Autumn7

I remember a wonderful Juliet that Susan Jaffee danced with Bissell also but I don't know if that's the one Alexandra saw. It was the first time that I ever saw MacMillan's R&J and it has always stayed with me. The Don Q. I remember was one done with Kevin McKenzie. Susan was nailed to the floor in those pirouettes - just wonderful-and Kevin's very high leaps covered more than half the width of the stage - just one of the many great nights we have spent watching ABT and Susan. I don't know how my husband will cope with this. He's just now beginning to recover from Cynthia Harvey's retirement! We certainly will miss Susan and wish her all the best in whatever 'retirement' might bring her.

The wing's eye view entry was very enjoyable. My husband and I were in front orchestra side and occasionally we could see the dancers in the wings Saturday night. I kept thinking how wonderful it was to see so many in the bravura pieces this ballet allows. And, as one who missed both Nureyev and Baryshnikov while they were in their balletic prime, how blessed we were to see Angel Corella now in his. Now I am in 'ABT Withdrawal' and am pouring over their Spring brochure for the Met and watching videos!

And in a whole other different direction there's Act II with the Willies (mispelled on purpose to take on a literal meaning)hopping across the stage in cowboy boots wearing red beards and braids carrying guitars. Red, white & blue bandannas cover them instead of the misty shrouds. The music is, of course, 'Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain' or 'Crazy (for loving you)'

And in a whole other different direction there's Act II with the Willies (mispelled on purpose to take on a literal meaning)hopping across the stage in cowboy boots wearing red beards and braids carrying guitars. Red, white & blue bandannas cover them instead of the misty shrouds. The music is, of course, 'Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain' or 'Crazy (for loving you)'

Speaking of the film 'The Red Shoes' - When I saw that ballerina being victimized by those two very egotistical males in her life to the point of suicide, my first reaction was,"Why doesn't she just stride off across the Atlantic and leave them in the dust?!" When I saw 'Cooper's' ballet in 'Center Stage' I thought "Oh, Good! Better late than never!"

Thank you for the remark about Ben the horse. It made me laugh out loud at work on a very dull day today!

Giannina, evidentally you aren't the only one that feels that the 'death leap is a bit campy' (or at least the execution of it).. When ABT was here for SL a couple years ago one of their principal dancers was watching the performance in the audience behind us. When 'Prince Sigfried' took his leap she laughed so loudly heads turned several rows in front of us back her way. ABT's men dance beautifully but after seeing several SL's that week we came to the conclusion that only Belotserkovsky can dive just as gracefully! By the way, we loved the overall production too. I wish I could be there to see it again but - perhaps this spring in NY.

I keep all my programs from any theater event I've attended and I have boxes of them stacked in the spare bedroom, not to mention the souvenier programs also. Most of the souvenier books are on book shelves though. Most of the stagebills are ballet related and it would be very hard to discard them. Whenever I try to clean that room I'm always hard pressed to finish because I'll inevitably start leafing through those old programs and then I find myself 2 or 3 hours later sitting on the floor in a shaft of late afternoon sunlight with a room not nearly finished! My husband is even worse. The other closet in that room is devoted to the concerts that he's attended over the years and holds programs, posters, tee shirts, etc. from the concerts. It's no wonder many of our regular clothes are on 2 racks in the middle of the floor instead of in the closets!

Just in case anyone is interested I received notice that ABT dancers will perform some of the Nutcracker on the Tonight Show Wednesday night December 19. The notice did not state which section will be danced.

Welcome Farrell Fan - I saw first hand this month that ballet can be a tremendous source of comfort. I took a friend who is going through a painful divorce to the ballet and she said that it was the first time in weeks that her problems left her mind and she felt relaxed. She actually fell asleep in the back of the car going home afterward even with the rest of us chatting away. I find it's beauty to be a blessing in my life no matter what my mood is.

Houston Ballet's 'Dracula' - Not even Carlos Acosta's dancing could save that one!

ABT performed 'Giselle" here last spring and Ashley Tuttle and Angel Corella danced the leads on a Saturday afternoon. After Tuttle melts back into her grave, Corella pressed his fingertips to his lips and then tenderly pressed them against the cross on Giselle's grave and raised his gaze heavenward. I have never seen an Albrecht do this. It was very moving and, to me, suggested not simply just a farewll kiss to Giselle but a gratefulness to a higher power that both he and his love were spared from a terrible darkness. I always felt that Giselle was released from the power of the Wilis and that Albrecht led a life of saintly philanthropy until he and Giselle could be reunited in the next life. He is certainly a changed man.

I have to agree with Colwill on Asylmuratova. When I hear 'Aurora' she is the dancer that comes to my mind. I saw her performance way back in the summer of 1989 when the Kirov visited Washington, DC and she will always be my definitive princess in that ballet. She was all youth, joy, radiance, and marvelous dancing and that sealed her in my heart forever. Instead of being moved to tears, though, I felt like I could fly afterward!

Atm711, I feel the same way about both cities. Both New York and Washington are the two cities where my love of dance has been so wonderfully nurtured. As my husband said yesterday, it will be so sad to drive into NY and not see those Twin Towers. My friend's husband is with Mortuary Services for the Army and he called her to pack him an overnight bag with some changes of clothing to send up because he will sadly be working at the Pentagon for quite awhile. We live about 65 miles out of Washington but thank you to all those who have sent their thoughts and prayers to everyone in those cities. Our prayers, too, are with you all.

I have a vague pre-school memory of seeing ballet on the Ed Sullivan Show and of thinking that ballet dancers couldn't be real because of the way they moved, the outfits they wore, and the ballerina's make-up. Something must have stuck with me though, because in elementary school when we were exposed to classical music, I knew that Tchaikovsky's score belonged to the 'Swan Lake Ballet' and I was the only kid in class that knew this. Even my teacher seemed surprised at my knowing this but pleased also. Later on when my cousins took ballet my Mom asked me if I wanted to join them but, much to my regret now, I preferred to play baseball with my brother and his friends! My Mom did love dance but mainly Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and Donald O'Connor so my love of ballet probably stemmed from her. I will confess on this board that my father thought Groucho Marx was a very good dancer! It wasn't until after I'd married and moved away to the area where I now live that I saw a 'Swan Lake' on PBS, thought it was beautiful but also thought you had to go to New York City to see that caliber of ballet. My sweet husband, bless his heart, informed his hillbilly wife that dance such as I saw on PBS was available at the Kennedy Center. About 20 years ago for Christmas he gave me a string of pearls and tickets for ABT and it's been love ever since! I count ballet as one of those essential things that makes life worthwhile now. (And in a nod to my Dad, I love the Marx Brothers too, but I don't think Groucho's dancing is quite up to ballet standards!)