuosity we see in lead and solo roles. I would think that the corps is a physically safer place to be. No? Opera doesn't seem to work the same. Singers seem to suddenly appear cast in supporting rolls and then perhaps move into principal roles as there doesn't seem to be the corresponding "corps".

This evening had little to do with ballet and all to do with dance and bodies in motion danced on point shoes. The audience seemed to be mostly Russians so they came out in force to support their girl. If their applause was any indication her Beauty In Motion was well received. The house was almost full. What I found interesting about the choreography was how the costuming and the movement intersected. The first piece had loosely fitting costumes odd skull caps while in others they were dancing in the barest of cover ups and the FLOW was mostly a light show using body parts in UV light. Children would have really enjoyed FLOW. It was clever, amusing (probably fun to perform) moving body parts but not really beauty in motion. Three Point Turn was very energetic and Diana's sinewy body was contrasted with the soft bodies of her female companions from Maryinsky. The same was true in the contrast between Desmond Richardson's body. He is wonderful to watch perform. Miss Vishneva demonstrated enormous control of her body shunting her limbs and torso around in every which way without seeming to sweat a drop or falter. The bead costume was again visually very interesting, hardly dance and she mostly spun about at different speeds and the beads created a disc of spinning sparkling light. Again a "gimmick" that children would love and in my opinion only called dance because it can't be called anything else. I suppose modern dance has a lot of that sort of exploration of what a body can do with movement, costuming and "props". The entire evening was for me an intersection by a woman with superb classical technique and her talented colleagues having "fun" with their bodies using "modern" music and borrowing from a range of theatrical techniques. It had nothing to do with ballet and ballet IS beauty in motion as well. I don't know that a classical piece inserted into the evening would have made sense in the context of what she had going there. I thought the chemistry between Diana and Desmond was very hot. They were, indeed, two beauties in motion. Like "In The Upper Room", I felt exhausted when the evening ended, something I have never "felt" after a ballet performance. I have felt many emotions, but never "exhaustion." Diana and her dancers gave me a feeling of exhaustion. My overall impression was that this show was a very bold move for Ms Vishneva who obviously doesn't want to be taken for "just another brilliant" classical prima ballerina in a succession of Russian dancers. She clearly seems to be in love with movement, the skill that she has in making her body do what she wants it to, and is sending a clear message that she has not only mastered the classics, but broadened her horizons and wants the world to know it. Check, we got it. I am looking forward to the Kirov and the ABT season.

Having just returned from Beauty In Motion I can report that Diana Vishneva has a 3-4" diameter blue tattoo outside on her left pelvis. It was not obvious to the person sitting next to me, but I noticed it and confirmed it with my binocs. First I thought it was a shadow line from her costume, then a black and blue mark (odd place) but it turned out to be a tattoo for sure. I was sitting fairly close row in the Grand Tier so would be pretty hard to see despite its size. Once I knew it was there, I did find it distracting. But it was only visible when the very top of her leg at her hip bone was exposed. Russian Prima Ballerina sports a tatt!