artspatron07

Carolina Ballet begins their season programming tonight with "Swan Lake". The company has dedicated the "Swan Lake" performances in memory of Elena.

I hope this is the right place to post this. I found Elena Shapiro's obituary online. http://www.legacy.com/WinstonSalem/DeathNo...sonId=132820625 I thought I might share it. Elena was beginning her second year as trainee for Carolina Ballet. She was a very kind talented young dancer whose life was tragically cut short last Friday evening when a drunk driver crashed into her vehicle in Raleigh, NC. She will be missed. A scholarship has been established in her memory at North Carolina School of the Arts. "Elena Bright Shapiro's precious life was cut short on Friday, September 11th in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was born on November 14, 1988 in Winston-Salem to her very loving parents, Brantly Bright Shapiro and David Scott Shapiro. Elena was well loved and cherished by all. She was a beautifully gifted dancer, who graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and was currently working with the Carolina Ballet in Raleigh. Elena was a incredibly dedicated daughter, sister and aunt. She is survived by her grief-stricken family; her Mom and Dad, sister: Bibiana Shapiro Fowler, brother: Samuel James Micic Shapiro; maternal grandparents: Ann and James Bright of Corpus Christi, Texas; her paternal grandmother: Nina Shapiro; her adored niece: Lily Elena Fowler; and her loving boyfriend: Cameron Alexander as well as numerous cousins, aunts, uncles and friends who all loved her dearly. There has never been a more beautiful girl nor a more dedicated dancer. Our hearts are broken though we know she is now dancing with angels. A funeral service is being held on Tuesday, September 15 at 12 noon in Wait Chapel. A named scholarship in the School of Dance has been established at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, for more information or to make a donation please contact the Office of Advancement at UNCSA at 336-770-3330." .

I am intrigued that Ms. Stahl would not have known the difference between Margot Fonteyn, the British prima ballerina assoluta, who was considered by many to be the greatest English ballerina, and Joan Fontaine, when she interviewed Peter Martins backstage during intermission. Maybe it was a slip of the tongue; but, please this disturbing! I am glad that Mr. Martins tactfully corrected her during the interview. Maybe the press needs a little extra arts education from time to time!

I have known Margo McCann for the past 9 years. Texas Ballet Theater is very fortunate to have acquired her talent and insight. Ms. McCann , a native Texan and School of American Ballet Alumni, joined Texas Ballet Theater (formally known as Fort Worth Ballet and Fort Worth Dallas Ballet) in 1986. She was hired while Paul Mejia served as Artistic Director. She remained with the company dancing for 19 years. Ms. McCann retired from performing in 2005 to become TBT's Company Manager and Educational Outreach Director under the artistic leadership of Ben Stevenson. She was subsequently named Interim Managing Director after the departure of John Toohey the company's previous Managing Director.

With the downfall of the economy and the bailout stimulus package recently passed, I believe arts funding will be a low priority in 2009 and possibly 2010. It will be interesting to see how the various American dance companies fare during this time period; and if conscientious efforts will be made by company managers/directors to tighten their companies' budgets. Hopefully individual giving will remain constant. It will certainly be a challenging time to be involved in fund development and retention.

I believe Shea Johnson is also competing. He is a member of Metropolitan Classical Ballet in Arlington, Texas.

It would be such a shame if Ballet Florida would have to close. Ballet Florida has always had unique rep and some very lovely dancers. Could an appeal not be made to the city for assistance? This is what Miami City Ballet did two years ago when they were having financial difficulties. The city of Miami Beach purchased the building from the ballet company to assist them in relieving their debt. This was a life saver for the company. I believe Miami City Ballet now leases the building from the city for a nominal fee. Bart, Why did Miami City Ballet decide to stop performing the Nutcracker at Kravis? Kravis is such a lovely facility. I always thought it was very well received there. I am no longer in South Florida and truly have missed watching Miami City Ballet perform. Fortunately I have the opportunity to continue my patronage with two other well known ballet companies from time to time, Texas Ballet Theatre and Carolina Ballet.

It is my understanding that two former Miami City Ballet dancers are now members with ABT, Misha Ilyin and Joseph Phillips. Cubanmiamiboy, did you have the opportunity to see them perform during ABT's tour in Miami? I believe Mr. Ilyin left Miami two years ago. Mr. Phillips, arriving from San Francisco Ballet, left this season after a very brief association with Miami City Ballet. I no longer reside in Florida but have always enjoyed Mr. Ilyin's past performances with Miami City Ballet.

I thought he was dancing with Miami City Ballet. I believe he joined the company in 2007.

In light of the funding challenges that many American Ballet companies face during a tight economy, I thought it would be an interesting topic to discuss the pros and cons of ballet companies that market individual sponsorship of dancers to their donor base verses keeping funding raising efforts less dancer specific. (I am referring to companies that specifically advertise individual sponsorships for individual dancers. For example, " Dancer Z is sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. X".) Does this method of fund raising assist or hinder artistic license? Does this form of fundraising cause unhealthy competition among dancer ranks? Does this form of fund raising have a positive or a negative effect on dancer salaries? Which companies in the United States use this form of fund raising, and is it effective with regard raising performance quality? Is this practice has done in Europe? Is it an effective tool for recruiting and retaining talent?

While getting a tattoo or a piercing is a very individual decision, I see nothing wrong with having a female's ears singularly pierced or maybe a single pierced ear for a male. Call me old fashioned. Anything beyond that ( i.e. second cartilage ear piecing and/or other piercings and all tattoos ) lacks integrity and taste in my opinion.

Helm can be used as a verb. The meaning of helm in this context would be "to steer or direct an object or vessel", in essence the ballet company, thus making Edward Villella the captain of a very unique vessel. In the past I have had the honor and privilege of knowing Mr. Villella. I would most definitely consider Eddie a great captain successfully leading Miami City Ballet into the 21st Century during both stormy and calm seas. I recall during a past conversation with one of the company's employees that MCB was once referred to as "a gem in the ocean" by an outside source. What a great description for a wonderful company. If I wanted to do research on a ballet company I would not solely rely on Wikipedia as a full resource of information. This webpage is only meant to be a general reference at best. Wikipedia does allow individuals to provide additional information on any topic presented as long as it is referenced with factual supporting documentation. So go to it if you feel the need to update/correct the current information regarding MCB on Wikipedia.

iwatchthecorps, What is wrong with the information posted on Wikipedia concerning Miami City Ballet's description?

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Vladimir Malakov has the ideal male ballet body.

I would agree that Stuttgart Ballet would be at the very top of the list along with POB, The Royal Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Kirov, and Vienna State Opera Ballet, not in any particular order. As wonderful as many of them appear, I would not place any of the American ballet companies in the top 5. I wonder where Ángel Corella's new ballet company will rank after it's first season. Has anyone heard when this company will open it's first season?

I am not particularly fond of Peter Martin's choreography. It has a tendency to lull me right to sleep.

Recently I conversed with a college educated acquaintance regarding the cultural opportunities in Vienna. He thought Vienna was located in the Netherlands! Two of his teenage children (including his daughter who is preparing to attend college this term) also believed Vienna was located in the Netherlands. I very politely informed them that Vienna is located in Austria. Is geography outdated in our education system? What ever happened to identifying international cities on the globe in grade school?

Upon reviewing the referenced Prix de Lausanne link of "past prize winners and what they are doing now" I noticed only 3 American prize winners during the last 15 years? Is this an indication of the quality of training offered in the US compared to other participating countries. It is my understanding the success of many of the Europeam schools is due to the generous support provided by government funding. I know several talented pre-professional European, South American, Cuban, and Asian students who have decided to complete their training in the US, many who are scholarship students at well known company schools, and plan to audition for ballet companies in the US. In addition, I also know a talented pre-professional American ballet student who was recently offered the opportunity to train at 3 well known company affiliated European schools next year. She submitted her application to these schools by video audition and has not recently participated in a major competition. Her formal training has included some well known US company affiliated ballet Schools since age 13. One European school offered her a generous tuition scholarship, a limited supply of Pointe Shoes, and class attire. She is currently weighing her options of beginning her dance career this season in the US as a company apprentice or attending one of the European Schools during her post graduate year to launch a career in Europe.

Thank you mmded. I have edited the post with the correct spelling. Do you have any opinions on this topic?

Is it appropriate to applaud before a variation is completed or before a bow is given? This seems to occur quite often by members of the audience. If I am not mistaken, Balanchine did not want the audience to applaud until a final bow was indicated by the artist. Just because there is a pause in a performer's movement on stage does not always mean the piece is completed. He also did not believe in performers taking more than one bow or curtain calls. I personally see nothing wrong in showing one's excitement at the completion of a great performance by granting the performer a standing ovation. All is in the eye of the beholder. Those who care to sit and applaud can remain seated and applaud accordingly. An audience member should not feel obligated to stand and applaud if they view the performance differently from the person seated next to them. Many audience members I have witnessed who have not cared to give a standing ovation usually leave the auditorium after giving a sufficient seated applaud. Many patrons who support small regional ballet companies provide standing ovations after every performance as a way to show appreciation for the company's members. Believe me it does have a positive effect on the performer. During Carolina Ballet's recent performance in Wilmington, NC the company not only received a standing ovation but received a second curtain call as well after the performance. In Fort Worth, Texas, during Texas Ballet Theater 's performances standing ovations are very common at every performance. I have witnessed many wonderful performances by NYCB that did not receive standing ovations but felt the company was deserving of one. Standing ovations usually are contagious. One person stands up then another. One should not feel obligated to stand and applaud. Providing a standing ovation for a performance is a very high compliment to the performer. It is the audience member’s way to pay tribute to the performer on a very personal level. I think as Americans we get a little too caught up in what is expected behavior. These are just my thoughts on the subject.

Some feel that there is an increase in foreign students studying at big name US professional company ballet schools, and that US ballet companies are employing more foreign dancers. Does the American dancer have an equal chance for success in finding employment in Europe? I just thought these questions might provoke interesting discussion regarding the needs of the European dance market in comparision to the US dance market. How do salaries and benefits differ for an entry level Corps de Ballet dancer employed by a European ballet company compared to a dancer employed by an American ballet company? (This question refers to similiar companies in both markets of similiar size and reputation.) NYCB Verses Royal Ballet, ABT Verses Vienna State Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet Verses Stuttgart Ballet, etc.) How difficult is it for an American professional ballet dancer (at entry level) to secure a job in Europe? (More difficult , less difficult, about the same, assuming the individual has had a sucessful professional training history, a good facility for ballet, and recognized talent.) How important is it that a professional dancer be a citizen of a European Union country to secure a job in Europe? Are candidates with a EU designation given preference in some European countries? Does training in Europe verses training in the US have any benefit to securing a dance job in Europe? With regard to employment in the US, should entry level US dance candidates be given preference over European/ Asian Candidates? Should US ballet company affiliated schools recruit candidates from their own schools first and with priority over a foreign candidate who may have already completed his/her training in Europe?

Actually bart, Michael was the only company apprentice who was promoted to coryphee. A coryphee is ranked higher in Miami than a company apprentice. The rest that you mentioned remain company apprentices, and Cindy Huang and Helen Ruiz join the company as company apprentices. Christie Sciturro was promoted from student apprentice to company apprentice this year.

Present: Svetlana Zakharova, Polina Semionova, Sylvie Guillem, and Sofiane Sylve Past: Suzanne Farrell, hands down!