printscess

Villella's height worked well with McBride, of course, but also with Kent and Verdy and Kay Mazzo. He also danced occasionally with Hayden. There are a few pages devoted to his late-career partnering with Gelsey Kirkland as well.

I suspect that he projected, on stage, at least an inch or two more in height than he actually had.

He mentions that Farrell on pointe was 6 inches taller than himself.

Villella repeats a couple of times that he took partnering seriously, and had to work very hard at it, and that he liked doing it -- even the less glamourous parts ("I gave the woman freedom and support and allowed the audience to see her without being aware of my labors"). He could probably afford to be self-denying about this, since so many of his ballets were full of attention-grabbing solos as well.

Villella's proportions made him look taller on stage. He also danced big. I think he was one of the original high jumpers.

I recall early in his book he said said that Violet Verdy told him that he was a horrible partner. She probably did him a favor, because he worked very hard and sitting in the audience, he made it seem effortless. To this day, I think that he and McBride had one of the great partnerships in ballet history.

...Any others from Ballet Talk?

I always try to attend at least once, each summer. I really enjoyed taking class from Alison Roper, last summer, so I'll try to do that again, this year.

Please report back on the Exposed. I'd love to read about it.

I'll add my thanks too. I enjoyed it and loved that it was in Danish.

It must be so hard for a dancer (especially a young dancer) when they are felled by an illness that essentially ends their career before it really started (or had a chance to take off).

It's bad enough that dancers have such a short shelf life (pro athletes too), but Mr. Murphy (whom I see at the NYCB a lot. He's friends with a bunch of the dancers) didn't even get his shot. I never saw "Tanny" (at 51 I'm a little too young. How great to say I'm too young for something!:;) but

I've seen her dance on films and DVD's and WOW! As awful (and it truly was) as it was when polio struck her, she was already a star (and

her legacy will live on). I just know that Mr. Murphy will do well in whatever he chooses to do next. I wish him all the best, as I know we all do.

But pro athletes get paid enough to keep them comfortable in later years (if they were smart with their money sense). Ballet dancers in comparison get pennies on the dollar.

I want to thank 4mrdncr for calling our attention to a new article, by Julie Kavanagh, on Corella's company. Entitled "Lift Off," it's in the summer 2008 issue of Intelligent Life. A slightly edited version appears in the on-line MoreIntelligentLife.com.

Here's the on-line version:

http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/lift-off

Kavanagh visited the company in last April. She talks about the background and future plans of the company, and pays them a visit during a rehearsal and while a photoshoot is in process. 4mrdncr was actually there with her video camera!

Corella's also on the cover of the August/September Pointe Magazine.

Thanks for the link. I enjoyed the article. I wish there were more photos.

Sounds like a wonderful program, Printcess. The chance to observe -- and even take -- classes is something I would definitely want to do. The Swan Lake rehearsal sounds pretty good, too. It must help that Portland has such a lovely, gracious, accessible and relatively quiet downtown in which to go out into the open like this. Will you be attending? Any others from Ballet Talk?

Oh I wish I could, but I am saving my airfare or airline miles for Swan Lake in October and Tarantella in April. I would love to hear if any BTers are attending and their impressions. I suspect that after the Kennedy Center appearance, there will be a groundswell of support for OBT.

For all of you Portlanders, or ballet lovers who will be in Portland at the end of August, here is a treat from OBT!!!

http://www.obt.org/obt_exposed_schedule.html

The Prince and Marie eat too much in the land of sweets, they gain tons of weight and their sleigh crashes and burns. (for those of you who watch Balanchine's Nutcracker).

I also just saw this, and think it sounds like the best updating of an old show I can remember. The use of Spanish is brilliant. I like what Laurents said about the movie too, I agree it was mostly 'horribly acted', and it's one of the old ones I never watch again--has a top-heavy quality on top of the bad acting; the best part is the overture. It has not become better over time, but considerably worse.

Whenever I hear the overture, I have to stop whatever I am doing and listen. I get completely overcome with emotion. When I watch the movie (use to be a favorite past time with me and my sons) we would listen to the overture, watch the first scene in the playground and fast forward to the dance at the gym. Afterwards, we would just fast forward to our favorite musical numbers.

I saw the revival in thee 80s and it was BORING and a big disappointment.

Look at what was posted on the NY Times site....

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/theate..._Side_Story.pdf

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/theater/17bway.html?8dpc

between the lyrics, music and dancing, I for one couldn't be more excited.

One excellent documentary that was only shown on PBS and was in movies briefly was "Daughter from Danang." It's about a disastrous reunion between an Amerasian adopted by an American and her birth mother in Vietnam. Very sad movie.

Thanks for the heads up on this movie. I just put it in my Netfix queue.

I didn't care for Winter Season overall because I thought the style was hopelessly mushy, but it also presents a valuable snapshot of NYCB, Farrell, and an ordinary dancer's life and so it's worth reading. I just passed over certain sections for reasons that will be obvious once you get to them. Bentley's writing has gotten much better over the years. I admire her book on Karinska.

What was I thinking? I will definitely read Winter Season for Farrell info. Thanks dirac! I will also try to read her book on Karinska.

The book is an inside look as a member of the corps. It is mostly about Bentley but a very good read!!!

I agree, Davidsbundlertanze. I enjoyed reading the book because it was about Farrell by Farrell and will thus have enduring value, but as autobiographies go it's not top of the line.

I didn't care for Winter Season overall because I thought the style was hopelessly mushy, but it also presents a valuable snapshot of NYCB, Farrell, and an ordinary dancer's life and so it's worth reading. I just passed over certain sections for reasons that will be obvious once you get to them. Bentley's writing has gotten much better over the years. I admire her book on Karinska.

I absolutely enjoyed "Winter Season". I thought it was a true representation of life in a company as large, competitive and demanding as NYCB. That is one of the reasons why I rushed out to by Farrell's book because it was co-authored by Bentley. I found it to be very dry. When I left it by accident on a flight from NY to Portland (are there really any accidents?) I did not run out to replace it.

Modern dancers as strong, powerful and independent thinkers and ballerinas as the complete opposite. Enough already!!!

Here's a really good discussion on the book - have a gander.

Thanks for the thread.

I found this book on Amazon and was wondering if anyone has read it and what they thought of it. It was written by Barbara Milberg who became a Soloist before retiring at the age of 31. I have never heard of her and was curious about this book. Is it a good read?

I've had the opportunity to interact professionally w/ Damian Woetzel (albeit indirectly) and he is just SUCH an intelligent, hardworking, considerate individual.

I wonder if there's ever been a dancer who's been this educated! Not to say that dancers are not intelligent, it's just he's quite special in every way.

I am looking forward to how he will shape the future of American ballet with his directorship positions. I will miss him as a dancer!

Damian never went to college as an undergraduate. He went from h.s. to NYCB and then on to Harvard grad school.

I had barely heard of Oregon Ballet Theatre before this performance, but they have to be on everybody's radar now!

Christopher Stowell has catalyzed great change in the company's rep and technical standards, and it's great to see recognition for the company's work.

I second that

Here's a direct link to the blog:

http://oregonballettheatre.blogspot.com/

There are some lovely candid photos, and former PNB dancer and current OBT dancer, Gavin Larsen, writes about what it's like to watch the company from the sidelines as she recovers from injury. (I wish her fast and complete healing.)

Thanks Helene for the direct link. When it comes to figuring things out like that, I am all thumbs.

Congratulations to them!!!

http://www.obt.org/home.htm

Rush and Robbins looks good, but I'm going to make a big effort to get to the April rep with the Forsythe (I missed it this year) and the Kudelka premiere. I don't always love his work, but Almost Mozart (for OBT a couple years ago) is wonderful, and perhaps he'll pull something similar off!

Sandik

Perhaps we will meet up in PDX in April. I am making in out to see Swan Lake in October (it's that water thing) I am specifically going out to see Tarantella. I saw the Forstythe piece this past October, I enjoyed but I had never seen anything like Almost Mozart. That piece took my breath away.

Unlike many places in the country, at least we have lots of water!

Sandy,

Same on my coast as well.

Have you noticed that everyone on the west coast is doing Swan Lake next year? Is it something in the stars?

No, it is probably something in the water!!!!

They are doing Christopher Wheeldon's "Rush" at the Kennedy Center.

Sounds like you saw a wonderful program. I've read the reviews in the Oregonian and Tribune (online).

I have been to OBT's evening performances and matinees and luckily haven't been through what you did. I would have lost my mind. But before losing it, going to an usher usually solves the problem. One time during an ABT performance, a woman behind me was slurping vegetable soup. Nothing I did during the performance stopped her. When she saw me speak to the usher, she high-tailed it out of the theater and didn't come back (or at the very least, she moved her seat to another section).

One day, your favorite dancers will leave and hopefully, there will be new favorites to replace them.