ngitanjali

While I think it's wonderful that the younger dancers are making their individual stamps on the Mariinsky, I sometimes wonder about their taste levels. I, too, saw Somova's Aurora and I was wincing each time the leg just flew up there without adding to the story. Still and all, it is exciting when the Mariinsky comes to the US! I probably won't be able to go, but I'll be thinking about all of you enjoying your performances! Plus, doesn't the Mariinsky change the casts nearly up to the moment of the performance? I seem to recall someone mentioning it on this forum. Perhaps we won't see Somova as frequently. It could all be a business ploy, the M. might be using Somova to sell the tickets (she is very popular with the teenagers who think extension is everything ::winces again:, and then they might just switch casting around later. Or, am I just a conspiracy theorist?

I got that email too (I am single). Don't get me wrong, I love my opera and ballet, but the "20-30" range probably won't be able to afford the $110 required. For $20, I can get a lovely DVD, and adding an extra couple of dollars on tea (no drinks for me!) makes the perfect "mixer". Plus, I can afford to buy textbooks!!

Moderators, please remove this is if this belongs in the Ballet Talk for Dancers Program or something else I just got back from attending my former High School's Outstanding Young Woman Program, a scholarship contest for the most dynamic seniors of high school this year. Each girl had to showcase a talent, and 4 of them chose pointe variations. True, Gamzatti seemed a little too tired to be devious, and Sugar Plum was blinded by flashbulbs (when will people learn?), but all four were exquisite in their joy and love for the art. One girl did a pointe variation to traditional African music. Technically, OK, not spectacular, but fantastic in her smile. I noticed that as a former dancer (and a person who is obsessed with technique), I keep picking out mistakes. In my mind, I was yelling out "(name) Fingers! Passe, not retire!". I don't know if I like that. I love being able to critique intelligently and learn, but what happened to enjoying a delighted smile, a sparkle in the eye, and seeing the joy of the younger generation? How do you, as an audience that is MUCH more seasoned than myself, manage to not nitpick at every little detail and just...enjoy the show? Is there something I should be keeping in mind? I like watching ABT and staring at perfect fingers and hands, but I just want to enjoy the simple pleasures. By the way, the 2 runners up (and my very good friends) were the girls that did the Gamzatti Variation and the African ballet. ngitanjali I also opted not to got to Itzhak Perlman, since I have midterms this week. The responsible side of me prevailed, sadly, but I'm looking forward to Boccatango and (in February) Romeo and Juliet!

This is a personal anecdote, but the first thing that came to my mind after reading this thread (v. interesting!). I started my first ballet class when I was five. Honestly, the only thing I remember from those early lessons was how to hold my hands, like I was holding a delicate piece of popcorn between my thumb and my middle finger. Somehow, that caught my imagination early on, and I never lost my habit of holding my hands and fingers like that. Even now, as I'm walking, my hands revert back to the old, "natural" position. I guess that's what ballet is all about, huh? The steps we learn become natural, and those of every day life, are....unnatural. Just my $.02

I was lucky enough to get my hands on that DVD of Giselle with Malakhov and Vishneva. That, to me, is the perfect partnership, not because of any special quality of the dancing (which is excellent...), but because...it just seems natural. As soon as Giselle enters, we know that she and Albrecht, just due to one glance together, are destined to love each other. Plus, it's Malakhov, and he's wonderful with any partner!

Thanks for the suggestions! I picked up tickets for the Perlman concert and for Boccatango. However, if Boccatango occurs around a home football weekend, I'll probably exchange the tickets, since I don't want to be walking around campus at 11 PM when the students start partying. Penn State is the number 5 party school, unfortunately. However, as an Honors student, my dorm room is pretty close to the auditorium The perks of hardwork I haven't bought tickets for next semester's shows, since I just registered for classes yesterday, and I'd like to know when exams are scheduled before I plan out where I'm going. Thanks again, I'll put reviews up, those have always been my favorite part of Ballettalk.

I picked up Chopin's Funeral (by Benita Eisler). It's very interesting, and from an analysis standpoint, does have an intriguing way of describing Chopin's life, through his death and funeral...but already, I can tell that Ms. Eisler does not harbor any liking for George Sand. Is there a book that actually puts Sand in a normal and not a "femme fatale" perspective?

Hello all! Please move this is I'm posting in the completely wrong forum, I apologize in advance!! Well, the rigors of college aside, I've discovered a diversion: The Eisenhower Center for the Performing Arts! I chatted with my parents, and they said that i can see up to 3 performances this year (the cost of tickets is getting ridiculous). Now, I have a tough decision: what do I get to see? My choices are (in any order) 1. Itzhak Perlman and Rohan de Silva in a concert 2. Ballet Folklorio de Mexico 3. Boccatango (with Julio Bocca, I'm assuming) 4. Moiseyev Dance Company 5. St. Petersburg Ballet Theater's Romeo and Juliet 6. EVITA I'd love to see them all, but these are the ones that are not scheduled anywhere near tests or exams. I'm not sure my professor would accept 'I saw Julio Bocca yesterday!" as an excuse (however wonderful it is...) Thanks so much! ngitanjali

Wonderful My roommate, is obsessed with baseball, and that's all that she watches. Since it's her TV, I couldn't ask her to switch, so I took my graduation money and bought a TV just for the Great Performances shows that I'll be wanting to see on campus . Plus, Ballet = art. Baseball = boring. I have wonderful timing, apparently!

My mother forgot to tape it!!!! I reminded her (being without a TV in the dorms is an odd experience) about 50 times and sent an email, and she called me this morning and told me that she forgot. I was wondering if the DVD was worth buying or if the book were worth buying as well. Would you watch it again if you had the chance? How was the archival footage of Rudi?

ooooo White Swan Pdd. It's so etheral and...wonderful. Also, because it's so rare to have it done exactly as I imagine, I savor each one. All Giselle Act II Pdds are good, but Fracci just made me fall in love with it. The way she...floats, I was in tears

Being of Indian origin, watching La Bayadere is one of the more amusing experiences at the ballet, and I can imagine that others feel the same way about other ballets (Chinese dance in Nutcracker? My friend nearly cried from laughter). I think we can all agree (being reasonable) that the concepts that prefaced blackface and stereotypes are reprehensible. If a modern ballet was created and required blackface, I'd be more upset than when I see it now in Bayadere. As long as people recognize that that is the history of the ballet, and not a commentary on a race or socialclass, I think we'll all enjoy it. This might open a can of worms (but we have had some good cans opened recently), but isn't that the same idea of Princess being rescued by Prince Charming? Or, take ANY Disney movie. Somehow, losing a parent is necessary for protagonists. just my 2 cents. ngitanjali

I just graduated from High School in the US, and I'd just like to quickly add (as I ignore my mountain of college homework) that while reading was encouraged, reading works of substance (Dickens, Hardy, Tolstoy..etc...) was hardly mentioned. My mother spent more time carefully picking out books out of both Eastern and Western canons for me than my teachers did. The teachers always felt that a teenager should read about "teenage issues" which, while serious and complex, are not going to broaden my mind and take me to wonderful and distant lands. Frankly, I have collected over 400 books over the past 4 years. Not one of them has been suggested by a teacher. When books were assigned, we had to "skim" and write an essay. Essay writing is very very predominant compared to reading, even in literature classes. I really despise it, and going back to our general lack of knowledge about culture or anything any more, I wish it were different. Maybe I'm pessimistic, but I'm so jealous when I see people of my parents generation here talking about how they learned so much in high school and out, but we are told to "make your career as fast as you can". By the way: I have made it a point to read a book a week, regardless of whether I end up on a deserted island, or if I need to sacrifice sleep. just a little bit more than my 2 cents

Thank you all for this wonderful discussion! This was exactly the reason I have loved this message board for so long, in a day, I've learned so much! My apologies for not responding sooner; I just moved into my dorm at college for the first time, so I'm adjusting to life with a roommate (who cannot stand ballet ) ngitanjali

This might be a bit TOO young (but I'm only a first year in college ) but I recently got a copy of Heidi, one of my favorite books when I was younger. I thought it would be childish and boring, but, somehow, I fell in love with it all over again!

I remember reading somewhere that Altynai Asylmuratova spent 4 years in the corps, which she considered valuable. Now, I see Alina Somova jumping into roles like Kitri, Aurora, Odette/Odile. She's not the only one, obviously, however, she is one of the more prominent ones. I've noticed this all around with many companies, but as I do enjoy following the Mariinsky, I was just wondering why the focus is on the corphyees dancing the principal roles....I understand moving up through the ranks, but some things are a bit extreme. is it just me? What do you think?

Thanks so much for all the information! I really do appreciate all of it

Living in a smaller town doesn't afford me the opportunity to see all that I would like to see. It's a university town, and Broadway musicals and rock bands are much more popular than the Bolshoi. I did see the Bolshoi when I was 8 years old. Lunkina in Sceptre of the Rose, Petrushkha, and something else, I'm afraid I don't remember. All I remember was that it was the most magical night of my life.

Hi ngitanjali. I think it's tragic not to know one's heritage: "the unexamined" [among other things, uncontextualized] "life is not worth living." But each generation learns from its elders, and if your generation doesn't know and understand, and doesn't want to know and understand, it's primarily our fault. I see your point, and I thank you for addressing that, however, WE, of the new generation, need to stop saying it's the fault of "parents, education, our dogs" and start seeing what we can do to change our lack of knowledge. Perhaps the past generation contributes, perhaps (ok, most certainly) the educational systems contribute, but at some point, some accountability needs to be taken. It's like when I see people walk past a library, talking about how they SHOULD read more, but then blithely continue on their way. Yes, some people are ignorant of their ignorance, but some are just too lazy to take a stance. Because this is my generation, perhaps I feel more like blaming ourselves than blaming others. I really am sorry for what our generation is, sometimes it's laughable, and sometimes it's sickening. Below, I have something that might just give you hope, for it has for me To reference my friends again, those who are like me, I got back from another party where we spoke of the different countries that have been formed since 2000 and those that have managed to stay democratic. I brought up Ukrainian politics, a friend spoke of Beethoven's lesser known works, and someone's mother engaged all of us interesting philosophical topics. I used to be afraid that my science loving friends (we all are majoing in Biochem and physics) wouldn't want to discuss the "arts", and vice versa, but we all had a lovely time discussing each topic and learning from each other. What was more, it wasn't just my generation, a 10 year old showed up, as did some parents. A truly remarkable gathering. Thanks for all these responses, I honestly thought I was one of a very select group of people alarmed at the degeneration of our minds. Honestly, when did Harry Potter (though a lovely series) become more substantial than David Copperfield?

I'm a current undergraduate and I think I'd quit college from shame of a grammar mistake. Some things, are, in my opinion, unacceptable. As for books, yes, media is available and easy to find online, and most of it is mind-numbing (reality TV...), but I wouldn't be able to live without my library, complete with books on every topic imaginable and amassed over a lifetime (and counting). As I wrote in a recent college essay, I have discussed life with Plato, journeyed to Rome, witnessed Marie Antoinette's execution, been inspired by Monet, and shared happiness and sorry with so many characters. A life without books and art and culture is empty and meaningless. As for knowing and understanding the past. It is inexcusable NOT to know our heritage. We need to remember the good AND the bad, for understanding erases ignorance, which is the source of so many problems. Sorry if this is off topic, I'm just so passionate about this this subject. Fortunately for me, my closest friends feel the exact same way, and dinner conversations have ranged from the Saxon Kings, to Balanchine, to Callas and Tebaldi, to Chomsky. Once again, there are few of us, but we are a strong, loud, and passionate crew ng

As one of those "youngsters" that does know who Nijinsky is, and actually knew the answers to/about most of those examples listed above, I'd like to just say that there are those of us who crave knowledge and culture and staying connected to everything! Don't lose hope, please!

The first Odette/Odile I saw was Gillian Murphy on ABT's DVD. Technically, marvelous, yet....she didn't strike me in the soul. I thought (in my youthful ignorance) that all Swan Lakes were supposed to be like that, and I held off on watching Swan Lake for a long time. Then, quite by accident, I came across a photo of Yulia Makhalina as Odette, and that image struck me inside as 90 minutes of Gillian never could. I watched the White Act and I was left breathless, unable to move from my seat as everything I had hoped for and imagined came true. Odette, albeit silently, SPOKE to her Sigfried and her audience. The same happened as Odile. Though I didn't like Makhalina's Odile as much as I loved her Odette, I was mesmerized by both. Lopatkina has done that to me too, Meznetseva, to a lesser degree, and, of course, Nina. They sing and mourn with their very arms and legs. Of the older generation, I am not as picky, for they have that soul in their dancing that very few dancers now have. Ulanova, Semenova, and Plisetskaya transcend all expectations. Who cares if the legs aren't at 180 degrees? They were miles ahead of dancers now, with the pure depth of emotion. So, after that long-winded rant my favorites are: Makhalina, Lopatkina, Ananishvilli, Meznetseva, Ulanova, Semenova, and Plisetskaya. Is it odd that my favorites are mainly Vaganova trained?

For me, it depends more on the dancers than on the actual ballet. For example, I could never get bored with a Malakhov-Vishneva RJ or Manon, no matter whose choreography I'm watching, but with other dancers, the whole of Manon bores me to tears. Don't even get me started on RJ. I love the pdd with Ferri-Bocca, but even though Makarova was amazing and ethereal in the pdd w. Mckenzie, he wasn't at a level that could make me like the ballet more. Also, ABT's Swan Lake. Parts of it are lively, but there's just something missing to hold my attention for a long time, and I frequently walk around, bake cookies, or study biochem (I'm a Biochem student ) during some parts of the ballet.

Hello! I did a search on this, but didn't come up with anything that SEEMED to answer my question on this ballet. I saw a clip of it on Classic Arts Showcase, where Clothide Vayer was a tennis player. According to the credits at the end, Jean Cocteau and Chanel were involved and I'm guessing, due to the Cocteau involvement, that it was for the Ballet Russes? Am I right? Completely off the mark? My overall impression was that it was very interesting, definitely not something I've seen before (I mainly watch the classics). It was very very stylized, and that was intriguing in some parts, but just bizarre in others, somewhat like a caricature of 1920s leisure (I'm assuming this is the 1920s, with the adorable Cloche hats etc...). I"m just overall wanting to know more about the origins about this ballet. I hope I posted in the correct forum, feel free to move it around or delete it if it's in the wrong forum and/or redundant I hope I'm not bothering you all too much, I'm just soooo eager to learn!!!! Thanks so much! ng

Hello everyone I'm a former ballet dancer, and I had to give up ballet due to knee problems when I was 14 (I never even made it onto pointe ) Anyway, I decided that if I couldn't be on stage, I'd learn everything I could about those who were, and I have a rather unhealthy obsession with watching DVDs and Classic Arts Showcase. I have zillions of questions, so hopefully, I'll find what I need here! A.