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emilienne

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Everything posted by emilienne

  1. To Barbara: I've not seen their Giselle, but having seen their Sleeping Beauty (purple cowboy hats during the garland dance...), I'd recommend watching it as an exercise in camp with some unexpectedly serious Highlights. And to Amy Reusch: Oh...dear...
  2. Apparently this company (or some permutation of it) comes to Urbana every year as they are quite willing to work with the tiny stage provided. Last year I went to see a Radchenko 'improved' version of Sleeping Beauty (which I mercifully refrained from reviewing). While it was clear that the dancers knew what it should look like, the choreography and technical limitations prevented its full execution. Also the garland dance was done by six men in purple cowboy hats and I shook like a silent paintmixer into my elbow to the consternation of my neighbors. -_-
  3. Russian National Ballet Theatre Cinderella 20 January 2011, 7 PM Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra Row T Seat 22 Music from the eponymous ballet by S Prokofieff Choreographed by Elena and Sergei Radchenko Cinderella: Marianna Tchemalina Prince: Ruslan Mukhambetkaliev To my relief, the over-reliance on previous knowledge of the plot in Romeo and Juliet has been replaced (mostly) with clearly choreographed sequences of events. None of it seems to match the printed libretto, but no matter, I am not tempted to post stream of consciousness recountings of the action today. Overall, this was a pleasantly danced performance accompanied by a badly edited soundtrack. The stepmother (danced en travesti) lusted after any available men and the stepsisters preened as best they could under over-large wigs. Cinderella (Tchemalina) was appropriately pathetic at home but was fortuitously rescued by a lushly danced Lilac Fairy Godmother (Ekaterina Egorova) and her seasonal attendants, who unfortunately seemed to clothed in tutus spackled with marshmallow bits from Lucky Charms cereal. Mukhambetkaliev's bravura actually served a point today and didn't look inappropriate, particularly with the requisite Soviet Court Jester at his side. His partnering of Cinderella also looked harmonious today against the Classical instead of Romantic setting of the plot. I was especially taken with the court's performance of a mazurka to the Grand Waltz, which shows the depth of their character work*. Instead of the typical sequence of the Prince traveling the land, ambassadors of exotic lands brought their prospective princesses to court for footwear inspections. Here I break into the narrative again to note that the action thus far seems a pastiche from everything else: Cinderella was presented at court in a SB-esque pas de quatre, and now an inspection of the Princesses a la Swan Lake (oh what next?). The Prince luckily caused no diplomatic incidents and here I run out of steam, but not before adding that the story ends happily enough in the expected manner. My production line of reviews continue sooner or later with a traveling production of the Nutcracker, seen in Durham, North Carolina. Some discussion questions for aspiring librettists: 1. Is Cinderella's father actually dead? 2. Why does the dancing master bring the invitation to the ball to the house? Was this an informal tete-a-tete? 3. If you make the clock a drably-clothed dancing scarecrow, can anyone figure out what he's there for when the moment comes? *To be honest, I would have preferred 1.5 hours of character dancing to much of the production. It was much better danced and (perhaps my gentle readers can tell) much more memorable.
  4. (Due to a variety of uninteresting reasons, I owe about six ballet reviews to this Fine Forum. I will try to complete the series in reverse chronological order. For now, here are some Amateur Reviews of the Lowest Order.) Russian National Ballet Theatre Chopiniana/Romeo and Juliet 18 January 2011 Tryon Festival Theater, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra Row R, Seat 6 Chopiniana (lead couple: Marianna Tchemalina and Ruslan Mukhambetkaliev) From what I saw of this program (mishaps - both weather and a fundamental inability to keep time), it was a rather politely danced program. It was academically sound but pallid. Where is the mystery? Mukhambetkaliev tried for bravura (in a ballet blanc?) and Tchemalina projected beauty. They danced well separately but together gave the impression that they were dancing two different ballets. The corp couldn't decide whether they were grabbing ears or chins as they indicated the necessary port de bras with their fingers. Romeo and Juliet music from the Tchaikovsky suite choreographed by Elena Radchenko Juliet: Ekaterina Egorova Romeo: Dmitri Schemelinin I couldn't bring myself to write an actual review, so here's what happened in my head during the performance, more or less. (Tableau for the Capulets) Juliet: Oh woe, oh arabesque en attitude, oh parents. (Tableau for the Montagues) Romeo: I'm too cool to have parents, just a posse. lighting technicians: Let's play with the red colored gels! (Scene opens upon the party at the Capulets) Paris (Samat Abdrakhmanov): My hat is substantially bigger than my head. (A bunch of poorly masked people burst in - Mercutio taunts everyone and is quickly found out. For some reason not made clear on stage, they are allowed to stay. General revelry ensues. Somewhere in here Juliet wanders onto the stage with her girlfriends, sees Romeo, falls in love very quickly. I think there was a love duet but I may have fallen asleep during it. Suddenly Tibault becomes angry. He seems a very volatile fellow. He and Mercutio fight. Predictably, Mercutio dies.) Lady Capulet: I have taken off my fake curls and will now perform the Mad Scene from Giselle. Oh whiplash. Ow. (Romeo finishes the job, looks confused but then appropriately devastated. Gives solo in front of the curtains that involves much bravura jumping. Suddenly realizes that it is not a good idea to linger and runs away Somewhere) Scene 2: (Romeo bursts into Juliet's room. Juliet greets him joyfully. They roll around on the floor. No, really, they Roll Around on the Floor.) Parents Capulet: Oh good morning there, Paris will marry you! Juliet: Um, okay. Oh, wait a minute. No. NO! Parents Capulet: Death by drawing and quartering! Well, this is a family performance, so we'll just drag you around the floor for a while. Juliet: Heave, Cry, Woe. (Parents stomp off stage, nearly treading on each other's hems in the process.) (Suddenly a Robed Man appears behind a colored window, waves his arms and makes the cross several times) me: Didn't anyone ever tell you not to take unidentified bottles from strange men?! (Romeo wanders in again, sees Juliet prone on the floor, pointedly not rolling around this time.) Him: (in the style of teenagers everywhere) OH NOES. (Suddenly women wearing translucent curtains wander in en pointe. This wakes up Your Critic in a cloud of befuddlement. Apparently he is now reliving their very short Acquaintance. It was a very fondly remembered time with lots of lifts. They exeunt, pursued by no bears.) Romeo: I fumble around my back for MY poison! (He drinks and he dies. Juliet wakes up.) Juliet: I'm alive! (She makes a circuit around the stage before realizing that Romeo is prone directly behind where she had been sleeping.) Juliet: (gasp) Romeo! You're not dead! (picks up an arm) You are! Romeo: (FLOPS audibly on stage) Your critic: (completely loses her composure into her elbow) Juliet: Oh well. (stabs self and Dies) (Your Critic manages not to kill herself on the performing center's steps afterwards and staggers home to write this Account of Events.)
  5. The Carmike theater in Champaign-Urbana (schedule here: http://www.carmike.com/ballet.aspx) shows the performances live (with one encore) and has the RB Giselle beginning at 1:30 PM CST and the Bolshoi Don Q at 10 AM EST.
  6. Four cavaliers, as in the Rose Adagio? Or the pas de deux avec quatre as in the Vainonen Sugarplum pdd? Beautiful program - I enjoyed the liquor ads immensely.
  7. Also a news report about Herman Schmerman and Rubies. Rubies was set by Sandra Jennings.
  8. nyususan, that's a different clip. There's also another one that's Ayupova/Makhalina/Christiakova/Dumchenko. This is a theater camera one and was made recently (Somova's pretty recognizable in the first movement). I'm 90% sure that my casting is correct but I can't be sure without access to my cast list.
  9. The female dancers as identified in the video blurb are Somova, Lopatkina, Osmolkina, Goncharova. However, I think jsmu is right that the third movement may be Vishneva instead. I think the fourth movement may be Maya Dumchenko.
  10. Some of them were in the library the last time I visited. They are, as rg noted, catalogued quite oddly. I've looked for a few others (Valse Fantaisie and Liebeslieder) but have not yet found them. Will update when I do. Episodes Filmed in Berlin in 1973 by R.M. Productions. Choreography: George Balanchine. Music for Sections I, II, III: Anton von Webern; music for Section IV by J.S. Bach, orchestrated by Webern. CONTENTS: I. Symphonie, opus 21. Soloists: Sara Leland and Anthony Blum. -- II. Fünf Stücke, opus 10. Soloists: Karin Von Aroldingen and Frank Ohman. -- III. Konzert, opus 24. Soloists: Allegra Kent and Bart Cook. -- IV. Ricercare. Soloists: Renée Estopinal and David Richardson. La Valse Performed by members of New York City Ballet: Sara Leland, Jean-Pierre Bonnefous, Francisco Moncion, Susan Pilarre, Susan Hendl, Marnee Morris, Merrill Ashley, Renee Estopinal, Marjorie Spohn, Bart Cook, Tracy Bennett, Anthony Blum, and others. (note here that there are incomplete portions of a 1950s performance in the Victor Jessen collection. Sigh!) Pulcinella Performed by members of New York City Ballet. Pulcinella: Edward Villella. A Girl: Carol Sumner. The devil: John Clifford. Singers: Elizabeth Thoman, Wolfgang Bruneder, Franz Handlos.
  11. And to think, that's one of the more watchable ones. La Valse suffers from too many jump cuts, but one of the worst is Liebeslieder, in which the director continually zooms in and out of the women's skirts as they were twirled about... I'm dying a little just thinking about it.
  12. The cinematography of the German recordings vary wildly from gloriously watchable (Symphony in C) to wildly inducing of puke (Liebeslieder and Episodes). Went quickly through Tudou (Potato? Treasures from the ground?). Most of the other videos (including the Mariinsky SiC) seem to be mirrors of clips that were on Youtube, reposted at various qualities. there's an interesting documentary on Anna Pavlova and another longish clip on Tsiskaridze talking about Pavlova. Most of the video clips seem ill-labeled or wholly unlabeled. (edited about five minutes later after I did a more thorough search) Going through it, I found the following clips: 1. (dubbed into French) - a video on the proliferation of Balanchine everywhere (it was released in the late 1990s) 2. Balanchine Celebration (tape one? tape two? Possibly both parts) includes Western Symphony, Agon, Who Cares?, etc) I'll refrain from posting the links, but I will also observe that there are also quite a lot of _whole_ Russian performances, including a Ananiashvili/Filin Giselle (1997) and various other captures of DVDs in wide release.
  13. What is the function of the costume in relation to a ballet? When I think of Romantic ballets or those costumed in the style of it (even Serenade), the first thing that always comes to mind is the skirt, being manipulated by the dancer as it is snapped up and flung from step to step. The long tutu is like a character on stage, another party to the dance responding to the whims of their partners. Or, in Giselle, it is the afterimage of the woman - her tether to the world for this tenuous moment. The classical tutu may be mostly decorative, but the stiff shape of it delineates the geometric boundaries of a ballet for me. Imagine Paquita in practice skirts: the hierarchy of dancers is suddenly lost, and the loose skirts look wrong with regards to the lines of the choreography. I enjoyed Piano Concerto #2 when I saw it (NYCB with T Reichlin) but my sense of wrongness wasn't articulated until I had an opportunity to see Ballet Imperial in formal regalia (La Scala? My copy was unlabeled). I think that particular ballet needs classical tutus, both to frame the choreographic geometry, and as others have suggested, to visually convey the grandeur that Tchaikovsky's music suggests to the ears. The same goes for romantic ballets - Chopiniana may be beautifully danced, but the geometry of the choreography is (I think) meant to be framed by the skirt. We are not meant to see the legs but what the skirt suggests as animated by the movements underneath it. The combination adds a visual dimension of texture that I find quite bewitching. The thought of watching Emeralds without the skirts is, to paraphrase carbro, interesting once but only once.
  14. The programming may also be a function of novelty. For Tharp, Baryshnikov Dances Tharpe is out on DVD and contains a reduction of Nine Sinatra Songs (Sinatra Suite). Square Dance was last on television when Patricia Wilde and a caller danced it, and there's an out of print VHS with the finale from Western Symphony. I would also prefer a Theme and Variations, but the prospect of new ballet on television (of almost any Balanchine) is thrilling.
  15. The CD format shouldn't matter at all. Are they perhaps scratched?
  16. I agree with you that it looks like costuming of VF of at least 1967, which would be too late. However, Villella made the comment last fall that the original 1953 production of VF was done in Russian crowns and dresses - does anyone know when/if the costuming was changed during its original incarnation?
  17. I said that? Ouch! That's almost as embarrassing as reading an old post -- which I could have revised beforehand -- and wondering the same thing. I hope my tongue was in my cheek! Fear not, it was said with tongue firmly in cheek. I think we were both feeling quite punchy after an excellent performance. And before I forget, the photograph from the Q&A. I need to look up how one attaches a photo, but in the meantime, have a link: http://www.duke.edu/~wz5/qa.JPG
  18. (My notes for the evening's program are less precise. For some reason, I was given a program to the Mariinsky Opera's production of War and Peace and not to the ballet, so I have no idea of the substitutions, particularly as the distance of my seat made it difficult to see faces. Please correct me if I am wrong, horribly or otherwise.) Haieff/Faun/Midsummer/Apollo 6 March 2010, 7:30 PM Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center Orchestra X107 While I consider Row R in the Eisenhower Theater a perfect fit in height and distance from the dancers, Row X was also acceptably wonderful. The overhanging promenade compressed my view of the stage, but the additional rise at X made it easier to observe spatial depth between different layers of choreography. Haieff Divertimento, on its own merits, is not a strong opening to the evening's program. For that matter, it is not particularly a masterpiece. The music meanders in subtle undulations, the choreography seems to squeeze unfinished segments of familiar ballets together, and the ending comes as a bit of surprise (what, already? what happened?). I think at intermission I mentioned to Jack that it seemed like a doodle, albeit one that we gladly pay to see! Four couples in minty turquoise frame a lone cavalier in white as he tries to fill a couple's role by himself. It's an interesting conceit - man without woman trying to fill the place of two, but he doesn't quite know what is missing. Henning looked uncertain in this opening section, and I wasn't sure whether this was due to personal choice or choreography but am inclined to think the latter. The two dance an idiosyncratic duet, replete with pawing motions of the feet, lightbulb hands from Apollo, and a whole section that seemed lifted from 4Ts. Holowchuk's solo was beautifully soft, that is, what I could discern of it in the mid-to-late evening lighting. The finale would have worked more effectively had I a better idea of what solo contribution Woman (or at least Holowchuck) brought to this gathering. Henning seemed genuinely startled when his girl spun away from him and jetéd off for parts and peoples unknown. Don't go, he seemed to say, I know what I'm missing now. Faun was danced by Michael Cook and Natalia Magnicaballi this evening. The changed partnership presented a completely different character than the Mladenov/Magnicaballi pairing at the matinee. Cook was a youthful Faun, still searching out and testing the boundaries of his domain. Unlike this afternoon, Magnicaballi entered quietly, almost apprehensively, in anticipation of the strange unfinished creature that she would find within. The entire performance projected a youthful innocence about their fascination with the mirrors that suggested that, with time and experience, their narcissism may yet be mastered by their mutual attraction to each other. After the duet and kiss, the Girl exits quietly while Cook's Faun lingers over the experience - they need time and distance to think, but who knows what will happen when we're no longer looking? Repetition inevitably entails comparison. Cook is a shorter, stockier Faun than Mladenov, and must work harder to achieve clarity in shapes that his technique or inexperience does not yet allow. There could also be more modulation to delineate highs and lows in his performance. Cook draws our attention to the Faun's thinking, his hesitation in deciding how to approach the Girl (or whether he should at all), that Mladenov's near-electric affinity to Magnicaballi obscures. Another beautiful performance from Angelova and Seymour in the Act II pas de deux. Once again I am prevented from saying more due to the murky lighting. There was a moment in Apollon Musagete when I chanced to look around and realised that the theater was completely silent for perhaps the first time that evening. What a moment to remember. The Muses (K Draxton as Calliope, V Angelova as Polyhymnia, N Magnicaballi as Terpischore) gave very musical performances, though there seemed to be some disagreement (sometimes within the same solo) as to whether their depictions should be naturalistic or impressionistic. Draxton in particular seemed indecisive about the source from which her words emanated. Magnicaballi was a very sensitive but subdued Terpsichore, submerging herself in the music. The woman herself was less substantial in character. Angelova ran into a bit of danger in the triple pirouettes to arabesque - she went valiantly after triples but did not always finish cleanly - but her phrasing impressed once again. She took a horrific belly-flop to the floor in Coda - unfortunately amplified by microphones placed in the strings - and looked disoriented as she picked herself up slowly, but rejoined her fellow dancers and finished without a noticeable difference in the quality of her performance. This was Michael Cook's debut as Apollo and it was clear that he has an idea of how to develop the character. However, he needs to work harder to define levels and shapes with his body. His Apollo in infancy was youthful and wild, and he wasn't able convey character development to a point where either of these qualities were mastered. The Muses give him obeisance but it was clear that their submission was somewhat voluntary. He is called to ascend Mount Olympus, but taking his rightful place will be a challenge. I look forward to seeing what he does with Apollo in the future. After the performance, Jack remarked (edited to add - with tongue firmly in cheek, eyes twinkling!) that Apollo was 'not bad' for twenty-four year old choreographer. I think I replied that it wasn't a bad effort for a choreographer of any age. Overall, a most satisfactory ballet weekend in DC. Always a pleasure to run into fellow BTers, and hopefully, see you again in November!
  19. Donizetti/Faun/Midsummer/Agon 6 March 2010, 1:30 PM Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center Orchestra R109 I would like to gibber incoherently for a moment at the truly excellent quality of dancing by the company. These dancers seem genuinely happy to be dancing, and that joy permeated their performance and made their steps glow. Donizetti Variations is a piece that, were I to hear it too many times, would likely incite me to shoot my stereo system. On a faint acquaintance, however, it is merely relentlessly happy and looks as if the Paquita grand pas de deux had been transplanted into Act One of Giselle. The May Queen (Kendra Mitchell) welcomed us to view her courtiers (romanticised peasants all) as they showed off their fine ankles and calves in various permutations of humanity. Mitchell's May Queen was content to let her court frolic, but her courtiers knew that they celebrated at her sufferance. For those slightly unclear, one good solo soon settled who was boss. In comparison, Michael Cook's performance was less authoritative. The technical demands of his solo looked as if they had defeated him, but his determination to _finish_ reminded me of Albrecht amidst the Willis. The trumpet joke, as Jack noted, was muted, but it worked out fairly well once the audience figured out what was going on. There's nothing quite like a beautiful set of muscles rippling into awareness as the Faun began his exercises for the day. Mladenov, substituting for Henning, capitalized on his height in every languid stretch and pose, creating stark shapes that resonated in afterimages long after the performance ended. This Faun was clearly and comfortably the ruler of his little domain, but it was clear that he wanted (or anticipated) something unexpected to break up the monotony. Mirroring Mladenov's anticipation, Magnicaballi carried herself like an unfurled flag. I thought she nearly vibrated with suppressed excitement as she entered the studio, subtly shifting the Faun's fascination from his reflection to the awareness of something 'other' (and similarly beautiful) in those mirrors. Their awareness of each other was like a physical entity keeping them in orbit around each other, which in turn seemed to diminish the initial impact of meeting each other's eyes due to its inevitability. Instead, the real shock was reserved for the moment that they managed to break their study of each other, back to a less complicated admiration of their reflections together. When the Girl finally flees, it seemed like an affirmation, of both rejecting the complication and intensity of being together. Instead the Faun goes back to sleep, content with a faint memory of the girl and the dangerous temptation of kissing. Violeta Angelova and Ted Seymour substituted for the Act II pas de deux from Midsummer. The choreography is unexpectedly delicate despite the difficult partnering, and seemed to show (with greater feats of trust in each other) that the dancers' affections and destinies are intertwined. I would like to say more, but unfortunately was defeated by the lighting, with whom I was in unwitting competition. Agon, already difficult musically, was more than a little off in my only viewing this weekend. The trumpet was ahead in the music in spots and the woodwinds' tuning seemed wholly discordant instead of merely dissonant. The first pas de quatre opened with a short definition of open and closed positions and needed greater clarity from synchronisation. Overall the corp gave a very competent performance. The choreography flowed organically though I think some of the shapes (amidst the confusion of limbs) could be, again, better defined. In the first Pas de Trois, Michael Cook danced on the edge of restraint. If this were a contest then he definitely won in energy but not refinement against Holowchuk and Brandt. In fact this was a recurring theme throughout the two performances that I saw - that he had the _idea_ of execution, but that his performance of it wasn't as clear as his energy alone would allow. Violeta Angelova shone in the second pas de trois. Her Bransle Gay flowed languidly from one position from another, achieving impossibly etched positions and sharp angles without becoming staccato in her phrasing. The juxtaposition was a great reading of the choreography and marks it as a performance to remember. Mladenov and Magnicaballi are well-matched in essentials, both being long of limbs and bursting with dance intelligence. They did not dance the pas de deux as a competition in brute strength and flexibility (and given the advances in training over the past fifty years, nor should they), but instead treated it as an challenge in projecting ambiguity. Who dictates the moves? Who decides what comes next? The pas began as a simple contest between Mladenov and Magnicaballi in asserting dominance, with Magnicaballi willingly - even gladly - losing. But as Magnicaballi is bent into a back attitude against Mladenov's shoulder, she bends just a bit further and presses into his face. Mladenov flinched, as if realizing (with more than a little apprehension) that perhaps his victory had not been as clear-cut nor as desirable as he had thought.
  20. You are right, Jack, but I wonder about learning and rehearsing new pieces. How much does familiarity smooth out the rough edges and how much do they simply have to wing it (particularly for the new corp members)? I noticed some continued partnering problems in Haieff that could be lack of rehearsal time or simply lack of familiarity between the dancers...
  21. This is the Q&A following the Saturday matinee performance. I moved down and waved my hands wildly (thanks kfw) but unfortunately was not selected to ask a question. In general, the Q&A skipped very lightly over the introduction of the dancers and their training. I wanted more thoughtful discussion over the rehearsals and limitations of working in what is still essentially a pick-up company, albeit a rather illustrious one. I also took a picture of the dancers on-stage, but perhaps I will consult board regs before I attempt to post it. The dancers: Kendra Mitchell, Elizabeth Holowchuk, Kirk Henning, Jessica Lawrence, Natalia Magnicaballi, Michael Cook 1. When were the dancers taken into the company? NM: 1999 October - she had a broken foot and sent in a video audition, receiving a call afterwards asking to meet? 2. Being rather young dancers, how did they hear about Farrell? KH: By reputation. Working in dance - Farrell's name is everpresent. He is not from SAB, but while he was in the Richmond Ballet, he was recommended by Richard Gallagher (?). EH: She transitioned into the program in 2001. 3. What's it like to work with Farrell? General consensus of it being 'amazing'. Rehearsals emphasize musicality (moderator asks - the beat? the interpretation?) The beat is of course 'on time', but while the step is the same, the interpretation is allowed to differ. i.e. Faun - different instructions tailored to different bodies Farrell has 'the eye' - allows dancers to be different, and in fact desires it. KH: Farrell "crafts us" into better dancers. She emphasizes the scope of performance and of choreography - giving us a better vision of what we are performing, but it's all done in the context of 'just' steps. MC: First time performing Apollo (Saturday night) = personalized private instructions for him NM: No need for words - she 'looks at you' and you know what she's thinking (other dancers agree!). Notes that during the season, they are working 12 hour days (they started at 10 AM Saturday), while Farrell works even longer. --- Audience questions: 1. Does your interpretation change as dancers move through a role? KH: 'steals' from performance qualities of other dancers. You see something you like by someone else and try it out to see how it works on your own body. JL: this is first year dancing as a pro - so during rehearsals she is busy observing other dancers, particularly Natalia, learning different things that they are doing to incorporate into her own dancing KM: each dancer is different - different performances of the same steps. Farrell is not so much interested in a uniform interpretation (KH, I think, cuts in here by cheekily adding "united individuality"). 2. When did the dancers get into ballet? MC: 5 NM: 7, but 'seriously' at age 9 JL: 4 or 5, 10 seriously KH: acrobatics and tap at age 8, ballet at age 17 EH: 6 or 7 KM: jazz and tap at age 7, ballet at 11 The last question was about feet care and the prospect of customized shoes (yes, individual makers). The moderator then noted that the dancers needed to get ready for the evening performance and ended the Q&A there.
  22. There are two principal women and two principal men, I believe. There are some great clips of Maria Alexandrova and Nikolai Tsiskaridze (in drag as a sylph) on youtube if you do a search. In addition, there are four or five juicy solo roles: The dacha-dwelling couple trying to recapture their youth (two character actors) The accordion player and his attempt tryst with one of the collective workers (one male and one female soloist) The farm workers who decide to have a little fun with the accordion player (two male dancers)
  23. Please let me know if anyone wants a translation of the articles. Thus far they've seemed like translated press releases and rehashed itineraries. The press conference in Beijing a few posts up talks about the administration 'eagerly anticipating' a 'next time' in China, but that's probably just your PR at work.
  24. The accounting of future income seems to be in direct contrast with the 'death boost' that some people's works receive at their passing, note for example the recent licensing bonanza of a certain pop singer. Experience has certainly show us otherwise!
  25. I. The legacy II. Annotated list of ballets left to the chief legatees III. Financial appraisal of the legacy in question Information for this post once again came from Taper - see part one for citations. All values are in USD. Please let me know if this is too much to paraphrase from my sources. (Mr Balanchine took no salary for the first sixteen years of the NYCB's existence. Instead he drew $25/performance royalties for his ballets. He only began drawing a salary in 1964 upon donations to the company and school from the Ford foundation.) Horgan, upon executing the will, was asked to value the ballets in consultation with Proskauer, Rose, Goetz & Mendolsohn, they argued that because fees were low and because audiences were inevitably going to want novelty, that the IRS should not expect more than five years of posthumous income from them (42). Their initial appraisal listed 89 ballets, itemizing royalties for three years before Balanchine's death. Average income per annum was 87 067.60, with some entries as follows: Allegro Brillante: 11 480.11 Nutcracker: 8 173.34 Apollo: 972.12 Serenade: 4 410.84 Four Temperaments: 1 813.32 Tarantella: 13.22 Robert Schumann's "Davidsbündlertänzer": 286.67 The legacy was then presumed to be worth 190 691.37, which, as Taper notes, is "a figure the connoisseur of probate documents has to admire" (33). After some haggling in April 1986 over a dozen unspecified ballets that may 'survive more than a few years", the adjusted value of the legacy was set at 550 000. Taxable value was fixed at 1 192 086.00, with federal taxes set at 300 562.00 and New York State tax at 69 787.80 So, apparently that's how much genius was worth on a tax document. In the initial years after Mr Balanchine's death, the company (or the board) discussed pursuing strategies that could possibly wrestle those rights back from the Trust or Le Clercq. At one point, Le Clercq was offered one million dollars for her rights, but she refused to sell (34). Eventually, the company was granted special licensing considerations that continues today.
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