pleiades

None of the above. . . Ricardo Montalban, because "rich corinthian leather is muy macho."

I actually love it when a teacher uses eclectic music. One of my favorites was John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things" . Then there was the grand pirouette combination when the pianist played "I Could Have Danced All Night." The teacher said to us before the repeat, "now remember, you're all Audrey Hepburn." And it worked!

So, finally, a use for my aesthetics major from college, where my first philosophy paper was on precisely this topic. As I recall, like so much, there is no unequivocal answer about not only what is high vs. low or mass art, but even, about what constitutes art at all. Different schools of thought emerge, going back to Aristotle's poetics and the notion of catharsis.

All of the criteria you suggest can be relevant in making a determination, but I was most struck by the direction the end of the thread was going -- which in essence made art and entertainment mutually exclusive, something which I would argue is decidedly not the case.

Re: the question of 'is all ballet art?' Don't forget, not all art is good. Anybody remember Leonard Pinth-Garnell?

Gershwin's Preludes for Piano (there are three of them). Of course maybe they've been done and I'm just clueless. Also "Drive All Night" and "Racing in the Streets" by Bruce Springsteen. Am I excommunicated now?

Probably not quite what you meant, but in at least one nursery school (mine, many, many years ago), Peer Gynt Suite was used as music for us to dance to. The teacher would put on the record and we would get to move around the room however we liked. I've loved it ever since.

I'm sorry, I couldn't help it -- how about a cameo by Mr. Peanut in Nutcracker.

I just found your picture in the program! In the Swan Lake pages -- perhaps I did see you.

It was definitely either Etudes or Theme and Variations -- not Billy the Kid. I believe it was Theme and Variations, but I'm not positive. I remember thinking that the photograph in the program from Billy the Kid (of one of the principals I believe) looked so thrilling that I was disappointed I wasn't seeing it.

It was ABT on tour during the 1961-62 season when I was 5. I remember the bill had part of Swan Lake, Les Patineurs and something else. I wanted to be one of the dancers in Les Patineurs because I loved their costumes. I still have the program. I believe Eleanor D'Antonio was Odette.

As a viewer, Jiri Kylian's choreography is truly extraordinary -- it reaches me on some level that other choreographers do not. I am curious, from any of those on this board who have danced his work, what it feels like as a performer. Do you enjoy it? And if so, what makes it special. Or, if it feels no different or not particularly special I'd love to know that too. And I may very well have not asked the right questions. If that's the case, please answer the ones I didn't ask.

Thank you so much -- it sounds as though he'll love it.

I'm hoping that someone who knows Elizabeth Streb's work might be able to tell me about its appropriateness for a nine-year old boy. My concerns revolve around themes that might be too sophisticated or multimedia (the description included the use of "historical footage") pieces that might be too much for my son to handle. Thank you.

A Candle For St. Jude was written by Rumer Godden. I still have the paperback copy I bought when I was in high school bazillions of years ago. It's well worth searching out.

Thank you very much. Somewhat relieved to know my instincts were on target -- and I can certainly see the 'opium overtones' in the piece. Too bad it's not available, I would love to see it.

I knowingly (as in I found out what I'd been listening to) heard Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique yesterday and it struck me as eminently suited for choreography -- one of those times when I could 'see' the ballet while listening to the music. Has anyone ever choreographed to it?

OK, here's a groaner: Les Patineurs the prequel: "Thus Spake Zamboni"

OK, here's a groaner: Les Patineurs the prequel: "Thus Spake Zamboni"

Return to the Strange Land (Kylian)

My solution, somewhat dictatorial and somewhat heretical. There is no city council approval required. . . I'm not mayor, I'm empress. Then I would see if I couldn't find a nifty company in a city that can't quite support it and offer to 'share' (sort of like Cincinatti San Jose I think?).

Of course in my fantasies (this being my city) I'd invite NDT or the Stuttgart. This being reality. . .

Here's where ignorance comes into play -- I know so very little about Paris Opera Ballet beyond Nureyev's involvement and Sophie Guillem's Giselle. I do find it interesting that it's the only major company I can think of with a word other than dance in its title ("Opera"). It may, on some unconscious level, explain something -- with a name that hints at schism.

It's interesting, I'm struggling to think of some sort of defining factors that determine whether a company is 'provincial' or 'international' and I wonder if it might have something to do with choreographic leadership. By that I mean. . . a place with a strong, identifiable resident choreographer might more easily fall into the provincial category given that its works tend to be 'home grown.' In contrast, a company without a strong internal choreographer or choreographic heritage is more likely to have a more varied repertoire as well as a more varied roster of artists (given that they're not necessarily chosen to satisfy a specific choreographer's needs/desires).

I am however, woefully uneducated when it comes to companies, repertory etc., so if my argument doesn't even come close to holding water apologies.

I am far less knowledgeable than most of you about technique and the art of choreography, but I wondered why there was no mention at all of Jiri Kylian? I have rarely been so affected by anyone's work, but then that's just me.