Ginny Kanter

What a wonderful film! Natalia, thank you so much for the link.

A VHS tape was released by Dance Adventures and WVIZ TV. I don't have my copy handy, but my notes show that it was released in 1997 and lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. Copies used to turn up occasionally on eBay.

Isn't he amazing! How many dancers of his technical ability are also seductively witty, or should I say wittily seductive? Although I realize that role was created for a man of slight build, I can't help thinking about what he could do with Three Virgins and a Devil. Since when are there size limits on devils anyway? In my dreams, ABT stages the ballet for Gomes. I'm still casting the virgins. Any suggestions?

I also liked it. But at one point there was a long shot showing the ribbons all tangled up around the pole. The next long show showed them all perfectly in order. I spent an unnecessarily extended amount of time trying to figure out how the dancers had managed that trick. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I've seen the ribbons become tangled and then untangled in a live performance, without a change in camera perspective, and still can't quite imagine how the dancers do this. Such a wonderful evening!

I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to read this! Must forward the URL to everyone I know who loves ballet. Thank you, thank you!

Having delivered myself of a whine, if not a rant, about ABT Saturday matinee casting in advance of the company's arrival, I would just like to say that I moved to goose bumps and tears by Michelle Wiles' Swan Lake. Just stunning. As wonderful as her Odette was, her Odile was if anything even better, scintillating both technically and dramatically. Belosertkovsky was a fine prince, noble of manner and line. It was wonderful to see more of Maria Riccetto and Danny Tidwell, and I welcomed the opportunity to see the much-discussed Monique Meunier. Like the queen and princesses, I was seduced by Jesus Pastor's von Rothbart, although nothing will erase my memory of Marcelo Gomes in the role. The swans earned the roar of applause that greeted them at the curtain call. It was a memorable afternoon. I look forward to seeing the production again on PBS and DVD. Although I wouldn't have minded missing Polovtsian Dances, ABT certainly brought two fine weeks of dancing to the Kennedy Center. Last week's Petrouchka has left indelible memories. The entire production--dancing, setting, costumes--was both moving and thrilling. Would that we could look forward to a film of this as well. For now, I'll settle for rereading Alexandre Benois's description of Russian street festivals in Reminiscences of the Russian Ballet. Still glowing from the past two weeks, I begin my happy anticipation of the New York City Ballet's arrival next month.

Thanks for understanding! The Fokine program is, as you note, an exception to the usual matinee programming. I'm eagerly looking forward to it. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to write to the KC as you suggest. Michael Kaiser's tenure has improved the series scheduling beyond my wildest expectations. Perhaps he could bring his magic to bear on casting as well.

I think it's way premature to assume that Wiles is being relegated to permanent Saturday matinee status. She and Part are the most junior of the Odette/Odiles, both being soloists, so in the ABT scheme of things that means they get matinees. (This type of scaled casting is common in other big companies, too.) But others get matinees as well: no less a luminary than Diana Vishneva is dancing Odette/Odile on Saturday afternoon, July 9, at the Met. And if I'm not mistaken, Gillian Murphy was doing matinees not too long ago, and now she's down for three (evening) Swan Lakes in DC, as well as the telecast. So Wiles does have prospects. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Please understand that my comment was in no way directed against Wiles. Her career is clearly on the rise, and I look forward to seeing her Odette/Odile. I was just venting some frustration that has built up over the course of many years. I understand the reality of scaled casting. (Incidentally, it's not surprising that Saturday matinee casting at the Met is different from Saturday matinee casting at the KC.) However, most other companies haven't "scaled" to quite the same extent as ABT under Kevin McKenzie. It is simply a fact that year after year, KC Saturday matinee audiences got to see Ashley Tuttle in virtually every full-length ballet. (Dvorovenko's Juliet is an exception that comes to mind.) Tuttle is a lovely dancer, and I enjoyed these performances. However, as a result of this casting, many of the ABT dancers who excite the most comment in the press and in this forum are virtually unknown quantities to me, apart from videos, despite years as a subscriber. Thank heavens this wasn't always the case, or I wouldn't have cherished memories of Kirkland's Don Quixote and Makarova's Giselle. It's almost certainly unrealistic to hope for a first-cast Saturday matinee these days, but it would be lovely, every few years, to see a second or third cast. It will also be lovely to see Wiles.

Feb. 12 1:30pm[/b] SWAN LAKE Wiles, Beloserkovsky Well, that answers a question. I had wondered who would take Ashley Tuttle's place as the Saturday matinee ballerina. Having seen Tuttle in almost every matinee performance of full-length ballets for some years, I guess we'll now be seeing a great deal of Wiles. Both are fine dancers. I have many wonderful memories of Tuttle's delicacy and precision and look forward to seeing Wiles' Swan Lake. That said, however, ABT's KC Saturday matinee casting has been short on first-, second-, and sometimes even third-cast names during the McKenzie years (in contrast to Baryshnikov-era or NYCB casting). No Ananiashvili, Herrera, or Ferri for us although we once got to see Kirkland and Makarova in full-length ballets. Unless memory fails me, the Feb. 5 Les Sylphides will be our first opportunity to see Julie Kent since she was new to the company. Needless to say, her Swan Lake is not scheduled for a Saturday matinee. Gentle reminder to those who control (or influence) such things: there are many reasons besides youth or advanced years why one might attend a matinee. Many of us are committed ballet lovers who would cherish the occasional opportunity to see a first or second cast even though excellent dancing is not confined to their ranks. Having gotten that off my chest, I'll just close by saying that it will be wonderful to see ABT again. It always is.

Belatedly, wasn't Peter Boal's Prodigal Son incredible? I've seen several dancers in the role, including Baryshnikov, but never a performance like Boal's in the Saturday matinee. I couldn't take my eyes off him. In fact, despite having excellent seats, I used binoculars for much of the performance, sacrificing larger views to concentrate on Boal. In addition to the sheer technique, his nuance, subtlety, and detail were just stunning--for example, the shy but delighted smile as his hand reached out to touch the Siren's hand while the goons were dancing. I was in tears when the ballet ended. This was definitely a performance to enter in my list of magical ballet moments. I was also very impressed with Teresa Reichlen in Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto (Miranda Weese, too, of course, but I expected to be impressed by Weese). Reichlen lit up the stage. So good to have the company back and begin to learn new faces. It almost offsets the sadness of dancers not seen (many now retired) during the company's 17-year hiatus. My gratitude to Michael Kaiser for resolving the impasse knows no bounds!

To contribute a slightly different perspective, perhaps Allan and I are too easily pleased. Perhaps we have seen so many performances of Dougla and Troy Games that any respite is welcome. For years, almost every KC DTH Saturday matinee has included one or the other. If memory serves, one year even brought something we'd long joked might happen: both in one performance. Memorable! They're striking dances, well worth seeing, but not to the exclusion of the rest of a rich and varied repertory. In any event, we thought yesterday's (second) DTH program was one of the best in some time. The four ballets were quite different in style, and we found much to enjoy in all of them. The company also seemed in better form and better spirits than when we we last saw it. (Was there a dip at that time, and if so, does any one know why? It did seem a transitional period for the company.) All in all, it was an afternoon that exceeded our expectations. I'd be interested to hear what others thought. I'd also be interested to know what some of the well-known names of the past are doing. An era seemed to come to an end in the few years, mostly due to retirement I presume. So many dancers to miss! Virginia Johnson is, of course, editing Pointe magazine, and Lowell Smith appears to be staging some works for the company. There was sad news about Stephanie Dabney awhile back. Any word of any of the others, Hugues Magen, for instance?

Kevin and Jeannie, thanks for all the wonderful information! I can imagine that Lescaut's mistress would suit Sologub far better than Aurora, Clara/Masha, or Cinderella. (Can a Sologub Giselle be far off at this rate?) [ February 19, 2002: Message edited by: Ginny ]

Alexandra, your comments are truncated, ending in mid-word. I'd be interested to read them in their entirety. There seems to be very little response to this thread, and in fact there were many empty seats at the Saturday matinee. Whether this was a function of the holiday season and recent appearances by the Cuban National Ballet and ABT or the disarray of the company last year, I couldn't say. Maybe both. After last year, I doubt we'd have bought tickets had they not been included in our subscription. Given the performance we saw last year, there was really nowhere for the company to go but up--not to the level of years back but up. And a program without either Dougla or Troy Games came as a relief. Nothing against either ballet, but after seeing one or the other (and occasionally both!) year after year, we welcomed a break. Is there a consensus as to what has happened to the company in the last few years? Clearly a number of very talented dancers have retired or left for other reasons. Does that explain what we saw last year? Is Arthur Mitchell, still at the helm, responsible for the change in focus so carefully noted in the Washington Post?

Please tell me more about her! I thought she was absolutely wonderful--gorgeous feet, beautifully used; a lovely, light quality of movement; a charming comic touch. Can't remember having seen a better Lise. I was also struck by the fresh, natural quality of the corps women. What a marvelous a ballet La Fille Mal Gardee is on every level and what a wonderful afternoon of dance! Everyone in the audience, which included many small children, seemed to enjoy every moment. Wish you could have been there, Shirley.