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Barbara

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Everything posted by Barbara

  1. Thanks for the sleuthing, golden_slave!
  2. Wondering if our UK posters saw any of the recent ABT performances or can report on how the company was received by the critics. Thanks in advance!
  3. Oh dear. Today there is an ad in my local paper that this troupe will be doing Giselle at a small but lovely theatre here in March. Should I hazard a ticket? I'm used to ABT's Giselle and will be seeing it during their Met season. I'm kind of intrigued to see the Russian National Ballet but will I be horrified by comparison?
  4. Oh I do feel bad for the poor fellow she left standing with his hand out! It brings to mind a story Irina Baronova tells in her memoir, which I'm just now reading. Baronova, Danilova, and Toumanova were rehearsing Aurora's Wedding. "One day Boris Kochno was watching the rehearsal when Toumanova took her turn to rehearse. Instead of one, two, three pirouettes, she did two, three, four pirouettes. Not to be outdone, when my turn came I did the same." Kochno was very displeased. He asked, "What the hell do you think you're doing distorting Petipa's choreography? He wanted one, two, three pirouettes. He had his reasons - style and musicality. Respect the choreographer and pay attention to the style and period of the old classics. No circus, please.!" Words to heed for many of the more acrobatically-inclined dancers. Not meaning to paint Rojo with that brush - I don't really know enough of her work to know if she often distorts choreography to the detriment of musicality and style.
  5. Thanks for the link to Look Effects,ksk04 - that was fascinating! I think they should be nominated for a Visual Effects Academy Award.
  6. Thank you for that Innopac - what a lovely person Jonathan Cope seems.
  7. I would be interested to hear from other posters which sequences Lane danced. Of course anything seen from a distance and en pointe must have been Lane. But what about the pique turns shot waist-up? Was Portman's face superimposed on Lane in that sequence? Do you think Portman danced en pointe at all? Just for fun, when available, I will rent the movie on netflix in order to pause and rewind.
  8. I'd like to know about other promotions too. But in the meantime, BRAVO Cory!
  9. More comments: I spotted Allegra Kent too sitting several rows ahead of me and using a festive red velvet cane. I was practically giddy seeing her! Also spotted Robert LaFosse and Gary Chryst. I was sitting in orch row E and now that I see how small the BAM opera house is, I think this is too close. Made for lots of head-swiveling to see the whole picture and the tall woman in front of me obscured a bit of my line of vision. Otherwise it seemed a lovely venue and easy to get to by subway from Manhattan; not withstanding the slushy streets and delayed service.
  10. I will also chime in to say that the Tuesday evening performance was simply enchanting. I thought I was all "nutcrackered-out" but now find I can't wait to see this new ABT version again! Must add special kudos to a few corps members - Roman Zhurbin and Marian Butler as Grandmother and Grandfather were charming and hilarious and then steadfastly moved on to parts in the Chinese and Russian dances - bravo to them!! I was also very impressed by Roddy Doble as both Mr. Stahlbaum and as the male dancer in the Arabian dance. Someone upthread mentioned that Ratmansky's Arabian dance had similar qualities to the purple Rothbart solo from Swan Lake. I agree and in fact could definitely see Mr. Doble in that role. He was also very impressive in the recent Innovation Initiative evening and I hope Mr. McKenzie will begin to use him in more prominent soloist roles. My only minor complaint (ok, yes I also wouldn't mind losing the wedding veil) was the Spanish dance costumes. I thought the black marcel-waved wigs and voluminous skirts overwhelmed tiny Maria Riccetto, Jennifer Whalen and Misty Copeland. A little less material would improve the look a lot.
  11. According to their "tweets" both Ashley Bouder and Daniil Simkin liked the movie. Pretty good endorsements.
  12. Abatt, I don't think it looks air-brushed so much - more like they've "made-under" Gillian so her face looks smudgy with cinders and dirty from cleaning the hearth. Looks like she has on no eye make-up. I had to take a second look to be sure it was really Gillian. PS - Can't quite figure out the photo of Hallberg on the Bright Stream page! It's really funny and I bet he had a hoot doing it. But does it have anything to do with Bright Stream??
  13. Reading Marga's comments made me wonder - do the pros give their partners actual dance training? Or is there only time to teach the steps to the current dance(s) while throwing in a comment or two about posture, foot pointing, etc? Is it legal within the parameters of the show to bring in another instructor to give a straight dance class throughout the season? Maybe there's not enough time to do that and also learn the dance steps. Btw, I also agree with all of Marga's comments.
  14. Pretty disappointing - they were on so briefly. No dancing, in fact the main characters depart before the "gala" begins. However, the Plaza looked nice. One of the characters said, "Meet me outside of the Dress Circle". Correct me if I'm wrong but the Dress Circle is at the Met; the STATE Theatre has "rings". A tiny detail but why not get it right?
  15. I also attended the Works & Process last night. I must politely disagree with mymsib - I found the evening thoroughly engaging. I've attended two others in the past, both ABT evenings, one of which was with Frederic Franklin. Well, you can't compete with Mr. Franklin for personality, but I thought all the gentlemen that spoke were extremely interesting and when Wes Chapman added his dry wit, there were many laughs. A point perhaps mymsib or Ambonnay can clear up - wasn't that Tobin Eason and not Gray Davis in the Spanish dance? Yes, I would have liked more dancing but since the company had just returned from Havana I had decided not to hope for any principals. I was delighted to see Mr. Simkin being coached in the pas de deux. It's very fast and as Mr. Ratmansky commented in regard to the speed, "all of them will have to be fast!" I think the taller Princes (Hallberg and Gomes) will have their work cut out for them! I left feeling very intrigued by the costume/set designs and Mr. Ratmanky's concepts and very much looking forward to this new Nutcracker.
  16. Susan,I've also been wondering why no one here was posting about this revival and didn't want to be the first one. I missed the last run some 10 years ago and I wasn't about to miss it again. And I'll admit it - I'm a sucker for the ending of the film Billy Elliot. I saw Richard Winsor as the Swan/Stranger and Simon Williams as the Prince. Both were strong but I especially liked Simon Williams anguished portrayal of a person trapped by birth and circumstance. I was completely emotionally involved in the story. I also enjoyed the humor (which my daughter did not - she likes her Swan Lake to be tragic, thank you)and welcomed the respite from the intensity. I loved Bourne's use of the swan head - alternately violently pecking or lovingly caressing. I won't be able to go to another performance but I moved the dvd to Number 1 on my Netflix queue!
  17. Abatt, good idea but I'd rather have Osipova continue her partnership with Hallberg while she's dancing at ABT
  18. I wonder if he's pigeon toed when he walks too - I would imagine so. And if so, is this something that can be "corrected"?
  19. I went online yesterday to order regularly priced tickets. Since I wanted the lowest priced tickets I ended up smack dab in the center of the very last row of the balcony. I've been wanting to see something at Jazz at Lincoln Center so besides being interested in the program this was an additional reason to want to attend. Has anyone been to the Rose? Will I be miles from the stage at the back of the balcony? I plan to bring my trusty binocs.
  20. Oh dear - my beloved ABT is going through what I suppose is a generational change. What with Corella, Stiefel, and Max dancing infrequently and now Carreno set to retire, how much can Hallberg and Gomes handle? Cornejo is limited to the shorter ballerinas. Good thing Cory is in the wings but I think it's time to start bringing some of the other young men up through the ranks - Tam, Hammoudi, Hoven, Stappas? (I'm not a particular fan of Matthews, Radetsky or Saveliev) PS - Based on what happened last season with Bolle bowing out prematurely, I'm not sure he can be counted on. But give me a minute to feel sad about what feels like the end of an era.
  21. Very, very interesting. Thank you, Sandik. I always thought learning Labanotation was something I might have enjoyed.
  22. Yes, it was definitely Heather Watts in the loose top. I didn't hear whether she was introduced. But Damien did later thank her by name.
  23. Tatiana,nurse,Odette. That was fun and clever! I enjoyed seeing pics of some of the Stuttgart dancers from the past. I used to see this company fairly often in LA in the late 60s/70s. Loved them and had quite a crush on Richard Cragun and Egon Madsen.
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